#3E-Risk-taking.

[loudn-mcyt]

It's time for part 2 of my sbk creators in superhero au (Part 1 with Viking and Ruby can be found here)! This time, Avid and Marma1ade are up.

Avid in this au is the Monkey Mechanist - rock star by day, mad scientist by night. I picked the colors from his OSSHA uniform - surely that's not important though :3

Avid here is a masterful inventor; he has the maximum technology bonus that's possible at this power level, and between his improvised tools, inventor, and skill mastery advantages, he can whip something up for just about any problem, and his headquarters at OSSHA labs gives him the space and materials to do it (bonus points for whoever can guess what OSSHA stands for in this au). Though he would probably prefer to avoid combat, he's not helpless. His command blocks, blocks of modular nanotechnology, allow him to create objects, restrain opponents, and shut down other technology. Without them, though, he's extremely vulnerable; his monkey traits don't do much for him in combat.

This is also the first one of these where I have to explain how arrays work. In mutants and masterminds 3e, you have a limited number of points with which to build your character. Arrays are a shortcut built into the system; using an array, you buy a single power at full cost and any number of other powers with the same or less cost as 1-point "alternate effects". This comes with a catch, though: you can only ever use one power within an array at a time. This makes it very good for combat skills, but defensive and utility abilities in an array can be a risk...

Also, most of the time when I build characters in this system, I start with the archetypes and templates within the game and tweak them to fit the character I'm working with. For example, Viking is mostly built off of the Speedster archetype, while Avid is based off of the Gadgeteer archetype. I only bring this up to mention that the ability spread I used from that archetype was called Adventurer :). Also, I didn't build off an archetype for Ruby - I had to build his character from the ground up, which is a little harder but has a lot more flexibility.

Marmalade's colors are from her dress and her eyes. Her current name is a placeholder - superhero names are hard and superhero names for mages that haven't been used before are practically nonexistent. (if you have ideas please tell me I've been trying to think of a good one since I thought of this au)

Void witch is a good description of her abilities though. Magic drawn from the Void makes her the heaviest hitter by far of the characters I've made, and the accurate attack and power attack advantages give her a lot of flexibility in fights. Most of her magic is in her array, which provides both her offensive options and a few other possibilities - noticeably her protective aura, which allows her to shield herself and others from certain effects, though she can't do much else while she has that active. She also has access to portals for movement both within and between dimensions, but she may not always have that one down; the unreliable modifier means that there's a chance for failure every time she uses it, like, for example, if she was trying to escape a limbo dimension. or something like that. On the defensive, she's very resilient, and her will defense is very good, letting her resist mental effects well.

You may also notice that each character has two complications: one that I filled out, and a blank motivation. Characters in m&m are required to have at least two complications, one of which must be a motivation (you can have more if you want). I decided to intentionally leave the motivation blank, both because I wasn't 100% sure on those and because I wanted to leave some room for speculation/development if I actually write this au.

I've written way more for this post than the last one...hopefully that doesn't become a trend these are already very long. Also I lied a little about how long these take I already had them built when I posted the other ones oops

[invinciblerodent]

1) Will your OC get married and with who? 2) Will they have any children? What are their names?

OC Ask Game!

I think I’m gonna go on for a long (long, long, LONG) time about Iona, and mention the others kind of as a footnote, because I think Iona’s answers to these are just… the ones that are most interesting to me, lol

(fair warning looking back, this got PROFOUNDLY away from me- the TL; DR of it is that for Iona marriage is "yes, eventually" and kids are "no, never", for Arvid marriage is a "yes, of course, sure" and kids are "well if you want it", and for Petyr both are "hah! no. nope. no.")

So, this whole “what now” issue in Iona’s case, it’s… all a bit muddled.

As a little background to it, in 3e, it’s said that courtships between elves often take a very long time, sometimes decades, before a commitment is reached- which is understandable, especially considering that elves are also said to seldom fall out of love with one another, and don’t typically remarry after the death of one spouse. A commitment that’s meant to span a lifetime of centuries (whether the life of one has a natural endpoint or not is irrelevant), it makes sense that they’d take it seriously, and not jump into soul-bonds willy-nilly. (An albatross is definitely going onto her moodboard now, lol.)

I think both Iona and Astarion would still be kind of... feeling themselves out, by the end of the game, and neither of them would be drawn to the thought of “blissful mutual domesticity” just yet.

I mean, on top of being a quite young elf, she’s spent a good 80% of her life among humans: her experience with life is colored by the perceptions of a people who are constantly trying to outrun the rushing of a clock that might as well be standing still for her. So exploring what time even means to her, that’d be a very exciting prospect. While Astarion, he was even younger than she is now when he had the “elven” part of his identity taken away from him, only to be made into someone that’s seen as a tool first, monster second, and person a distant third. He’s eager to re-learn personhood and live again, so they’re both sort of… (re-?)discovering themselves and their “feyness” together, and in each other. 

My little idea is that after the Brain’s defeat, they’re going to spend one or two decades on solo adventuring: primarily looking for a way to allow him to walk in the sun again, but that… proves itself to be something of a wild goose chase. The travel itself is annoyingly cumbersome (either they have to shelter during the day and cover no ground, or he has to be polymorphed and be both unable to communicate and practically defenseless [can’t risk fighting, if his form is dismissed he’s dead]). But also, there are just… too many disappointments. Too many dead ends. Too many times they’ve gotten too close only to find out that they were either late, or misled, or just plain wrong about something.

I think he’d grow frustrated with it first, and grow reckless: strain against his limits, start pushing his luck with the Sun, start making dangerous mistakes, and it’d be her who’d start gently encouraging (cajoling, bargaining, eventually pleading with-) him that maybe they should return to the Gate. To regroup, try to find other avenues, head off in a different direction. And while he'd know she's right, agreeing… it'd still feel like he’s admitting defeat.

Of course, he’d try to put on an unbothered face, but she would still obviously be able to tell that he’s upset: primarily with himself, but also a little bit with… everything. Of feeling both free and trapped, both bursting with the desire to DO something, but also being… powerless.

Which (stay with me, we're a third of the way!) is the context in which the thought of kids and “marital bliss” would rear its ugly head.

Because I headcanon that vampire spawn are naturally sterile. (I know full vampires can sire mortal offspring, but since spawn can’t create new vampires via bite and the bite is almost always a penetration-allegory, I like to think that translates to them being just… unable to reproduce, period.) And elves in general already have far lower fertility rates, so even if he wasn’t sterile because of the vampirism but just maybe less fertile than usual, the chances of conception between the two of them would still be infinitesimally small.

And I mean, the topic really wouldn’t come up naturally, so I think Astarion would likely think that she’d eventually want children. I mean, he knows very well that she had been previously married to a human- humans usually want kids, so it’d be a natural assumption that she’d be on the same page as her ex-husband, and the fact that she doesn’t have kids now wouldn't be for a lack of wanting. (It is. It is for a lack of wanting. But both of them being ~excellent~ [pejorative] at communicating, he definitely wouldn’t ask- if only for fear of the answer he thinks he'd get.)

So it'd kind of… eat at him, for a while, the thought that at some point, she might grow to resent him. There'd be a small, niggling part of his mind that'd worry that at some point, the limitations would all prove too much, and she’d grow frustrated, tired of always having to work with and around his… shall we say, conditions. Beyond his partial reliance on her pain and literal body for sustenance, the physical differences between them, and the messiness of healing (the times he startles awake screaming, the times he can’t bear even the thought of being touched, the times he’s frustrated with himself and takes it out on her), this is just one more thing.

He can’t take her out for a nice day in the city. He can’t warm her body at night, wine and dine her (or just share a meal like a regular person), or love her as brazenly as he did starting out, out on the street for all to see because… well, he can’t go out into the streets. Can’t even travel with her during the day, not without taking the shape of a stupid animal that can’t communicate with her, joke with her, or even delight her with the looks he had thought for so long were the only thing he was good for.

Though secure in her love of him, he’s not stupid, or an idealist who’d think that love alone is enough for a happily ever after. While enjoying the time while it lasts, naturally there’d be sort of a running tally in his head of all the ways their lives chafe against one another.

Watching her face grow paler and paler as she’s deprived of the sun and has her blood drained, he’d never quite stop wondering at what point is the scale going to tip, at what point she’d finally realize that she had bet on the wrong undead horse by choosing to love the vampire who asks her to sacrifice so much, and not only doesn’t want to, but isn’t even able to give her what (he thinks) she wants.

Which, she doesn’t want it, of course. She has not even one maternal bone in her body.

Iona is well aware that she would make a terrible mother, and she absolutely does not want to be one. So it wouldn’t even occur to her that this would be something on his mind on top of all else. When he’d be having his little personal crisis about this, she’d be busy trying to make the impossible happen and circumventing the need to find a way to give him back the Sun by inventing one herself. That’d be why she'd lock herself into her study alone for longer and longer periods of time, why she sometimes wouldn’t come out for days, why she'd sometimes steer the conversation away from certain things- she wouldn’t want to give him false hope in a project that’d quickly prove so far beyond her abilities.

But, she'd still obviously recognize his occasional bouts of melancholy- I mean, it’s very unusual for someone to look at another so fondly and happily one moment, and then get quiet and forlorn the next. That distance she'd see behind his eyes sometimes when she'd tell him she loves him, that’d be rather worrying to anyone.

It’ll take a while for this particular cat to work its way out of the bag, but it would happen eventually, of course.

In reality, none of that would bother her.

She delights in being the sole person deciding what, when, and how she wants to eat. She loves the coolness of his touch- it soothes the heat of the draconic blood running through her veins better than any balm. Sure, going to markets and doing all that domestic pish can be fun, but... well, she’s always been an indoorsy person. Being bitten is no burden (she wouldn’t offer if it was), and there being no risk of a pregnancy, even after the tadpole’s death? At the risk of sounding crass, that’s an incredible perk, with no downsides. Feeling him find his pleasure while buried deep inside her, with no pang of fear or worry? It’s absurd how perfect that is, how happy she is with the fact that with the man she loves, that fear of being impregnated against her will can be put completely to rest.

And the rest, the messiness, the less “pretty” parts of it all, the evenings spent soothing his pain that’s either real or real only to him, that’s… just what happens if you love someone. Sure, she worries of course, but even when it’s inconvenient, when it’s ugly, when the old scars feel like they’re on fire and she can’t even being to think of a way to help… she still loves him just the same.

So no, no children necessary. It’s not in the cards for them, and even if it was, I don’t think either of them would really want it, or be good at it.

... She’d probably like to overwrite the memories of her first marriage (and speak the word “husband” without rancor) though, but only eventually.

And I like to think that that’ll have to happen with an item I’m tentatively calling “Taran Tal’hondnor” (The Gift of True Love), and it’s an enchanted ring that she will finally be able to create after many years of study, and even more miserably failed attempts at creating an enchantment that’ll let a vampire walk in the sun.

I like to imagine her proposing to him, on her own terms this time, with one such gift.

Because she loves him to the point of invention.

Quickly on the others, Arvid… might like fatherhood, if he were so inclined. He’s a very caring, kind, nurturing person, and if he were to be in that position, he would probably be a very good dad. He’s generally in a nurturing role already, and Gale being in a teaching role, they could prove to be excellent parents, if that were what they wanted.

But they… probably wouldn’t want that. Gale being the age that he is (“canon” says 35, I see ~38-40, minor difference) and a human, yet saying that he’s “not ready”, I personally interpret that as a rather telling thing. His past of having spent such a long time in a "monogamous" (I'm fairly sure that part's one-sided, no time to go into that now) relationship with a goddess who had no intention of having kids with him, and his present willingness to be with an illithid who can’t, that to me is implying that it’s not something that’d be that important to him. Like I personally see that as him not actively preferring to have kids if it’s up to him (he likes peace, and quiet, and downtime, and a nice glass of wine with a quietly romantic evening meal- very much the quintessential childless millennial, 100% part of the appeal to me lol), but he’d be happily willing to do it if his partner wanted it themselves.

But in my world, his husband (I like how I skated by the first part of the question, I mean they already ARE married lol)… doesn’t really have such strong feelings about it either. So, since two "maybes" don’t make a "yes" (and for this kind of thing, you need two enthusiastic "yes"-es for it to no longer be a no), it’s a "no".

But I think their marriage is going to be very happy and fulfilling to both of them nevertheless. <3

And since I don't yet have any kissy-shots of them (☹️), have an "are you seeing this shit" silent exchange for these two <3

Honestly? I would sooner give a baby to a pack of feral wolves and hope for the best than have Petyr become a father. He'd absolutely be the kind of dad whose kids become DnD characters. He's someone's tragically emotionally distant boomer dad just waiting to happen. (I mean, come on. My guy felt inadequate once, and coped with it by fucking off to the woods for 20 years? Yeah, sure, father of the year.)

And Shadowheart, she basically didn't have parents growing up, she has a TON of cult indoctrination to process and unlearn as an adult, and -let's be real- likely has no fucking clue how motherhood would even really work. Like the woman whom she used to call "mother" pretty much straight-up tortured her. C'mon now.

I like to think that, though they are the only two in my lineup who are physically able to have kids by accident, they (with their 8 and 10 INT scores respectively) would still be smart enough to smell that particular disaster before they'd barrel into it head first, and either actively decide not to have kids, or put it off so far into the future as for it to be meaningless. Maybe the discussion can be tabled in a few decades' time, but since by then their home will be surrounded by, god, so many animals to take care of (including a barely not feral, adult owlbear) (and their mutual boyfriend who sometimes shows up for like a month to fuck nasty on every available surface of the house and surrounding wilds), I doubt it'll result in a resounding "yes".

In the same vein of things, if a big, beautiful, traditional wedding is something that she wants (which I... kinda doubt would be super important to her), she definitely bet on the wrong horse, because this guy is not one for pomp and circumstance.

I like to imagine that after their departure from the Gate (and their bidding of not exactly "farewell", but "see you later" to Halsin), he'll just... take her "home" to his little shack in his corner of the forest, and then, sitting under the canopy of his favorite woods, enjoying the balmy evening breeze and the undisturbed night sky with his favorite person, he'll look up at the moon, take her hand, and silently, in his head, give his thanks to the Moonmaiden for this peace.

And... that'll be it. From that point forward, it'll be easy to fall into a kind of sweet, quiet domesticity that is essentially a marriage in all but name.

I definitely like- and relate to the idea of them foregoing the "2.5 kids, white picket fence" idea of a happily ever after not out of a conscious rejection, but rather just by... being themselves. Together.

[ahcoffeebeans2]

🌠!

🌠 A game with a mechanic I love

oh, man. would it be a copout to say every game has a mechanic I love? FitD's Devil's Bargains, Fathom's reworking of the stress system of SbR games and Heart's setting specific fallout system... hell, I even love the "take action, putting yourself at risk" move bog-standard to BoB games!

but let's take a wander down indie alley, shall we?

snow is one of my favorite game designers/artists, period. she has such a wonderful spin on ttrpg classics - I truly believe she's perfected the d20 system.

songbirds (3e) is a queer, punk as fuck dungeon crawl system, inspired by OSR games but doing something a bit stranger. my favorite mechanic in songbirds is "Darkness." besides the need for rest, there's very little incentive for characters to actually fear the night. snow does something amazing by making darkness actually harmful.

amazing! what better way to maintain the horror of a death-touched world than to make the genre standard "oh its dark in here" into a mechanically enriching experience.

the other favorite is her game the wizards and the wastes. you play as a bunch of wizards who can exchange pieces of yourself to cast spells. why cast spells? well, you have to roll a d20 and get under a four in order to be successful at an action. succeeding means increasing the DC by 1 -- making things easier over time! but as a wizard, time is not something you have a lot of... though you can certainly trade it to cast a spell!

thx!!!!! will be working on more of these!!

[owlbear33]

in this hypothetical heroic fantasy (or at least not a dungeon game) dnd

I have two big sticking points

the first is easy, how tactical grid combat friendly does this need to be, since 3e at least tactical grid combat has been a big, if optional, thing but like many OCRs ditch it, and frankly many games that I love, particularly exalted (from where I am taking much inspiration), use a series of range bands instead, usually some variant of close(5ft), short(30ft), medium(60ft), long(90ft), distant (don't bother) and it works fine, sometimes combat positioning gets a bit handwaved, but if the combat mechanics don't care too much about that it doesn't really matter, and there's the rub, do we want the combat mechanics to care about that

the other is magic, about which I have a few questions

since 4e at least (comments about various 3e/3.5 non-wizard classes) vancian casting has been diminished or nonexistent, and honestly I can't say I'm super bothered about that, it very much feels like an adaptation for the intense resource management of the dungeon crawl, and I've always felt risk management a more fun limit on magical power, or maybe something like the effort system used in assorted sine nomine games (more Godbound and SWN than WWN) a limit on how much you can maintain at once than do in a day

the other question is how many sorts of magic should there be? and how distinct should they be? as I understand it the OG made do with just the magic-user, but that quickly expanded to include clerics, druids, and all sorts there're all sorts of ways you could sort the different ways of doing magic in current dnd, but I've oft in the past argued they could be more distinct, the 5e warlock isn't a patch on the 3.5 one

in all honesty, if I had the time and energy for it (and were this not a thought experiment and was I actually seriously considering writing this game) I would write a whole bunch of different magic systems, from learned sorcery, pact and/or oath magic, divine blessings, and so on let GMs decide which are present in their worlds, it's not like all fantasy fiction uses the same magic, why should all dnd campaigns

all this brings us to the thorny issue of classes, they seem to be in fashion these days, though people call them playbooks, I've never been a massive fan, and if you have lots of different magic it may be better to have more freeform character building

[jcmarchi]

Akhilesh Tripathi, CEO of Digitate – Interview Series

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/akhilesh-tripathi-ceo-of-digitate-interview-series/

Akhilesh Tripathi, CEO of Digitate – Interview Series

Digitate CEO Akhilesh Tripathi joined the company in 2015 to launch its flagship product, ignio™. Under his leadership, ignio became one of the fastest-growing enterprise applications, with a global customer base spanning many industries and Fortune 500 companies. Previously, Akhilesh  served as the head of Canada for TCS (Tata Consultancy Service), where he grew the entity from a small, relatively unknown firm to a perennial top 10 service provider. His 25-year career with TCS has also included serving as Head of Enterprise Solutions and Technology Practices for TCS in North America.

Digitate uses machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) to manage IT and business operations. Its product, ignio™, is a cognitive automation solution designed to help IT teams identify and address outages quickly. Ignio includes pre-built knowledge aimed at enabling faster adoption of AI compared to other solutions. It connects various business applications, processes, and infrastructure to support decision-making and perform actions autonomously.

What was your vision for Digitate when you first joined in 2015, and how has that vision evolved over time?

When I first joined Digitate in 2015, my vision was to push forward a new way of thinking that shifts enterprises from a people-first model to a technology-first approach. By leveraging AI and automation, we would allow machines to become the initial handlers of tasks while humans became the handles of exceptions.  Over time, this vision has evolved to encompass a broader goal: helping enterprises achieve what we call the “autonomous enterprise” journey. This involves leveraging unified observability, AI-driven insights, and closed-loop automation to ensure that our customers can manage their increasingly complex IT environments with minimal human intervention. Today, Digitate is all about empowering enterprises to not just react to problems but to proactively prevent them, ensuring operational resilience and continuous value creation.

How do you foresee the future of AI-driven enterprise solutions, particularly in the context of automation and autonomous operations?

The future of AI-driven enterprise solutions is incredibly promising. We’re on the brink of a transformative shift where AI doesn’t just assist with tasks but fundamentally changes how enterprises operate at a core level. We’re already seeing AI-driven solutions becoming even more integrated into every facet of business operations. The goal is for enterprises to use AI and automation not just for automating routine tasks, but for making real-time decisions, optimizing operations across diverse environments, and predicting and preventing issues before they arise.

This shift towards autonomy is particularly exciting. As AI continues to evolve, we’ll see more systems that can self-manage, self-heal, and even self-optimize without the need for constant human intervention. This is already at play in our closed-loop model, allowing teams to focus on more strategic tasks rather than being bogged down.

What are the key challenges you’ve faced in scaling Digitate globally, and how did you overcome them?

Digitate is pioneering a new category, and as we scale globally, it’s important to build interest in our vision of the autonomous enterprise and communicate the value we offer. Many people still think that data silos and automation are the status quo, but we believe they don’t have to be. To tackle this, I’ve instructed my team to focus on what I call the 3Es: excite, educate, and execute.

Education is crucial because we need businesses to be open to taking risks, and this often requires a leadership mindset that embraces new technology and innovative perspectives. After we have educated and inspired our audience, we must follow through during the implementation phase. It is essential that we keep our promises – our goal is to deliver on what we commit to.

What inspired the development of Digitate’s flagship product, ignio™, and what sets it apart in the market?

ignio™ was developed with a vision to revolutionize how businesses approach IT operations by embedding intelligence and automation at its core. The inspiration came from our deep understanding of the pain points that IT teams face daily: lengthy resolution times, fragmented visibility across systems, and the sheer volume of alerts that overwhelm human operators. We wanted to create a solution that could not only detect and resolve issues faster but also predict and prevent them from occurring in the first place. This led to the concept of an autonomous enterprise, where ignio™ acts as the digital brain, continuously learning from the environment, correlating data, and taking automated actions to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations.

What sets ignio™ apart in the market is its ability to combine unified observability, AI-driven insights, and closed-loop automation into a single platform. Unlike other solutions that focus on individual aspects of IT management, ignio™ offers an integrated approach that addresses the entire lifecycle of IT operations.

Can you share how Digitate is leveraging AI to enhance predictive analytics and proactive problem management in IT operations?

As the buzz around GenAI continues to captivate the tech industry, it’s easy for enterprises to get swept up in the excitement and rush into implementation. However, in this enthusiasm, there is a real risk of overlooking foundational principles and best practices, which can lead to significant challenges down the road.

To navigate this, we emphasize the importance of data readiness and governance. We know that AI, no matter how sophisticated, is only as good as the data it operates on. Our ignio™ platform, for example, leverages AI to enhance predictive analytics and proactive problem management in IT operations. However, these capabilities are only fully realized when they are supported by high-quality data and robust methodologies. This strategic focus allows us to harness the power of AI effectively, driving true digital transformation while minimizing risks associated with the hype cycle.

How does Digitate ensure that ignio™ stays ahead of the curve in a rapidly evolving tech landscape?

At Digitate, we ensure that ignio™ remains at the forefront of the rapidly evolving tech landscape by continuously innovating and refining our platform to meet the dynamic needs of modern enterprises. We do this by leveraging a combination of advanced AI, machine learning, and a closed-loop automation approach to keep our systems ahead of the curve.

Our ignio™ AIOps platform is designed to tackle a wide range of problems enterprises face in IT and business operations across industries. “We use AI and automation to predict and solve issues before they impact key business KPIs, such as revenue assurance and customer satisfaction. Our proactive approach transforms IT from reactive to predictive, creating an environment where AI and ML systems solve errors automatically in real time, eliminating the need for tickets. With GenAI, we accelerate innovation and reduce manual effort in finding and solving issues, leading to faster time to value.”

In your opinion, what role will AI and automation play in shaping the future of digital operations across industries?

As we look towards the future of AI, we’re entering an era where human-AI collaboration is set to become more seamless and intuitive. The advancements in AI capabilities are leading us towards a new paradigm of augmented intelligence, where AI doesn’t just automate tasks but works alongside humans, enhancing our abilities through continuous learning and real-time insights. We’re particularly focused on how AI can mimic and adapt to human behaviors, making interactions more natural and conversational. This shift is crucial as it allows AI to fit more organically into daily workflows, whether it is through decision-making processes, predictive analytics, or even customer interactions.

However, with these advancements come significant challenges. For one, the opacity of AI systems, often referred to as “black boxes,” makes debugging and maintenance more complex than traditional software. This requires us to develop new skills and processes to ensure that AI systems are reliable and trustworthy. Change management is another critical area. As AI becomes more embedded in our operations, there is a natural resistance that can emerge, both from individuals accustomed to traditional workflows and from regulatory bodies concerned about the implications on employment and job roles. Addressing these concerns requires a thoughtful approach that balances innovation with empathy and strategic foresight. Cybersecurity and privacy risks are also escalating as AI systems become more pervasive. The more we rely on AI, the more attractive these systems become to malicious actors, including potential state-sponsored threats.

Despite these challenges, the potential for growth and innovation in AI-driven collaboration is immense. The market is ripe with opportunities, and businesses that invest in integrating AI with a focus on transparency, augmented intelligence, and seamless human interaction will be well-positioned to lead in this evolving landscape. At Digitate, we’re excited about the role our technology will play in shaping this future, driving both operational efficiency and transformative business outcomes.

How is Digitate addressing the growing demand for AI-driven solutions in sectors like retail, manufacturing, and financial services?

Digitate is addressing the growing demand for AI-driven solutions by developing industry-specific offerings that meet the unique needs of sectors like retail, manufacturing, and financial services. In retail, for example, ignio™ helps optimize supply chain operations and enhance customer experiences by predicting and preventing disruptions. In manufacturing, we enable smarter production processes through predictive maintenance and automated quality control. In financial services, our AI-driven insights support fraud detection, compliance, and risk management. By tailoring our solutions to the specific challenges of each industry, we help our customers drive innovation and maintain a competitive edge.

What are the most significant industry trends you’re seeing right now, and how is Digitate adapting to them?

One of the most significant trends we’re observing in the AI industry is the rapid advancement of Large Language Models (LLMs), particularly their evolving specialization and multimodal capabilities. These models are not just becoming more powerful in a general sense. They’re also increasingly tailored to specific industries and tasks, which opens up new possibilities for AI-driven solutions across various domains.

We’re closely following these developments, particularly the trend towards domain and industry specialization in LLMs. As companies look to maintain their competitive edge, they’re investing in LLMs that can understand and operate within the specific contexts of their industries. This means that LLMs are being customized to handle industry-specific jargon, concepts, and challenges with a level of precision that was previously unattainable. We see this as a crucial area for us to integrate into our own offerings, especially as we aim to provide more targeted, actionable insights for our clients across different sectors.

Commonsense reasoning and factual grounding are also critical areas where LLMs are making strides. As these models become better at understanding real-world contexts and maintaining factual accuracy, the reliability and usefulness of AI in enterprise settings will grow exponentially.

With over 20 years in the IT industry, what key leadership lessons have you learned, particularly in leading innovative tech companies?

In my 20 years in the IT industry, I’ve learned that having a clear purpose and a sense of curiosity is crucial for leading innovative tech companies. A strong purpose drives passion, creating an ongoing cycle of innovation. When innovation is fueled by a compelling purpose, it has greater staying power, enabling companies to overcome challenges and stay competitive in the long run. It’s important to note that each person’s purpose may differ, and as a leader, it’s vital to align an individual’s purpose with the overall organizational goals to maximize their potential.

Curiosity is equally important. The drive to learn, explore new ideas, and create something new is what pushes a company forward. The real magic happens when purpose and curiosity come together. This is where innovation and creativity thrive, allowing us to make breakthroughs and lead in the industry.

Thank you for the great interview, readers who wish to learn more should visit Digitate. 

[rampagingpoet]

3E was the turning point for D&D specifically. Well, the seeds were planted with the Dragonlance modules switching adventure design from self-contained dungeons to a series of set-piece encounters, but 3E formalized it.

Older editions of D&D designed encounters based on where they were located independently of the party's levels. Deeper dungeon floors had more powerful monsters, and the wilderness had larger numbers of monsters. Other than that, the players chose where to explore and what risks to take.

I don't know what methods were used to come up with the suggested character level ranges for published modules, but they varied wildly by modern standards. You'd see things like "Levels 6 to 10 with 45-60 total levels" i.e. a party of ten (!) sixth level characters was expected to both exist and br roughly equivalent to six 10th level characters. If they find something they can't handle with numbers alone they're expected to flee and find alternative solutions.

D&D 3E was the first to aim for balanced encounters. Expected balance points were established for both individual fights and the number of fights in a day. Archetypically four standard encounters in each day, expected to bring the party as a whole down to about 20% of their HP and daily resources. More fights if they're easy, fewer if they're hard.

3E established combat as the only way to get XP and as something the characters are expected to win. That it's OK for the wizard to just win some encounters because there will be too many fights in one day for the wizard to solo them all. That you'll use most of your spell slots every day because you got into that many fights. That you'll find your weight in gold by 10th to buy the fighter her +3 sword - and more besides for her other equipment!

There are advantages and disadvantages to that design.

Thinking about 5E's adventuring day and how D&D heroes are expected to get in a bunch of fights every day to show off how cool they are (thanks to @thydungeongal 's Jul 10 post) and, like, film and TV where fights seem to happen just to keep interesting stuff happening on the screen rather than in service to narrative or characterization. Just, like, the difference between choreography and pacing between the Star Wars sequel trilogy and the OT. The OT is not always perfect, but the action often feels weightier and more impactful than Rey, Finn, and Poe scrambling from one action set piece to the next while breathlessly shouting exposition.

I'm not sure if modern D&D is the way it is because it's reflecting the popular narrative conventions of the day or if it's a coincidence. I think, mechanically, it's partially down to uncritically reproducing how 4E paced itself. But 4E was explicitly a tactical skirmish TTRPG in ways 5E really isn't.

[fumiko-matsubara]

AssClass X Tower of God AU: Akabane Karma Illustration

AssClass x ToG AU Mini Comic

I mean of course, the Light Bearer position isn't exactly the most fitting for someone physically combative like Karma since it is still a supporting role by definition (like defence and increasing a teammate's attack power). But Team END (3E) needs a key strategist, someone whose plans are guaranteed success most of the time and aren't even the least afraid of making difficult decisions, and Karma is literally the only one who is qualified enough for that demanding role.

In that case, then what role is more suited for him other than the Light Bearer position, where he gets to have full-time access on an item (lighthouse) that allows him to quickly relay plans to his other teammates, before and during a battle, without the risk of being eavesdropped if he's careful enough?

Normally when you're the key strategist who is at the very back of the battle formation in the mean time, you would normally keep yourself in a more secluded area, yet that does make you more vulnerable to surprise attacks if you don't have any teammate nearby to defend you. But since this is Karma we're talking about, he can just easily take out anyone sneaking up on him like what he did to Maehara during the Civi War Arc.

Also, if he doesn't have any more plans to relay, he has the option to just either monitor the ongoing battlefield to find anything useful, or just get out of his lighthouse (the glowing cube thingy) to eliminate some people himself.

Okay the more I reason out, the more I'm convinced that he is someone who just chooses NOT to be in a position where he has to fight most of the time and would rather choose a position where he can basically manipulate a whole battle to his own terms 😭

[lucifer-is-a-bag-of-dicks]

submission by @cj-productions

Hi! It's the video diary anon, I'm not sure if sending an Ao3 link would work so I'm submitting the fic along with the link-

In the past ten hours, Danny could confidently say that his life had gone to shit.

To think it was all because he was stupid enough to trust his parents not to look through his stuff.

 Danny had been having a pretty okay day, all things considered. Him, Sam, Tuck, Jazz, Elle and Val had all gone out for the day to take his mind off it being his second death day. 

The constant company since after breakfast had been a little exhausting, but appreciated since it kept his mind off things. Now that he was on his own at the moment (Jazz had to get back to campus, his parents didn't know about Elle so she was staying with Val, who was still getting used to finding out about,Tucker had a family reunion tomorrow afternoon and Sam was technically grounded.) (her Grandma could only cover for so long.)

His thoughts were getting darker,  like they had his first death day. He should probably make a video diary about it, it was a little late so his mom and dad should be in the lab by now. That gave him pretty much free reign to say what he wanted, just had to be a little quieter than usual since their newest project involved less hunting and more actual scientific studies.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, he walked up the steps to his front door and opened it.

"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" He called out, just in case they hadn't gotten to work yet.

He paused at the sight of the lab door wide open. His parents may not be the best at lab safety, but they had always had the common sense to shut the door when working on projects. 

Now that he was thinking about it, it was unusually silent. 

"Mom! Dad? Where are you?" he dashed into the house, instantly worried that something had happened.

"Mo-" Danny's heart stopped as he rounded the corner into the living room, "shit."

They had found them, his video diaries from the last two years all in a folder he had made were open on his laptop. The newest one from last week looking like it had just been watched.

"Shit."

"Spook! Get out of my boy!" 

Oh Shit.

Danny whipped around to see the barrel of the bazooka pointed right at him and his Dad behind it. His Mom holding the weapon they had built last week in her hand beside Dad.

"Danny sweetie! It's going to be alright,  your just being overshadowed," Mom said in the voice she used when she would tell him in Jazz that ghost were things and not people. That the dead felt no pain. 

"What? No! Mom, Dad please let me explain"- He backed up a little to not look them both in the eyes, only to be met with goggles -" I am Phantom, I'm a halfa like my video diaries said!"

"Oh hun, that's not true, Phantom was just trying to get you on it's side so it could get more control over you." She sounded like she was talking to a fucking five year old.

"Yeah, no," Danny said, regretting coming home the more his parents spoke, "I am Phantom, so please stop calling me an it. You know I hate that." 

"Danny boy, just stay still and we'll blast that dastardly Spook out you in no time! Then you'll see what's actually happening." His dad chimed in, acting like he wasn't pointing a weapon at him.

"No! Didn't you two watch all the videos? Which, now that I'm thinking about it, why did you do that? You promised you wouldn't go through my stuff," Danny questioned, desperately hoping they would say no, that they had only watched a few and it was a misunderstanding.

"We did, it's honestly terrifying how much Phantom influenced has had on you," his mom said, "we're so sorry we didn't notice sooner, but we're not sorry about the looking through them. You've been being manipulated!"

"So, you watch all of them and you still think I'm getting overshadowed?!" Danny yelled, "Are you kidding me? I may not remember everything I've said but I sure as hell know it's proof that I'm not getting overshadow-"

He got cut off by the feeling of the bazooka's ecto blast hitting him square in the chest. 

He stumbled back, hitting the wall as he looked up at his parents, only to be meet with smiles. 

"Sorry Danno, your eyes started glowing green! We had to get rid of the spook as soon as possible," Jack said. Like he hadn't just shot him, like he hadn't betrayed what little trust he had left for his parents and then fucking shot him. On purpose. 

"Why don't we take you down to the lab and give you a little check up, okay?" Maddie said with that fucking tone, again, as she went to grab his arm.

Yeah, fuck no. 

Danny grabbed his laptop, went intangible and shot up the stairs to his room. He got his emergency bag from in the floor boards and his overnight bag from his closet. He zipped open the overnight one and stuffed it with all of his things that he could, adrenaline keeping him from shutting down.

He hesitated when he was done, deciding whether or not he should go to the hideout him, Sam and Tuck had claimed for themselves or if he should go to the Zone. 

"YOU DAMN SPOOK! GET BACK HERE AND GIVE US BACK OUR SON" was shouted, followed by the sound of the bazooka powering back up.

Zone it is then, he wasn't risking the hideout getting found.

Shifting into his ghost form, he grabbed his bags, took one last look at his now barren room and flew straight down to the basement, ignoring the sounds of his door bursting open behind him.

-----------------------------------------------------

Danny had been flying for what felt like hours before he got  to the Far Frozen. He had considered going to Clockwork but had decided against it cause of his undoubtedly horrible ecto burn on his chest. Clockwork's lair was further and it had probably needed treatment desperately an hour ago. 

Now he was sitting in the village medical center numb, most likely disassociating, while Clockwork and Frostbite talk about what they're going to do about Jack and Maddie over in the next room.

It was only then it really hit him, that they had heard him poor his heart out, seen him break down and cry, learned about almost all of the shit he's been through, and still decided to shoot him. 

It felt like his core was screaming in pain as he curled up and cried from the betrayal he felt. Something he had bracing himself for back when had come out to them four years ago. Something he had been promised they would never do. 

Then again, he always kind of knew this reveal wouldn't end well. He just had hoped they wouldn't shot.

He guess he should have hoped it wouldn't be one of the larger weapons instead. 

--------------------

bruh 😭

thank you for sharing ❤️

[quercusfloreal]

Le 3e Gédéon

I was hesitating to talk about it but here we go. May I introduce you to the manga "Le 3e Gédéon".

Warning long post

What it's about ?

Manga in 8 volumes, it tells the story of Gédéon Aymé who dreams of becoming a deputy to the Estates General to save the people from misery. George, the Duke of Loire and his former comrade, also seeks to change the system, but instead use violence to achieve his goal. This is going to be a story where the two characters will fight each other, one wanting peace and peaceful change, the other a radical and violent change.

What did I think of it ?

I found the story good. It manages to mix fiction and French revolution. It's full of inconsistencies but somehow it works. However I wouldn’t advise this manga to everyone. There is psychological and physical torture, gore and nudity. The images can sometimes be very crude.

What about historians characters ?

Well, we have the most badass portrayal of Louis I've ever seen in my life, he’s able to detect the slightest lie. Marie Antoinette may seem shallow, but she knows perfectly well how to play her charms to turn the tables in her favor. Their couple is interesting because each of them can't really love the other completely. Madame Roland is an ambitious woman who we learn had a daughter with Gédéon. Saint-Just is the slightly confused teenager who will eventually grow up and assert himself. Charles Philippe, the sociopathic Count of Artois, wants his brother's place and Elisabeth, the king's sister, wants Marie-Antoinette's place.

But what about Robespierre ?

I said in an old conversation that Maxime had daddy issues. Let me explain. One of the main themes of this manga is family and father figures. We learn that Gideon's father is the duke and he has exchanged his son's place with George so that Gédéon can be closer to the people. George has a real grudge against the duke because when Gédéon will be older, he should have become a servant again. But by trapping Gideon he kept his place.

Maxime has a real grudge against his father and George will use this information to manipulate him.

The first time we hear about Robespierre is in the first chapter. George is looking for easily manipulated men who can help him destroy the old system. Saint-Just, recruited by George, tells him that Max would be a potential candidate. Maxime is invited to George's house and has to save a former peasant, now a bandit, from the death penalty because he attacked George. Of course Maxime succeeds but it was a test. Of course, George can’t deny Maxime's skills but I believe it’s hearing the conversation between Maxime and Gédéon about Gédéon’s daughter that made him decide :

Robespierre : Shouldn’t you start trying to be a good family man ? You should leave the Assembly to single people like me !

We see Robespierre again later in a rather amusing scene with Gédéon. Gédéon, drunk, says Saint-Just's erotic writings told the boy is a virgin and is amused. And who is the virgin in the same bar as Gédéon? Boom Maxime !

Their following conversation will confirm that Louis XVI is the father of the kingdom.

Yeah, but when does George act ? Well, Gédéon sees Maxime again when the Estates General stagnate and there is a talk about creating a new assembly. Since Gideon is now part of the King's police force, Maxime asks him if he can meet the King discreetly to solve the problem. But without clearly knowing it, George is already starting to manipulate Maxime.

Keep in mind the puppet representation. It will be important for the next step. Because it’s present when Maxime's words contradict a part of his thoughs and when this thoughs takes controls.

After Gédeon refuses to join Saint-Just, Maxime explains to him, if Gédéon continues to hang out with the royal family, there will be repercussions. And if Gédéon tries to find his lost daughter and make politics at the same time, he will lose both. Because for Maxime, children are burden to their parents. Maxime explains his childhood, his dead mother and his father who left. He is resentful of himself because he believes it was his behavior as a child that made his father disappear, that he was a burden to him. This is why he doesn’t want children.

But underneath this justification, even if he pretends the opposite, he has hatred towards this father who abandoned him.

Gédéon : You have the right to hate your father.

Robespierre : In this case, I have the right to kill him, right ?

On the day of the meeting with the king, on the way to the palace, Maxime admits to Gédéon that his father sends him letters. In this letters, his father talks about his new family. Of course he knows that this is probably a trap, but we feel that it’s a sensitive subject for him.

Robespierre : Over my shoulder, I saw myself when I was ten years old.

Then comes one of my favorite scenes, a scene of tension between Louis XVI and Robespierre. Louis explains there are three locks on the table, if he thinks Maxime is lying, he will break one of them.

Robespierre : Since that time, I have always respected you as a father.

Louis XVI : One...You were warned, lies don't work. Either you don't respect us, or you don't respect the concept of a father.

After two, Maxime admits being one of the instigators of the problems at the Estates General and to make it stop, Necker must be dismissed because he makes promises that the nobility will never accept. Louis accept to think about it.

And here comes the chapter where I most wanted seeing George to lose and die painfully because his plan is totally twisted. Maxime receives a letter from his father who tells him that Henriette might not have died if he had been there, implying that it is Maxime's fault that he left. Then Maxime sees in front of his house a woman abused by a man. He threatens to take him to court but the guy explains that Maxime has nothing to say about the correction of a husband to his wife, named is Henriette...Oh boy !

The next day, Maxime proposes her to leave her husband, that he can help her by offering her a place in the convent of Arras. There, she would be safe. But she refuses because her husband will find her and she is unworthy of his help. Maxime feels unable to do anything. He remembers his dying sister. In the evening, another intermission, but this time Maxime decides to act. He intervenes until the girl confesses her father married her.

At this words, Maxime becomes mad and releases all the hatred he has accumulated towards his father. George's plan to make him forget any peaceful method succeeded

Robespierre now lets his hate guide him. If Louis is the father of the kingdom and the father of his subjects, then he must pay too. He goes to see Necker, tells him to accept his resignation to become a martyr and harangues the assembly to join the people and take up arms. He explains the first attack will be at the Invalides, then the people need to take care of the Bastille afterwards, because it is a royal symbol.

Camille : Maxime notice me !

Gédéon doesn’t agree with Robespierre, he thinks it’s necessary to think of a more peaceful method because it risks having deaths. He no longer recognizes his friend

Robespierre : I assure you Gédéon, I haven’t changed. Gentlemen ! Listen up ! We've been trying to find a resolution through dialogue for a long time! Alas, all our efforts have been in vain...a pure waste of time...and why !?

Robespierre : You too, Gédéon, I bet you've seen abused children love their fathers so much that they fall apart. Gédéon: Yes...

We see him again only after the march of the women on Versailles. Gédéon tells him that George is the one who sent him the letters and played on his dislike for his father to kill the king. He wants to find the wise and peaceful Robespierre.

Gédéon : And this other one love his father.

But Maxime does not believe him. His hatred is still too strong. When another lawyer asks Maxime to save a man, Maxime takes time to think, because the man looks like his father. It’s the words of Saint-Just that convince him to give up this man because he had previously seen the damage caused by the Duke of Loire on his sons George and Gédéon.

Robespierre : He’s a complete stranger, there is no doubt about it !! Saint-Just : Wouldn't it be better if he were really your father? If he were condemned to death, you would be delivered from him.

Saint-Just : Destroying everything to build a new order, that's what I think revolution is !

Finally, Maxime is released when the king died. Gédéon has found the death certificate of his father, confirming Maxime has sent an innocent man to death. Maxime seems to be happy on the day of the king's death but when he saw George and reconised him as the girl he tried to save, everything gets destroyed. He cries because after all he has done, he cannot go back.

Saint-Just embraces Maxime who he’s crying : I will always remain at your side, until death separates us.

The last time we see him is when marie-Antoinette curses him and other revolutionaries at her execution;

I reconize Saint-Just, Robespierre, Desmoulins, Marat ? (right middle), Danton, Hébert, Mme Roland, Augustin ? (bottom right)

[rampagingpoet]

3E was the first edition I seriously played or ran, so I ended up rationalizing it the other way around: the PCs are the lucky ones.

In 3.X D&F, NPCs explicitly have less powerful magic items and a greater reliancr on consumables than PCs. This suggests they either literally found less treasure or had other, non-adventuring priorities to spend it on.

NPC parties are just less successful than PCs. They spend more of their time taking comparatively safe jobs that don't pay as well and end up spending a larger proportion of their wealth on upkeep.

The ones that don't? The ones that take big risks for big rewards? You see a few of them, but the DM isn't balancing encounters for the NPCs. They mostly die. We're explicitly playing out one of the parties that had a shot, not the horror story of the group of bright-eyed youths that got devoured by a wyvern the first time they ventured into the hills.

That, and the encounter balance can also happen by area / dungeon instead of by party level. Everyone knows the hills are dangerous. There's wyverns in them. If you can't fight a wyvern you should really take the extra day to go around. Then again, it's said that Syr Conrad had a year's taxes locked in his vault before that terrible fire -the gold might still be there if you're brave enough to find it!

When you talk about games like Odnd 'not balancing encounters' - could you elaborate more on what you mean by balancing? I've seen you mention that not all encounters were meant to be won by the players but to me that doesn't preclude balance. For example even if the players might not win a fight, choosing to not give a room enemies that can trap and insta kill players is still 'balancing'. You're just balancing for 'they may very well need to just run from the fight' rather than strictly 'they will win this fight and expend somewhere in the range of X and Y% of their resources'

I mean old D&D very rarely balanced for either to be fair. Played as written it was entirely possible to run into a room full of instant death bees that theoretically could one-shot a player character.

But what I mean generally speaking when I talk about this difference between older and newer editions is that older editions of D&D don't take party level or party size into account when generating content. Whether you've got a party of four level 1 characters or a party of twelve characters of levels 5-10 your characters might still end up running into 40-400 goblins in the wilderness.

Meanwhile D&Ds 3e to 5e all ask you to take character level and party size into account when generating content for the game. This isn't inherently bad in my opinion, but it represents a shift in playstyle.

Of course in practice what the old D&D approach often means is that starter level characters stick to starter level dungeons until they can take on higher level threats, but even those starter level dungeons are less concerned with the idea of presenting a fair and balanced challenge for the characters that players can expect them to be able to overcome and more just. Random generative bullshit. And players can't ever go in expecting to have a fighting chance against everything. Those instant death bees appear 1d6 at a time in dungeons, 5d6 in their lair.

But yeah the game is kind of balanced with regard to the idea that characters don't ever really need to engage unless they choose to or unless they get unlucky. Whereas modern D&D often builds a bunch of safety nets into combat (not dying immediately at 0 hp, more hit points per character, ready access to healing, etc.) older editions build that balance through having procedures for detecting encounters beforehand, and even if that fails combat isn't always necessary (catching monsters by surprise means automatically being able to evade them, running away is always an option, sometimes the monsters simply don't react with hostility). I guess it's a certain kind of balance, but it's a very different kind of balance from what I mean when I say "balanced encounters," which I broadly use to refer to encounters that are custom built to take into account party size and level with the assumption that under normal circumstances the party should emerge victorious.

[queen-ofsunflowers]

Shujin Assassins Brainrot Pt. 3

I HAD A THOUGHT. A VERY VERY DEVIOUS THOUGHT.

---

I am now reminded that the island stuff in AssClass happened in Okinawa.

Which is a location in Strikers.

...these kids can't catch a break there, can they?

---

I just realized the Okinawa arc is where we see the beginning of the Phantom Thieves. Not in Tokyo, not in Kamoshida's Palace. But in the real world with their friends' lives on the line.

So much oof.

---

It also hit me how pissed off Zenkichi is/might be when he finds out about the kids' assassin backgrounds. Especially as to WHY. And how old they were, too. I think they were the same age as Akane when they started holy shit--

---

(The 3E group chst sometime during the class’s first year of highschool)

Ann: ryuji’s in the hospital

Ann: a teacher broke his leg after ryuji went and pulled a karma on him.

Karma: i don't know if i should be proud or disappointed

Ann: I don't know either!

---

3E group chat again when Ren got arrested

Itona: Ren got arrested

SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE TYPING...

Sugino: What do you mean he got arrested?!

Itona: it means he got arrested

Karma: I always thought I'd be the first to get arrested. Me or suzui.

Nagisa: This isn't a joke!

Ryuji: what happened?!

Ann: ren wouldn't do anything without a good reason. He's just that kind of guy. So what did he do?!

Itona: i don't know. his mom just left to see what's going on. I won't know anything until he gets out of detention.

SEVERAL PEOPLE ARE TYPING...

(essentially, a lot of panic since Ren didn't have his phone on him. A lot of people get PISSED when they find out what happened from him later on.)

---

When Ren fakes his death, you know how he gets those texts from confidants to see if he's alright?

Unfortunately his confidants in class E have no chill. Only one who bothers to text is Karasuma. The others, do not. So you have a handful of teenagers storming the attic and tackling Ren off the cratebed.

---

Ren: *gets speared trying to protect the others, nearly dies*

Also Ren: I might need some therapy after this.

(How much said therapist and/or certain counselor gets told is currently up in the air.)

---

The trio having a MAJOR breakdown following Okumura's death. After what happened with Korosensei, they were the most adament about the no killing rule. They had to kill someone they deeply cared about, and never wanted to kill again PERIOD. The only reason they take the risk is because people might get hurt if they don't, like with Shiho.

---

I apologize for all the brainrot, I'm just having so many ideas.

[dragonrajafanfiction]

Mission

With a black umbrella held over his head, Lu Mingfei looked up at the Cassell Clinic on the top floor.  The rain fell in white drops from the dark cloud overhead, hitting his face and running down his cheeks like tears. Tigre was back in hospital after a huge blackout had rocked the campus. Lu Mingfei had been called to a meeting in the Library.

Four somber professors had faced him. Guderian, his mentor and recruiter all those years ago, Schneider, the leader of the Executive Department and the mentor of Chu Zihang, his Senior Brother, Manstein, mentor to Nono and leader of the Disciplinary committee,and Toyama, the school Psychologist and mentor to Tigre.

They stood in front of a holographic map that displayed the border of the United States and Mexico. A bright red circle was hovering somewhere near Texas.

Did they really have to explain? Whatever that angry red circle meant it had to be something big for all of them to be here and, given the recent events, he wouldn’t be surprised at a direct attack. 

Lu Mingfei was just tired.

And who wouldn’t be? The idea of fighting dragons never appealed to him. It was true that he’d rather be here than wasting away in his Chinese hometown. But did he always have to choose between two extremes? Either wasting his life on pointless pursuits, or risking it in grave danger. 

He’d managed to make a few friends, but they were all gone. He came to Cassell for Nono. Now Nono left to do Bridal Training after accepting Caesar’s proposal. Caesar was gone managing the Italy Branch in Rome. And Chu Zihang was wandering the world doing missions. Not even Fingel was here, reassigned to Cuba weeks ago. Technically, he was supposed to be running the Student Union, but Isabel was the one who followed him around and did everything for him most of the time. As for the rest of the Student Union, he had little in common with them. Those people were obsessed with their assets and dignitaries and properties and procedures, and none of these things interested him. His life was suddenly very dull. You would think that having this mission would excite him. He just groaned when the message came on his phone.

Now he was fighting dragons without even his friends for company.. He dreaded it. Not even the Little Devil was interested in his mission. Usually that irritating child would pop up if there was a lucrative opportunity for him to try to get him to sell his life away. 

Lu Mingfei sighed to himself and said nothing.

Guderian frowned a bit but then continued. “Now that we’re all here. Let’s get started. Norma? Please report.”

“Gladly.” The ethereal translucent blue girl floated down like an angel from the ceiling. “I scanned the records for similar EMP reports around the area where the student called “Tigre” was discovered and found three separate instances. In the Chihuahuan desert.”

The map zoomed in and three X marks appeared. “What is more, these EMPs correspond to a spike in deaths and disappearances from migrants crossing the border into the US from Mexico. It is said that hundreds disappear at this time never to be seen again. While some disappearances can be explained as natural, it’s possible that they are related to dragons. This particular route is called the “La Ruta de Muerte”. it's rumored that no one who passes through this route ever makes it to the other side.”

A long blood red trail was marked on the map. “It is about 10 miles long in total. However, we will only need to concern ourselves with the inmost trail. Because this matches the information given to us by Doctor Toyama.”

“The evidence is still shaky. It is difficult to confirm anything. The desert environment efficiently removes all traces of bodies. However, we have been able to receive confirmed sightings of aberrant creatures within the vicinity for quite some time. It wasn’t until Toyama’s vision that we believe we have enough evidence to put together a team.”

“Vision?” Mingfei turned to look at him. He didn’t know much about Toyama. There was not much reason for him to see a psychologist. 

Toyama stepped forward and handed him a black folder. “These are all my findings so far. We believe that some sort of dragon has come into contact with Tigre. That is why his dragon blood purity is so high without him turning into a Death Servitor. What the 3E detected wasn't him, but what was inside him.”

“Inside?” Lu Mingfei opened the folder.

“The EMP that shook the campus occured when we tried to run an MRI on Tigre. Whatever is implanted in his skull woke up and used an EMP as a defense mechanism.” 

“Wait… Tigre has a dragon… in his head?” Lu Mingfei stared at the picture of the eye shaped scar on Tigre's scalp. "A tattoo of an eye…"

"Chu Zihang reported an eye shaped mark on a man captured by the hybrid smuggling ring where Tigre came from." Schneider said. "He attempted to free that man but when he damaged that eye-shaped mark, the man died."

Lu Mingfei's eyes suddenly turned dull. "What do you want me to do?"

“Right now, Tigre is our only lead. He provided us with a vision of a great tree that is growing out of a dragon. We are not certain what that vision means but we believe that sending him with you is the only way to find the mystery at the center of all this..” Toyama said.

Lu Mingfei lifted his head from the folder. "What? Isn't he just a freshman? But he's your student?!"

Toyama sighed, but didn't reply. “There are no reports of any such large tree and this environment would not support a tree of this size. We believe that the tree is residing in a Nibelungen. It's possible you will not be able to reach it without him."

Lu Mingfei took the stairs to the fifth floor. Physical training had made him physically stronger, and his experience in Genji Heavy Industries turned him off elevators forever.

He entered the vault using his phone. Tigre was once again in bed, sleeping but now he was hooked up to a lot more monitoring equipment.  A dozen little paper disks adhered electrodes to his head. EVA was likely monitoring his brain waves.

When Tigre turned to look, he had no contacts in, but wore sunglasses.  His eyes were clear and innocent. "It's too early for dinner…" He said.

"I'm not here to bring you food. You've… been assigned to me for a Dragonslaying mission." Mingfei had heard those words so many times. But this was the first time saying them. He felt sick. How could it be possible that words could taste so disgusting? Is it because he finally understood their meaning? 

Or was it because he finally was on the other side of it. As a freshman student, he was clueless of the danger. There was no way anyone could have been able to tell him what he was in for without scaring him off. But they knew.

That's what sickens him now. 

When Chu Zihang was recovering, Lu Mingfei tried to visit him as much as he could, but while he was at his bedside, Zihang confessed everything.  He'd wanted to save the man in the smuggling ring. Release his contact with the illegal organization.  He wanted to let the doctors go… but he'd failed all of that. 

"But Tigre is doing well." Chu Zihang turned and looked at him, covered in bandages, tubes and wires. "Please care for him. I can't be here to help."

"Are you alright?"

Lu Mingfei suddenly realizes he's been silent for several seconds.  He laughs, completely changing demeanor.  "Oh I'm fine! Fine! I daydream a lot. There have been times I've just completely zoned out and missed a flight or a train. Don't mind it."

Tigre smiles a little.  "What's the Dragonslaying mission about?"

Lu Mingfei's smile fades a bit. "Oh you won't have a big role. Don't worry about it. I'll take care of most of it. Just… treat it like a field trip."

[gwen-cheers-me-up]

I’ve been in the mood to write some BBC Merlin gen fic lately, but I don’t have the time to start any big projects or work on the ones I’ve already started, so I thought I’d take some requests instead. Send me 2 characters + a prompt from the list below and I’ll write you a short fic!

Platonic / Gen Prompt Compilation

Dialogue Prompts (Questions) - Set A:

1a. “Are you warm enough?”

2a. “What if they’re right?”

3a. "Is it always like this?"

4a. “You’re coming back, right?”

5a. “Is this really necessary?”

6a. “Do you want me to stop?”

7a. "You forgot, didn't you?"

8a. “Why didn’t you listen to me?”

9a. “Are you just gonna sit there?"

10a. “What is wrong with you?”

11a. “Are you finished yet?”

12a. “Who are you talking to?”

13a. "Isn't it obvious?"

14a. “Can you show me?”

15a. “How is this my fault?”

16a. “What makes you think that?”

17a. "Are you ever going to apologize?"

18a. “What’s taking so long?”

19a. “Is it okay for me to be here?”

20a. “Why would you do that?”

21a. “What if it doesn’t work?”

22a. “Where does it hurt?”

23a. “What do you really think of me?”

24a. "Are the rumors true?"

25a. "Why am I like this?"

26a. “Did I do something wrong?”

27a. “Can I come in?”

28a. "What do you want from me?"

29a. “Does that bother you?”

30a. "What are you hiding?"

Dialogue Prompts - Set B:

1b. “You look like you could use some company.”

2b. “I owe you, after everything.”

3b. “Ugh, don’t remind me.”

4b. “You don’t have to thank me.”

5b. "I need advice."

6b. “Take your time.”

7b. "I don't want to talk to you."

8b. “I know what I’m doing.”

9b. “I have no idea what I’m doing.”

10b. "Your secret is safe with me."

11b. "Here, this might help."

12b. "I changed my mind."

13b. “Something’s wrong. I can tell.”

14b. "I didn't want you to see me like this."

15b. “I don’t think you should be alone right now.”

16b. "Never mind, it doesn't matter."

17b. "I'll go first."

18b. “You’re okay. I’ve got you.”

19b. “I’m leaving.”

20b. “You need my help.”

21b. “It’s not enough.”

22b. "If anyone asks, this was your idea."

23b. "Wait here, I'll be right back."

24b. “You were right.”

25b. “I should go.”

26b. “You don’t have to tell me.”

27b. “I’m glad we’re friends.”

28b. “I thought you hated me.”

29b. “You’re adorable.”

30b. "I didn't mean it like that."

Physical Contact Prompts - Set C:

1c. Nudging

2c. Playing with the other’s hair

3c. Linking arms

4c. Touch-starved cuddling

5c. Horseplay

6c. Tending wounds

7c. Holding hands

8c. Hurt/comfort cuddling

9c. Sitting on the other’s lap

10c. Carrying

11c. Petting/stroking non-human body part

12c. Sleeping in each other’s arms

13c. Casual cuddling

14c. Tapping the other to get attention

15c. Sprawling out on top of each other

16c. Hugging

17c. Clasping wrists

18c. Nervous or flustered cuddling

19c. Platonic kissing

20c. Resting head on chest/shoulder

21c. Tickling

22c. Head pats

23c. Sleepy/drunk cuddles

24c. Caressing the other’s cheek

25c. Touching foreheads

26c. Putting an arm around the other’s back or shoulders

27c. Massages

28c. Patting on the back

29c. Linking pinkies

30c. Resting head in the other’s lap

Trope/AU Prompts - Set D:

1d. Friendship pining

2d. Anger out of worry

3d. Secret friendship

4d. There’s only one bed

5d. Poorly timed reveal/confession

6d. Mistaken for a couple

7d. Mistaken for family

8d. Scar reveal

9d. Bargain/sacrifice to save the other

10d. Sick!fic

11d. Arranged marriage/marriage of convenience

12d. Birthday

13d. De-aging/kid AU

14d. Hurt/comfort

15d. Accidental adoption

16d. Fake dating/marriage

17d. Locked in a room

18d. Huddling for warmth

19d. Animal transformation

20d. Enemies to friends

21d. Drunken admissions/truth potion

22d. Facing worst fear

23d. Tricked or brainwashed into becoming an enemy

24d. Different first meeting

25d. Platonic love confession

26d. Married to one’s job

27d. Reincarnation/resurrection

28d. Stranded due to weather

29d. Creature!fic

30d. Accidental eavesdropping

“First” Prompts - Set E:

1e. First “I love you”

2e. First time meeting the other’s legal/biological family

3e. First ride-or-die moment

4e. First fight

5e. First time calling the other “friend”

6e. First time calling the other “family”

7e. First promise

8e. First night spent together (sleepover, sharing a bed, night under the stars)

9e. First time crying in front of the other

10e. First hug

11e. First vulnerable moment

12e. First time cracking up at something that’s not actually that funny

13e. First gift exchange

14e. First time realizing they can rely on each other

15e. First casual physical contact

16e. First time getting up to shenanigans together

17e. First trip/adventure/vacation

18e. First celebration together

19e. First time confiding each other

20e. First day spent together “just because”

21e. First mistake

22e. First time asking for help

23e. First time anticipating the other’s needs

24e. First time someone else notices how close they are

25e. First awkward moment

26e. First time risking their life to save the other

27e. First cuddles

28e. First conversation without words

29e. First apology

30e. First time standing up for the other

Chaotic Prompts - Set F:

1f. Tag-team roast session

2f. Getting married as a joke (or out of spite)

3f. Accidental necromancy/resurrection

4f. Pretending to be the other’s parent

5f. Pretending to be the other’s grandparent

6f. Pretending to be strangers

7f. Pretending to be each other

8f. Raising an unconventional pet

9f. Raising an unconventional child

10f. Accidentally saving the day

11f. Accidentally bringing about the apocalypse

12f. Committing a crime with zero forethought

13f. Making up a lie on the spot

14f. Accidentally getting hired as an assassin

15f. Accidentally starting a cult

16f. Accidentally starting a revolt

17f. A prank gets out of hand

18f. A surprise goes wrong

19f. A complicated lie gets too complicated

20f. A major miscommunication

21f. Pretending to be royalty/nobility

22f. Pretending to be a commoner

23f. Pretending to have magic

24f. Claiming not to have magic while actively doing magic

25f. Crashing an event

26f. Accidental time travel

27f. Trying (and failing) to cook

28f. Trying (and failing) to eat the other’s cooking

29f. Staging a fight to get out of trouble

30f. Offending someone important and trying to fix it but making it worse

[pwbi]

Being a Player, being a DM

TLDR: My DM style has been influenced a lot by my experiences playing in TTRPGs, and I think there is a lot DMs can learn from being a player

Prior to even thinking about being a DM I had been a player for a number of years. I’d played in games from 3e, 3.5, Pathfinder, and even a weird space Homebrew 5e system. I didn’t really even consider the idea of being a DM until 2017, even though I had helped out other DMs and writers with a variety of things

So when I picked up the mantle as a DM, I already had a huge well of experience on what I liked as a player. So here are just a couple things I do as a DM that I learned from being a player:

I Avoid Prophecy Plots

Or more accurate if I plan to use a prophecy, I make the prophecy about what the villains are doing (rather than the PCs) The problem I found with prophecies is that it can make it feel like the PCs HAVE to do certain things in a certain way and they can’t fail if they do those things. This can end up taking away player agency and/or taking out a feeling of risk because the players know the DM can’t kill them off because that would ruin the entire prophecy

I Don’t Know the Answer

There is a lot of thinking power between 3 or 4 players, and a lot of times if I have a puzzle or encounter the players will come to very different solution than what I expect. For this reason I design a lot of things with the mindset that I am giving the player a problem and reason out a solution to it that they come up with, rather than trying to design something with a set solution and then guiding players towards that. 

Rule of Cool

There are a LOT of things I have let my players do simply because they lead to interesting or fun outcomes. As an example, a Wizard player in my home game usually carries the spell Grease because I ruled that the grease it creates is flammable and works like Alchemist Fire or a flask of oil. When players realize they can do things in an unorthodox way, a lot of times that makes for really cool moments for them, and so whenever I can bend the rules in favor of allowing a player to do something cool, I do. 

A Tarrasque is Always an Option

This is pretty much my motto as a DM. What I mean by this is that the DM has all the power in the multiverse, and so virtually nothing the players do or are capable of doing is OP relative to the DM. I have 0 problem giving players a shiny new toy or magic item on occasion and letting them feel like their character is becoming super powerful even if that means a little extra work for me in making challenging encounters. Players LOVE getting new items to use, so the logic behind this is pretty similar to the Rule of Cool. 

So yeah, those are just a few things I do as a result of my experience as a player. 

[waywardtravelerfart]

The Voice of All Things and other One Piece Parallels to Norse Myth

Oda has talked before about how his depictions of pirates are somewhat more like Vikings, and that a Viking TV show was one of his favorites as a kid. It stands to reason that just like Japanese mythology, he also may have studied a good deal of Norse Mythology in crafting his story, which I strongly believe to be the case. In this post I want to organize many thoughts and parallels that I’ve really begun to see:

* **Luffy=Odin**—Or at least an inverted version of him. Both are considered [sovereign individuals,](http://blogs.ubc.ca/hollyonclin/2014/01/28/the-sovereign-individual-in-popular-culture-one-piece-and-monkey-d-luffy-the-pirate-king/) or chiefs of their own made spheres, both started out with two brothers (Ace, Sabo, Vili & Ve.) While Odin just may be the inspiration for Nietzsche’s Ubermensch, both are known for being tapped into the [self-awareness of the world,](https://norse-mythology.org/gods-and-creatures/the-aesir-gods-and-goddesses/odin/) and wearing wide brimmed hats. What has increased the parallel even further as of late is Luffy’s own quest for further knowledge, in this case knowledge of advanced forms of Haki. Like Odin sacrificing an eye to Mimir, [Luffy at least put his at great risk in learning his greater insight from Katakuri.](http://f13.readermanga.com/65/907d7ef79f5a1e/s5.jpg?token=8MJYMU8uSnkrf5DPQqZroQ&expires=1562630399) The second great endeavor for knowledge was to be bound in order to learn the flow of things (chains to learn the Sakura flow in Luffy’s case, ropes for Odin to look at the river flows of energy to discern the runes.)

* **Zoro, or Law=Thor**—Wield a weapon (sword or hammer) alongside a sovereign or in the name of theirs, but only Law has used [an electric attack so far.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eGOL4HclV-Q/WwcVcp6Uc1I/AAAAAAAG-FM/h2PFWm3hjUU7i6pGk8K7AR8fSsAgjdHwACHMYCw/s0/015.png) I admit this is one of the weaker links and I need to get to reading on Thor.

* **Shanks=Tyr**—Tyr was the god of War & Honor, and lost an arm/hand baiting Fenrir into his trap so the latter could not fulfill his fate of killing Odin yet. Just like the man who taught Luffy his sense of honor.

* **Kidd=Loki**—Red haired icons of chaos who take insults too seriously and have relevant links to Odin/Luffy and Thor/Zoro/Law (Killer=Sigyn?.) One important link is the CoC that Luffy and Kidd share, which will become important when comparing CoC to seidr.

* **Bonney=Angrboda**—Jewelry Bonney shares many key traits with the [Dark Mother archetype in mythology;](https://badwitch.es/tag/dark-mother/) She can control not only her age, [taking on three major age forms,](https://paganmeltingpot.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/angrboda-and-the-dark-mother-figure-across-the-cultures/) but also the age of others, turning men to boys as if to overrule their egos. Both she and Kidd are from the South Blue. The question is if South Blue has any connections to Elbaf.

* **Yonko=Rokkr**—Monstrous Beasts that lay on the edge of the civilized world and threaten its destruction. In Norse mythology they were born by Loki and Angrboda. Whoever created such threats is just as much an danger (right?)

* **Big Mom=Hela**—Controllers of death, either lifespan or its realm (Helheim,) while Big Moms use and treatment of her children makes her parallel to the [Death Mother.](https://badwitch.es/tag/death-mother/) Close by to their territory is a master of insight (Katakuri=Mimir, see Luffy’s CoO above.)

* **Kaido=Jormungandr**—Snake bodied beasts holding dominion over or surrounding an isolated land, (Midgard, Wano) there is nowhere they can’t reach. Fated to reach a fatal draw with and die alongside Thor, be it Zoro or Law.

* **Blackbeard=Fenrir**—Dark or black haired, cunning (wolves have been associated with Odin’s knowledge) and fated to fight the known sovereign. While Teach wasn’t the one to take Shanks’ arm, he did leave a near-eye-taking wound with a claw-shaped weapon.

These parallels help set up what advanced CoC may turn out to be capable of. In Viking culture, the shamanic practice of [Seidr involved a death and rebirth](https://norse-mythology.org/concepts/shamanism/) whilst being [impregnated with the energies of the universe,](http://www.ancientpages.com/2018/02/10/god-odin-exiled-asgard-kingdom-gods-no-regrets-breaking-norse-societys-norms/) so as to determine, and if necessary rewrite fate. It was considered very unpopular for men to do such practices, especially chiefs or kings. So much so that partaking in it, as was the third knowledge seeking act by Odin, got him exiled from his tribe and home, the Aesir of Asgard, for ten years. It is safe to say that CoC’s Norse equivalent is Seidr.

Advanced CoC could merely be a boost in power from ones surroundings or something far more sinister. Something that [may have been](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cT-25pmEeF0/V4QWyQFNIpI/AAAAAAAA0I4/y_5oNwHh5pYCxvkKLH9gKMt6SbepGsOjQCHM/s16000/0647-009.png) foreshadowed by [Shirahoshi’s](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uWcnmjDZmrU/V4QYhC3HVFI/AAAAAAAA0ZM/7w_002RhROo4TNX9nTCdoFOtEbUJob0VACHM/s16000/0647-013.png) and [Momonusuke’s](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Sh_n8OyN0Zo/WwcaCLMxXBI/AAAAAAAG-3E/6LmZTB95Nis6easOe0D_oI10YJlEWMytgCHMYCw/s0/003.png) abilities to direct [gigantic beasts in their own right.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R83z2w2SefE/WwcaTmgavrI/AAAAAAAG-5Q/BZyBGm5mkrUTz8R-T5cGR4QNK0qo40JuQCHMYCw/s0/011.png)

That’s right. The process of binding Sea Kings, Zunisha and other dangerous beings to the will of the user may just be a potential ability of advanced CoC, or using all three. One such conjecture on the process is to read and scan your target for weaknesses in their ego with CoO, draw them in with a reversed flow of CoC like advanced CoA flows, then inject your will while consuming theirs in exchange, [almost](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gxDQ4EEwkGU/WwcRa-qQnmI/AAAAAAAG9sM/rCtxUYc2ijcFyeCspCoKSqq12z-TMM8hwCHMYCw/s0/006.png) resembling another form of [transplants.](https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Fz53kakLUDw/WwcRbTT-zbI/AAAAAAAG9sQ/BfJW-X9D4DEgHjHfDb7PuJBeaHHMXZqmQCHMYCw/s0/007.png) The main difference being the one wearing the crown (advanced CoC) retains all the control of both bodies.

Whether or not this discovery occurs on a territory such as Elbaf or another is uncertain, but said territory is comparable to the mythological home of giants, Jotunheim, which is foretold to provide a good deal of the host challenging Asgard when Ragnarok comes. What happens there could sway who many giants fight alongside in the Final War. Luffy and/or Shanks, if he appears here as Mr Morj has predicted, may debate or be hesitant to use such a technique on potential tools like the Yonko. I do not see Blackbeard or Kidd having such qualms however, if the latter makes it this far though, which I believe is possible. Kidd may require assistance in gaining an opening to do this however, which Bonney has the means and motive to do, both in her age abilities and her hatred of both Blackbeard and the WG.

Why the Yonko, though? I have a feeling that use as such weapons was their original designed purpose, as foreshadowed by Vegapunks interest in both Giants and Dragons, as well as his subsequent capture by the WG for studying the Lineage Factors in similarities to how Ohara was silenced. If the unusual power of those who made it to Yonko status is from some project the WG has long held secret, and the terror they put the world into can be laid at the feet of the WG for blame, what else could cause such doubt in their global legitimacy as Doffy described? This first occurred to me when baby Big Mom seemed way too strong to be born to normal parents, so something fishy was happening.

I know I haven’t touched on everything, I need to read much more Norse legends to fit/match everything, and I could expand on my thoughts, but I need to sleep before work. I’ve just been reading Norse for some time and needed to post my thoughts somewhere. Anyone more knowledgeable is free to add.

**TL:p;DR: Luffy is Odin, Kidd is Loki and they may have a huge debate on whether it’s okay to enslave the Yonko to fight the WG as the WG originally intended to use them. All based on Norse mythology.**

@eddathoughts @saisai-chan @op-headcanons @opdoodless