#and getting up to 180 orbs

[soren-apologist]

i know i’ve been talking about intsys flanderizing ike a little but these lines are great actually

[elliesspacewalker]

how each ellie would react to getting head

warnings: trans!ellie, praise, degradation, oral and handjobs🤭

Jackson!ellie the second your pout landed on her tip it would be over for her, her fingers intangling into your hair as her eyes are glued onto how you kiss the tip of her pink flesh over and over, heavy open mouth breaths leaving her as her tummy spasmed all to soon at the feel of you suckling on to her softly, a strained “gonnacum” leaves her just as her hips buck softly.

Seattle!ellie seattle ellie would be too hyper focused on Abby to remember to take care of herself so you’d have to be extra gentle with her, not just physically but mentally. she’d completely melt as you praised how good she is for you as you guided her hand into your hair. her body going limp as she felt the warmth of your mouth caress her length, your hand holding hers and your eyes never leaving them pretty green orbs, “thank you” sweetly leaving her lips as she watches you tuck her back into her grey boxers and pressing a kiss to her pretty buldge.

Farm!ellie would have grown out of the subby auburn haired girl she used to be, not too shy to shamelessly stroll out of the shower, a towel wrapped around her waist and a offer on her lips “head?” she’d shrug and you’d happily kiss down her still dripping torso, cupping her breast with one hand and tearing the towel off her body with the other. she’d have no problem grunting out your name as she sweetly held each side of your face as she selfishly used your throat, her hips snapping forward as she ignores your gags and teary eyes, knowing you’d tap her thigh if you truely wanted her to stop. a strained “fucking slut” would leave her throat right before she pushed your head down her fully, stilling inside you and throbbing inside your mouth as she coated your tongue in her essence.

Santa Barbara!ellie would low-key like to be dommed, her subbiness doing a full 180, she just wanted to know that she belonged to someone and who better than you? “so fucking desperate, mama” you’d coo, your hand gliding up and down her solid dick, you knew what she wanted but she’d never get it without asking, you hum contently “this is fun” as you watched from your spot on your knees as her head dips, her lips part and her eyebrows furrow in agitation, you were giving her so much but she needed more to cum, her eyes watching your mouth, trying to signal what she needed, you knew what she needed, you always did, your thumb coming up and rubbing her tip in soft little circles “beg” and of course she had no problem with your order, butterflies in her belly at the thought of your lips wrapping around her “please, please mommy, please” your thumb speeds up an you move your head closer, teasing her and you can hear her voice crack in excitement “i- need your mouth mama” she whines “mhm, such a good fucking girl for me” and the moan that leaves her is fucking pornographic as you messily spit on her throbbing tip, twisting your wrist and sliding up and down her as you harshly sucked the taste of yourself from your girlfriends dick “y-yeah, im your good girl” your other hand smacks her asscheek and pushes her pelvis closer to your mouth “please, please can I cum mommy?” and how could you refuse when she whimpered your name under her breath, you nod, her dick still in your mouth, your eyes on hers and your tongue dancing on her tip, luring out the sweet taste that spilled from her gasping and used form “fuuuck.”

[twis-world]

The Remedy That Is You (Riddle Version)

Mentions: Fluff, Riddle-Centric, Second Person, Gender Neutral Reader

No matter how many a time the students of Nightraven College witnessed how their Housewarden did a complete 180 in your presence, it never ceased to amaze them.

It eventually got to the point where a majority of students began to question if you really were magickless. There was just no way your mere presence could bring out such light in their eyes, face softening and a smile so tender it was as if they were gazing upon one of the Seven.

Just how did you do it?

Riddle

“You imbecile!” Riddle’s voice boomed, echoing all throughout Heartslabyul. Fear set into all who heard it, a chain reaction flowing through their bodies as their hearts beat quicker, palms growing clammy in a cold sweat. No matter how many times their beloved Housewarden proved that he had changed, that he was no longer the cruel tyrant they all once feared, it did not stop the utter terror that ran through them when they did succeed in trying his patience.

Especially when it concerned the prized animals they cared for.

“Have I not made it clear several times that you are not to directly hit the hedgehogs?” Riddle continued to scream, face flaming red as he cradled the delicate creature in his arms. Whether or not the poor thing was shaking of its own account or fear of the one holding it was to be determined, but it mattered not with all eyes on the beholder. “Are you so dense that you cannot remember something as simple as that?”

“Housewarden Riddle,” the victim stuttered. It was a first-year clearly, face deathly pale and looking as if his soul would leave his body any moment in a fit of desperation. Anything to get away from such a ghastly scenario. “I-I…I swear it was a-a-an accident-”

“How do you accidentally do such a thing?” Riddle snapped back, nearly frothing at the mouth as he marched forward into the other’s space. The surrounding students gasped, taking a step back in turn and preparing for the inevitable as his hand noticeably itched for his pen. The first-year clearly noticed as well, eyes bulging and feet shifting in preparation to run if need be. “Even so, there is no room for such impertinence. Why, I should have your head for that!”

“Riddle?”

The effect was almost instant.

The speed at which the male stepped back was almost inhuman, head snapping back so quickly a few flinched at the thought of such inevitable whiplash. The snarl on his lips dropped, not taking on a smile but smoothing out the lines his earlier scowl created. In fact, the only evidence of his incredible fury from but a moment ago was the ever present brightness of his face, taking its time in ever so slowly draining away.

Then, they saw it.

The moment you managed to break through the crowd, eyebrows furrowed and mouth slightly agape as you surveyed the situation, the sharpness in his gaze disappeared. It was almost comical how instantly his pupils blew, nearly overtaking the storm in his eyes. Some swore that if it were possible hearts would most definitely be shining from his orbs, beating in tune with the one confined by his mortal body yet still promised to you.

Great Seven, the way he greeted you as well. It nearly ached how tenderly a soft ‘My Rose’ escaped from his lips, and it was then they all knew that in his mind the rest of the world faded away until all that lay within it was you.

“Ace nearly gave me a heart attack when he blew up my phone, spewing nonsense of a bomb about to blow the whole of the dorm,” you gently teased, stepping towards him with such ease despite the still shaking of Riddle’s body. Yet, as you placed a delicate hand on his arm, the tremors all but disappeared. “Guess he wasn’t that far off for once.”

The red fury on his face was now one of shame and embarrassment, tucking his head down and staring as he gently calmed the still shaking hedgehog. “He exaggerates…” he nearly mumbled, refusing to look up at the gentle smile you were giving him. 

You stared at him with the same fondness he just had moments ago, thumb softly rubbing against his arm. Words could not explain the relief they all felt when you looked up at them all and nodded your head back to the main dorm building, silently giving them permission to finally escape.

At the sound of their retreat Riddle’s head shot up, confusion evident. “Who gave you all permission to leave?” he called out, stepping out of your grasp and staring at their retreating backs. If his hands weren’t occupied you were sure he would be waving them in a blind fury. “Come back! You have yet to-”

“Riddle,” you interrupted, cupping his face in your hands and turning his gaze to you instead. It was a miracle that he had yet to pass out, blood still continuously rushing to his face as he had no choice but to lock eyes with you. Fingertips caressed under his eyes, exaggerated breathing from you goading him to follow with, not once turning away. Not daring to escape the land you’ve trapped him in.

He didn’t know how much time passed, just the two of you standing there and the animal in his arms long since passed out, nor did he care. Just your touch alone was enough to soothe his soul, your gaze and sweet words were simply a bonus that he thought himself unworthy of, yet here he was.

“There we go,” you cooed, dropping your hands but not once breaking contact from his face. Down his cheeks that you held for a moment, nails barely scraping down his neck in tune with the pleasant shiver it sent down his spine, dancing across his shoulders and tickling his waist before coming to a stop there. “Why don’t we sit and enjoy some tea to help calm you down more, hm?”

“It’s not yet past the lunch hour,” he responded, yet almost drunkenly. “Rule 148 states-” The small burst of laughter that left you was enough to shut him up, watching as your head tilted back and shined even brighter than the sun that warmed you both. He decided that he really didn’t want you to stop anytime soon. “Though…though I suppose I could make an exception…”

A few more chuckles rang, and you gave him another playful smile along with a gentle squeeze. “How kind.”

Yes, yes you really were quite magical.

[puffyducks]

Puffy's Really Comprehensive and Cool Review of PK Out of the Shadows for the PS2 (not emulated guys I didn't emulate it I bought a really legal copy for my PlayStation 2 console that I own)

Ok guys I just did a really epic playthrough of the Paperinik video game (that was streamed on Discord thank you to everyone who watched me scream and struggle for like 6 hours) and I'm here to give a review for the other PK fans or perhaps even people who really like playing old niche PS2 games for some reason (get a better hobby)

First of all this game gets a 10/10 rating from me because this game has Paperinik in it and there are no other games with Paperinik in them.

Paperinik's English name is "the Duck Avenger" but I guess there was too much PK logo branding in this game for them to bother to change it so they kept his name as just PK and tried to explain it by saying it stood for "really cool duck" or something in Latin. Which I'm pretty sure was just a fucking lie.

I'm really happy that Uno was there, I love him and he's my best friend even tho he was FUCKING USELESS like this whole game. Sorry he just kinda grabs Donald, turns him into a superhero, then throws him into an Evronian base with 0 explanation and is like "go kill" and like who am I to say no to the giant floating orb?? Like he gave me a gun which is really nice but I'm out here getting fucking jumped by the Evronian empire and Uno isn't even there to cheer me on or NOTHING. He only occasionally shows up to explain when you get a weapon upgrade like FUCKING DO SOMETHING UNO THEY'RE BEATING MY ASSSSS

The little collectibles are just tiny floating Uno heads so that also gets a 10/10 from me I really enjoyed running around and collecting my army of Uno PNGs. The SECOND collectible however- Ok so there are like these scientists that are tied up by the Evronians and you're supposed to save them right? Well for whatever reason (they don't really explain why this is happening) every time you get close to a scientist it starts a big menacing countdown in the corner and you're supposed to save them before the timer goes down or else THEY JUST FUCKING DIE?? I THINK?? LIKE I SAID THEY DON'T EXPLAIN IT SO I CAN'T REALLY TELL WHAT'S HAPPENING, BUT IF THE TIMER GOES DOWN AND YOU REACH THEM TOO LATE THERE'S JUST LIKE A PILE LEFT BEHIND FROM WHERE THEY USED TO BE, I THINK THEY GET FUCKING VAPORIZED OR SOMETHING? AND LIKE I WAS REALLY BAD AT SAVING THEM BECAUSE I GET REALLY STRESSED WHEN THE TIMER STARTS. I HAVE SO MUCH BLOOD ON MY HANDS. anyways.

I like totally didn't get stuck on the same section for 10 minutes because I kept comedically sliding PK directly into a big pool of evil pink goo. Like evil Evron goo I guess, don't remember THAT from the comics. If you so much as touch it with your little pinkie toe he dies instantly, it's very troubling. Like I said um that didn't happen to me though because I'm really good at video games. Idk if you knew I'm level 102 on Wizard101 which is like pretty high. Like it's not max level I'm pretty sure max level is like 180 right now but it's still cool I'm still cool and also really good at video games.

Oh yeah also something that was really amusing to me is the way that PK is just fucking Stanced Up the entire game. Like he's always kinda menacingly crouching and shuffling around everywhere he goes like a little superhero cockroach. Love him.

Can't believe I haven't mentioned this sooner but for the English dub of this game (which is what I was using because I am, in fact, an English speaker) they made the huge brained decision to get Rob Paulsen to do Donald's "superhero" voice. Rob Paulsen of course from Yakko Warner fame... and Steelbeak 1991. Donald sounds goofy as shit the whole game it lowkey kills me. I guess they assumed people wouldn't wanna sit through his regular scratchy voice for however many hours of gameplay but trust me, I would WAY prefer regular Donald over the weird 90s protagonist Crash Bandicoot wannabe thing he has going on. Uno sounds great tho, zero complaints.

At one point PK walks out of the level and he's like "haha who knew this superhero stuff would be so easy!" and I took that as a deep and personal insult. That was not easy Donald I was fighting for my fucking life in there. You have like 13 bullet wounds and I dropped you into Evron goop like 6 different times. Stop making me look bad.

I got stuck standing around like a fucking idiot for 10 minutes because I got an upgrade for the X-transformer and Uno was like "you see that hole? Go over and press □ to send the X-transformer through it!" and I was like oh ok. Except there was no hole I couldn't find the hole. I was only able to progress past this part because I pulled up a youtube video of someone else playing the game, and the guy in the video ALSO proceeded to get stuck in the same spot before realizing you have to backtrack to find the hole like 15 feet away from where Uno gave you the instructions. I can't tell if it's bad game design or if I'm just stupid.

I'm ngl I got to the end and heard Zondag start talking and he lowkey sounds hot as fuck. I mean WOAH that's crazy who said that??? (he's also British for some reason)

Wrapping up my final thoughts with some simple questions:

Does this game have Paperinik in it?

Yes.

Is it a good game?

No.

What's the best part about the game?

Uno is in it.

What's the worst part about the game?

Everything else.

Would you have been able to beat this as a child?

Absolutely not.

Why did they think it would be a good idea to get Rob Paulsen to do the voice of PK for the majority of the game?

Hell if I know???

Would you recommend this game to other people?

Probably not.

It took me a total of 6-ish hours to beat the game (it can be beaten in like 2 hours I'm just slow) but in that amount of time you could read PKNA chapter #34 "Nothing Personal" like 6 times which I think would be a way better experience.

Anyways like I said 10/10, would maybe think about playing again. On like a really depressing rainy day where I have literally nothing else to do.

[skymagpie]

Small rant regarding all these big WoW youtubers coming up with theories and why I think if Blizzard does go for a twist like that it will be cheap and absolutely stupid. Putting it below the cut for spoilers!

I am seeing a lot of the big name WoW youtubers say that Khadgar is either Xal'atath, puppeteered by Xal'atath or corrupted by Xal'atath and he will be her way to get back at Alleria because "The Lord of Ravens will turn the key" or whatever. And while that is a plot that could happen - it is not what is currently written, and if it does happen it will be a retcon. But I feel like this theory is missing few points:

Xal'atath did not trap Khadgar in the Dark Heart. She left him to die. A lot of us wondered back then if that was the case because of her "Goodbye, Guardian." line and it seems that from what we know now, she expected him to get killed and consumed like the rest of Dalaran.

Khadgar willingly reaching into the orb that the Dark Heart produced because he decided that turning himself into arcane energy will store him in the heart. This is something he figured out during the fight with the prior knowledge he had. This is something that Medivh always taught him to do! It's a callback to their relationship! This is such an important Khadgar moment!!!

Khadgar put his trust into Alleria and that she will stop Xal'atath. He also saved her because he loves Alleria and she is one of his closest friends. Then he gambled his life on a theory that hasn't been tested and in the end he was rewarded for his selflessness and trust in his friend by having her save him. Their arc came full circle. Why would you wanna intervene in something that needs no intervention?

Khadgar suddenly being Xal'atath in disguise will water down both Alleria's and Anduin's arc. Anduin brought him back with the Light, finding his strength as a healer and regaining his connection. Imagine if they were like "Haha nope sike, have another Light crisis arc!" like how many arcs should Anduin have? Alleria can still have her struggle with the Void in regards to her sisters, Turalyon and Arator. It doesn't have to be Khadgar anymore. In fact it makes sense for her family to be a way to "break" her more than her best friend. Khadgar surviving only to have something happen with the others will actually be a better twist for Alleria's character.

The cinematic is sincere, much like the other cinematics. It does not try to outsmart the audience. They are made so nicely and the hints from the "Destruction of Dalaran" one come into play later on. There is also a callback in the 'stay a while and listen' between Alleria and Khadgar to the very first cinematic between them (Dark Heart). These were made with care. Those soft looks between Khadgar and Anduin, the hug with Alleria, they have to be genuine. If they aren't you are treating your audience like idiots, you lie to them for the sake of lying to them. It would be season 8 of Game of Thrones level of stupid if they pull a 180 twist on these cinematics. The cinematics were so detailed, we guessed that Khadgar cannot move his legs from the very first one after his fight with Xal'atath, like that's the kind of detail they made sure we can pick up, but didn't make it obvious. This was good film language that matches the tone through the entire expansion.

Going for Khadgar again after everything he already went through and after he closed his arc and after he lost Atiesh and got permanently injured feels like you are just bullying this character for no reason. He didn't walk out of that unscathed, he got rewarded for his trust and selflessness by having Alleria save him. It's okay. He can retire here for now. Coming with more terrible things for a guy who finished his arc and is currently in a wheelchair feels meanspirited and honestly kind of an asshole move. I can't put it past Blizzard but it would just suck.

There are other characters in this franchise, we have yet to get more Horde screen time, why focus on Khadgar when his story got a nice ending? Just let him and us his fans have this small win and carry on with the story.

[fishbrainboy]

secret relations

summary: you and Jenna have something going on behind the scenes but she's not as committed as you might think

a/n: bro idk what this is ima go make noodles have a good read

word count 939

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

You watch the scene Infront of you with an amused smirk on your face as Jenna drums her fingers impatiently on the desk, the interviewer directs yet another crude question your way “so y/n a lot of the fans have been blown away by your latest sex scene” she turns to Jenna's a gleam in her eye “Jenna what's it like to be in such an intimate scene with someone as attractive as y/n I think everyone wants to know what it's like to be under her” Jenna's hand clenches in the soft fabric of the table cloth eyes going dark for a split second before the professional face came over “the more intimate scenes are a lot easier with someone who can stay as in character as y/n especially with how kind she is when someone makes a mistake on set” she took a deep breath “I do believe that's all the time we have, busy schedule and all”

before you know it she's up and dragging you out of the room you stumble over your feet she may be small but god that girl moves fast you giggle as she pushes you into the supply closet you bump into the shelves “ah fuck Jen” the rest of your complaint is quickly silenced by her lips on yours her fists clenching in your jacket pulling you as close to her tiny frame as possible your hands find their way to her hips as you Mold together perfectly she pulls away that dark look back in her eye “I hate when people ask those questions I mean first of all how un professional and second of all do you have no shame? Practically eye fucking what's mine right Infront of me” “what's yours? Careful there Ortega your starting to sound sentimental over there” oh that was the wrong thing to say and you know it as soon as the cursed words leave your mouth, her face falls flat void of all emotion, god you detest that look you watch not even bothering to say anything as she straightens out her shirt and tie Jenna gives you a once over before she leaves muttering a goodbye you don't catch, you slump to the wall mind reeling, how stupid can one person get I mean she finally starts showing possession and you open your big mouth and put your foot in it again, you smack yourself on the forehead “stupid fucking idiot” you let out a groan as you pull yourself up and start your long drive back to your apartment.

You manage to get yourself lost 3 times on the way out of the random building your manager had sent you too for the onslaught of interviews You'd had that day, and you could deal with all that but as soon as your keys slipped right through your fingers and hitting the floor with a rough clang the noise echoing in your eardrums you officially declared this the worst day ever you throw your door open and it lets out a defiant squeal thumping into your apartment and throwing yourself down on the sofa you call the only person on your mind her tone is clipped obviously still mad about your previous comment “y/n its half 10 at night why are you not in bed?” the sound of her voice breaks you down fingers trembling gripping the phone in an iron grip as the tears start to fall “I'm sorry Jen it's just” she cuts you off her demeanour doing a 180 from the cold and distant person she was moments ago “oh honey don't cry or apologise I'll be round in half an hour yeah?” this makes. ire tears fall you choke out a yes and the call is over before its even started, you pull a blanket over your shoulders and snuggle in wondering what version of Jenna you're going it have stood at your apartment door today.

Your answer comes quicker than expected, she must have sped her whole way over, you open the door eyes puffy from crying you stare at each other for a moment deep brown eyes meeting y/e/c orbs your lips part in anticipation but she breaks your normal sex driven cycle and throws herself into your chest arms wrapping tight around you stumbling back in Suprise you regain your balance leaning forward to swing your creaky door shut lacing your fingers in her hair and breathing her in you feel the waterworks start again, she pulls you gently to your sofa sitting you down and wrapping you in her arms “talk to me sweetie, what's going on” her voice is soft and it curls around you making you open your mouth without a second thought “it's all just so overwhelming the interviews the flying god last month I didn't even know what fucking day it was Jenna and you, don't even get me started on you one second you love me and I'm yours the next moment I'm just your coworker you shrug me off then have sex with mw in some random closet” your eyes widen as it dawns on you what you've just said, her eyes gleam with something you can't quite make out she hushes you pulling you into her chest “you need rest darling we will talk when you wake up” you hum in response suddenly feeling as if you hadn't slept in weeks, you stay like that a while Jenna's hands running through your hair listening to the steady thrum of her heartbeat you're not sure when you fell asleep, but when you wake up Shes gone.  

[figs-oliomedley]

NINJAGO DR (pontential?) SPOILERS

I haven't seen Part 2 yet, just the leaks, but the funniest part about Jay being evil is that he was always kind of a liability to begin with. Speaking as a Jay fan, this loser has caused so much shit, ranging from unlocking Aspheera's tomb, to giving away the ninja's disguises in Season 7, to accidentally stabbing his own hand on a Fangpyre skeleton, etc. Hell, this man caused the entirety of Season 12 because he couldn't be arsed to look for clues and really wanted to play video games. Man's competence switch is on an electric metronome set to 180, and it is a roll of the dice if he's gonna cause some shenanigans or not.

Heck, even when working for the Administration he caused them shenanigans. He avoided chasing Arin, and while it was partly because it wasn't in his jurisdiction, you can't argue that he didn't also want to play his video games. And again later he messes up catching Bonzle because his heart's not in it (granted he gets distracted by the Wu orb).

The effort he puts behind something varies GREATLY depending on how invested he is (if he's super into it, like ninjaing and being a hero, then he's on his A game, but when he's not pressed, odds are he'll roll a Nat 1). I'm super interested to see how they'll write Jay in S2 P2. Will he be super evil and competent, or will he be the wishy-washy, sincere and honest bumblefuck we know and love him for?

[gender-buddies]

Gender Buddy: Ouverine (130/180)

Level: 6 Element: Fire/Earth FRND: ??? PWR: 300

Abilities: Convection: Warms up other Buddies when it gets too cold. Crystalize: Causes nearby stone to shine and glimmer like gemstones. Works well in deep, dark caves.

Bio: Warmth and light is what this star-loving Buddy is all about! It collects stardust in its fur, which helps it stay shining at all times. The glass orb it keeps is filled with cosmic light that stretches out in all directions, call Buddies to a safe space no matter where they are.

[azucar-skull]

Injury prompt 26 HIII IM FROM THE DOODLE BUGS SERVER

I just answered another 26 but I just showed a screenshot so sure I can actually right smth rq

AND HIIIIII I love the doodle bugs, but that sever needs to be more active. I'll see about doing art/gaming streams or smth, might help draw in folks.

Anyways, prompt list... I wanna try adding a twist to this instead of smth like "oh no they passed out/presumed dead".

So here's some ghost possession. =)

26. "[Name]? [Name], this isn't funny. Please... stop."

.

.

.

(Leo gets possessed by a ghost yokai and scares the shit out of Mikey)

It was supposed to be a quick trip to the Hidden City. But of course that would be too much to ask from the turtles.

The brothers were searching for some ingredients that Draxum asked them to get. The oldest 3 were reluctant but Mikey has insisted they go. They went to the market to look for the ingredients and decided to divvy up to make things faster.

"We should stick in pairs.", Raph insisted. "No one is going anywhere solo, capiche?"

"We got it, Raph.", Leo rolled his eyes as he sauntered over to Mikey’s side.

Mikey knew that Raph was specifically talking about Leo. Yeah, ain't nobody letting his little...stunt go. Raph sighed at Leo’s attitude but said nothing more as he and Donnie walked off. Mikey went to turn to his red-eared brother only to find him 30 feet away already. Mikey quickly hurried over to him.

"Leo, come on! We gotta stick together!", Mikey called out.

"Then hurry up!"

Mikey huffed an annoyed sigh as he caught up, finding his brother beside a stall that sold some odd looking items. Ouija boards, tarot cards, specter orbs, and all different kinds of occult stuff. Yet, there's no one behind the counter. Leo grabbed a chunk of obsidian from a box and quickly tucked it in his pouch.

"Leo, put in back.", Mikey spat.

"Well, no one is stopping me. Plus, it looks cool and you know I can't resist shiny objects.", Leo smirked. "Now come on, let’s finish Draxum’s shooping list."

Leo started to walk off again and Mikey was getting particularly annoyed at his charades. But before he could follow after him, he noticed an info card beside the box Leo took the obsidian from.

"Tezcatlipoca; The Smoking Mirror. It is said that when you are able to see your reflection in the obsidian, you have found your true self."

...Okay, ominous.

Mikey begins to walk off after Leo when he hears a voice whisper very closely in his tympana.

"Give it back."

Mikey yelped and spun around. Who said that? But there was nobody there.

"GIVE IT BACK!!!", the voice shouted in his tympana. Loud and raspy and nasty.

"Give what back?! Where are you? Who are you?!", Mikey shouted as his eyes frantically look around the environment. He could feel that something or someone is here but he doesn't know where. "Are you some kind of invisible yokai??"

"Hmm, yes, you could say that.", the disembodied voice echoed. "A ghost yokai. The one running the occult stand. The occult stand where you turtles STOLE MY MERCHANDISE!!"

Suddenly Mikey felt a gust of wind past through him, sending chills over every part of his being. Shivering and trembling, the world warped in an inverted filter. It's all full of fog, it was hard for Mikey to see.

Then his head snapped around on its own.

A perfect 180, then the rest of his limbs followed. He tried to speak but...he couldn't. He was walking when every part of his mind screamed at him to stop but...he couldn't. He wasn't in control of his body. It was like he was being puppeted.

He was being possessed.

His legs started running, pushing through the crowd until Leo came back into the view.

"YOU THERE! LITTLE TERRAPIN!", Mikey’s own voice spoke beyond his control, interlaced with the loud and raspy tone of the ghost yokai.

Leo turned around, spotting Mikey and looked surprised.

"Woah, dude, what's with your voice?", Leo laughed.

"GIVE ME BACK MY MERCHANDISE YOU THEIF!"

.

.

.

Edit: this has been in my drafts forever and I forgot how it was supposed to end. Sorry-

[rafumeika]

Since AO3 is down and you said that you need your does of angst bloodweave, please elaborate on that one post you made some time ago about modern day au with magic but astarion is still a vampire spawn (it doesn't have to be bloodweave but the general angst possibility is there, so)

I did talk about that AU! Honestly it's more of a vague idea than anything more, but when I posted that I was mostly thinking about that one Durgestarion conversation you get if you loose against Orin, with Astarion talking about how he will surely remember his "mad love" centuries down the line and I just thought- what if we apply that to every companion! Because the pain is never enough 🙂👍🏼

Anyway. Realistically speaking, if we only look at it from a lifespan point of view (and not of possibly falling in battle), Jaheira would probably be the first one to die. Iirc she's around 150 years old during bg3 and the DnD wiki says half-elves live around 180-200 years. Maybe she dies in combat or maybe she dies at home surrounded by her kids, but I do believe she'd be the first one to go.

Gale would probably be next. While there are wizards who can live a long time (look at Elminster for example) I've always had the impression that that was something only a Chosen could do, extending their life so much. And maybe if Gale had not lost his Chosen privileges with the whole orb thing he could have lived for centuries, but I feel like post-game human professor Gale Dekarios would just live as long as a normal human, maybe even a little less, I like to imagine (for angst purpose) that the orb actually took years off of him and aged him up a bit faster/wore down his body heavily enough to shorten his life a bit

Third could be Minsc? I don't really know his full lore (I must admit I haven't played neither bg1 nor bg2) but I did look him up and apparently he was petrified for a long while? But other than that race-wise he's just a normal human. I do believe he'd die in combat (I can't really imagine him as an old man ngl) and I'm unsure how long he'd be around without Jaheira and not because he's not capable on his own, it's just that Jaheira and Minsc are so closely tied in my head that I cannot imagine one without the other, so he could even die after Jaheira before Gale, the idea is not that much clear in my head yet

Then there would be Karlach. DnD Wiki says Tieflings live around 120-150 years so she would live longer than Gale but not as long as other companions. Although I can't really imagine her dying of old age (something I can actually see happening to Gale and Jaheira both) so for the sake of this AU both her and Wyll (who technically becomes a fiend after Mizora transforms him, and DnD wiki says fiends are basically immortal unless killed?) die in battle against some powerful Devil (maybe even Zariel herself, who knows)

Shadowheart I think would die some decades after Karlach (and Wyll). I feel like Astarion might go live with her for a while after her parents die and he'd be there when she dies. Iirc she's only around 50 in the game (being taken in young + her comment in Act 3 about the House of Grief having a detailed record of her past 40 years with them) and since half-elves live around 180-200 years old she'd still have some time to live (but would still be so little in the face of Astarion's eternity as a vampire spawn)

After her would come Halsin, who iirc is around 300 years old during bg3 and DnD wiki says elves live even up to 750-800 years old so Astarion would have some friendly company for a long while but, eventually, Halsin would die, too, happy and at peace at an old age, probably surrounded by as many kids he has raised in the once Shadow-Cursed lands as possible (Astarion wouldn't be there tho, he couldn't take another one of his friends dying and leaving him behind)

Lae'zel I think would be the last one to die. While DnD wiki says Githyanki only live for about a century, I feel like she'd pass so much time around in the Astral Sea (Astral Plane? Astral Realm? I see all three names used and Idk what the different is) that she'd live a very long time sort of like Voss (+ also Orpheus himself and his guards who haven't died of old age despite the fact they've been imprisoned for a very fucking long time) but I do believe she'd eventually fall in battle (I can't imagine her dying any other way tbh, she probably wants to die in battle like a true warrior and not of old age wasting away on a bed or whatever) but I still feel like she'd live longer than anyone else and sometimes her and Astarion meet up just to see a familiar face, the last ones left of their group of misfits. They're both not particularly sentimental people, but they're both glad there's still someone left. Once Lae'zel dies and Astarion hears of it (imagine the news being given to him by Lae'zel's son Xan, the one who hatches from the egg you can get at the Crèche in Act 1) I can't help but imagine him weep quietly to himself, because now he's truly alone. Sure, he can make new friends and there are still the other spawn in the Underdark (I imagine some of them would die to the perils of the Underdark but most of them would learn how to survive and since vampires don't age, well. There's an entire small village of immortal vampire spawn somewhere in the Underdark) but his first true friends are all gone now, he's the only one left now who has lived through the memories he keeps close to his unbeating heart and he has no one to talk about them with

If we do go the BloodWeave route, I imagine Gale would probably leave him his (their) tower in Waterdeep but Astarion would find it way too empty after Gale's death so he'd pick up wandering (maybe Gale even gifted him a Ring of Sunwalking at some point, something Astarion keeps on his ring finger and never, ever takes off, not so much for the enchantment on it but simply because it was a gift from Gale), never staying too long in one place but still keeping the tower at his name so that he can go back to it when he feels extremely nostalgic/depressed

I don't have much more in the way of ideas for how he'd end up meeting the reincarnations of his dead friends, but it would probably happen while he's back in Baldur's Gate for some reason or another, just deciding to stick around for a little while (it's not like there's anyone left remembering him who might give him trouble, after all) before his next mindless travel and Idk, he bumps into Wyll or something and probably has a panic attack and runs away. I could see it happen. I have nothing else after that for now, but I hope you like what I have thought about so far! I do so love angst AUs

[yinyuedijun]

We have similar builds except I don’t have imaginary damage on him I also do 30k on a good day.. I’m saving for ruan mei rn so I can get her on her rerun hopefully cuz I’ll kms if I don’t!! I want yo see numbers!!!

(Also if I’m not bothering you can I see your ruan mei too?)

RM will do wonders for your damage it's actually crazy the difference she makes on all my teams!! I think my SW's def shred on ult also makes a difference, so I'm sure her or pela would also boost his numbers a lot in combo with RM. also, his kit severely lacks damage which is why I put imaginary damage artifacts on him, but I ran img orb vs def orb damage calcs for him (using my two orbs), and determined that there's only a ~15% damage loss if you use def instead of imaginary. it isn't huge but if you end up grabbing a good imaginary orb, could be worth it. RM could probably help make up the difference though (or yukong if you ever play her)!

GOOD LUCK W YOUR FUTURE RUANMEI PULLS!! manifesting those big dick aventurine numbers for u 🙏🙏🙏

(also yes ofc u can see my rm!!! but full disclaimer my rm build is fucking horrible lol I got her to 180 break effect in-battle and threw vonwacq on her and that was it...)

[michaelgeary]

what: police interview date: 25th may 2024

where  were  you  on  the  night  of  christopher  wilder’s  disappearance ?

michael  took  his  police  interview  very  seriously  .  he  had  never  considered  he  might  be  incriminated  but  even  so  ,  he  was  ready  to  share  what  he  could  about  the  night  in  question  .  he  didn't  have  any  catholic  guilt  over  the  event  ,  there  was  nothing  that  could  be  done  to  have  changed  it  .  "  i  was  at  the  party  that  dante  and  elise  hosted  .  they  were  a  powerhouse  and  back  then  ,  it  was  the  place  that  you  had  to  be  .  if  i  think  about  it  now  ,  i  wish  i  had  chosen  more  wisely  and  i  might  not  be  here  telling  you  as  much  as  i  am  today  .  "  

when  was  the  last  time  you  saw  christopher ?

he  didn't  remember  .  that  was  the  truth  .  or  maybe  he  did  remember  ,  a  flash  of  someone  disappearing  into  the  depths  of  the  lake  .  it  was  so  blurry  now  .  often  michael  struggled  to  tell  fact  from  fiction  when  it  came  to  his  narration  of  the  past  ,  the  amount  of  substances  he  had  pumped  into  his  body  making  everything  feel  quite  the  same  .  his  brown  eyes  orb  with  warmth  ,  nothing  about  him  seeming  off  when  he  shares  ,  "  if  i'm  honest  .  really,  honest  ,  i  don't  know  .  i  know  that  he  was  at  that  first  party  and  that  we  went  down  to  devils  lake  …  i  know  that  we  were  all  playing  games  and  drinking  but  i  can't  remember  when  i  last  saw  him  ,  "  he's  sharing  enough  to  seem  credible  ,  the  time  they  spent  at  the  lake  really  what  had  been  focused  on  in  terms  of  where  chris  had  ended  up  .  realistically  ,  michael  knew  that  they  had  enough  information  to  look  for  him  all  these  years  .  he  was  long  gone  …  floated  out  to  sea  .  didn't  they  say  that  some  people  were  never  found  ?  "  back  then  it's  no  secret  that  i  had  my  own  problems  with  drinking  …  drugs  …  whatever  i  could  get  my  hands  on  .  it  breaks  my  heart  that  we  could  have  changed  what  happened  to  chris  but  i  was  too  busy  getting  high  ,  "  it  didn't  really  .  maybe  he  wished  he  could  have  been  a  hero  in  hindsight  ,  maybe  it  even  seemed  like  it  would  have  been  easier  if  he  had  stopped  chris  but  he  didn't  mull  over  it  …  didn't  sit  with  it  and  blame  himself  .  he  had  been  too  busy  in  his  own  little  world  which  revolved  around  only  one  person  :  him  .  now  ,  him  and  god  .  

what  was  your  relationship  with  christopher ?

"  chris  was  a  team  mate  ,  just  somebody  that  i  knew  but  to  other  people  i  was  close  to  ,  he  was  the  whole  world  .  he  had  a  lot  of  really  important  relationships  …  "  but  one  of  them  wasn't  michael  .  it  could  have  been  .  he  and  chris  had  been  in  the  same  circles  ,  been  at  the  same  events  and  michael  had  even  spent  some  time  getting  to  know  him  but  it  had  never  struck  his  interest  .  he  was  just  too  bland  for  michael's  tastes  …  not  enough  of  a  trouble  maker  .  he's  sitting  there  and  seems  to  drift  off  into  his  own  train  of  thoughts  ,  wondering  something  or  another  about  the  past  when  he  snaps  back  into  it  .  "  i  really  hope  you  find  out  what  happened  to  him  .  his  family  deserve  peace  .  his  brother  ,  kai  ,  he's  never  quite  been  the  same  ,  "  as  if  michael  could  talk  about  people  changing  considering  his  180.  

[glitchlight]

hello excellent dirt person. do you know anything about kaolin? i am curious if so, what the Dirt Person view on it would be

So the long and short of it is I have no view on it because kaolin is just, a thing that exists. I have no view on steel or grapes. They exist. There's a lot of commercial grade uses for rock and soil that lay people wouldn't anticipate but are entirely common within certain industries, from gravel and sand mining, to the mining of rocks and soils bearing certain clay minerals or rich in certain elements. Kaolin in particular has uses valuable to ceramics and the paper industry but I know very little about either of those. However, I do know things about the clay mineral that is actually what's extracted from kaolinite and what an excellent opportunity to talk about phyllosilicates, aka, clays and micas!

I am, more technically speaking, an environmental soil chemist, and though I lean on the last one of those titles the least, here we're going to have to take a quick detour onto chemical bond angles and crystals. This is a very brief oversimplification but deeply relevant.

Atoms bind together in order to be more stable, but the bonds themselves are charged, and therefore repel each other. Imagine an atom as an orb with things sticking out of it:

If you have two bonds, as far apart on a circle means 360/2, so the bond angle will be 180, and they'll be on opposite ends (examples: CO2)

If you have three, 360/3 means 120, and so you get something that looks like a triangle.

If you have four, then things get fun, because the previous two have been two dimensional shapes, and what you actually get instead is a three dimensional tetrahedron with an average bond angle of ~109. And when you get into silicates, tetrahedrons are your basic building block

If you have six, then your average bond angle is 90 degrees; imagine four in a square plane and two at the 'poles'. Remember these for later!

Silicates dominate our world. If carbon forms everything living, then silicon forms everything non-living. Over 90 percent of the earth's crust is formed by silicate minerals, which are as astounding diverse and varied as big brother carbon's molecules. This diversity comes in spite of the fact that silicon is near-exclusively bound in the form of the silica tetrahedron seen above.

Where we move from bond angles to crystals is the fact that each oxygen in a silica tetrahedron has two charges, meaning oxygen can be bound to two different silicon atoms, which creates a crystal lattice structure of repeating units of silica tetrahedra. Depending on how silca tetrahedra are linked together, you get the following structures:

(Fun fact! Quartz and Zeolites are some of the most chemically and mechanically stable minerals on earth, and the Tectosilicate arrangement is the exact same crystalline pattern that makes up diamonds. Anyways!)

Focusing down on phyllosilicates, the structures that form are vast molecule thin sheets of repeated chained circles of silica, which is just one of the many ways math that may seem abstract emerges in the natural world, as what forms as a result is a tesselation. Now although silicates are dominated by silica, they are not exclusively silica tetrahedra for the simple fact that the real world conditions in which these form are messy, but secondly, the tetrahedral shape means that in a sheet crystal, silica has leftover oxygens that it could share with other ions. And so what you get in nature is that phyllosilicates are not just sheets of silica tetrahedra, but are two to three layers of repeating tetrahedra/octahedral units bound to a silica backbone.

(src paper; good resource for those who want to know more)

Now these phyllosilicates, literally "sheet-silicates", are very strong and chemically resistant molecule thin layers. But the thing about being so strongly attached to itself means that the actual attraction between layers is governed by an entirely different form of chemical bond (IMFs, which we won't get into), and ranges from no real binding to tightly bound to weakly bound.

And finally, it's time to talk about kaolinite!

Kaolinite is the clay mineral named for kaolin, the rocks/sediment that bears a lot of it. Kaolinite, pictured above, has very uniform physical properties, is very chemically stable, is quite cheap, and has abundant material use.

But, time for a shock and a swerve, I spent all this time talking about clay minerals to talk about smectite instead! You fool!

Smectitic clays differ from kaolinite substantially in ways we won't get into, but the short answer of it is that bonds form between sheet layers, but weak bonds. Strong bonds will basically not really come apart and aren't an issue. No bonds aren't an issue. Weak bonds are an issue.

What weak bonds between layers leads to is a shrinking and swelling of clay layers over time, as water enters clay layers in the fall through spring, then leaves in the summer, causing the entire soil to shrink and swell with moisture, like thermal expansion joints on bridges but much more pronounced. This also leads to a lot of interesting soil properties, so much so there's an entire soil order named for soils with smectitic clays, the Vertisols.

What's shown here with the slickensides are literal smooth surfaces that form as large units of soil shrink-swell and rub against each other. Very strange stuff!

On the human scale, soils with vertic characteristics cause a lot of headaches in the places I grew up, meaning a lot of people in North to Central Texas spend time watering their lawns in deep summer heat to avoid foundations cracking. I've seen new homeowners in Texas who didn't know about it have their entire fence come down because of soil cracks, especially wood fences that catch the wind.

And that's how clay will ruin your foundation.

(PS: Clay mineralogy is foundational to soil chemistry but we'll get into that at a later date. To simplify: clay mineralogy is variable by geology and essentially serves as the most chemically active site in soils, but you kind of have to get real in the weeds on it and I do not have time to get into ion substitution and why every mineral's chemical formula looks like a fucking math equation just so I can talk about cation exchange capacity right now.)

[l3rking]

Brya's Love Breakdown

Finally got the pattern for the new Void Precision Scout Rifle, Brya's Love. So let's talk perks, stats, and buildcrafting.

First of all, it's gorgeous. I love the D1 scout models so this being a Void flavored Vision of Confluence was an instant win. And while the IS scope isn't my favorite, it's clean with a very prominent red dot. The ornate details along the edge of the sight can be a little obstructive especially when comparing it to its older sister, Doom of Chelchis, which has one of the best sights in the game.

Speaking of Doom, how does this new one stack up.

Comparing both with just Arrowhead Brake, Steady Rounds, a Stability masterwork, and Icarus, which is how I'd recommend setting either of these up, Doom is objectively the stronger of the 2. No surprise given it's a Raid chase and not a seasonal weapon you can grind out the pattern for in a week. But tbh, it really isn't that much better. And once we factor in perks both scouts are able to clear out a niche for themsleves.

Doom's strength comes from the ability to run Explosive Payload with a damage perk like Frenzy or One-For-All. Remember, EP deals a bonus 15% damage in PvE for free. While Brya's can get Explosive Payload as well, it is locked to the 4th column with the rest of the damage perks.

Where Brya's is able to catch back up is in the sheer value of the perks in both columns. While Doom can get some nutty combos, not every perk it has is valuable. Brya's literally doesn't have any bad options. I might even wind up crafting multiple rolls. So let's talk about it.

Barrels:

At base, Brya's has 78 recoil direction. Which is the highest natural RD of any 180 scout HOWEVER it is the furthest from a centered recoil pattern. Remember, if it's not 100, you want your RD to be as close to ending in 5 as possible. I.e. 55, 75, 85, etc. will tend to be more vertical. Something like 63 will bounce left; 78 will bounce right. So I recommend just going for Arrowhead to make it 100 and be done with it. The handling bump is nice too. If you don't care about RD, which is completely valid, go for stability or handling. Fluted and Smallbore are 2 favorites.

Magazine:

This one is a bit more to taste. I like the consistency Stead Rounds give and the AE bump is a nice bonus. Tactical Mag, Flared Magwell, or Appended are also great choices.

3rd Column:

Here's where it starts getting good. Keep Away is free Range (10), Reload Speed (30), and Accuracy (5%, 7.5% w/Enhanced) just for operating in your intended range (15m away from enemies). Even with perks like Rapid Hit and No Distractions this one is my go to for a PvP roll. The bonus Range reverses the -5 you get from Steady Rounds and the Accuracy bonus is actually very impactful imo. You'll hit shots you had no business landing.

Loose Change, while good in concept, isn't strong enough nor does it last long enough. Even when running it with a Gyrfalcon build. I'd love to see it buffed. It has good potential.

Perpetual Motion is a great perk. Just not on this scout. Especially if you're trying to use the Head Rush trait perk.

Perfect Float is a good perk especially when pairing with Frenzy.

Shoot to Loot is always solid. Especially now that it works with Orbs and Explosive Payload.

Rapid Hit will always be strong. Especially if you synergize it with a new 4th column perk.

No Distractions is a personal favorite. Use it with EP to become a dueling king. Literally an Energy Tears of Contrition.

4th Column:

Precision Instrument is crazy. Rapid hits will increase precision damage. It's literally precision Target Lock. And like Target Lock, it will reduce ttks against certain resiliences in Crucible. Non enhanced will let you 3 tap T4 res and below (enhanced will bump that up to T5) for a .67 ttk. Very strong. A free 3 tap with no activation cost. Think Luna's Howl but on a much stricter timer and res gated. However, the likelihood of running into T5 res or lower is very unlikely in the Crucible rn with Titans being as strong as they are. Still strong tho.

Explosive Payload. You know it. You love it. I will never fault anyone for picking it. It's always a good scout perk.

Frenzy. Also strong on the archetype. Will allow 3 crits while active. The bonus 100 reload and handling are the best parts imo.

Adagio. Sleeper pick. Reduces RPM to 150 but allows a 2 crit 1 body. Great post kill perk. Damage output of a Radiant 150 scout but with the stat package of a 180.

Pugilist. Skip it. Use Monte Carlo. Stab the Witness.

Golden Tricorn. The king of damage perks. 15% for 7s after a kill will allow a 3 tap at all resiliences. 50% for 10s if you get an ability kill with x1 is active. If you get Tricorn x2 and also Radiant, you can 2 tap. But good luck with that setup.

Destabilizing Rounds. New for a scout. Great choice. Synergizes well with all Void classes but especially a Stylish Executioner hunter or Controlled Demo titan.

Recommendations and Closing Thoughts:

All great perks. Any combination of which I would recommend but let me give a handful:

PVE: Shoot-To-Loot/Explosive Payload. Perfect Float/Frenzy. Loose Change/Destablizing Rounds. Rapid Hit or Keep Away/Golden Tricorn.

PVP: No Distractions/Explosive Rounds. Perpetual Motion/Frenzy. Rapid Hit or Keep Away/Precision Instrument. Rapid Hit/Adagio.

And that's it! It's a very strong scout. I was initially disappointed to see another craftable void 180 but I was so throughly impressed once I got my hands on it. It feels better than Doom imo. Sounds better too. This is one that won't be leaving my inventory for some time.

Good luck farming!

[joshay98]

Day 544 - 550 (1 year, 180 - 186 days)

Heya! How are we doing today? Hopefully you had a good week so far! ^^

Personally it just has been the daily grind. Candles, hearts, dark shards. The usual. But I think we can add something new to that list. Just a shame that today a daily quest required the Pleaful Parent memory. Urgh...

So there has been a new update for the game. Mainly the next seasonal quest unlocked, a new event started and generally a lot of quality of life improvements.

First a quick rundown on the new seasonal quest.

The next trial is the Passage of Coordination. As usual the guide sends the teens to a realm for the next trial. The Oddball being to distracted with their odd ball. Gotta love how much personality these spirits have. ^^

It takes place on the butterfly field in the Prairie. Guess sending the kids to the Wasteland would be too dangerous. X]

So the quest itself is played again in a social gathering event. When the quest starts, it is your job to push giant light orbs around the field towards some masks for them to light up. Now it wouldn't be hard but the orb can be pushed by anyone, even shades from the gathering. So coordination is a big part in this. People can't push the orb from different sides or it just goes the wrong way. It genuinely is a harder quest to do but luckily it doesn't require full completion. :D

After that, you go back to the guide and add another part to the mural. Everyone standing respectfully towards it... with the exception of the Troublemaker who decided to use Rollout on the guide and gets swiftly put into timeout for that.

For your troubles you can buy the quest mask for 46 candles. Again, typical design for this season. I do like how this one looks a lot more abstract than the others. A lot of people claim this is supposed to be a monkey or ape. I can't really see it but it's nice either way. ^^

Now onto the second part, the new event! Days of Rainbow!

Or well Days of Color how it's now called. Anyway, for this event they completely revamped the eight player door area in Prairie. During the event you can just enter for free, thanks to the event spirits letting you teleport there. :D

There are a lot of things to do here. First of all, new event currency. In this area you can find hidden orbs that give you tickets if you collect. Tickets are used to buy the new event cosmetic, instead of using normal candles. This is the devs way of helping people out with their wallets. But that also means I have to wait until I can get said cosmetic. Oh well.

This area also has a small task which requires you to wear an appropiate colored cape, near one of the platforms around the shrine, to unlock a ticket bonus. Todays color is red. Problem is that not everyone has a red cape, but the devs were kind. A geyser on the side allows you to get a colored cape spell at random. If you are lucky you might just get the color you need.

Alternatively if you own the rainbow cape from the past Days of Rainbow you can use that one instead, which counts as every color. Thankfully I was already planning on wearing it for the duration of the event. ^^

In total you can get 8 tickets today. 4 scattered around and another 4 for the task. This number might be subject to change and you might get more tickets at once on later days. Apparently when you complete the rainbow you can get 12 tickets instead. Looking forward to that. Either way you should be able to get enough tickets for the dark rainbow cape if you do this small task every day. That's why it's going to be part of my daily grind now.

Overall pretty nice event and it's always nice to see more social gatherings. ^^

On a sadder note. They added a small secret area which I can't reach because I didn't complete Season of the Little Prince. It's supposed to be a memorial area for a late employee of TGC. It's also generally an area where people can leave any messages for loved ones they miss. I like that the devs added a place for one of their loved ones to get immortalized like this. Shows they really care for one another.

Aside from that there have been a couple extra features added. Plushies can be hugged now! Even thrown when deep honking. They give off squeaking sounds as well to just hammer in how adorable they are. Makes them so much more interactive and I see myself just carrying a plush around from time to time. ^^

Additionally a couple quality of life thing and bugfixes. I like the fact that Prophecy trials intro cutscenes can be skipped now. This is perfect for me who does these daily. ^^

But that has been it mostly for today. Big update with a lot of new small and huge things. Genuinely great update and I can't wait to see what the future holds. ^^

[alteredsilicone]

The Dark Urge : Act I

A long ramble about my Dark Urge playthrough, split up between acts since this game gets meaty.

This is my third playthrough so more or less I knew what I was getting into (had some durge story bits spoiled too).

When I set out to play durge I also wanted to do an "evil" playthrough, so I set some goals: embrace the "big" durge decisions, be evil when possible without going full murder-hobo. Ally with Gortash, dominate the Brain. Make SH a Dark Justiciar, ascend Astarion, romance Minthara, push Gale towards Godhood and help Lae'zel stay loyal to Vlaakith. The results were... varied.

Recruiting Minthara meant the tieflings had to die, so I indulged the durge by watching Arabella die. Surprisingly this way the game guilt trips you less about doing bad things. (The guilt tripping aspect I will bring up at the very end, after my Act III retrospective)

I quickly learned why durge x Astarion is a popular ship - he really jumps on you from the very beginning, a total 180 to how he treats Tav. Anyways, he wasn't my romance goal so I let him be. For a while.

Alfira is one of my favorites, but she had to go. Sorry. I know there is an alternative by making a different NPC appear but I wanted an authentic(tm) durge experience. Besides, Alfira would die in the grove massacre anyways, two birds with one stone and all.

Dream Guardian interlude - I made her look like my first version of Viri, so it's a Viriception.

Since I'm collecting all the "evil" choices, I also decided to indulge the tadpoles. Partly for achievements, partly to see how it works. Truth be told I didn't use the tadpole skills too much, so if I replay durge (I might do for certain different story outcomes), I will ignore the tadpoles altogether.

Sceleritas Fel was an excellent addition, obviously I humored and indulged him since I wanted to be papa's most specialest murderer.

As I was allying with the goblins I explored some stuff I didn't previously - got shackled up by Gut. Escaping her was quite easy, just had to avoid her afterwards. Then I rushed to Minthara.

I love Minthara's character a lot - she stayed in my party throughout the whole game. Needless to say, but I killed Karlach for Wyll (and stupidly didn't get his armor because I forgot to put him in my party, oh well), Wyll left me when I attacked the Grove (I assume he died offscreen or I killed him without noticing) and I never even met Halsin so he also just died offscreen.

I could also rant about the whole "evil playthrough cuts you from 20% of the content" aspect, but that is a tired rant. I don't mind the grove massacre being the price you pay for Minthara joining your party (she IS an evil character, she straight up agrees with all evil actions together with Astarion and is totally on board with dominating the Absolute and becoming rulers yourself), I just wish there was some alternative with playing on the more evil side.

Maybe befriend goblins? More drow? Anything, really? Then again, BG3 is already a massive game... Oh well, you can't have everything.

Anyways, now that I have done the first big quest, I went to the Underdark to try out one specific thing:

What happens if you sacrifice Gale to the fish people before Elminster stabilizes the orb?

He aggros, you kill him and then after two in-game days this happens:

Needless to say, I reloaded a save and just humored the fish people without killing Gale. Besides, for a corruption arc he needs to live. This is also why I only indulged the "big" durge reactions...

My personal philosophy is that being a murder-hobo is a boring way to be evil (death is not the worst thing that can happen y'know), I much rather would corrupt characters.

However, another part of me got curious about one thing: if you bite off Gale's hand when you find him in the portal, can you present it at the murder tribunal in Act 3?

Anyways.

Remember I said Astarion really gets the hots for durge? So, Minthara leaves for Moonrise so she isn't in my party at the moment this happens... durge decided to have some "fun".

This sequence was very corny, but I know it's all part of Astarion's play-pretend so I just let it play out. Spoiler alert - I will friendzone him later (for his own good).

I decided to feed durge the Noblestalk to get some memories/lore. I hoped for more but probably getting everything back in Act I would be anti-climatic, so this was a nice tidbit all the same. Also the environment bugged out, I should be in a dark dank cave, not outside.

Gale also decided he likes me. I promptly friendzoned him. Trust me, Galey, you do not want a romantic adventure with this tiefling (also he is soulbound to Nila, my other Tav, can't have him cheating on his wife...).

Anyways, Gale is a funny case because Larian keeps mucking up his romance flags, I couldn't replay his romance scene with my actual Galemancer Tav, but the romance does trigger later in Act I when you farm some approval (so either in the Underdark or Creche, depending which path you go on). But it also bugs out (I had to long rest twice with my Tav as the first time it triggered tiefling party dialogue before promptly cutting out, probably a bug because it was an old save where the romance SHOULD have triggered during the party).

Anyways, moving on. I am jumping over some zones/quests because nothing particularly interesting happened (I helped the Myconids but I do that always so that's that, though I let Glut die while fighting the Duergar, not on purpose he just got felted, sorry big guy).

Siding with this guy has exactly zero payoff (Act II spoiler - Balthazar turns him into a zombie and that's that), which is another evil run gripe. He is like Minthara where you can convince him to go against the Absolute, but instead it just goes nowhere apparently.

I just sided with him and suffered through killing a bunch of gnomes and Duergar. Well, at least I got some new scenes.

Astarion flirting interlude:

I put this here because the durge evil face is just so funny. These two would make a disaster pair, but, alas, we in this house are women-loving-women.

So, remember me setting out to push Lae'zel towards loyalty to Vlaakith?

I went as far as to stab the Dream Guardian...

Obviously I should have known better, because the Guardian has plot-armor for obvious reasons. This game kinda sorta railroads you to go against Vlaakith/side with the Guardian. Otherwise the game would just end for obvious reasons... So I decided that I might just shelve Lae'zel along the way.

Maybe I should have made some other decisions in later acts (like killing Voss), but I had my companion-squad already with me, so I decided to let it go.

And that concludes a "brief" overview of durge Act I: