#also: cleric. for fun and profit.

[astralprisms]

Was wondering why this particular gith face always feels like it suits baldness best and then I realized it IS in fact Orpheus' face model, Orph just has different unique ears.

Anyway welcome back, dreadwolf.

[caputvulpinum]

I thought the Barbie movie was really good and enjoyed it a lot but also thought it was odd that the idea that toxic masculinity is just as harmful to men was never really explored. Yes it was explicitly stated that it didn’t truly fulfill the Kens’ desire for independence and that it was wrong, but the movie more frames it as wrong because it uproots the status quo, without really acknowledging that the Kens’ utopia was essentially the exact same as the Barbies’ utopia, just flavored a bit differently. And the Barbies do realize they have been mistreating the Kens and that they deserve to have more identity then their relation to Barbie, but they don’t really change the structural inequalities that caused this in the first place. A vague promise of change and putting a couple kens in meaningless clerical positions doesn’t change anything, if anything it reminds me of “progressive” democrats in the US showing support for the Black Lives Matter movement and saying they support it, but not supporting any actual change(see Pelosi and other senate and house dems’ picture of them kneeling down during the protests). It’s changing your Twitter pfp to a pride flag for a month while donating money to republicans. The problems have been addressed, which I guess is better than pretending they don’t exist, but no solutions have been offered.

I don’t want anyone to think that I think the overall message of the movie is flawed, because it isn’t. It’s a sweet, funny, nice film with a great message that I recommend everyone watch, but just like other “progressive” films, they never actually advocate for too much change. Just enough to be profitable.

See I fundamentally view the message as flawed because it tries to be both self-aware progressive feminism that addresses the innate bioessentialism of Barbie in a meaningful way while also being a fun silly Barbie movie that makes you want to buy into the brand. It wasn't even progressive, it was regressive dressed up as progressive. The Barbie movie would have been progressive in, like, 2011.

[quill-of-thoth]

Letters from Watson: The Stockbroker's Clerk

Part 1a: The fun bits.

When Watson bought his practice, it turned a profit of 300 a year, (About 31,000 modern pounds / 38,000 USD)

Watson says he bought his practice and then barely saw Holmes for three months. This could conflict with Holmes' comments in A Scandal in Bohemia that suggest Watson, freshly married and returned to practice, carved out a few days to hang out with his old roommate in late March.

(Of course if Scandal has its dates purposefully muddled that solves it.)

Then again, if Watson has returned to practice very recently in March, or is working with the practice's former owner in some kind of transition process, three months of March, April, and May lines up very well.

And Holmes' comments on Mrs. Watson's health (mental health, probably, as she was saddened but unscathed) regarding the Sign of the Four, which took place almost nine months ago, does not clarify the matter. The publication of this story several years after the publication of The Sign of the Four, with fifteen short stories between, doesn't help either.

Watson has been ill recently, and the weather has been damp. He attributes it to a chill, and he certainly could have caught a cold off his patients, but I once again point out that Watson's wartime injuries have never liked the cold or the damp - and also that inflammation from injuries or arthritis can create a fever on its own.

Billet - quarters or place of residence, specifically regarding the quarters a soldier is entitled to. In this case it appears to have referred to a clerical position, and I don't know if we can infer that this included lodging.

Most of Hall Pycroft's statement will be in a separate post because it is all numbers. All of it.

[mumms-the-word]

oh i'm so glad! I love learning about others' OCs so much and I'd love to do it more. I've been digging around in your Ardynn tag especially and i just love that elf already. Onto my horrible children :D I'll share about Tynera and Serket, since they are the most developed ones so far. Tynera is a drow cleric of Lathander who Tries Very Hard to be ever striving towards the light and new beginnings although she still holds some prejudices and wounds from her upbringing in the underdark. she hides those, pretending that she's left it all behind when she left her home. She's nonetheless a pretty positive person - very intense, optimistic, outspoken, empathetic. Aesthetic-wise, she's pretty high femme - lots of lace, highly decorated armour, gold and amethyst jewellery. I like to think that she's pretty short with a pear-shaped figure with both a warrior's muscles and a healthy layer of fat. Her lover is Lae'zel, and i like to think that they're pretty similar in their loyalty and determination - what they believe, they will see through, and who they love, they will protect.

Serket is a Tiefling Monk. In-game, I have them as a Way of The Shadow monk, but in my headcanon they follow the Way of Mercy. They grew up in a monastery that served Naralis Analor, a god of healing and death. Generally, they are a pretty serene, even-tempered person. Their best skill is their empathy and leadership - understanding people and helping them work together. On the flip side, they have some dishonest and manipulative tendencies that come with that, and carry a lot of (survivor's) guilt for ~reasons~ related to their backstory. They romanced Astarion, and while they appear the more put together of the pair, they grow a lot through his influence - they are not nearly as able to fight for what they want as he is, and they profit very much from him calling them out on their bullshit. As for appereance, they are pretty tall and lanky, with functional muscle built up over a life of discipline and deep connection with their own body. That's also reflected in how they carry themselves - they move with purpose and a measured elegance. I'm so curious to hear how your Tavs might connect or not with them! this is so fun, thank you :D

Just now getting to this!! I love that you love Ardynn! I have a couple of oneshots I need to finish and add to her list....

Dani would vibe really well with both of them, but she'd be buddies with Tynera quicker, I think. Dani is also a pretty positive person and would think that Tynera is just BEAUTIFUL. Although, then again, if a cleric of Lathander who is all lace and gemstones walked up to her, Dani would be half-tempted to bob a curtsy and be like "milady?" and then be slightly jealous that she's got all this fancy stuff. But don't worry, Dani doesn't steal from her friends. With Serket, first of all, she would be ECSTATIC that someone is dating her best friend Astarion and support them 100% of the way. Second, she wouldn't even bat an eye at Serket's manipulation tactics or dishonesty. She's used to that. She's a good deceiver too. She would just hope that Serket would eventually become comfortable enough to be honest with her. She would also absolutely be okay with Serket being in charge. She's flexible about leading.

Ardynn would like them both but vibe with Serket more. Tynera seems flashy and seems to know a lot about civilized life both in the Underdark and topside, and Ardynn is...not that. She appreciates a good cleric of Lathander and would be relieved that SOMEONE other than her (and Wyll, and Karlach, and Halsin) is trying to be 100% good all the time. Ardynn would probably have a lot of questions (like how does a drow because a cleric of Lathander) but view Tynera as a good leader to follow. With Serket, I feel like she would let herself get closer to them a little quicker than with Tynera. She's a bit of an herbalist and death is nothing shocking for her, since she's a huntress, and she appreciates an even-headed person. She'd trust them almost instantly and offer her help in whatever way she can. She might even develop a little crush, but she wouldn't necessarily act on it. She's nothing if not a slow burn girlie.

Freyr....oof lol. Freyr would arch a WHOLE eyebrow at Tynera claiming to be a cleric of Lathander when she's a drow but he would feel like he doesn't know enough to really comment. He'd ask Minthara about it later and whatever she says about it he'd take as his opinion too (he doesn't always do this, but when it comes to Drow Stuff, absolutely). So you better hope Minthara likes Tynera. He would find her slightly grating if she's really chatty about being a do-gooder, but if she's good in a fight and she doesn't complain too much about the fact that he's going to do Dubious and Evil Things, she's welcome to stick around. She can pitch her tent by Gale. As for Serket, he'd probably respect them a bit more. He'd be curious how to push Serket's buttons to get them to snap, but that might just be the Durge talking. He appreciates someone who is willing to hone their skills in battle and he's not averse to level-headedness or empathy. He would expect Serket to pull their weight, though, and probably encourage some of their darker tendencies.

Invi would find both of them fascinating and end up being drawn to Serket more. With Tynera, she would find her femme optimistic exuberance a little amusing but acknowledge the ways it uplifts everyone's spirits (which is more than she can say about herself). Every team needs a cheerleader, and Invi is not that. She would be fascinated to talk with Tynera about how she came to be a drow cleric of Lathander, because Invi is also invested in her own personal growth...she just doesn't quite know where to start. She would be drawn to Serket for some of the same reasons. Serket and Invi's aura/vibes are pretty similar, and I can just picture them standing off to the side at camp together, engrossed in a discussion that has them going for hours and forgetting the time. (She would also understand their interest in Astarion, as she has an interest in him too. But she would probably let Serket have him, in part because she spends a lot of the timeline of the game trying to figure out who she is and what she wants). I think with both, Invi would be invested in helping them on their journeys, she would just talk to Serket a lot more.

Thanks for the ask!! I love doing these!

[sofhtie]

as always, I am once again going insane about unity clerics,

[missbaphomet]

I think my friends need to learn that me describing all of my DnD characters as “sweet little babies” has nothing to do with their moral convictions or practices, and more to do with the fact that I created them and thus they are my sweet little babies.

[saintsandsinners]

Ghost OC Week - Day 1

A thanks to @ghostbcfandomevents for putting this together!

Both of us have decided to join in on the fun with this so this post might be a touch long as it includes our main four OCs that we’re currently writing fics for behind the scenes. Are they all chaotic bisexuals in relationships together? Yes. And we love them. Their descriptions are below the cut.

April 3rd - Introductions - Who is this character? What do they look like? What inspired you to make them?

Vesper Harley

Pastoress of a small monastery located in Lozère, France. Though initially from California, she was transferred around a lot after her training due to her background in botany and the clergy’s need for difficult to cultivate herbs for summoning rituals. Her monastery is essentially a farm and small no pressure rehabilitation retreat. The retreat was initially created in response to overindulgent ghouls whose excessive lives brought them far too close to a permanent death. These days the monastery is also open to siblings of sin and the general public who wish to combat addiction without the religious guilt that comes with certain rehab groups. Their monastery is rather self-sustaining and even manages to bring in a bit of a profit with their booths at local farmers markets where they sell their jams, jellies and honey. She is currently married to a large golden retriever of a man who happens to be a cardinal.

Appearance wise she screams stereotypical innocent girl next door. She’s all red hair and freckles, petite as all get out and a good foot shorter than her husband. She rarely wears her formal church clothes due to the time she spends in the gardens or working with the more unstable newly summoned ghouls. She only really puts all that on if she’s doing official church work, dressing to impress or helping with their stands at the local markets.

Not gonna lie, made her as a trap for Copia. The plot involving her and her husband revolves around the very much a Catholic priest at the time Copia who gradually comes to acknowledge and accept the growing feelings he has for the couple as he deals with how they conflict with his current faith. Did I mention it’s also partly a horror story? The farm isn’t entirely what it seems.

Varg Viking

Cardinal and not originally of the Church of Ghost, Varg and his unfortunate name resides with his Pastoress wife in Lozère, France. Varg was originally sworn into another satanic church, but through a series of visits to foster good relations with the Church of Ghost, he came to join the latter and climb the ranks, ultimately reaching the rank of Cardinal. Beyond his clerical and administrative duties, he helps run his wife’s monastery, keeping ghouls in check and running the farm connected to the monastery. When he’s not locked in his office he can usually be found tilling the fields or teaching ghouls how to behave.

Varg looks the Scandinavian stereotype. Blond, blue eyed, so white he glows in the sun, built like a brick shithouse covered in shag carpet, he very much lives up to his surname. While he might seem intimidating at first glance with his tattooed arms, barrel chest, beer keg belly and wild, braided hair, he’s incredibly chill and kind. His wife has him wrapped around her finger, and he likes her too much to really object or put up a fight. Occasionally Varg’s cheerful disposition slips, however, and he’s the emotional type.

He’s a self-insert ok. That's it. He’s the ideal me but souped up and indulgent as fuck. I’m not ashamed to admit this. Sue me.

Lola Sotelo

Just your everyday broke librarian using what little knowledge she has of book repairing to make an extra buck. Essentially she’s bounced around from small town library to small town library before deciding she’d had enough of her home country. She booked a one way flight to Sweden and left all her troubles behind. Unfortunately, things don’t always work out like they do in the movies and she’s starting to run out of cash fast. After seeing a vague wanted ad in the local paper she found herself at the Church of Ghost to repair some books in some serious need of some love. She has no idea that the church is Satanic and just believes that they’re a secretive order of some Catholic sect and slowly over time comes to realize that not all is what it seems.

She’s pretty average when it comes to her looks. Brown hair, dark eyes, glasses, thick as all get out but pretty much flat chested. Tanned skin due to her Hispanic lineage. Her professional dress is essentially corporate goth while her more casual attire leans towards punk.

I uh wanted to make her because I am a librarian and I am somewhat tired of the usual sexy librarian stereotype and endless library sex, especially in this fandom. You all have never had to pry deli meat out of books or clean unknown, hopefully chocolate based brown stains off books and it shows. Besides that, the stereotype has genuinely negatively affected my life (Seriously, it leads to a lot of sexual harassment of librarians. Like I’m not trying to guilt anyone I just want to point it out) and I just want to see a librarian that is having none of that. Seriously there will be no fucking in this library. No bodily fluids on the books, you heathens. She’s a self insert too.

Tefra

Ghoul twice summoned, once by brute force, the other actually intended. Unusually quiet and collected for a ghoul of the hotter element, he’s one of the older ghoul-kin to be found in the Church.

He was summoned in his current form by Papa I, and has since worked his way from being a lowly multighoul, doing menial tasks such as cleaning and cooking, to being in charge of the kennels. Given his origin, he has a natural command over the… guard dogs, kept at Borgholms Slott to ensure the Papas and their progeny are protected. Tef has a reputation of being one of the more friendly ghouls, the type siblings of sin can safely associate with without risking accidental dismemberment or getting dicked into oblivion. And, given his responsibilities, Tef is often assigned to escort visitors and to make sure no-one that’s not supposed to be in the castle is in the castle. He does his best to understand humans so he can socialize with them, but there are still many aspects of human behavior and customs he doesn’t quite understand. He’d old, leave him alone.

Tefra looks like any other ghoul, depending on the era. Physically he’s large, rivaling Aether, with enough muscle to control and contain several dogs at once. He is Beef Incarnate (can you tell I have a type). Big boy. Chunky. T H I C C C C C C.

Tef was originally made to be the ghoul companion to Lola, but I’ve managed to flesh him out a bit more, to fit our AU/imagined canon type deal.

[violet-t-9]

Check in on my (not very realistic) wish list for episode 136

1. The M9 eventually find a way to catch up with Lucien and Cree (or even get in front of them) before they are able to go to the astral sea AND at least start the combat please and thanks (Bonus: Cree gets a wild magic effect that gives M9 some advantage or laughs).

OH NO an intuit charge they were ambushed! The TT were way ahead of them... They caught up though! Lucian and Cree are still there... oops never mind they got ahead AGAIN, no TT combat today. Well, astral sea here we come!

2. Caleb and Beau’s eyes come into play at some point but are helpful to them instead of being used against them (look, let me try to be optimistic).

They have true sight! They can communicate telepathically to ANYONE! Hey, at least they gained some magical abilities and SOME sort of profit from all that anxiety. The eyes were still used against them to sense their presence.

3. Some long one-on-one conversations between any characters please, I need the RP experience! Any two of them would have a great dynamic.

Welp, I mean, combat time! Combat is also good, who needs RP anyways :(

4. More wild magic effects from casting in Aeor! Jester, Essek, Caduceus, Veth I’m looking at y’all. Caleb and Fjord already had their fun, but I won’t say no to more. (Bonus: the effects are harmless and fun ones like how they have been).

Oh no Veth... Is tiny... At least it didn’t cost any hit points? CALEB IS A SHEEP THAT WALKED INTO THE PORTAL LMAO. That was one of the wild magic effects that I wanted to see the most and it was as funny as possible.

5. Even more Aeorian ruin exploration and finding clues that may help them with the city business, but no more side combats before getting to the TT.

Caleb rolled 31 arcana on the runic circle wow transmutation + dunamancy! Temporal alteration! 31 on investigation too wow Caleb, “primal artifact”? TIME TRAVEL?? So that’s why it’s called the Temporal Dock! Also, wow, they actually did not enter any other side combats before TT, using stealth and magic. They were forced into a side combat after getting to them though.

6. Beau and Yasha continue with their PDA AND have a private moment together (let’s hope for both, because why not).

“Yasha your hair looks really great” lol Beau is not wasting any time is she. Yasha’s defensive “she’s wonderful” was ooc but cute lol. “Anything for my princess” lmao stop you guys. No private moment, but close enough.

7. Jester and Fjord heal each other at some point OR have more physical contact (they were so cute last episode).

Jester healed Fjord! I’m sad it had to happen but it was a good heal too. Jester also picked up the paralyzed Fjord after the intuit charges!

8. Continuing to hope for Essek’s fancy dunamantic spells OR magical items (I felt Caleb so hard last episode, I too am attracted to power and skills).

Purple sparkling dunamancy fly wings oh YEAH. Thanks for maintaining concentration on Cad you beautiful war caster you.

9. Veth and Fjord diss each other at some point OR exhibit support for each other, I love their love-hate relationship.

“Fjord can shape water... yes you can, you got it” lol Also the discussion about Veth preparing featherfall and Fjord’s “yes thank you Veth”. The “marine layer” argument lol - sounded both supportive and like a diss.

10. Continuing to hope for Caleb to polymorph into anything really, or using polymorph on any party member (polymorph! Caleb interactions my beloved, this is just going to be a permanent feature on my wish list now).

Intelligence 2 SHEEPLEB MY BELOVED BWAHAHAHAHAH I love this so much. It’s not exactly polymorph, but he is a sheep guys, that counts.

11. Mention of Davexian/Charlie at some point in time (bonus: Veth does it).

Lmao Beau mentioned Davexian right away, and Veth gave a reaction right away. I did not expect a mention so soon but here we are.

12. Jester continuing to be the braincell holder of the team and keeps everybody on task (go queen I love you).

YEAH go get that natural 20 Jester! Keep track of what floor it is! She also urges them to keep moving.

13. Essek and Caleb have more of their deep wizard conversations and interactions OR be impressed by each other at some point (Bonus: another party member mentions/addresses whatever they’ve got going on).

YES wow the temporal dock scene. Also Jester thanks for the mention lol. “It’s complicated” sounds about right. 

14. Cad attempting to speak with the dead on the remaining TT members (there are still Otis and Zoran) and learning some useful information.

Well... it’s kind of too late for that.

15. Jester sees Artagan again and we finally find out what Caleb was seeing during that commune and that scry (I need answers please! Don’t try to distract me with everything else going on, I won’t fall for it).

IT WAS TRUE SIGHT? It was true sight and Beau was just not close enough! Sprinkle whispering in Jester’s ear?? Someone’s theory I saw here was true good for you! Arty has been sprinkle all along that’s why sprinkle is alive.

16. More discussion about dunamancy in Aeor and the Luxon (I’d love to know how Essek is feeling about their discovery and get his thoughts on it).

Well... time travel magic circles are certainly dunamancy. Essek is as excited as you would expect him to be - very.

17. A successful divine intervention from either cleric! (Bonus: that allows them to stop the TT)

Nope, but it may happen next week? Maybe?

18. Heroes’ feast and we learn more about the food/drink preferences or other fun facts from everybody (Bonus: great roll on the HP boon from the feast).

Welp well they ain’t gonna get that one extra hour. 

19. I know they are not gonna see the tower but I still kinda want to see Essek’s room look it’s going to stay on this wish list until it happens.

Yeah I mean I didn’t really expect this to come true any time soon. 

20. Somebody pushes a red button, again (Bonus: it’s someone we don’t expect to push the button).

I mean, Beau went underwater to grab the magical potions, that was kinda button-pushing, but it’s to be expected. She is an expositor! She investigates!

21. Cad continuing to be a MVP in combat as always OR have an amazing non-combat idea/discovery.

Cad got Yasha up as soon as she was down! ALSO that shield of retribution force damage was AWESOME. The invisibility was so smart!

22. You know the drill by now - everyone remains relatively happy and alive by the end of the episode except Lucien and Cree (they can perish), and the episode ends on a terrifying cliffhanger as always (Bonus: they end up in the Astral Sea and that’s where we finish the episode).

Wow that bonus part is a PERFECT PREDICTION if I do say so myself. I knew that getting into the Astral Sea would be a good cliffhanger. I’m figuring it out guys.

Seriously though please stay safe and alive M9 (and yes Essek is included) that’s all I want.

Nobody has been dead so far, so I’m as happy as I can be!

Score: 16/22 

Other highlights:

Their exploration last episode paid off with the teal keycard! I knew it even distractions can be helpful!

Essek rolled a 30! On stealth! WOO his first great roll probably, Matt sounded so proud of him too. Also that clutch war caster concentration save too, he is finally rolling better (well, slightly).

Caleb’s decisive wall of force and two correct-level dispel magic saved everybody twice, competent as always. I love him so much (also, sheepleb my beloved).

NICE SAVE VETH THANK YOU omg what a queen with the mage hand, truly a 2000 IQ move made by a genius. Jester is safe I’m so happy!!

Wow, what an episode! As always, CR cast gave me such a wonderful night of tension, humour, action and intrigue. I am so happy and thankful that I get to witness this story unfold! I cannot wait for next Thursday, already. I am nervous about their astral sea journey, but I trust in the cast and they will always deliver a great story.

(Plus, maybe they can actually save Yussa now, pretty please?) :D

[cupcakecoterie]

@true0neutral - Hazel, half-elf cleric

@fauxfire76 - Darvin, human bard/sorcerer

@miaaoi - Froseth, dragonborn monk

@hyperewok1 - Remi, human paladin/warlock

@lindira - Clarity, tiefling rogue/warlock

Marion - Ava, human ranger

Brian - Barnabus, minotaur fighter

So, yeah, my dice are utterly terrifying, or else all the luck I lack elsewhere ends up going into random dice. Not that what happened is necessarily lucky...

See, @hyperewok1 had Remi go to the Shrine of Pelor in Egref to have a specific magical item created for Alisaie, to allow her aasimar-granted wings to last longer, at least for flight. They were aiming for about an hour. However, since this was a slightly unusual circumstance (and some phenomenal text RP), I made a couple of mechanics about how it might go a little bit above and beyond. So I rolled percentile dice: on a 25, 50, or 75, she’d be able to have an hour total, as in if she ended the effect after ten minutes, she could re-engage it and have 50 minutes left. But if I rolled a 100...

GUESS WHAT I ROLLED. (I swear, my fucking dice...)

So Remi told Alisaie what the circlet she’d had made was supposed to do; Alisaie went speechless and very smoochy, and was encouraged to try them out. She activated her wings, had a second of nothing but, “...ow...”, and then BAM. Physical wings, like unto a deva or an angel. Thankfully she was wearing a largely backless dress at the time.

For all it was not what anyone expected, it was some phenomenal RP all told as everyone went their own shades of “What the FUCK” and tried to determine the best way to proceed. Alisaie’s keeping the wings (she does love to fly, and it’s probably nice to have something that Antimagic Field or Dispel Magic won’t touch) and is currently figuring out ways around wardrobe issues, seating arrangements, sleeping arrangements and use of Disguise Self when she has to be more inconspicuous than literal wings allow. Remi’s going to have words with Ziriel, and probably the individual who crafted the thing in the first place.

...But later, because wedding reception. A pair of very unexpected wings wasn’t going to fuck with their wedding.

......Honestly, everything else kind of did that anyway.

Hazel’s Quickflight cousins were hosting the reception at their restaurant, The Farmer in the Dale, and wound up more or less pummelling Hazel, Clarity, Darvin and (because Darvin drew her in to deflect some of the questions) Ava. Clarity put it best: “It’s ... like ... a halfling gelatinous cube...”

Remi’s parents more or less cornered Kreia Bendis (the brass dragon who runs Alama-Ver, its capital Al-Zorhai, and the Brass Arrows) about her denying Alisaie her rightful place with the Brass Arrows as punishment for someone else’s misdeeds. Corri Crestwind is a force to be reckoned with, and after the rest of the Five Claws joined in, Kreia Bendis gave up and decided, since they were all part of the same group and were going to have to hunt together if they were hunting in Alama-Ver territory anyway, asked what Clarity and Barnabus had helped kill before inducting Alisaie, Barnabus and Clarity into the Brass Arrows. Clarity and Barnabus were a little confused, but there you have it.

Vieve Alled, the silver dragon who runs Eun-Bac (home of the People and the Silver Vault, capital city Damyl), told them that they’d be given a task by whatever hunting pack of the People they ran into on the outskirts, which if successfully undertaken would guarantee them entry into the section of the Silver Vault of their choice. She figured it’d be faster than making them go all the way up to Damyl and then back down to perform the necessary task. She also warned them that she would house them when they finally reached Damyl, and that no one leaves her table at their shared meal without telling three things about themselves. Ava worried about this until people effectively reminded her of how interesting her life has actually been to someone who isn’t living it.

Remi made a joking remark about how she wanted a cut of the profits from that play about her and Alisaie. Never make joking remarks around Cal Etielle; that particular copper dragon takes the weirdest things seriously and left mid-reception to shake said cut out of somebody. Succeeded, too, so now there’s a significant but as-yet uncounted amount of platinum in Remi’s possession.

Cal Etielle also made a toast to the couple. So did Darvin; it was very moving.

The Crestwinds, bakers by trade, made a glorious wedding cake, intricately iced to reflect the lives of the happy couple to date. Corri also baked Remi some chocolate chip cookies (Remi’s favourite).

Kreia Bendis propositioned Hazel, who’d been giving Kreia Bendis looks of, “You’re hot but TERRIFYING!!!” for basically ever. Hazel meeped a lot and went to ask Clarity what to do about this. See, their relationship is a little complicated because Clarity’s asexual and Hazel’s ... not ... and they’re striking a balance to allow Hazel’s physical desires to be met while still keeping ... romantically monogamous, if that makes sense. (I mean, it does to me, but Clarity has the same outlook as I do in that regard.)

Side note: off-screen, Clarity said that’d be complicated for her because they would probably have to work with Kreia Bendis on and off and knowing that would be stressful for Clarity, so not so much. Clarity also demanded an apology from Kreia Bendis, who said, more or less, “I’m not psychic - I just asked a question. Message received but I don’t owe you a damn thing”. Both sides have points so it’s honestly just interesting.

Reception went well in spite of (or maybe in some ways because of) the weird shit, and Remi and Alisaie went for their two-night stay at one of Egref’s luxury resort hotels.

The next in-game day, and thus the next session, is going to be all about shopping and bits and pieces because we’re missing a @miaaoi (belated Canada Day outing) and a @lindira (literally 4th of July) and anyway, dice bullshit means that Alisaie needs to sort out her wardrobe. Again.

Don’t we just have the most fun?

[9bitghost]

REMEMBER THIS AU???

Took me 2 years, but I’ve finally got everyone’s designs roughed out for my RPG AU!! Some designs gave me a lot of trouble, so I’ll probably change a few in the future, but for now, they’re all based around their outfits in the show. Getting back into this has also got me more into learning about D&D, so classes and subclasses are based on stuff from there and homebrews I’ve found and liked, with some liberties taken for the fun of it. ☆  

I want to write proper backstories for all of them sometime, but until then, classes, alignments, and headcanons are under the cut!! ↓ ↓ ↓ (VERY LONG)

This AU can be set either as its own, or if everyone sat down and played D&D with characters based on themselves. I would love to write fic splicing the two together if I ever get around to it lol

Character Info

David: Ranger/Bard - Champion of Nature (Lawful Good)

S4E7 pretty much laid out his character and class perfectly; David is a Bard at heart, and sought to make people happy with his tricks and performances when he was younger, until he found his true calling in his connection to Mother Nature. His home is wherever he can set up camp and has his heart set on protecting the forests’ natural beauty and integrity from quickly growing cities. Breaks into song at random and dislikes conflict. Prefers to shut fights down though talk and song, but does excel at archery and long-range combat if the need arises.

(tbh, binary-bird’s david design is so much cooler and i was heavily inspired by it, so please just imagine him in that one instead lol)

Gwen: Bard/Cleric - College of Lore (Chaotic Neutral)

In all honesty, Gwen is the most difficult one for me to place in this AU. She strikes me as the one to DM for the kids so Nerris can play, and enjoys creating stories for them, hence why Bard comes as the most natural to class her. An unconventional one, as she’s sharp-tongued, usually straight-faced, and witty in a sarcastic sense. Probably owns a bookshop in her town and writes many of her own books (half of which are erotica and stored in a curtained off area you need a password for). She has a way with words and handles her spear with the same proficiency. Badass fighter if you get on her bad side.

Max: Rogue - Thief/Trap Master (Chaotic Neutral)

Grew up poor and practically on the streets with barely a glance from his parents, Max learned it’s every person for themselves from an early age. Known for being a little shit and a master at picking pockets, MacGyvering traps, and winning bets through words alone. Shitton of knives, prefers throwing them from the shadows. Says he doesn’t care for anyone but himself, but would actually kill a man or 20 for his friends. Met Neil when trying to swindle him out of some expensive potions and wound up traveling with him. Purely for profit at first after hearing about the tech Neil’s in search of, but they ended up clicking and became fast friends (in denial).

Neil: Artificer - Alchemist (Lawful Neutral)

Neil’s family is very well off and many of his relatives are well known scholars; his father being the leading philosopher in their district. Though proud of his family’s and his own scientific accomplishments, Neil became bored of his mundane village and life, and thus set off in search of new scientific discoveries that could land him a place in the history books. Hates combat and stays out of it whenever he can. Sticks to the side lines, crafting bombs, poisons, splash potions, and buffs for the party. Relatively level-headed and often leads the team’s strategies in battle, until things go wild and sends him into a panic.

Nikki: Barbarian/Druid - Path of the Beast Master (Chaotic Good)

Born into a broken family, Nikki fled to the woods at a young age and lost her way home. Found and taken in by a pack of wolves, she quickly answered to the call of Mother Nature and grew into a nomadic lifestyle with her pack. Nikki is a wild one, brandishing her giant axe with ease, communicating with animals, and able to shift into a wolf form. Met Max and Neil as they were passing thorough her forest and nearly bit a chunk out of Neil’s arm on their first encounter. Would do anything for her friends and thinks of them as her own pack as she journeys with them.

Nerris: Sorceress - Storm Bloodline (Neutral Good)

Born to a human mother and elven father, Nerris is skilled in magic pertaining to the elements, specifically lightning and electricity, and not to shabby with their shortsword when the need arises. Left their village on a traditional journey to hone their skills and become a great sorceress to make their family proud. Always up for adventure, but rash and dives head first into more dangerous situations. Met and traveled with Harrison, who they bicker with constantly over who is the better magic user, before they both joined the Main Trio feat. David. Don’t mess with their party, man, Nerris will beat your ass into the neighbouring realm.

Harrison: Wizard - School of Illusions/Wild Mage (Chaotic Good)

Harrison was born with chaotic magic that had his parents on edge since the beginning. He quickly became a specialist in illusions, but due to his wild magic, he’d caused a lot of unintentional trouble in his town, escalating to making his brother disappear with no idea how to get him back. Fled his family and town young in pursuit of honing his magic and searching for a way to bring his brother back. Terrible at hand-to-hand, weapons, or close-range combat, but packs a punch when his magic goes haywire, often being linked to his emotions. Will sometimes levitate without realizing and freak people out. His hat is his nearly unlimited inventory and is probably a dangerous rip in space-time that should be dealt with.

Preston: Bard - College of Glamour (Lawful Neutral)

Preston travels around in search of fame and artistic inspiration and loves any audience he can find. Rarely staying in one place for long, he recites his poetry and one-man acts for captivated audiences in the town’s square or taverns, sometimes accompanied by lute or flute music. His outfits are flashy and as much of a trainwreck as he is so he’s easy to spot. In battle, his acts are usually used to stun or paralyze opponents, often done as a tag team with a more offensive member of the party. If forced to fight, he’s not too bad at fencing his way out of it.

Dolph: Bard - College of Paint (Neutral Good)

Born into a prestigious and proud military family that he left to pursue a career in art. Has painted quite a few nobles’ portraits and has thus become well known as a traveling painter. Became quick friends with Preston when they met in a town square Dolph was passing through. Hates conflict and tends to stay back in battle, but if he has to fight, he’s able to summon whatever he paints in ink to fight for him (think Sai from Naruto lol).

Ered: Rogue - Scout (Chaotic Neutral)

Daughter and assassin-in-training of her two fathers who work closely with their country’s monarchy. Though she loves them more than anything, Ered has more of a go-my-own-way attitude, opting to work more freely and alone for smaller contracts than under her parents’ wings. Amazing sharp-shooter with her crossbow and can hold her own in hand to hand combat. She’s a name quite a few know in underground circles, and Max has heard of her before as well.

Nurf: Barbarian - Path of the Brawler (Chaotic Neutral)

Half-orc and full temper, Nurf is a brawler through and through. On the run for various crimes and resents the justice system for putting his mother behind bars. Fights mainly with fists and daggers and is one of the strongest in the party. Actually quite perceptive and insightful, but whether he chooses to act upon that insight is entirely dependent on how he feels at that moment. Nurf joined the party a little later than the rest, after meeting them during an ongoing brawl and teaming up as a spur-of-the-moment decision. He stuck around for one reason or another.

Space Kid: Cleric - Cosmic Domain (True Neutral)

Space Kid comes from a line of astronomers and astrologists, and he too answers to the Stars and Celestial Bodies. Many of his decisions are based on what star charts tell him and he’s just happy to be along for the ride. Met the Main Trio early on during a quest relating to astrology and, realizing they lacked a designated healer for the team, found Space Kid to be decent enough. Probably has untapped powers that are pretty incredible if he knew how to access them. Sticks around due to the Stars hinting that their fates are tied and good things will come about in the party’s future.

Other Notes

I’ve gotten an ask or two in the past asking about Daniel and he is 1458903% a Lawful Evil Warlock/Bard who answers to his patron Xemüg. Quartermaster is also a Warlock, probably Chaotic Neutral, and I like the idea of his patron being The Octopus (thank you S4E5 for the harrison and QM inspiration).

[diligentgoose]

My D&D parties characters! I drew this when we were intending to make a Spotify podcast, but it was already pretty late in the campaign so we decided not to. 

Left to right: My Shifter Druid, Ilseyon (Ilsey) Rylet. He led tens-of-thousands of citizens to safety as a Giant Hawk one time when our Bloodhunter accidentally summoned a god that destroyed the city. He also helped find trapped people and corpses. He’s the symbol of Rescue Organisations now and has a giant statue in the centre of the (re-made) city dedicated to the anonymous Druid. He also married his childhood sweetheart, Matyuldi (AKA Matty), a Tiefling musician, not long ago and has been going Agate hunting to awaken a bunch of animals and together they run a non-profit conservation effort for the city. He’s one of two characters who *gasp* have an ACTUAL good, supportive and loving family.  Inflarema Silberstern, our Half-Elf Bloodhunter. She introduced the rest of our party to the concept of found family (via her gay adoptive fathers), and has been so so so integral to character growth and party dynamics. She’s a flaming lesbian and we all love her and her sassy Aarakocra Arcane Ranger GF to the Sun and back. Our Wizard knocked out her asshole blood-brother in a bathroom one time and stole his phone for our Cleric who’d lost hers in the BBEG fight. It was great. We would die for her. Delphine Vontaine, our Wood Elf Monk. We couldn’t beat anything without her tbh. She’s grown up so much from our first session, and I absolutely have to praise her player, who portrays her SO DAMN WELL. She’s easily the best of the players at the table when it comes to RP. She’s our token Mean Girl Rich Kid Barbie, and it’s been a real journey to get her to question Daddy Dearest, but we’re so proud of her for starting to think for herself and defy the bastard. She also has a literal video game GF now (after breaking up with the Wizard, far right), after the party got sucked into a video game demi-plane to rescue Ilsey’s little brother. Sammi is SOOOOO badass. A mechanically Goliath Sniper. Wonderful GM @puwumats went along with this absolute mischief and invented a way for it to be possible in-world for Sammi to live on the Material Plane. Also GM got me into Tumblr and I blame her for me being up until 5am last night building my blog/s.  Liliana Leijon. Aboslute cinnamon role. Too good for this world. Too pure.  She’s our Cleric, guess which domain? LMAO. She’s a lynchpin for the party, and is the other party member who *gasp* has a nice family. Our GM got so creative with her backstory and it was amazing. Too much to explain, but HOT DAMN was that a fun arc. So much has happened since our accidentally summoned BBEG God of Destruction. Long story short, she was an Aasimar. Our Blood Hunter died. Three of us gave up all our GM Inspirations to help try plead with the Raven Queen to bring her back (Divine Intervention). We got it on the last time, and Lil’s had to make a deal to give up her divine ancestry link to Her. She’s now mechanically a half-elf and has blonde hair and a healthy pallor. She was dying slowly from a necrotic curse/disease at the time though, so it effectively removed it from her because it was related to her Aasimar-ness. That’s a plus. Previously J’son Dane (yes, it is the reference you’re thinking of), a Warlock of the God of Destruction, now our SmortBoi Wizard (almost Paladin tbh) to Ioun. A lot happened thanks to epic backstory thought up by our GM, and his name is now Elias Wildvale. He was THE EDGIEST LITTLE SHIT. Passed around from foster home to foster home, emancipated at 14 (literally always carried around his Legal Adult certificate), joined the Mob...Once left a small shoe-store Clerk in the staff room of his store with broken knee caps and pants filled with shit (literally intimidated him into shitting himself with a Nat 20 +, like, 8 at level 2) after he failed for the last time to repay a loan from the Boss. He cried in the shower afterwards and was physically sick. He hated working for the Mob. After Ioun spoke to him, seeing his potential for good, to save him from losing his soul to the BBEG, a huge weight has been taken off his shoulders and he’s been doing so much community work to help disadvantaged kids with his reward for saving the city. Which he did btw. The BBEG dropped a Wish pearl, which he used to undo the destruction of his now former deity. I also wrote this quote down from him because it was a fucking great line: “I’ve committed as many felonies as I have pubes.”

Btw the mob boss was a Halfling named Big Tony who had a Goliath wife. ICONIC.  Not in the picture because he’s been added to the party since, our red skinned emo Tiefling Fighter (samurai aesthetically), Nikolae Adreni, but we all refer to him as Pollux. He was originally an NPC that was a long-time friend of Liliana (whom he calls Castor) and briefly, her BF. We got a new player who’d never played D&D before and was happy to bring Pollux to life while they learned the game. They’re a natural with RP. We still have backstory to explore with Pollux, which I look forward to our characters and us discovering, sometime. Did I mention Pollux is absolute bae and fashion icon? ‘Cause he is.  But yeah, I love my Party and I’m gonna miss this campaign when it ends by early 2021. We’ve been playing since January this year, at least twice a month. Our sessions go for between 8-15 hours. We hardcore love the world and our characters.

[hannibaltabu]

Adventure!

One of my true joys of the last few months has been Dungeons and Dragons. After plowing my way through two seasons (and many one shots) of Critical Role and Shadows of Drakkenheim and Rivals of Waterdeep, as well as being a cast member on Warp Tumblers: Dark Matter (a space-based 5e game) the concepts and possibilities were swirling in my head. Coincidentally, I was asked by an as-yet-unnamed source to begin work on a POC friendly home-brew D&D world and spirit, it has been liberating.

Despite running two smoke test campaigns, I’m not at liberty to go into too much detail about what I’m doing. Nonetheless, I am discovering a few fun things …

1: World building is my JAM. 

One of my favorite things about playing GTA (back when I had consoles, before I had kids) was just getting in a car and driving around, seeing what there was to do and see and hear. How close can I let the cops get before I get to a save point and erase my stars? What will Fernando say after this song? Open world roaming was a big part of my joy.

Now, I am making an open world. I have a very extensive map for the main part of the world and several areas beyond that mapped out in some detail. I keep saying to myself, “what if they go this way?” Then I have to write out and plan out anything they might encounter. Creating a very in-game relevant encounter table was crucial to this, but a lot of it is writing stories of people that the characters may never interact with.

 Best example: the open hand path monk has a brother she would do anything for. That brother has a gambling problem. In the first session together, the party was on their way to do a job for a local merchant, and the city guards asked why they weren’t going the other way, to see a pit fighting tournament like everybody else. They, of course, went on their merry way.

Six sessions later, they’re about to find out the monk’s brother went, gambled way more than he could afford, and if the party doesn’t do something fairly ridiculous, the whole family will suffer. I wrote the “guards ask why you’re not going the other way” gag to show the world had stories they weren’t doing, but when she said “brother with a gambling problem,” I knew immediately how to play that in.

That’s fun for me as a writer, and for them the surprise is a total “chef kiss” situation because I incorporated their ideas into the bigger tale.

2: Players prevaricate too much

The same party has a trickster cleric who has gone very far to try and avoid every fight they’ve been in, even though she agreed to take on jobs that would necessitate combat. As such, they sit and talk about whether or not they should do things, going back and forth on decisions, a lot. They had an oni mage charmed and literally, in front of him, debated killing him for twenty minutes. I played it as the charm made him think they were joking, even though the monk was holding a sink over her head, ready to bash his brains in.

I, of course, find all this wildly entertaining. Like hosting karaoke, watching people stumble their way to decisions they kind of can’t avoid making (so many times, I hit play and said, “can’t wait to see what this voice does with the high notes on the bridge”) has a kind of anticipation and amusement to it that may be my sadism showing, but still is a hoot and a half for me.

I will say, when the party found a battered looking human knight in a dragon’s lair, urging them to help him flee and they ignored it, the shock in their voices when he shape changed into a green dragon was so, so rewarding (I linked two layers for the tokens in Photoshop, which I keep running the whole time, had the dragon layer out of sight as I moved the knight layer around, and then just switched them when I did it, making a big visual surprise for the party).

3: If you have a plan, everything has a use

A different party running the same basic campaign helped stop the invasion of a Drow city, becoming heroes in the process and opening the city to less xenophobic ideas. This came due to the photo, which was a sleeping uthalarid that they snatched incriminating papers from and avoided a very funny fight and chase scene. The image here is from that, and yes, that’s a bra under the bed, and yes, there’s a story there that they players rushed by and didn’t notice, which is also hilarious to me. 

(Sidebar: when Matthew Mercer revealed that the Frigid Doom was to be a mate for a bigger, ancient white dragon called the Nightmare in Ivory but died before it could happen, that kind of “y’all never even inquired” story fascinates me and needs to exist in a world so the characters realize many lives have nothing to do with theirs)

I wrote up a battle on a bridge, an assassination attempt at dinner and a second chase scene in a dragonborn castle. The group avoided all of them by, in order, being sneaky, rushing to find out something else interesting and not trusting someone who they were right to distrust.

I use Dungeon Scrawl to draw up close area encounter maps (and maps for cities if I need them) and got a lot of tokens and useful map elements from the very helpful people at 2 Minute Tabletop.  I have a map for the bridge battle, the dinner scene and the castle chase.

I’m not even mad I didn’t use them. I am going to put them in the proposed campaign book my aforementioned silent patron has asked for (am I a warlock now?) and they will live on in different choices from different people. Just like when I discovered new areas of Vice City in Vice City Stories, I am delighted to have more story to tell — especially if it turns out profitable down the end, but even if not, it’s fun.

So, to sum up …

As a world-building heavy writer with literally hundreds of OHOTMU-styled character descriptions for characters I will likely never put on page, I’m enjoying myself quietly at home, safely socially distant and minding my own business. I sincerely hope we all can find such immersive joys.

[pokemoncoloursplash]

Mods, can you share some of your OCs? I would like to know the types of characters you all have 🤔

Yes, they're all girls, and there's flannel and swords, I know. I was going to pick less... predictable characters, but I figured I at least knew what I was going to be bullied for with these. I think this is the first art I've posted onto the blog, too, so that's fun. - Mod Paragon.

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Most of my OCs are dnd characters at this point lol. In the pride pic theres Keo (Fire Genasi Ranger/Monk, she is very sad rn), Valsera (Aasimar Barbarian who is now in a ghost form cause of cursed sword), Aisa (reformed Tiamat Cleric, I love her lots), Lachesi (Lesbian Tiefling Pirate aunt), Trish (Chaotic Thief turned Royal Adviser), and Thielva (Cottagecore Witch). The kitsune woman is Yon, she my current fave rn. Theres also my fursonas! One is a Monster Hunter Mizutsune and the other is a fox with antlers and decorative wings because why not. I have too many to list tbh

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Well, Paragon’s was on-brand for her with flannel and swords, time to go on brand for me.

Unless you count Fakemon, I don’t really do OCs... With one exception from years ago.

Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to tell you about the RMS Harmonic.

That’s right, in my youth I had a boat as an OC.

The RMS Harmonic set sail on her maiden voyage on July 9th, 1918. She was built by Harland and Wolff to help pick up the slack that would be caused by Britannic’s sinking during the war. She was smaller than Olympic, a more moderate ship, but she was designed for speed. There were hopes that she would take the Blue Riband from Mauretania, hopes that came true in 1919. The two traded back and forth, taking the title of fastest ship while Olympic and Aquitania focused on comfort.

Then 1920 came around. White Star got its reparations for ships lost during the war, claiming Bismarck and Columbus. Rather than displace the beloved Olympic or the speedy Harmonic, White Star decided to transform their intended three ship service into a four ship service. Olympic would serve as flagship thanks to her years of reliability, Majestic would be the height of luxury, Harmonic would be the express service, and Homeric would be the stable middle ground.

The four vessels continued their career in tandem, working to keep White Star profitable. When the Depression rolled around, it was White Star that bought out Cunard rather than the other way around. The presence of Harmonic gave Olympic a chance to rest and be remodeled for a modern audience. Mauretania and Harmonic remained rivals for speed, but the rivalry became much friendlier and incredibly marketable. The Racing Horse and the Greyhound of the Atlantic.

But then came 1939. World War II. The aging Old Reliable, Lady Maury, and Ship Beautiful would return to battle, whilst Harmonic, Homeric, Berengaria, and Majestic would have their first taste of war. Not all of them would survive.

Olympic, Majestic, Aquitania, and Berengaria were used as transport ships due to their size. Mauretania and Harmonic became escort ships for their larger counterparts, using their speed to defend them. Homeric was to serve as a battlecruiser. The seven ships became a convoy, but seven would soon become six.

In transport mission gone wrong, the convoy was attacked. Aquitania, Harmonic, and Homeric were all damaged, with Homeric’s wounds being fatal. She sank, but the quick action of her comrades saved most of the souls aboard. Mauretania and Harmonic opened fire, with Harmonic pulling a card from her adopted sister Olympic’s deck and cutting open the submarine with her propeller. Homeric was gone, but she was also avenged.

Unfortunately, six would become five. Berengaria’s faulty wiring finally came back to bite her. She caught fire and lost power in the middle of a journey. Mauretania and Harmonic were dispatched to help her, but it was too late. The dreaded battleship Bismarck had claimed yet another a victim. Bismarck opened fire on the Greyhound and the Racing Horse, but the two vessels managed to escape, using the speed that had forged their rivalry to save themselves.

When five becomes four, Harmonic’s career ends. In the waning years of the war, Olympic, Majestic, Harmonic, and Mauretania sailed together. They were a prime target. A submarine was sighted, aiming at Old Reliable. Harmonic’s captain pushed her to her limit, lunging forward. A shot that could have hit Olympic instead hit Harmonic. She was quickly evacuated, but the second torpedo hit the crippled ship. With a sad final groan, Harmonic sank to the bottom of the ocean.

Harmonic’s sacrifice was not in vain. Olympic survived, she lived on. She stood in for her sister in “A Night To Remember”. With Harmonic’s end, the legend lived on.

Years later, Robert Ballard, the same man who discovered the wreck of Harmonic’s step-sister Titanic and her attempted destroyer Bismarck came upon her, her wreck broken into three pieces. Harmonic’s story was told once again. She was remembered for her speed, the rivalry she had with the now floating hotel Mauretania. She was remembered for her service, noted on the walls of the maritime museum that Majestic had become. She was remembered for her sacrifice, with the continued existence of Old Reliable Olympic being a testament to her work. Aquitania may not have made it, the damage sustained during Homeric’s sinking having finally put her out of commission, but the legend lived on.

Harmonic was not remembered like Titanic. Of course she wasn’t. But her name was spoken in the same breath as Berengaria. She was remembered as a ship that survived Bismarck’s wrath, her name immortalized in the song “Sink The Bismarck” along with Mauretania. Her legend lived on.

Her wreck was remembered for another reason. She sank just right to be perfect for divers, preserved in water warm enough for her to become a coral reef. She wouldn’t rust away. She would carry out one last purpose. She would teem with life once more. The legend would live once again.

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A bit difficult to continue off of that, lol. Light wanted me to share some of his dnd OCs as well, I'll add their summaries. Balthazar is a Gold Dragonborn werebear, chosen by the Morta fate to be her champion against the damage an entity known as Obsidia has caused (Obsidia is one of my girls). Balthazar is many centuries old now, and is currently settled down with my Kitsune, Yon. He has a son named Eclipse and 3 young kits with Yon. Theres also Holden, who is Thielvas husband and one of the Archdruids of the realm. The druid Naya was his tutor, an elf woman who lost her arms talking back to her slaver. Lastly but not least is Obexis, a very mysterious Blue Dragon whose intentions and allegiances are unknown. He seems to play many angles, but no one knows why. -Decim

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Needs to b cleaned up a bit n updated but here https://toyhou.se/SyBeez/characters - Shay

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Here are my main 8

These are their redesigns I did on mgm2 (monster girl maker 2)

Roger looks weird in this lol he has a beard.

Adalwolf has a prosthetic metal right arm.

You can barely see it but Vincent has freckles.

Kurono and Saturnalia are CrowDoll's family (Kurono adoptive little brother and Saturnalia created CrowDoll and is her mom).

Shiroi is an oni and Eigna is a ghost.

Adalwolf, Roger, Vincent, Kurono, and Saturnalia are humans (Saturnalia is half human half doll).

Azazel is not there in the pic cus he looks weird humanish on this app lol, he's a big and tall animated puppet.

I should really them sometime soon ówò

I hope you guys like them!

-smol

[cameoamalthea]

What is Jester’s Relationship with the Traveler, and is it Healthy?

TLDR: Sorry this is long, I’ll put this at the top. They are best friends, he’s not a father figure, he’s her best friend and maybe idealized crush. He did not groom her. He did not gaslight her. He failed to communicate, failed to take responsibility for the pain that lack of communication caused her, did not actually apologize, and for many, many reasons, they do not have a healthy relationship.

I noticed the chat during C2E103 seemed split between describing Artagan as either gaslighting/abusive “boyfriend” or narcissistic “father figure”. Since Boyfriend and Father are two VERY different things, the first question is: 

What exactly Jester’s relationship with the Traveler?

The Traveler is her best friend. While some viewers have described Artagan as Jester’s Father figure because she grew up without a Father, the text does not support that interpretation. 

Jester first describes the Traveler in C2E08 she says, “I mean, yeah, sure. I worship him, sure. He’s more like my best friend.” Later, in that same episode, she prays to him because she misses him and worries he might not like her now that she has new friends, “I want you to know that you’re still my best friend and if you want me to be alone I will be if that means that you’ll be here.” The text is explicit that she sees him as her ‘best friend.’ 

Then in C2E17 we get this scene:

LAURA: I take a bite of my caramel apple, and I go walking down.

MATT: You hear a crunch sound and your hand shakes for a second and you look down and a mysterious secondary bite was taken out of the apple.

LAURA: (gasp) I lick the spot.

(groaning)

SAM: You’re making out with your god? Gross.

MATT: They have a special relationship.

Jester licking the spot where the Traveler took a bite of her apple seems like she’s attempting an indirect kiss.. Sam picks up on that, questioning if Jester makes out with The Traveler. Matt comments they have a special relationship. (This scene is already pretty creepy, you guys, but it would be a MILLION times creepier if she thought of him as a father figure.) 

In C2E42, Jester talks to the Traveler about her crush on Fjord. “Traveler, how do I make a boy like me?” After the Traveler offers some advice, Jester asks, “You’re not jealous, are you?” And after the Traveler says he’s not, Jester still tells him, “You’ll always be my number one love.” This exchange adds credence to the reading that the Traveler is not only Jester’s best friend but, like Fjord, a romanticized crush. Her best friend, her number one love.

In C2E56 we learn that Jester first met the Traveler 15 years ago. “He was, you know, like my age when he came to see me, and then we hung out and we were like best friends hanging out for a long time” The Traveler was not an adult male ‘father figure’ to Jester as she was growing up. He was another child her own age. In conclusion, to Jester the Traveler is her best friend who grew up with her. 

2) The next question: Is this relationship healthy?

NO, it’s NOT

During the Traveler’s first on-screen conversation with Jester in C2E09 Matt gives the following description. “There in the dark space of the hood, you can see the familiar verdant irises looking back, and the warmth fills you once more, the comfort that kept you comfortable so many years alone in that room.”

Jester grew up, for years, alone in a room. That is not healthy because children need socialization. They need to be around other people, including other children. Jester’s Mother loves her, but keeping her isolated like that was not healthy. 

She needed a friend and the Traveler gave her that. The issue is, children need more than one friend. Jester’s only relationships growing up were with her Mother and with the Traveler. From childhood to her early twenties she’s only had two people in her life, and the Traveler and her Mother. He’s her only friend. It’s no wonder Jester is attached to the Traveler and insecure in her relationship when it changes.

Once Jester begins adventuring, he is not there with her constantly. In C2E8 she worries that he might be upset that she has other friends now and tries to assure him she’s still his best friend, even offering to be alone again if that would make him come back.

That is not a healthy attachment. Note, the Traveler does not ask her to leave her friends or put him first. He comes to her later that night to assure her that he’s with her. In Episode C2E09 when Jester is upset because she hasn’t received a care package from her Mother. The Traveler tells her that her mother doesn’t know she’s here yet, but comforts her by reminding Jester that she has her friends.

The Traveler wants Jester to have friends. Her insecurity in the relationship does not seem to come from him. Jester is insecure because she’s only had two people matter in her life, and her Mother just asked her to leave because she couldn’t protect anymore. The fact that Jester is anxious when the package doesn’t arrive because Beau is skeptical about it is telling. Jester knows her Mother, the Mighty Nein do not, but their doubt that Jester has a Mother who cares and will send her money is enough to get under Jester’s skin.  She hasn’t had enough secure relationships to feel confident in the relationships she has, and that’s not healthy. 

As for the Traveler, I have seen some argue that he “groomed” Jester. Grooming is a term coined to describe predatory behavior by child molesters and sexual abusers: “Grooming is a process used by people with a sexual interest in children to prepare a child for sexual abuse. It is often very carefully planned and it can take place over weeks, months or even years.” (source) 

As Jester is not a survivor of child sexual abuse, it is likely that people using this term to describe “a predatory tactic that is meant to build a deep emotional connection” (source) that the traveler used to manipulate Jester. 

Except, that Traveler is not someone who has a plan, especially not a detailed, drawn-out plan required to groom Jester into starting a cult to gain power. Such a scenario would also require a lot of steps and for factors outside his control to go right. 1. Find an isolated child. 2. Hope she stays that way and that her mother doesn’t send her to boarding school or something. 3. Appear as a child and keep up the act to become childhood best friends 4. Hope she jumps to the conclusion you’re a god without you ever telling her that 5. wait for her to grow up and become your cleric. 6. Hope that her belief will give you divine powers 7...profit?

That scenario is giving Artagan way too much credit. He doesn’t like work or responsibility. He does not think about what he’s doing or the consequences. He is not capable of patiently crafting a decades-long scheme, he’d get bored way too fast.

More likely this happened one, not so well thought out choice, at a time. In C2E94 the Traveler explains, “I am the Traveler, but it was not always this way, for when I traveled here, it was a world before me where I was without burdens, without responsibilities... amusing myself by leaping into every whim with glee and purpose. And one day, I met a little girl...This little girl and I found a kinship….and she saw me as a god. So for her-- for you-- I donned the mask of one.”  The Traveler further clarifies, “I didn't intend for this to be what it was”(C2E95). 

The Traveler, on a whim, decides to make a little girl happy. What does she want? A friend? He can’t create a friend for her or change her circumstances short of kidnapping her, so he polymorphs himself into a child her age and becomes her friend. 

In C2E95 the Mighty Nien postulate that he took on an appearance to get close to her.

YASHA: So he, but he wasn't a real little kid when he met you, that's how he befriended you.

FJORD: He made himself appear that way.

Which, if true, would be creepy. However, given the Traveler does not have a motive or want anything from Jester, it’s likely Artagan polymorphed himself and body and mind became a mortal child. (my guess is a younger version of the half-elf Keelyn that he based on Keyleth) He’s an immutable immortal being, impossibly ancient and eternally young, he’s never been a child or grown-up before, and it might be fun. 

That is the sort of ‘on a whim’ thing that tracks what we know about Artagan from campaign one. A twink in leather says I can’t die; his response is ok I want to try killing you then. Why? He’s never done that before and wants a new experience. He lives for new experiences and probably really enjoyed being a child and growing up with a best friend. 

Then when Jester started to see him a god, he became that because he doesn’t want to disappoint her. That isn’t healthy either. Relationships based on trying to be what you think the other person wants instead of hoping someone likes you for you don’t work out. If he had been honest, I’m sure Jester would have been happy to have Artagan the Archfey as a friend and would have been thrilled with her cool Warlock powers if he offered them. He does not want to risk disappointing Jester with the truth. When he does reveal the truth, and Jester asks if they’ll still be friends, his answer is, “If you'll have me." (C2E95).While this wording may simply suggest he's carefree and not possessive, it implies that he did not know if Jester would still want to be his friend.

Having godly powers also lets him give Jester abilities that help her. When Jester asks if she can contact her Mother in C2E09 he responds, “I think the more deeds you do, the more lives you change, the more confident brats you break-- She'll find you”. He wants her to grow his faith to become powerful enough to learn the spell sending and talk to her mom whenever she wants. 

However, growing in power means he is stretched thin. “While such faith granted me power beyond what I thought possible to achieve, I was being spread too thin across those who I'd taken under my wing. I thought to bring them all together, to unify their causes and perhaps forge a community under this banner, my banner, our banner.” He devises the plan for Traveler Con after slavers kidnapped Jester while he wasn’t looking. Part of his motivation likely is to find a way to manage his followers so he can be free to be there for Jester.

It likely the Traveler has never had a friend before either. He describes his past and his experience with gaining followers as “Eons of living for only myself, I found a new joy in helping others” (C2E94). Jester was his forest experience with caring about another person.  Neither Jester nor the Traveler had other friends. They grew up together with only each other. Then Jester went off into the world as an adult, made other friends and he tried to be what she wanted and still wants to be her friend but he does not know how to be a good friend. 

That does not mean their relationship is abusive. Many point to the conversation in C2E103 as evidence that Artagan is gaslighting Jester, but that is arguably not the case .Gaslighting means “to manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity” (source) Gaslighting goes beyond failing to validate someone’s feelings “I’m sorry you feel that way” to actively invalidating their feelings e.g. ‘Why do you feel that way, you have no reason to’. The phrase “I’m sorry you feel that way” is known as a “non-apology apology”. Such phrasing can be used to gaslight as it “may imply the person took offense for hypersensitive or irrational reasons.” (Id.) 

However, a non-apology in personal relationships is not always gaslighting. “Statements that use the word "sorry" but do not express responsibility for wrongdoing may be meaningful expressions of regret. But such statements can also be used to elicit forgiveness without acknowledging fault.” (Id. Emphasis Added).

Not taking responsibility for how your actions impact others is manipulative, wanting forgiveness without accepting fault and realizing what you did wrong so that you won’t do it again. Artagan is ABSOLUTELY an irresponsible person. He hates responsibility and is actively working on getting out of his responsibilities (which is ironic, working to avoid work). He has never had to take responsibility for anything, even feeling regret may well be against his nature as a fey. 

That’s not healthy. Artagan should have taken responsibility. Because it doesn’t matter that he did not mean to scare Jester, he did scare her. He scared her so much that he brought her to tears. When Artagan realizes he’s upset her he says:

“Please don’t ever think I’m not looking out for your best interests.” 

“Oh dear thing, I don’t mean to put you through this.”

“I’m sorry if you felt abandoned.”

This phrasing is not taking responsibility. He did put Jester through this and it hurt her, he did leave her in a situation where she feared he would abandon her and doubted if he was looking out for her best interests because he did not communicate. 

That said, the conversation does not cross into gas-lighting because he does not invalidate the way Jester feels. On the contrary, he validates her by saying, “You’re right, I should have been a little more forthright with you with information.” 

This belated realization does not change the fact he put Jester in danger without her informed consent, and she calls him on it, screaming that she’s there for extra days, meaning more danger, because he did not warn her. When she realizes she’s yelling at him, she apologizes, but he says, “It’s alright.” He does not invalidate that she’s upset or question her yelling at him. Instead he focuses on addressing what’s upsetting her i.e. fear of losing her memory and being left on an island enslaved to a monster, reiterating “I would have come back.”  And Jester knows it’s the truth because he has promised her to come back and in this fantasy fey rules context, that means he cannot break his word. 

Making that promise is taking action to address her concerns. Not only does Artagan validate her feelings, but he also takes active steps to address her fears by giving her what she needs, clearly communicated assurance. Again, this is a Binding Promise, a fey promise is like a devil’s contract, it’s deep unbreakable magic and not something a fey would give for nothing, but he does, freely, because he recognizes that she needs assurance that he will look out for her. 

Note: In real life, promising is not enough because actions show change. It is important to remember that abusers aren’t 100% awful all the time. Abuse is often followed by a honeymoon period. If someone hurts you saying you need more than words, you need demonstrated change beyond the honeymoon period. However, in the context of analyzing this scene, Artagan making a promise is itself an action taken. 

He has a long way to be a good friend and what he did was wrong and his initial responses do not take responsibility. That is a red flag. An actual apology would have been:

“I did not plan to leave you here. I always try to look out for your best interests. I’m sorry I was not more forthright with you with information and put you in a frightening situation. I’m sorry for scaring you. I’m sorry for hurting you. I’m sorry I have not been there for you in the way you need.”

And while he did take responsibility and acknowledge what he did wrong, he didn’t accompany that with an I’m sorry.  To me, that comes down more on the side of flawed character rather than an irredeemable gaslighting abuser.  Admitting you were wrong and the other person is right is the opposite of gaslighting and Artagan did that. 

That does not mean this relationship is Healthy. In terms of being a friend, Artagan has no experience, and the fact he’s a fey makes him a very bad choice of friend. If you’re of a kind where vows are binding learning to speak open and honestly might be a challenge. Fey also lack empathy so he will have to rely on Jester to tell her why she’s upset and to set boundaries. Communication, setting boundaries, interpersonal-effectiveness, in general, is a skill, and Jester never had many friends, so she’s still learning too. 

[jcmorrigan]

Tagged!

By @perseverancex-self-shipping!

Name: Rachel

Gender: Female (cis)

Sexuality: Asexual, heteroromantic (though I’ve been toying with the label of “androromantic” lately but I don’t know how much of a difference it makes)

Hogwarts House: GO HUFFLEPUFF!

Favourite animal: Cats, capybaras, most sea life, anything that is furry and cute

Cats or dogs: Cats (but dogs are also super valid)

Dream Job: My DREAM dream job would be a voice actress. But that’s probably not attainable. What I’m dreaming about lately is to do clerical work for the arts community. You know, the person who designs graphics for traveling art exhibits at the museum, or who runs scheduling for the community theater’s production, or filing books at the library. I don’t think I’d want to do actual art for profit (1. that’s a pipe dream only the privileged few get 2. my art is best when not under a deadline), but just the stuff I’m good at in terms of office and computer work in order to help play a part in the world of books/plays/visual art because fiction and fandom have given so much to me that I want to do something in return.

When I made my blog: Iunno, my friends talked me into it and I don’t regret it as much as many do

Reason for my URL: It’s a combo of some old URLs I’ve had. “JC” comes from “Jacey,” which is a nickname I gave myself on several platforms. (Maybe one day I’ll tell you the story.) It’s a play on my middle name. The “Morrigan” came from my short-lived career on MicroHorror when I was into writing short horror; I’m a mythology buff, and thought “MaraMorrigan” would be a really cool name for a horror author because Mara = either the European spirit of nightmares or the Buddhist incarnation of vice, and Morrigan = the Celtic crow goddess of war. So when I was making my new Tumblr identity, I thought I’d mash the two together. JCMorrigan. It’s a little weird now, especially since I’m not as into the horror community anymore (though I keep thinking about changing that; biggest thing holding me back is that CreepyPasta Wiki is a really awkward publishing platform), but people know me as JCMorrigan, I know me as JCMorrigan, it works and I don’t see myself changing it!

I tag no one. Do if it looks like fun!

[clericofsun]

I,, love Audra, could you tell a little bit about her if you like?

omg its been a while since i’ve answered an ask on tumblr!!

(art by @magebomb!!!!)

Audra is my current d&d character, an aasimar fighter with a gunslinger subclass. I’ll probably be multiclassing her into a homebrew artificer class in a few levels. 

Many aasimar have an angelic presence with them through life and she grew up with a celestial voice directing her inspiration and inventions. However, this angel belongs to the god of war and order and her designs were often deadly, horribly destructive and brutal in nature because of him. Her pistol designs were honestly one of the tamest things she has designed. She was raised by her grandfather and uncle and as nobles with a history of exploiting war for profit, they took advantage of these designs, selling them without her knowledge.

Upon finding out about her stolen designs, she burned down her workshop and ran away. She wanted to recover as many of her designs as she could despite them being scattered across a continent on the brink of war. Along the way, she met the rest of what would become the Obsidian Threshold. While the cleric, Omaira and the wizard, Shael, were looking for the warlock, Rook for different reasons but to her, at first, they were a source of desperately needed coin. 

However, one job turned into a trip to Serind, the coastal city, turned into more jobs and meeting a new party member, Teo, along the way. They became the Obsidian Threshold and discovered dragon plots, killed hags, and accidentally awakened an ancient god. While Audra is still trying to recover her designs, her new obsession is the Arturi, an ancient lost civilization that left behind technology beyond her wildest dreams and she is determined to figure out how it works.

Overall, she is serious to a fault, a bit emotionally stunted from a neglectful childhood and had to be taught how to hug by resident softie Teo. She is slowly learning how to accept the small family that the Obsidian Threshold is creating. They are forcibly opening her up like a stubborn clam and causing her to build friendships with each member of the party. She’s been a treat to play, much different than characters I’ve had in the past, and a fun experiment in an absolute refusal to be introspective. I have never had a character who has zero interest in talking about their feelings and why they’re having them. Also, it’s fun to use her inventor instinct to just collect every little piece of junk I find in the game. I have a bag of holding full of useless nonsense and it’s my favorite. Also Audra is the biggest hopeless lesbian who just wants a woman who can power lift her but not the scary one who dropped her from 100ft in the air to make a point.

She even has her first pets in a long time, magically created dogs Bullet and Quicksilver. They are chaos monsters that were meant to be used as a distraction once before reverting into nothingness. Instead, she loves them even when Bullet eats a scroll of Levitate in a magic shop.

And I could ramble about her forever so I’ll stop here for now. Been playing her for almost a year now and its been a good good time, love her and her party and i cry