#Beastmaster system role

[the-silent-fellowship]

Beastmaster (system role)

[PT: Beastmaster (system role)]

“A beastmaster is a headmate who can create, remove, as well as control NPCs, animals, plant life and any other living part of a headspace. They do not have any control over headmates, fragments or any other sentient/sapient part of the system.” - Pluralpedia(link)

[ID: None yet]

[Tagging] @radiomogai, @pluralitywords, @pluralterms, and @plurality-faq

[Reposting on] @blood-moon-night-coining

[microwavesaferat]

Dungeons and Bat-Dragons

It's a typical night in Gotham, crime is rampant, the Signal is lit up, the Bats are hunting. What should have been a normal night, starts to deteriorate rapidly:

Batman and Robin, whilst talking Ivy down from mass-destruction, get caught in the crumbling power-plant. Bruce has a broken leg, and Damian has a fractured wrist.

Nightwing, who got called in after Batman and Robin went down, manages to misjudge the size of a doorframe and now has a concussion.

The Red Hood, after hearing about this, laughs so hard that he tears the stitches Alfred gave him a few nights ago.

Orphan, whilst attempting to carry the significantly larger man back to the cave, strains her back bad enough to warrant bed-rest.

Red Robin is working on a case, and cannot patrol.

Spoiler doesn't really want to leave the comfort of her sofa.

Signal has already clocked out thank you.

So, for the first time in years, every single Bag has time off. What do you do with 8 people stuck inside? Well you play Dungeons and Dragons of course! Tim offers to run the game, with Steph helping the new players. Step 1 is to choose their classes (with guidance from Tim and Steph):

Steph: College of Eloquence Bard, Tiefling

Given she's experienced in the game, she is happy to take a support role, with emphasis on spell casting. Mainly, she likes making up insults for Vicious Mockery. Also she wants to be purple.

Jason: Oath of Vengeance Paladin, Black Dragon-Born

Jason called dibs on vengeance playing as soon as he saw it. Bruce is devastated. Jason is now playing "Bat-Boy", a Dragon-Born who moonlights as a bat-themed crime fighter and has an unnecessarily gravely voice.

Bruce: Life Domain Cleric, Human

Bruce has been mother-henning all of his injured children, leading Tim to jokingly suggest he do the same in game, which Bruce enthusiastically agreed to. This comes to a head when Bruce tries to offer a wincing Damian a healing potion rather than a painkiller.

Damian: Beastmaster Ranger, Drow

Originally drawn to playing a druid, Damian instead settled on a ranger with a panther familiar named Shadow. Tim allows him to bend the rules a little on what Shadow can and can't do, rule of cool after all. (Tim also didn't mention the Drake Master subclass, the idea scares him).

Dick: Swashbuckler Rogue, Halfling

After glancing over the Player's Handbook, Dick turned to the table and said "Tiny Pirate". Tim is pretty sure the concussion is getting to him.

Cass: Berserker Barbarian, Goliath

Steph recommended this to her, with the pitch of "hit things hard, get mad". Whenever Tim asks her to roll intimidation, she glares at him until he gives up and counts it as a nat 20. To be fair, she succeeded the intimidation check, just outside the game.

Duke: Wild Magic Sorcerer, Half-Elf

Duke, whilst not having played before, has watched shows like Critical Role and Dimension 20, so has some prior knowledge. His main goal is to become a Problem™. Tim has his own homebrew mild-magic table and system, which Duke adds to with some of his own ideas.

A notable point includes:

Tim: The door to the bedroom lies in front of you, with an ornate keyhole and brass handle.

Everyone, overlapping:

Jason: I kick down the door.

Dick: No, I'll pick the lock. Ah shit, I don't have any tools left.

Damian: I will send Shadow to find another way in.

Bruce: Can I check to see if the door is good or evil?

Duke: I'll cast guidance on Bat-Boy. A shit, wild magic time.

Steph: I'll stand on Cass's shoulders to try and peer through.

Tim: ...right. Jason, give me an unarmed attack roll. Cass, role athletics. Steph, give me a perception check, and Duke, what did you roll?

Jason: Fuck! ....nat 1

Cass: 4.

Steph: That's aaaaaaaaa 2?

Duke: 42.

Tim: So, Jason attempts to kick down the door, but bounces off, landing on Dick in the process. Steph, unable to peer through a solid fucking door, is dropped by Cass and takes.... 3 points of damage. Damian, it's a bedroom in the hallway 3 floors up, there isn't another entrance. Duke, you are now a flowerpot. Well done lads.

Bruce: Can I try to open the door?

Tim: You turn the handle, it's unlocked.

[yuurei20]

In preparation for the upcoming release of the second book: a compilation of all translations by this account of Twisted Wonderland: the first novel!

(These do not encompass the entire book, only the parts that vary from the original game)

What Yuuya Remembers Crowley catches up to Yuuya, who has recently woken up inside of a coffin and been chased through an unknown building by a monster demanding his clothes. Crowley explains that Yuuya--just like everyone in the school--is the egg of a magic user. Yuuya tries to remember what happened.

Yuuya, Alone After escorting Yuuya to Ramshackle, Crowley leaves to visit the library. Left alone for the first time since waking up in a coffin, Yuuya is finally confronted with the reality of his situation.

Yuuya Dreams After awaking in a coffin, battling ghosts, making peace with Grim and being hired as janitorial staff, main protagonist Kuroki Yuuya spends his first night in Ramshackle Dorm--and has a dream.

Ghost Escort After spending his first night in Ramshackle with Grim, Yuuya wakes up to a surprise: the ghosts that he thought they had exterminated the night before are back, and they're friendly. Yuuya reflects on the Great Seven statues.

Meeting Ace Yuuya's first interaction with Ace is not pleasant.

Yuuya's Confession After their violent first meeting with Ace, Grim plots his revenge while the ghosts cheer him on him, forcing Yuuya to reveal something that he has been trying to avoid all day. And it leads to a revelation.

Naming Ramshackle and Culture Shock Some NRC information from the novel and emphasis on how foreign everything is to the protagonist through comparisons to how very different school systems overseas (and in other dimensions?) are when compared to those in Japan. Yuuya has at least twice the culture shock in any given situation.

Cafeteria Panic Much like the game, after Ace tries to ditch his window-washing duties it is Grim's turn to run away. Ace and Deuce are quick to turn to violence in order to capture him, which Yuuya can neither condone nor stop.

Ace Almost Apologizes Assigned by Crowley to retrieve a magestone from the mines to compensate for the damage done to the cafeteria chandelier, Ace realizes that the stakes are far higher for Yuuya than he'd thought, and almost manages to apologize.

Getting Them to Listen Ace, Deuce, Yuuya and Grim successfully find a magestone only to be chased away by a monster telling them to get out and that the stone is theirs. The situation immediately devolves into finger-pointing and arguments, which Yuuya tries his best to manage. (This scene seems significant to the "beast master" role of the Prefect that is only rarely touched upon in the game.)

Yuuya's First Class After retrieving the magestone, being assigned the role of "beastmaster" by Crowley and being permitted to attend school as one-half a student (with Grim), Yuuya shows up to his very first class at Night Raven College, and it is just as awkward as the high school he left back home.

Yuuya and Deuce Yuuya has been stared all morning by the other students, throughout disastrous potions lessons where he couldn't understand what was going on. It is finally time for lunch, but he has lost his appetite. Cue, Deuce.

Yuuya at Night A quick blurb for anyone wondering how the novel approached the sleeping situation in Ramshackle: Following an afternoon of PE with Vargas while everyone else had flying lessons, Yuuya is home after his first day at school.

Ace Apologizes After a difficult first day of school Yuuya is awoken by Ace, who is asking to spend the night after stealing a tart at Heartslabyul. Important note: just moments earlier Yuuya tells Ace that if he apologizes from the heart, Riddle will forgive him for stealing.

Yuuya and Ace Lunchtime at his second day at school is shaping up to be just as terrible as the first, when Deuce had to step in to keep Yuuya from breaking down entirely under the whispers and stares of the other Night Raven College students. Now it is his second day of school and it is happening again, but worse. Cue, Ace.

Meeting Leona Leona's introduction was entirely retconned in the novel: when Deuce and Yuuya are on their way back to Heartslabyul from the school store with eggs for the chestnut tart they are interrupted by a group of Savanaclaw bullies, and Leona steps in.

Ace Asks for Help After a sleepover where Ace, Deuce and Grim dub Yuuya the "prefect" of Ramshackle Dorm, Deuce and Ace are already awake. Ace is hoping for Yuuya's support with apologizing to Riddle, but has difficulty asking for it.

Yuuya Fails Ace has presented a chestnut tart to Riddle to ask forgiveness for what he stole, only for Riddle to reveal an unknown rule about chestnut tarts and unbirthday parties, and order it thrown out. Ace tries to stand up against Riddle and looks to his dormmates for support, but receives none. Not even from Yuuya.

Yuuya's Guilt Yuuya is wracked with guilt after failing to join Ace against Riddle, and now both Deuce and Grim have been collared as well. Ace himself is less than pleased, and Yuuya can't help but think that everything is all his fault.

Yuuya Apologizes Yuuya fails to defend Ace to Riddle during the unbirthday party's chestnut tart incident, and the guilt is eating him alive. After speaking with Chenya, the four first-year students go to Trey for answers, but Trey has nothing to say in his own defense.

Ramshackle Sleepover It is the night before the duel between Ace, Deuce and Riddle, and no one is able to fall asleep. The three begin discussing the events of the day, and the topic turns to the mysterious Malleus Draconia.

Duel for Housewarden The unstable situation at Heartslabyul has led to this, a duel between Ace, Deuce and Riddle. Cater makes one, final bid to stop it, while Yuuya finds himself more involved than he'd anticipated.

Riddle Gloats Ace and Deuce’s duel against Riddle was over almost as soon as it began, but Riddle isn’t through with them yet.

Deuce vs Riddle Deuce makes a final effort to stand up against Riddle, and Yuuya can only take so much.

Yuuya vs Riddle Someone is finally standing up to Riddle and, against all expectations, it’s Yuuya.

Ace vs Riddle Riddle shifts from insulting Yuuya's home to mocking Ace and Deuce's parents. It does not go well.

The Egg Scene Riddle throws a temper tantrum in the gardens, and the students of Heartslabyul have finally had enough.

Riddle, Breaking Down After being so mistreated for so long the students of Heartslabyul have finally had enough. Deuce is not impressed.

Riddle Attacks Riddle delights in terrorizing the students who have turned on him and Ace alone stands his ground.

Trey Protects As Riddle tries to murder Ace, Trey steps up.

Riddle on the Edge Teetering on the brink of overblot, Riddle tries to come to terms with the thought that he was made to suffer for nothing.

The Transformation Riddle transforms.

Birth of a Monster The Overblot

Crowley's Magic Riddle has been taken over, and Crowley steps up.

Something to Tell Him Cater and Trey are convinced to join Ace, Deuce, Yuuya and Grim in standing to fight.

The Struggle Crowley has left to evacuate the students, Ace has no plan, and Riddle is fading fast.

The Overblot Battle Trey saves Cater, but he cannot reach Riddle

Meeting Trey Having collapsed during the overblot battle, Riddle dreams of his childhood and meeting Trey and Chenya for the first time.

Riddle Awakens In the aftermath of the battle, Trey becomes desperate.

Visiting Ramshackle Long after the fight, Ace and Deuce visit Yuuya and they discuss how things have changed.

Stubborn Ace calls Yuuya stubborn, completely catching him off guard.

The Unbirthday Party Yuuya and Grim attend Heartslabyul's Unbirthday Party, and Riddle surprises them all.

[v0idb4by-blog]

SYSTEM LIST!!(with small descriptions)

void/ollie (core/host) otherkin/therian (he/they/it)

morals (protector) source: blueycapsules (she/they)

crymson (anger holder) (he/him)

bad (bpd/depression holder) (he/they)

candy(little, neurodivergent symptom holder) (he/she/they)

licorice (littlex, depression holder) (she/they)

bloodlust (berserker) (she/it)

susie (anger holder) source: deltarune (she/him)

kris (no role) source: deltarune (he/they)

ralsei (protector) source: deltarune (they/them)

the rage (berserker) (it/its)

alphys (alter former) source: undertale (she/they)

undyne (no role) source: undertale (she/him)

snatcher (ex fictionkin) source: a hat in time (he/him)

gobby (collector) (he/they)

husky (sexual alter) (he/her)

eek (fear holder) (it/its)

syrup (alter assistant) source: syrup and the ultimate sweet (she/he/they)

rigby (no role) source: regular show (he/him)

mordecai (no role) source: regular show (he/him)

peter (paraphilia holder) source: your boyfriend (he/him)

yumi (hypersexual, bpd holder) (she/her)

beastmaster (insider) (she/her)

felix (sexual protector) (she/he/they)

mk.♾️ (botmate) source: guardian tales (she/her)

at0m (Z.Os) (botmate) (she/her)

blurr (dissonaut) (it/its)

the shopkeeper (insider) (it/its)

the maskmaker (insider) (it/its)

the blank (numb alter) (it/its)

EYE (insider) (it/its)

cal (no role) source: zero day (he/him)

andre (no role) source: zero day (he/him)

cali (no role) source: zero day (she/they)

andrea (no role) source: zero day (she/he)

freakdre (andre #2) (no role) source/zero day (he/him)

N (no role) source: murder drones (he/him)

Uzi (no role) source: murder drones (she/they)

Cyn/Solver (no role) source: murder drones (she/it)

Monk (protector) source: rain world (he/they)

Surv (no role) source: rain world (he/they)

Green (no role) source: rain world (it/its)

If you got this far, thanks for reading! :) we all appreciate you <3

[louroth]

Are any of the classes rarer than others? There was the remark that it has been forever since she's seen a Beastmaster, and Etherweavers seem to be kind of common considering how we saw a couple of them tending to the hedge, but is the MC unusually strong or good at it? We kinda lack comparison for anything but the Battle Zealot (thanks Id, for your sacrifice) and Vox Psions seem like glass canons. Also make me think of Lena's collar and the restrictions on her saying things oddly... hmm. Curioser and curioser! I picked the Vox Psion in the end, it felt a little off for my recluse shy healer MC, but I really liked the tuning staff idea and it's just such an attractive option to have them have a really beautiful voice and almost nobody knowing it. Also the sign language could come in handy. I keep thinking of non talking charas like Oma or Id in his grumpy mood.

I love this entire ask! Thank you for it :] And yes, old bloods (which there are very few left of) are outliers because they have trained and mastered it for longer than others, not to mention that they are Rivenians born and bred and have lived with the surge around them for their entire lives, adapting to it without even knowing. Sure, they might be out of practice, but their inherent knowledge of the surge is way deeper than the average hunter today. I'd liken it to a tier system, where your hunter is in the top tier. Other hunters would see them as mentors, or role models. It isn't as intuitive for them.

Originally, the ones that had a solid connection to the surge used it like etherweavers, which is why you see weavers in the intro! It is the most common spec, absolutely, seeing how needed it is to maintain the hedge. It is very rarely seen used in combat, though.

That is about as far as I have come on the worldbuilding on the surge specialities - as I've said before, this whole spec system was a curve ball for me too, and not in the original planning. I love when writing gets organic like that, it is so much fun to tinker with!

[agoodfriendtoyou]

You ever see that something doesn’t exist/isn’t a thing yet, and you think “Well now I gotta be the one to do this.”?

Well that’s what happened with an idea I have for a bugsnax dnd au. I’ve seen that people have made grumpuses a playable race in dnd, but I’ve never seen anyone imagine an au for bugsnax based off of dnd. There’s 2 routes you could go with this:

The characters are in a dnd world

The characters play a dnd campaign

I ended up choosing the latter, because I thought it’d be fun to make dnd characters inspired by how I imagine bugsnax characters would play.

I’ve split the snaxburg group into 2 dnd campaigns, because the idea of managing a campaign of 13 players sounds like absolute hell.

The group I have drawn is a campaign run by Eggabell, with Wambus, Cromdo, Chandlo, Triffany, Lizbert, and Gramble as players. I honestly have a whole plot for the campaign in my head, but I don’t wanna get into that now, so instead I’ll show you what their characters look like, and some general information about the characters and the players play-style

These Are The Lads

I’m gonna go from left to right with some basic info

Octavio Hailstone

Storm Sorcerer Blue Dragonborn

Played by Wambus

First time playing, but he gets into character.

Amanda Skullcrush

Berserker Barbarian Orc

Played by Cromdo

Also first time playing, and is good at combat. Horrible at the role play though 😔

Charlie Brightshot

Sharpshooter Aarakocra

Played by Chandlo

Seen Snorpy play, has absorbed knowledge of the game through osmosis.

Talulah Bonebound

Undead Warlock Stoneperson(homebrew)

Played by Triffany

She’s played a bit before when she was younger, but is still learning the new system

Jessica Woodgaurd

Beastmaster Ranger Gnome

Played by Lizbert

Has played before with Eggabell, and surprisingly never played ranger.

Ashton Nightwatcher

Dream Druid Dryad(homebrew)

Played by Gramble

Played some in middle school, but not much since.

(Edit: had to reupload the image bc it was crunched up)

[headmate-ideas]

Hi!! So, this is going to be a lot

I was trying for about a year to make a tulpa, and, I think bow I've reached this energetic plato where she's not responsive and I can't even imagine her fully. I really really need an inspo for her, I hope you'll be able to help <3

What should you know: her name is Helen, I don't know her age, she is an humanoid presenting someone with purple skin, long flowy hair resembling mlp princesses mains, and blue prothetix left arm. I saw her once wearing weird red mask, wich as I thought was painful... She is very curious, shy, but bold with her opinions. In the main core, she had to be my magical companion to assist me in spiritual journeys, she would know unknown languages and could manipulate my headspace in some degree

You can change, tweek, remove and add ANYTHING presented here, I would really really appreciate interesting roles, characteristic and appearances. Play with it for as much as you would like!

Emojies: 💜🦚🪻🪼🌌🔮📚

[Brought to you by: Mods Venn and Vyvian!]

🪻 HEADMATE TEMPLATE 🪼

✦ Name(s): Helen, Hyacinth, Jelly ✦ Pronouns: she/her, fae/faer/faers/faerself, xi/xir/xirs/xirself ✦ Species: magicform ✦ Age: 35 ✦ Role(s): spiritual headmate, translator (optional), architect, communicator, confidence holder, interest holder, researcher, beastmaster ✦ Labels: xenowoman, bisexual ✦ Xenos: magic, the ocean, flowers ✦ Interests/likes: masks, aquatic life, tarot cards ✦ Dislikes: crowds ✦ Music taste: dream pop, baroque pop, space rock ✦ Aesthetic(s): art deco, ocean grunge, spacecore ✦ Objectum attraction(s): flowers ✦ Kins: peacocks, jellyfish, hyacinth flowers ✦ Emoji proxy: 🪻🪼 ✦ Details:

Helen is a purple humanoid with long, flowy, ethereal hair and a blue prosthetic left arm. She is a magicform - a being made of magic - and she seeks out knowledge of magic, spirituality, and language, and helps the rest of the system explore spirituality. If the system know or want to learn any other languages, Helen speaks/learns them and translates the system's personal notes into them. She is also capable of manipulating the headspace, creating/changing/destroying rooms as needed. The system's headspace contains invisible magic energy that allows her to do this; when she wears a red mask in-space, it allows her to see that energy and where to reach out to manipulate it. Helen is shy and not very sociable, but her opinions are very strong, and she is never afraid to share them. In fact, she has an overall degree of confidence where it comes to asserting her truths and viewpoints. She is also very curious and loves learning. Any kind of interests the system has that involves learning, Helen holds them, and she likes researching facts about them. In addition to making in-space rooms with magic, she can also create non-sentient syspets who cannot talk or take control of the front but can interact in the headspace and provide comfort, and she takes care of them when they are in the headspace.

[These can be edited and changed as needed, and headmates will almost definitely not turn out EXACTLY as described.]

[veemarcia]

The Amazing Plural Headspace AU: Caine

HOST: Fronts the most often, is most responsible for day-to-day activities

CAESIAN: Detatched from the system’s trauma, therefore more equipped for handling daily life

OMNISCIUS: “All knowing” alter; doesn’t know literally everything, but knows more than most and has control over way more things

ADMIN: performs internal tasks and functions that benefit the system and its ability to properly function.

Taskdoer/Steward: does tasks that the body is responsible for (work, schoolwork, chores, hygiene)

Gatekeeper/Puppetmaster: controls switching and access to certain areas inside the headspace

Architect: creates, destroys, edits, and changes locations in headspace

Beastmaster: can create, remove, as well as control NPCs, animals, plant life, and any other living part of the headspace

Caller: Has the ability to summon headmates

Caine wears the most hats, is good at what he does (sorta. Mostly. Depending.) and sees himself as the only one who can really do his job(s). Between all these roles and constantly masking both symptoms as well as his eccentric personality to the outside world, he will sometimes overwork the body into a panic attack, breakdown, shutdown, or temporary dormancy of himself, leaving the others to pick up the pieces. He doesn’t have COMPLETE control over everything, many NPCs, locations, etc are out of his hands. Him sharing a name with the body is one of many reasons why he sees himself as the only one who should be in charge.

TAPH Masterpost

[bah-junkyard]

Hihi!! I love your blog aesthetic so so much :33 if it's alright I was hoping to get a pack with 3 alters? If not all three just the first one would be wonderful!! <3 /no pressure

1 super fluid in every way(gender/age/body/etc) Nimona (I know she's rattling around in my brain I just need a base to have him cling on to)

2 a kinda boring and normal Dr Wilson from HouseMD who's gay for House (partner system thingz X3)

3 a Mercy, Echo, or Soldier 76(preferably the slasher76 skin) from Overwatch? (I would love another OW person to add to my collection :333)

Hey! Glad to hear you dig the blog's aesthetic. I'm so fuckin sorry this took so long but I'm trying to pick up some work on this blog. So here you go

Nimona

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Name // Nimona

↳Name Hoard // Benjamin, Nicholas, Jasper,

↳Nicknames // Nim, Nimmy, Ben, Nick, Nikki,

Pronouns // she/her, he/him, xe/xir, shift/shifts, any

Age // +1000, agefluid, ageflux

Species // shapeshifter

Gender(s) // genderfluid

Orientation(s) // queer

Role(s) // Shapeshifter, Roleflux (some potential roles to fluctuate between: ADHD Holder, Battery, Sootheshifter, Beastmaster, Age Regressor)

Source // Nimona - Nimona

Sign-off(s) // - Nimona, -🦈💗

Appearance // Nim is a shapeshifter and can take any form, however xir base form is a short androgynous humanoid with pale skin. This base form has pink hair, cut short except for long side bangs, and pink eyes. She has sharp teeth like a shark. Nimona dresses alternatively, with lots of piercings and clothes that don't fully match any conventional style.

Personality // Nim is a troublemaker and can't help poking her nose where it doesn't belong. He can be very high energy and playful, and xe doesn't wear out easily. Nim likes to prank people and mess around but never means any harm, and can be as soothing and kind as shift can be annoying and mischievous.

Likes // learning about animals, pranks, pop punk, feeling androgynous/genderfluid

Dislikes // rules, monarchy, stagnation, bedtime

Possible front triggers // Nimona graphic novels, being bored,

Cisid(s) // shapeshifter, redglitteramian, ancient being, ADHD

Transid(s) // transBlackAmian, transBackstoryFluid, transShark

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Dr. James Wilson

═════════════════════════════════

Name // James Evan Wilson

↳Name Hoard // Robert Leonard, Neil

↳Nicknames // Jamie, Bob

Pronouns // He/Him

Age // 38-46 (ageslider)

Species // human

Gender(s) // cisgender man

Orientation(s) // gay

Role(s) // Medic, Medicine Taker, Anchor

Source // James Wilson - House M.D.

Sign-off(s) // -Dr. Wilson, -Wilson, -🦀🩺

Appearance // Wilson is a man of average height and build and he has strong bone structure. He's white and has a faint rosy undertone. He has brown hair and dark brown eyes. He often dresses semiformally in his work clothes.

Personality // level headed and polite, James is a caring and compassionate person who likes to believe in the good of the world. He is endlessly patient and very forgiving and can be a bit of a doormat.

Likes // House M.D., random acts of kindness, tea, schedule, privacy, theater

Dislikes // changes in schedule, mean people, forgetting things, breaches in privacy, poor theater etiquette, overly sweet foods

Possible front triggers // House fictives, House M.D. content, taking pills, being sick

Cisid(s) // White, Man, Brown Hair, Divorced, Gay, Oncologist, people pleaser

Transid(s) // transAmbidexterous, transBisexual, transMarried, transActor, permaloyal

═════════════════════════════════

Slasher 76

═════════════════════════════════

Name // John Francis Morrison

↳Name Hoard // Jack, Jason Voorhees, Soldier 76, Slasher 76

↳Nicknames // Jase, Commander

Pronouns // He/Him, It/Its, Gore/Gores, Kni/Knife

Age // 56

Species // Human

Gender(s) // Gorrorslashic, Raingoric, Goremasculine

Orientation(s) // Achillean

Role(s) // Haraicen, Emergency Fronter, Fear Shifter, Exposurist

Source // Soldier 76 (Slasher 76 Skin) - Overwatch

Sign-off(s) // -Commander Morrison, -76, -Voorhees, -🪓🥾

Appearance // Jase is average height and muscular, with generic enhancements and near supernatural strength. Knive's skin is pale and grey, and so is his hair. It has glowing yellow eyes which shine through a eerie hockey mask. Gore wears distressed jeans and a beat white tank top under an orange jacket with spikes.

Personality // Jack is brave and optimistic he believes that anything is possible with the right attitude and effort, and kni can be pushy when it feels others are falling short of what gore thinks they can achieve. At times he can be tricky and use backhanded methods, but kni does it because gore thinks he's right.

Likes // slasher films, camping, horror, s'mores, playing overwatch, nighttime, thunderstorms, basketball, road trips

Dislikes // hot weather, seafood, other people's irrational fears, excessive urban development

Possible front triggers // watching horror movies,

Cisid(s) // White, Yellow Eyes, Grey Hair, American, Soldier, Overwatch Commander, Damage Hero

Transid(s) // transCanadian, transUndead, transSlasher, transCharacter (Jason Voorhees), AgeNull, transCampCouncillor, transTankHero, transBlackAmian

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I know it's awfully late but I hope you're still around to enjoy these packs :)

I'm gonna do my best to post more often and catch up on my backlog folks, so stay posted 💪

[tiredassmage]

Ackshulluy, I was going to tuck this all away in a google doc, but, y’know what, let’s talk into the void for once. My funny little personal relief/side project of ‘force sensitive/Jedi siblings au for Tyr & Rhiannon’ is fleshing out into a bit of a whole legacy thing already and I’ve had them for maybe 3 days. Maybe 4. I have already lost count.

So, here’s the basic tea on how this is shaking out.

Tyr & Rhiannon both end up as Jedi Knights. I briefly contemplated letting Rhiannon take the Consular role in this AU, but, tbh, Tyr & Rhiannon really don’t have quite the grasp on emotional stability as they’d like. That being said, Tyr takes the role of canonical JK/Hero of Tython in this role bc he is My Bestest Baby Boy. Also, he’s got a “name change” aka what I’m now accepting was his name originally pre-Empire in regular canon, and that is Rhystyl.

He really, really, honestly could have benefited a lot from remaining a padawan longer. While he wasn’t on Coruscant for the sacking, he’s old enough to have a memory of it, and Imperial attacks on their home when him and Rhiannon were younger still have him anxious at the best of times about splitting up forces. It’s never that he doesn’t entirely trust Orgus, but he does really, really wish the man would talk to him a little maybe a lot more than he actually does. He’s a bit... opinionated about the whole ‘let’s not tell the Jedi about the secret Republic weapons projects’ thing. He continues to not favor being left in the dark about half of the missions following (and then some.) Orgus wants him to build confidence and Rhystyl is John Travolta-ing wondering why anyone thought it was a good idea to take his training wheels off so soon. (Spoiler alert: it bites everyone in the ass)

I am plotting a silly little friendship between him, the Sith Warrior/Emperor’s Wrath, and Sith Inquisitor/Darth Imperius which will involve them doing a lot of datacron hunting because honestly if I’m going to put up with jumping puzzles, why not turn it into a story beat? This relates more than Rhystyl will admit to his insecurities and his need to do better (especially after the whole Emperor debacle), and yet-unnamed Imperius is a bit of a history nerd anyway by occupation. SW gets dragged into all of this bc he’s Imperius’s bestie, tbh, and like. Somebody has to look out for them. Also probably LS Sith related things but like shhh don’t tell the rest of the Empire. Jaesa and SW and Imperius and Hero of Tython all sitting in a circle and trading woes about force knowledge. I’m manifesting it.

Imperius and SW (currently named Jekaanto, he’s p cool) may(?) have some history as it. I’m spitballing that one of Jekaanto’s parents, at least, was quite interested in travel, so he spent a lot of his youth tagging along with them as they studied artifacts and cultures in the systems the Empire had influence over. Imperius may have served the family when their force sensitivity manifested, so their friendship may have already existed there in their youth.

He is something like the exhausted dad of this little friend group even though they’re all around the same age. Not because he doesn’t care for them or that they are particularly danger-prone (no more than... would be expected between the two of them, given the stories), but because he has self-designated himself as the friend group dad and that means their safety is his priority and have you seen the trauma on the Hero of Tython? Someone give this Jedi a vacation and some hugs. Maybe some blankets. Imperius seems to care for him a lot. (Will this develop into something more than a friendship? Jekaanto has to constantly break up betting pools between Vette and Doc.)

I have low-key wanted a Sith focused on being a beastmaster and the study of beasts for a While now so I might also make this Jekaanto’s problem.

And I planned exactly none of this when I said “hehehe what if I start another legacy on Satele Shan” and like honestly, honks my clown nose because why didn’t I see that coming. I should have expected that they’d all take over again.

[the-silent-fellowship]

Force Splitter

[PT: Force Splitter]

“A Force Splitter is a headmate who is in some way forces headmates to split. This term falls under the persecutor umbrella.

A Force Splitter is a headmate that by intention or not causes stress on the system with the purpose to split other headmates. Wither this is purely internal or even external, a Force Splitter may be purposely splitting others to help with external issues, internal issues, or just for personal reasons. A Force Splitter may believe they are a artisan, beastmaster, architect, and or any other role that may relate to the creation and removal of alters.” - Pluralpedia

[ID: in Alt text]

[Tags] @system-term-archive, @pluralitywords, @pluralterms, @radiomogai, @plurchive

[jawsofhakkontranscript]

Developer notes - Character descriptions

Each character with a speaking role (no matter how small) has a "bio" - a summary intended mainly for the voice acting crew. These notes include some details that a director should have in mind when choosing an actor for the role. The "age range" does not reflect the actual age of a character, but rather how young or old their voice should sound. It’s also originally given in hexadecimal system, so I added the conversion to decimal. 

Without further ado, here are all the character profiles from the Jaws of Hakkon DLC, sorted by factions they belong to.

Stone-Bear Hold

Avvar Augur

Gender: Male

Character description: The Augur is an important figure in a village of people called the Avvar “barbarians” in the wilderness. He’s a magic-worker, a councilor, and an intermediary between the real world and the spirits. He can be a bit “otherworldly” as a result. He’s a smart man, unexpectedly jolly for his solemn position.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Thane Svarah Sun-Hair

Gender: Female

Character description: Thane (leader) of a hold of “barbarians” called the Avvar, a proud, independent people who live by hunting and trading in the wild. Tall and wiry, she is still strong despite her age. She’s a fair and observant woman who can judge the moods of her hold and the other hold they trade with in the blink of an eye. Smart, pragmatic, and not afraid to hit things or make hard decisions.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)2D = (dec)45

~

Storvacker

Gender: Female

Character description: This is a bear. Like literally a bear. I’m adding this because I need lines in the conversations where people talk to the bear, and the bear grunts or growls, but unless there is an actor who does like an AWESOME impression of a bear, I’m assuming we are using existing bear-audio.

Accent: Grizzly or Northern Brown

Race: Bear

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Arena Master = Arrken Feldsen

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar man in charge of an arena where his people train and fight in rituals. Brisk, Loves fighting - loves the theory, the practice, the philosophical arguments about honor and when to fight - loves it all. Gets a bit bloodthirsty when cheering on the fights.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age Range: (hex)23 = (dec)35

~

Skald = Fullna Hethsdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: A skald (a bard and a keeper of oral histories) among the Avvar, a tribe of “barbarians” in the mountains. Proud of her people’s history, protective of her clan’s reputation. Aware she’s a bit young for a bard, so takes the role seriously and a bit self-conciously.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Parve

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar villager. Finds himself in a climbing race to settle a dispute with another villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Hask

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar villager. Finds himself in a climbing race to settle a dispute with another villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Mountain climber = Runa Lyrsdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: A young Avvar with a passion for climbing the highest slopes around your mountain home. Cheery, energetic, and absolutely fearless.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Linna

Gender: Female

Character description: A fisherwoman wondering about her cousin.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Conspiracy Guy = Helsdim Rolfsen

Gender: Male

Character description: Helsdim Rolfsen is an Avvar trader. His work takes him outside his small mountainside village and he has an appreciation for the greater world as a result. He takes pride in the fact that he’s literate, a rarity among the Avvar, and is very into “alternate history”. (He’s a bit of a conspiracy nut, in other words, but a harmless one.) Helsdim longs to see more of the world, but he’s stuck in his little hometown village.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

The Exile = Sigrid Gulsdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: An Avvar = a clan of tough mountain-dwelling people who the rest of the countries consider barbarians. She exiled herself to the woods outside her village because she thinks she’s made a mistake who brought shame on her clan. A bit dour but fiercely loyal to her people.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Master of the Hunt

Gender: Male

Character description: Avvar Master of the Hunt, Old, seasoned, and blunt. Slow to give out praise, but sincere when he does.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)3C = (dec)60

~

Gyda Myrdotten

Gender: Female

Character description: Woman in charge of burying the dead. Sly, clever. Can seem unsympathetic, but is truly dedicated to her work and following traditions properly.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Finn = Finn Caldansen

Gender: Male

Character description: A kind young man who was injured while helping a friend. Sad over the death of his father.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)12 = (dec)18

~

Arvid Rolfsen

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar fisherman, old enough to be past most posturing and bragging, proud to be part of Stone-Bear Hold and unimpressed with the evil Hakkon worshippers.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Friendly Avvar Male = Einar, fisherman working with Arvid

Gender: Male

Character description: Friendly Avvar talking to his friends.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Friendly Avvar Female = unnamed fisherwoman working with Arvid

Gender: Female

Character description: Friendly Avvar talking to her friends.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Avvar Guardsman 01

Gender: Male

Character description: A guard for a small village. Strong, watchful.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Avvar Guardsman 02

Gender: Male

Character description: A guard for a small village. Easygoing.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Avvar Crafter 01

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar villager. You craft goods and mend things.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Avvar Hunter 01

Gender: Female

Character description: A hunter who provides for her small village. Sharp-eyed, capable.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Avvar Hunter 02

Gender: Female

Character description: A hunter who provides for her small village. Experienced, capable.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Scout 01

Gender: Male

Character description: An Avvar scout. Good at his job. Cares for his clan of close-knit people.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Scout 02

Gender: Female

Character description: An Avvar scout. Good at her job. Cares for his clan of close-knit people.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Avvar Villager 01

Gender: Female

Character description: A hard-working Avvar villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Avvar Villager 02

Gender: Male

Character description: A hard-working Avvar villager.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Jaws of Hakkon

Gurd Harofsen

Gender: Male

Character description: Powerful, proud, menacing Avvar warrior. Heads a group calling themselves the Jaws of Hakkon. He serves a powerful warrior-god, and plans to voluntarily give up his own life in order to be a vessel for this god. A thug and a bully.

Speech pattern: He is chanting with a specific rhythm in his main conversation. See conversation-file notes.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Hakkon Beastmaster

Gender: Male

Character description: An evil member of a warrior cult who has kidnapped a bear for nefarious purposes. Your basic loud yelling bad guy.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Hakkonite Bully

Gender: Female

Character description: An angry thug who fights for the Jaws of Hakkon. She is trying to bully some non-warriors from a different hold, and reacts angrily as soon as she sees the Inquisitor.

Accent: North British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Hakkon Warrior 01

Gender: Male

Character description: A barbarian warrior.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Hakkon Warrior 02

Gender: Female

Character description: A barbarian warrior.

Accent: Light North Country

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

First Inquisition

Inquisitor Ameridan

Gender: Male

Character description: A man in early middle age, an intelligent and seasoned warrior. He is somber and serious, driven by a duty he never asked for.

Accent: Welsh

Race: Elf

Age range: (hex)28 = (dec)40

~

Telana

Gender: Female

Character description: This is a spirit that touched Inquisitor Ameridan’s wife, Telana, and speaks with her memories. She is a spirit of compassion, just like Cole, and has much of the same empathy and “talking as though in someone else’s head” that Cole does. Unlike Cole, she is clearly and obviously a spirit, tired and worn away from centuries of waiting for someone to tell her story to.

In life, Telana was a Dalish elf (hence request for Welsh accent).

Accent: Welsh

Race: Elf (Spirit)

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Second Inquisition and associates

Professor Bram Kenric

Gender: Male

Character description: A professor from Starkhaven who is bright, enthusiastic, and a little absent-minded. He’s the one whose theories pulled the Inquisition out here on the hunt for the Last Inquisitor, Ameridan (who vanished 800 years ago), and while he’s a little out of his element here in the wild, he is determined to see this through.

He’s innocent and naive, generally speaking, and may have a slight crush on Scout Harding (who he calls “Lady Harding”).

Accent: Scottish

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Colette

Gender: Female

Character description: An eager research assistant for Professor Kenric. She has a driven, A-type personality. As an elf, she’s faced some prejudice at the University.

Accent: French

Race: Elf

Age range: (hex)14 = (dec)20

~

Lieutenant Farrow

Gender: Male

Character description: Professional Inquisition soldier. Very good at his job.

Accent: British

Race: Elf

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Camp Researcher Male

Gender: Male

Character description: Man at research camp.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Camp Researcher Female

Gender: Female

Character description: Woman at research camp.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Havard-Pierre d’Amortisan

Gender: Male

Character description: A baron who researches dangerous animals. Intrigued by a mysterious animal that no one has ever seen. Speaks in a Lovecraft/Edwaridan-Horror-Story type manner.

Accent: French

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)2D = (dec)45

~

Dunwich

Gender: Male

Character description: Long-suffering assistant to Havard-Pierre d’Amortisan (a baron who studies dangerous creatures.) Dry, butler-like. Think Alfred from Batman.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Grandin

Gender: Male

Character description: Young soldier whose friend has been murdered. Now possessed by a spirit//demon

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)19 = (dec)25

~

Forward Camp Soldier 2

Gender: Male

Character description: An Inquisition soldier.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

~

Forward Camp Soldier 3

Gender: Male

Character description: An Inquisition soldier.

Accent: British

Race: Human

Age range: (hex)1E = (dec)30

[bedlamgames]

No Haven 0.861

To say this update scaled way, way out of what I had originally planned is quite the understatement to put it lightly.

Download links can be found on the No Haven page. Patch notes can be found under the break.

If you don’t have RAGS and you need a copy to run it there’s one on the help page here. If RAGS has never worked on your system despite the help page suggestions then it might be worth trying with one of the alternate players. There’s also improvements on there to the RAGS player that can also help with performance.

Update notes under the break:

-New assignment to allow a safer way to dispose of slaves. Going yourself gives a number of potential options along the way to both change up the rewards, change the risk, and give the chance for some roleplay if you fancy. Each of these options has its own set of crit/succ/fail/disaster outcomes effectively making each one a mini-assignment in their own right. I've also added many alternate vignettes in those outcomes when referring to specific races you encounter with common, uncommon, and rare versions to make the world seem bigger and more varied. Going to try to do more of that in future.

-New mechanic where certain slavers and bed warmer slaves will if they have the right traits, your reputation is on the Alluring path, and other checks like morale if they are a slaver are met then they will force a sexual encounter with you. These encounters will have increasing consequences depending on how often it happens. (Note: If you are already a puppet-leader or are forming a line every night either of those will disable this one.)

-New encampment role in the head slave.

-Expanded and reworked the starting race bonuses. Every start now has six new favoured and five unfavoured selections of which can be traits, assignment types, regions, other races, and attire (Kreen are missing one unfavoured due to leaving a space open for planned content). Includes every currently playable race and subtype even the ones only available usually in scenarios or with a promoted slaver. Some races have other special bonuses like the old additional gold or supplies.

-Due to this there are now more options of races to outcast into that replace your current set of bonuses as before.  

-To reflect the reworked starting bonuses I've expanded the Ori'Nek, Akir, Amazons, Marlsune, Kitsune, Lizardman, Asanei, Drow, Draki, Draenei, Kreen, Fancy, Harpy, Trolls, and Cathayan lore pages.

-Lizardmen now get Perceptive by default and some other races have also had some traits added and/or altered.

-New commission for Wrapped in Webs. An alternate cum splattered version will now be used for Nethemir slaves. Also used a crop for a new Nethemir portrait start.

-New commission for Raid High Elven Dwelling. Will be also used for a new portrait to replace the old High Elf Sentinel one. The clothed and unclothed versions will also be used for High Elf female slaver and slave examines respectively.

-New commission to be used for Scout the City and Drider examine. Option in the preferences for a more zoomed in version for those that don't want the full spider-gal experience.

-New commissions with No Haven specific design for both Trolls and Abyss Trolls. Will replace the examines for males and females, used for male and female/futa starts, and due to this I've removed some of the old portraits along with moving some of the traits around.

-New commissions for Seduction of the Light, with an alternate version for the Akir examine and a new portrait start.

-Can now start as an ooze as standard with three playable options. Includes a patron provided one with a new aspect. Oozes now come with a racial (though I do mean to add to this in a later update).

-Now there are three female demi-angel human choosable options. Includes a patron provided one with a new aspect, a lore page, and not one but two different commissions for her.

-Due to the change of the reworked starting bonuses Fallen can now choose their heritage for all genders, while there now more male Demi-Angel options than just humans. These are mainly placeholder images for now until I can work out a way to get so many varied portraits done in a way that's both affordable and doesn't bore the artist(s) rigid with repetitive variations.  

-Other new patron funded content in slavers can now force a sexual encounter with you based on your reputation and their traits, virginity tracking being partially unlinked from the Innocent trait, a new fae start, a new drow start, a new unique drow, and a new unique werewolf guy.

-Being Beloved will protect for getting more feared while being Dreaded will protect you from being more liked. Made some more adjustments so that while being feared is still easier to lose the fall will be less harsh when messing up assignments compared to say them being your bed warmer or walking around while wearing something super slutty. Being Popular or Beloved will be far less likely to get onto the obsessed over path. Same for Feared or Dreaded for the being disliked path. Failures will be less likely to cause changes than before. Being Liked or Popular will be less likely to switch over to the Respected path.  

-New playable Fancy, new playable Nethemir, and two new unique slaver Succubi. One of which has her own specific lore page.

-Thank you to the patron requested the new Demi-Angel as now she has a new commission to replace her portrait and examine for when she loses her aspect.

-The biomancy reward Lago'Mae unique no longer requires you to have a guard, and has her own new nightly flavour text to reflect this. She also now has specific art to reflect her status as a unique.

-With the reworked starting bonuses Shun the Other has more effects than it does before making other races less effective than they would normally.

-Dominated and Obedient now override will checking for the purposes of assignments so high or low it will still be good for you.

-The Pyromancer aspect has been improved. Now it works as before and has the additional effect where Unhinged and Elementalist: Fire will no longer count as negative traits for that slaver.

-New general order to allow you to prefer to recruit inexperienced slavers. Also comes with new results on the Standard Scour recruitment assignment.

-There's now a chance for your reputation to improve when you level the encampment up.

-Fallen skin colours now reflect their heritage so no more fair skinned orc fallen for one example.

-All the fully embedded hypnotic mantras now have a value.

-Updated the troll skin colours to reflect the new look.

-Updated the portrait collage with some of the new ones.

-Centaurs now mostly use the Horned One name generator.

-Legion now have properly demonic names.

-Sissies should now also have the gender lock preferences.

-The denial mantra can now also remove defiant and stubborn. For all mantras slowed down the final embedding a bit.

-Having a slave bedwarmer requires you now to have at least one guard.

-Added Flat Chested as an option for females and sissies in full custom.

-Added a check in the rare case of no-race characters being generated

-The disaster for Pursuit of Arrogance now has an appropriate chance to leave some corruptions.

-Attempted fix for slaves being correctly limited in how many that can use them per night based on role, training, etc.

-Fix for Elementalist: Water slavers not getting the option to take Tentacles on level up.

-Fix for the Reduce ass biomancy option only existing for the shorter races.

-Fix for Life in Coiled Tentacles having placeholder text on the altered crit with beastmaster version.

-Fix for certain larger races not getting mounts when I'd added some special variations for them before.

-Fix for events going mad with generosity.

-Fix for your character not getting the descriptions from beautiful and the like.

-Fix for the Promoted Icewyld harpy having the Carakarr portrait.

-Fix for the cock sucking mantra wiping a lot of the target's description.  

-Fix for flying on Cutprice Roses only reducing the time reduction by one day.

-Fix for the Spiritual Leader getting stuck if they would be permanently removed such as by dismissal.

-Fix for Adherents of Pain gaining Resilient again from the various corrupted armours.

-Fix for Cumsluts gaining slutty from advanced lesbian training.

-Fix for encampment role slavers who do some healing and then go back to being a slaver while still being in their role.

-Fix for slavers being removed/wounded and legging it on Toll Bridge.  

-Fix for Scout the Deep Mountains checking the old corrupt trait instead of Depraved.

-Fix for submissives gain sub again from escape attempts.

-Fix for being able to just cancel out of the leadership challenges.

-Fix for biomancy not taking account for supported assets, bimboborn, and so on like corruption does.

-Fix for certain encampment roles not clearing the slave's blindfold like they should.

-Fix for Driders and Oozes still being counted as Monsters in terms of adding Disasters on Tyrannical Legacy.

-Fix for the unique matriarch from Sable Masquerade missing her substantial cock.

-Fix for reputation from encampment level ups up not showing.

-Fix for on levelling up getting the wrong kind of tentacles.

-Fix for when you get Cumslut getting an Obedient with the wrong abbreviated trait description.

-Fix for the denial mantra morphing into the bimbo mantra.

-Some text fixes.

[paladin-andric]

Faces of History: Geralthin Monarchs

The Kingdom of Geralthin is a very old nation with an ancient identity. Starting as a province in the heartlands of the ancient Human Empire, the region reformed into a kingdom after a lengthy “Dark Age” and stood for the rest of history.

Throughout this extreme march through time, many rulers held control over it, each having many stories to tell of their leadership, achievements, and personalities. Here are a sampling of some notable monarchs that have ruled over the Kingdom of Geralthin.

King Godfrey

Honorifics: The Great, The First

Rulership Period: Transitional, Dark Age into Early Middle Ages

Dynasty: of Euirdland

Once a member of an influential noble family holding onto a lone duchy, Godfrey used political maneuvering, espionage, military knowledge and raw charisma to unite the cities of Geralthin while inventing a false conspiracy involving the dragon nobles taking sides against one another, all plotting to become the sole ruler of Geralthin. He played to the paranoia generated by this by pitting the dragons against each other until they were too divided and weak to resist the united armies of mankind. With the discovery of newfound magic and the advent of sorcerers and dragonslayers, humanity finally managed to drive the great, mythical beasts from their cities and establish self-determination.

Geralthin was simply a region before Godfrey. He declared it a kingdom, and crowned himself king. He is the founder of Geralthin, and hailed as the father of the nation.

He did not exterminate the dragons. In addition to many of them going into hiding deep in the wilds, in great caverns, and fleeing to neighboring nations, some were benevolent. Many continued to live near the cities, though no longer holding political power. He is notable for taking on a dragon, Gira, into his service under the role of Royal Advisor and Lady Protector, titles she has kept to this day. She thus offers the reigning monarch advice as needed, and temporarily takes control of the kingdom in the event of a regency, relinquishing control once a monarch is crowned. This has occurred many times over the millennia-long history of the nation, so she is highly trusted for her incorruptible, loyal nature. Due to the lifespan of dragons, she shall serve the kingdom for much, much longer. Godfrey did all this after Gira healed him of leprosy with her powerful, innate draconic magic. His reign, and the Kingdom of Geralthin, would likely have ended in disaster without her, and for that he was eternally grateful.

King Godfrey reigned all the way to his death at the age of 93. His passing was legendary, nearly the entire kingdom coming to mourn him. Gira locked herself away for many years, heartbroken. His son reluctantly took his place.

Godfrey’s bloodline survives to this day. While not currently in power, it has both fallen and risen back to power several times, so you never really know...

King Rufus

Honorifics: The Wise, The Calm

Rulership Period: Early Middle Ages

Dynasty: of Euirdland

The son of Godfrey, Rufus spent most of his adult life as a prince, with his father lasting to a shockingly old age. All other monarchs of Geralthin would go on to have surprisingly high life expectancies as well...that was likely due to Gira’s incredible healing powers offering them the cure to any illness, injury or disease.

Rufus picked up where his father left off. With the kingdom’s safety and independence secured, King Rufus decided to focus his reign on stabilizing the nation, and building up its power base. He passed laws, centralized power, reformed the tax system, built roads, reformed the military, and directly invested in the kingdom, using both the treasury and his own personal funds to build hospitals, trade depots, schools, farms, and mines.

His father may have created the idea of Geralthin, but Rufus made it a reality. By building up trade, agriculture, health, and industry, King Rufus transformed the war-torn rural heartlands into the most prosperous place on Deaco.

He earned his honorifics for his prudence, diligence, and stoicism. He knew what the kingdom needed to thrive, and he always maintained a strong, noble presence, no matter how bad things seemed.

With his only son dying tragically during a military operation against a few rogue dragon lords, the aging King Rufus put into place the current law of rule. Called “Majesty’s Choice”, the king is allowed to designate any eligible relative of their choosing to be their successor...and also allowed women to inherit the throne. Due to having a daughter and no sons, he wished to avoid any turmoil or civil wars resulting from a disputed succession, and reformed the succession laws accordingly.

King Rufus abdicated at age 75, wishing to see how the kingdom reacted to having a queen. There were no issues, and so he advised his daughter until his death at age 84.

King Connor

Honorifics: The Brave, The Hammer, The Dragonslayer

Rulership Period: Early Middle Ages

Dynasty: Ó Flannail

Connor began his life as a soldier, rising through the ranks until he became the most distinguished and highly ranked general in the kingdom. Due to a deal between his House and the Royal Family, he would inherit the title of king until his death, upon which the title of King or Queen would go back to the ‘of Euirdland’ family.

It was his great strength and courage in the face of crisis that led to this strange turn of events. He was famous all over the kingdom for his great deeds. A coalition of many dragons led to a “Second War for Geralthin”, where many dragons, long hiding away and gathering strength and minions, launched an attack on the kingdom.

Connor was thoroughly a “Warrior King”. Like many kings, he commanded armies on campaign. Unlike them, he TRULY fought, standing along his men in the front line, charging head-first into the enemy. He lost count of how many kobolds he had slain, but he had personally slain at least ten dragons...well, contributed at least. He had successfully harmed ten dragons. With an entire army attacking them, it was hard to tell who dealt the killing blow.

He was mighty, he was courageous, he was no-nonsense...Connor was an inspiring presence and a feared and beloved leader. He was seen as the savior of the kingdom, a superhuman dragonslayer and legendary warrior. He has been likened to Geralthin legend William Ironside many times throughout history.

He died quietly at age 91, the title of king passing back to Godfrey’s dynasty...though his house won great glory and fame from his ascension. None would forget his rule.

Queen Rosa

Honorifics: The Magnanimous, The Beastmaster

Rulership Period: High Middle Ages

Dynasty: Tudirin

Queen Rosa came to power due to her siblings’ incompetence and sloth. Seeing her as the best future ruler, her father named her his heir.

Rosa is well known for her love of art, culture and all things exotic. Under her rule, the Royal Castle underwent significant construction and restoration, transforming it into the work of art it is still considered today.

Her love of all things lavish didn’t hold to just her castle, however. All throughout the kingdom, she commissioned the rise of many architectural wonders, from cathedrals to statues to reformed city planning, modernizing the Geralthin way of construction for centuries to come.

She also loved exotic animals and creatures as well. Not content with being a “mere” falconer, she spent over a decade learning from the greatest available beastmasters. She personally tamed a griffin, the beast becoming so docile that it was permitted to lounge about in the throne room, often resting beside Rosa. It stayed by her side all throughout its life.

Rosa passed away peacefully at age 78, having left behind a legacy in stone.

King Flinus

Honorifics: The Conqueror, The Hawk

Rulership Period: High Middle Ages

Dynasty: Angelus

Flinus began his life as a general before his brother died, leaving him the heir to the kingdom. An avid warhawk with many ties to the army, Flinus decided that Geralthin should expand outwards, regaining lands lost to the other races during the collapse of the Empire.

While there were a few contested cities on the border with human majorities or large human minorities, Flinus didn’t stop there. He used the kingdom’s might to shatter the less prepared armies of the dacuni, koutu and pona nations, gaining large swathes of land for his efforts.

By the time his many conquests were finished, Geralthin went from a small but highly developed kingdom to the most powerful nation in Deaco, stretching far in all directions. He had to stop eventually however, as the less humans there were in each city captured, the harder it would be to pass off as a legitimate part of Geralthin. Combined with getting too far from the heartlands, there was potential for rebellion ending in disaster for the kingdom. Flinus didn’t push his luck, and instead consolidated and integrated the already conquered lands into the kingdom. With just laws, fair and compassionate rule, and careful monitoring, the captured cities would be content.

King Flinus died at age 48, owing to a sudden heart attack while away from the castle. Due to his far-away death, Gira could not be reached to revive him in time. After Flinus’ reign, no other sovereign of Geralthin would conquer land again.

King Bohem

Honorifics: The Statesman, The Visionary

Rulership Period: Transitional, from High Middle Ages to Late Middle Ages

Dynasty: Caggiano

Bohem began his tutelage with a vested interest in math, reading, writing and finances. He grew into a very intelligent man who found himself ready to govern Geralthin in a radically new way.

He discarded imperialism and aggression in favor for his new vision. Bohem dreamed of the might and power of Geralthin stretching all across Deaco...but not through conquest. No, he instead put into planning the transformation of Geralthin into a great trading empire.

Bohem’s reforms and personal, hands-on approach to trade brought forth the rise of Geralthin Mercantilism, something that would push the kingdom’s economy into unprecedented might.

King Bohem died at age 78. The brilliant administrator and diplomatic genius left behind a kingdom that held a monopoly of several resources, and access to the goods that every other nation had to offer. It was under him that the alliance between the humans and reptilians transformed into both a business and personal friendship. Geralthin would forever have a trustworthy and honorable friend across the sea. The peace and trade also brought several innovations, advancing technology and bringing Deaco further into the future together.

King William

Honorifics: The Mender, The Just, The Redeemer

Rulership Period: Late Middle Ages

Dynasty: Cavania

The eldest son of King Salign, William was in many ways looked down upon with suspicion and annoyance by the Royal Family, along with the nobility. William was in many ways a “tub-thumper”, an extremely passionate and direct man who spoke plainly, as commoners would. He cared not about what was “right”, regarding taboos and law, but about what he himself considered right.

When his father outlawed all non-humans from the kingdom, William was up in arms immediately. His closest friend was not a human, and so when he was forced away, the prince fumed. He often burst into lengthy tirades about the injustice of it all whenever his father or court would approach him on it. He riled up the citizens whenever he left the castle, and so Salign encouraged him to stay within, thought William payed him little heed.

When his father died, William got to work. Immediately after he was crowned king, before the ceremony could continue, William asked everyone to wait as he went back into the castle. He reemerged with the Expulsion Edict, ripping it up right there on the balcony, in front of thousands watching the coronation, and declared it repealed as the bits of paper flowed off into the distance.

He was a populist and a champion of minority rights, doing everything in his power to reverse the consequences of his father’s actions. He founded the Bureau of Reclamation, a government organization whose mission was to track down all those affected by the Expulsion and compensate them, granting them their lands, possessions and titles back if possible, and paying them or granting them replacements when available. Those who were granted lands and titles stolen from non-humans had them revoked, with force if they refused to give them back.

The commoners and non-humans adored him, seeing him as the savior who brought Geralthin back to its wonderful golden age, in charge by a monarch who worked to better the lives of his people.

With all of this happening, the horribly damaged relations with the other nations began to mend, as they saw the king do everything in his power to right the wrongs of his father, treating their kin with honor and respect.

King William passed away in his sleep at age 83. He is regarded as the spiritual savior of Geralthin. While the kingdom wasn’t at risk of being lost by normal means, he DID recover its lifestyle, culture and identity; a melting pot, and the trading center of the world, where anyone could come for a shot at a new life. The other nations pay him patronage, with statues, paintings and plays of him being produced by non-human artists all over Deaco.

Queen Abigail

Honorifics: The Brave, The Saint, The Martyr

Rulership Period: Late Middle Ages

Dynasty: of Euirdland

Abigail was an extremely unique sovereign. Before being declared her mother’s heir, she became a Paladin of the Order of God. She was ferociously pious, and incredibly disciplined. Her kindness, diligence and humility made her well liked, and the people celebrated when she rose to the throne.

She spent her first few years building and restoring churches and cathedrals. She also began the creation of basilicas, some of the largest and most beautiful churches the kingdom has to offer.

Everything changed however when the wolfmen invaded. They raided occasionally, but now many tribes united under a mighty warlord, entire armies crossing the border to raze and conquer.

She may have been a queen, but she was still a paladin, and so she set off to lead the armies of Geralthin personally.

Her divine powers, incredible courage, tactical knowledge and great martial prowess made her a champion to the army. She turned the war into a crusade, zealous holy warriors volunteering to join the Royal Army in operations together.

She was eventually ambushed and captured, and held captive. She was tortured for months, the wolfmen trying to force her to renounce her faith, not out of religious reasons, but to have her do so publicly, to erode the morale of her forces.

She refused, sitting in silence as agonizing torture continued on. Eventually it became clear she wouldn’t break, so the wolfmen brought her to the front lines and forced the Geralthin armies to watch as she was executed.

This had the opposite of the intended effect. The army went into a mad frenzy, driven by fury and vengeance to deliver retribution for the murder of their hero and Queen. The Order declared her a saint and martyr, as she dedicated her entire life to the church, and refused to break or relent in the face of agony and horror. Songs would be sung of her for ages to come.

The wolfmen were soon after crushed, the army counterattacking and destroying several tribes before accepting payment for a ceasefire.

Queen Abigail was executed at age 32, leaving an inspired but grieving populace behind. Her legacy as an unbreakable saint and a Warrior Queen is one Geralthin takes great pride in. With no children and no clear heir, the throne was granted to a distant cousin.

Queen Anne

Honorifics: The Mystic, The Silent

Rulership Period: Renaissance

Dynasty: Tudirin

A lover of myth and magic, Anne decided to eschew standard schooling in favor of magic. She learned all about magic and the rules surrounding it, deciding to see if having access to such power could help a monarch.

It most certainly could, for she decided to learn spells that she thought would be helpful in diplomacy. She used enchanting magic to read and alter minds, ensuring bizarrely friendly relations with all. Several wolfman tribes who had been raiding Geralthin for ages suddenly decided the kingdom was worthy of praise and friendship, to be treated with respect.

She looked into the future, predicting and preventing disasters wherever possible. She even extended this to the kingdom’s neighbors, warning them of natural and man-made disasters.

Her fascination became institutionalized, causing a great revival of the study and experimentation of magic. All around Geralthin, sorcerers and would-be-magicians dived into studies of the unknown, trying to work out several long held mysteries of magic. This resulted in the innovation of new schools of magic, and many new spells being brought into use.

Queen Anne lived until age 63, the overuse of magical experimentation causing complications in her body. Though Gira did her best, the magic had left permanent alterations in organs that caused non-magical or disease-related health complications. Some organs were too large, some things didn’t work as required, and she began to shut down. She would have needed surgery, something that wasn’t at the technology level required to save her at that point.

To this day, Queen Anne is used both as a symbol of learning, and to warn magicians of the dangers of overusing magic they do not know the effects of.

Queen Maria

Honorifics: The Kind, The Righteous, The Servant

Rulership Period: Industrial Age

Dynasty: Cavania

Ascending to the throne at the age of 16, Maria had the responsibility of running the most powerful nation in Deaco thrust upon her before she was truly ready. Thankfully, the advisors, Gira included, were there to give her the guidance she needed.

Under Gira’s tutelage, she grew to have similar morals, believing the monarch was to serve the people, not the other way around. The comfort and happiness of the people were her primary concern. She was often called “The Servant” due to this.

The common folk flourished under her rule, as she curbed the aristocracy and ensured all were under the careful protection of the Queen. She undertook many reforms during her time as Queen, though none as great as the Worker’s Act.

With the industrial revolution in full swing, a tragedy in a mining operation brought the dangers and horrors of factory work to Maria’s attention. She undertook extreme measures to counteract this, forcing many regulations and government oversights into the workplace to ensure the lower class were not being taken advantage of.

The commoners absolutely loved her, and though the businesses grumbled, to most it was just another layer of papers and examinations. If they only kept their employees in mind, the businessmen had little to fear.

Maria died at age 106, having ruled as Queen for a staggering 90 years. She is the longest living monarch in history, and one of the most beloved. Countless people filled the streets weeping as she was brought to the Tomb of Kings. Her legacy enshrines the kindness and benevolence Geralthin Kings and Queens are known for.

King Charles

Honorifics: The Cavalier, The Victorious

Rulership Period: Great War Era

Dynasty: Cavania

Charles was the grandson of Maria, and chosen to be her successor as her children had little interest in ruling. He undertook the acceptance of strife, plunging Geralthin into The Great War.

Many tensions arose before the war, though none could seem to be calmed. The insecoids, longtime subjects of the reptilians to the south, began demanding independence. The Kingdom of Abinsil refused, stating the fact that there were many of their own kind in their cities, and they refused to hand them to a foreign power or drive them from their homes.

This erupted into a full-blown war of independence. With a longstanding friendship and official alliance between them, The Kingdom of Geralthin officially declared war as allies of the Kingdom of Abinsil. At the same time, paranoia in the north led to the murders of several wolfmen by paranoid mobs. Despite the kingdom doing everything in their power to deliver justice to the killers, the wolfmen saw their chance. The Unified Dacush Empire declared war on Geralthin. At the same time, the Pona Federation saw their chance to finally reclaim Liberty Point from the humans who had taken it. They allied with the Ducuni, longtime rivals, and attacked from the east.

Though they had little to gain, the Koutu Kingdom decided to join Geralthin and the Abinsil Kingdom as allies, citing their friendship stretching across millennia as reason for doing so.

This continental war was horrifying. With newfound technology, trench warfare and horrific experimental weapons caused misery and death to reign, all the nations getting stretched thin and growing tired as time went on.

King Charles knew how bad things were, but he refused to make peace. He saw the alliance and friendship between them and the reptilians as one that was unbreakable. Together they would win or be destroyed, there was no abandoning them. Besides, the Koutu had entered the fray trusting the humans to aid them, it would be extremely cruel to leave their friends to be destroyed.

His majesty personally joined the trenches often, delivering speeches to inspire the troops. He enlisted the help of a descendant of Alexander as well, Sir Gilbert, to inspire the men. Both of them fought in battle, bravely leading by example, and both miraculously surviving the war despite their heroics.

They eventually defeated the wolfmen and forced a surrender, and from there the opposition crumbled. Without multiple fronts the humans and koutu easily overran the Federation’s defenses before traveling across the sea to join the reptilians to defeat the insectoids.

The alliance prevailed, and the status-quo was maintained. The bonds of friendship between the humans, reptilians and koutu only grew stronger. Meanwhile the alliance between the shellbacks and wolfmen, though pragmatic and fleeting, did much to help ease the strained tensions between them from centuries of fighting. Perhaps there were some upsides to this horrid war after all...

Charles was sure to be magnanimous in victory, offering very relaxed terms for the Ducush Empire and Pona Federation, not wanting to sour relations further. The war was behind them, and they should begin the lengthy process of reconciling.

King Charles died at age 93, the same age as the First King. His courage, determination, and cavalier attitude brought a resurgence of romanticism of the older times, people wistfully remembering when kings fought alongside their men in glorious battle, just as Charles had.

King Patrick

Honorifics: The Dragonchaser, The Reconciler

Rulership Period: Modern/Information Age

Dynasty: Cavania

Patrick found himself king as his father died. He wasn’t particularly interested in ruling, though after some thought he decided he could do some good.

As a child, Patrick had always been fascinated by tales of beasts and dragons. He decided to make them the focus of his reign. As weapons became deadlier, dragons became less feared. Their decline started with guns and cannons, and now with artillery, bombs and missiles, they could be killed easily by an organized force. The dragons, ever prideful, still tried to exert their laws and influence on the land surrounding their lairs. With modern age weaponry like mobile infantry, jet fighters and long-range surface-to-air missiles, they were stricken down with ease.

Their population fell dangerously low, the few remaining dragons going into hiding in the darkest corners of the lands. They hid away from humans, only seen extremely rarely by wandering explorers.

This would not do. They were great beasts of wisdom, grace and honor. They should be treated as such.

Patrick undertook a lengthy legal and PR campaign, intended to warm relations between humans and dragons. It paid off, some of the bolder and friendlier of the behemoths breaking their isolation. It was a wonder to many, to stand beside these beasts of myth and legend, and take pictures and videos of them, and have conversations with those who lived for millennia...

Dragons began to reenter popular culture, even becoming part of both mainstream and niche media. Books, online videos, games, movies and even podcasts began to feature them as speakers, guests and topics in and of themselves.

There was much confusion and upheaval, but the changes and adjustments to popular culture and society itself brought forth by these great changes have seemed to settle in, the future seeming all the brighter for it. After all, the dragons couldn’t misbehave anymore, and they knew it. Only those genuinely interested in living among humans show themselves.

Patrick still reigns, his legacy seeming to be assured as the one who brought back the dragons. He seems quite content with this accomplishment, relaxed in his day-to-day duties as king.

So what does the future hold for Geralthin? Few know, but the future seems bright. Peace and prosperity reign throughout the lands, the people never having been happier. Geralthin has seen so much, and gone on triumphantly for so very long...whatever may come, the kingdom will rise to the occasion, and the people shall prevail.

Thank you so very much for coming all the way through to this! I wanted to break out of all the constant short stories and try something a little different. I hope you enjoyed this brief look at the history of the Kingdom of Geralthin!

Tag list: @thereisnothingwrongwithbeingmad, @lady-redshield-writes, @paper-shield-and-wooden-sword, @sheralynnramsey, @the-true-shadowmaster, @tawnywrites, @writer-on-time, @oceanwriter, @zwergis-spilledink, @fluffpiggy, @elliewritesfantasy, @homesteadhorner,  @laurenwastestimewriting, @elaynab-writing, @the-ichor-of-ruination

[dipperdesperado]

Idea Generation for Stories - Writing Story Collection Project (Naruto x Far Cry)

In my last post about this project, I did my initial ideation on what a story that combines elements from Naruto and Far Cry could be. Now, we’ll move into more brainstorming, using my “100 boxes” method.

If you want to know more about the 100 boxes method, you can subscribe to my mailing list, and I’ll send you a document I made that breaks it down!

For this brainstorming session, I split up my ideas into 4 categories: Character, Setting, Theme, and Conflicts. For the mathematicians out there, that means there’s 25 ideas for each group.

Character

The ideas for characters could be related to occupation, temperament, situation, or societal role.

Power hungry soldier

Proactive soldier

field medic

squad of soldiers (ensemble)

Someone forced into military via draft

recruiter who manipulates people into joining the military

sick soldier trying to hide it

regular person “activated” by dogmatic ideologies

regular person descending into darkness

bounty hunter for despot

mercenary playing both sides of the conflict

rich politician trying to hold onto power

stranger from another land used as fodder in propaganda

Prisoner of war who escaped

Beastmaster

eco-terrorist

war protester/activist

militant leader of secluded community in larger town

brainwashed townie

hot-headed farmhand

anxious leader

bored despot

powerful gang leader

corrupt officer

thoughtful tyrant

Setting

Setting is pretty straightforward, these are just overall places for the story, or specific places where certain beats can happen.

Small island nation

walled off city

rogue planet

tropical nation

desert nation

cyberpunk city

developing nation

government super complex

embassy

military base

secret lab

corporation-owned town

rural

countryside

mega-farm

ancient ruins

art gallery

museum

quarry

refugee camp

sewers

school

resort

skiing town

subway system

Theme

These are more specific versions of what we would traditionally consider themes, since basic themes like “love” or “power” are not as helpful for me to think about what I want. I like statements that are more like the message or moral of the story. Even if that ends up changing by the time the thing is done, it helps to have these statements framing things.

Too much order is dangerous to freedom.

Nothing is forbidden, everything is permitted.

Peace is won by violence.

Peace is worth fighting for.

Action is better than stagnation.

Movement is more powerful than desire.

A calm hand cuts more cleanly.

Don’t be a double agent to your own desires.

Decadence for some means dearth for others.

Can you make the world a better place through violence?

What is more important, family or ideals?

Should you give up the life you want for the sake of community?

Can people use their minds to overcome animalistic instincts?

Does doing the right thing men that there needs to be sacrifice?

How much confidence equates to hubris?

How does confidence influence those who lack it?

Can a surrogate family replace the holes left by blood?

how much individual identity can exist between people who are subjugated in the same way?

Is man’s natural inclination to dominate nature?

How far will on go to ensure their own survival?

Everyone has a perspective that they see as valid

Is war an inevitability of human nature?

Will people become what they hate in the face of overwhelming odds?

Is morality a good judge of responsibility?

Who decides what is and isn’t moral?

Conflicts

This last group relates to different story moments of conflict, big and small, that could occur.

breaking-in

working with an enemy

getting sabotaged

getting scammed

losing a vital tool or item

getting trapped

getting captured

having to fight a losing battle

one-night stand with teammate

having to sneak past security

having to infiltrate a group

causing a freak accident

being blackmailed

being assigned an undesirable partner

being arrested

unexpected loss of status

aligned parties having opposing goals that clash

having to do an unpleasant task

being negatively impacted by nepotism and playing favorites

getting bullied by comrades

having a panic attack

having to betray a friend

having to betray a loved one

having to avoid detection

starting a greater conflict

Each time I do this, I like the list more and more. As I go through the process, more and more of the ideas become exciting potential directions. The cool thing is, I only need a couple of these to make something interesting, so a lot of the work can be put in the ‘ol back pocket for the future.

[wizardlyghost]

- the newest fad (r.i.p. whale fur) is something called "chairdogs", which i think is some kind of living furniture? there hasn't been a detailed description so far so all i can picture is that footstool dog from beauty and the beast. unnerved yet intrigued.

- it is incredibly difficult to decide which faction is supposed to be closest to the "good guy" role here, all of them are Fucked and become even more so the more the narrative focuses on them. which isn't really new for dune but still.

- leto's long-term plan has finally been revealed! i think? if i'm reading this right, his reign of prescient tyranny and ethically horrifying eugenics experiments have resulted in a) all of siona's descendants being invisible to prescience, and b) the invention of "no-ships", which are also invisible to prescience and possibly just straight-up invisible, it's difficult to say.

- this has led to humans spreading out across "multiple universes" (?!) with no way to track where they went, which means that humanity as a whole is more or less saved from eternal inescapable fascism - there's now no way for the most powerful faction of the day to hunt down and subjugate literally everyone without manually combing infinite space. it doesn't stop tyranny, but it means that tyranny can't squash every other opposing system for ever and ever - there's always going to be free humans somewhere out there in the infinite void.

- and i thought leto ii "god" atreides was morally complicated before.

- the tleilaxu high council introduces another familiar face(changer): scytale! honestly, scytale was one of my favourite characters in the series so far, despite being a vile villain on the evil league of evil. there was just something so intriguing about this genderfluid shapeshifter with a villainous goal but also strong internal principles which she wouldn't break even if it meant her own failure (that "the victim must always have a genuine chance of escape and if they take it they're free" thing made me think i'd like the tleilaxu a lot more than i probably will).

- the tleilaxu high council has been ruling for like ten thousand years by growing new bodies every time they die. they haven't shared this with anyone else though because, and i'm not even joking, if everyone knew how well their government functioned they'd all want eternal overlords (paraphrased). these dudes are jacked for reals.

- they also greet the new day by going to the window and yelling

"THE SUN IS NOT GOD!!!".

- like, damn. tell us how you really feel.

- aparrently the bene gesserits (and maybe the tleilaxu? unclear) are the protagonists because half the plot impetus seems to be that a splitoff branch of both from the other side of the universe has come home to fuck shit up. and also just generally fuck shit. the bene gesserits are sexualised in weird ways but these mfs take it to a whole new level.

- as far as i can tell they're also fully just colour-pallet-inverted counterparts to the bene gesserits lol. right down to wearing orange full-eye contacts to mirror the blue of spice eyes.

- i am kinda giggling at how in book 1 the bene gesserits were kinda introduced as the shady eugenics church, and then in book 2 the bene tleilax were kinda introduced as the evil eugenics church (or at least more evil), and now the "honoured matres" are kinda being introduced as the really, really evil eugenics church. this damn universe has too many eugenics churches and they're all hopefully gonna destroy each other.

- also there's a girl on dune (now "rakis") who can pull a full beastmaster on the sandworms and is currently turning the local religion upside down as the new messiah in town. surely this will end well for her, like it does for every messianic figure in the dune saga.

thoughts so far on heretics of dune:

- DUNCAN! MY BOY! HE'S... alive again??? this time cloned back to life as a kid???? wtf.

- i love that this guy who existed to be killed off for shock value in the first half of book 1 has somehow managed to become the main character of the dune series. like he has literally died in 3/4 of the books so far but he just keeps coming back in roles of increasingly greater narrative significance.

- i'm less stoked that the central bureaucratic force of book five is the bene gesserits, who are also now the ones ordering duncans from the tleilaxu. get your hands off my boy >:(

- the bene gesserits btw are somehow even more fucked up as an organisation now than they were 5k years ago. hope they die.