#crow: dnd verse.

[heavenbled]

more organized tags (i love making things more difficult for myself apparently)

[impossible-rat-babies]

some thoughts below the cut now that I’m many hours into it (spoilers for the first 10-20 hours of the game)

—I haven’t recruited all the companions yet. I’m just missing two of them

—I also went into this thinking it’s gonna be cotton candy for my brain. yeah it’s gonna be tropey and corny, but there’s hopefully gonna be some good heart to it. And there is! there’s a great deal of heart in it, I can see it. I love the companions thus far, even if it feels like there’s….not been a lot of room to process what all is happening. I hope we get more conversations and them opening up.

—I think my biggest gripe is just the pacing right now. it’s so move, move, move one thing to the next to the next. even just in cutscenes it feels like the dialogue moves too quickly. some of the villian interactions could really use space between their sentences, and even their words to give weight and importance to scenes.

—like o said above, I’m sure there are gonna be more companion interactions, but the short little twenty minute scenes with them feel so. short? it’s the same sort of pacing issue as above. I hope to god we get some nice good long conversations with the companions. it’ll be hell on replay, but I still want that. I hope we get there with companion interactions.

—at least with the antivan crows, I like how the game is eager to acknowledge the connections and your role in the faction. it feels nice! I like it a lot.

—I will say that the game has moments of being very self referential, even to its own detriment at times. it’s kinda funny, like the cheese wheel in arthalan during bellara’s quest, but other times it feels…..I can see some of it getting lost on new players.

—I’m just gonna describe my issue: we go to places like Arlathan, and the crossroads and the fade. and there is acknowledgment of these places being fantastical, but not enough exploration into that it’s wild being here. like sure Jan. our home base is in the fade. that’s not utterly bonkers. sure it’s fine, rook. you live in the fade now. you use mirrors to move around from place to place. isn’t that wild? Do you love it when you hardly get to acknowledge how utterly buckwild that is, especially if you’re not a mage.

—the issue with the inquisitor and dialogue have come back to haunt rook. last verse same as the first. im scared to pick dialogue options bc i know I could pick the option that says “hi hello!” and rook could actually say “hi there motherfuckers!” (I’m gonna have to do so much workshopping of eshka’s personality outside of the game)

—the scenery is incredible. the mini maps are dogshit to navigate. horrid. it’s like Jedi the last order kind of dogshit map to navigate. the saving grace are the little dots that will lead you to your objective, but still. the mini maps are Trash

—the various puzzles around Arlathan are fun—I’ve enjoyed messing around in them quite a lot.

—the maps themselves feel like they are gonna open up over time as we collect companions, and move through the story and I’m not sure how I feel about it. The maps themselves kinda feel like. I’m a rat running through a maze. it doesn’t help that the mini map has no real character to it, so what I see on screen v what is in the mini map feel disconnected. It makes me miss Inquisiton map, or even bg3 map.

—in spite of all of this, I know I am early in the game and that there is still a great deal left to explore. I was looking at not spoiler achievements, and you can allocate 52 points into rook’s stats, so just by that I’m guessing there is a lot more. I’m just used to the likes of Inquisiton or bg3 where level cap is 27 and 12, respectively. (to be fair bg3 runs off the dnd leveling system). but considering I’m almost to level 20 and I’m still missing 2 companions, either I have done a great deal of exploring, or I’m on track. Im assuming the former, unless someone else has had experiences like mine

[ladykailitha]

In the Midnight Hour Part 3

And here we come to the REAL reason I started this AU.

Part 1 Part 2

*

Steve picked Robin up to take her to school. And she was chattering away like she always did.

“Like it’s hilarious,” Robbin was saying. “Andy and Chase, not having the energy to do anything. They’ve apparently been benched twice because they can barely stand let alone dribble a ball.”

Steve hummed. “Anyone else on the team that’s been lethargic?”

Robin thought for a moment. “Not on the basketball team. There were a couple other jocks that had that long and drawn out look, but they’re better off, I guess. Able to function and shit, but like pale.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “Sounds like a vampire or some such shit.”

“Ewww,” she crowed. “Are there vampires in DnD? Could this be an Upside Down thing?”

Steve chewed on his lips. “I don’t know, Robs. I’m not well versed in this shit. I’d the hitter not the planner.”

“I’ll talk to the dweebs at lunch,” Robin sighed. “See what their thoughts are on this.”

Steve nodded.

“What are you doing today?” she asked as he pulled up the school.

“I have the day off so I thought I’d visit Wayne again,” Steve murmured.

Robin’s shoulders sagged. “You don’t have to keep doing this. He’s a grown man, he can take care of himself.”

Steve chewed on his lip. “It helps...me.”

Her eyes softened. “I’m sorry. I know it’s hard for you to lose anyone, even if you didn’t get a chance to know him.”

Steve just nodded.

She patted his shoulder and then left for school.

He drove straight to the Motel 6 and pulled into the parking lot. Thanks to Eddie being a part of the “team” or party or whatever the government had deigned to give Wayne Munson the ‘pay off’ or whatever to keep his mouth shut about the Upside Down.

So he was living in a motel until he could get a bank to look at him to buy a house.

Steve walked up to room six and knocked.

Wayne opened the door. “Back again, Harrington?”

Steve smiled. “Maybe I just like your company.”

Wayne scoffed. “No one likes my company these days. Well except you and that Henderson kid.”

“Dustin’s been by?” Steve asked, looking down at his feet.

“He still not talking to you?” Wayne asked softly.

Steve shook his head. “Thinks it should have been me instead of Eddie. I thought I share.”

“Survivors’ guilt is a hell of thing,” Wayne agreed.

“You were in the Vietnam war, right?” Steve asked, sitting down on the one chair in the room.

“The government always were sick sons of bitches,” Wayne said gruffly.

Steve scoffed. “Tell me about it.”

Wayne frowned. “And what would you know about that?”

Steve looked around. “You think this room is bugged?”

Wayne’s eyebrows shot up. He hadn’t pegged Steve for a conspiracy nut, but then this wasn’t the normal teenage boy, either.

“No,” he replied. “I sweep for bugs every time I come back.”

It was Steve’s turn to look surprised. “Now, why would you do that, sir?”

“Why don’t you tell me what you know,” Wayne said, sitting on the bed and facing him, “and I’ll tell you what I know.”

So Steve did. He told him everything. From the beginning with Will all the way to the end with Eddie’s death and the return of Vecna.

“Shit,” Wayne said. “Had I known it was Henry Creel, I would grabbed my shot gun and helped hunt down the bastard.”

“You knew Henry Creel, sir?”

“I’m only a year older than that sick son of a bitch,” Wayne said. “I have my accent because I kept it. I want to remind every single one of those bastards that I am not here by choice.”

Steve frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I was the wrong kind of powered,” Wayne said. “Can’t do much with an empath.”

“What’s an empath?”

“An empath is someone who can feel other people’s emotions. I can immediately tell what mood someone is in no matter how good they are at masking it,” Wayne explained. “Can’t weaponize feeling things. They tried to get me use it feel out foreign heads of state. Are they nervous, happy, angry? The problem was that they could be mad about their toast being burnt that morning and not angry at being at the meeting. So I was dumped in a town that hated people who were different.”

“What was your number?” Steve asked.

Wayne shook his head. “Different project. I had a name, not a number. I was the precursor to whatever shit they got Henry involved in. And your friend, too.”

“What about your parents, your brother?” Steve asked. “Didn’t your family care what happened to you?”

Wayne shrugged. “My parents were happy to take the money the government gave them to keep their mouths shut and my brother was their golden child. I grew up in the care system here and got a job right out high school.”

Steve winced. “Is that why you offered to take Eddie, because you didn’t want him in the system?”

Wayne smiled. “I don’t know why your friends think you’re the dumb one, you seem pretty quick to me.”

“When it comes to people, sure,” Steve said with a small smile. “Not when it comes to everything else.”

Wayne smiled back. “I think you and I are the same, thinking with our hearts and not our heads.”

Steve straightened up and grinned. “I don’t have powers, though.”

Wayne just shook his head. “You’re here about Eddie, aren’t you?”

“I know Dustin told you he died,” Steve said.

“But he’s not dead,” Wayne said. “I can still feel him.”

Steve’s jaw dropped. “Come again?”

“I’m real close to Eddie,” Wayne explained. “I can feel his emotions better than anyone. When Dustin came and said he died. He wasn’t wrong. Not then.”

Steve closed his eyes and lower lip shook. “I think Vecna‒Henry brought him back as a vampire or something similar.”

Wayne nodded. “He’s not quite right, my Eddie. When he was brought back I mean, not before.”

“He’s been visiting me,” Steve admitted shyly.

“How long?”

“A few weeks,” Steve said softly. “I was having nightmares and hallucinations before this and thought he was one of them.

Wayne nodded. “What made you decide he might be the real deal?”

Steve threw his head back and groaned. “This is so embarrassing.”

“I’m waiting,” Wayne said playfully.

“His hair.”

“You want to run that past me one more time?” Wayne asked.

“I’ve been able to ‘touch’ my hallucinations before,” he said put air quotes around touch. “But this was different. I’d never touched his hair prior to his death so I should have no frame of reference for what it should feel like.”

Wayne nodded. “Ah. I gotcha. You expected it to feel a certain way and when you touched it, it didn’t feel that way.”

“Exactly!” Steve said, snapping his fingers. “And that’s why I’m here. You needed to be the first to know that Eddie was back. And that there might be a chance to bring him home.”

Wayne nodded, tears filling up his eyes. “You’re a good man, Steve Harrington.”

Steve shook his head. “I’m really not. But if it was the other way round, I’d be pissed if no one told me there was a chance to save him.”

Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13

Tag List: @thequeenrainacorn @savory-babby @chaoticlovingdreamer @grtwdsmwhr @renaissan-vvitch @panicatthediaz @swimmingbirdrunningrock

[wolfpackmuses]

So! I’ve finally come up with some headcanons and ideas for a Tokoyami fantasy AU verse. Some of these aren’t really based off any specific media, some of them are based off DnD concepts, and some is just pulled from some other fantasy stuff I know about.

With that, I’ll share some of those below!

Tokoyami in a fantasy verse does a lot of work as a merchant for many of the local markets, with him owning an apple farm on the outskirts of some city/village.

However, despite the outward portrayal of him just selling apples and other apple-related products, he does live somewhat of a double-life.

For his double-life, he does occasionally take up jobs to hunt down certain targets as a bounty hunter and uses his companion, Dark Shadow a large crow-like bird to travel and to help track down targets.

In this sense, he can use Dark Shadow as a tracking bird that can be used from the air while he travels on foot to wherever the target may be.

Dark Shadow can actually take the shape and size of a normal crow, if it is needed, and Tokoyami has the specific ability to call him back by a certain phrase to where he takes on a normal crow appearance.

For most of what Tokoyami does though, he does end up using a bow and arrow to find his targets and get them from range. While he is versed in some short range combat, thanks to his father’s insistence on at least learning how to use a sword, long range combat is his expertise.

Tokoyami, for the most part, takes on the characteristics of the Ranger class from DnD, mixing in elements of the “Beast Master” archetype, like having Dark Shadow to hunt with him, and the “Gloom Stalker” archetype, such as being able to attack quickly like in Stalker’s Fury or even through evading and dodging enemies in Shadowy Dodge.

That said, he is not overly powerful or anything and there are limitations to what he can do, like the short range combat or his inability to always avoid dangerous situations.

Tokoyami’s life prior to him taking on his apple-farm and bounty hunting wasn’t the most extravagant. He grew up in a household that was more middle-class, with both parents also being merchants and his family not having the most money.

However, both of Tokoyami’s parents did go missing when he became a teenager and it is assumed they ended up getting ambushed and taken during a travel back from a nearby market festival.

Tokoyami, despite this, kept up his parent’s legacy and has become mainly known as a successful merchant with lots of fun goodies in apple flavoring, but is more widely known as a proficient bounty hunter in “darker circles”.

Tokoyami also is not the most trusting of people, as many can imagine. So if you come across him, expect him to give you the cold shoulder for a while.

One final thing to mention: Tokoyami also knows how to play string guitar and, at one point, considered it to be his career path once he was able to get out into the world a bit, before his parent’s disappearance. Tokoyami does sometimes still play, but he’s seemingly done it less due to not… really having a need to, even if it’s something he’d love to continue doing.

General art of what he and Dark Shadow looks like can be found below. Original art was by Mia0309, but I can’t find an active source for said photo.

[realbigpodcastslut]

Lee's Podcast Master List (Current)

This is def incomplete and not all caught up anymore and I lost all the podcasts I have listened to. Do with that what you will. Bolded are podcasts I talk about the most.

Currently Listening To

The Silt Verses

Welcome to Night Vale (relisten)

Listened

Audio Dramas:

2298

36 Questions

A Scottish Podcast

Aftershocks

Alba Salix

The Alexandria Archives

Alice Isn't Dead

The Amelia Podcast

The Angel of the Vine

Archive 81

Arden

ars PARADOXICA

Attention Hellmart shoppers!

The Black Tapes

Blackwood

The Blood Crow Stories

The Bridge

The Bright Sessions

The Bubble

Brimstone Valley Mall

Charlie’s Mailbox

Dead Serious

Death by Dying

The Deep Vault

The Directive

Dreamboy

Drywater

The Elysium Project

Empty

EOS 10

The Far Meridian

Girl in Space

Greater Boston

Hadron Gospel Hour

Herbarium Podcast

Here be Dragons

Heroics

Hosts of Eden

I Am in Eskew

Inkwyrm

It Makes a Sound

Jim Robbie and the Wanders

Kakos Industries

Kevin’s Cryptids

King Falls AM

Lake Clarity

The Last Movie

Lesser Gods

Liberty

lif-e.af/ter / The Message

Limetown

The Lost Cat Podcast

LUCYD

Mable

Malevolent

The Magnus Archives

The Magnus Protocol

The Meat Blockade

Misadventure By Death

OAKPODCAST

Old Gods of Appalachia

Olive Hill

The Orbiting Human Circus 

Organism

Orphans

The Penumbra Podcast

Point Mystic

Qwerpline

RABBITS

Return Home

Rex Rivetter:  Private Eye

Rose Drive

Rover Red

SAYER

Scotch

Small Town Horror

Space Log

Spines

Star Tripper

Station to Station

Steal the Stars

The Strange Case of Starship Iris

Subject: Found

SubverCity Transmit

TANIS

Tales of THATTOWN

Testing Connection

Tides

Time:Bombs

Tribulation

Tunnels

Uncanny County

Under Pressure

Unwell

Video Palace

We Fix Space Junk

Welcome to Night Vale

What’s the Frequency

The White Vault

Within the Wires

Wolf 359

Wooden Overcoats

Zero Hours

Improv/Dnd:

Hello from the Magic Tavern (On ep 300-something I think?)

The Adventure Zone (Balance, Amnesty, Graduation)

Other:

The Folktale Project

Heme Review

Lore

My Brother My Brother and Me

This Podcast Will Kill You

The Topical (Onion)

To Listen To

Camp Here and there

Red Valley

WOE.BEGONE

Hello From the Hallowoods

Midnight Burger

Midnight Radio

Moonbase Theta, Out

The Godshead Incidental

Janus Decending

The Petrol Station

Cthulhu and Friends

The Mistholme Museum of Mystery, Morbidity and Mortality

Kakos (relisten)

Mabel (relisten)

Old Gods of Appalachia (relisten)

Palimpsest

Second Star to the Left

The Sheridan Tapes

Who Watches the Birdwatchers?

The Vesta Clinic

Spirit Box Radio

The Dead Letter Office of Somewhere, Ohio

Dead Man’s Notes

Life With Althaar

Middle:Below

The Pale

The Secret of St Kilda

Last updated: 6/25/2024

[redjaybird]

some tag explanations

[So here's some of my recent-ish verse tags and what they mean:

noman's around to help tr/igun verse tag

sinner in hope county Regular/default Jay dicking around in f/c5 land and fucking with people

he is retribution - fc5 verse Jay, known as Crow/The Crow, who's been indoctrinated into Eden's Gate and is one of Jacob's Chosen, and sometimes borrowed by the others if they need muscle work or something

the barbaric terror DnD/Fantasy verse Jay, known as Terror, a Tiefling rogue barbarian

devil of ruin Some future time-frame stuff that pops up on occasion and i decided it should have a tag

no tag? either default or idfk what version to use or idk wtf to call what is going on]

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Pokemon could just be regular magical fauna, dnd style? Not types, just one or two magical qualities in place of like dragons, displacer beasts, oozes, etc. But no regular animals, just pokemon like normal. Generally moderately intelligent, like crows maybe, but still animals. But if they're a familiar to a human, like rei's pikachu, then they have above average intelligence and can understand human speech and whatnot because of the magic binding them together. Does that work? I don't doubt pokemon battles as a sport like in the games, but lots are dangerous and so are raiders and stuff. Battlemage and healer for hired protection and damage control maybe?

yeah!! there could even be regular animals (or, the regular animals are like... rattata. pidgey. etc.) but pokemon are very common alongside them. i DO think that canon pokemon are sort of...made more recognizably human-intelligent via a trainer bond, actually. if that makes sense. i keep vaguely referencing trainer bonds and not elaborating, but it really is a unique connection that opens a lot of new mental pathways for both parties. like being high-level competitive and having a deep bond of trust with your pokes will rewire your brain. and theirs. which suits very well with the familiar bond idea i think! and another ask here and my response to it actually, hang on

[Anonymous: You think 'pokemon' still have pokeball equivalents? (More of a transportation bc I refuse to believe pokeballs magically make pokemon follow your orders like Black and White Npcs say bc theyre my friends :( I dont wanna mind control them ) I remember a nuzlock comic fantasy style that used cystals n such as pokeballs. that or 'contacts' and they have markings left on your body signaling u have companions. I dont think it would be as commonplace to have 'pokemon' tho. Maybe Ingo and like the wardens are the only ppl to have em? idk but I think Jubelife would like pokemon even LESS than canon does. ]

ooooh so i think having like, bonded markings for familiar/companion bonds is a fun idea... i could see that being a big like, life/green mage thing in particular. physically binding your soul to another feels like a big life force manip thing. tho i do agree that it should be a rarer thing than pokemon training in canon is. i think if there is this kind of bonding process, it's also different than just befriending them. like, maybe rei and pikachu don't have one, or don't at first anyhow? it might actually be more of a pearl/diamond thing in general, which would be an interesting inverse to canon.

or maybe rather than being a bonding process that anyone can do, this is a specific magic effect done by green mages, and it can be either intentionally with the agreement of all parties, or forcibly. either way you form a sort of link of will, which makes me think the marks maybe show up on your head/neck/chest rather than hands? consensually it's an empathic bond, nonconsensually it's almost a mind control effect. ...maybe this is a lake trio related thing, even.

the wardens all having noble bonds i think is good, and that could also go a ways towards explaining why nobles are more powerful/smarter/etc than their non-noble counterparts, if that thing about familiar bonding materially changing the animal/pokemon is true. in which case one of the wardens should be able to cast it. or it's adaman and irida's responsibility, which adds some explanation to "what are they doing in this verse, what are their responsibilities" and also suggests irida has these capabilities, which could further mean that she could materially put a lock on ingo's magic via the same sort of manipulation of life force. which also implies interesting things about their relationship that i sort of dig, if he was so suspected of being unable or unwilling to safely control the magic that she felt the need to do that.

...maybe his own making warden wasn't even like, a position of privilege, it was just using the life link as an entry path to get access and basically impose that link as a block between him and his magic. which almost makes him feel like a suspect that they're trying to control. at least at first, since they'd also inadvertently assigned him to [whatever being a warden means in this world] they sort of had to get to know him and then oops, now they like and respect him as a colleague. fuck. i might also keep none of this entire tangent. idk. what were we talking about again.

[ch0697]

NAME: Lena Carla Crow A.K.A.: LeeLee, Lena Beana AGE: age 30s GENDER: CIS female OCCUPATION: tattoo artist at Pins and Needles BIRTH TOWN: New Orleans, LA CURRENT LOCATION: French Quarter, LA BIRTHDAY: October 1st RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single, VD EDUCATION: Highschool Diploma, Associates in Mortuary Science VERSES AVAILABLE: main; Lena is struggling with a new up and coming artist joining the Pin's and Needle's family. At first she believes it simply her insecurities coming to the surface but she soon realizes that there is something foul about this new artist. When clients start turning up dead she is left to investigate. ----------------------------------------------- PERSONALITY: Bold and enthusiastic, Lena is seen as the go getter in the trio. She is loud and free thinking with a spirit that can run away from her and sometimes get her into trouble, but she bears a loyalty that would flatten cities if need be. She struggles with accepting that she may not be the best at everything, and must accept herself as she is. HOBBIES: Singing, skate boarding, DIY (she has far too many self painted and made furniture pieces ), dancing, fencing, DND, etc. LANGUAGES SPOKEN: English, Cajun French, some broken Spanish. SEXUALITY: Pansexual, Panromantic (women leaning ) HEALTH: Lena is physically over all healthy, she is on the leaner side and tends to maintain her health with her hobbies. Her mental health waivers, but she has since gotten put on a good regime and has gone to her mother for natural remedies for anxiety that have aided her. ----------------------------------------------- HAIR COLOR: black, but she wears neon purple streaks through it. EYE COLOR: brown, with a golden ring around her left iris. CLOTHING STYLE: cyber goth, neon gothic styles. heavy blacks and vibrant colors of green, orange, purple, pinks, and blues that are almost overwhelming but styled very nicely. FACECLAIM: ashley moore, kylie bunbury ( again not truly a fc but more so faces that make me think of her ) DESCRIPTION: Lena is hard not to notice, not just with her bright color choices but her energy alone is able to fill a room. She's tall and lean, pulling all the energy towards her. She wears her hair big and accentuates her shoulders and hips. REMARKABLE FEATURES: her laugh it is musical, her hair its big and beautifully worn, lithe hands that seem graceful even with her erratic movements, teeth that seem a little sharp, cheek bones that are high and sharp.

[darkmasterzorku]

Shadow Self

Alias: Crow, formerly known as "Little Zork" in some circles.

Age: 21+

Pronouns: He/Him

Orientation: Ace

Mbti & Enneagram: ISTP, 8w7 sx/so

ISTP function stack is Ti Se Ni Fe. Adapt as well as plan. Leaving options open to adapt frameworks. Dexterous. Logical. Consise. Cuts to the chase. Chances are, you'll see that in the writing.

8w7 sx/so: willing to take risks, flexible, social-antisocial, protective.

Status: Unavailable; taken and not looking.

Experience: Almost 20yrs role-playing this bastard. Probably too long but... eh. Oh well. Bakura is my longest-running muse and is deeply special to me. I picked him up allll the way back in 2004 or so.

I am well versed in RPGs and board games in general, too, which is why I picked up this muse in the first place. It started as a joke between friends, making posts and comments to them IC during DnD sessions or other games and years later I'm still here though I've moved sites and blogs many many many times. Much like this muse, I'm hard to get rid of in that sense, because I also jump 'hosts.'

So any background and whatever else involved with this character has been around almost as long as I've been doing this. So it's very very very unlikely I've stolen anything from anyone. Mine has always been more 'Zorku' heavy because I've read the manga first, and watched the original non-dubbed series.

Other: I tend to play around with graphics, too. Edits here were done by me. I could do way more, sure, but I like simplicity over fancy. Because I'm lazy peculiar about my time. I can also draw, etc, if I feel the desire to.

Etc: I don't have any triggers, but I do ask for respect to understand that I am 21+ and I won't tolerate anyone lying about their age. I'm just here to write. If I don't vibe with anything personally, I'll let you know right off. I'm very blunt and forward on how I feel. You won't have to second-guess.

Interests: Writing, history, mythology, cryptids, occult, hieroglyphics, carnivore plants, herbology and dead languages.

FC: Vivia Twilight from Raincode

[eventidc]

i actually have a modern day warlock oc on tumblr and i haven’t used her in ages but what if

[bindingties]

(( tag dump ))

[heavenbled]

character profile ; the crow

name ; (the) crow species ; distributary-born awoken pronouns ; he/him gender ; cis man sexuality ; gay class/subclass ; solar hunter - blade barrage preferred, golden gun depending on mission ghost ; glint (they/them) age ; appears to be in mid to late thirties in awoken standards. 5 years he's been revived as a lightbearer.

physical description ; crow stands at about 5'7" without armor, 5'11" with. his features are angular and sharp, with a grey complexion that seems otherworldly. he has white markings below both eyes that lead into a small chevron-like mark on his forehead, and luminescent orange eyes. he has an undercut all around with the right side completely shaved, black hair combed to the left and angled to a point just about jaw-length. there's a shock of white in the front running from scalp all the way down to the ends, a result from uldren sov's time in the prison of elders. he is very muscular, most notably in the shoulder and arm area. crow also has long elf-like ears that are covered in ear piercings, sharpened canines and an almost uncanny look to him — some other slight signature looks of the awoken that were born in the distributary.

light abilities ; he's most at home in solar light, and though he is still getting used to his abilities and whatnot, tends to be a bit clumsy. however his overall skill usually prevails, and crow's beginning to see the successes stack up in the face of the past failures. he has not dabbled with darkness, but has been tempted on more than one occasion. he does not want anything to do with stasis, but ponders the idea of strand.

brief history & personality ; crow has come a long way in the few years he's been alive as a lightbearer, and has only recently begun referring to himself as a guardian. in the early days it was nothing but survival, assuming every single creature wanted to obliterate him and glint for past sins he had no recollection of ever committing. living in that sort of way, that lonely way, left him bitter and melancholic ; the fear and uncertainty almost driving him to a point of extreme paranoia.

after savathûn had showed him every single moment of his past life, uldren sov, crow had become angry, resentful, and scared. it was a critical moment in his life, a critical moment in his mental health and it was the lowest point he had ever been in - counting his time with spider, as well.

after having eris intervene and quite literally having to face uldren sov, crow is now in a fairly good place in present days. he's quick-tongued and sharp, but is warm and holds so much love in his heart. he's an enjoyer of a few good jokes here and there, and wants nothing more than to be able to connect to the people around him. to understand and to be understood.

tags ; gen tag | misc

[penmier-writes]

Introduction and Guidelines

Hello, everyone! I’m Lydia, or Penmier-writes. This is my writing blog, where I offer second opinions and collaborate on all sorts of creative projects. If you need a second opinion on your writing, you’re always welcome to ask me! Just shoot me an ask and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can. To clarify, I do not write complete fics upon request. I work as a sounding board; if you need help developing an idea or finding inspiration, that’s where I come in. I’ll send you a short list of ideas and/or resources for you to use.

Some examples of the projects I work on:

Worldbuilding

Conlangs

Poetry

Short stories

Characterization

Fanfics

Story prompts

DND campaigns

(and other such shenanigans, to be added as they arise)

I write for more than just fan works, but for reference, here are the fandoms I am most familiar with:

MARVEL, mainly the cinematic universe

Star Wars (all movies, The Clone Wars series, Rebels, The Mandalorian)

Harry Potter (including Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Six of Crows and the general Grishaverse

Tolkien-verse: LOTR & The Hobbit, and somehow, I’ve also made it through the Silmarillion

Supernatural (I’ve only watched up to Season 14, but with the sheer quantity of fans seeking to write a better ending, I’m open to helping you provide an actually fulfilling conclusion to that story)

DND (5e)

Critical Role-- for those of you who watch it, I’m more caught up on Campaign 2 than Campaign 1, but I’m happy to have an excuse to binge watch Vox Machina.

Avatar: the Last Airbender 

She-ra (the most recent reboot)

Danny Phantom

Note: Although I am most familiar with the listed fandoms, I am not averse to research in general. To be honest, I love research and will probably provide you with way more resources than you asked for.

So if you need ideas for things like:

Names

Mythological allusions

Inspiration

Superpowers, monsters, anything paranormal or fantastical

Character building

Or just a general vibe check

When writer’s block hits, don’t hesitate to reach out! I only ask that you keep your queries respectful. I respect all sexual orientations, gender identities, religious beliefs, ethnicities, nationalities, and there is no room for hate on this blog. I will not write about topics such as incest, pedophilia, any NSFW, or anything that I am uncomfortable with (in regards to mental health). I reserve to the right to deny a request based on these rules. 

With that, happy writing, and I hope to hear from you soon!

[yourdeepestfathoms]

Beside The Dying Fire (part eight)

[DnD AU with the tour!verse]

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

(yes, there was a title change because i never really liked “Dark Souls”)

Word count: 3718

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

Whenever Katherine closed her eyes, all she saw was that damn bull.

Over and over again, in the darkness behind her eyelids and in the darkness beyond the tree line was the bull staring back at her, his breath puffing from his flaring nostrils, his snout pulled back in a wicked smirk. He was there, presenting his manhood to her like he had in the clearing, taunting her with her precious bow and arrow.

  “Come and get it, flower,” He would rumble.

To him, she was a heifer, ripe and innocent, still not yet taken as a mate. And he wanted her. He wanted her to be a part of his herd so he could breed his filthy calves into her, just like how he had wanted to do with Catalina. Maybe even Joan.

And that made Katherine feel furious.

But what could she do?

It’s been a week since the run-in with Henry’s troops and Katherine and her companions were walking on eggshells. Without their weapons, they couldn’t hunt, so they teetered into the lines of starvation for several days, only living off of a few berries they could forage. Without their supplies, they couldn’t collect or purify water, nor could they even start a fire, so they became thirsty and spent their nights in the cold darkness. Without their belongings, they were lost, and Katherine was starting to fear for the worst.

Once, when she was ten, she had gotten bitten by a venomous spider when she was climbing a tree. At the time, she had thought that was the worst pain anyone could ever go through. But now, nineteen years later, with her stomach feeling like it was eating itself, she would have much preferred the spider.

Katherine had never gone hungry before. Ghent was always full of food, whether it be meat from woodland animals or crops and fruits and nuts. Everyone always got breakfast, lunch, and dinner, so she had never even felt a fraction of what starvation felt like. But if someone had told her it was this awful, then she would have eaten that dead bird they passed a few days ago.

Katherine would have laughed at how pathetic she was being if laughing didn’t pull tightly at the muscles in her empty, cramping stomach. At night, as she gazed listlessly at the stars, she thought she could see another version of herself standing over her, shaking its head. 

  “It’s only been a week,” The other-her would say. “Are you really that hopeless?”

  “Yes,” She would reply, and then she would fade out into the oblivion where the bull prowled.

Honestly, it was kind of sad how she believed her journey was really over. She was so ready to be defeated that she thought the town she saw in the distance was just a mirage made by her own exhaustion.

But then the smell of livestock on the wind wafted under her nose and she did a double take so hard she thought her neck had snapped.

  “A village,” She croaked, the words grating like thorns through her dry throat. “A village!”

Catalina and Joan turned in her direction, equally as tired-looking, and their eyes widened when they saw the houses and wooden fences.

  “Come on!” Katherine beckoned them. She burst into a brisk jog that proved too much of a strain for her weary bones, but she pushed onward anyway, ignoring the way her vision began to swim into murky darkness. Behind her, she heard Joan drag in a deep, desperate breath. 

  “I need to sit for a moment. I can’t breathe!” The little Tiefling bleated.

But Katherine didn’t stop, even when her own hunger pains and lethargy seized her lungs in a painful vice grip. “We don’t have the time, honey. I’m sorry.” 

The town was getting closer and closer with every wobbling step she took, but the ringing in her ears, presided over by the thump, thump, thump of her heart, kept getting louder and louder and louder. But she’s so close, so close… 

Then, her movements falter, and within seconds her body stopped responding, her thoughts growing scattered and illogical as she fell, endlessly backward into oblivion.

------

Katherine awoke in the dark. Her senses told her that this was no ordinary dream, and perhaps it was not a dream at all. There was real danger here. Her breath curled in front of her, and her hands were bitterly numb from cold. She could feel something lingering above her, a monstrous shape. She fled instinctively, fearing the bull.

Trees whipped by as she ran, but she could feel the thing close behind. She knew that it meant to capture her, but she managed to evade it long enough to find a place to hide. Beneath a fallen tree she found a wet, cold burrow she could just fit inside. She rolled in and tried to still her breath.

When enough time passed that she might be safe, Katherine started to inch out of the burrow. Something then grabbed her arm and snatched her out of the hiding spot and into the air.

 “It seems warriors are not so deft in the air. Who knew?” The voice came not from the monster directly, but from around it. The words warbled with a tangible weight.

  “Then again, you are more prey than warrior, aren’t you?”

The enormous creature tightened its claws around her until her limbs ached.

  “Now let us see, Katherine. You have been called upon by fate to do its dirty work. I’m sure that’ll continue to impress it and me, among others.”

The blue-eyed beast shifted, which sent vibrations through its muscles.

  “I must say, I find it odd that you are not...more. You could have so much for yourself if you would but take it. Command it. Out think anyone who covets what you have. But you lack the skills. Unfortunate, but there is still time for you to show us what you really are.”

The sweat beaded up on her skin and ran down between her eyes. The salt stung, and her vision blurred as she searched for a way out. Katherine tried to press the animal panic down in her gut, but everywhere she turned It was there, staring into her face and scratching at her. She whined, then she shouted, and she did not stop shouting until thick, black smoke cut off her airway.

The flames rise around her until all is ash. Katherine woke up abruptly, sweating and scanning for danger, and it took a moment for the flames to register. She searched, again, locked in the same scenario for an exit while the flames rose around her. She coughed and tried to shout, but the smoke again was too much.

Katherine experienced this same terror a half-dozen more times before she truly waked, in her own skin and not of prey’s.

The world was white, and slowly fading to a muddy brown.

Her eyelids weighed a ton, eyeballs stinging and rolling in their sockets as she struggled to consciousness. After a moment of fighting, she thought she could see something. The edges of a dark room, a single light highlighting a single door. A pinch at her shoulder.

Wait.

She could feel again, feel as if through a fuzz of downy blankets. Waves of nausea came next as the pressure on her shoulder increased. She moaned.

Pressure released, and her arms tingled at the increased blood flow as garbled sound came from beside her. Roused by the noise, she finally peeled back her eyelids fully and looked at the bird standing at the bedside.

Even for a Kenku, it was quite small, but a little chubby, evident of good feeding. Its plumage was midnight black with a smock of white feathers over its sinewy, wiry shoulders and down its torso. Its talons were short and stubby, but it had a razor sharp flint dagger strapped to the side of its light blue belted tunic which looked like it could cut down to the bone. When it noticed Katherine awake, it perked up, beady black eyes widening behind a fringe of feathers.

But it didn’t say anything.

Katherine waited for it to ask her something, but it didn’t. It just made soft churring sounds as it bustled around the cramped room, searching for something. After a moment, it grabbed a plate full of chopped vegetables and cheese and a glass of water and brought it over to Katherine, holding it up to her.

Katherine didn’t hesitate to dive into the meal.

The Kenku watched her as she devoured the squash and peppers and tomatoes and goat cheese, the expression on its avian face unreadable because of its beak. But it seemed unbothered by her and went to refill the glass of water after she drank it all in one sitting.

  “Thank you,” Katherine panted, finally taking a moment to breathe.

The Kenku dipped its head.

  “How long have I been out?” Katherine asked.

The Kenku held up one claw.

  “A day?”

It nodded.

  “Damn,” Katherine whispered, running her fingers through her oily hair. She really needed a bath. “Where am I? What’s your name?”

The Kenku began making gestures with its arms, cooing and churring, but Katherine had no idea what it was trying to communicate to her. It stopped after a moment and chuffed, handing Katherine a handkerchief.

  “I see…” Katherine said slowly, not understanding at all.

Before the Kenku could make another one of its birdy gestures, a scream suddenly ripped through the building.

Katherine jumped to her feet instantly, startling the Kenku. The scream sounded a lot like Joan!

The Kenku squawked after her as she ran out of the room and into the wooden hallway of what appeared to be an inn. She stumbled blindly into rooms, being tailed by a pied crow creature cawing its head off, until she threw open a door to see Joan cowering in a bed, pressed frightfully against the wall like she thought she could sink through it and escape, with a giant minotaur looming over her.

Katherine felt angry, then scared, then angry again until her blood pulsed hotly in her veins. How DARE he come back after what he did and torment them some more, especially a child! 

In a flash of fury, Katherine grabbed a nearby vase of flowers, smashed it on the wardrobe, and drove the points into Mannox’s side. 

The glass didn’t sink into his tough hide like she was hoping, but it did seem to prick him and he let out a startled yelp of pain, which was good enough for her. Mannox whirled around, golden brown eyes wide, and that was when Katherine faltered.

Mannox didn’t have golden brown eyes. His eyes had been dark brown.

This wasn’t Mannox at all!

The minotaur was huge like Mannox was, but this one was female. Instead of mud brown fur, her fur was a rich russet red color with undertones of cinnamon and umber. She was powerfully built, each of her limbs rippling with muscles, and her horns were broad like a longhorn’s. A teardrop-shaped ruby earring dangled from her left ear, and she wore only some baggy cotton pants, not afraid to flaunt her bare barrel chest, not that much was able to be seen beneath her shag of thick hide. She looked down at Katherine, rubbing the area where she had been stabbed.

  “Ouch,” She hissed. “That was a little rude, don’t you think?” Her voice was jovial, but warm, and had an accent that Katherine didn’t recognize.

  “I am so sorry!” Katherine stammered, dropping the makeshift weapon, causing the rest of it to shatter across the floor. She was wary as to not step on any of the shards with her bare feet. “I thought you were someone else.”

The minotaur flicked her ears up. “Oh?” She said. “It’s alright. Don’t worry about it.”

She turned around slowly, being mindful in the small space she was in, and Katherine noticed that the tips of her horns scraped the ceiling slightly. Her tail whipped back and forth as she peered down at the frightened little Tiefling in the bed.

  “Hey, kid,” She said softly, and Katherine was surprised to hear such a gentle voice come out of such a big creature. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Katherine heard Joan whimper, and she quickly darted over to the bed, nearly trodding right over the minefield of broken glass. When Joan noticed her, she shot into her arms instantly, quaking with fear. Katherine held her securely against her. The minotaur stepped back respectfully.

  “It’s good to see you both awake, at least,” The minotaur said. “I was starting to get worried. Oh, I’m Anna, by the way. But I prefer it if you call me Cleves. And this is Bessie.”

  “Moo!” Cried the Kenku that had been tending to Katherine, throwing its arms up joyfully. So ‘it’ was actually a ‘she’, then.

Cleves chuckled. “I’m unsure if that’s her actual name,” She told Katherine and Joan. “But I think she chose it because she LOVES cows, and ‘Bessie’ tends to be a cow name.” The Kenky clambered up her body like a ladder and sat on her shoulder. “I think that’s why she likes me so much.”

Katherine cracked a small smile. “I’m Katherine. This is Joan.”

Cleves nodded, then frowned at the little Tiefling still buried in Katherine’s chest. “Is she alright?” She asked worriedly.

  “I think so,” Katherine answered, stroking Joan’s hair. “She just--went through some stuff. That’s all. She’s still a little shaken.”

  “Ah,” Cleves nodded. “I see.” She looked at Joan and dipped her head to try and seem smaller and less intimidating. “I hope you feel better, kid.”

Joan peeked out from Katherine’s chest, then gave a tiny nod before hiding her face again. Katherine massaged behind one of her big ears, hoping to comfort her.

  “Do you know where the other woman who was with us is?” Katherine asked.

A grave look suddenly overtook Cleves’ face, and Katherine felt worry jolt through her veins.

Cleves took her to a larger room further into the room where Catalina was. Katherine instantly noticed the tear stains on her cheeks and the stricken expression on her face. She rushed over to her, and Catalina gave her a glazed look.

  “Honey, what’s wrong?” Katherine took one of her hands, rubbing her thumb over the knuckles. “Talk to me.”

  “It’s the baby,” Catalina said hoarsely, her voice rough from crying. 

A spear of ice jammed into Katherine’s gut. “What’s wrong?”

Catalina sniffled, then said, “I-I haven’t felt them kick since Mannox found us. H-he hit me, remember? Wh-what if something happened? What if they’re--” She buried her face into her hands and began to sob.

Katherine threw her arms around Catalina and held her tightly, rocking her back and forth in a vain effort to comfort her. She set a hand on the Aasimar’s belly, rubbing it softly in a few places, but felt no kicks and no flutters of life.

  “Did you say Mannox?”

Katherine turned her head to Cleves, and was surprised to see the minotaur’s friendly face contorted into an expression of pure hatred. Even Bessie on her shoulder had her feathers ruffled in rage.

  “Yeah,” Katherine nodded. “We ran into him a week ago. He surrounded us with his troops and tormented us for a while, but let us go after taking all of our stuff.”

  “That sounds like him,” Cleves said gruffly. She stamped one of her hooves, and Katherine could feel the vibrations throbbing through the floorboards. “So he must have been the minotaur you mistook me for. No wonder that little Tiefling was so scared.”

  “You know him?” Katherine asked.

  “He was in my herd growing up,” Cleves explained. “He was always causing issues. When Bessie showed up,” She raised a large hand and the Kenku nuzzled her beak into it with happy chirps, “he was constantly trying to hurt her, but wrote it off as him just ‘playing’ with her. Bessie and I have been trying to track him down for a while under the orders of the queen.”

Katherine’s ears perked up. “The queen?”

  “Shiny, shiny, shiny!” Bessie chirped helpfully.

  “Queen Jane Seymour,” Cleves said.

Katherine’s heart lifted. “You work for her?”

  “One of her best knights,” Cleves said proudly. Bessie nipped at her ear and she chuckled. “And Bessie is my squire, basically. I don’t go anywhere without her.”

The Kenku nuzzled lovingly against Cleves’ neck, cooing.

  “We were actually needing to see the queen,” Katherine said. “Can we go with you whenever you leave?”

  “Your story with Mannox could be useful,” Cleves said, rubbing her chin. “That can be arranged.”

Katherine brightened. “Thank you.”

There was a tug at her sleeve, and Katherine was soon brought back to the terrifying reality that she had momentarily been distracted by. She turned to Catalina, shaking and crying, and wrapped her back up into her arms.

  “Is there a doctor in this village?” She asked Cleves and Bessie.

But before either of them could answer, Catalina choked out, “Sh-she already saw me. Sh-she said there was n-nothing she c-could do.” She made an anguished noise that ripped mercilessly into Katherine’s heart. “I don’t wanna lose my baby, Kat! I can’t!”

  “Shh, shh,” Katherine murmured, rubbing Catalina’s back. She could feel the wetness of tears running against her neck, warm and miserable. “It’s going to be okay, Lina. I promise.”

Catalina babbled something wet and grief stricken in response, but Katherine couldn’t understand her from where she was buried in her chest.

In the doorway, Cleves frowned deeply. “I am terribly sorry for you.” She said to Catalina. Then, attempting to lighten the mood, she said, “There’s a small festival tonight. You can come if you’d like. We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning, so make sure to get some rest. We’ll get you some more food and water.”

Vegetables and cheese, soup, bread, and glasses of water were brought to the room Catalina was in. Joan ended up joining them inside, sitting at the foot of the bed with her tail wrapped around Catalina’s ankle in a form of comfort. Catalina stopped crying eventually, and Katherine got her to drink some water and eat a few pieces of food, but her expression never lifted.

The three of them attempted to go and enjoy the festival, but it quickly proved to be too much for them. Katherine was consumed with far too much worry to think about anything other than the wellbeing of her companions and the journey to the Unbreakable City, Catalina was completely distracted in her depression, and Joan was badly shaken. The music and many people overwhelmed all of them, and they soon had to return to the inn to calm down and rest.

In the middle of the night, Katherine woke up to crying. Instantly, she knew who it was, and she got up to go to Catalina’s bed, climbing in next to the trembling Aasimar.

  “Come on, honey,” Katherine murmured to her, grabbing the glass of water on the nightstand and easing it to Catalina’s lips. “Drink. Slow sips.” The poor thing was going to dehydrate herself with how much she was crying.

Catalina obeyed her, drinking a few sips of water, but then quickly dissolved back into tears. Katherine barely had enough time to set the cup down before Catalina collapsed against her, weeping uncontrollably.

  “My baby,” The Aasimar moaned. “I-I can’t lose my baby! I can’t, I can’t!”

She was completely hysterical, and Katherine didn’t blame her. To lose her child after everything she’s been through… It must have been heartwrenching. 

  “Oh, Lina,” Katherine hugged her against her, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “Oh, my dear Lina… It’s going to be okay. Your baby is strong, just like you are.”

  “Why can’t I feel them?” Catalina beseeched. “Why-- why aren’t they--” She began to make concerning gasping noises, and Katherine quickly lifted her chin to make eye contact with her.

  “Honey, look at me.” Katherine said. “You’re okay. It’s all going to be okay. Just try to breathe. Can you do that? Follow me if you need to.” She took deep breaths to demonstrate, and Catalina copied her. She stroked her hair back, cooing. “Good girl. Just like that.”

Catalina whimpered, her rich brown eyes shiny with tears in the moonlight slipping through the curtains. Katherine kissed her forehead, and she folded deeper into her warmth.

  “I’m right here, my darling Lina,” Katherine murmured, easing Catalina back into a lying position. “I’m right here.”

  “W-will you stay with me?” Catalina sniffled.

  “Of course,” Katherine said. She felt Catalina press close against her with her nose buried in her neck, still whimpering softly, but now slightly calmer. Katherine slid a hand onto her belly and rubbed it gently, hoping to provide some comfort as they both slowly drifted back off into sleep.

And then--

A kick.

Katherine and Catalina both sat up straight. They looked at each other with wide eyes, then both set their hands on Catalina’s stomach, waiting.

There was a kick. And then another. And then another.

Catalina burst into tears all over again, but this time they were tears of joy.

  “They’re alive,” She whispered.

Katherine grinned brightly. “I told you, Lina. They’re a little fighter.”

  “They’re alive!” Catalina exclaimed again. She threw her arms around Katherine and hugged her tightly. Katherine laughed, and was able to feel the fluttering of the baby from Catalina’s stomach pressed against her. Catalina suddenly groaned and leaned back. “Great, now they’re moving a bunch.” She poked her belly. “Hey, jerk! You think that was funny? You nearly scared me half to death! Ow! Don’t hit me! I am your mother!”

Katherine was unable to smother her laughter. “Little Mary is a trickster, huh?”

Catalina grinned. “Or Hal.”

  “What’s going on?” Joan sat up from the bed she was in, rubbing her eyes sleepily. “Why’s it so noisy?”

Katherine and Catalina both laughed.

  “You’re going to be a big sister, Joan!” Catalina told her, beaming. She rested her head against Katherine’s shoulder, unable to stop smiling. “They’re still here…”

  “I told you, honey,” Katherine said. “They’re strong. Just like their mama.”

[darth-bagel]

I looked through all my catalogued tattoos for dnd-verse Sylvas and now I wanna do some for swtorverse one-- no idea where to start.

I know I wanna reuse the kill-count one, somehow, it's my favorite one. But the rest shall be complicated *might as well just start banging head on a wall*

For context dnd-verse Sylvas has like, a billion of daggers and knives everywhere, very morbid. And crows. Also flowers. But they are usually covered from the neck down so. (yes i know, how did that happen?)

I am mostly rambling but I gladly take suggestions just to be able to ping-pong some ideas around xd

[atrickofthetoxin-a]

alright then, how about a fantasy based verse? it's more of an 'au', i guess

// GOD I’ve wanted a fantasy verse for so long, there’s so many directions it could go in. I’m thinking Jonathan would either be some sort of Cleric [Maybe serving a god of fear if I’m remembering my Dnd lore right?] or a recluse who lives alone in the woods with his crows, doing creepy magic stuff.