#Dragonlance The Second Generation

[skull-bearer]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Dragonlance - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Rating: Explicit Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dalamar/Palin Majere, Dalamar/Raistlin Majere Characters: Dalamar (Dragonlance), Raistlin Majere, Palin Majere Additional Tags: Anal Sex, Sex, Second Generation, Elven Lifespan, Grief/Mourning, Loss, Raistlin is still dead, for now, Necromancy, Sex Magic, almost a threesome, Relationship Discussions, Fucked Up Relationships, But not Toxic, Cuddling, Red Robe Palin, Definitely Black Robe Dalamar, Evil can be caring Summary:

Dalamar takes his new apprentice to bed. They discuss the past, and the future.

[vintagerpg]

After New Beginnings, the DLS-series swerves into a three-part series of adventure modules centered on three of Dragonlance’s races of elves. Not on Taladas, even — back on good old Ansalon. Are they connected, a three-part epic? Nope. Just three elf adventures that vaguely tie in to some Dragonlance novels about the histories of the elven nations. When I say that folks had no idea what to do with Dragonlance after the original DL-series wrapped up, this is the kind of stuff I am thinking about.

This is DSL2: Tree Lords (1991). That is a mighty fine cover by Brom and I think primarily because of that cover, the vibe does not feel particularly Dragonlance-ish. This module takes a look at the Silvanesti, whose forest kingdom was corrupted by the dreams of King Lorac and the green dragon Cyan Bloodbane, as nicely presented back in Dragons of Dreams. The first half of the module is actually a sourcebook detailing the Silvanesti Scout kit for the Warrior class; they’re the ones tasked with reclaiming the corrupted wilderness. And they get some cool equipment to help them do it, including greenmasks, which don’t make them look like elvish Green Goblins in the least, no sir.

The second half of the module puts our new scouts to the test in a series of five brief, interconnected scenarios. They’re fine! Pretty standard fare for the early ’90s, with players crawling from event to event rather than through dungeon corridors, for the most part. I generally like the construction here, the idea of a series of elf-centric adventures with one primary goal. You could easily spin a campaign out of this and, even though I reflexively dislike elves, these elves seem more interesting than most. Perhaps because of their dream-corrupted landscape, they feel more akin to Celtic faerie traditions than most fantasy elves (Terry Dykstra’s illustrations may have something to do with this). I had this module back in the day and liked it then. I still do. Even with the elves!

[dafodils-on-the-moon]

!!!! So many questions bc I love this with all my heart <3 First, it's freaking hilarious that he became jester because he was "difficult to handle." LOVE that. Second, I gotta know, what does everyone else think about him? Arthur? Gwen? Morgana? Is Morgana doomed to die by the hands of a COURT JESTER?????

Ok so. Crucial part of this Au: Uther knows Merlin in Balinor’s son but does NOT know abt the magic. Merlin does not know about being Balinor’s son. Uther kept him cause he thinks it would be a good idea to have a dragonlord on hand that's loyal to Camelot, given what he's keeping under the castle.

Also I'm very aroace and don't wanna write romance for a while, so no romantic Murther.

Instead, Uther raises Merlin and Arthur as brothers. He deeply encourages the loyalty to one another as keeping Merlin loyal is essetail and Merlin is a very valuable asset that bears protecting. He emphasises to Arthur that as the eldest, Merlin is his responsibility and he should take care of him. Merlin is his younger brother.

Arthur takes to this role like a wildfire. Protective as SHIT over his new baby brother (Merlin is two years younger), esp. Since he was… not doing too hot when he first got to the castle. He was greiving and seemed *terrified* and didn’t speak at all for months. He was sickly too, for reasons no-one could pinpoint. Arthur had made it his mission to cheer Merlin up, as no one should be that sad. He and Merlin communicate at first via drawings.

He only seemed to improve after he started talking quietly to an imaginary freind he named “Kiggah.” It seemed to help cause merlin slowly started talking to Arthur and then in general and his health imrpved too.

Yeah… Merlin’s imaginary freind is Killgarrah lol.

Killgarrrah, or Kiggah as a now 5 year old Merlin could pernounce, is getting a major overhaul in this AU. His is going to be far far less of a bastard. Cause dragons are too cool for him to be the absolute worst.

In this AU Kiggah actually cares more THAT HIS ENTIRE RACE WAS ERADICATED than that he was trapped under the castle. Cause, fr, that is not the part id focus on. Also I gave him a family before, sorry man. Kiggah was also really really fond of dragonlings and hatchlings and was very excited to see the hatching of his first great-grandhatchling before the purge. Ow.

Anyway, Merlin is TERRIFIED of being in Camelot. He’s terrified he’s going to say something wrong and reveal his secret and die. He blames himslef for his mother’s death (cause he’s like 4 1/2 and thats normal for kids that age) and more specifically, his magic. So he supresses the shit out of it, which is why he’s so sickly.

Kiggah senses Merlin basically killing himslef and tries coaching Merlin into using his magic again. Adopts Merlin as his own hatchling. Kiggah doesn’t know Merlin’s dad is Balinor, but he DOES know he’s emrys, magic itself. As a result, Kiggah views Merlin as a fellow magical creature and raises him accordingly. He… doesn’t really get how human hatchlings are supposed to work.

Merlin starts acting weirdly dragonlike. His growling, he’s biting people, hee’s climbing everything, hoarding things and has a major fixation with fire. He is gettign “difficult to handle” as UTHER, assumes this is just how dragonlordlings are, (good gracious), but needs a way to coverup the fact he’s raising one.

Fooleswurth, nuerdodivergent in ye-old times, sees Merlin and his like “haha verily. Reminds me of when I was that age, I was just the same. He must have “The Jester’s Spark, haha.”’ Uther goes “yes and” and now fooleswurth has an apprentice and Uther has a way to explain why his ward is so weird.

Anyway, Kiggah is NOT excited about Merlin’s new older sister, but Merlin loves her. He is very excited for whenever Morgana’s magic manifests. She grows on Kiggah. (Esp. With all teh trouble she gives Uther). Morgana’s going to be fine.

She and Merlin get on like a house on fire. Gossipy bitches. Morgana sics Melrin and his “jester’s privolegde” on bothersome nobles to insult them into the ground.

Gwen becomes Morgana’s maidservent, and she Morgana and Merlin are great friends.

[rowansender]

Man, writing general intro stuff is poison to my brain. I feel like I have this one chance to sell the vibe of the game, and I can’t quite get it to feel right in about four paragraphs. I don’t really like either of them. The first is too conversational and I accidentally wrote it in second person. The other one is clinical and has no flavor.

Idk man this is really the worst parts of projects for me.

——

You are a wizard with a day job. The world is mostly mundane. You go to work, you eat, you sleep. And that’s how most people around you live as well. But every so often, when the stars align, some odd shit happens and someone needs 2-4 wizards to come fix it.

Your wizard is a normal person. They have about as much magic skill as the average office worker has tech skill. It’s enough to get by and do their job, and if they were ambitious they should probably learn more, but they’re not experts.

You work along side orcs and dragonlings who are in about the same boat as you. They come in, sit at their desk for a few hours, use the company issued wand-o-sorting to file some documents so they look busy, and then they go home.

On your walk home, you pass by food carts wheeled by hulking stone constructs, willed to life by the mana stone in their chest. The cobblestone streets and old stone fortress walls around your neighborhood are looking rough these days, covered in graffiti. You swear you voted on some ordinance or another that was supposed to clean that up.

You get to your tower. Your apartment is on the fifth floor. If you got a unit in one of the new mage-bound buildings it would be cheaper, but you’d have to walk up 30 stories. Not worth it.

But it’s the weekend. Your crew is probably already waiting. The adventure boards have been busy lately. You decided on the old count with the vampire bat problem last night, hopefully the port stones will be loaded already so you can leave right away.

——————

In Weekend Wizards you play as career wizards who have taken up adventuring on the weekends as a hobby. The world is a semi-modern fantasy where people commonly learn magic as a part of their careers. These work wizards might be trained in magic as it relates to their job, but few people ever pursue the practice far enough to be considered an Arch mage: a person who has a wholistic mastery of magic. They act as the bulk of the workforce; from doctors down to laborers, almost everyone is trained in at least some magic for their job. Jobs that use magic more in their day-to-day have greater mana reserves, but no job is innately better at magic. Waiters, truck drivers, office workers, ecologists are all wizards with their own expertise and abilities.

The world is a medieval fantasy that has progressed to the level of technology of early analogue computing. Through magic, tech wizards construct Ley networks and rudimentary logic systems out of enchantments. Orbs are user interfaces and runestones are payphones. Bustling towns are built inside of stone walled keeps and enchanted forests may be just a day trip for city-goers. All varieties of fantasy races coexist in these packed cities, each culture morphing with the advancing society. The first skyscrapers are being constructed, a new age wizard towers full of trained arcane workers.

On these magical networks, Adventure Boards have popped up: services that connect clients with adventuring mercenaries. Adventuring has become a growing hobby for bored work wizards. The Ley networks let them connect with clients quickly and the ABs supply waygates that get adventurers to and from their destinations quickly. Each play session is one weekend of adventuring and the next session has a week between where your character goes to work and lives their normal life.

[catulhu333]

Bahamut and Tiamat were aspects of Io/Asgorath in early 2nd edition of AD&D lore?

...as well being the two key archetypes influencing all dragons, and in 1st edition of AD&D, the only gods of dragons?

2014/2015 "Rage of Dragons" miniatures of Tiamat and Bahamut

Wile changes to Bahamut and Tiamat (and deific dragon lore in general) in 5th edition (were Bahamut and Tiamat are the supreme, and only real draconic gods), and to a degree 4th edition (were Bahamut and Tiamat were 2 halves of Io), were controversial; these changes are actually based on far older lore, that was changed mid 2nd edition, with 1992's Monster Mythology and further on.

In 1st edition of Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Bahamut and Tiamat were the only dragon gods, with worship by dragons being split between them, as seen in 1984 article "Dragons and their deities" in Dragon #86: "Evil dragons worship Tiamat, and good dragons worship Bahamut. That is, for all practical purposes, the extent of common knowledge about the way dragons worship their deities."

The divinity of of two was first outright affirmed in 1980 in "Leomund's Tiny Hut: Rearranging and Redefining the Mighty Dragon" in Dragon #38; with Tiamat kinda earlier in the original 1978's Monster Manual, were she was presented among the Lords of Nine.

Miniatures of Bahamut (or as named in the catalog the Platinum Dragon) and Tiamat (or as named in the catalog the Spectral Dragon), from Grenadier Models 1990 catalogue, originally from the 1989 Dragon of the Month II line from 1989. Special thanks @oldschoolfrp, thanks to who I know of this lines existence. Their original post here. I recommend checking them out.

Paladine and Takhisis from Dragonlance, also debuting in 1984, were often identified with Bahamut (Paladine) and Tiamat (Takhisis). It's rather ambiguous though - the creator of both, Jeff Grubb believing this, but writers of Dragonlance novels, and main architects of the setting, Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (who basically gave them personality and story), believing them as similar, but separate characters/deities.

Official publications either suggested a connection, or stated them to be the same (as well as Bahamut and Tiamat gaining traits of Paladine and Takhisis, like being siblings, and in past, lovers), with 5th edition (with 2021's Fizban's Treasury of Dragons), stating them to be the same.

Constellations of Krynn, in the center Takhisis (left) and Paladine (right) opposing each other, the Gilean' constellation between them. From 1984's "DL5: Dragons of Mystery".

Still, Paladine on Krynn (the world Dragonlance is set in) is/was the leader of the Gods of Good, and Takhisis is/was the leader of the Gods of Evil, and were among the most powerful deities of the setting, equaled only by their brother Gilean and second only to the High God and Chaos.

According to 1989's "Player's Guide to Dragonlance, the two together created the first dragons: "Paladine is Father of Good and Master of Law. During the Age of Dreams, Paladine led the gods in creation. Paladine and Takhisis, Queen of Darkness, infused the raw fury of chaos with form and purpose, creating the first material beings— dragons. Takhisis, jealous the first creations were not entirely hers, corrupted the chromatic dragons to evil. Paladine replaced his fallen children with the good, metallic dragons, but Takhisis’s act began the rift between good and evil."

This origin of dragons on Krynn evolved overtime though, with some changes, but I won't elaborate on this here.

1990's Draconomicon

The draconic pantheon was first expanded with 1990's Draconomicon, though oddly, Bahamat and Tiamat are not among the list of Draconic deities, at least seemingly.

The book instead presents Bahamut and Tiamat instead as seemingly archetypal forms of all dragons (even indeed, the twin Platonic forms of all dragons), even their gods, all of whom (with one exception) are their "pale reflections": " And here the conversation must turn to dragons, for in these species the diffusion theory seems to be the only suitable explanation for their wide-spread existence. Dragons are the only creatures for which there exist archetypal forms. In dragonkind, these forms are Bahamut, the Platinum Dragon, and Tiamat, the Chromatic Dragon. All of the core species of dragonkind the good aligned metallic dragons and the evil-aligned chromatic dragons (ignoring for a moment those fringe species like crystal dragons) seem to be pale reflections of their archetypal forms, displaying some but not all of that archetypes characteristics. For example, a red dragon possesses some but not all of the characteristics attributed to Tiamat, while a gold dragon possesses some but not all of the characteristics attributed to Bahamut. Indulging in mathematical language for a moment, each species of dragon seems to be a subset of properties belonging to one or other of the archetypes. Or, conversely, each archetype seems to possess a superset of the properties possessed by the appropriate class of dragonkind. Some sages truly believe this observation to be representative of the truth of the matter. According to this theory, the very existence of the two archetypal forms Bahamut and Tiamat is responsible for the existence of dragons throughout the multiverse. In metaphorical language, dragons are the shadows that the archetypes cast across the planes. As shadows are, in a sense, subsets of the creatures casting them as they must be, since shadows are two-dimensional so are the shadows of the dragon archetypes subsets of those archetypes characteristics and powers."

Two of the dragon gods, Lendys and Tamara, as Platinum Dragons, seem to be even closer to the archetype of Bahamut, both being platinum dragons themselves, but still lesser than him.

In the same book, there is also mentioned the oldest and highest draconic god, Asgorath the World-Shaper, later identified with Io. Asgorath is stated to to be creator of dragons, and the universe (in the sense of seemingly all existence), at least according to dragons.

But, the myth in the same sourcebook (as found in-universe in the Book of the World, a written down red dragon myth, suggests Asgorath is Tiamat: "It is easy to speculate, based on this myth. The plural inflection of the word breath might be taken as implying multiple heads; the Thorass word for renegade is bahmat. It seems almost too close a correlation can Asgorath be Tiamat and the Renegade be Bahamut?"

This is further alluded in Asgorath's description: "Thus, reds believe that Asgorath is Chaotic Evil as implied in the Book of the World mentioned at the beginning of the chapter while bronzes believe Asgorath is Lawful Good."

Suggesting that like red dragons see/perceive Asgorath as Tiamat, Bronze (and other good dragons) would see the World-Shaper as Bahamut. And that the two "archetypal dragons" are themselves seemingly aspects/parts/avatars of Asgorath. Which is further suggested together with Bahamut's description in Draconomicon: "Sages continue to debate the true nature of Bahamut. Is he the archetype of all good dragonkind, the ideal of which all other dragons are merely shadows? Is he an avatar of a greater deity?"

This is quite obviously an inspiration for Io being split in ancient times into Bahamut and Tiamat in 4th edition/Nerath lore. As well as in "Fizban's Treasury of Dragons", presenting Bahamut and Tiamat as the origin of all dragons, and their forms, it even also using allusions to platonic forms, and shadows of higher reality. As well as Bahamut and Tiamat creating the original universe (that split into the multiverse), like Asgorath was stated to.

Io was first introduced in 1992's Monster Mythology, if very probably taking inspiration from Asgorath (with whom he is directly identified in the book), as well as perhaps Krynn's High God. Io is also stated there to be believed by dragons to be their creator, and of all of existence. As well repeating Platonic and Gnostic ideas from Draconomicon about the world being a shadow of a higher, truer reality: "We Dragon-sages make a distinction between the Two Voids; the First Void, wherein only Io had existence, and the Shadow Void, where Io's willingly shed blood created the potential for existence and creation to come into being. Most non-dragon races only know of the Shadow Void, and they do not know of the earlier time outside time when only the Ninefold Dragon existed."

Monster Mythology though, makes Bahamut and Tiamat somewhat lesser in status, making them Lesser Gods, though only Io (as a Greater God) and Chronepsis (an Intermediate God) are above them, the other two gods (Faluzure and Aesterinian), being on the same level of power. Still though, it is a visible downgrade from their grand role in Draconomicon, and of their counterparts (Paladine and Takhisis) on Krynn. Monster Mythology is also the the first to make Bahamut and Tiamat explicitly siblings and "intended mates".

1998's "Cult of the Dragon" sourcebook, combined the draconic pantheons mentioned described in Draconomicon and Monster Mythology, often identifying/conflating some deities between the two (notably Asgorath and Io, though that was done before). Though this also resulted in a seeming further downgrade in status of Bahamut and Tiamat, them being still Lesser Gods (and Bahamut identified with Xymor, made as possible child of Lendys and Tamara), while including multiple Intermediate Gods (Astilabor, Garyx, Kereska, Lendys, Null as the Guardian of the Lost/Chronepsis, Tamara and Zorquan).

[dragon-susceptible]

TDP Rewatch S3 E1: Sol Regem

I'm alternating this with writing a very NSFW charged Ruthari fic because I can't focus on anything for too long right now. Enjoy.

Pilot of the season so the recap isn't just a "previously on" voice. It's Aaravos doing his whole menacing narration thing instead.

It's so funny how my interpretation of this confrontation between Ziard and Sol Regem has changed over time. On my first watch, yeah, I fell for it, Sol Regem came across as a genocidal tyrant. About two years ago, I was like wait, no fuck off, Ziard is being just as much of a bitch but also aCTUALLY COMMITTED the war crimes that Sol Regem is only threatening as a response. Now I'm like. So they're both assholes. But Ziard very much did start this fight. Sol Regem DID give him . . . hang on let me just count. FOUR TIMES, even if you're only counting when he was just repeating some variation of "just stop and leave" or "you get to live but obey", basically, and not every other time during this conversation that Ziard has openly been a bitch at him and he's not lashed out about it. Now he's still a bitch, and I fully believe he intended to raze Elarion after Ziard refused to listen to him (I mean he ends up doing it anyways in the literally blind rage he went into afterward), so like. They're both awful people. But one of them was provoked, and then like. Look if someone had sent Sol Regem to therapy after this I feel like a lot of problems could have been avoided.

I love how excited Rayla is about teaching Callum how to sneak. She loves sneaking so much.

Fen, if you're a goddamn interpreter, maybe you should be fucking signing when you're talking to your deaf general on a dark roof. With a full fucking beard obscuring your lips.

I do still love that he got his name because the crew just kept calling him "Fake Gren" and "F-en" stuck though.

Again with the fearmongering. "When" the elves mount an attack.

How fucking strong is Amaya anyway she really just punched a stone wall and had pebbles and dust go flying.

Look how happy she is to see Gren! I could rewatch this reunion scene so many times I swear. They're so wholesome. She loves that boy so much. And he's giggling the second he sees the look on her face and is fully braced for it when she picks him up and swings him around, even though he's taller than she is, he tucks his feet up accordingly.

Also the glaring contrast between how Fen was just talking at her without signing and Gren's first lines when he returns are to her, in sign language, and he doesn't bother talking out loud at all.

Fen's so snotty at Gren here and it's sending me. Gren was so polite and cheerful the entire time he was locked in that dungeon but Fen shows up and is A Bit Snotty for a few seconds, fully interrupting Amaya by talking over her, and Gren starts bitch facing him and answers Fen's question TO AMAYA. While making direct eye contact with Fen, starts signing his answer to Amaya, and then when he starts talking, redirects all of his attention to her, making it clear he's answering her and spiting this other guy. I love him so much. He's so petty.

"looks like it's down to my least favorite course of action . . . reason." Rayla honey, We Know. You've never done anything reasonable in your life without being dragged kicking and screaming. I love you.

I love how she still bows even though he can't see her.

Why is she like this. She keeps saying "we" when under pressure when she really shouldn't be admitting she's in a group. She does it with Amaya, she's doing it with Sol Regem. Rayla honey baby I love you so much but you've really gotta work on your resistance to questioning.

Callum. Did you forget the whole point of why you're coming on this quest. YOU have to bring the dragonling back or this whole quest doesn't mean anything.

Yk I bet this was the moment Rayla realized she had a crush on Callum. Idk if it's where her feelings started but I do think it's where she fully processed what was happening.

Seriously. Somebody get Sol Regem some therapy and this would have gone over so much easier.

Smelltrilloquism! Vensmelloquism!

These kids really have both been trying to sacrifice themselves for the world and the mission since season 1.

Something something about the scarf, and the kids both getting flustered about it - and how Ethari wears a scarf too, the same way Callum does, and he stops in the two years after his husband's death.

I'm cackling about Janai at the breach. She really waited for them to do all that work, cut the line, and then waited for them to realize what she'd done before strolling out into view and tossing the rest of their detonation cord down like yeah bitch. I saw. Wanna run this by me again? I love her.

Idk if I've thought about or caught this before. Callum and Amaya both attempt to sacrifice themselves for their respective missions in this episode. Also, it's not just to anyone - Callum, on his quest for love and peace, is willing to sacrifice himself to an avatar of rage and bitterness, an old dragon king of the sun. Amaya, on her quest to destroy the bridge between their realms (if defensively), is willing to sacrifice herself to battle with another general - the descendant of Queen Aditi, another warrior of the sun. Callum, the youngest warrior of the fight for love, sacrificing himself to the oldest warrior in the fight against Aaravos' darkness. Amaya, the sister of a queen who died for that same love, a general who epitomizes what her country stands for, sacrificing herself against an heir of Aditi, the Sunfire queen who was so crucial in Aaravos' imprisonment. This has all revolved around that bitch from the beginning, and I feel like I'm going mad over the symbolism in these two fights taking place at the same time.

I wonder what Janai's thinking as Amaya charges her in full view, like "seriously? She's just gonna come fight me like that huh??

Amaya taking the time to send her horse back safely when she gets the chance, though. Also Gren charging up the Breach to help her fucking destroyed me. He's still unarmed here. He never carries a weapon. He just. He was willing to go in anyway to try and help her.

I know I keep roasting Viren for being swayed by a pretty man with a nice voice but in light of that I think I kinda have to also roast Janai for being so quickly swayed by a pretty woman who kicked her ass.

Moonshadow elves are remarkably resistant to blunt force trauma. staring at Rayla unburying herself from a pile of rubble, with many stones as big as her entire torso, apparently unhurt

They really trap Sol Regem like a naughty cat sticking their head in a vase and it works.

I love that she makes sure to grab the scarf on their way out, and also how these idiot teenagers just casually chatter right next to the struggling Sun King as if he can't hear them.

Opeli really just hates Viren's guts so much and she's so real for that. This priestess is really just like "the solution is murder" immediately, and I love that for her. She's so ready with that crown for Ezran too.

I wonder how those Sunfire soldiers who were rough with Amaya on the trip back into Xadia feel about her becoming queen a few years later.

Ezran in his pajamas in his bed, with Harrow's too-big crown sitting in front of him and their family portrait in his hand, hurts my heart though. He's only 10. He deserved so much better than all this.

[exhausted-archivist]

Do you remember that BioWare Blog Post BioWare Community Update: Writing Our Worlds

I have guesses about the two redacted codices. One I've already mentioned in one of my asks, but I'm going to stick them under the cut for spoilers. But I think, the first two codices of datv we saw were from Emmrich and Taash.

I think this one is Emmrich because we know he was written by Sylvia and this codex is credited to her. And same with the second one, Taash's writer is Trick Weekes and we know they wrote the second one.

Transcript:

Misconceptions about the Necropolis No one has more respect for Brother Genitivi's scholarship than I, but his writing on Nevarra details very little of the practices of the Grand Necropolis. The more I travel, the more I'm convinced these elisions have led to unfortunate conclusions by people of less than generous imagination. For example: we do not "lock up" our dead to pound fruitlessly against their coffins in the dark. Our departed lie in peaceful state, or even wander! The undead tableaux are loving constructions, not "dress-up with corpses." And in the event a malign spirit causes a disturbance, we don't simply "thow them in a tomb and toss the key"! Sometimes I thik [redacted] crafts these questions to tease me. From [redacted]'s diary

Transcription:

[Redacted] Talks: Dragon—Vinsomer Appearance: Dark back and light underbelly. She's hard to see when underwater. Like those whales. Diet: Squid or those big worms that burrow near the shores. Uses her lightening to stun prey. Jaws are more like a beak. Good to grip squishy stuff or crack shells. I think the lightning also helps her see down in the deep water. She does little crackles before she strikes. Behavior: She's hunting more than she needs. She's also not attacking [redacted] unless they get close to her lair. Then she kills them fast. I think she has dragonlings. Must be trying to keep them fed and not look for fights. Only reason a dragon stays that quiet is to protect her kids.

[gaddaboutgriffon]

@puppetmaster13u so you seem to like branching out of the DPxDC and also like dragon-ized characters. Well I have had a fic Idea for a while.

A gem that when put in water makes it turn a glowing purple and anyone submerged in that water turns into one of sixteen breeds/subspecies of dragon based on which one fits them best. (More on each breed later.)

Now for the plot part. There’s a treasure/magic weapon some bad guy is looking for that can only be found by dragon eyes. He decides to essentially take street kids and use the gem to turn them into dragonlings promising to turn them back after he gets what he wants. Tim Drake/Red Robin and Damian/Robin are investigating the disappearance of the kids and find the bad guy pushing a kid into glowing purple water and the transformation into a dragon. Of course there is a fight and it ends up having Tim turned into a dragon but they escape with all the dragon-ified kids, but the bad guy escapes with the gem. Now Damian has to take care of and keep a bunch of juvenile dragons hidden and track down the bad guys with the gem to ever be able to undo this. Oh being turned into a dragon comes with some instincts and pack behaviors that makes Damian’s job harder.

Ok the Pack tends to be divided into eight roles. 1 the Alpha is the leader and protector of the Pack. 2 The Beta is the second in command and helps enforce the orders of the alpha. 3 the Scout is the one that has the best memory for land marks and obstacles to the pack and goes ahead looking for danger. 4 the Hunters does the most hunting, fighting, general tasks to protect and provide for the pack. 5 Tracker is a specialized hunter and is one that will track prey down or find missing pack members. 6 Sentry has the best senses of hearing smell and/or sight and acts as a early warning for the pack. Often works with the Scout. 7 Nanny is the one that takes care of the babies in the pack or injured members or elderly members. 8 Omega/Peacekeeper this one breaks up tensions in the pack by diverting attention of fighting members from each other onto them. Often through annoyance or play.

Now for the different breeds and what each does best. Oh and the Dragons are not really reptiles. They are more like egg laying mammals and the scales are made of fused overcoat hair like the Pangolin has. The digestive system produces gases that combust when combined with oxygen in the atmosphere and use an electric spark like the electric eel and the bombardier beetle. Those gases are lighter then air and with the hallow bones helps make them light enough to fly, but if they use to much for fire in a fight then they can’t fly for a while. There are some breeds with exceptions and those will be explained. Can you tell I am a bit of a biology nerd.

First we have the Pygmydrake. It is the smallest breed like the chihuahua of the dragons, being about the size of a medium sized dog. It has fire and spits acid and a fully prehensile tail. Tends to be more cooperative and live in much larger packs than any other breed. In a pack with mixed breeds will often act as an omega or scout.

Next we have the Shiftscale. It can change the color of its scales at will and can blend into its surroundings it practically goes invisible. Sharp retractable claws for silent movement. It can breathe fire but not as much as other breeds. More likely to ambush prey and if they don’t have the element of surprise is likely to retreat.

Ok now the Firerex. These are the second biggest breed and they have the biggest gas sacks for ton of extra fire. Very much more likely to roast an opponent then the other breeds because they can. And their jaw strength is like a hydraulic press for really strong bites. Just big guys that are affectionate with their pack and will be the first to fight to defend it.

Onto the Spearback. They can breath fire but are more likely to fight with their quilled tail. These prickly guys are not fond of strangers or surprises and are likely to slam their spike tail to impale anything that startles them. They can flick their tail fast enough launch a loose quill like a giant dart. But once trust is earned they will be glued to your side.

Moving onto the IceScale. This breed has a mutation where their body does not produce the right gases for fire but instead they spray a liquid that will freeze when mixed with nitrogen in the atmosphere. Thus they can’t fly either. The body is better adapted for freezing weather and the wings and tail for swimming. They have a great sense of smell and can track down scents from miles away. Eyesight isn’t to good though.

Going to have to finish the rest of the breeds in a reblog.

[dndhistory]

470. Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - Dragonlance Legends Volume 2: The War of the Twins (May 1986)

The second in the series that followed the massively popular Chronicles series of Dragonlance novels, The War of the Twins continues the more intimist story of what happened to Raistlin and Caramon (the twins of the title) and Crysania, a cleric of Paladin and a very inappropriate paramour for the black magician Raistlin.

This volume confirms the role of Raistlin as one of the more interesting villains in D&D lore, as he can at the same time demonstrate love and even tenderness as well as commit completely inexcusable actions, from murder of innocents to betrayal of his own flesh and blood. For Raistlin everyone is a means to an end but he is not completely soulless.

The book follows the events from the first volume, which ended with the central trio escaping the Cataclysm and being propelled 100 years into the future, with Raistlin taking on the role of legendary magician Fistandantilus and Caramon becoming his reluctant general as they attempt to conquer the dwarven stronghold of Thorbardin. As with most middle sections of the story this isn't the strongest in the series, but it is still a very strong book ending in a cliffhanger that demands you start reading the third volume immediately. Fortunately there wasn't much time to wait, as by August of this same year the last of the Dragonlance Legends series would hit the shelves.

[stardust-in-my-mind-blog]

Prologue

It is always the map of believing, the white landscape and the shrouded farms. It is always a land of remembrance, of sunlight fractured in old, immovable ice,

And always the heart, cloistered and southerly, misgives the ice, the drifting for something perplexed and eternal. It will end like this, the heart will tell you, it will end with mammoth and glacier, with ten thousand years of effacing night, and someday the scientists rifling lakes and moraines, will find us evidence, our relics outside of history, but your story, whole and hollowed will end at the vanishing edge of your hand. So says the heart in its intricate cell, charting with mirrors the unchartable land of remembrance and rivers and ice. This time it was different: the town had surrendered to the hooded snow, the houses and taverns were awash in the fragmented light, and the lake was marbled with unstable ice, as I walked through drifts through lulling spirits, content with the slate of the sky and the prospect of calendared spring. It will end like this, the winter proclaimed, sooner or later in dark inaccessible ice, and you are the next one to hear this story, winter and winter occluding the heart and there in Wisconsin, mired by the snow and by vanishing faith, it did not seem bad that the winter was taking all light away, that the darkness seemed welcome and the last, effacing snow. He stood in the midst of frozen automobiles, cars lined like cenotaphs. In the bundle of coats in wool hats and mufflers he rummaged the trunk for God knows what, and I knew his name by the misted spectacles the caved, ridiculous hat he was wearing. And whether the courage was spring in its memory, was sunlight in promise of whiskeyed shade, or somehow aligned beyond snow and searching, it was with me that moment as I spoke to him there; in my days I am thankful it took me that moment as I spoke to the bundled weaver of accidents the everyday wizard in search of impossible spring. Tracy, I told him, poetry lies in the seams on the story in old recollections and prospect of what might always and never be (And those were the words I did not say, but poetry lies in the prospect of what should have been: you must believe I said these words past denial, past history), and there in winter the first song began, the moons twined and beckoned on the boarders of Krynn, the country of snow resolved to the grasslands more brilliant and plausible. And the first song continued through prospects of summer where the promise returns from the vanished seed, where the staff returns from forgetful deserts, and even northern lands cry out to the spirit, this is the map of believing fulfilled; this is the map of belief.

-Dragonlance: The Second Generation by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

[weirdlet]

It's Tuesday night, I just got home from work and I have a half-day tomorrow, we are storming the dragon's lair before he can turn himself into a god, and I am LIVING

after defeating the fire giant king, giant support for the dragon is much lower, but he still have a few minions guarding his lair. We're teleported to the frozen island that holds the volcano where he dwells, and sneaking up the carved staircases in the mountainside. The weather is awful, to the point Glory gains a level of exhaustion. We see three frost giants guarding the path, and are now trying to figure out whether to try and take them out, or get around them.

....the attempt to distract the giants gets them to sound the alarm. But nevertheless, we persist and because the distraction wasn't US per se, we still get a surprise round.

-the giants have summoned stony minions from the pillars, as well as statues of a frost and a fire giant.

One of the giants attempts to swat Glory out of the sky, fumbles, and on his way down slips and falls prone. Glory laughs at him from his position in the air. Then he dives on him. Then he stabs him.

And rolls a nat 20, critical hit, with 8d6 sneak attack damage. 90 FUCKING points of damage in one shot.

That giant is no longer an issue.

The second giant is magically imprisoned, and the third- must be around here somewhere, line of sight on this map is a mess. But Trinidad the tortle barbarian is ready to descend like a meteor on their kneecaps. And the stone defenders. Maeve is also getting into the mix with those, and things are heating up.

On looking at the combat tracker, I can see a bit of what's waiting for us in the wings- it turns out the ancient red wyrm's name that I've been mishearing is called Hoornmdargh. And it turns out that fighting the giants has prevented them from turning on magical barriers that would prevent further entry up the mountain. Trinidad and Maeve are laying all about them, Alain the revenant is throwing daggers, and Sorianna is mentally magically tormenting that one poor giant until Glory stabs him a lot.

And THEN something shows up- the red Abishai- some ungodly half-dragon looking motherfucker that's *also* flying, and shows up right behind Glory and bites the fuck out of him. And hits him with a mace. And is generally a pain in the ass, until Glory turns around and stabs him and then flaps away to try and suck down a healing potion. Trinidad uses his superstrength to lasso this Abishai thing and haul him to the ground, there to stomp on, aided by Maeve in another beautiful circle-beat-down. Just because he's down, though, doesn't mean he's out- he evades a massive smite and starts throwing punches and mace-blows, and tries to misty-step away- only he's still roped. Even so, he gets away, and is gunning for Sorianna the mage- but even so he ends up surrounded. He roars, but Maeve's aura lends us all courage- and from above, Glory drops out of the sky sword-first. Between the lot of us, we hack him to pieces.

The strange creature had a ring with two keys on it. We go to the statues that were mentioned, which did not in fact get animated but apparently were the things that controlled the magical barriers- but one of the keys opens the doors to the lair-

revealing a dragonling. It's just barely our size, and Glory brazens right up to it-

and with Panache, says "Listen, sweet thing- we're about to make a whole big mess in here. How would you like to inherit early?"

The dragonling blinks, considers, and goes and curls up underneath a giant-sized worktable.

We sneak ahead down the hall, overhearing Giantish and catching sight of a couple of fire giant guards around the corners. We wait, calculate our moment- and leap out and murder the shit out of them. Even so, they call for reinforcements- a hill giant and a bunch of azer, fire-dwarves. The azer attempt to form a shield wall, but are already losing numbers while above everyone's heads, Glory proceeds to stab and irritate the hill giant who can't swing his hands fast enough to pluck the tiefling out of the sky. He then throws a boulder at the lot of us- which lands.

In the middle of the shield wall.

We're in the process of dealing with that, when a mage of all things in the middle of another shieldwall of azer starts throwing cold spells at us. Glory dive-bombs him and scoots away- only to get frozen into a winterfest ornament stuck to the ceiling. It is cold. He is hurt. But he takes that moment to breathe, and center himself- and spend several hit dice- and prepare for the moment he's free again.

Sorianna, the bladesinger wizard, steps into the middle of those azer and pulls off some kind of whirlwind of blades. Steel Wind Strike. It's badass. She cuts through most of them and then heads for the wizard with murder in her eye. Alain joins her and it's a fantastic battle-couple moment before Henri Haste's (I will never understand these names) head topples off of his neck.

After the battle clears up, we wave to the little dragonling we'd convinced not to fight, and ask it if there are many more like it. About a dozen, it says, and they were already on the fence of whether or not to fight and be in Hoornmdargh's good graces, or sit it out and be in our good graces. Glory persuades it that he's seem elder dragons eat their young before, and there's no great reward to be had sticking with their progenitor. The dragonling and its hidden friend nod and them scamper.

In the next hall, we find a cafeteria full of azer, and Glory rolls a natural 20 roaring that they should surrender. Maeve and Sorianna attempt to back him up with limited success, only for Alain to come in and start stabbing. Sorianna follows that with a Shatter spell.

And even so- with a second impassioned bellow, they start throwing down weapons and leaving. The rest of the gang lets them go, and while we can't be sure if they're telling others to stay or go, but the effort was made to spare those we didn't have to kill.

A quick exploration later, we've found the mage's room and quickly tossed it, and a door flanked by dragon statues with a volcano symbol. We take a breather, kick in the door to a smithy full of lava- and that's where we end for the night!

-she lied, lyingly. Our one guy got back on and so we'll get a few rounds in. This smithy is full of an active ritual intended to ascend the dragon to godhood- there's a giant statue of a humanoid dragon, treasures that are being sacrificed on the giant anvil, and according to what we know there has to be humanoid sacrifice going on elsewhere in this complex.

Sorianna casts Shatter on the statue, whose ankles fall apart and whose body falls such that it creates a bridge over the lava for us to walk on. The actual dragon lounging in the corner says 'Go away' and bathes the enTIRE ROOM IN FIRE NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW FUCKING BIG THAT CONE WAS. HOLY SHIT.

Some hasty retroactive fire protection potions keep Sorianna from dying instantly. Maeve knocks over the table full of treasures in order to goad the dragon into leaving his cozy little island and getting where we can hurt him. This is suitably dramatic and Inspiring, as in, we all get Inspiration points from witnessing it. Glory gets into the room, flapping above it all, and shouts at Hoornmdargh in Draconic to the effect that he's lazy and useless and Glory can fly rings around him.

Alain teleports himself next to the dragon. This is sure to go well. Ker-stab, and hopefully not instant squash. He gets tail-slapped into the air above the lava, and thankfully has some floaty magic going on. Meanwhile, three elementals are attacking Trinidad from *out* of the lava, and great googly moogly I swear things are about to go to shit.

[skull-bearer]

Chapters: 1/? Fandom: Dragonlance - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Dalamar the Dark/Raistlin Majere, Past Dalamar the Dark/Jenna Characters: Dalamar the Dark, Raistlin Majere, Jenna (Dragonlance), Palin Majere, Bupu (Dragonlance), Dunbar Mastersmate, Original Male Character(s), Horkin (Dragonlance) Additional Tags: Ghibli AU, Laputa- Castle in the Sky AU, Second Generation, Knights of Takhisis, Post Summer Flame, No Chaos, Resistance, War, Genocide, Violence, Airships, Sky Pirates, Gnomes, Mages, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Mystery, Hurt/Comfort, Grief/Mourning, Despair, Hope Summary:

As the Knights of Takhisis close upon Wayreth, and the last bastions of resistance fall; Dalamar discovers a strange mystery, that may lead to a final beacon of hope in this darkening world.

Chapter 1: A Late Night Because what this fandom really needs is a ghibli au, and Laputa is one of my absolute favourites.

[vintagerpg]

The first Monstrous Compendium binder was pretty much full-to-brimming with the pages from the first three volumes, so in 1990, a second binder was released, confusingly called Volume Two despite Volume Two already existing. More confusing: the back cover text mentions Krynn but the word (or logo) Dragonlance is nowhere to be seen. I suppose it might have been on the cheap cardboard sleeve the binder came in, but I’ve long since had that fall to pieces.

Anywho, this is indeed the Dragonlance appendix, as the logo is atop every page. It also refer to itself inside as Monstrous Compendium 4, which is correct. Unlike Volume Three, which feels only vaguely like a collection of monsters pulled from the Forgotten Realms, this batch of beasts definitely feels primarily specialized for Dragonlance. There’s all the draconians, the death knight, the dream creatures, the demi-human variants, fucking kender ugh, the wyndlass, the walrus people. There are others that are generic, but seem well-suited to Krynn, like the skeleton warrior and the fetch.

Mark Nelson and his zipatone are probably responsible for me liking a lot more of these monsters than I might otherwise. He’s the only credited artist, but some of the illustrations look like the stock stuff Elmore drew up. The dwarf for sure. Maybe the draconians? Hard to tell. A pretty muscular Easley cover here, too. Can’t go wrong with a red dragon, that’s a great death knight and the generic quality of the draconian is countered by his thuggish look. Good stuff.

[ophexis]

After days of travel, you finally arrive at the small town of Royal Mount, so named after the sacred hill resting at its center. Your contact asked you to meet them at the local inn, where they would impart delicious culinary secrets upon you.

You quickly notice a sign advertising a place called Tym Hort's inn. This must be the place. As you enter, a hooded figure wearing a strange billed hat waves at you. They lower their hood as you approach, looking up through shining glasses. "Greetings my friend! You may call me Phex. I believe you are here to discuss a most delicious topic, are you not?"

You find nothing odd about them, save for your inability to settle on any pronoun to refer to them. They regard you with an amused look despite their clear sleep deprivation and as they invite you to sit, they open a large grimoire, surely full of secrets each more delicious than the last...

The first dnd cookbook! Winner of the last poll!

This is a book I hadn't planned on getting initially. I watched misohungrie's review, and it seemed like a really nice book, but despite the fact that I've played in a few campaigns using dnd, I've never actually played in the Forgotten Realms settings (or any other of their settings) and always in homebrews. So I wasn't that yet interested in the lore or references.

And then I played Baldur's Gate 3.

So I now have this book, and it's one of my favorites of my collection lmao. I haven't gotten the second book yet but I intend to eventually!

The book separates its recipes by "cultures", basically most of the basic playable races in dnd. Uncommon has a mix of stuff, from dragonborn, gnomes, tieflings. And then drinks have their own chapter. Between each chapter there's also a nice menu reproduction for various inns, which I love.

I'm only really familiar with forgotten realms now that I've consumed the entire wiki for Baldur's Gate purposes and finetuning my oc's backstories lmao but there are references to many others, like Greyhawk, Dragonlance, Ravenloft and a few more. My good friends, who are much more powerful nerds than I am, gave me a brief summary of all of them so that was also pretty cool. There's also at least one obligatory Drizzt reference, which I have to mention bc I'm about to get into that shit to indulge in the drow obsession I could never have in high school.

ANYWAY.

The recipes are varied, and there are a LOT in there that interest me ngl. I've already cooked two! I've made Dwarven Flatbread (easy and delicious!) and Halfling Chili which I believe I've posted about before. It is also very delicious (I remade this week! I didn't post about it bc I'm supposed to be cooking something new lmao). It uses cocoa powder and cinnamon amongst others in the spices. And delicious bacon.

Human recipes have variety, are pretty hearthy and generally go for a "comforting" vibe, I would say. They go from hand pies to seafood bouillabaisse or ribs to candied apples! Very fun chapter.

The Elven chapter unsurprisingly has a lot of light recipes, a ton of veggies, with some seafood! But for the most part it's a lotta veggies and fruits, and the one drow recipe, mushroom steak!

The Dwarven chapter, by contrast, has a lot of meaty recipes. You've got potatoes, sausages, beer, bread, rich desserts. (kinda my favorite chapter I think lmao)

The Halfling chapter is all about hearthy, homely(?) recipes that can be shared with many people, and many soups. This one is also very good.

Uncommon cuisine has a wide range of recipes. This is the chapter that has the halfling chili. Because normally it's made of...well you know. But you can make it with turkey, if you're not a dragonborn of very specific taste.

And finally the drinks are about half and half alcoholic and not, which I think is nice as someone who doesn't drink. It also has the second drow "recipe" which is like a mushroom "tea" (or like a stew?).

Now, there is one major problem with this book.

So many recipe photos missing!! So many!!

And it's particularely frustrating for this book because sometimes a page will have an environmental photo of like trees or whatever. But why not put food photo there instead?? Bummer.

This is a pretty village and all but do I really need it? I don't think so lmao.

Now after agonising over the meal choice (and over my mental health) for the last 10 weeks, I finally decided to make the Vedbread, a cheesy, mushroomy bread roll that sounds delicious. I just gotta go out and buy some shiitake mushrooms soon. Misohungrie happens to have made that one too (kinda the reason I chose it lmao it looks delicious) so you should check out his video too if you're interested in the book! He's also kinda the reason I bought the book in the first place, and he brings up the weird photo issue too.

Overall I really like this book, because I like ordinary daily life lore and you get a pretty good amount in that one, on top of having delicious recipes to try out. The recipes aren't super crazy in terms of trying to make them weird or unique, but they all seem pretty solid. They all have a little flavor/lore blurb before every recipe, and it's fun to get some tidbits like "tieflings love spicy food" or whatever yknow lol.

My tab crashed and I can't remember what I was following up with, but I wish y'all success in your culinary adventures and campaigns! I'll make a post for the vedbread when I get around to making it!

[curiouselleth]

Would you do 1, 9, and 11 for the fanfic author ask game, please?

Sure, thanks for the ask @general-illyrin!

What's your favorite trope to write?

Maybe crossover? I have myRaistlin is Eru fic idea, Last Trial musical (dragonlance), and Silmarillion crossover, and then there's my personal writing white whale that I've been chasing for like 2 years, and in the long term it would hit everyyyy fandom I like or want lol. Focused on the Silmarillion and Tolkien.

9. Biggest pet peeve when writing?

Hm it's pretty frustrating when I know what I need to write, and I want to, but not how to write it. Like; character A needs to get from the docks to meet with character b. Very short, barely need a few sentences... and I've been sitting on it for like 2 hours. In hindsight I should've taken a break and moved on to what happens after... oops lol

11. Do you prefer writing angst, crack, or fluff?

Angst with crack coming in very close for second place, because I think half of my ideas are angsty crack treated seriously 😂 (see: my Raistlin is Eru idea and my Elured is Gil-galad fic, Veil of Starlight, which has now hit almost 7.5k words)

[brooklynislandgirl]

Tagged By: The lovely Carrie @grimmusings and thank you, dear! Tagging: Be Fae, Steal this. ~*~

I. how long have you been roleplaying?

I do not even know how or where to begin answering this because I do believe I was a freshman in high school when I was first introduced to D&D {Dragonlance was the world/setting} and I took to it like a fish to water. A long time after that, I was introduced to the early days of the internet and the concept of real-time chats {mIRC}. I met my future husband in one, and the two of us then found an rp chat. Within a few weeks, we'd been asked to co-run a portion of that rp. About six months later, we were living together, and running that game, a couple in real life, and others. Fast forward a million years and a million iterations of online rp and here we are. {{AOL, MSN communities/chat, Eyechat, InvisionFree and other message boards, private email/etc, and now- Tumblr and Discord. I've pretty much been there, done that with almost every place. Except Twitter, and Facebook.}} II. what got you interested in roleplaying?

I have been a lifelong reader. I was diagnosed as a "gifted" child in the days of yore, mostly because I was reading by the age of four, and I think at some point, I wanted to make stories too. My very first fan-fiction began at the age of 8. Tabletop RP is still my first rp love, though online rp has become a close second. If RP didn't exist, I would still be around somewhere, writing stories and living inside of my own imagination. III. are there any lesser played canon characters you’d like to see in your community?

I have a complicated relationship with canon characters. Two of my oldest friends and I are often dismayed. Back in OUR day, canons were rare and treated with a certain suspicion and disdain. And unfortunately, a lot of people seem to be trapped in a mindset that Canon are the be-all, end-all and don't give OCs a fair shake because they had 'one bad experience, once, a hundred years ago'. Or the whole 'I don't know how to interact with you' even if the OC is built for your fandom, and yet your top three partners are other canons from fandoms that have nothing to do with yours. <eye roll>. I think I find something very disingenuous about that when I see a lot of 'canons' that seem to have only a vague idea about their muse, choose only the flavour of the month fc for them, and just generally come across as ooc/lazy/sloppy. But I am a fandom dinosaur, with a background in creative writing, novel-writing, and 20+ years of rp experience. My standards are so incredibly high. That being said... Justified, Dark Shadows {not the Johnny Depp monstrosity} anyone/thing from the World of Darkness, Dragonlance, Foggy Nelson, Firefly, Vertigo/Indie comics, Valiant Comics....Horatio Hornblower, Sharpe's Rifles, and any historical genre, really. IV. would you consider writing them?

For the right reasons, the right partner, yes. But most of the time I prefer telling new stories in a beloved world/au. V. what do you enjoy the most about creating ocs? I bet you'd NEVER guess that I am really neurotic/overly serious when it comes to making a character. I will sit there for literally months, contemplating their every minute of life before and up to the moment I am ready to debut them. I will know 12 generations of their family. I will know a couple dozen fandoms they might fit in and how they would relate to things. The only aspect I don't really control or try to map out is what canon and other oc muses they might get on with. That's part of the fun of actual rp, forging connections.

Maybe the trouble is...I want to give everyone my absolute best. I want to offer a rewarding experience to people, and thus the standards I carry for myself are excruciatingly severe. But I *can* be silly and fun, once the story begins.