#arendaes

[sacherali]

Commission done for @arendaes ✨

[faepixel]

🍓 full body reference comm of @arendaes's lovely knight commander ariadne from pathfinder: wrath of the righteous! 🍓

i had such a fun time with their inventory items! thanks so much again!!!

[milk-crafting]

Imogen for @arendaes Noa for @crownedinmarigolds

I should get the rest of these messy sketches done tomorrow!

More info about those if anybody is interested~!

[dujour13]

5, 12, 20 for the mechanics and story asks?

Thanks Ash! 💕💕

pwotr mechanics and story ask game

5. Which class features would particularly stand out with them - Rage, Channel Positive/Negative Energy, Animal Companions, etc.?

Bardic Performance. Siavash is standing back belting out soulful acoustic guitar songs while everybody else is in the combat mosh pit.

Bard and azata are a great combination for performance feats that apply to the mythic songs as well. And on an RP level it just works that this guy with so much friendly charisma can boost stamina and courage in his allies.

12. How does their mythic path synergize with their personality - does it augment it, or is it in contrast? Something in-between?

Like I said in a previous answer, Siavash came to life (in my little mind palace) thanks to the azata path, so it’s inextricably part of him. His personality as an artsy, flaky, cheerful, affectionate Desnan just got magnified by the mythic powers. There was never a moment of doubt or struggle for him about the nature of the mythic power or where it was leading him. He felt it in his soul, embraced it fully and let it take him wherever it led, by Desna’s grace. That's not to say he never had a moment of fear with the transformations. His secret self-doubt made him wonder if magnifying his personality was really such a great idea.

20. Is there an item in-game that you felt became iconic to the Knight-Commander?

HA I’m going to have to say the default bard outfit. That thing… when that came up in character creation was probably the first time I realized he was coming to life. Definitely showing signs of having his own opinions. The green striped pants, odd color assortment and bohemian accessories have become part of his iconic self and I wouldn’t have him otherwise.

[outeremissary]

Tagged by @arendaes for this- thanks! But Ash, this was very terrifying because my username is long, it has three repeat letters, and I had to find a U. I pulled almost all of this off of character or ship playlists... faster than trusting my memory, haha.

Rules: Pick a song for each letter of your URL and tag that many people.

(the stars are Spotify links!)

O bsessed with You - The Orion Experience (*) U ndisclosed Desires - Muse (*) T ear You Apart - She Wants Revenge (*) E nchanté - Dirt Poor Robins (*) R ain Clouds - The Arcadian Wild (*) E ros and Apollo - Studio Killers (*) M etronome - CircusP (*) I f I Have to Wake Up (Would You Stop the Rain?) - Baroness (*) S tring Theocracy - Mili (*) S ay You’ll Haunt Me - Stone Sour (*) A sphyxia - Cö shu nie (*) R eincarnation - ZUN (*) Y ellow - Yoh Kamiyama (*)

I'm not tagging 13 people, but I'll tag a few! So if you'd like, @mountainashfae, @bearvanhelsing, @lizrich, and @kaleido-scope-lady.

[undyingembers]

1, 2, 18, and 22 for the WOTR mechanics asks?

What led the future Knight-Commander to take their base class?

Lenarius's devil ancestry also gifted him/her with an infernal sorcerous bloodline, which did not help his/her standing with the family at all. Rather than let his/her magic go out of control, Leonosa's family hired a magic tutor to keep his/her power under control. S/he probably would have chosen that path anyway. S/he prefers taking a methodological and measured approach to his/her magic than relying on instinct and force of personality like sorcerers do. Hence why s/he became an arcanist.

2. What led to the Knight-Commander picking their archetype, or staying the standard class?

None of the archetypes really fit? Len also really likes the arcane exploits too much to limit them or give them up for some other gimmick. S/he would very much like to stick with the wizard spellbook, and s/he'd prefer to keep his/her magic controlled, which leaves out Eldrich Font.

I did consider Arcane Deceiver when it got released, but the lack of arcane exploits was a deal-breaker. I depend on Dimensional Slide too much to let it go.

18. Did any of their companions multiclass or take a PRC they do not start with, and if so what is the story behind this?

Len did not multiclass any companions, other than Regill with Hellknight. I'm pretty basic, and I don't trust myself to make a good multiclass build.

22. What is the Commander’s opinion of their mythic patrons/advisors - the Hand of the Inheritor, Aivu or the Desnan Adepts, Zacharias, the Aeon in the mirror, Hal, Yozz and Noticula, etc.?

Len found it impossible to feel any strong emotions towards the mirror Aeon. It felt too much like evaluating and being evaluated by him/herself. The back and forth, answers and questions flowed in perfect motion. S/he reflects on all the judgements s/he made and sees the imperfections slowly being chiseled at. S/he walks away from these meetings with a sense of peace as s/he works towards fixing the world.

As for Melies, s/he would rather not deal with him. As an officer of the Crusade, he has every right to sit in on the judgements, and s/he will not infringe on that right. S/he is very uncomfortable with this devil. S/he's afraid that Melies might try to manipulate the shared connection the two have with the Hells, and of the reputational damage of him/her seeming to consort with a devil. S/he can ignore his advice safely enough.

[bragganhyl]

Pallegina for the "Give Me a Character" ask game? 👀

@aylaaescar also asked about her, so here we go 😁

How I feel about this character: I absolutely adore her, 12/10, no notes, best pal paladin I could have ever asked for deadfire does her kinda dirty tho ngl

All the people I ship romantically with this character: Maneha, their dynamic is very cute and you know Maneha would've treated her right, given the chance.

But also there was that one ending slide where Pallegina becomes the personal guard of the ducess of Spirento? And there are certain rumors about them? Y'know what, good for her I can appreciate a good secret lady/knight romance

My non-romantic OTP for this character: ✨ Tekehu ✨ They have some of the most wholesome interactions in the game if not the whole series. The conversation about the stolen book? Exquisite. I really like how their dynamic explores what being godlike means to each of them, how crushingly lonely they are and how they strive to make each other feel a little more understood.

My unpopular opinion about this character: I am actually fine with her leaving if you don't side with the VTC, it eliminates the chance of getting one of those "and she was never to be seen again" ending slides call me a coward I guess

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon. Just one lol? The Kind Wayfarer ending should've been acknowledged in Deadfire, like... just in any way.

[mathlann]

Idira for the Send Me a Character Post!

Idira!!!!!

How I feel about this character

Idira breaks my heart and I wish we had more content with her. On the one hand she is genuinely the funniest character in the game and I don't do plot-important quests without her just because I don't want to miss what she has to say. On the other hand as I've been going over her dialogue again, the way she is just..."but Doctor, I am Pagliacci." Like the ways she's just moved from "cruel and exploitative circumstances" to "the same, but more materially comfortable" so she clings to Theodora and Theodora's memory but Theodora never cared for her. And she's proud of being a psyker, but also it's the cause of her woes and the way she just wants someone to care about her, and if she can't have that, then let her be a tool, so long as the voices are quiet and like....Idira, I've rarely wanted to hug a fictional character more.

All the people I ship romantically with this character

Idira x Vigdis

Idira x Jae

Idira x A beautiful paradise world where nobody bothers her

My non-romantic OTP for this character

Idira and Jae

Idira and Abelard, I wish we got more dialogue with them together about realizing what Theodora did to them.

Idira and Marazhai. Not in the way that they are friends but something in the way she is, by nature kind of anathema to him (she makes Slaanesh stronger cuz of her walking Warp Magnet energy) and the fact that she has just so much shit going on in her life he doesn't even register as a top 10 scary. Fuck off stick bug, she's got 9 demons in her ear at any one time and a ton of self-loathing, there's nothing he can possibly do to mentally or emotionally harm her more than she harms herself. The fact that she bullies him for even trying to feed off her....and it works...Brava 👑.

My unpopular opinion about this character

Less an unpopular opinion and more a massive bitch but the way the fandom treats Idira is so dehumanizing which is incredibly ironic considering her whole arc as a character. Like, the way Idira was and still is villainized by the fandom for the Demondora incident and the way there were waves of people on the subreddit joking about how the best choice was killing her because it doesn't matter that she was grieving, she was a danger to the whole ship and stupid for having human emotions? In the same fandom where Cassia "my emotions can make people kill themselves due to the stolen Xenotech in my chest" Orsellio is wifey, and Heinrix "becomes a one-man Warp Incursion in the chambers of the Rogue Trader because he got too conflicted about his emotions" van Calox is Mr. Darcy? The Warp isn't suddenly less bad because the person fucking it up is also fucking the Rogue Trader, be serious and forreal. And give Idira one million dollars for every post talking bad on her.

One thing I wish would happen / had happened with this character in canon.

So much of her story is tied up in Theodora but I would've loved to get a better view of Leira as a planet outside Imperium influence. Or maybe not even Leira but just, her perspective as someone born outside the Imperium because the game doesn't hone in on that as much.

[cassynite]

1, 35, 40, and B for Sparrow?

What’s the maximum amount of time your character can sit still with nothing to do?

Probably indefinitely. Sparrow had a lot of practice being still and doing nothing growing up, playing either as bodyguard or body double, and her general stance leans strongly toward stillness anyway. She would either sink into herself if she felt she was in a safe space, or keeping a close eye on her surroundings if she did not, but she would not feel the need to move.

35. How do they treat the things their friends come to them excited about? Are they supportive?

Sparrow is very supportive of her friends! She probably wouldn't be able to reflect their excitement back at them simply because she's not terribly emotive, but she would actively listen to them speak about subjects her friends are interested and take a direct interest in them for their sake. She often engages with or puts effort into topics or activities she otherwise wouldn't touch simply because someone she cares about likes doing it or is passionate about it, which makes it a worthy endeavor in its own right.

40. How sensitive are they to their own flaws?

This one's kind of a tricky question…I would say that Sparrow isn't actually that sensitive to her flaws, with the understanding that she is actually incredibly self-critical of herself and sees a lot of flaws where others might not. But she sees them as inevitable aspects of herself and would not be upset at having them be pointed out at her or criticized, she would simply take the comments and move on. I think the only time she might actually be hurt or sensitive about them is if something is pointed out to her by someone she loves and she perceives it as a failing that is making them care about her less.

B) What inspired you to create them? Sparrow came to me piecemeal over a long period of time, actually! There's no one thing that inspired her creation and she's changed loads since when I first came up with her. Most of what created her personality and who she is does come from playing WOTR, though. Her past as a slave was created during her speaking to Daeran post-Battlebliss and mentioning she hated the feeling of being collared, for example.  The rest, funnily enough, came from developing her through an extremely self-indulgent and now defunct AU where I built Sparrow as a companion that was tied to Daeran and his quest by making her his unhappily married politically arranged marriage wife.

[archduke-enver-gortash]

For the OC interview questions, for Oleander - "Why were you named the way you were? Is there a special meaning behind your name (or middle name if applicable)?"

whipping a scenario for this one out of my ass rq uhhh you stumbled into ollie’s hut while out foraging during a thunderstorm seeking shelter and he has made you soup (don’t ask what that kind of meat that is)

oleander is difficult for these because he is mostly a listener and responder in conversations but. i’ll try.

The man in front of you smiles a smile that is eerily warm despite the sharp fangs protruding out of the scarred, left side of his mouth baring themselves to you.

“Are you familiar with the art of growing your own garden? I shall answer your question at once, but do take this to heart: If you aren’t, it is definitely something that you should be. Why, you ask? Oh, I would love to tell you! You see, while all the technicalities of it are certainly of great importance, I am of the opinion that to grow something, make something bloom into a new life from nothing, you have to give your young as much of yourself as they will certainly return to you one day. I am speaking about love, of course. Nothing in this world can flourish without it, even if some sadly try to make it otherwise.

Oh my, I apologize! That went on for quite a bit longer than I had hoped. To get back to you—I was named by the magnificent oleander itself. It was the first time I had the joy of experiencing one of my young blooming in the flesh.”

You see tears well up in his eyes. You undoubtedly awoke a fond memory in this stranger.

“It returned to me it’s great love. I had to honor this gift in the only way the hopeless, loveless, nameless wanderer I was back then knew how.”

ahaha ha ollie the freak that you are. ollie does never corrupt with lies. if you know his backstory you know that he’s literally talking about growing his garden in the rotting flesh of the people he’s killed :/

[desnas]

🌺 Taro enjoys skinny-dipping 🫣

🌺10/10! oh absolutely! they just love swimming in general, it’s very therapeutic for their chronic pain, but also in a more natural/freedom & adrenaline seeking sense it aligns perfectly with their desire to be perceived as beautiful 🥰

overall it’s exciting and just makes them feel nice!

[three-of-crows]

2, 71, 74 for the Spotify Wrapped ask? 👀

Oh hello, I thought you would never ask me 👀 lol

2., Honeylight (Amber Run)

Because of Lann and Ekaterina.

71. The Empire of Winds (Alpine Universe)

Thanks to Instagram's ads, I found this goldie one hahaha It makes part of Katya's playlist

74. Mr. Brightside (The Killers)

What can I say, that song is one of my comfort ones. And I love that clip.

[valiantcat]

Your regular Daeran shipment is here lol. This one was commissioned from New House - when I saw their other works I just couldn't resist. I can't express how much I love the lighting and atmosphere here!

[ylieke]

Daeran for @valiantcat

[dujour13]

🌸🌷💐🌙⚡💧 for both Sia and Taurvi? (sorry I wasn't on here much yesterday so I'm just seeing this...)

Aw thanks Ash! 🥰 Never any pressure. Thanks for asking for Taurvi too - these got some wheels turning!

For this OC ask game

🌸 What's this oc's favorite and least favorite color?

Siavash – His favorite color changes with his shirt but Aivu told him to say purple, so – purple!

Taurvi – She dresses very soberly in grey, black and earthtones but her favorite color is the soothing, cool blue of the sea.

🌷 What’s this oc’s biggest fear?

Siavash – Abandonment, which is rich because he’s the one who tends to drift away. In his heart he needs to know there are people to come home to – people who truly know and love him, with all his faults.

Taurvi – Loss of control, of herself and of the situation around her. She needs to believe that things are in their rightful place and someone’s looking after it all. (I want to tell her that doesn’t have to be her. She’s very anxious underneath the cold demeanor.)

💐 Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

Siavash – During the Crusade, the rooftops of Drezen - with a friend and a box of cherry rolls. Otherwise the beach, the lakeside in his domain or the riverside in Andoran. And later, Daeran’s eternal party villa. (Which incidentally I should find a name for. thinking emoji)

Taurvi – She used to like to spend time with her friends in the gardens of the maternity ward at the Temple of Pharasma until she was sent to join the Voices of the Spire, and then relaxation wasn’t on the daily schedule. During the Crusade, (this is a big spoiler but) Seelah’s arms.

🌙    Does this oc have any unusual hobbies?

Siavash – Music takes up most of his free time but he plays amateur prismati, the Andoren team sport, and tries to keep up with league games when in the country. He whittles but that’s more to keep his hands busy when he’s not playing guitar. He also collects cool objects and souvenirs and then loses them.

Taurvi – Jewelry-making of all kinds – bracelets, anklets, hairpieces, necklaces, earrings and horn adornments. It’s calming to bead and braid, especially with a friend.

⚡How well does this oc sleep?

Siavash – Like a baby. One of Desna’s greatest blessings.

Taurvi – Badly. When she wakes in the middle of the night she’ll find something to do to wait out the insomnia instead of tossing and turning, but the sleeplessness takes its toll.

💧 What is this oc most passionate about?

Answered here for Siavash

Taurvi – Her goddess; the Great Spiral of Creation; the proper order and beauty of the cycle of birth and death.

[outeremissary]

Oooh how about telling us a little about The Thousand Mile Fall? 👀

Thank you Ash and @bearvanhelsing for asking!

I want to begin by apologizing- I suspect you were looking for Tristian, but this is the single BG3 thing that was on the list. Jay, idk where you stand on discourse game of the year, but Ash, I know that you're not a fan and have been working on distance. I'm placing the rest under a cut. You can read it or not read it. Either thing is fine with me.

As compensation: the one actual Kingmaker ask I got on this (sorry it's not a flashy one), or a PF2e one about Kasander/Asperia.

Still with me? Thank you, I appreciate it!! Let's see to what degree I'm willing to bare my soul before I get too embarrassed and awkwardly trail off.

Ah: DUrge spoiler warning. And content warning: DUrgetash (sorry)

So! The Thousand Mile Fall, something which was only just starting to go beyond planning (and originally planning for a comic) when my laptop committed die. I was really interested in the concept of the Dark Urge as a character who was always framed as having fallen from grace, and who had also fallen from a state of divinity. The liminal state excited me, and we all know how I feel about a horrible someone who's a horrible failure of an angel. Horrible failure of a demigod occupies a similar space. I think the nature of that failure- that fall- began to occupy me quite a bit, since I had a strong concept for Asperia from very, very early on in my playthrough (long before I knew anything besides the DUrge plot besides that they were a Bhaalspawn, even before I had become convinced Kasander and Asperia existed simultaneously) and at the heart of Asperia was someone who was infallible and convinced of their invincibility- maybe rightly so.

So, this story is set only a bit before the game and is meant to unpick the loss of that perfect favor- in my mind, the loss of Asperia's "godhood," something which is stolen twice. The second and definitive loss is of course to Orin in a singular act of violence, but Orin's path to victory was opened by the slow and insidious poison of having known Enver Gortash. In a "the bar is in hell" turn of things, their... acquaintanceship is the closest thing Asperia has ever experienced to a normal relationship and a normal life. And that glimpse of the other side is what unmakes her. It's always been crucial to Asperia's role in the system to be the one who loves being Bhaal's beloved child, who can reconcile anything with belonging, who buys in so fully that it is unthinkable to be less than a god and it is unthinkable to have desires besides those of a god. Others hold the questions, the fear, the other desires- Kasander and Bride especially- but Asperia wants nothing else in life, and Asperia believes with painful, self-destructive fervor.

Asperia has already been acquainted with Gortash for some good while here, the wheels turning in the scheme of the Absolute. This is the longest positive relationship of any kind Asperia has ever had outside of whatever pseudo-parental thing he has with Scleritas, and it has been wonderful: novel, collaborative, a meeting with someone who resembles an equal despite being a mere mortal. Asperia has begun to see other facets of the world through this, to see the ways the world of the living comes together for purposes besides inevitable execution. It's all an act of devotion, all furthering the will of Bhaal, all what Asperia desires and wants to do. But the further it's gone the more it's started to be fun for its own sake too, and a certain fascination with a frenemy has begun to blossom into dangerous fantasies.

Asperia doesn't fantasize. Asperia can't fantasize. Asperia is a god, and he only wants things which are real and deserved. Bhaal's favor is proof of that: Orin's ugly, messy desires make her a worse worshiper, and she's never had their divine father's love. Asperia is Bhaal's beloved. Asperia is defined by her distance from those mistakes. And so too is Asperia the perfect disciple, a being beyond sin. If something is what Asperia wants, then it must be acceptable.

And this is how Asperia begins to lose Bhaal's favor.

Asperia starts the story at a personal high and only rising- with the world at her fingertips and Bhaal's love behind her, she's preparing for the victory lap and has taken an extra prize in becoming more intimately involved with Gortash. But you can't have your cake and eat it too- this impossible personal high the seed of Asperia's ruin, already sown, takes root and begins to grow. Bhaal's perfect killing machine doesn't play house with Bane's Chosen. And there are more than enough people who fucking hate Asperia already and are ready to take note- as well as Gortash himself, so much older and colder than young, sheltered Asperia. There may be some genuine affection there in some form, but calculation and power take precedent, as does the enjoyment of solving this Bhaalspawn puzzle by picking her apart.

Over time the increasingly clear dissonance between the impossible misalignment- the first Asperia has ever experienced- between what they want and what Bhaal allows them to desire and have drives them to spiral into a state of exceptional vulnerability that ultimately allows Orin to usurp them. The escalating stress causes them to lose time more and more frequently, beyond what they can explain away to themself and make disappear, and they begin to doubt themself. To fear what is happening, and to develop their own doubts about Bhaal- things that should live elsewhere, things that cause other parts to bubble up in ways they notice. Asperia is straying and rivals like Orin can see it, is becoming less dependable and reluctant allies like Ketheric can see it, is becoming a less than perfect disciple and that butler shepherd of Bhaal can see it (not that every part was always perfect- Scleritas has always known that "Asperia" is more than just Asperia, and has long pitted Asperia against themself). And Asperia is vulnerable and open and easier and easier to see- and Gortash, who has solved the part of this puzzle Asperia refuses to see quite well, sees it all and drives the spiral deeper. Pulls Asperia closer, and begins to learn the others without letting Asperia know (this is a piece of how Kasander knows Gortash, has known Gortash before anything).

So y'know. It's all heading for inevitable tragedy, heartbreak, ruin, bad feelings, and a tadpole in the head, as well as a shitty asshole boyfriend conspiring with one's sister who has been waiting for ages for the change to REALLY wreck one's shit. Yikes! Feel like not enough was spent on the family drama and that's sold Orin short, but she's played a damn active hand through it all. Sacrificial Orin, always underestimated, always overlooked, always surviving.

I dunno how to conclude this and I feel like I probably talked too long (half just to remember things I can't access until the new laptop arrives and is set up). All in all, just a fun little project to play with while I continue to fail to finish the last teeny bit of the actual goddamn game (I'm the worst at wrapping up the last little dregs of things after I've cleaned up the most fun stuff).

TLDR: Asperia, main character of life, starts to Lose the Plot and gets written out of the story for a little while