#as well as learning a bit more about how to play a paladin before the oneshot on friday

[toytulini]

i made an oc thats at least nicknamed "Stupid" and im constantly thinking about what a power move that is tbh

[hanaaria]

creating a new dnd character is so fun like what the fuck

[corrodedbisexual]

@waning-croissant well... I had to.

"Nope. Outside of D&D, I am no hero," Eddie talks as he keeps walking, a step ahead of Steve. "I see danger and I just turn heel and run. Or at least that's what I've learned about myself this week."

Eddie's not even sure what he's saying anymore, he just knows that if he doesn't keep talking over the nightmarish ambience of this hellscape, he might actually go insane. Hearing his own voice, he can at least pretend like he's just narrating a game, and the rest is his overactive imagination. Not that he actually believes that, of course, it's just... irrationally comforting.

"Give yourself a break, man."

Steve reaches for him, but Eddie's body reacts on autopilot to an unexpected touch, practically slapping the boy's arm away. He's on a roll here, words still spilling right over the all-too-late pang of regret in his chest. It would have been nice to experience, that pat on the chest or squeeze on the shoulder, whatever Steve was going for, if it weren't for Eddie's perpetual skittishness.

"See? The only reason—"

"Did you hear what I said?"

"—I came in here was 'cause—"

"Eddie!"

Eddie's head snaps to Steve as he cuts off the rest of his semi-planned speech, which was suddenly inspired by the sight of Nancy Wheeler ahead of them. If he was the cowardly bard in the story, the least he could be useful for is cheer on the real hero of it. Give the courageous bat-biting paladin the motivation to keep fighting.

"Huh?"

"Do you ever stop running your mouth and listen?" Steve's brows are furrowed, but his tone isn't mean, and there's an amused smile playing on his lips. "You're almost worse than Dustin, Jesus Christ."

Eddie opens his mouth, lets his jaw hang for a second, and closes it again with a click of the teeth, as he processes the words he would have perceived as an insult, had he not been piecing together what the kid meant to Steve for the past several days. It was a bit of a revelation that their relationship ran far deeper than just some giant one-sided platonic crush on Dustin's part, like Eddie had mistakenly assumed throughout most of this year.

Steve takes a small step closer, the first one to invade Eddie's personal space for once, after Eddie's been doing it for the better part of their walk together. Unconsciously, like his body just decided that being tucked into Steve meant safety from the bloodthirsty bats, and the creepy vines, and that Vecna guy they could run into any minute.

"We all ran, all four of us. Just now, when we saw that giant swarm of bats in the distance, remember?" Steve speaks softly, waving his arm vaguely in the direction behind them. "Because sometimes, running and surviving is the only thing you can do."

Eddie doesn't know what to say to that. He just focuses on looking at the boy's eyes, like a normal person, and trying not stare at his lips moving. But then, when he pauses, Steve's eyes flicker down, and... huh. Huh. Wait, what?

"Of course you've been running. You couldn't have fought Vecna when he took Chrissy. Or Carver's crazy mob, or the entire police force of Hawkins," Steve keeps talking intently, looking into Eddie's eyes again like his gaze never wavered south. "Any more than we could fight that whole swarm. Because we'd definitely be dead now if we tried, no matter how metal you think I am," he adds with a tiny smug smile that's entirely Eddie's fault. "So there's a difference between being a coward, and acting stupid and reckless."

Steve pats his shoulder twice, then turns and keeps walking, and Eddie moves to follow him like on a tether, before his flustered brain even catches up.

"H-hey, I never said you were metal! I said what you did with that bat was metal," he grumbles, thankful for the darkness concealing his undoubtedly flushed face.

"I beg to differ," Steve turns around to tease, grinning, and pointedly tugs on his own collar. "You're the resident metalhead, and I'm wearing your vest, that does make me at least a little bit metal."

Yeah, thanks for the reminder, Harrington. Eddie's not sure what possessed him to throw that thing at the boy. At the time, he only thought of how he wouldn't survive the whole ordeal of Steve's hairy tits on display for much longer, but him in Eddie's clothes? Even worse.

"Fine," Eddie rolls his eyes and shoves his hands into his pockets, catching up to Steve in three quick strides. "Only a little bit though." He sneaks a glance at the boy; Steve's not looking back, once again on guard, surveying their surroundings with his flashlight, but the pleased smile makes its way to his face regardless.

"Doesn't matter why you jumped after us, Munson, you're here now. And don't try to act all modest when you've just saved a guy's ass. Which, by the way..." Steve turns his head to Eddie again. "Nice job with that oar. Too bad you hate jocks, you'd have made a fine hitter on the school baseball team."

Eddie gasps and grips his own chest in mock offense, even as warmth spreads up his neck and pools in the tips of his ears, thankfully hidden beneath his hair.

"How dare you, with these vile insinuations."

"I'm just saying," Steve shakes his head, laughing. "You're pretty... bat-ass, too, Eddie." He glances over again with a shit-eating grin. "Get it? Bat-ass?"

"Oh no, Steve Harrington is actually a dork with terrible puns," Eddie mumbles to himself and sighs, rolling his eyes up to the dark sky.

"Shut the fuck up, my puns are amazing." Steve elbows him in the ribs and chuckles. "You know what, I'm starting to understand why Henderson was obsessed with getting us to hang out."

What is that supposed to mean?

"He... he was?" Eddie gapes.

Another earthquake saves him from the mortifying ordeal of re-assessing the whole Munson doctrine, for the hundredth time this week. And as they hurry along to catch up with the girls, and Steve's hand grips his bicep whenever he falls behind, Eddie wonders if maybe he should just set fire to the doctrine and let it turn to ash.

[precambrian-sea-pancake]

Gonna infodump about my D&D character

(Sadly forced to keep things confidential because my party members follow me on tumblr…you know who you are 👁️👁️)

I’ve only had Gawain for a short time but OH MY GOODNESS I FUCKING ADORE THIS SILLY GUY!!

Also kinda shocked that the moodboard I made for him got that many notes. That’s a first…

Also please enjoy the drawing @hootbon made for me. I will never shut up about their art.

So…for what CAN post publicly…

Gawain is your token Lawful Good Paladin TM. Bonus points for being a protector aasimar I guess. (Though I might multiclass into a bard depending on how things go. It would fit him well. They’re my favorite spell caster.)

His personality is gonna be SO fun to play. Before I explain that, I should mention that he’s actually the youngest of the group at 24. The second youngest is the Kobold (Maran) who’s 37. So he’s a lot more naive and still understanding himself and the world around him. People often dismiss him due to that unfortunately. But, you know, imagine a dumb collage age boy and you get somewhat of an idea.

He’s a very sweet and compassionate guy, extremely extroverted and fun loving…maybe a bit flirty at times. Definitely cracks witty comments and one liners in battles ranging from something clever to “suck my dick” or something dumb like that. That doesn’t mean he can’t be serious, he absolutely knows when he should. Ironically he’s the most “normal” of the group, often being the straight man. Overall heart of gold and just wants to help people.

He has a bit of a rebellious and impulsiveness to him. As clever as he is, he’s mostly driven by his emotions. It’s always a “do what feels right in the moment” rather than logic. In general he’s just very emotional and struggles with hyper empathy. This also causes him to question a lot of the authority around him.

I’d also say he has that Disney Princess syndrome. Gawain is convinced that he has some grand destiny and is meant for more. He’s always wanted to explore and learn more about the world, meet new people and cultures, live a life of glory and adventure. Maybe he’s in over his head or maybe he’s not…we’ll see.

However, another big reason for doing all this is that he wants to understand who he is…more accurately WHAT he is. He was born to humans, raised by humans, and grew up in a mostly all human kingdom. So he grew up thinking he was one despite some strong differences between him and the others. Aasimar are VERY rare, and more like myths to most people, and others don’t even know they exist. So people either assumed he was blessed or cursed, some treated him like the messiah, and others thought he was a freak and dangerous. So yeah, he never felt like he belonged and wants to learn about himself.

Somewhere in his life he ended up becoming a squire and completed his training just before the start of the campaign…

And that’s all the backstory information I can post because my friends will see this.

I guess I can do a bit of trivia:

It’s still D&D lore, but the world itself is homebrew. Humans are actually not the majority race, far from it. Most humans live in a large archipelago with various human nations. I remember the DM said the estimated population of humans was 20,000 to 30,000. The two mainland continents are one dominated by dwarves and the other by elves, along with other races being far more common on the mainland. Not really about my character but I LOVE that detail. It’s somewhat relevant I guess since I said Gawain grew up in a human society.

The god he venerates most is Ilmatar.

His eyes reflect his emotions and power. When using any of his abilities or when under intense emotions (both positive and negative), his eyes will turn a solid gold color.

Prior to his training, he was a courier. His parents ran his town’s postal service and that’s one of the things that got him into the idea of adventuring.

He’s more of a cat person than a dog person. He likes both, but I feel like he’d go for the cat.

The first weapon he ever used was a bow rather than a sword. The specific sword he uses is an arming sword.

He is a wonderful singer, his voice is almost ethereal in when he sings (little aasimar headcanon of mine).

His favorite study is anthropology, but also really likes history and geography. He’s always collecting little souvenirs and trinkets from everywhere he visits.

He keeps a diary and loves to write stories and sketch things. A lot of story inspiration comes from his dreams, which are often very vivid…and he remembers them super well.

Neither of his parents have blonde hair, nor is it a recessive trait they had. It’s actually part of his aasimar traits.

He talks in his sleep because I think it’s funny.

If this wasn’t a medieval fantasy world, he’d definitely use Gen Z slang. Maybe even tell someone “L + Ratio” or “Skill issue” after besting them in battle. In that same hypothetical reality, his favorite band would be Starset and The Score.

He takes good care of his appearance and health, so he does enjoy certain beauty products. A spa day is his ideal day off.

He hates salmon. He thinks it tastes bad and prefers catfish. I don’t know why I even thought of that fact but it’s there.

[loulouhattie]

The Vampire’s Violin

Pairing: m!Tav x Astarion

Summary:

In my playthrough, Astarion multiclasses as a bard. My HC is that he loved music once, and played it before Cazador took him. Now, with his taste first of freedom in 200 years, he indulges himself by trying again. But doesn't anticipate Finn watching him

Tav: Finn is a half drow fighter/paladin who puts up a front of being a too-cool, tough guy jock. In reality, its a mask for his sensitive and gentle nature

Rating: teen

Tags: fluff, romantic tension, little bit of enemies to lovers, but very light

This is a very self indulgent one-shot I wrote because I couldnt stop thinking about this story hc, and then I had to draw it to bring it to life and

Well

Bon appetit i guess

————————

‘Gods above!’

Astarion almost dropped the violin, swinging around to see the Finn staring through the bushes, eyes gleaming and his face split into a mischievous grin.

‘How bloody long were you standing there!’ he hissed.

Finn shrugged.

‘I only came out here to find a tree to piss on. Certainly didn’t expect to find you giving the squirrels a concert!’ Finn smirked at him.

Astarion's fingers curled around the bow. He hated this feeling that he’s been caught.

But there’s nothing wrong with what he was doing, is there?

Finn noticed the tension in his shoulders, and his sneer softened.

‘Can I listen?’

‘What? No. Fuck off,’ Astarion spat, ‘and if you tell the others, I’ll decorate your bedroll with your innards.’

Finn stepped out from the bushes, standing only a few feet from the pale elf in clearing. Astarion’s eyes narrowed, his hackles tense like a cornered cat.

‘I won’t breathe a word, honest. I guess I’m just surprised, you don’t strike me as...well, it’s nice to learn a little more about you,’ Finn explained earnestly.

His tone was sincere, but Astarion’s eyes remained narrow.

‘well, it’s not much to learn about. It was a long time ago. From before I was turned,'

He absently twirled the bow,

'I suppose I got curious. People have often said such skills never leave you, and, well, like I said. I got curious.’

‘Cazador not a music lover?’

The bow stopped twirling.

‘That had better be a joke.’ it came out in a snarl.

Finn raised his hands in apology. The silence in the clearing was cool and comforting, accented by the occasional chirp of insects.

Astarion’s shoulders relaxed, and he turned so that he faced Finn fully.

‘You’re not going to fuck off. Are you?’

‘Nope!’ the half drow’s eyes couldn’t possibly get any rounder as he plonked happily down on the ground, legs crossed and beaming like a child.

Astarion scoffed. He twirled the bow once more, chewing the inside of his cheek.

‘If you’re going to insist on staying here, just keep quiet. It won’t do to distract me.’ he snapped at Finn, raising the violin to his chin. Out of the corner of his eye, Finn’s eyes sparkled as he shifted to a more comfortable position.

The pale elf exhaled, pressing the rest into the crook of his neck. With his bow hand, he plucked the string. He turned the peg for the corresponding string slowly, plucking steadily as the note sharpened.

A hot spot in his fingertip formed under the string’s friction. The note pinged clearly through the clearing, and he was satisfied. Onto the next 3 strings.

Finn watched the vampire intently. He couldn’t help but notice that his posture shifting. His brows were always so furrowed with malice, but now the focus on tuning the instrument had melted them.

There was a ghost of gentleness to his red eyes. Finn made sure not to move, careful not to disrupt this trancelike state.

Astarion plucked all 4 strings once more, their notes singing gently into the air. Shifting his stance, he raised the bow to the instrument. The insects were silent, waiting. Waiting for the performance to begin.

But the elf hesitated. His gaze clouded. Finn felt a sense of melancholy radiate from him.

‘Is…is something wrong?’ Finn probed gently. Astarion lowed the bow, dejected.

‘I don’t know what to play.’ he admitted.

200 years without so much as thinking of playing, and he was going to just give it a go?

Pathetic. What a stupid, foolish idiot he was! He wasn’t good for anything beyond manipulating and seducing pretty things-

‘I know!’

A sharp whistle sang through the clearing, making Astarion winced.

What was this idiot doing now? Astarion stared at him incredulously, about to snap at him.

Finn’s face scrunched with focus as he barely got a half cooked tune out between his lips. The only time he ever whistled was for Scratch, and this tone deaf fool couldn’t get a note out!

Then, he heard it. In between the very flat notes, he recognised that tune.

It was the song that Alfira sang in the Grove.

Astarion went still. He focused on the notes that wove together in a tapestry of melody.

Could he piece that melody together? Something he had only heard once?

He raised the bow, and passed it across the instrument. The strings squeaked in protest.

A grimace.

Finn continued to whistle... well, he continued to struggle.

Astarion repositioned the bow in his fingers. He pulled it across the violin again.

And this time, the note flowed forth. And melted into the next, flowing into a song.

It was as though mage hands were gently guiding him. The dust fell slowly from his memory as he recalled the forms for playing.

What started as rough squeaks began to form into a melody, a song. It filled the clearing, and he instinctively began to shift his weight from one foot to the other to keep his tempo.

Finn watched, transfixed. What he thought was a shift in demeanour before when he was tuning the violin was nothing compared to what was before him now.

Moonlight gleamed off Astarion’s pearlescent skin and snowy curls, dancing off him to the song he deftly coaxed from the instrument. He was a different being entirely - he was lost in the music.

His face creased in focus, not out of his usual snidenesss. He was transcendent, his brows and lips dancing to the rhythm as he bow flowed across the strings.

The song came to an end. And both men were still.

Neither said a word for a beat.

‘I won’t lie: you’re a bit shit.’ Finn broke the silence.

Astarion let out an uncharacteristic bark of laughter. Finn snickered to himself. The air was light, and mild around them.

A blush crept up Finn’s ears.

Astarion lowered the violin, letting it hang at his side. The silence of the forest permeated the clearing. He was suddenly aware of how exposed he felt out here. The bliss of feeling the music vanished in an instant.

‘We should head back, before some goblin or beast comes calling for an encore.’

‘Wait,’ Finn stood up quickly, dusting off his trousers. ‘I really enjoyed that. Listening to you play. Do you…'

He shifted on his feet, scooting dust beneath his shoe,

'if you play again, could I come and listen?’

Astarion took in the half-drow before him. He hadn’t noticed before, but his ashen skin seemed to absorb the moon and starlight. A gift of the Underdark, perhaps.

His red eye sparkled, and he recognised the blush on his ears and cheeks. The faintest hint of desire.

This would be easier than he thought.

‘Darling. I suppose we could arrange a more intimate viewing.’ he stalked past Finn, taking care to breeze so closely by that he brushed delicately past Finn’s fingertips.

He heard the faintest trace of his breath catching, and he knew he had him in the palm of his hand. He gazed at him through lowered lashes, a smile etched across his face. Poor, pathetic boy.

‘Let’s head back to camp. Maybe tomorrow night, we can arrange another little…performance.’

[jacks347]

I MISSED THE NEW BVZ PREMIERE (THANKS JOB)

So now y'all get my live reaction! (I've never done one of these before, this is gonna be fun)

SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T WATCHED IT

Intro is great as always, I love this song so much

Here we go~

WHO?? WHAT??

OFF TO A STRONG START

"Lack of cooperation" My guy it's Albus, that's literally his entire thing

On your family?? YOU LEAVE FAITH OUT OF THIS (and Kerano and Devlin)

OH??

HI DEVLIN WHAT

That design is so good, Glowbat you wonder

Plot twist #1, I expect many more

We're not even 5 minutes in, this post is going to be a fucking Bible-

Does Devlin have freckles?? Did he always have freckles?? Beautiful

Oh Devlin got sassy during the break I like :P

Of course he calls for his brother, the strongest person he knows how sweet <3

Miracle of faith, in more ways than one

Oo, that sounds painful

~DINNER BREAK~

ALBUS! LANGUAGE!

Ooo scary protective Albus

"My brothers. My battalion." Oh-

Aaaaand there's the Albus we know and love XD

"Fuck you and your hat!" Pfft you leave Devlin's fedora alone XD

Oh, back to our regularly scheduled program

Waiter I'm afraid you got some capitalism in my cowboy fantasy

GIMME CROSSBOW I WANT A CROSSBOW

I don't even think Albus knows where Albus went, he just heard his brother calling and left

Ewwwww TMI Albus

LIGHTSABER?? WHO LET ALBUS PICK UP A LIGHTSABER

Oo who's at the door? And why do I not trust it-

Oh it's just Devlin-

Uh oh, Albus has to explain his family~

Hi Mahatma! I still don't entirely trust you!

Why am I playing organizing Tetris-

...oops

"Can I ask you something?" I mean you just did so-

"Do you ever feel...powerless?" Well ain't this a pleasant conversation

"Like you can't save the people you care about" WELL AIN'T THIS A PLEASANT CONVERSATION

Look at Hipswitch showing off his detective skills! I'm so proud

Oh? What's on that ship??

Oh god not more new characters-

The mafia's back that's not good-

Why is the mafia fighting the Triad I'M SCARED

THE MAFIA SHOT DOWN THE PALADIN SHIPS?? WHY?? I DON'T LIKE WHERE THIS IS GOING

Another point to the man that can't even fuckin read that he's just a tad bit stupid :P

Boys, boys! You're both pretty stop yelling XD

"Interesting" is certainly a word for it Doc, wait until you hear about the woman they're both in love with-

"Caused any distress" ...do you hear yourself Devlin?

...awkward silence...

Paladins of Cindergorn eh? Looks like we are gonna learn about Faith today

Devlin being a smartypants, Hipswitch giving the most sass I've ever heard in a single sentence, this is great

Ewww I hated everything about that metaphor

"Something doesn't feel quite right" Of course it doesn't because nothing here is ever simple

WHY IS DEVLIN CHANGING COLORS??

"Is there anything else you can actually swallow?" ...Doc that is the wrong person to ask

"Oh...eugh" 10/10 Love that reaction XD

Poor Devlin, he spent enough time single-handedly running a ship-

When did Albus attempt to learn to cook?? And why??

"Don't worry about me" Faith's healer senses are tingling

"I saw you get goosebumps, did I scare you?" Honey considering how this story is going I don't think it was fear-

HIPSWITCH THIS IS NOT THE POSITION YOU WANT TO BE IN WHEN DEVLIN GETS BACK

Oh the secondhand embarrassment is crawling up my spine and it hasn't even happened yet

Please God get off of him before I explode-

And we're safe thank god

"You don't trust him at all, do you?" Would you if you were in my position?

This is really just the backstory episode isn't it

Albus, the hired gun where his last job got him killed, wasn't too keen on being a bounty hunter until he saw the paycheck. Okay that stings a little-

"I'm sure they're fine" *Cut to them being very not fine*

Devlin proudly proclaiming he can't read, 10/10 tension diffused

"We won't tell a soul, right partner?" Sir I couldn't even if I wanted to my mouth is literally just for decoration at this point (don't take that out of context-)

Destroy a sacred scripture surrounded by Paladins of Cindergorn, a certain priestess just felt her eye twitch

Yes Doc, show off that psychology degree you worked so hard for (hi I'm a psych student so it's also the degree *I'm* working so hard for)

"Is Devlin a father?" He's not just a stepdad, he's a dad who stepped up 💪 (that was so bad forgive me-)

Devlin...what did you do...

Okay I do not trust any of what just happened, what are you after Devlin?

Oh god the mafia's back

DOGS?? OH GOD PLEASE NO

NOT DOC!! ALBUS SOUNDS SO WORRIED

Show em what you're made of Albus

Don't talk to Albus like he doesn't know what being trained from birth to be someone's dog is like-

Devlin's going through it again, someone save the poor boy from his flashbacks

Y'know, Redacted being the one getting killed instead of doing the killing is rather cathartic in a bittersweet kind of way

Time to rewrite history! Again!

"What exactly can he do?" Great question, I'll tell you when I find out

Oh great, GB's back on his villain shit what piece of lore are we getting today

I don't trust that music, what's about to happen and is it a sand worm like this is Star Wars (we already had a lightsaber it wouldn't shock me)

I KNEW IT!! ASK ME HOW I KNEW GO ON ASK

WHO IS THE MAN IN THE MASK I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS

"I have someone for this kind of thing" Yes go visit your wife and her special bandage technique :D

"Is it a hooker?" "No! It's not a hooker!" He sounded so offended for her, I love that

:O Let someone else fix you up?? And betray wife?? Wait no Wife is Gienne (hello GB Twitch chat :P)

Where's Faith I saw the cast list where is she

WHAT DO YOU WANT YOU BIRD NOSE FREAK

:D KERANO BABY

Oh that art is adorable

SHE CALLS HIM DAD MY HEART IS GONNA EXPLODE

Oop there's Faith-

And Kerano calls her Mom ughhhhh I'm not gonna make it y'all

"It's been x amount of time" Kerano I love you

"Death is too good for him" Yikes

"That's a relief!" "It is?" Pfft-

Faith went from furious to worried in 2 seconds hearing about Albus, that's our girl

"You didn't tell him about your father's death" HEH?? HONEY YOU DIDN'T TELL *ME* ABOUT HIS FATHER'S DEATH WTF I THOUGHT WE WERE IN THIS TOGETHER FAITH

Oh poor Devlin :(

"I miss him, Faith" Is that the first time we've ever heard Devlin call her by her name? Back in BW he always just called her Sister

Awww hug him for me Faith

Oh yeah, Faith is the only who can actually read-

"Something called Operation Sub Delta" ...what

Oh my god don't read it Faith please god don't read it

And she's reading it-

"You just want an excuse to see him again" Oh look, he's reading the thoughts of the fandom (YES WE WANT ALBUS TO SEE HIS WIFE AGAIN SO SUE US)

"I've actually met someone" EXCUSE ME?? DEVLIN YOU HOE WHO IS IT??

"Look at my choice in men" Ah so she realizes it XD

Come on Faith, connect the dots, I know you're smart enough

And she's done it

Who is Agent and what the hell is happening

Uh oh-

They have the files of the subjects that Devlin doesn't

Which means they can use Albus like their own weapon by probing his training like Kravatas did

Oh I really don't like where this is going

WHAT??

THAT'S THE END??

YOU CAN'T JUST END IT ON THAT WHAT THE HELL

Oh my god this series really loves throwing me for loops doesn't it

OKAY ENDING THOUGHTS

Absolute 100000/10 episode GB you madlad you've done it again

Was completely worth the wait, love seeing the whole cast together again including our new players!

The art is flawless, I expected nothing less of Glowbat

Keep doing what you do you mad genius GB, I'll be holding my breath for the next one (try not to kill me I can't do another 4 months-)

[divine0rdainment]

MORE IDEAS FOR MY HAZBIN DND CONCEPT,

I came up with names for all the player characters and backstories, and a bit about them, gotta try and write this before I go back to work

Angel plays Estrella Angelo (Elven Bard), and her backStory consists of her being stuck as a Fae lords property for hundreds of years till she escaped and is now on the run to try and have her own life and potentially find what's left of her family, mostly her twin sister (again, y'all know why)

Adam plays Father Adonis Edens (Human Paladins who doesn't use healing spells), a priest raised under the holy light of the God of lights church, who fights for justice, music, and badassery. (Total main character syndrome but Charlie and Luci help curb it over time) Also as he levels up, charlie is nice enough to give him an item that lets him have golden wings for one hour a day in game when he learns to not be such a main character type.

Lucifers plays Ramsey Leclair (Nonbinary Changeling Wizard), the Changeling grew up in the fae wild and lived having a party every day, but chose himself to study magic till he became a wizard, and honestly doesn't even know how old he is due to the fae wild being a little Wonky time wise. That ill they met a human woman warlock named Lyla and she was the one who convinced him to leave the Fae wild to be with her, so they leave and have a kid and raise the kid till she moves out and then one day, while happily married she vanished and after waiting months, he goes out in to the world to try and find her.

Husk has Mittan Von Wiskerz (Tabaxi Rouge) big gambling problem and is indeed to a gang of thugs in a very large city and is adventuring against his well to try and get enough money to pay back his debts or they will kill him. (Angel came up with this backstory, name, class and race btw, cuz Husk didn't wanna do it)

Vaggies plays Silvana Elawise (Half Elf Fighter) who used to be a knight who served the Elven Princess Iris, till one day, Iris, is struck with a curse to turn her to stone till someone can find the cure. Of course Silvana is the first to volunteer to adventure out for a cur for this affliction, needing to save the woman she loves.

Alastors character is named Alistair LaRose, (cuz Alastor didn't wish to come up with a better name it seems -_-) And didnt wish to come up with a backstory at first, but later he desided to come up with the idea that his demon that he worships sends him on a quest to collect souls of others and the only legal way to get away with murder and killing so many monsters and animals is by being an adventure, if he doesnt give enough souls he will loose his powers.

That's all I got time for right now but I may add more tomorrow if I get more ideas

Anyone have any campaign name ideas 😅

[styrmwb]

I beat Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

This might be the longest game from start to finish I've ever played

Not in the sense that this is a long game but in the fact that this is the first real game I ever played (I'm sorry, I'm not considering pc learning programs for baby), and it took me approximately 18-19 years to get around to Finally beating it. It's very funny to say that my first experience into gaming was a strategy game. I also think that somewhere, deep down in my heart, this planted the seed for what games I ended up loving in my present. Experiencing this game with an adult mind was ALMOST a fresh experience, yet I uncovered a lot of old memories and experiences during it.

This game is goddamn addicting. I Genuinely had so much trouble putting it down at times because I just Kept Wanting To Play. Let me explain to you my thoughts :)

Gameplay

I love RPGs to the bottom of my heart; HOWEVER. I have Always Always Always HATED gear management. I don't think I ever truly appreciated it in a game until Final Fantasy IX, where equipping gear and holding onto it taught you abilities permanently. It made me care about my gear and when to equip it more than just stat buffs and "yeah I guess I'll get fire immunity whatever". I LOVE that system so much. Another system that I love to the bottom of my heart (also an FF Classic but Dragon Quest gave me this too) is the job/class system. The freedom of changing my characters to be whatever I want and to mix and match their abilities is so fun and leads to a lot of flavor and mechanics. Final Fantasy V does it the best imo. So what do I get here? I get 2 of my favorite RPG mechanics of all time put into one!!! The reason this game is so addicting is it's basically to me character building simulator. I am constantly thinking about job paths, what I want each of my guys to be, how much time am I putting them in battles and spreading across their usage and swapping gear to maximize AP gains and make a small army of broken warriors. It's an absolute joy. The base gameplay is super solid too which helps. I mean, I love strategy RPGs (I am, unfortunately, a Fire Emblem bitch), so you literally can't go wrong with it.

I loved the jobs in this game. In fact, I'm gonna be a big nerd and tell you about my whole clan because this is MY post and I make the rules

Marche - Paladin/Fighter: World's Strongest Child. Fighter's damage output is insane, and has a wide range of abilities that helped out with its accuracy or distance, as well as just some meaty hits to annihilate. I went into Paladin just for some extra defense, and was also blessed with some good support skills and a stupid strong nuke in Holy Blade.

Montblanc - Mog Knight/Juggler: To be real here, I fucked up with this dude. I Did Not know what I wanted to do with him, and messed his stats up a little as a result. But Juggler is such a good support unit, especially with Dagger's disable + damage and Smile's instant turn ratio. Mog Knight did not perform how I wanted it to, but it has funny ability names.

Nikolai - Hunter/Archer: As I mentioned before, I'm a Fire Emblem bitch; and what that means is that I'm used to archers sucking shit (fuck you Python hit your damned shots). I was NOT expecting the bowman here to be as goated as he was. The utility of the aim abilities from damage boosting to disabling the enemy, as well as hunt's huge monster damage, this dude was a prime stay throughout the entire playthrough.

Chelney - Dragoon/Gladiator: This guy took a bit to load up, but once he did, holy shit. Absolute damage demon. Dragoon's wide range of AOE abilities + spear usage given some extra strength and smaller focus when needed from Gladiator, on top of the insane movement I gave him meant I had a Bangaa missile land wherever I wanted it to.

Eugene - Sage/White Mage/Beastmaster (when needed): Another unit I didn't really do optimally. White Mage is obviously a great support as it always is, but I genuinely thought Sage was gonna be a support type. Instead I got some damage skills (which to be fair were nice to have) that were super rare to find and didn't feel really BEEFY. Beastmaster was mostly there to support the Blue Mage.

Gertrude - Red Mage/Summoner: The early playthrough goat and 1/2 of the reason why I think Viera units are the best units in the game. Red Mage's wide variety of abilities came in clutch, as well as the bit of Fencer I gave her at first to cover both magic and physical. Then came Summoner, which was just "haha drop a big explosion". THEN I got Doublecast. "HAHA DROP TWO BIG EXPLOSIONS". Very very very fun unit, I just wish she actually managed to hit more. I blame myself for not giving her more movement to get behind the enemy.

Skimble - Time Mage/Black Mage: The epitome of a glass cannon, Poor Skimble could nuke anyone he saw but kept constantly getting targeted and killed. I actually did really like this mix of jobs because he could pull off support and damage well whenever I needed.

Gotwald - Bishop/White Monk: Not the most used unit, but a VERY fun combination of jobs. Bishop is like, Good Sage, with its healing and damage magic, and then the White Monk abilities balanced it out with some physical attacks as needed and Revive. Thematically it all balances out very well, I loved this.

Gallahad - Ninja: Another unit I didn't really know what to do with. He started out as a thief but I never really liked stealing in games (mainly cause it just never seemed worth the trouble). It was worth it to get to Ninja, though. His damage output, especially once I unlocked Double Sword was insane. The utility of Ninja Skills are also awesome, I just wish he could land them.

Agatha - Assassin/Sniper: I lied when I said Gertrude was 1/2 of what convinced me Vieras were the best. Agatha is 5/6ths of what convinced me of this fact. Having her in Sniper was already really solid with Doubleshot, Death Scythe, Aim:Weapon, etc (a really funny combo was dooming someone then using Montblanc to speed up their turns and thus their demise.) But then Assassin? Holy shit. Literally just instantly killing anything across the field, dashing around at mach speed, everything in her range. Once I mastered Ultima Buster and gave her back a greatbow, everyone was just "am I going to Last Breath or Ultima Buster you? You get one shot either way". Insane unit.

Karl - Gunner/Animist: This is such a fun long range hide in the back of the map combo. Gunner has surprisingly crazy damage, and it can keep up that damage AND cause statuses. Animist rounds it out nicely with the self heal and AOE attacks (oh I can't shoot you? Get Chocobo'd, idiot.)

Nobel - Blue Mage/Fighter: This is a Blue Mage that is 1000% worth the investment. You don't even need all the spells. Matra Magic is one of the funniest spells in a strategy game I've ever used, and even beyond that I had Twister and Dragon Force. Fighter was there to give them extra meat for their attack based spells, as well as no MP options because Damage > MP is a thing and is good.

That was my clan, and I feel like most everyone got their time to shine (even if certain bunnies and lizards got a little more than others). There are some jobs I wish I got to experience a little more but I just couldn't put the investment into it. Illusionist and Alchemist are a couple that I think I could have cooked with in an alternate timeline; Templar as well. Gadgeteer scares me, but a luck based affect everyone class is really funny conceptually. I also really appreciated how throughout the game, the base jobs weren't always invalidated, and they had their place when needed.

I think building characters, while it is the part I enjoyed the most through the game, is very much sunk cost. You gotta just invest in your guys from the get go cause nobody you recruit later is going to even out just due to amount of abilities.

Other gameplay things I liked: customizable map is really cool. I ended up going with an optimized guide just cause I wanted treasure and I know I don't play games more than once often so I was going for full 100%, but as a replayability feature it's SO cool. I also actually quite enjoyed the little bit of time management that was there; it reminded me of Persona. Hold off to accept this mission cause I can't make it in time to do these other couple, plan out my optimal route to hit as many or as little battles as I could in this period. Map navigation was an actual part of the game which was cool.

The Law system gives me feelings so complicated. Thematically, it's very cool and fits in perfectly in the world (or I should say the world is built around it very well.) And theoretically, it really gives you incentive to switch around your units and plan out their growth. But in my experience, 80% of the time it was just annoying? (which again, flavor wise, VERY accurate). Like there were times where I got hit with "do not hit animals go to jail" on a mission I did not know was exclusively full of animals. I also don't think they were the clearest things at times, and you really do just have to get punished to find out the limits of stuff. It's not The Worst, but I don't think I had a lot of fun with it. Except when it prevented the enemies from doing something that was hilarious. Stupid Illusionist can't do anything when target all is illegal lmfao

To tie in two previous points, I think Jagds were a very cool area. The trade off of no laws but for permadeath is neat, and those zones actually gave me fear and made me try to plan and prepare when I went around them. I also have a memory of my childhood playthrough losing my favorite guy so I didn't want a repeat of that hahaha. But I think the permadeath eventually becomes WAY more of a punishment than it should be due to how hard raising a character is. One wrong move, and the guy you put dozens of hours and AP into is gone. I will say, this game absolutely made me anal about saving constantly, so that might be good? Maybe?

Two things I can strictly say I disliked, were the randomness and dispatch missions/mission items. When it comes to randomness, I feel like I was really blocked out of certain things just because I couldn't get the units or items I wanted. I didn't get the chance to recruit a second Viera for so long, which sucks when jobs are race based. (I read somewhere that it was based off month but I found that out way too late). Items as well; when abilities are locked to gear, you Need gear to reach potentials. But I barely got any Sage weapons, I was losing out on a lot of ice magic cause I just couldn't get the items, and I literally never got to figure out how to steal said weapons cause I didn't get the weapon to do that. It bothered me. Mission items are the absolute bane of my existence. I HATED them. You need them for so many missions, but those missions will appear WAY before you can even get the items, and some items are one time get only meaning you can screw yourself out of everything, which I hated. Yes, I know that if I was playing this back in the day (and if I had friends when I was playing this back in the day), you could trade and link for items, but as a solo player, it just doesn't work. The mystery difficulty of dispatch missions sucked too. I had to look up the formula just to figure out how to make something guaranteed to win.

I think this wins the award for Game With Gameplay I Actually Really Cared For And Had Opinions About 2024

Story + Characters

As a kid, I really didn't think about the story at all even though I could read it just fine. I was just a small one who named his character ABCDabcdef and had fun moving my guys around (also god damn I was a lot smarter than I thought considering how far I got) My adult brain though, was actually able to appreciate what this game was. I think it offers a really interesting inversion on the Isekai genre, before the Isekai genre even blew up. What if the main character wanted to go home? For a GBA game in 2003, I feel like this was surprisingly... profound? is that the word? I'm not saying it was the greatest piece of media ever written, in fact I think there were a couple areas where I would have liked a little more clarification/details, but like, for what it is. It's really cool.

Marche I think is an interesting character. He felt very... responsible. Like "haha ok guys we had our fun but we Need to go back." He was able to call the bullshit on the world, and try to pull everything back to reality. I felt this even further reading about his backstory and relationship to his family. Sure, he had freedom, but he dedicated his effort To his brother, and his mother, to make them happy, even at the cost of his own. He's a character that I very much appreciated and related to. Although, I think I would have liked more to his motivation. A stronger reason behind his intense want to go home.

Ritz and Doned were fine. I like them, but there isn't much To them. Ritz was a cool, strong character who I liked how she never backed down from her wants, and Doned hit close to my heart, being a very accurate younger brother; and I felt for him, "gaining" the health he always wanted. I really liked the scene between him and Marche fighting about what the other has. But they didn't get to show up much, which stinks, and in Ritz's case especially I wish her motivation was a little stronger.

Mewt I think was the perfect character to cause this story and this world. I completely understood his struggles between the bullying and the loss of his mother, seeing the struggles of his father, and wanting that all to go away, dealing with, or more aptly NOT dealing with the pain by running away from it. His mental state literally shaped the world, from the laws of the land to creating an overpowered coping mechanism in the form of him but backwards (fuck you Llednar you're too damn strong).

This game has a good Cid. I expected him to be a shithead, but in the real world he was just depressed and in Ivalice he was actually really honorable.

Montblanc and Shara were both good friends to their respective child, but I do wish they both had a little more background/depth. (I also wish that Shara hit literally any of her shots come on I wasted a unit slot on you)

Both the Nu Mou surprised me; Babus actually made me feel for the dude, clearly caring about his prince and fighting for him; his behavior and appearance made me think he was Mewt's stuffed animal given life. Ezel's fucking hilarious, this dude said FUCK the government, laws are no fun at all. I love that dude so much.

I don't have much to say about Remedi, as she's literally an extension of Mewt. She serves her role as being that physical incarnation of a metaphysical concept to plunge your sword into that every FF game needs.

To kinda summarize my point, I did like everything, and I thought there were a lot of cool concepts. The game made me feel feelings, it plucked at my heart a little. But it's not as deep as I would have liked, I don't think. Granted, this is a GBA game. I'm not expecting Shakespeare or anything, but if we ever got a remake or something? I'd love some expansion.

Apart from the main story, I actually quite enjoyed the background story of Clan Borzoi. These guys are being menaces, you defeat them, and through reading the rumors and dispatch missions, you find out their leader runs away in a boat you helped him with, only for him to come back 4x as evil, bringing fiends and becoming a fucking vampire. It was honestly a joy and a side plot that Did Not need to be there but I loved.

The post game 100% completion judge storyline was fun too. We get more Cid screentime AND we get to fight against the law being shitty and corrupt which you always love to see.

Art

I love this game's art style and direction. The portraits, the way everyone looks, is so fun, it's cartoony and unique. The monster designs are so special yet still recognizably classic. The game itself is really colorful and vibrant which makes it a joy to look at, especially as I can't tear myself away from playing it.

Even the animations just make me really happy to look at, although I recognize part of that is nostalgia. The spells are fun, like the demi squishy circle, or the Illusionist full screen hellfests (Stardust is the best one). Even the summon animations, for being on a GBA game, had that classic FF sense of grandness, power, and being over the top. I love looking at this game.

Music

It's amazing how even through the GBA sounds, this is very recognizably a Sakimoto soundtrack. I can feel that grand feeling that the XII OST gives me in the form of beeps and boops. I don't care what some people say, I love the way the GBA sounds, and I think this game has a very good soundtrack. The title theme lives in my head rent free, as well as the bar theme. Marche's theme is also probably one of my favorites, being a slower piece compared to most of the game.

Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin

See it's funny cause Marche is a stranger in paradise and I'm about to talk about the origins of Final Fantasy

Go play the silly Jack game dammit

I never truly appreciated how FF this game is. I will preface this by saying I Have Not played the original Tactics yet (I should have done it before Advance but childhood experiences win the matchup low diff), so my experiences are mainly second hand, that might affect some of my outlook. But as I was saying, this game feels INCREDIBLY classic Final Fantasy. Between the monsters, the jobs, the colorful nature of the game, the references to previous characters (I saw the four fiends! And Gilgame[sh]!) the fantastical aspects over the more serious political drama, I get the same vibes as the first few FF games, which makes me happy. I honestly feel like this game feels more FF than XII does (I am not saying XII is not an FF game it obviously is).

Speaking of XII, it is INSANE how much Tactics Advance brought to that game, and how little credit I feel the general public attributes to it. Like, This Game Came First. This game created Viera, Bangaa, Nu Mou. This game had Montblanc and Nono. This game had the Giza Plains. This game had monsters like Carrot. This game created Judges! So much of XII's identity is Tactics, and playing through this made me realize that even more of it is still Tactics. We wouldn't have Fran, we wouldn't have Gabranth, without Tactics Advance, and I wish this game got the respect it was due.

Shoutouts to XIV being the only game to acknowledge it in the form of Clan Nutsy. (I'm retroactively mad at Theatrhythm for not doing ANYTHING)

Post Too Long! Red Card: Go To Prison!

I'm so glad I finally got to finish this game, and complete a mission that I've had since I was a kid. I specifically remember giving up on the Llednar -> Mateus combo, and now here I am, 100% completion.

I can absolutely see why I put so much time into this game; it's addicting, and it has so many features and aspects of games that I love put into one package, even if there are bits I could do without.

The game as a whole feels ahead of its time, and even beyond the console it was on, and I hope one day it can get the recognition it deserves, rather than only getting a rerelease on the Wii U. I do recommend any FF fan to play this game. To finish off the post, I would say;

8/10. An absolutely addicting fun time and a key point in the history of my favorite franchise, as well as my own life. It's got some frustrations and imperfections, but it's such a solid experience.

[thedragonagelesbian]

16, 21, 22 for any KC you want :)

yeee thank you!!!!

Mechanics & Story Asks

gonna answer for both kyr (aeon -> gold dragon leyline guardian witch + winter witch) & cyrus (angel -> legend, martyr paladin -> spelleater bloodrager + skald + thug) because. i can. and i love them.

16. How well do they play mechanically with their romance, if any? If not, which party member do they synchronize best with?

Kyr: The entire inception of Kyr's character came from the unique possibilities of a healerXdhampir ship afiopwjef I love that Sosiel has to stock an entire extra line of spells to keep Kyr alive, I love that Sosiel comes with selective channel feat so he doesn't hurt Kyr when he channels energy, I love touch of good/bit of luck for boosting spell attack rolls, I love fortune + cackle for Kyr supporting his off-tank bf... love it all!!

Cyrus: End-game Cyrus is almost scarily self-sufficient, but the early/mid game 'step into my healing aura you stupid fuck' energy with Daeran is IMPECCABLE. Love a reckless self-sacrificing tank and an annoyed selfish healer learning to care about others by taking care of him. One of my favorite mechanic-driven story moments I've had yet was the final Act 3 boss battle, when basically all Cyrus did was stand there and get utterly pummeled by Darrazand while Daeran frantically tried to keep him up, this immense and bloody sacrifice made on behalf of the crusade... and Galfrey turns around and strips Cyrus of his command. Delicious.

21. If the Knight-Commander could get a unique item, what would it be and what would it do?

I don't know if these are items that they would have, so much as they are items inspired by the characters.

Kyr: Frozen Will. This gelid amulet grants its wearer immunity to mind-affecting spells and conditions. Additionally, whenever the wearer casts a spell with the cold descriptor, there is a 10% chance that the spell (or spell slot used to cast it) will not be spent.

Cyrus: The Skald's Saber of Self-Reliance. This +5 good longsword grants its wielder the ability to cast dispel magic, greater on themself as a move action, targeting harmful effects. The ability can be used three times per day.

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.?

Kyr: The aeon in the mirror is... unnerving. Absolute, unassailable, all-consuming. Every time Kyr stands before the mirror, he feels certain. Like this is everything that he is, has always been, but when he steps away again, he feels less sure. Especially discovering that he isn't allowed to use the aeon's temporal powers to undo his own immense suffering at the hands of his sire, he grows more disillusioned with it, its promises, and the sacrifices it demands in return.

His current feelings on Hal are also ambivalent. He wants to believe in the possibility of redemption, but hearing how Hal allowed Terendelev to hurt him, he can't help but think him a fool. Kyr is still trying to wrap his mind around the 'unconditional' part of the whole 'unconditional love, acceptance, and forgiveness' thing.

And he's utterly uninterested in and unaffected by "Melies". Which is a shame because now I have to make a whole new aeon to be tempted by corruption & fuck that archdevil. Smh.

Cyrus: Cyrus' initial admiration of the Hand of the Inheritor quickly escalated into something more in the Abyss. Defending his worth to Galfrey, providing refuge of the Nexus, always watching over him and checking in to make sure the demonic corruption wasn't getting to him... the Hand helped Cyrus feel safe, or at least as safe as he could be, in the Midnight Isles.

...So when Nocticula revealed that Areelu had planted the wound that gave Cyrus his mythic powers, and the Hand took it poorly, Cyrus was devastated. The reveal hit him hard too, given his myriad body & autonomy issues and his deep-seated fear of being a weapon wielded by someone else, and this person he cared about seeing him like that hurt even more.

So they fought about it. And then they had a very heavy makeout/holy handjob sess about it.

Cyrus was heartbroken when Baphomet took the Hand, all the more so when Iomedae told him that the Hand was praying to him constantly for salvation from his torture in the Ineluctable Prison. And he was horrified by what that torture had wrought, turning the Hand into an empty vessel for Baphomet's cruel will. Of course Cyrus saved his heart and returned it to him, and in my heart, the Hand returned to Drezen afterward to begin his recovery. With lots of gay fallen angel sex. That's a very important part of the recovery.

[bloodiedrogue]

Do your Tav’s have a backstory? Like who were they before the nautiloid? Did they have family? How did they become their chosen class? Or just anything info you have laid out for them, would love to know.

okay, so aside from zayis i don't have a ton of lore on a lot of my tav's but i'll offer up what i can about each one:

BOONE

i failed to mention boone in my previous tav post (i'm sorry del forgive me) but since then i've developed a little bit of backstory for her.

basically, she's just your average blacksmith. she comes from a pretty big family of smithers, all of which are incredibly talented in their craft. her father especially is a very prominent business owner in baldur's gate and because of this, and the fact that she's the oldest sibling, she spends a lot of time helping him at the shop.

essentially destined to be the child that inherits the business, a lot of her energy is spent learning as much as she can. so relationship wise she's pretty lonely, up until pip (@fictionobsession's hilariously, lovely tav) ends up crashing into her life.

i'm not sure timeline wise how it all works out, but i figure not long after meeting pip, both boone and her get taken to the nautiloid causing her to internally panic because she's never ventured this far from home before.

in terms of family, boone comes from a really tight-knit group. definitely your average sitcom kind of family where there's always something chaotic happening but in the end everything works out and they all love each other. and because of this, the idea of suddenly being thrust into an adventurer's role does not sit well with her at first. all she wants is to get home and go back to work, but with everything happening she can't so she just sort of internally struggles with it all until she really finds her own and begins to realize that maybe she doesn't want to become exactly like her father.

in regards to her class, she's a fighter which she definitely takes on a young age after wanting to learn about all of the weapons her she helps her father forge!

YORA

i don't really have a ton on my dark urge because i haven't finished the campaign and have somehow avoided quest line spoilers. so, all i can really tell you is that they're very calculated. given the fact that they have no recollection of their past, they're very guarded among the rest of the party and often use their lack of memory to manipulate those around them.

unfortunately, this means they definitely targets astarion a lot, especially after learning about him and cazador, using him for personal gain whenever they can by allowing him to think he's in control.

because of this, i definitely envisioned them as this sort of "false prophet" kind of ally where a lot what they say is completely untrue but because of how convincing they are everyone just listens, resulting in a lot of terrible decision making. (i.e. ascended astarion, dark justicier shadowheart, etc.)

in terms of class, i've been playing them as a nature domain cleric but i think i'm going to reclass because i don't think it truly fits their personality? might make them a paladin or maybe even a warlock?

CORWIN

corwin's backstory i'd say isn't super fleshed out yet. but i definitely see her as this very thoughtful individual who grows up to hate the position they're in. having been raised amongst a family who are so devoted to lolth to the point of madness, corwin definitely takes a lot about their chosen religion at face value. at a young age she participates in a lot of the usual rituals and prayers, but as she grows older she becomes more curious about the world, resulting in her discovery of magic.

i haven't decided exactly how she realizes she's a sorcerer but i know for sure she's definitely a late bloomer. thanks to her parents unwillingness to try and support her newfound powers, there's for sure a period of time where she struggles with the balance of remaining under lolth vs. leaving to discover herself before she ultimately picks the latter.

then after that she travels to baldur's gate in search of resources, she ends up working at sorcerous sundries before realizing how awful it is and finding work at a small shop that sells/trades rare goods until she's inevitably kidnapped by the mind flayers.

ZAYIS

i definitely think i talk about zayis an ungodly amount but i realize i've never talked about her class much? she's an arcane trickster rogue and definitely found out early on she had an affinity for illusionary magic.

growing up, her and dharmir would often spend hours reading in their study, escaping the abuse of their father/the help, and during this time zayis grew quite fond of learning about magic. this ultimately led to her testing out a bunch of spells, quickly finding she could produce small illusions to entertain herself.

eventually, this led to her using such abilities to rob baldur's elite. at parties she was required to attend she'd often practice her spells and slight of hand, caring very little about the risks until ultimately she was caught by gortash.

this moment is definitely pretty significant in zayis's overall decision to leave the manor and essentially become a criminal, resulting in the more rogue-ish aspects of her class!

(whew that was really long, sorry for the info dump!!)

[lunaraindrop]

The Lie Becomes the Truth- A Steddie Fic (Part 4)

Link to Part 3

At some point, Steve was going to have to get used to embarrassing himself.

While Robin was always kind enough to remind him that he sucked when he struck out with the ladies, Steve was a jock.

He was strong.

He was handsome

.

He had good hand-eye coordination, a wiz with his nailbat, and could beat up a Russian asshole with a phone.

Not too shabby, if he did say so himself. (Which he *did*, thank you very much Robin and Dustin.)

From the movies they played in Family Video, Steve had seen many action heroes saving the day. They would get shot, stabbed, blown up even, and still save the day.

So. Eddie was not some dainty damsel, and Steve, while being a strong, handsome former jock, was no action hero from a movie. After taking a few steps, Steve nearly fell over.

Right. He was injured too. Shit.

After some rearranging, Steve ended up with a new Eddie backpack. Or as Dustin liked to call it, Eddie was riding “Yoda-Style”.

Steve kept to himself just how much he didn’t think Eddie looked like a Muppet.

(Steve would tell Robin later, much later, that it is possible to crush on a musician that doesn’t look like they were created by Jim Henson. She flipped him off. It was great.)

Something else Steve learned? His piggyback companion didn’t think of him as that safe Shire place.

He couldn’t feel upset about that, because he found out that he was something far, far greate than a place.

He, Steve, was the Samwis!

Actually, that was a bit confusing. Eddie had said, “Samwis”. Dustin said the character Eddie was asking for was named “Samwise”.

That wasn’t what Eddie was calling him.

A plus on Eddie being pressed up tight against his back, (besides the obvious), was that Eddie’s words were clearer. No more garbled half sounds. Being off the ground made the metal head also more of his chatty self.

Still delirious as fuck, but at least they could understand the words coming out of his mouth.

Even if they did make Steve blush. He was confused as shit, but well…

How was he supposed to react when these things were crooned in his ear?

“Oh Stevewise. My gardener. My paladin. My fluffy haired knight. You water my flowers, tend my hedges, fight off Shelob…carrying me outta Mordor.”

Dustin kept looking over, furrowed brow, as he limped between his Nancy and Robin crutches.

Steve knew that look.

The little shit was contemplating.

Gears were working overtime in Dustin’s head, trying to make a picture out these random puzzle pieces he thought Eddie was giving them.

To be honest, there were gears turning in Steve head, too. (It was easier to focus on that than the pain in his sides or how only a few minutes before Eddie was….how *Steve* was a liar.)

He knew what a knight was, easy. He knew his hair had incredible volume. But the rest of that? What the fuck? Were those from that book his likes? From the *Dorks and Disasters* game? Was he speaking in code?

And most importantly…how the hell did Eddie know he liked to garden?!

Eddie didn’t have much of a yard at the trailer park, but he had brought some flower pots over to Max’s to brighten the place. But how did Eddie know he grew them?

Something warm was filling is chest, like liquid sunshine.

If Eddie wanted him to be his gardener, he would be the best god damn gardener Eddie had ever seen. What little lawn he had would be trimmed and green. He would keep Eddie’s house full of flowers every week. He and his uncle would drown in fresh vegetables. Forget the farmer’s market. *Steve’s* their farmer’s market, baby.

It was when they entered the trailer that Eddie’s chatter took a despondent turn.

As Steve put his precious, heavy load on the couch, Eddie…sang.

Steve didn't pay very much attention in school. But he did remember something about ocean sirens using beautiful singing to hypnotizing sailors to drown themselves, or something like that.

Yeah. If Eddie was a siren, then Steve would be drowning.

It wasn’t some heavy metal ballad, like most might expect. No. It was all the words he has brushed the shell of Steve’s ear, plus more, put to song. Steve was pretty impressed. Eddie was some fucking musician, making a song on the spot with all that blood loss and being nearly unconscious. But unlike how happy the words made Steve before, these were…sad.

"Oh Stevewise. My gardener. My paladin. My fluffy haired knight.

You water my flowers, tend my hedges, fight off strange things in the night.

You carry me out of Mordor, Safe, Mount Doom a distant shore

But you'll go back to the Shire, marry Rosie. And I...I’ll go West with the Elves, forevemore"

Dustin’s head snapped towards Eddie. His genius gears stopped turning. There was an epiphany. One completely lost to Steve. Completely lost to Nancy too, it seemed.

But not to Robin.

Despite him knowing for a fact that Robin didn’t play D&D or read that book (he asked, okay?), she knew a thing to two about music. Where Dustin got some secret code in he words, Robin heard something n the notes.

Something that made her cry and cover he mouth.

Nancy had turned to her and ask what was going on, but she just shook her head.

“It isn’t my place to tell.”

Dustin turned to her, looking so sad and lost, before he limped over and gently hugged Eddie.

“Oh Eddie…that isn’t how the story has to end! Frodo doesn’t have to go into the West. We love you. I love you! Your family loves you! Stay with us.”

Wait a fucking second. Was Eddie talking about…dying?! Again?!

Not on Steve’s watch!

Frantic, Steve gripped Eddie face. His eyes were still closed, so Steve got in close.

“Listen here, Munson! Stay AWAY from any fucking lights at the end of tunnels, okay? No walking West, or any shit, okay? Plus, ah…”

Eddie had talked Elves, right?

“Plus, the Elves are dipshit asshole...”

What was something Eddie hated?

Steve’s eyes lit up.

He knew this!

He slapped his hands and snapped his fingers.

“JOCKS! The Elves are total Jocks!”

Robin, bless their shared brain cell, picked up what he was putting down. “Yeah! And not the nice, dumb kind! Jason Carver? Totally a zealot, child hurting, friends-of-Dorothy-hating Elf!”

Eddie wrinkled his nose. “Eww.”

Smiling, Dustin jumped back in. “The West is full of Jason Carver Elves! Don't go towards any lights! Stay in the Shire. Your uncle is in the Shire.”

“Wayne?”

Steve put some curls behind his ears.

“Yeah. Wayne’s waiting in-in the Shire. Why don’t we go say hello?”

While the three of them were talking Eddie out of his dark mood, Nancy had used the time to fashion a new rope out of towels from the bathroom, and even a makeshift seat out of Eddie’s guitar strap. Somehow, big brains Nancy made the rope twice as long, and developed a pulley system with a towel rack, a floor lamp, and a plastic wheel-thingie with wrapped black cable that must have been from Wayne Munson’s job.

Jesus, sometimes Steve wondered if that woman was a female McGyver. How did she end up with an idiot like him, again?

Going as carefully as possible, Nancy crawled through first. Dustin was next, put into the guitar strap and towel seat. Nancy repositioned the mattress. Robin helped Dustin up as he climbed with Steve pulling on the rope. Hands were going bloody and raw from the terrycloth, Steve grunted and smiled when Dustin made it to the other side.

It was time for Eddie.

Unlike Dustin, Eddie wasn’t able to sit upright. He needed to be wrapped tightly in a blanket, while in the seat, and secured with some of the cables before they could pulley him through.

Gingerly laying him on the floor, Eddie started speaking again.

“Shire Time?”

Checking the belt already around his body, Robin answered back.

“We need to make you an Eddie burrito, but yes! We’ll get you to the Shire, then the hobbit hospital for magical stiches and rabies shots. How does that sound?”

Steve lifted Eddie as best as he could, and placed him in on the blanket. Something was still troubling Eddie, Steve could tell. As he and Robin wrapped him up (with “helpful” instructions from both Dustin and Nancy, Jesus), asked him what was wrong.

“But what about Rosie?”

Steve remembered him calling Nancy a flower, but he started to think that maybe even that had to do with that book too. That song of Eddie’s had him-Sam-Stevewise-whoever the fuck he was marrying this Rosie.

And that? Yeah, no.

He couldn’t let Eddie think that.

After all, he was Eddie’s gardener. And secretly damn proud of it.

Man, Steve really needed to read more.

A scary thought crossed his mind.

What if Eddie was so out of it that he *wasn’t* his gardener? What if the Samwis guy was a gardener, and Eddie was just reliving his favorite book while his mind was checked out?

“Hey, Eddie?”

In his cocoon, Eddie’s head lulled towards the sound of Steve’s voice.

“Yeah?”

“Do you know who I am? Like, really?”

Robin looked at him, curious and concerned.

“Steve, he’s lost a lot of blood, maybe don’t-“

“Steeeeve Harrington.”

Steve smiled, while Robin looked, nervous? Huh?

“Okay, yes, you’re right! I’m Steve.”

“Stevewise, the Gardener.”

“Steve’s not-“

Steve interupted Robin.

“Yes, I do like to garden.”

Robin raised an eyebrow.

“You do?”

“Who do you think takes care of the plants at my house?”

“I don’t know, a gardener?”

“Yes, that would be me!”

“I meant a hired gardener! Your parents pay for scented toilet paper and fancy stinky cheeses! I didn’t know!”

“Any time, guys!” Dustin yelled from the ceiling hole.

“Tone, Merry!” Eddie spoke back.

Steve got close to Eddie’s face, sweeping his hair behind his neck.

“See, this is why I asked. You called him Mary. Do you know who that is?”

“That’s…Dustin.”

Thank God, Eddie was becoming more lucid.

The two of them hoisted Eddie up. Tying Eddie with the cable to the rope, Robin curiously asked, “And who am I?”

“Robin, the Fool of a Took, of course.”

“I don’t know how to take that.”

Nancy yelled this time. “I think I see an ambulance outside of the windows! Come on!”

An ambulance?! Why the fuck was an ambulance out there?

Steve decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Eddie needed medical attention, and fast.

Steve pointed up, even though Eddie was yet to open his eyes.

“And who was that?”

Something ugly and sad crossed Eddie’s face.

“Rosie.”

“And who is Rosie?”

The next words were not what he was expecting.

“Your wife.”

Not Nancy. Not your ex. Not “The girl I think you will marry.” No.

Your wife.

Robin and Dustin were silent. Nancy?

Mortified.

There was a time when Nancy appearing near dread at the idea of marrying Steve would have hurt him. Deeply. But that was a long time ago. Things changed. She would always be his first love.

But she was no longer going to be his last.

Locking eyes with her, Nancy’s shock and quiet panic melted into a surprised understanding.

Of course she was going to figure him out. If anyone was going to recognize a Steve in love and with a breaking heart, it would be Nancy Wheeler.

Nancy, doing her good friend Steve a solid squared her shoulders. As Steve pulled the rope, Nancy called up to a rising Eddie.

“Okay, let's get one thing straight. Stevewise isn't marrying Rosie. Or Violet, Petunia, ANY flower, okay? Nobody is marrying flowers, right Steve?”

Pulling harder, feeing the fibers in the cuts of his palms, he agreed.

“That’s right! Stevewise is not marrying Rosie. The only flowers he has are in his garden.”

Robin and Dustin were watching both he and Eddie closely.

Eddie? For obvious reasons.

But Steve? He knew it they were questioning why Steve and Nancy were making it official that they were not getting back together. He knew Dustin thought he was in love with Nancy. Robin too. She went as far as to tell Nancy that they were platonic with a capital P.

That was one of those important capital noun words.

And had he not had the nuggets talk with Nancy?

But now was not the time to tell his best friends that his ex just figured out that he liked guys, and he only wanted the one that nearly died on them.

With one final tug, Eddie Munson was through the portal.

And the rope broke.

[drudragonrose]

Baldur's Gate 3 Custom Characters

The Heros ~

Sestri ~ Matched to Karlach

Age ~ 35

Race ~ Asmodeus Tiefling

Class ~ Artificer ~ Battle Smith

Life before the tadpole ~

Sestri ran from Avernus along with the other Teifling, She worked with Dammon in the forge but had been there longer. Long enough to lose her legs in an accident. The others in the forge made new legs for her and accommodated her as she learned to use them to get around. She learned then started to improve upon them. Her legs make it so she can go further than most but they will always clank or make the sound of heavy footfalls making it so you can hear Sestri coming before you see her. She learned to work with Infernal Iron which is a passion for her. Transfem.

Personality ~

She’s a hyper orange cat type, always rushing to see what she can study or repurpose. She will always say what she means, even if it hurts someone’s feelings. She’s not trying to be mean but she just doesn’t see the point in sugarcoating. That and she’s a horrible liar, it would be the only time that she stammers and seems unsure of herself. Well, one of the only times. Karlach also brings her to a loss of words.

Lavender ~ Matched to Shadowheart

Age ~ 46

Race ~ Half Elf, Half Drow

Class ~ Paladin of Salune ~ Oath of Devotion

Life before the Tadpole ~

Lavender was doing recondense work for her enclave. Even before she knew what it was, there was a large influx of people that seemed to change faith overnight. She had vowed her sword to Salune and no one can shake her from her belief though she is a bit unique about it. Because of her drow mother, she believes that without Shar there would be no Salune for they are the dark and light side of the moon. It’s what drew her to Shadowheart in the first place. That and the fact that the woman needed more help than she was letting on. She lived with her elven mother, her drow mother having gone back to the Underdark a long time ago. Lavender hopped that she got off easy but she knew that the woman was most likely dead given what she knew of Drow culture.

Personality ~

She can come off as brash at times but with a winning smile and a joke she can play it off. Like the moon that she warships she has a darkside that she works to keep in check. She isn’t foolish about it though, sometimes for peace there must be war. There is a calculating side to her that she used to the benefit of those on her side. She can be pushy when she thinks she’s right and stubborn to a fault like a steamroller when she has set her sights on someone.

Iris ~ Matched to Astarion (Spawn)

Age ~ 150

Race ~ Glasya Tiefling Dhampir

Class ~ Warlock ~ Hexblade

Before the Tadpole~

She was the personal guard to the archdevil Megara, a powerful necromancer and an advisor to Asmodeus.  Her father was a vampire lord who wanted to use her to replace his lost love. She signed the deal with a devil to get away from her father and creator. Megara gave Iris her sword and her new look. She was working on hunting down a devil that stood to go against the tyrant of the Hells. She had almost found his place in Balder’s Gate when she was kidnapped.

Personality ~

Iris has one master and make that abundantly clear. Rebellious by nature with the poise to back it up. She had a talent for causing chaos. As bombastic as she is, Iris doesn’t like to be in the spotlight. She learned something from her days as a lord’s daughter. Intelligence is her game and she is good at it. Iris knows how to talk to others in order to gain secrets from them. With all her skills in manipulation, which only grew with her time in the Nine Hells, she tries to her best to be honest with the people that she’s close to.

Tsubaki ~ Matched to Gale (Human)

Age ~ 40

Race ~ Wood/ Astral Elf

Class ~ Cleric of Mystra Lurue

Before the Tadpole ~

Tsubaki comes from a family touched by the divine. While her grandmother was druid, her mother had turned her talents to healing through The Weive. She said her vows to Mystra and used her blessings to take care of the people in the small town she had lived in outside of Neverwinter. She was on her way to Balder’s Gate on a feeling that she got. There was trouble and her goddess wanted her to look into it it was on her way that she was snatched up.

Personality ~

Tsubaki is endlessly giving both to her benefit and her detriment. She loves to cook and make potions. Anything to sustain those around her. She’s the type to give someone a bigger piece of a sandwich to someone else. The whole of it if she sees their need is greater. She takes people at her word but, even with the short time that she’s been outside her village, knows to keep a wiery eye on them until proven wrong.

Opal ~ Matched to Wyll (Blade of Avernus)

Age ~ 24

Race ~ Styx Tiefling

Class ~ Collage of Spirits Bard

Before the Tadpole ~

Opal comes from a family that lived on the River Styx. Her heritage allows them to be able to map out the chaotic river and be immune to the river’s effects. Even when she’s not on the waters, guiding souls to their hereafter, she can see spirits which happens when the gift is particularly strong in her bloodline. She can also get visions of the past when she touches things or people. She was following a trail set by spirit who could not move on until a great wrong was set right. The tadpole has broken down some of the barriers that she had been able build up, making her powers more erratic for a while.

Personality ~

She gives off the appearance of being quite spacy but she is observant to the point that it can be insulting at times. She loves music and will often hum to herself when nothing is going on. She cultivates a persona of being soft-spoken until she’s cornered or has to perform, She will always give a small song while on a river or ocean as a beacon for those dead while on the water.

Thempeth ~ Matched to Ly’zel

Age ~ 39

Race ~ Amaphyst  Dragonborn

Class ~ Way of the Four Elements Monk

Before the Tadpole ~

The dragonborn came from a high mountain top where the Order of the Jade Dragon. Those who can find it are welcome to train in their ways. Thempeth was allowed to travel after she completed her training and she started her mission to learn from everyone she came across. She experienced the world’s cruelty and its kindness. She chose to try and help as much as possible to keep the scale that seems to be ever tipping towards darkness. Investigating a disappearance is what lead her on the path to Moonrise before she was picked up.

Personality ~

She a chipper soul, just happy to be alive. She does take her physicality and the balance within herself very seriously. Being dragonborn she doesn’t really understand human emotions though she does try and empathise. She lives for coffee and is a rather grumpy dragon without it.

Sunako ~ Matched to Halsin

Age ~175

Race ~ Astral Elf

Class ~ Star Druid

Before the Tadpole ~

The family line is blessed by Lurue, goddess of magic and healing. Sunko was taught to go were the stars guide her which lead her to Moonrise at the moment of the first war against Kethric Thorm. She had been much younger then and much more inexperienced. She vowed to come back when the time was right and finish what was started. She diudn’t expect to run into her granddaughter along the way, more over she didn’t expect to meet up with Helsin again.

Personality ~

The stars rule her, the moon is her guide. Because of how she grew up she’s detached from others but she does care in her own way. Fiercely protective of those she considers her family, she has to be with the dangers in the Astral. While she tries not to show it she’s a bit sensitive about her looks, wrinkles and age having caught up to her all at once when she crossed over to the Material.

[galraluver]

Hii how are doing? :> Can I request Blaytz x reader headcanons who’s also a blue paladin? Like it was a travel to another au/dimension or distortion of space/time and he meets the third generation of paladins

Have a good dayyy

I'm doing good, thx for asking^^

Ooo, I like that idea! I'm more than happy to complete your request 😊 ✨️

_________________________________________

~ Blaytz never meant to do it, he was just curious, but after Honerva took the paladins to meet an inventor friend of hers he touched a device out of curiosity which sent him forward in time

~ During his little journey to the future he went unconscious and didn't know where he was when he woke up

~ He definitely wasn't on Altea anymore, although when he woke up and saw the lions practically standing over him, he was more confused than before

~ Blaytz didn't know that he'd been transported to the future until the blue lion lowered her head, opened her mouth and revealed a woman he'd never seen before

~ It was strange seeing someone in his lion, but it was even stranger to see a woman wearing his armor and holding his Bayard

~ As it turns out the young woman was from the third generation of paladins, and yet you was the fourth blue paladin

~ Blaytz got along well with you and you filled him in on what happened and where they were

~ Earth was a nice place, even though he'd never heard about it before

~ Blaytz was grateful to know that Blue was in good hands in the future and that she'd been piloted by people who suited her well

~ Speaking of Blue, she still recognizes Blaytz as her paladin despite him being sent to the future from the past

~ He also got to meet the other four third generation of paladins, all of whom were different from the first generation and yet they were perfect matches for the lions

~ You were the one who filled him in on what happened after the first generation of paladins fell, or rather you gave him all the information you knew after hearing Coran's stories

~ Blaytz is shocked when he learns that Zarkon will, or rather had, destroyed the first generation of paladins after his and Honerva’s exposure to quintessence

~ He got to hang out with the third generation of paladins for a while and tell them about some of his adventures as the original blue paladin, as well as what the other four first gen paladins were like

~ Blaytz gives them a little advice about dealing with things that only the paladins of Voltron would have to deal with

~ He also gave the you some pick-up line ideas when he learned that you could be a little bit of a flirt, just like him

~ Tbh, even though you're human, he kind of views you as his granddaughter, even though the two of you aren't related

~ Eventually Blaytz gets sucked back into the past, and he knows that there's nothing he can do to prevent history from playing out the way the universe had planned, but he's at peace knowing that Voltron and the universe will be in good hands in the future

[riddlerosehearts]

decided i'm going to start posting my thoughts on baldur's gate 3 every so often as i make my way through the game, because it'd be nice to have some of this stuff about first playthrough written down somewhere! my tav is a half-high elf bard named elenion (he/they) who's neutral good-aligned, and despite being a bard he's very reserved and is always feigning self-confidence. also, he's a college of lore bard who honestly would've fit the sage background pretty well but i went ahead and gave him entertainer instead lol. i guess that actually gives me the opportunity to see more of the inspiration goals by not having the same background as gale! anyway though, here's a few thoughts about what i've done while still being very early in act 1:

at the point i'm at in the story right now, i was supposed to go look for halsin, but instead i decided to finally find karlach. i feel like i probably should've gotten her sooner, but once i got to the grove i didn't wanna venture too far from the main objectives--and the grove is where you recruit wyll and learn about karlach in the first place.

however, halsin sounds very wise and capable so i guess he can handle himself while he waits, and the mindflayer tadpole symptoms aren't progressing like they're supposed to, so why not just go off and act like we've got all the time in the world! maybe elenion is just easily distracted. they did waste quite a bit of time earlier when they found alfira and felt compelled to help her finish her song. and speaking of, i was not expecting such a beautiful cutscene for that?! or for the squirrels we talked to using speak with animals to be so mean and hate her song 😭 but i hope we get to see alfira again and that nothing bad happens to her, and i hope i don't eventually regret saying that!

also, wyll did say karlach is a danger to the entire sword coast, which makes hunting her down sound pretty important... and elenion has an interest in history so they recognized the phrase "advocatus diaboli" and were able to mention the blood war when wyll first talked about her. so maybe they're also interested in seeing if they can get a devil who fought in the blood war and is now wandering the material plane to answer a few questions before taking her down. anyway, point is we're leaving the druids and our quest for a cure hanging to go hunt a devil.

took me a bit to find her despite wyll's quest leading you to her, though. i have a horrible sense of direction, which i guess is okay because my horrible sense of direction did lead me to accidentally find scratch and now we have a dog!

eventually i did get to karlach, and elenion's mind connected to hers and gave him a much closer look at who karlach is and what she's doing here than he expected. naturally he convinced wyll to stand down because karlach does not seem evil. and then he tried to ask karlach some of the questions he had in mind back at camp, but she won't reveal anything until we hunt down the paladins that are still hunting her. understandable, i guess. i like her though! i should try and make sure to get her earlier on my next playthrough.

encountered mizora for the first time when i rested at camp, and i'm very intrigued by what's going on with wyll and i actually have been since way before i played the game and found out he was a fabled hero who was also a warlock. which is why i also think it's a huge shame that from what i've heard at least, he was given a lot less content for his quest and his romance than the other companions were.

wandered around the world a bit more and ended up freeing a poor guy who was being spun around on a windmill by goblins. then i got the scene with gale where he teaches you how to channel the weave, and it not only had bard-specific dialogue options but also had an option that specifically reflected my character's proficiency in history, which was all really neat to see. god, there must be an insane amount of different dialogue branches in this game. love that there was also an option to be like "yeah that was neat, but i could've done it myself lol" since a bard is already a spellcaster.

the range of these particular dialogue options is killing me LMAO

i had high enough approval with gale to trigger a very obviously romantic scene and then the game is literally like "okay, so do you want to kiss him or do you want his severed head on a spike" 😭 like wtf do you THINK?! i can't even imagine how i'd roleplay a character who would be cruel enough to get this far and lead gale on so much before picking to project an image of his head on a spike directly into his mind. and yet i am so curious about what happens if you do--but not curious enough to reload and try to find out. mostly because i cannot bring myself to be mean to gale.

anyway, i picked the romantic walk option. i thought elenion would consider the kiss thing to be a bit too forward. but that was such a sweet scene and i love flustered gale gets when he realizes how you feel about him. going into this game i really thought i'd wanna try for astarion or shadowheart's romances first, and i do like them a lot and want to keep learning more about both of them, but gale surprised me with how much i already liked him from his introduction. he's just really charming and funny and also fits well with the character i made, so i will definitely keep progressing his romance.

aaand i've been progressing a bit slowly because of irl stuff but everything about this game is so good that i wish i'd picked it up sooner! i've been spoiled on quite a bit of things about the story already, but there's also a lot that i haven't been spoiled on and i can't wait to experience all of it anyway.

[the-ballad-of-johnny-goldfiddle]

When you answer asks you always answer them in a way that makes it seem like Johnny’s doing really well, but during play he has been pretty angsty. How’s he really feeling?

The answer to this question is two-fold:

Firstly, Johnny is not doing good. period. none of us are. we learned that in the "check-in" bit during last session. Johnny has a sense of pragmatism that is constantly at odds with him wanting to be optimistic about the party's bond. He wants his friends to be happy and only wants to interact with others in order to make them feel better. But when it comes to anything beneath surface level, Johnny is doing bad. there is no way a person could go through what he has and end up totally okay on the other side. From just the physical toll his body has experienced: shot multiple times, nearly burned alive by Lucian, losing and then regaining his fingers, partially exsanguinated, and nearly beaten to a bloody pulp by hell beasts and self-righteous paladins, some of which of his own volition. It is truly extensive the trauma that he has suffered.

Secondly, his mental state is in just as bad a state as his physical body. Lucian's trauma haunts him in every dream and is now becoming "cool" with the party, he's becoming more conscious of the way his bullshit antics is endangering himself and the party, his attire, personality, and entire essence is based on a tired-out Ardowin-ian cowboy legend, his warlock patron leveled a city when he wanted a phone call and that's terrifying for future endeavors (Johnny's player may want more warlock levels later, and devoting more to the beastial fury of The Demogorgon may cause more damage to Johnny), paranoia racks nearly every thought he has in his head during a day before he drifts to sleep just to wake up to the next day and start it all over again, and the guy he's fawning over has a mysterious new boo with even more mysterious background ties, and lastly and most meaningful to Johnny, people keep making fun of his clothes and hat.

There is no area of Johnny's life that is stable. He's an adventurer, that's how it goes.

[autumnslance]

This is a very silly ask (and feel free to ignore it completely), but do you think any of your OCs would be friends with characters from other franchises? (Fun fact, this was inspired by a piece of fanart that made me believe that Thancred and Leon Kennedy of Resident Evil fame would absolutely be friends. Or at least drinking buddies.)

Hrm, I don't often think in terms of crossovers and mashups anymore--which is funny, as one of my earliest online RP experiences was a multiverse setting where OCs from any and all settings--franchise, gaming, original, etc--could co-exist. Normal mortals teaming up with demigods from novel series and mega-damage users from RIFTS and an array of fantasy and sci-fi and horror characters in between.

I sometimes think about how my OCs in various settings would interact together; how my WoW OCs would get along, or not, with the FF14 crew, or the FF14 OCs with my D&D characters. I tend to lean into certain archetypes (bards and paladins/clerics/priests are favorites), so there'd be some overlap and things in common, and also some frustrations at similarities that grate and clash.

So I don't think too much about how they'd interact with canon figures from other settings, but any OCs I'd have in that realm instead.

Well, the adventuring parties of Actual Play shows like Critical Role (and its animated series spinoffs) is pretty easy; Vox Machina, the Mighty Nein, and Bells Hells are all as chaotic and as helpful as adventurers tend to be, for good or bad. So there'd be eye rolling and irritation, but also understanding and diving in alongside, forming friendships with the weirdos cuz well, adventurers are Like That. They're RP characters too though so might be cheating, or at least easier to figure out for me.

Vax has that sort of noble rogue energy that'd make Aeryn fond of him, while Vex would initially drive her up a wall until they reached an understanding. Scanlan's annoy the heck out of her until they got to sit down and talk for real and she saw under the vulgar exterior. Percy'd be tolerated as Insufferable Noble Trying Too Hard. She'd be patient with Grog and enjoy his overlarge childish glee at everything. And who doesn't love Pike? Literal angel with a chaotic bent herself, she adds a bit of calm when not engaging in sibling shenanigans with Grog. I think Aeryn'd relate most to Keyleth, funnily, and they'd get along decently. Tary, too, would get a lot of sympathy concerning expectations, and also nerding around with his crafts, and may make dealing with Percy a tad easier.

Of the Nein, Caduceus is a spot of calm, aroace energy. Not as right as he thinks he is about many things, but he means well and tries, and that counts for a lot. Aeryn'd have tea with him any day. She'd also be drawn to Beau's bravado and brashness and they'd get into trouble together. Same with Fjord and Caleb, really; there's a level of familiarity in how they approach things with 'let's poke it and see what happens' but also the care they have for others in general. Same with Yasha. Jester's a bright light ball of energy and oh gods her and C'oretta in the same space would be exhausting. Nott/Veth is a bit more complicated; probably depends on when in the campaign, is it before or after Veth's reunited with her family, as she undergoes a shift emotionally once she has her original self back as well as her husband and son. Molly would aggravate and charm Aeryn by turns; Kingsley she'd be sympathetic to and understand too well that living in another's shadow aspect. Essek is fine; he's a wizard to talk shop with, learn from, mess around with spellwork. Luc is a brat also in the shadow of his accomplished mom and adventuring family, and needs mentoring and guidance and a lot of patience oh gosh.

A lot of the Hells would honestly be irritating, especially Imogen's propensity to just use telepathy intrusively; girl needs a lesson in why you don't want to poke around uninvited or casually to get your answers, and a WoL's head is wilder than most. FCG needs mentoring and guidance like whoa. Fearne's also an agent of energetic chaos; fun in doses. Laudna's not so scary, very sweet and fun and sad and likely needs help she doesn't know how to ask for. Ashton's grating in his arrogance and rebelliousness for rebellion's sake (though that may shift given recent things...). Chetney's surface attitude would be annoying, but soon enough he'd be a safe and calming point, given his perceptions. Orym's also just calming and reasonable; maybe a little too much sometimes, and needs to be reminded to cut loose now and then, it's good for you (and your friends).

Dark rolls with it all; she's very easy to get along with. Iyna wouldn't be able to stand most of them. C'oretta would get along well with most everyone but lord her and Jester and/or Fearne in the same place...Terrifying!

That's one off the top of my head, after a long holiday weekend thinking about it off and on, anyway!