#cav mag

[space--daemon]

Would it be possible to hear more of your thoughts about the 5th absorbs the ninth au?

oh my god YES

i'm so deep in my tlt bre fic or i would already be writing this because i LOVE this au and will soon be reading EVERY fic with this concept (some of which are linked in the notes of the original post)

so i imagine this taking place a short while after harrow opens the tomb, a year or two at most

harrow is equal parts devastated w grief and fanatic with adoration for the body in the tomb

she is also NOT in the mood for the ninth to be absorbed by the fifth and is ready to fuckin throw down

of course by throw down, harrow means "glare at them until they go away and also bones" bc she's twelve and that's really all she can do

fifth's first trip to the ninth:

abigail: hel- those people are dead

harrow, currently manipulating the corpses of her parents: (drops from the ceiling like batman) begone, invaders, you are not- griddle!

gideon, who Should Not be there but saw a sword and thought "fuck it": (walks up to magnus) fight me old man

magnus and abigail immediately decide to adopt these children

magnus starts sparring with gideon and getting his ass handed to him, much to aiglamene's delight

abigail begins the daunting task of Earning Harrowhark Nonagesimus' Trust

she explains she doesn't actually want to take over the ninth and harrow can have it once she's eighteen

this inadvertently offends harrow and sets them back a month

the fifth quickly pick up that ortus is Not Into this whole cav business and make the pretty obvious connection that gideon should be harrow's cav and the equally obvious connection that both girls would Rather Die

cut to quinn and pent's epic quest to trick two preteens into accepting the fifth as their caregivers and becoming cav and necromancer

they also become the world's most awkward wingmen

magnus, during a sparring session: say, the reverend daughter looked very regal this morning, didn't she?

gideon, who has already adopted this man as a father figure: what the fuck mags how could you betray me like this

ortus is either besties with the fifth or actually fucking them like abigail pent would one hundred percent take one look at this chubby eloquent caring inept motherfucker and be like I Want That Bear Obliterated

at some point they get it into their heads that the girls need peer engagement so they bring jeanne and isaac to visit

harrowhark nonagesimus, who has never met a person younger than her, watching a nine-year-old jeannemary chatur vibrate with excitement: what the FUCK is That

gideon nav, whose only experience with people younger than her is harrow: what the FUCK is That

[anchesetuttinoino]

Screenshot (13 mag 2024 09:35:28)

Grazie a tutte le cav a tutti i volontari per la collaborazione!

Segui ➡️ 🌐 t.me/ArsenaleKappa 🅰️ 💥💥

[whatcha-reading-today]

Fanfic Spotlight: Your Necro Questions Answered | Magichorse

Gideon and Harrow are happily married living...somewhere and Gideon writes an advice column in a porno mag. Honestly, exactly what I expect post canon.

Read it here:

Author: Magichorse

Fandom: The Locked Tomb

Main characters: Gideon Nav/Harrowhark Nonagesimus

Author's description: Syndicated columnist "Nav the Cav" offers a sympathetic ear to cavaliers across the galaxy and dispenses practical, no-nonsense, real talk advice on how to properly manage and care for your necromancer.

Word count: 8,842words

Rating: T

Complete: Yes

[rightshoeonleftfoot]

On Edge

Pairing: Marius "Jäger" Streicher x Ryad "Jackal" Ramírez Al-Hassar

Summary: Jackal and Jäger are both training as attackers and defenders respectively. Jackal tracks Jäger while he is roaming.

Warnings: Canon typical violence, no blood since this all happens during practice.

Words: 862

This is a little one shot for bestjagermain on twitter!

Jäger put his last ADS down near an entry point, and took a deep breath. He could hear his teammates moving about, setting up site for the imminent entry of the attackers. Though he knew it was only practice, he was still very on edge, with Mira calling the shots.

He checked his mags and took a mental map of how the site was set up, before Mira yelled out a few orders. "Jäger, Caveira! You're both roaming, understood? Jäger, you head for the east entrance, Cav, go for the west entrance." Jäger and Caveira both nodded and headed to their respective positions.

The building was quiet, except for the sounds of his teammates walking upstairs. Though he's done this multiple times, he can't help but feel stressed. He takes a shaky breath in as he roams the hallways, keeping an eye and ear out for anything out of place. He can't hear anything but his own breathing and heartbeat. It's nerve wracking, hearing the sound of his own footsteps bouncing off the walls.

His grip on his gun tightens as he peeks around corners, making sure the way is clear. He's worried, looking over his shoulder constantly, he does not want to get flanked. His team depends on him after all. His headphones crackle to life, with a desperate call from Blitz. "ONE SECOND FLOOR, CASH ROOM, FU-" The radio cuts off, leaving him in eerie silence once again.

He's not sure if Caveira will be going after the person on the second floor, and right as he decides to continue roaming, he gets a transmission from Cav. "I'm dealing with Ace over here, Jäger go after him!" She's clearly out of breath, so he sneaks his way to the second floor. He quickly gets to the server room to find it completely empty.

It's eerily quiet upstairs, the distant sounds of gun fights in the background. He clears the server room, aiming his gun at anything he finds suspicious, before peeking in the cash room carefully. He walks in slowly, making his footsteps as quiet as he possibly can. The only sounds audible are the beeping and buzzing of the electronics in the room.

He hears his own breathing as he peeks at an angle, keeping an ear out for any footsteps. He turns suddenly, having an odd feeling of being tracked. There's no one there. He's just met with an empty room as he peers into the garage. He watches it for way longer than he should. It might just be the atmosphere, but something is making him more on edge than usual.

Then, he hears a single footstep. He turns instantly, only to be met with a wall. Scheiße. He decides to rotate back to the points, knowing he's most likely already been spotted. He moves quickly, but whoever is hot on his trail moves quicker. He doesn't hear anyone as he makes his way back to the stairs. Then, he gets a gut feeling. His heart drops as he immediately turns around to shoot.

Unfortunately, he gets met with the hard concrete wall against his back. His gun had fallen out of his hands, the violence of the pin having him disoriented. "You should be more careful, cariño." Jackal's voice is hushed as he presses the blade of his knife against Jäger's throat. Jager can't feel the cold of the blade thanks to his balaclava, but he can feel the sharpness of it and the pressure Jackal is putting on it.

Words fail him as his breathing gets more laboured. He really wants to reply with a quip, but all he can do is stare. "Cat's got your tongue, amor?" Jäger shakes his head quickly. "N-no, you just scared me." He feels almost relaxed at the sight of Jackal, despite being held at knife-point. The pressure Jackal is applying to his knife lightens.

Jäger's hand comes up to hold Jackal's on the knife. Jackal has a cheeky smile, but Jäger is still trying to calm himself down from the sudden scare. "You're dead and out, Marius." Jackal speaks, before completely withdrawing his knife. "Thought so." Jäger chuckles quietly. Jackal lifts Jäger's balaclava just high enough to see his mouth and closes the very small distance between them, kissing him. Jäger kisses him back without hesitation, just wanting to enjoy this small moment of "privacy" between the both of them.

Jackal pulls away, and Jäger can't help but smile. "Good luck, liebe." They can both hear footsteps from the upper floors, so they go quiet for a second. Jackal completely moved himself off of Jäger. He continues his way up the stairs and looks back at him. "You better go before my good mood runs out, my love." He's teasing him, and Jäger just shakes his head, a grin plastered on his face.

Jackal disappears around the corner and Jäger sighs. He pulls his balaclava down and makes his way out of the building, only to be greeted by the blinding sun once outside. What a fucking dick. He thinks. He'd never admit just how much he likes it though. Not even with a knife to his throat.

[kipperlillycopperkettle]

tagged by: @jadeandquartzes TYYYYYY JADE ILY <33333

last song: heaven's gate by amélie farren is currently playing as i write this. i've got my on repeat playlist on and it's on there because i was listening to it while working on the haymitch fic and thinking about one of the characters in that (bonus points if you can guess who i was thinking about).

favorite color: lavender purple and sage green and mustard yellow.

currently watching: peter and i are watching the unsleeping city in preparation for january, i'm making my parents watch mice and murder (very slowly) and i haven't really been watching anything else lately.

last movie: oooh i think the last movie i watched was but i'm a cheerleader, which i saw for the first time last week?

sweet/savory/spicy: all three i think? but it depends on the mood i'm in. i guess if i had to pick, probably sweet or savory?

current obsessions: the hunger games (as always) but specifically haymitch and also chaff. haymitch fic. my original project (not the one i'm writing, the one i'm thinking about intensely). animal crossing. any of the fics i'm ‘working on’ and by ‘working on’ i mean not actually writing and just kind of thinking about (monty dbd fic, shatterstar zara fic, adventuring party teacher fic (this might be the same as shatterstar zara fic; i haven't decided), mags fic, spyreverse thg au). tbh mostly the hunger games i'm sorry to be predictable </3

last thing i googled: “bug with horns.” don't worry about it.

tagging: @grasslandgirl, @aberfaeth, @cav-core, @priyas, @arithmonym, @elderring & anyone else who sees this and wants to <3

[shinyshade8026]

Fi ziv nioske oshkay… kanv mie cav buegs blazeng…?

-Garret

Yeah, you can have hugs!!!

Mags wants to know Satyr Speak, can I give it the doc?

[crystalelemental]

Coliseum defeated. Got to around level 34 before trying again and we did manage to clear everything and recruit Amalia. I have also created what I feel is a pretty invincible team. At the very least, I haven't seen them lose to anything sane yet.

Alain

Holy Unicorn Blade (S-rank Renown, obtainable if you can beat your grandfather's ghost. Gives +1 AP/PP and debuff immunity, which I think counts status since "removes debuffs" on heals seems to remove status)

Azure Crest Shield (+1 AP)

Ring of the Unicorn (It's fine)

Knight's Medallion (+2 Def, +10% Def, Guard Rate +10%)

AP skills set Cav Slayer as priority if there are Cavs, Spinning Edge as priority if there are 2+ enemies in a row, Lean Edge as generic.

PP skills are important. The big winning move was adding Luminous Cover with the priority target "Highest Phys Atk" so he guards Nina.

Melisandre

Kingsblade Cornix (Obtained from Cornea stone tablet quest. All stats +5)

Notos' Sword (Obtained from southern(?) door shrine. +1 AP, +10 initiative, +10 evasion)

Warrior's Medallion (+2 Atk, +10% Atk, +10% crit rate)

Hero's Medallion (+1 AP/PP, Atk +20%. Was Carnelian Pendant for +1 AP)

AP has Keen Edge for Scout, Impale for any target below 25% HP, and Meteor Slash generally.

PP focuses on Hasted Strike for Scouts or Fliers aiming for a one-shot. Charged Impetus is the big focus for another AP, with the third PP going into Parry and hopefully a third Meteor Slash. That last bit is only with Hero's Medallion.

Nina

Kingsaxe Drakenash (Drakenhold stone tablets. All stats +5)

Warrior's Medallion

Ruby Pendant (+2 AP)

Green Beret (+10% Atk)

AP is Row Smash if there's armor and a row of 2+ enemies, or Heavy Smash if just armor. Otherwise, we're aiming for Assaulting Blow nonstop infinite smashmax.

PP is mostly Enrage. Heavy Counter exists but the goal is to never use it. Binding Guard also exists for armor but ideally it never goes off. Enrage is all she wants to do with her PP.

Rosalinde

Twinned Bough (Default weapon)

Sorcerer's Medallion (Warrior's but for Mag Atk)

Carnelian Pendant

Druid Robes (applied Cursed Impetus, which grants +1 AP if debuffed)

AP is weird. Elemental Roar is set as Second Action, ideally to combo with Primus Edge. Sylphic Wind activates if there are fliers, and Freezing Thrust is there if we have armor, but mostly we want Primus Edge into Elemental Roar.

PP has her using Curing Heal, with "Prioritize Caster." I've found the one thing that really hurt us on the climb, and the reason I was stopped, was status hitting Scarlett. This clears it.

As an aside, I realized a few things while playing around with Rosaline and Eltoline. Apparently, "activates at the start of battle" only happens for one ally on the team. Only one. So if the others jump queue, the others don't get it. This created a huge problem for getting those fairies active, as a faster option like, say, a Scout? Offsets Eltoline's heal and buff and Fairy to give herself her big damage attack. Additionally, it turns out they only dispel their own fairies, not the full party's. So they are actively kinda crap together, I think, because the "start of battle" setup for their big burst conflicts with one another. Only one of them can get it. I still want to shift Rosaline off this team, but she gets the job done and I don't have better ideas.

Scarlett

Precious Rod (Limited Heal to overheal above maximum)

Scarlett's Ribbon (Quick Heal added)

Sapphire Pendant (+2 PP, was Lapis Pendant)

Ruby Pendant (+2 AP, was Carnelian Pendant)

AP is Innocent Ray if there are 2+ combatants in a row. Curing Call is if anyone gets hit with a debuff, or with particular status shifted to suit the match. Holy Light if there's an armor. Then Limited Heal otherwise.

PP has Saint's Barrier and Passive Miracle naturally, while Quick Heal goes to whoever has the lowest HP percentage.

General Notes

The first Amalia fight goes down pretty easy. It's the follow-up fight that's a pain. The big thing that got us to win was Luminous Cover on Highest Atk. This prevented Nina from getting hit by Ground Shaker, which would shed one of her buffs, and one of her attacks. Additionally, Melisandre can just dodge it, so it saves the most effect. With sufficient guard, Alain will also guard her against one of the big seven-hit team-wide combos, which means she only needs to tank one hit. Luminous Cover is specifically chosen to permit that, as the boosted 20% Def actually lets her tank reasonably well.

So far, there hasn't been anything too threatening. Usually when we lose, it's because the opponent has like 10+ levels on us. Otherwise, they crush it. Usually what stops things is status on the back row. Scarlett can get really messed up if afflicted, and if we don't guard Nina from it and she dies to Burn or Poison, the match is effectively sunk. Nina is the win condition outright.

As mentioned, I really want to shift Rosalinde off this team, to something that doesn't have such a high competition for first action. I'd like to see her have a bit more utility overall. Not that she doesn't help, but she feels more like a generalized backup healer for Scarlett. Maybe that's fine. Maybe it's all she needs to be. But I want better for her.

I have some other teams I'm still testing out. I'll have to post about that tomorrow though. I'm enjoying the game, but I feel like I'm going to walk back into the main plot stuff and kinda steamroll everything now. Oops.

[cattem]

Hey so what’s your favorite headcannon for Cav and Valk?

This is my first time to write down my headcanon in English, so it might be complicate and poor-grammer thing.

What should I say first? I stan em after playing operation archangel in GR:WL, and I thought a squabbling but cute loving relationship between them. Valkyrie is mild golden retriever that feel annoyed about Cav but can't resist to come up with Cav. Cav is basically hissing black cat but strangely she has a thing for Valkyrie. 'mounting tensions with Specialist Taina "Caveira" Pereira over the incident in Bolivia.' I see this canon Valk's lore as usual catfight, maybe they made up 4829times on the bedsheet or .. or… or I don't know I'm nasty. They bickering everyday and everytime but still lovers?? or something like that. They do love and hate each other at the same time, They can't define their own relationship.

EVEN THOUGH CANON GAVE ME THIS↓ RIDICULOUS TATTOO.

+ I don't wanna forget about Camila, I just feel like Caveira would cheat on her lover, because she is Caveira. this headcanon came from a plot which my friend in twitter told me. "I can make you impressed in 5 seconds. What if Mag accidently answer Taina's phone in early morning after a 'night', and It was from Camila?" "I'm impressed." Canon gf secured, Cav's sapphic secured, my otp is yet legit, and getting even more interesting.

++ I don't really care about who would be 'top', but I think I LITTLE, a micro millimeter, a sheet of paper, bit prefer Valk on top.

[adolin]

I would like to request the director's cut/commentary of And the Knife that You Twist when You Say You Always Win please :)

aaaah thank you!

and the knife that you twist when you say you always win, 4k, rated M, Gideon/Harrow, Harrow Nova AU

“So you want to be my cav,” Gideon said. “Okay. Prove it.” The thing was: having the hots for a stuck-up cavalier? Totally not as fun as it’d looked in the mags.

My contribution to the Harrow Nova renaissance! This fic is like 60% the fault of @augustmourn who doesn't even know it (now she does) who had many truly delicious ideas about Reverend Daughter Gideon and her dynamic with Harrow Nova (yes I lurked on your CIEx exchange letter) + planted Ideas in my head about sexy knifeplay.

Anyway. This is a fic about being a horny repressed teenager and there's only another girl on Pluto, and you're inescapably tied together and caught in a vicious cycle of feudal loyalty and resentment. And also you have a big fat crush. It's also an exploration of my Reverend Daughter Gideon headcanons. I have MANY! I think she'd be a cocky dick with eldritch jod-adjacent chaos powers.

(I absolutely want to write a long Harrow Nova AU at some point but I think I want to wait until AtN is out to keep the speculation to a minimum. BUT I made this fic part of a series bc I also have plans for pre-canon one-shots that are mostly about teen griddlehark in this 'verse)

Title from this absolute banger: hatefuck by Cruel Youth

[reynanghugot]

[11:45 PM]

Nakakapagod na araw. Super nakakatuwa lang kasi sobrang minimal ng revisions na gagawin namin sa paper namin for this subject. Worth it yung puyat, pagod, pag iisip, meetings namin ng mga ka group ko. Nagustuhan din ng program chairman/prof namin yung mga layouts ko. I'm hoping na sana maging okay lahat by the end of this sem. Appreciate ko din yung group mates ko (first two pictures sa taas) kasi from Cavs and Rizal pa sila talagang sinamahan nila ako for this consultation.

After school, dapat mag mo-moa kami ni Nikko pero di na kinaya ng pagod ko kaya we decided to re-schedule nalang ito sa Sunday since off naman niya. Di kasi ako pwede mapagod ng sobra dahil di pa ko magaling. So we ended up, mag stay nalang sa apartment ng few hours before ako umuwi samin. We had deep talks regarding with my current situation and one thing na masasabi ko is super grateful ako to have him and his family in my life. Wala na kong mahihiling pa.

Lastly, nag launch ako ng cover photo and post sa fb page and ig ko letting my moots know that I'm now entering the freelancing Industry. So far, natutuwa ako sa outcome kahit paano. Baby steps ba. Atleast, may progress and sobrang willing ako to work hard for it talaga. Thanks to my mentor talaga @/kindclouds for helping me all throughout and answering my never-ending questions. Makakabawi din ako sayo.

Anw, ayun lang ang aking chika today. Gusto ko pa sana mag acads but my body is slowly giving up na sa pagod. I hope everyone is having a great Friday evening too! Toodles.

[ygmitsu]

i jus wanna share b4 me mag sleep fr (tnx to mule) hahahah na im kinda binge watching happiness on netflix and the vibe this condo gives is very that kdrama!!!

feeling main character tuloy me hehhee pag nag ka zombie d2 i need my yi hyun 😾 anw cute q pati my curled hair and outfit hmp o sya hepi sundaaaay I’ll be back in cav again latwr ughh

[sleprandomizer]

Happy birthday Framme and Clanne

"The divine dragon looked at me" This line haunting me even in my dream

Our twins the 33rd steward of divine dragon. For their birthday I want to share my experience when I used them.

I used Framme in my first playthrough (hard mode) and Clanne in my 2nd playthrough (maddening). I couldn't lie that I actually dislike Framme and Clanne before engage released. The high pitch voices and the unhinged dialogue line made me uncomfortable and felt embarrassing to hear their dialogues. Part of me want to kill them at my first playthrough. However, I tried to give them a chance. I couldn't handle the amount of embarrassment when used both of them so I pick one of the twins. At least I could handle the amount of uncomfortable fangirling if only one character.

Design wise Framme and Clanne are quite good. I actually like it that they are teens who look like teen so part of me can tolerate their behaviour when fangirling a little bit. I like the colour choices refered to christmas cav. Oh they also remind me with the colour of mario and luigi.

As unit Framme probably had more upper hand since Qi was something new compare to Clanne who was a mage. We already knew what mages do but not with Qi class. At the beginning, through Framme the game taught player that Qi class could heal, break bow and tome, and chain guard. Chain guard caught my attention and it was really cool, it taught us how to create human wall with your units. For example when enemy attack Alear and Framme already activated chain guard before, the first hit of enemy would be deflected and the damage was transfered to Framme. Very interesting mechanic that sadly not aged very well. Chain guarding only allowed when Framme in full health. After she took the damage because of chain guard, she couldn't do chain guard again because her hp was not full. The problem was frame the main healer in the first part and healing other units was more important than chain guarding. Then she just became our staff bot until we recruit jean and yunaka-micaiah. In part 2 I delayed her reclass because other new units need master seal more than healer. I reclassed her as martial master. Framme rarely engaged in combat because fist in this game used (str+mag)/2 so she never dealt meaningful damage. She also was too busy to chain guarding or healing or playing with staved. Mostly healing and using staves. In the end she never felt like so important for me. I just kept using her because it was my first playthrough. I did feel annoyed when i heard her selection dialogue.

Clanne I used him in my second playthrough. Engage is kinda whack with classes and unit. He was a mage but his personal mag growth only 10%. Because my first maddening was fixed growth it affect Clanne performance later. As our first mage clanne actually useful in part 1. He can chip or dealt a lot of damage for armour which i appreciated. In part 2 I reclassed him as mage knight and gave him forged levin sword. Levin sword helped him to keep him relevant. Oh he was quite fast so he could at least double enemies. However due to his low magic stat in the end he couldn't kill general or great knight due to their bulkiness. It was not his fault even pandreo sometimes couldn't finished those enemies however at least pandreo almost kill it while clanne still leaving like half of the hp. In the end as mage knight he just okay but other mages definitely outclassed him.

At the end of the day I still don't feel attachment to Framme and Clanne despite playing this game 5 times and part 1 forced me to use them for like the first 6-7 chapters. Their support conversation actually okay as long as it was not about Alear. I like framme x diamant support and clanne x jean support. I didn't dislike them much compare to pre-release engage but I don't think I love them. Just okay.

Framme

Character: 6.0/10

Design : 8.0/10

Unit performance : 6.5/10 (staves in general just powerful but she was not the only staff user)

Clanne

Character: 6.0/10

Design: 8.2/10

Unit performance: 6.0/10 (still okay until the end of playthrough as MK but i prefer not to use him again)

[a-z0-9-i-n-gram-completionist]

1:    0 1 2 4 8 9 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z    32/36    (26/26)    (6/10)

2:    08 11 18 19 41 42 84 90 ab ac ad ag ai aj ak al am an ap ar as at av aw ay ba bd be bi bl bo br bs bu by ca cc ce ch ci ck cl co cr cs ct cu cy da dd de df di dl dn do dr ds du dy ea eb ec ed ee ef eg eh ei el em en eo ep eq er es et ev ew ex ey fa fe fi fo fr ft fu ga ge gh gi gl go gr gs gt gy ha he hi hn ho hr ht hu hy ia ib ic id ie if ig il im in io ip ir is it iu iv iz jo ju ke ki kn ks ky la ld le lf li lk ll lm lo ls lu lv ly ma me mh mi mo mp ms mu my na nb nc nd ne nf ng nh ni nk nl nn no ns nt nu nv ny oa ob oc od oe of og oi ol om on oo op or os ot ou ow ox oy pa pe ph pi pl pm po pp pr ps pt pu qu ra rd re rg ri rk rl rm rn ro rp rr rs rt ru ry rz sa sc se sh si sk sm sn so sp sq ss st su sw sy ta te th ti tl to tr ts tt tu tw ty ua ub uc ud ue ug ui ul um un uo up ur us ut ve vi wa we wh wi wo wr xc xe xi xt xu yb yg yl ym yn yo yp ys yx ze zo    290/1296    (282/676)    (8/100)

3:    184 190 842 908 abd abl aca acc aci ack acr acs act ade ads age ain ajo ake aki ale ali alk all alm alo als ame ami amp ana anc and ane ang ani ans ant anu any ape app ard are arg ark arl arm aro arr ars art ase ask ass ata ate ath ati ato att atu ave avi awa awr ayb bab bac bal bas bdo bea bed beh bel bet bey bio bis bit ble blo bly bod bon bou bow boy bra bre bst bul bur but cal can cav cce ccy cee cen cep che chi cia cie cin cks cky cle clo clu coc com con cos cre cri cru cti ctu cul cut cyx dar dda dea dee den deo dep der des dfi did die din dis dle dne doe dom don dor dul dur ead eak eal ear eat ebr eci ecr ect edd edi eed eei eem een efe egi egs ehi ein eir eit ela ele elf ell elo elv ely ema eme emo emp ems emu enb enc end eng enh eno ent env eos eou epo eps ept equ era ere eri erl erm ern err ers ert eru ery erz esc ese esn esp ess est eta ete eto etw ety eve evi ewh exc exe ext exu eyo fam far fat fem fer fes fib fie fif fin fir fis for fos fra fro fth fur fus gap gel gem ges ght gic gif gio gir gla glu gol gon gou gre gro gth gys han hap hat hav hea hei hem hen her hes hey hic hig him hin hip hir his hit hiu hna hol hot hou hro hum hus hym ial iar ibe ibi ibu ica ice ich ick icu ide idf ied ien ier ies iet ife ifi ift igh ila ili ill ima imi ims ina inc ind ine inf ing ink ins int inu iny iof ion ior iou ips ird irs isc ise ish iso isp iss ist ite ith iti its itt ity ium ive ize joi jor jus jut ked kel kes kin kiv kne kno ksc lan lar lat lde leg len les let lex lia lie lif lis lit lli llo lls lly lmo loa log lon loo lop lou low lso lue lun lus lvi lym lyp mag maj mak mal man mar mas mat may mel men mer met mew mil min mit moo mor mos mou mph mpl mpr mse mur mus myg nac nad nal nat nbo nce ncl nde ndi ndn ndo nds ndu nec nee nei neo nes nex nfr nge ngs ngt ngy nhn nim nky nly nne nop nor nos not now nox nse nsi nst nsw nta nte nti ntl nto ntr nts ntu nuo nus nve oac oat oba occ oce oci odi ody oes ofi oft ogi ogo ogs oin old ole olo oma ome omi omp omy ona ond one onl onn ons ont ool oos oot ope ops opt ora org ori orm ors ose osi oss ost osu ota ote oth oti oto oug oun oup ous out owe owi oxi oyl par pat pea pec ped pel per pho pic pin ple pli pmh poi pos ppa ppe ppo pre pri pro pte pti pub qua que qui rac rai ral ran rap rat raw rdl rea rec red ref reg rel rem ren res ret rev rge ria rib rig rin rio ris rit rki rks rly rma rmi rmo rms rns roa rob roc rog rom rop ros rou row rpr rra rro rru rsa rse rsi rst rte rth rti rto rts ruc rum rus sac sal sam sav say sch sci scl scr scu sec sed see sel seq ses sha she sid sim sio sis sit siv siz ske ski sma smo soc sof som sop sor spe spi spo squ sso ssu sta ste sti stl sto sts stu sty sua sub suc sue sup sur sus swe syn tai tak tal tan tar tat tea teb ted ten ter tes tha the thi tho thr thu thy tib tic tid tin tio tip tis tiv tle tly tom ton too tot tre tri tsi tte ttl tty tua tud tur tus twe two tyl typ ual uar uat ubi ubs uch uco udi uea uen ues ugh uit ula ume und ung unt unu uou upp ups ure uri urn uro urp urr urs urt usc use usi ust usu uta ute uts vel ver vic vid vil vit war wee wel wer wha whe whi who why win wit xcl xem xio xte xtr xus ybe ygo yle ylo yme ymp ymu yno yon you ypi ypm yst zoo    802/46656    (798/17576)    (4/1000)

4:    1842 1908 abdo able ably acce acin acru acti actu adep ages ainf ajor akes akin alis allo alls ally almo alog also amil ampl anal anat ance ands andu aneo ange anim answ ants anus aped appa appe area aren arge arki arks arly arms arou arra arsa arte arti arts ased aske atar ated ater athe atid atio ativ atom atte atty atur avit awar aybe babl back ball base bdom bear bedd behi belo betw beyo biof bitt blog bodi body bone boun boyl brat brev bsta bula burr bute call cavi ccen ccyx ceed cent ceps cept cher chiu cial cien ciet cing cles cloa clus cocc comp conn cons cont cosu cret crib crum ctio ctua ctus cula cuta dard ddar deal deed denb denc deos depo dept desc dfis died dies diet ding disp dnes does dome domi dors dula duri eaki eall ears eart ebra ecia ecre ecti ectu edda edin edis eedi eein eems efer egio ehin eing eith elat elet elop elow elvi emal emel emen emor empl emur enbo ence endi ends engt engy enhn enop enor enti entl entu enve eous epos epti eque eral eran ered eres erio erly ermi erru erse ersi erte erti erto erus escr espe esti esty etal etat eton etwe ever evic evid ewha excl exem exte extr exus eyon fami fatt fema femo femu fest fibu fied fift find firs fish form foss frac frog from furt fuse gely geme gest gica gion gird glan glue gold gona gous grea grou gyst hape have head hear heir here hert herz hese hich high hims hind hing hips hird hite hium hnac hole hoto houg hroa hume hyme hymu iall ibed ibio ibul ibut ical icep icks icky icul idea iden ideo ides idfi ienc iety ifes ifie ifth ight ilar ilia illi imag imal imil imse inal incl inde infr ings inky inse insi inst inte into ints inuo iofi ions ious irdl irst isch ishe isop ispo issu ists ites ithe itio ittl itty ivel join jori just juts kele king kink kive knee know ksch land larg larl late lati latu lden legs leng leta leto lexu liar lier life lifi litt llie llow lmos loac logi logo lond loos lope lops lowe lowi lung lusi lvic lymp lypm mage majo make male mall many mark mass mati mayb mely meno ment meru meta mewh mila mili mina mite moot mora most moun mous mple mpli mpri msel murs musc must mygo naci nads nali nalo nato nboy nclu ndee nder ndin ndne ndon ndul nect neit neou ness next nfro ngem ngth ngys nhna nima nnec nopt norm nost note noxi nsec nseq nsid nsis nste nswe ntai nter ntin ntio ntly ntri ntua nuou nusu nvel oaca obab occy ocee ocie odie oesn ofib ogic ogou oint olde olog omat omen omew omin ompr onad ondo only onne onse onsi onta onti ontr oolo oose ooth oped oper opte oral oria orit orma ormo orsa oses osit osso oste osto osty osus otal oted othe otic ough ound ount oups outs ower owin oxio oylo pare part patt pear peci pelv perl phot pica pine plex plif poin pose posi post ppar ppea ppos pred pris prob proc prop pter ptid pubi quar quea quen ques quit ract rain rang rans rapp rate rath rawr rdle real reat rect redi refe regi rela reme rent rest rete reve revi rgel rges rial ribe ribu righ ring rior rise rity rkiv rksc rmat rmit rmou roat roba roce rogs rope rost roun roup rowe rpri rran rrou rrow rruc rsal rsed rsio rstl rteb rter rthe rtic rton ruco sacr sacs sals same save sche schi scie scle scri scul secr sect seei seem self sequ shap shes side sidf simi sion sist siti sits sive size sked skel skin smal smoo soci soft some sopt sori spec spin spos sque ssor ssue stan stea ster stic stin stio stly stom stot stud styl sual subs such supp surp surr swer syno tain take talk tanc tane tars tata tead tebr tend tera tere teri term tern than that thei them ther thes they thig thin thir this thou thro thus thym tibi tica tick ticu ting tinu tiny tion tips tiss tive toma tomy tons tota toti trem trib tsid tter ttle tual tuat tudi ture turn twee tyle typi uall uart uate ubis ubst ucos udie ueak uenc uest uite ular ulat umer unde undi undn ungs unus uous uppo urin urns uros urpr urro urth uscl uscu used usio usiv usua utan utsi velo vely verr vers vert very vice vide vill vity ware ween well were wers what when whic whit whol wing with xclu xemp xiou xten xtre ygol ylou ymen ymph ymus ynos

yond ypic ypmh ysto zool    815/1679616    (813/456976)    (2/10000)

5:    abdom accen acing acrum actio actua adept ainfr ajori aking allow almos alogo amili ample analo anato andul aneou angem anima answe appar appea arent argel arges arkiv arksc aroun arran arsal arter artic asked atars atera ather ation ative atomy atter ature avity aware bably balls based bdome bdomi bedda behin below betwe beyon biofi bitty bodie bound boylo brate brevi bstan burro cally cavit ccent ceedi centu cepti cherz chium ciall cienc ciety cloac clusi coccy compr conne conse consi conta conti contr cosus crete cribe ction ctual cular culat cutan ddard denbo dence depos descr dfish dings dispo dness doesn domen domin dorsa dular durin eakin eally earts ebrat ecial ecret ectio ectus eddar eding edisp eedin eeing egion ehind eithe elati eleta eleto elope elops elvic emale emely ement emora empli emurs enboy endin ength engys enhna enopt enorm entio ently entua envel eposi eptid equen erans erest erior ermit erruc ersed ersio erteb ertic erton escri espec estin estio estyl etata etons etwee evers evice evide ewhat exclu exemp exten extre eyond famil fatty femal femor femur festy fibul fifth first fishe forma fosso fract frogs furth fused gemen gical girdl gland golde gonad great group gysto haped heart herto himse hnaci hough hroat humer hymen hymus ially ibiof ibula ibute icall iceps icept icula ideal idenc ideos idfis ience ifest ified ilarl iliar illie image imila imsel inali inclu indee infro insec insid inste inter inuou iofib irdle irstl ischi ishes isopt ispos issue ither ition ittle ively joint jorit kelet kinky ksche lands landu large larly later lativ latur ldenb lengt letal leton lexus lifes lifie littl llier llowi lmost loaca logic logou londo loose loped lower lowin lungs lusio lusiv lymph lypmh mages major makes marks matid matio maybe menop menti merus metat mewha milar milia minal mites mooth moral mount mplex mplif mpris mself muscl muscu mygol nacin nalis nalog natom nboyl nclus ndeed nding ndnes ndula necti neith neous nfrog ngeme ngyst nhnac nimal nnect nopte normo nosto noted noxio nsect nsequ nside nsist nstea nswer ntain ntere ntinu ntion ntrib ntuat nuous nusua nvelo obabl occyx oceed ociet odies ofibu ogica ogous oints olden ologi omati omewh omina ompri onads ondon onnec onseq onsis ontai ontin ontri oolog operl opter orial ority ormat ormou orsal ositi osits ossor oster ostot ostyl other otica ounde oundi oundn outsi owers owing oxiou oylou paren parti patte pears pecia pelvi perly photo pical plexu plifi point poses posit poste ppare ppear ppose predi prise proba proce prope ptera pubis quart queak quenc quest quite racti rainf range rathe reall rectu redis refer regio relat remel rentl resti rever revic rgely rgest ribed ribut right rkive rksch rmati rmite rmous robab rocee roper rosty round roups rower rpris rrang rroun rrowe rruco rsals rsion rstly rtebr rther rtica rticu rucos sacru scher schiu scien scles scrib scula secre seein seems seque shape sides sidfi simil sists sitio sivel skele small smoot socie somew sopte soria speci spine spose squea ssori stanc stead steri stick sting stion stoma stoti studi style suall subst suppo surpr surro swere synos tance taneo tarsa tatar tebra tendi tends teral teran teres terio termi their there thert these thigh thing third thoug throa thymu tibio tical ticks ticky ticul tinuo tions tissu tomat total totic treme tribu tside ttern tuall tuate tudie turns tween typic ually uarte uated ubsta ucosu udied ueaki uence uesti ularl ulatu umeru under undin undne unusu uppos uring urost urpri urrou urrow urthe uscle uscul usion usive usual utane utsid velop verru verse versi verte verti vicep viden video villi wered which white whole xclus xempl xious xtend xtrem ygold ymeno ynost ypica ystom zoolo    622/60466176    (622/11881376)

6:    abdome abdomi accent action actual ainfro ajorit allowi almost alogou amilia amplex analog anatom andula aneous angeme animal answer appare appear arentl argely argest arkive arksch around arrang arsals articu atarsa ateral athert ations attern bdomen bdomin beddar behind betwee beyond biofib bodies boylou brevic bstanc burrow cavity ccentu ceedin centua ceptid cially cience cloaca clusio clusiv coccyx compri connec conseq consis contai contin contri cribed ctions ctuall cularl culatu cutane denboy deposi descri dfishe dispos domina dorsal during eaking ebrate eciall ecrete ection eddard edings edispo eeding either elativ eletal eleton eloped emoral emplif enboyl ending engyst enhnac enopte enormo ention entuat envelo eposit equenc eresti ermite erruco ersion ertebr ertica escrib especi esting estion estyle etatar etween everse evicep eviden exclus exempl extend extrem famili female femora femurs festyl fibula firstl fishes format fossor fracti furthe gement girdle glands glandu golden gonads groups gystom hearts herton himsel hnacin humeru hymeno ibiofi ically icepti icular idence idfish ifesty ilarly illier images imilar imself inalis inclus indeed infrog insect inside instea intere inuous iofibu irstly ischiu isopte ispose jority keleta keleto kscher landul largel larges latera lative lature ldenbo length letons lifest lified little llowin logica logous london lowing lusion lusive majori marksc mation menopt mentio metata mewhat milarl miliar minali mplexu mplifi mprise muscle muscul mygold nacing nalogo natomy nboylo nclusi ndness ndular nectio neithe nfrogs ngemen ngysto nhnaci nnecti nopter normou nostot noxiou nseque nsists nstead nswere nteres ntinuo ntribu ntuate nusual nvelop obably oceedi ociety ofibul ogical oldenb ologic omatid omewha ominal ompris onnect onsequ onsist ontain ontinu ontrib oologi operly optera ormati ormous ositio ossori osteri ostoti ostyle otical ounder oundin oundne outsid oxious parent partic patter pecial pelvic plexus plifie points positi posits poster pparen ppears predis probab procee proper pteran quarte queaki quence questi ractio rainfr rangem rather really rectus redisp region relati remely rently restin revers revice ribute rksche rmatio rmites robabl roceed roperl rostyl rounde roundi roundn rowers rprise rrange rround rrower rrucos rtebra rtical rticul rucosu sacrum scherz schium scienc scribe scular sculat secret seeing sequen shaped sidfis simila sition sively skelet smooth societ somewh sopter sorial specia sposes squeak ssoria stance sterio sticks sticky stomat stotic studie sually substa suppos surpri surrou swered synost taneou tarsal tatars tebrat tendin terans terest terior termit therto though throat thymus tibiof ticall ticula tinuou tissue tomati totica tremel tribut tually tuated tudied typica uarter ubstan ucosus ueakin uestio ularly ulatur umerus unding undnes unusua uppose urosty urpris urroun urrowe urther uscles uscula usivel usuall utaneo utside velope velops verruc versed versio verteb vertic viceps vicept videnc videos villie xclusi xempli xtendi xtends xtreme ygolde ymenop ynosto ypical ystoma zoolog    446/2176782336    (446/308915776)

7:    abdomen abdomin accentu actuall ainfrog ajority allowin alogous amiliar amplexu analogo anatomy andular angemen answere apparen appears arently arksche arrange articul atarsal atherto bdomina beddard between biofibu brevice bstance burrowe ccentua ceeding centuat clusion clusive compris connect consequ consist contain continu contrib ctually cularly culatur cutaneo denboyl deposit describ dfishes dispose dominal ecially ections edispos eedings elative eletons emplifi enboylo engysto enhnaci enopter enormou entuate envelop eposits equence erestin ermites errucos ertebra ertical escribe especia etatars eversed eviceps evicept evidenc exclusi exempli extendi extends extreme familia femoral festyle firstly formati fossori fractio further glandul goldenb gystoma himself hnacing humerus hymenop ibiofib iceptid icularl idfishe ifestyl imilarl inclusi infrogs instead interes iofibul ischium isopter isposes keletal keleton kscherz landula largely largest lateral ldenboy lifesty llowing logical lusivel majorit marksch mations menopte mention metatar milarly minalis mplexus mplifie muscles muscula mygolde nalogou nboylou nclusio nection neither ngement ngystom nhnacin nnectio noptera normous nostoti noxious nsequen nswered nterest ntinuou ntribut ntuated nusuall nvelope nvelops oceedin ofibula oldenbo ologica omewhat ominali omprise onnecti onseque onsists ontinuo ontribu oologic opteran ormatio osition ossoria osterio ostotic oticall ounding oundnes outside parentl particu pattern peciall plified positio posteri pparent predisp probabl proceed properl pterans quarter queakin questio raction rainfro rangeme redispo relativ resting reverse revicep rkscher rmation robably roceedi roperly rostyle rounder roundin roundne rrangem rroundi rrowers rrucosu rtebrat rticula rucosus science scribed sculatu secrete sequenc sidfish similar skeleta skeleto society somewha soptera special squeaki ssorial sterior stomati stotica studied substan suppose surpris surroun synosto taneous tarsals tatarsa tebrate tending teresti termite therton tibiofi tically ticular tinuous tomatid totical tremely tribute typical ubstanc ueaking uestion ulature undness unusual urostyl urprise urround urrower uscular usculat usively usually utaneou veloped verruco version vertebr vertica vicepti vidence villier xclusiv xemplif xtendin xtremel ygolden ymenopt ynostot ystomat zoologi    297/78364164096    (297/8031810176)

8:    abdomina accentua actually ainfrogs allowing amplexus analogou angement answered apparent arkscher arrangem articula atarsals atherton bdominal biofibul brevicep burrower ccentuat ceedings centuate clusivel comprise connecti conseque consists continuo contribu culature cutaneou denboylo deposits describe disposes dominali edispose emplifie enboylou engystom enhnacin enoptera enormous entuated envelope envelops eresting errucosu ertebrat escribed especial etatarsa evicepti evidence exclusiv exemplif extendin extremel familiar formatio fossoria fraction glandula goldenbo gystomat hymenopt ibiofibu icularly idfishes ifestyle imilarly inclusio interest iofibula isoptera keletons landular ldenboyl lifestyl lusively majority marksche menopter metatars mplified muscular musculat mygolden nalogous nclusion nections ngystoma nhnacing nnection nopteran nostotic nsequenc nteresti ntinuous ntribute nusually nveloped oceeding oldenboy ological ominalis onnectio onsequen ontinuou ontribut oologica opterans ormation ossorial osterior ostotica otically oundness parently particul pecially position posterio pparentl predispo probably proceedi properly queaking question rainfrog rangemen redispos relative reversed reviceps revicept rkscherz rmations roceedin rounding roundnes rrangeme rroundin rrucosus rtebrate rticular sculatur sequence sidfishe similarl skeletal skeleton somewhat sopteran speciall squeakin stomatid stotical substanc surprise surround synostot tatarsal terestin termites tibiofib ticularl toticall ubstance unusuall urostyle urroundi urrowers usculatu utaneous verrucos vertebra vertical viceptid xclusive xemplifi xtending xtremely ygoldenb ymenopte ynostoti ystomati zoologic    189/2821109907456    (189/208827064576)

9:    abdominal accentuat analogous apparentl arkscherz arrangeme articular bdominali biofibula breviceps brevicept burrowers ccentuate centuated clusively connectio consequen continuou contribut cutaneous denboylou described dominalis edisposes emplified engystoma enhnacing enopteran enveloped errucosus ertebrate especiall etatarsal eviceptid exclusive exemplifi extending extremely formation fossorial glandular goldenboy gystomati hymenopte ibiofibul inclusion interesti isopteran ldenboylo lifestyle markscher menoptera metatarsa musculatu mygoldenb ngystomat nnections nopterans nostotica nsequence nterestin oceedings oldenboyl onnection onsequenc ontinuous ontribute oological ormations ostotical particula posterior pparently predispos proceedin rainfrogs rangement redispose revicepti roceeding roundness rrangemen rrounding rticularl sculature sidfishes similarly skeletons sopterans specially squeaking stoticall substance surroundi synostoti tatarsals teresting tibiofibu ticularly totically unusually urroundin usculatur verrucosu vertebrat xclusivel xemplifie ygoldenbo ymenopter ynostotic ystomatid zoologica    112/101559956668416    (112/5429503678976)

10:    abdominali accentuate apparently arrangemen articularl bdominalis brevicepti ccentuated connection consequenc continuous contribute engystomat enopterans especially etatarsals exclusivel exemplifie formations goldenboyl gystomatid hymenopter ibiofibula interestin isopterans ldenboylou markscherz menopteran metatarsal musculatur mygoldenbo ngystomati nostotical nteresting oldenboylo onnections onsequence ostoticall particular predispose proceeding redisposes reviceptid roceedings rrangement rticularly stotically surroundin synostotic tibiofibul urrounding usculature verrucosus vertebrate xclusively xemplified ygoldenboy ymenoptera ynostotica zoological    60/3656158440062976    (60/141167095653376)

11:    abdominalis accentuated arrangement articularly breviceptid connections consequence engystomati exclusively exemplified goldenboylo hymenoptera interesting menopterans metatarsals musculature mygoldenboy ngystomatid nostoticall oldenboylou ostotically particularl predisposes proceedings surrounding synostotica tibiofibula ygoldenboyl ymenopteran ynostotical    30/131621703842267136    (30/3670344486987776)

12:    engystomatid goldenboylou hymenopteran mygoldenboyl nostotically particularly synostotical ygoldenboylo ymenopterans ynostoticall    10/4738381338321616896    (10/95428956661682176)

13:    hymenopterans mygoldenboylo synostoticall ygoldenboylou ynostotically    5/170581728179578208256    (5/2481152873203736576)

14:    mygoldenboylou synostotically    2/6140942214464815497216    (2/64509974703297150976)

Why are rain frogs so round? What's /inside/ of them around such an itty bitty skeleton?

So it turns out this is a really interesting question.

The first thing we must be aware of is that rainfrogs as we see them in videos of them squeaking are not quite the same shape as they are when at rest:

[x]

But you are quite right, they are very round. This is exemplified by the skeletal photo you refer to:

[X]

So what are we seeing?

Well, firstly, note that the body cavity in these frogs actually envelops the femurs, such that only the tibiofibula (fused in frogs) and the tarsals and metatarsals are outside the body. The arms are quite similarly enveloped, but a bit of the humerus does extend outside the body cavity too. This predisposes them to a rounder body shape.

Next, note the ilia - the U-shaped bone in the pelvic region. These in some breviceptid frogs are synostotically fused with the sacrum - that is to say, they are bound by bone-based connections to the bow-shaped vertebra at their tips. This whole joint seems to be quite smooth, and as a consequence, the back of the frog is quite smooth. The other thing we can see here is that the urostyle (i.e. the frog version of a coccyx) juts quite far beyond the ischium and pubis. This extends the body cavity beyond the hips. Note also that the pelvic girdle seems to be largely below the spine, rather than the typical position for frogs behind it and continuous with it. This makes the legs sit below the spine, rather than at its end, enhnacing the vertical roundness of the animal.

Next, let’s talk some soft tissue. Now, I’m not as familiar with soft-tissue in frogs as I am their skeletons, so you’ll have to bear with me a bit (rawr). Beddard (1908!!) studied the soft tissue of Breviceps verrucosus Rapp 1842. It seems that the majority of the body of these frogs is actually muscle. Beddard noted that muscles join the leg at the knee that extend into the body cavity, such that the inclusion of the thigh in the body cavity is further accentuated by musculature. The rectus abdominalis muscle is unusually large, extending from the lower abdomen up and around the sides of the body. Indeed, this large size appears to be the pattern with all of the major muscles, though in the throat the typical arrangement of large and small muscles is somewhat reversed. On the lateral side of the head, there is a substance that is not muscle, but appears to be loose tissue in which sits what is apparently the thymus gland.

There is a very large gap between the end of the urostyle and the anus (one fifth of the total length of the frog), in which there are almost no muscles, save for the one surrounding the lower cloaca. On either side of this area, between the posterior-most muscles of the thigh, lie two large ‘lymph-hearts’, as described by Beddard. These are between one quarter and one third of the total length of the frog. A further lypmh-sac sits between these lymph-hearts and the skin of the femoral region, and they are thus probably analogous to the femoral lymph-sacs of other frogs.

I find it interesting that Beddard (1908) did not mention any glandular formations in the dorsal region. As is evidence from many images (see below), these frogs are able to secrete a white, sticky, noxious substance from their skin (which they actually have to use during amplexus, as the male is too small relative to the female to mount her properly, and so he sticks himself to her with his glandular glue… kinky).

[x]

These glands do not apparently take up a great deal of the cutaneous tissue, and so I suppose are of no consequence to the size of the frog, especially relative to its enormous muscles.

The diet of these frogs consists almost exclusively of hymenopterans and isopterans (ants and termites). Neither of these insect groups are particularly fatty, so it is little surprise that their bodies appear to contain no large fat deposits - fatty bodies extend from the gonads up to the lungs and heart, but these comprise only a tiny fraction of the frog’s mass, and don’t contribute to the round shape. Instead, their bodies are extremely muscular, allowing them to be adept burrowers, ideal for their fossorial lifestyle.

So TL;DR: rain frogs are little balls of muscle (maybe the largest muscle mass relative to body mass of any vertebrate? science just doesn’t know).

Ref:

Beddard, F.E. 1908. On the Musculature and other Points in the Anatomy of the Engystomatid Frog, Breviceps verrucosus. Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London, 1908:11-41 [x]

[perennii]

griddlehark for the ship bingo >:)

OHHHHH *lizzo voice* I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE

For me they are SOLIDLY in the "they're so (blood and guts and cannibalism)" and "they make me CRAZY". LIKE!!!! FUCKING GRIDDLEHARK!!!!!!!! I STRAIGHT UP WROTE MY GRADUATION ESSAY ON THEM IN HS, I AM SO NORMAL ABOUT THEM

I think what KILLS me about them is the way they learned to express care, and what that says about the way they interacted as kids and in the present day of the story. Harrow was shown care very rarely, in a way that prioritized appearances and tradition over genuine love. For her, care was being shown how to do something, and not punished because she got it right. Gideon 's main parental relationship was with Aiglamene, and while she did love Gideon, their love was also very transactional; and Aiglamene was very cold towards Gideon in a way that damaged the poor kid. Anything Gideon knows of love outside the Ninth are from the Cohort mags she reads. She reads about daring heroes, and how being a hero out in battle will lead to love (and smashing puss lmfaooo). When we see the way they interact at the beginning of GTN, it was already clear that, through their hatred and rivalry, they DID CARE FOR EACH OTHER ALREADY!!!!!!

And then they learn to care about each other in the ways they need!!!! Harrow learns to not only provide Gideon with feedback, but with PRAISE!!!! She actively makes it clear how much she values Gideon and her contributions. And Gideon learns how to trust Harrow, and that not all relationships are transactional. She learns the virtue of loyalty, in both directions. She learns how to trust and care for Harrow in the way she needs.

AND THEN THE WAY THEYS CHANGE FROM THE BEGINNING TO THE END OF GTN ACTIVELY DAMAGE THEM!!!! SCREAM!!!!! Harrow learns how to accept Gideon as she is, and when Gideon sacrifices herself, she gives up EVERYTHING to make sure Gideon, as she was is preserved. As Magnus puts it, Harrow becomes a mausoleum for the preservation of who Gideon was. And then, Gideon learns the true meaning of loyalty; that not all love is transactional, and that some things are worth more than yourself. And then this turns into the most TOXIC, WORST VERSION OF A GOOD TRAIT!!!! Gideon is so loyal to Harrow, she's furious that Harrow didn't use her. She sees it as a betrayal of Harrow's loyalty towards her that she showed at the end of the novel. She sees it as a return to the controlling, corrective, and harsh care Harrow showed at the beginning of GTN. But what she doesn't understand is that HARROW DOESN'T WANT TO USE HER, SHE JUST WANTS TO BE WITH GIDEON AS SHE WAS!!!!!!!!!! Gideon thinks Harrow doesn't want her. But Harrow doesn't want a cav or to to be a lyctor, SHE WANTS GIDEON ASFD.akhtu3RVNGRDO;IQYr3tbs4da;rgtvbcalrwse sorry that was me having a momentary stroke just THINKING about these bone lesbians.

I don't care if they die or not because I frankly trust Tazmuir beyond anything I could come up with, but I am PRAYING for them to TALK!!!! If they die without this misunderstanding ironed out, I will fucking walk into the Hudson River with fucking METAL ANKLE BRACELETS-

[tiredarchistudent]

Home alone nanaman, well wala naman bago di na ngalang ako sanay here sa cav. Madalas naman mag isa sa dorm pero i can freely go to Pia naman when i can. Yk, im just not used to it. Kahit na may routine, nakakabaliw HAHA hirap gumalaw, katamad. Ang lungkot, ang hirap hayy things are always better when you have a companion talaga no?

[crystalelemental]

Did you know there's a tier list maker for Unicorn Overlord classes now? Time to have opinions no one else agrees with!

For context: I am ranking this solely based on combat performance that I achieved. There are classes I have seen people rank far above what I do, and whether that's because they understand something I don't, or they had particular setups I didn't piece together and got better results out of it, it doesn't matter. I am rating this on how I experienced the class playing through twice.

The highest I beat was Tactical. I did try Expert, and beat the maps just fine, but I have this known brain problem where anything timed starts to stress me out if it runs too close, and I was constantly running too close. I never lost a map through the 8 or so hours I played it, but I couldn't stand the time pressure and kicked it down to have a more relaxed time of my life. Make of that what you wish.

S-TIER

Breaker. I feel like the surest indication of an S-tier classification is not having to think about it at all. While some will argue for the best possible performance being the indication of tier, I argue the opposite. I don't think many people are going to dig into the game that hard, and thus many aren't going to see the glory of incredibly fine-tuned tactics that let you beat Arena at level 15 with like three guys. Most are playing normally, and encounter stuff that just naturally works, and that, to me, is the surest sign of potency for a class, because there is nothing hidden that makes it good, you feel it right away. That in mind: Breaker is the most mindless win condition in the game, and my personal assertion for best class. Enrage is dirt cheap at 1PP, stacks, includes accuracy for consistent hit rates, counters armors, and has a row-wide attack that can't even be blocked or guarded. Once armor is removed, Assaulting Blow will recharge 1AP for every KO they land, potentially sweeping the entire enemy team, with no more support than "make sure they don't get hit." Anyone with cover and the tactic of "prioritize Highest Phys Atk" will do the job.

Gryphon Master. Gryphon Master is a bit more dynamic than Breaker, but no less devastating. Row-wide damage for 1AP is exceptionally strong, and they don't suffer the Berserker's accuracy penalty either. Add in cav effectivenss, and they're unspeakably strong. Being flying, they can front row dodge tank. Late in the game, they can pivot to Fatal Dive, dealing true damage to foes and denying guard, which can easily annihilate back-row foes and chip bulkier targets enough for follow-ups to finish. Griyphon Master has so much going for it, and very few legitimate flaws. So long as arrows are covered, they excel.

High Lord. Alain is ridiculous. Not because of anything offensive, but because defensively, he is unparalleled. Blocking is a huge deal to me, I like covering for squishier allies, and Alain's access to specific equipment giving him a much easier time hitting 4/4 means he adds a lot of defensive backbone, without suffering poor Mag Def, and contributing some DPS through anti-cavalry tech and row-wide offense. That anti-cav tech also removes AP and PP both, while inflicting Guard Seal, which is exceptionally potent. His potential to disrupt and defense a team cannot be understated.

Featherbow. At time of writing...this is my favorite class. Consider this bias if you must. Featherbow is S on utility. Row-wide Blindness in response to an attack leaves little room for foes to counter. She is not bound by the Rogues need to hit, and is instant enough that removing this status is impossible prior to them attacking. Photon Arrow hits two targets for -50% Phys Def and Passive Seal, which is devastating if aimed correctly given her high initiative, potentially shutting out a healer completely. Even Saint's Shot can be devastating, just removing 1PP from a target, or 2 if they're non-flying. As a flier themselves, they have evade potential on the front row, and can use their own blind effect to deny archers specifically. Featherbow is a metric ton of fun, and can really disrupt entire teams with good play.

Snow Ranger. Snow White Strike. That alone gets this an S. Follow-up attacks are generally good, accounting for typical shaky accuracy, but Yunifi defies that will solid bow accuracy and a devastating Freeze effect. This is an excellent way to keep an opponent locked down, and the damage doubles if someone else freezes for her. Triple Counter can be devastating as well with enough evasion on her; a full power retaliation that hits three opponents is amazing. Yunifi is interesting in that it really is her passives that make her tick, but Glacial Rain can be used on the back line to really hammer an enemy team with full AoE damage and a freeze effect that shuts down everything. The accuracy is shakier, but to my understanding, only one arrow has to hit for freeze to work. Yunifi is fantastic, and I adore using her.

Dark Marquess. I admit, my first run, I did not really respect Berengeria. I get it now, though. On-entry passive that cuts the initiative and attack of all foes is excellent. So long as foes are afflicted, she recharges PP on multiple attacks, including a 1PP follow up move for infinite regain that also heals her. When she's attacked, she boosts Atk/Initiative and gets 1AP back. She has row-wide offense that inflicts Stun. While it requires afflictions to be present, which can be slightly restrictive, she still has strong options even without that condition met. Dark Marquess is just very persistent and incredibly strong, with a powerful opening move, and it's hard to go wrong with her presence.

Elven Augur. The elf girls are very, very strong, but Augur is definitely stronger. Offensively, an on-entry row-wide attack that inflicts stun if it doesn't kill is great. Much like Sibyl, Augur has a good synergy between skills. Primus Edge restores 1PP if at 100% HP, even if it misses. Elemental Impetus will use 2PP to recharge 1AP, making this a good, steady source of recharge. The main draw, however, is Elemental Roar, a 3AP move that hits all foes and gets stronger with more active fairies. Her opening skill is strong by default, but adding a fairy into an AoE burst is outstanding. Very little investment needs to go into Augur for their magic to devastate, and they even pack a little recovery that can specifically heal up a Cleric-type if they get hit with status, keeping your team rolling without a care.

A-TIER

Shieldshooter. Again, I like blocking. Shieldshooters can block while recovering HP to allies. Shieldshooters also have competent offense in Heavy Bolt, making them a good two-skill focus unit. Their follow-up is fairly weak, but can be nice as I believe it cannot be interrupted, finishing off units that get Holy Cradle or otherwise barely survived. As a bow user in the front, she can aim specifically for back row as well, taking out core supports or big threats with hilarious precision. If anything holds Shieldshooter back, I'd say it's that they don't quite excel at what they aim to do. Heavy Bolt is good damage, but she lacks the same kind of hilarious disruption as Alain does against cavalry, or the row-wide offense he can pack, leading to her being more about sniping a particular target in a match and otherwise existing for defense. Still one of my favorites, though.

Swordmaster. One of my favorites. Swordmasters are about precision removal of specific enemies. By default, this is Scout. In some situations, it can be the fliers. With Runic Sword and some backup with Inspiration, it can include Armor, which legitimately feels like their best utility. But Swordmasters rarely carry. Their damage can be good with proper support, but maintaining that is difficult. And without it, their damage drops precipitously. I do compliment their anti-meta properties, like Meteor Strike being the easiest way to just blow through Galerius' Dark Armor, but they have trouble answering as much as they counter. Outside of Runic Sword, which is a one-time item, they have no means of getting around armor or guards. They're evade tanks whose Parry doesn't work on range, so arrows can break them, and truestrike remains a problem. Their PP generation is a bit challenging as well. Two swords means less flexibility on accessories. But for the sheer depth of what they can do for a team, and how well they can be crafted to serve any comp, A feels right.

Wyvern Master. Look, I don't know why I like Gryphon Master better. I think better early tools, but Fire Breath doesn't take long to unlock and is arguably stronger. Column-piercing is really good too, easily slapping someone out of commission on the back row. I think Wyvern Master is fantastic, but for some reason it just never felt like it worked as well as Gryphon Master, despite having comparable tools. Maybe I'm just biased. Maybe I just really liked Fatal Dive. I cannot give a satisfying answer, because they do rule.

Druid. Druid's great. Probably the strongest on-entry skill in the game, coupled with immediate debuffing of a target's offense as they attack. Defense Curse wildly improves damage and prevents Guard entirely, which is exceptional for offensive cores. I think the only reason I don't respect Druid more is that I didn't use Druid more. Their kit is truly excellent, if hard countered by Clerics.

Prince. Buffing alternative to Druid. Seriously, it's the same thing but reversed. Buffs initiative on entry instead of debuffing, buffs attack instead of debuffing defense, grants truestrike instead of inflicting Guard Seal. Prince does fantastic back-row work. I think I value Druid just a little more, solely because I think the entry skill is stronger, and Guard Seal slightly more valuable than a truestrike.

Elven Sibyl. She's a healing version of the Augur, whose on-entry skill is a heal that provides a nullification to one debuff for a row. She also has Primus Edge/Elemental Impetus, allowing for fantastic generation. However. My problem lies in her AP skills. Elemental Roar remains the boom it is on Augur, but her 2AP skill goes entirely to waste using it, and it's a row-wide heal that provides nullification of one attack to a whole row. To put it bluntly, this is insanely good. Evade tanks have a backup that can now prevent certain death, solely because Eltolinde was present to provide it. And yet...this comes at the cost of Elemental Roar. I talked about this positively in other classes, having strong variability, and I think that's Sibyl's strength too. You can use her as either Elemental Roar AoE damage for a wipe, or you can use her as a healer with built-in blocks to damage for an entire row. But you cannot do both. And that's why she's down here in A. Because the S class options? They can do everything they want in one set. Eltolinde cannot. She makes much harder concessions.

Valkyria. I wish I could put this higher, but I do think it's fairly limited at times. Boosting team defenses and guard rate on entry makes the entire team a lot stronger, and 50% guard rate is percentage points, meaning even your frail back row has better than average odds to guard and reduce a lot of damage. This is not what sells her. What sells her is Maiden's Hammer, a Truestrike move that deals better damage the lower her HP, and is a counterattacking move. This is an excellent utility move. Combined with her natural ability to hit Flying with Vertical Edge, she's like a heavily defensive variation on Swordmaster. But. Swordmaster has that magic attack to blast armor apart, being much more offensively competent. Valkyria relies on Brandish, which is expensive and never deals as much as you want. She can eventually break through, but definitely needs support to see it happen.

Dreadnought. I feel like Dreadnought is a boring, overly straight-forward damage class with exactly one interesting tool. Unfortunately for me, that one interesting tool is hilarious and extremely powerful. When a foe guards an attack, Dreadnought kicks them in the face, inflicting Stun and Guard Seal. That is. EXTREMELY good. It turns a lot of offensive focus options from middling and in need of support, to potentially just blowing right through armors. With her self-buff to get truestrike and sure crit, she's able to obliterate pretty much any individual enemy she sets her sights on. And with greatshields, even in the back row, she tends to be excellent on defense. Initiative can be a problem, but just kicking open a guard for allies is a massive boon.

High Priestess. This may seem a bit mean, but I don't consider Scarlett as potent as other unique classes. Her healing leaves a bit to be desired, and while her main attacks remove buffs, the fact they can miss creates issues. It's not like her damage is exceptional either. What keeps Scarlett in A is really just how rare buff removal is, and how nice having a shield to halve incoming damage while denying status can be in good hands. But the later you get, the more allies can find items that make them immune to status anyway, and thus her shield goes largely to waste. This is especially true for evade tanks, who just...move out of the way of the attack, rendering that shield moot. Scarlett has good tools mired by problems that kept haunting me, but I fully acknowledge what she brings.

B-TIER

Bishop. Standard healer. What gets Bishop in my good graces is Refresh being row-wide, and access to some good AP skills from staves, most notably Lyrical Wand. Most of their AP skills are pretty whatever, so the wand skill is free, and recharges AP of a target. I do think Bishop can be a little finicky, though. Specifically targeting what you want and when can be a challenge on the tactics, with their default sets healing every single hit no matter how minor resulting in consumption of 1PP. It's a necessary class, but not an exceptional one.

Featherstaff. Featherstaff has some solid traits, but I feel like initiative is their worst enemy. Unless they get Overheal or Holy Cradle up right away, it's easy for opponents to just slap something and ruin your plan. Holy Cradle in particular feels like shit outside of PvP/Arena contexts. It's 2AP that could go into just keeping you from dying, and very little in main game can threaten to one-shot you. They're overly specific for single matches, which is why I put them below Bishop.

Wereowl. Very fun but very finicky. Wereowl has basically one truly good trait, and that is granting 1PP to an ally after they use one. This combos into some hilarious shit, especially when you look at things like Featherbow's row-wide blind response, or sustaining healing or guarding, or counterattacks, etc. That said, getting that PP where you want it to go and not having them burn through all of it is very, very challenging. I will give credit for having pretty whatever AP skills. I think they're another that really likes the staff effect to be their primary, though Night Vision for huge accuracy buffs is nice.

Feathershield. What if your tank could dodge? Feathershield is fun because they are flying armor, which means they both take hits well and can evade, making them excellent at sticking around. That said...is it just me, or are there like no greatshields that have passive abilities to shield allies? Is no one else bothered by this? It's like the one fatal flaw. If I could get this guy to both reflect spells and jump in on attacks against the healer, I think we'd be set. I do want to specifically complement synergy with Valkyria. Iron Will with his buff to Mag Def for the entire party makes for some outrageously tanky units.

Great Knight. Cavalry Call. That's basically the class in a nutshell. They have a great buff that applies to all cavs, and are able to rush a column both with their base move and with a follow-up. In addition, they pack the usual AP recovering stuff, but with two different forms of attack, including a 2AP multi-hit move. Great Knights have a lot in their favor. I don't really respect them. I feel like a lot of their utility relies entirely on a full cav team that makes them hysterically easy to counterpick. I think they put so much in offense that every comp tends to lack wildly for defense, and their results in a map are either a clean sweep of massive damage, or getting half the team killed. I think without someone to proc boosted initiative or debuff foe's initiative, they tend to move too slowly and eat a lot of damage. They live attached to Selvie. Outside of cav comps, while they have decent tools, their offenses are significantly less pronounced, and I feel like they falter. They're really fun and have one of the more mindless overall setups, but it's such a hit and miss tactic that's so, so easy to counter.

Doom Knight. I don't really favor sacrificing HP for power. I admit they have a good system going, as well as good bulk and potential to recover damage they do take. I recognize their fire-base AoE move is tremendous damage with a lot of benefits. I just can't put them higher than this. Similar deal to the Great Knights, I think they tend to be easily bowled over at times. Tactics matter a lot, and if their conditions aren't in place, they falter wildly. Without a Cleric, or at least some means of active healing, they're very easily KOd. I like them well enough, but not all that much.

Sergeant. Granting Sure-crit can be specifically tailed for Maximum Funny. Granting 1AP to any ally at the cost of 2PP is also really nice. Sergeant doesn't have the best offensive profile, but column-piercing and cav effectiveness isn't bad, and they add some response to fliers as well. They're a decent all-arounder with no particularly outstanding traits, but some really fun concepts to play with.

Elven Archer. Ice Arrow is one of my favorites, I love freeze and they have the initiative to back it up. I've also seen talk of their on-entry skill resulting in Scarlett granting a PP back with some healing, kicking off their party-wide heal and instantly recovering the team to full not matter how battered from the last encounter. It's something! But I feel like Elven Archer often fails to dazzle. Damage isn't great, they don't have the same truestrike as base archers, their on-entry skill is nice but not one of the better options out there, etc. I do like them a lot, though.

Elven Fencer. Similar deal but worse. They rely heavily on evasion, and can sure-dodge, but only when conditions occur that grant the effect. Otherwise, they have sub-par evasion for a frontline tank, and are always hoping to recharge AP on successful dodges. They rely heavily on allies to set conditions for dodging, and are as easily bopped by truestrike as other evade tanks. At least they have really good and fun offense that has a magical edge, allowing them to hurt armor types.

C-TIER

Sainted Knight. This one would get me killed on Reddit. I don't think Sainted Knight is all that good. I think the blocking of magic can be divine, and the combo with Legionnaire is obviously decent. But I think their problem is often passivity, and being too cluttered with AP. Yes, they can deal hilarious magical damage. If they aren't using Row Heal. But then you need someone else dedicated to healing. Which causes its own problems. But keeping healing means they don't do much in the way of attacks, and that magic potential goes to waste. But also there's only two magical swords in the game and Swordmaster is way more proficient about removing armor, while their attacks seem to fail to KO anything with reasonable Mag Def. Even in just general runs, I use Sainted Knight often for mobility and reduction of magical assist attacks used against us, but their teams are extremely hit and miss by effectiveness. I struggle to see a situation in which they feel as good as many claim.

Legionnaire. I like blocking, so here they are. I do think they're highly passive, lacking for damage or healing or literally anything but guard. But it's nice to have someone to just block attacks and take like no damage, you know?

Feathersword. Kinda middling. Yes, ranged attack, decent self-buffing, but their kit is kinda whatever. No particularly great attacks, buffs literally everything but stats you really want like straight Atk, Discharge is their only means of offense but it removes literally every other form of buff. They have a Truestrike but its 2AP, and their lack of sheer crit rate means Gambler's Coin isn't even salvaging them. I have yet to feel like Feathersword truly does all that much.

Landsknecht. What if you were a follow-up class, but your follow-up missed? What if Berengeria were kinda bad? Bastard's Cross is huge damage, but easily guarded and then rendered unimportant. Landsknecht does have good damage potential, and the AP regeneration of Breaker and Great Knight, but it tends to fall way behind on every other metric I care about.

Warlock. On the one hand, row-wide move that can stun, and great follow-up and counter attacks with generalized magic. I do think the shaky 90 accuracy is a problem, as is general initiative woes and frailty. Pure magic classes tend to heavy invest in just their magical offense and everything else is kinda whatever. As a result, Warlock can do some nice stuff, but I rarely consider them exceptional.

Sniper. I barely used them. I kinda dislike them, to be honest. I got one to work in the Virginia/Feathershield team comp I used, but I feel like the biggest issue they have is that damage output feels limited. They're kind of another precision removal tool, in that they can aim wherever they want and are specifically good against fliers, but only okay when it's a wyvern without crits. Taking out back row stuff also relies heavily on what the enemy team's composition is. They can work, but they're not a favorite, for reasons that are slightly difficult to parse. I don't think they're that bad, but I've never had good success with them.

Sorceress. This has to be my most contentious opinion. I think Sorceress kinda blows. Stupid frail, horrendous initiative, magic can get completely hard countered by two class types, getting conferrals to land where you want when you want is an exercise in pure frustration, status conferrals take 2PP and a whole accessory slot which is demanding, and while their freeze is an excellent status, I pretty much never see it because the rest of the team does its job first or the witch dies immediately. They can be good. Devastating, even. But I feel like they're very often a liability. Also now that both are on here: I don't respect Trinity Rain. Way, way too much investment of a team's resources for something that can (1) miss, (2) be blocked, and (3) be entirely shut down by Feathershields and Sainted Knights.

D-TIER

Vanguard. They're just not too useful. I give some credit for Arrow Cover blocking flying attacks as well, and being useful alongside Swordmasters and fliers for the specifics of what it does. But that's about all I can really praise it for. Neat concept, very lacking outcomes. There's a reason they're a 25 Honor promotion.

Werelion/Berserker. They are the same goddamn class and I don't like them. Row wide and then full party AoE damage should be great, but their offense is surprisingly low by raw stats, and all of their attacks are base 80% accuracy. Which is, as it turns out, bad. The only good stat they have is HP, and fun fact: no situation in any game I've ever played has allowed high HP but bad defenses and evasion to work out. Ever. I feel like this could be a way better class if their other stats were a little stronger in some places, but as it stands, very underwhelming.

Werebear. I tried, but never found much interest in them. A greatshield class that can't block anything, and instead specs into attempts at offense that are inaccurate, or completely miss anything not on the ground. Wholly unimpressed.

Viking. Their on-entry skill should be a favorite. There's so much that should be fun with this. I have never, even once, found a situation where I think it's worth it. Other on-entry skills just offer a lot more bang for your buck, and letting everyone bypass guard, while nice, often isn't necessary to taking down armor. There are other approaches. Like magic. Even half-magic like the Elven classes will do a better job than bringing a Viking's low initiative and inaccurate shenanigans. I want to respect them, I really do, but I've never found a significant use.

Werefox. Let the broad opinion being: I do not respect units whose life is evasion. "But you like Swordmaster." For the offense. For its ability to remove, with incredible precision, several different types of opponents as you see fit. Werefox does not do that. It has some offensive utility I'm willing to acknowledge, but I didn't have a great time using them ever.

F-TIER

Werewolf. Werewolf is one I wanted to like. A row-wide 15% Phys Atk buff with no other conditions is fairly unique, and they have means of restoring AP for further moves. Unfortunately...I just never encountered success. This feels unfair, I feel like something could've happened if I just found something I liked. But the one (1) time I made a team with one that actually started to work out? It was the Virginia/Fodoquia team. And it turned out the best results for that team? Was dropping the Werewolf for a Cleric. I dunno man! Results don't lie! Maybe I'm using it wrong, but I've yet to see this class accomplish literally anything.

Rogue. _Lucille_ on Reddit has some excellent takes on classes, and some fantastic strategy. They're the kind of person who can beat Arena before breaking level 20 on the highest difficulty, something I legitimately could never piece together. So when they say that dodge tanks are better than physical tanks, and that Rogue is very good, I'm inclined to believe this is true. Evasion likely is more successful overall if outfitted correctly. But personally? I consider tier based on ease of access as much as anything. If something is stupid broken busted, but only once you've been playing for a while and have a working meta knowledge of tactics and how to specifically counteract all the things that otherwise beat you? That to me isn't success. That requires niche knowledge for success. And on that note: Rogue sucks. Getting it to work is an unending nightmare. So many enemies have Truestrike, and the only means of not dying horribly is knowing AI patters and how to avoid being the target of attacks that threaten, and nothing else. Even outside of this, just letting one (1) attack land the low percentage to hit is instant death, and in general maps, you're encountering so many swings that eventually that 10% will land. It requires a level of precision and calculation that I feel is way beyond what is reasonable as a more casual fan of the game. While their skills feel exciting, I never once found them significant. Row blindness is done infinitely better by Featherbow, and even Druid if you want to use the staff for it. Stealing AP is only ever 1AP despite the translation, and fails entirely if guarded. PP steal can also be guarded against, ruining the attempt. Someone mentioned using them with Viking's War Horn to ensure hits, stealing PP and using that on accessories to buff allies constantly. Great plan! That also cuts into their evade rate because less equipment goes to it, so you get hit more often. Evade stops working the instant archers are introduced, because they just hit you through it. Their bulk is so bad, anything that touches them kills. Their passive skills are bad, with an on-entry that just inflicts Guard/Passive seal on one (1) target, which sucks, but is likely to go first given their high initiative, ruining much better options because only one goes off. I have active contempt for Rogue. I would love to get it to work, just to see what others are seeing, but I feel like their utility ran out before I even finished the demo. I get that no damage is better than chip damage, but you know what's even better than that? Not dying immediately because you failed a roll.

Paladin. I think the basic fact that nothing seems to outline the skills on a Paladin should tell you what you need to know. The class itself is good enough, but Josef is so gimped in the stats department that once you leave Cornia, and start fighting things closer to his level? He's easily overwhelmed on the frontline and contributes very little to a backline. There's no reason to use Josef past the opening. At least the Rogues can be outfitted with something going on, Josef just feels like a burden.