#dungeons and dragons as a plot device

[iasconsumesmedia]

Happy Birthday @plumbwolf!

Wrote you this little DnD themed TW fic that I hope you'll like!

After Stiles replaced Derek as the dungeon master for his little group, Derek kinda hates him. He's so annoying and brilliant and pretty and suck a fucker and a total ass and Derek totally wants him.

Word count: 1,867

[monitorkernelaccess]

she looks so scared at the end of ep 13...

[princess-unipeg]

I gotta say I’m impressed with what they done with Falin as a character.

She was set up as a plot device character, a sort of fridged character for her male relative’s main drive for the series and a sort of manic pixie dream girl for the other male character but she’s more than that.

She’s the autistic coded human mage who was set up as the weird girl who couldn’t make friends besides Marcille at the magic school she was attending. She followed her brother because she wanted to not just because she was asked. Falin chose to save everyone else at her own expense but she got to be revived thanks to the dungeon’s magic that keeps them alive. She was willing to eat the dragon that ate her. Even when she became the “damsel-in-distress” again she was also the fierce dragon for the mad mage.

She’s not motivated by romance. At least not initially. Especially with guys. At the end of the manga (spoiler alert), she turns down Shuro’s proposal and opted to follow her own desires rather than follow others like she has done her whole life. Falin doesn’t let the permanent feathers on her body phase her and she still wanted to partake in exotic monster cuisine like her brother and his party had been doing.

She got to be weird, flawed, and not limited by the relationships to the other male characters in the story.

[escapedaudios]

Fun fact! My second ever series was slated to be a fantasy series, but I absolutely shit canned the whole thing. I'll never, ever produce it so I'm gonna yap about it here. It was an adaptation of a Dungeons and Dragons campaign I wrote and DMed back in 2020 called Cobañera.

The story began with the listener attacking the main speaker (Thorne) with powerful magic. As he struggles against her spells, he tells her to try and remember their journey, that she doesn't really want to kill him. The story flashes back to one year prior, where they first met.

In a world where magic once thrived but is now heavily repressed after a prophecy fortelling the progress of magic would cause a world-ending war, two young and hungry directionless youths meet. They take on an odd job to transport a sealed crate containing a decommissioned and illegal magical artifact to be fully disposed of. On their journey, however, they are attacked by a member of a radical rebellion group (Plague Covenant) determined to restore magic to the world to it's former glory by forcefully infecting people with a plague that imbues them with dangerous and unstable wild magic.

They try to flee, but can't outrun their attackers. The listener tries to save Thorne from the Plague Covenant, and to her surprise, manages to do so using magic. The Plague Covenant yields when they see she is gifted with magic and leave them alone, with both the Listener and Thorne absolutely in shock that she could cast spells.

They become fearful that if someone learned of her magic, they would believe she was infected with the plague. They seek the help of the few who still understand magic, and find themselves entangled between three warring factions, all with different interpretations of the prophecy.

Anyway I got writer's block before I could write the middle of the story. The big plot twist towards the turning point of the plot was that the prophecy never showed their world's future, but rather the past of a long-dead world from a parallel timeline where the magic equivalent of nuclear armageddon took place. The bigger plot twist was that a few hundred powerful individuals from the old timeline escaped to their world before being annihilated. The records of their past were shown to the people of the main story's timeline as a "prophecy" to ensure that the only weapon powerful enough to stop them (the magical doomsday device from the other timeline) would never be built.

The bigger BIGGER plot twist was that the listener originated in the other timeline, AND her parents were the leaders of the super secret super evil final boss faction, ANDDDDD they had been engineering her entire life behind the scenes to make her into a powerful magical prodigy ANNNNNDDDD they brainwash her into becoming their leader and like AAAAAAUUUUGGGHH SRTFFHJG.

Anyway, my cat destroyed my laptop and I had to take a hiatus and work on a smaller, shittier backup laptop that could barely edit sound. I got writer's block and started writing another series instead called San Sequestro 1987, which later became The Neon Barbarian.

Anyway, I never came back to Cobañera. Why? I was struggling to convert a (thirty game long, four-player character) Dungeons and Dragons campaign into an eight episode game. Also, things that work for a tabletop RPG story just don't always work well as an audio roleplay story. There were like a million bazillion plot twists and the abundance of factions that made the story more interesting in the tabletop game made the story worse in the audio RP by just absolutely bogging everything down and making everything messy and convoluted.

I ended up just hating the whole thing. I hated the chosen one plot point, I hated that the plot hinged on the introduction of a bullshit multiverse plot device, I hated the fact that the final villains were randomly the listener's parents. I hated the countless tropes I peppered into the script that are forgivable in an interactive medium like a Dungeons and Dragons game but absolutely dull clichés in a scripted story.

Also my character had a funky fantasy British accent but I hated every rehearsal take I did with that accent. The listener's nickname was, I kid you not, "Cheeky". Around the time my fat idiot cat sent my computer to the shadow realm, I discovered a much more popular VA who's audience seemed to heavily overlap with mine named Scythe Audio. His flagship series featured a similarly impertinant speaker with an English accent and a Listener nicknamed Cheeky and I just stared at the YouTube video thinking "you're fucking kidding me lmao hahaha what the FUCK".

I think that was the last straw for me and I just abandoned the project entirely. A million zillion rewrites and then I found this uncanny similarity to this other VA and I just decided the rewrites weren't worth it for this fuckass story. I ended up becoming friends with Scythe after discovering him through that though lmao so silver lining.

[marciabrady]

here are some sleeping beauty plot points/general details that i love and i would love to see more discussion around

the story team did such an incredible job with fleshing out aurora while still making her feel true to the mythos from which she was derived. in every novelization i've ever read that predates the disney film, she's only ever given one line of dialogue (something like: "what is that thing that spins so merrily?") before falling asleep. disney took that same princess and successfully expanded her into a living, breathing dynamic human who is filled with everything- ethos, pathos, everything, but is also authentic to her origins. they also did a genius job at creating a basis for why love is so revered in this tale. true love conquers all, we're told, and it's indeed what keeps aurora safe from maleficent for all these years, as it's the one thing the evil fairy can't understand. yet, the fact that the princess grew up surrounded by the love from the three fairies, which instills that care in her heart, along with the fact that she grows up in isolation, so connected to the universe around her and allowing her to be introspective enough to observe the animals about her and draw a connection to the human condition and that of the consistencies of nature is so...deep and profound and develops her and makes her an evergreen character that will always represent people, for as long as we're around, because aurora's struggle is one that speaks to everyone. she isn't just some "lovesick princess" but a character that's growing up and longs to be able to find her soul's mate and to express the love in her heart in a universe where she was socially excluded and deprived of others outside of her three guardians. as humans are tribal creatures, social inclusion is one of the main pillars of wellbeing. so to take aurora, who is already an innately romantic person, and to deprive her of that just gives all the more reason why the kiss of true love really would revive her. she isn't just some princess who grows to be fifteen or sixteen, pricks her finger, and then is awakened by a prince she never meets. she is someone who was raised in love, grows up and wants to become a woman and share that love and express it with someone else. when she finds it, it's suddenly stripped from her and she's induced into a magic slumber that's meant to symbolize her transformation from girl to woman. then, she's awakened by the same love she'd thought she lost and it's just...the structure of it is genius and incredible and they retain all of the qualities about her in the fairytale and storytelling devices but they develop it so much further and round her out so well but still maintain a reverence to her source material instead of condemning it or outright changing it and i just LOVE

i don't think enough people realized that, it wasn't until maleficent visited prince phillip in the dungeon and showed him the vision of aurora in slumber repose that he knew that aurora and briar rose were one in the same!!! like this is the moment it all clicked for him and it gave him the drive and determination to slay the dragon in her honor. he realized the woman he loved and the princess he had been betrothed to were both one and that's so important and it's just such a plot twist that, again, was so genius of the writers. it proves to us that he loves her enough to leave the kingdom for her and risk damning the princess he had been betrothed to to the curse she was under and he'd take her as she is, even if it were a peasant, but also that his love is so steadfast and true that he'd defeat a dragon for her. 10/10 and it sooo runs along the vein of the lyric "visions are seldom all they seem." this is a plot twist done RIGHT but with so much sophistication that it tends to fly under most everyone's radar because it isn't like loud

something i love about the original princess movies is how the female characters are forever in the forefront, and the fact that this film opens with the celebration of the birth of a female child is something that's so special! instead of having to think about how female children weren't celebrated in that time, or it was a disappointment she hadn't been a son, or something of the like, the fact that the spotlight is on their daughter and the opening of the film continues this matriarchy, where all in the land praise this female birth, before the fairies are introduced as their most "honored and exalted excellencies." we need to see more worlds like this instead of pixar films where there's like not a single main female character lol

THE FACT THAT PHILLIP WAS WILLING TO GIVE UP THE THRONE AND THE KINGDOM "for some nobody" and told his dad flat out to his face without hesitating makes me love him soooo much?? he loves aurora for who she is, not just because she was a princess to whom he had been betrothed to his entire life, and this proves how genuine his love is. it also paints how progressive and open-minded phillip was, seeming to be the first that would ever break the tradition of princes marrying princesses and opening up his country for a new type of culture and reign. love me a freak like that

one of the biggest facets to aurora's character, and something that further develops her relationship to phillip, is how differently she reacts to her guardians when told of the betrothal. where phillip already knows, and is aware of the king and queen and how his duty is to marry their princess daughter, aurora is just finding out that she has living parents for the first time and the future of a nation rests on her shoulders. she discovers she's to be married to a prince and must give up her true love forever. again, before i hear anything about "she just met this man for two minutes in the woods, why is she crying," this is a fairytale with magic that's meant to be archetypical. in the narrative of the film, and in the universe of this world, phillip is her true love- and this is confirmed when it is his kiss that awakens her from the curse. so to leave the one true love who was meant for you, when that's all you ever wanted in the isolation you were raised in, to accept your duty and responsibility over parents you didn't even know you had and to assume the obligations of a nation you aren't even prepared for...it's astounding. aurora does everything right, she even leaves love behind for the good of her people and puts everyone above her own personal desires, and yet people still criticize her and say she's dependent on a man and all she cares about is love. meanwhile, phillip never receives any hate, and he's literally willing to give up the throne and the kingdom and start a war between two countries for the girl "he just met in the woods for two minutes" but he's one of the most beloved princes...it really just makes me think about how misogynistic our society still is, without even realizing it. aurora literally couldn't have done anything better, by our modern standards, but people still condemn her just because? this is definitely a discussion piece i want to hear more about and, in general, i think it would behoof us all to understand why aurora has been so demeaned culturally as a character when her actions, in and of themselves, are exactly what we say we want and would appeal to modern sensibilities

this is a slight sidenote but i always was tickled by merryweather proclaiming, if she had it her way, maleficent would be turned into a "fat old hop-toad." i always felt like this was a nod to the original tale from which this movie was based on, where a magical frog tells the queen that her wish to be with child shall soon be granted and that it, just generally, was a very clever easter egg/allusion

in this film, they have enough action and movement to appease the more restless demographic/traditionally "masculine" crowd, but i love how the basis of maleficent's defeat lies still in the femininity of the three good fairies. it's these elderly women that save phillip from the dungeon and arm him, not just with weapons that will kill another being and are predicated upon violence, but with symbolic weapons that are laced with truth and virtue. i think it really reminds us all how transformative these values are and how, in arming ourselves with them, we'll alone be able to navigate the road to true love (whether that be familial, platonic, or romantic love) which will be "barred by many more dangers" and how it enables us to have a sense of autonomy where we'll be able to overcome anything that's thrown our way while still retaining the core of who we are

i wrote about this moment previously, but to piggyback off of what i wrote about phillip just above...i love how aurora is the most competent human in this world? much has been said about how the plot of sleeping beauty is essentially the fairy worlds dueling with one another and, in that, many of the mortals are somewhat...inept, to put it for lack of a better term. king stefan is unable to protect his daughter with the burning of the spinning wheels, even with all the power he harnesses within his kingdom, and the fairies are quick to see his folly. prince phillip would still be rotting in the prison had the fairies not interjected, and he would be burned to a crisp had they not sprung a final chant of magic upon his, already, enchanted sword. yet, maleficent has to hypnotize aurora for the princess to even succumb to her plan and, even then, aurora is temporarily able to snap out of the magic hypnosis she's put under. i don't think people realize how powerful that is? yes, i understand it's a minor moment, but the hesitation and the ability to counter magic while remaining totally unarmed is something that reminds me why aurora is our main character, despite what anyone else might say.

going along with what i said above, while many are quick to point out aurora's lack of screentime, the film begins with her birth, the plot is sprung forth with every character wondering what they could do to protect her, then when she pricks her finger upon the spinning wheel, she and the entire kingdom are put to sleep. it isn't until she wakes up, that the entire kingdom does, too. she holds the key to this entire universe in a persephone like way and i just love how important it is in the narrative of the film to wake her up. she isn't just this beautiful creature who's valuable because she's pretty, because if that was the case, her being a lovely figure posed to perfection in her slumbering mode would be enough...but the people of her universe value her so much more when she's alive and active and being her own person, that it ensues a fairy war, practically. she's also involved in every single plot, even if she isn't physically present. this is her movie and no one can take that away from her. but, just to restate, the fact that there's so much emphasis in aurora being alive and well is something that's so important

so, it's kind of a given at this point that every princess can sing, but i think the role that music plays in sleeping beauty is the most meaningful and well done? sleeping beauty makes much to do about its classical score and it skillfully combines realistic characters and storylines (like the fairies not knowing how to cook and clean, phillip being captured with no way out, the kings toasting to the impending nuptials of their offspring before getting into a quarrel centered around a misunderstanding) with the fantastical world of fantasy and opera. by giving aurora the gift of song, the narrative is creating a framework that explains her relationship to her singing voice in a way that's even more profound than that of ariel's connection with her singing. it explains why aurora sings more than she speaks and ties in perfectly with the thematic style of the operatic presence in sleeping beauty, which is that in the opera, instead of speaking about it, you sing.

OK but this scene of hubert's/his general plotline and character motivation that results from this is genuinely perhaps the best comedy disney's ever done? hubert is coming off of declaring war upon his best friend stefan, because he misunderstood stefan's caring for his own daughter as a snub against hubert's son. after challenging aurora's father to a duel, they quickly make up, before hubert hears phillip has arrived and rushes off to greet his son. there, the news is broken that phillip is actually in love with a peasant and that he plans to renounce the throne- which will actually cause a war- so that he can be with his beloved. hubert is convinced phillip is joking, especially as he happens to meet this mystery maiden on the date that aurora is set to come home- the most anticipated date for these past sixteen years in the kingdom- and his son is set to be a central figure in the celebration for the princess's homecoming! before he can reason with phillip, his son escapes, leaving hubert to be the one to break the news to stefan. heavy-hearted, as hubert tries to tell stefan, he keeps being interrupted by trumpets and the musical notes that are meant to accompany the princess in her debut to her country. then the fairies literally put hubert to sleep when he finally gets a chance to explain it to stefan and, when they're awoken from this fog like slumber, the first vision that greets hubert is that of his son and the princess??? the same son who said he had no interest in aurora, but was set to marry the peasant maiden. the whole thing concludes in a very charming "all's well that ends well" but i still think the whole "how am i ever going to tell stefan" dilemma, while continually being interrupted, and this king who declared war in 2 seconds flat and minced no words in being so short-tempered was suddenly at a loss for words and so hesitant and fumbling and nervous about this news his son sprung on him lol

one of the most haunting sequences in film is the one above. the three good fairies have endeared themselves to their mortal charge, even giving up their magic for her for sixteen years. their bond is so much deeper and meaningful than it would've been otherwise, as they probably would've blessed her at the christening and then only appeared in her life intermittently, at a distance. they clearly aren't close enough to humans to know too much about their customs, and their magic always gives them away as outsiders, which indicates they were always content to live in their own fairy-world. but then they give it all up for this baby, this child, and they change their entire world for her. she is their world, to the point where their sole purpose is protecting her, until that's all they can think about for close to two decades. they would do anything they could to make her happy, to give her a fighting chance at life. they're so protective over her- and the fact that they got this close to the finish line...only to leave her alone because they want to be respectful of giving her privacy as she's still reeling and processing from all the news they sprung about her at once. they were even discussing going to king stefan and attempting to convince him to let aurora out of the arranged marriage so that she could be with the boy in the woods. and this all leads to maleficent enchanting aurora to her demise. as the fairies place her in a bed for the last time, looking upon her in her princess form, all of the time they've spent with her runs through their mind. how this isn't their little briar rose anymore, but a princess who inhabits, not the woodcutter's cottage, but king stefan's castle. someone who will never be with them the way she once was ever again and who, presently, is dead for all they know. as they look upon their lost daughter, the faint chimes and musical notes of the celebration of her homecoming is heard in the distance. i could talk about this forever but it's just such a heartbreaking and sad but also eerie mood

in 2023, it's time king stefan gets his flowers. while, in the time period in which this film is set, it'd be totally realistic for a father to set his daughter up in an arranged marriage to further the prospects of his land, stefan displays an understanding that seems more contemporary than his counterpart, hubert. hubert doesn't think about prince phillip's feelings for a beat and concedes that the "children" are bound to fall in love with one another. meanwhile, stefan seems to display a much more well-rounded paternal instinct, even exemplifying a degree of care and concern for both aurora's emotional wellbeing and her consent. he urges hubert to calm down and remember that this might come as "quite a shock" to aurora and to not push all of these political arrangements upon his daughter before she's had a chance to react to them and digest them.

the duality of briar rose and princess aurora is so fascinating, but also the moments in which they overlap is more enchanting still. this is a fairytale that is meant to be archetypical, and aurora's enchanted slumber is meant to be symbolic for her transition from girlhood to womanhood. briar rose, the girl, is anxious about her future, the prospect of meeting her love and settling down and getting to the next stage of her life. she loves her guardians, but is frustrated at their inability to see and treat her as anything other than a child. she goes to sleep a scared, shy, unsure teenager and wakes up as a self-assured, mature, gracious woman- the princess aurora. she's a vision, descending the staircase on the arm of her beloved, and she paints quite the picture as she gracefully curtsies to her parents, the king and queen. yet, true to the girl from the cottage, briar rose takes over. unable to contain the love she feels, she bolts forward and rushes to embraced her lost parents. i love this because, for as calm as a character as aurora is, i've always been so mesmerized by the breathless excitement with which she speaks when she returns to the cottage. this is a girl that has more love inside her than she can contain and it renders her a beacon of light. her running into the arms of her parents, instead of resenting them for giving her up, putting her in an arranged marriage, or even pausing to question whether or not she should be so warm with these figureheads of state, is such a tender moment that i don't think i've ever heard anyone speak of.

i will never get tired of singing the praises of the three good fairies. this film placed three older, conventionally unattractive women at the forefront- without pushing forced hetero ships on any of them- and allowed them to be bad ass (ie saving phillip from the dungeon, providing him with the tools and guidance with which to defeat maleficent, coming up with all the plots and actions that propelled the plot forward), while reminding us that love and kindness is truly the most powerful force on earth and placing an emphasis on the strength and power of femininity. the entire transition, from them being business women in the kingdom essentially (this is more in modern jargon; them being the fairies who are invited to political organizations for their contributions and not knowing anything about things like cooking or cleaning or rearing a child) to learning how to raise a baby and the film ending with them beaming over the shining achievement of their assigned charge finally being safe and happy is...it's everything. how beautifully the film focuses on them and the relationship with their adopted daughter and how that's the driving goal in all of this is something that's been unable to ever be surpassed

[synergysilhouette]

Just finished "Delicious in Dungeon," and it was...fine. (Spoilers ahead)

(I'm not gonna make a habit of reviewing anime, so if you don't like this, you won't have to deal with it often.)

I got into this anime because I'd heard about it, and while I found it to be an okay series, I felt like certain aspects keeping me from fully enjoying it. Please note: I'm kinda blunt about it, and this is based on my experience with the anime. Maybe the manga will prove me wrong for some of these issues.

The character designs are generic and the animation isn't engaging. If there wasn't really a main plot aside from episodic characters and eating monster food (NGL, I thought that was gonna be the plot), I'd probably let it slide, but since there's more going on than that, I wish it was more interesting. The main cast look like they could be background characters, and the animation, either with action or mundane situations, wasn't really unique or interesting. Save for the food (which again, I'd excuse if it was the main purpose of the plot), there's no engaging colors or patterns.

2. Kinda got caught in the middle. A big issue for me is that for a good amount of the story, Laios, Chilchuk, and Marcille are the only members of their previous party who are the main characters. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, there's a buildup here that isn't satisfying. Shuro's anger and frustration with Laios' behavior is one thing, but the "you've always been bad at taking a hint" thing with his romance with Falin and Laios being a third wheel and a sometimes socially awkward friend makes me feel like I'm missing something. As such, Shuro and Laios' fight didn't really feel justified as a viewer, especially after a big battle that they'd just had.

3. Falin is more plot device than character. This would've been fine if Falin was the end goal, if finding and killing the dragon to rescue her was the final part of the story--but it's not. Given that she's rescued and transformed thanks to the wizard of the dungeon and Marcille's necromancy, I'd have enjoyed seeing more of her before she was eaten (in present time, not just flashbacks). The fact that she means so much to several people and is the reason they're all alive can't properly be displayed via some brief flashbacks. I kinda wish she could've been a main party member, save them in the middle of the season, and then revived at the end of the series.

4. The backstories are brief and...kinda boring. Okay, this is VERY subjective. I feel like the worldbuilding could use some work since I'm unfamiliar with the dungeon genre (save for Pokemon, lol), and the backstories come across as very flat, and Marcille and Laios' involve Falin, bringing the focus to her and their quest, but since Falin herself is only known from these brief flashbacks, it feels almost flat. It's all second-hand accounts of her, and don't do anything to add depth to the characters who are reminiscing. Senshi's backstory mainly only pertained to the episode, and I feel like they could've done something on that earlier or fleshing out his backstory beyond that one event.

Just my two cents. I'm sure this is an EXTREME hot take.

[steddieunderdogfics]

Tales of Hawkins by Atleastwritingisfun

@drew-pictures

Rating: Mature

57,501 words, 10/10 chapters

Archive Warning: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Tags: Post-Vecna (Stranger Things), Steve Harrington Falls First but Eddie Munson Falls Harder, d&d as a plot device, Written by a DM, Slice of Life, Complex Parental Relationships, Codependency, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Queer Themes, Found Family, Steve Harrington's King Steve Persona, Domestic Fluff, Gender Exploration, Genderfluid Steve Harrington, Genderqueer Eddie Munson, Genderfluid Nancy Wheeler, Recreational Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eddie Munson Lives, Background Relationships, Dungeons & Dragons References, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Good uncle Wayne, everyone's a little gay actually, Implied/Referenced Homophobia

Summary:

When the dust settles on Hawkins, Steve Harrington prepares himself for a life of mediocrity, according to his dad anyway. Steve’s not sure where he fits in anymore since he no longer has to fight his way through interdimensional monsters. He’s floating, coasting almost, and none of his clothes feel right on his skin anymore. As people leave the small town Steve grew up in (and will probably die in), Hellfire Club loses a member just before embarking on an important campaign. With a little bit of bullying from The Party, Steve joins their ranks as their resident changeling fighter, hoping to find a way to still make himself useful as the kids grow older and Steve thinks about what he wants his future to look like – which might involve his friend turned DM; Eddie Munson.

Thanks for the rec! This recommendation is apart of our Writer's Wednesday! All of the recs today are written by @drew-pictures. Want to nominate an author? Fill out this form!

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[karniss-bg3]

Salute, Larian Studios

Heya folks! It’s been a while, I hope everyone is doing well. I’m breaking my hiatus to discuss the recent announcement made by Larian Studios on their steam development blog. I will add the link here for those who wish to read the blog in its entirety but be warned, there are patch seven spoilers within. I wish to focus on a particular section in the final three paragraphs of the document, which reads as follows:

“Being given the chance to develop a game set in the Dungeons & Dragons universe has been a dream come true for all of us. But as Swen recently confirmed, we won't be introducing any major new narrative content to the story of Baldur's Gate 3 or its origin characters and companions, nor will we be making expansions or Baldur’s Gate 4. As an independent studio since 1996, we value the freedom to follow our creativity wherever it leads. In this case, after six years in the Forgotten Realms and much discussion and rumination, we’ve decided to seize this opportunity to develop our own IPs. We’re currently working on two new projects and we couldn’t be more excited about what the future has in store. It’s still early days - we’ll tell you more about those later down the line. But know that even as our focus turns to these new games, the sensibilities that brought you Baldur’s Gate 3 are alive and well here at the Larian castle. We’re fueled by the very same fire in our bellies, one that drives us to create immersive experiences shaped by your choices, and we can’t wait for you to join us on this next adventure.”

I will admit, when I first read this I felt a tinge of disappointment. As someone who had a lot of hope in seeing some stories continued, Kar’niss especially, this feels like the once open door is now sealed shut permanently. To be entirely fair, I always looked at an expanded Kar’niss story with skeptical optimism; hope for the best but expect the worst. After all, Kar’niss was designed as a throw away plot device that had no real bearing on the over-all narrative. Most of what has been derived of the character is entirely fan driven and not based on anything confirmed by Larian as a whole. Furthermore, there were many fan favorites that had a larger base than our dear drider and chances are even if Larian did decide to do an expansion, Kar’niss still wouldn’t make the cut.

With that said, I respect Larian in their choice. To expand on other characters would cost a lot of money and time. To juggle that alongside making new games would be unrealistic, and I understand their point of view completely. We also don’t know what is going on behind the scenes which could’ve influenced their choices all the more. Over all this situation mirrors the old saying, “Don’t cry because it’s over, be happy that it happened.” I am happy, and grateful. Without Baldur’s Gate 3 this blog wouldn’t exist. All of the amazing interactions I’ve had over several months would’ve never occurred, nor would I have found the courage to publicly publish stories to the internet. While I don’t consider myself an awful writer, I never believed my work was good enough for those outside of my personal circle. To say that my confidence has blossomed over the last few months is an understatement, and I owe that to the fantastic support of those in the fandom as well as those close to me. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.

With Larian closing up the BG3 shop after the next few patches the question becomes, what’s next? For me, I don’t know. Sadly I’ve been swamped lately and it’s not destined to slow down until the middle of May. By then I hope to have a sufficient breather so I can return to projects I’ve left on the back burner in the interim. The Kar’niss blog will remain in place along with all of the archived stories, theories, and miscellaneous posts that are present. I still have a few writing requests that have waited a lot longer than I anticipated, so forgive me for the delay. I may also make a new blog that is dedicated solely to writing and other fandoms of interest. When the time comes I’ll post it here and folks can follow it if they wish but I’ll understand if not. Regardless of what the future holds, I am very stoked with the experiences I’ve had within the Baldur’s Gate 3 fandom. I’m a painfully shy individual and I am not a spotlight seeker by any stretch of the imagination. This section of the internet allowed me to expand my horizons a bit proving that you can indeed teach an old writer new tricks.

I look forward to seeing what is in store for Larian Studios. So long as they stick to their passion for making good games and treating their customers like people instead of money cows to be milked, then I will support every game release that comes in the future. While I’m sad that the many questions I had about Kar’niss will go unanswered, at least the drider will live on through the stories, art and other creative works made by his fans. In that way he is eternal, as are all of the other characters we’ve grown to love over this journey.

I hope to return on a more regular basis soon. Until then drider army, take care of yourselves and thank you for your continued support.

[rynris]

Dungeon Meshi: Thoughts and Impressions

I've been thinking about how quickly I consume media these days and I feel like I've been desperately binging shows in order to keep up with the times. I hope this will be a series where I can thoughtfully absorb everything from a show that made a lasting impression on me and have something to come back to and review. This is more for my own fun and journal keeping - all thoughts are my own musings and can change over time. If there's something you'd like to add, please do! I'd love to hear your impressions as well.

*Minor spoilers below*

Overall Impression

What a well thought out and interwoven story with fairly interesting characters and a great hook/ mystery! I think rescuing Falin as a plot device works really well because the heart of the story is about relationships and everything around it caters to the journey and development of these characters and how they work together.

Cons/ Issues

I still don't really buy the world building, the dungeon idea seems a bit weak, but it's anime, so some plot holes are forgivable. The beginning felt weak, it was hard to buy into the stakes of losing Falin without knowing the characters but thankfully the exposition was rather quick (1/4 of an episode it felt like) which is good. The dragon fight scene seemed a bit off. I felt like the shots were framed too close - probably to emphasize chaos and keep the red dragon mysterious until the final reveal but with my tunnel vision, it felt messy.

Ok one big con is the character tropes. They sort of make up for it in the middle, but it was enough to make me want to stop watching. I've seen these tropes a million times now and am TIRED of it. And there's so much good stuff out there that it's so easy to dismiss shows these days.

Pros/ Love

CHARACTERS! I was surprised to see more depth in the characters and I love how the mysterious were presented depending on the encounters. Thought each scenario were expertly crafted and it didn't feel too forced.

FOOD! Besides the glorious food p*rn, I was definitely taken aback by the later recipes. I didn't expect food to be woven in during some scenarios, but when it was, I was very pleasantly surprised!

At first I thought Laios was kind of unrealistic, but then I remembered that my ornithology prof was passionate about eating every single bird in the world at least once and I was like... this is real. There are DEFINITELY people like this. +1 for the representation!

On representation, I like the potential LGBTQ representation and was surprised the show took that route. The show itself is coded to be super straight so I wasn't expecting it. This is a con, but it does feel a bit like queer baiting or for the male gaze unfortunately.

Later action scenes were good/ interesting.

The pacing between comedy and darkness was well done, Trigger never fails with good comedic timing.

Shots economy is good, I feel like there are not a lot of unmotivated, extra shots, and talking/ dialog/ exposition were all well done. The used the same layout for the exposition scenes from the manga and the added animation punched it up and mode those scenes interesting. - **I'd like to study these scenes in particular more.**

Final thoughts

I think this is a great show to study how you can make a slice of life comedy and weave in some darker themes without overwhelming the audience. A lot of shows usually stay in their chosen genre, or lean very heavily on the dark/ edgy themes. I like how this show isn't reliant on solid world building, but focuses on creative storytelling to keep audiences coming back for more. Overall, the design/ setting feels basic, but it is the creativity behind the idea of monster food and how well thought out every dish is that makes this show shine. The manga and show have pretty good pacing and doesn't linger too long on mysterious or draw things out, dropping enough tidbits and lore to keep you watching/ reading.

TL;DR I think this is one of the better amine series I've seen this year and I love that this show feels refreshing with very creative storytelling. The concept is feels surprisingly unique and original but you do have to commit to a few episodes before it kicks in.

**I only read a few chapters of the manga so my opinion is not 100% and may change if I have time to read more.

[steddiebang2024]

Tales of Hawkins  | Mature |  60k

Author: @drew-pictures

Artist: @yellowsweater-bluevest

Beta Reader: Romi

[Link to Fic] | [Link to Art]

Pairings: Steve Harrington/Eddie Munson, Wayne Munson/Claudia Henderson, Robin Buckley/Nancy Wheeler

Characters: Steve Harrington, Eddie Munson, Wayne Munson, Claudia Henderson, Steve Harrington's Parents, Robin Buckley, Nancy Wheeler, The Party (Stranger Things), Corroded Coffin (Stranger Things), Scott Clarke, Erica Sinclair

Tags: Post-Vecna (Stranger Things), Steve Harrington Falls First but Eddie Munson Falls Harder, d&d as a plot device, Written by a DM, Slice of Life, Complex Parental Relationships, Codependency, Friends to Lovers, Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Smut, Queer Themes, Found Family, Steve Harrington's King Steve Persona, Domestic Fluff, Gender Exploration, Genderfluid Steve Harrington, Genderqueer Eddie Munson, Genderfluid Nancy Wheeler, Recreational Drug Use, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eddie Munson Lives, Background Relationships, Dungeons & Dragons References, Dungeons & Dragons 5th Edition, Good uncle Wayne, everyone's a little gay actually, Implied/Referenced Homophobia

Trigger Warnings: Discussions of bad parenting/absent parents/abusive parents, Unhealthy coping mechanisms (self-isolation, insomnia)

↳ Keep reading below for a summary!

When the dust settles on Hawkins, Steve Harrington prepares himself for a life of mediocrity, according to his dad anyway.

Steve’s not sure where he fits in anymore since he no longer has to fight his way through interdimensional monsters. He’s floating, coasting almost, and none of his clothes feel right on his skin anymore.

As people leave the small town Steve grew up in (and will probably die in), Hellfire Club loses a member just before embarking on an important campaign.

With a little bit of bullying from The Party, Steve joins their ranks as their resident changeling fighter, hoping to find a way to still make himself useful as the kids grow older and Steve thinks about what he wants his future to look like – which might involve his friend turned DM; Eddie Munson.

[allgoodthingsflowintothecity]

one of the criticisms I have about the Dungeon Meshi manga that I hope they do more to alleviate in the anime is just that Falin is, like, barely a character. She's really just there as a plot device to explain why Laios and company have to go back to the dungeon underprepared in the beginning to the series. And having a character really be a plot device in disguise is fine in theory, but in Falin's case it sometimes creates this weird disconnect where Laios and/or Marcille are talking about how great Falin is and how much they love her and the audience is just like "I don't know this girl so like. sorry I guess?" Like the emotional moments don't hit because we as the viewer have no emotional attachment to her

But where I'm going with this is I want a filler episode that's just dragon Falin and Sissel doing shit in the dungeon. I just think it would be very fun and would provide some much-needed characterization to both characters

[figgyblossom]

ok so I decided I wanted to watch a movie tonight and I chose dungeons & dragons (honor among thieves) and.. im not saying this is gonna be a live-blog cuz probs not (but who's to say) but there will be spoiler so if u haven't seen/u don't wanna know.. I'll tag it #d&d honor among thieves, and #figgy does dungeons so you can blacklist it 👌

BUT ANYWAY

I'm abt 15 min, so far enjoying how it looks, the characters, the little backstory, etc.. HOWEVER

like it's kinda funny and I guess, potentially, watching it and learning their chars better will maybe just make me appreciate how they're a disaster duo

But the council fucking approved their pardon y'all 😩 maybe it's cuz I gen hate miscommunication plot devices but like c'mon... (I hear my dad in my head saying "but then they wouldn't have the story!")

anyway.... im gonna hit play again. Maybe I'll be back.

[runefactorynonsense]

what changes would you like to see in a rf1 remake?

rf2?

Hello, hello!♡

I want to preface a question like this with how I view video game mechanics and criticism; I don't like talking about things I dislike. I don't like comparing things that aren't as good. I dislike being negative. So as I answer, I answer with musing thoughts and hope! These are positive remarks about things that could be so helpful!

This is a hard question because of just how old those games are. RF3 got off easy as it already had a significant number of "quality of life" changes that had carried into 4.... Though 2 does have the advantage of already having the request system and the start of interactions between villagers. As much as I love it, 1 is lacking and archaic. It still has a world, plot, tone and art syle charm that I adore, but. I have to be honest. Both games will basically need to be entirely redone, but I think if they do 2, they HAVE to do 1- 1 will have so many tie-ins to 4 that people will be curious. Or, so I hope.

Aside from things like the modern stacking, inventory organizing, etc;

2 -- More villagers referencing/interacting with one another, more emphasis on the rival relationships, more consequences from the earthquakes, and I hope they would leave the temple as difficult as it was.

Don't shorten it's time or change the rarity of items to get in there. Don't remove the 2 gen system. I would also love to see a scene where Kyle confronts Fiersome and maybe a battle the player is scripted to lose before the generation switch! Why do we only get to talk to Venti and Aquaticus? (I don't mind not knowing who Kyle is, despite being told he got his memories back, as I have loudly said my personal headcanons, but. That'd be a cool tidbit and I love lore!)

1 -- A request system, my gosh. I could see it playing into the LP of characters like Melody, Tabatha and Felicity, along with being something else to do in a day. As always, addition of villager interactions, who actually knows who?? We never see anyone together. More of a hint that Kardia is supposed to be this important trade crossroads? Some lore hints at this, while the game makes Kardia feel like a lost, isolated little place, a paradigm I struggle to get out of my head at times.

They should NOT shorten the game, keep its number of dungeons, keep Misty Bloom unable to be gotten to until the 1st winter. (Maybe after that, magic or a bridge could get there during a non-winter season. But. Keep that early limit.) More use of characters like Sharron and Ivan?? Please? Explain (at least to the viewer) who they are, what they know. And, for the love of every dragon, don't lighten the tone; that would mess up the story. I said very recently to people that 1 has a gravity to it that gets lost in later games-- the way it uses the Empire/Norad struggle, and makes the amnesia not just a convenient plot device but a defining moment for those involved... Don't take that away. Especially when the game can now hint to things to come in 4! (And yes, I want to talk to Terrable after we calm him down, too. Ivan can talk to him, why not Raguna?)

And. Postgame. Actual family interactions. Why have 2 candidates that the story must be finished to wed, with no other reward? And if they wish to be so clever, cement that Frontier is supposed to happen after this game with some cute hint or something.

And lasty- I still beg and plead for a world map.

[corvidaisy]

I’m insane about Timerogue and I’m inflicting it on everyone else. I’m also insane about DND (dnd special interest. Has hyperfixated on most dnd based things before.)

The Doctor is clearly familar with Dungeons And Dragons, he recognizes Rogue as a class and makes a joke about rolling initative. He also recognizes the dice.

The Rogue is ALSO familar with DND. He’s named after it. He has the dice. He’s awesome-

The Rogue is unclear whether he is an earthling/human or not. Which makes me curious as to if he grew up as a human (exposed to dnd normally) or discovered it on expedition, or later in life, or maybe introduced to it by a tragically dead partner-

Anyways.

I feel like if they played dnd, the rogue would be a rogue (obviously), and probably a race with higher int/wis stats with charisma as a dump stat. I feel like he loves roleplay but typically focuses on more battle and actual play because of social awkwardness that comes with more complicated plot lines (man after my own heart) but if he was playing with a group he was more familar with would go all in. 100%.

Meanwhile the doctor is definitely a spellcaster and probably a high charisma class with dexterity as a dump stat. I think he’d have a lot of fun playing with the godly aspects of Warlock/Cleric, and would lean more towards Cleric because. The Doctor. But I could also see him as a monk strangely enough.

Bonus: Ruby plays a human fighter because she thinks it’s a good starter class. Later becomes a bard, to which the doctor considers multiclassing to bard.

Here’s what their favorite dnd podcasts and Dungeon Masters are:

The Doctor -

I think he’d be more of a D20 person, although he’d prefer DnD to KoB, he’d enjoy either system. His favorite dungeon master would probably be Aabria Ivengard. (She’s my favorite so this is a little projection-y LOL.) I think he loves serious roleplay and having the actions of the players heavily impact NPC actions and consequences.

His favorite campaign that he’s watched was Burrows end. He almost cried over those stoats. It’s funny to imagine the doctor sitting down and watching or listening to anything because of having a device that allows him infinite adventures, but I feel like he’d make time for it.

The Rogue -

I feel like as a player he’d be very Brian Murphy-esque. He definitely watches and enjoys NADDPOD, but I feel his intro to DnD podcasts was probably Critical Role, and Matthew Mercer is his ideal dungeon master.

I’m gonna out myself here and say while I have friends who LOVE it, I have never watched Critical Role myself. So I don’t know what season would be the rogues favorite but one of them definitely would be. Out of the dnd podcasts I have watched I think the Rogue would get into Mentopolis. I think he’d be annoyed by the KoB system initally but get into once the doctor got into it. The Hunch being his favorite character.

Bonus: Ruby watched Fantasy High: Season 1 and then several years later watched sophomore year but never got around to watching junior year. She gets most of the mechamics but is still a bit confused about DnD rulesets. She prefers KoB (Which is valid and real of her.) and loved Misfits and Magic. GOAT HOUSE!!! although watching americans make fun of brits for several hours straight soured it slightly.

[autumnslance]

Does the new EE volume cover any of the job abilities or artifact gears we've gotten since ShB? Really curious about things like Xenoglossy and the afflatus spells

The only jobs with abilities and artifact gear it goes into are those introduced in Shadowbringers and Endwalker; Gunbreaker, Dancer, Reaper, Sage, and Blue Mage get write ups. There’s a 2 page spread of some Machinist weapons, but otherwise the previous jobs are not touched on again.

The book is very focused on the ancient world and set up for the Zodiark/Hydaelyn conflict leading to the plot, the First, the new regions in EW, Ardbert & crew’s journey and explaining the details of Shadowkeeper’s villainy (and why she’s so guilt-ridden over it all now cuz wow), and all the people, places, storylines, side content, holidays, and creatures we’ve encountered the last 2 expacs, up to the end of 6.0 (So there's no patch information). All of the 24 man raids from ARR through Stormblood, Bozja, and the 4 man dungeons of Shadowbringers and 6.0 are detailed.

But Not YoRHa: Dark Apocalypse. The NieR raids are entirely missing from the lorebook. Anogg and Konogg get short entries in the section with the other dwarves, but the last quarter of Anogg’s entry is blotted out (one of three entries in the book that are redacted; the Beavers and Other Ones in Ultima Thule are the others). I expect the raid series' lore is being folded in NieR's own, as is per usual with extra-game material for that series.

Also there's more than a little gender muckery going on; an unseen leader with no one sure what they look like or what gender they are. Giott from the ShB Role Quests being referred to as "they." Nutsy, of Clan Nutsy hunts, is suddenly using she/her (kinda sure it was he/him in game?? Have to check if they ever mentioned Nutsy's pronouns/gender before). The Loporrits have no biological gender, they pick pronouns cuz they think the people of Etheirys doing so is a cute "quirk." They stuck with the lore of Viera/Viis children not having visible biological sex traits until puberty (and then most of them present as female). This on top of what we got about dragons in the patch content (we knew about the asexual reproduction, but it's confirmed they really don't care about gender and also choose it out of a hat), and is emphasized in Vrtra's simulacra being of various ages and genders over time; Varshan's just the latest random model.

They also seem to emphasize even more that this book is written as if in universe, even with several of the secrets it does spill, noting the Scions' reports and information, and how much of it is trustworthy or not, and what the Scions themselves did not report on or redacted, which is really things like not talking publicly about exactly what happened to them--nor the details of the WoL's battles--in Ultima Thule. So it seems primarily to preserve some MSQ specific events for playthrough, and also to not simply blow-by-blow retell said MSQ. It also says where their accounts have been corroborated by other sources, such as when they note the Sharlayan Forum unanimously backing the Scions' records without caveats.

This also indicates the Scions are understandably not publicly sharing all the Traumas MSQ has put them through, nor some of the truly dangerous or simply sensitive information the main party is privy to. And adds a neat little twist on how some folks may be skeptical of the Scions actions, methods, and motivations for their heroics and what that looks like to the general public from the outside, and the people who have to collect and record these histories and observations, even if the evidence speaks for itself.

The devs do this "in universe" storytelling often, because doing so gives the writers wiggle room to make changes/retcons, as the IC writers of these framing devices and lore info dumps can be mistaken, lying, biased, or otherwise writing to their own agenda even while purporting to be as objectively honest as possible. It allows for flexibility in the lore for them, and makes space for plenty of headcanons for us.

I'll probably do a post on the Vrandtic language and alphabet, and Faerie runes, at some point as that's of interest for me in specific. For now, let's just say they took the easy-ish way despite going into detail on the development and proliferation of Eorzean Common in a previous EE.

In fact, here's the Table of Content for the Lorebook, transcript under the cut, mistakes probably mine, etc:

THE INVENTORY OR INDEX

CONTAINING THE CONTENT OF VII BOOKS SEEKING TRUTHS ACROSS AND BEYOND OUR STAR

The First Book: Etheirys 005

The Ancient World - 006

The Beginning of the Final Days - 014

Norvrandt and the First - 024

The History of Norvrandt - 026

The Warriors of Light - 032

The Flood of Light -040

A Century of Vrandtic History - 043

The Language of Norvrandt - 052

Eorzean Holiday Traditions - 054

The Second Book: Children of the Cosmos 065

The Hrothgar - 066

The Viera - 068

The Arkasodara - 070

The Loporrits - 072

Races from Distant Stars - 074

Peoples of the First - 082

The Pixies - 086

The Nu Mou - 088

The Fuath - 090

The Tupaq Amaro - 091

The Qitarri - 092

The Hobgoblin - 094

The Third Book: Distant Lands 095

The Crystarium - 096

Lakeland - 104

Eulmore - 106

Kholusia - 110

Amh Araeng - 112

Il Mheg - 114

The Rak'tika Greatwood - 116

The Tempest - 118

Werlyt - 120

Bozja - 122

Old Sharlayan - 124

Labyrinthos - 130

Radz-at-Han - 132

Thavnair - 140

Garlemald - 142

Mare Lamentorum - 144

Elpis - 146

Ultima Thule - 148

The Fourth Book: Servants of Fate 151

Faces of the Crystarium - 152

Vanquishers of Virtue - 154

Makers of the Mean - 156

Faces of Lakeland - 158

Faces of Kholusia - 159

Faces of Eulmore - 161

Faces o Amh Araeng - 163

Away with the Fae - 165

Keepers o the Rak'tika Greatwood - 166

Faces of the Tempest - 168

Faces of Werlyt - 169

The Bozjan Resistance - 171

The IVth Legion - 172

Faces of the Firmament - 173

Faces of Sharlayan - 174

Scholars of the Studium - 175

Faces of Labyrinthos - 177

Faces of Thavnair - 178

Faces of Garlemald - 180

Faces of Mare Lamentorum - 182

Faces of Elpis - 183

Echoes of Ultima Thule - 185

Faces from Journeys Past - 186

The Fifth Book: Journeys Traced 189

The Unending Journey - 190

The Labyrinth of the Ancients - 192

Syrcus Tower - 193

The World of Darkness - 194

The Void Ark - 195

The Weeping City of Mhach - 196

Dun Scaith - 197

The Royal City of Rabanaste - 198

The Ridorana Lighthouse - 199

The Orbonne Monastery - 200

The Bozjan Southern Front - 201

Castrum Lacus Litore - 202

Delubrum Reginae - 203

Zadnor - 204

The Burn - 206

The Ghimlyt Dark - 207

Holminster Switch - 208

Dohn Mheg - 209

The Qitana Ravel - 210

Malikah's Well - 211

Mt. Gulg - 212

Amaurot - 213

The Twinning - 214

Akademia Anyder - 215

The Grand Cosmos - 216

Anamnesis Anyder - 215

The Heroes' Gauntlet - 218

Matoya's Relict - 219

Paglth'an - 220

The Tower of Zot - 221

The Tower of Babil - 222

Vanaspati - 223

Ktisis Hyperborea - 224

The Aitiascope - 225

The Dead Ends - 226

The Stigma Dreamscape - 227

Smileton - 228

The Sixth Book: Inventive Designs 229

Gunbreaker - 230

Dancer - 232

Reaper - 234

Sage - 236

Blue Mage - 238

The Gunblade - 240

Throwing Weapons - 242

The Scythe - 244

Nouliths - 246

Machinist Kit - 248

A Gunbreaker's Panoply - 250

A Dancer's Panoply - 251

A Reaper's Panoply - 252

A Sage's Panoply - 253

A Blue Mage's Panoply - 254

The Seventh Book: Curious Creatures 255

A Broader Bestiary - 256

Beastkin - 258

Seedkin - 260

Wavekin - 261

Cloudkin - 262

Scalekin - 263

Forgekin - 264

Ashkin & Voidsent - 268

Soulkin - 269

Transfigured - 271

Extrastellar Life - 273

Creations - 275

Eden Primals - 278

Beasts of the Final Days - 282

The Ultima Weapon Projects - 286

Elite Clan Nutsy Marks - 292

Lakeland - 292

Kholusia - 293

Amh Araeng - 294

Il Mheg - 295

The Rak'tika Greatwood - 296

The Tempest - 297

Elite Marks of the Gleaners' Guildship - 298

Labyrinthos - 298

Thavnair - 299

Garlenald - 300

Mare Lamentorum - 301

Elpis - 302

Ultima Thule - 303

Supplements

Solidarity Through Celebration - 064

Protectors of the Realm - 150

[rhozahscraftedcatalog]

More weekend time means more new Curious Collectibles table! I hope you all enjoy this latest entry!

This table is available for you to use in your home games as inspiration for some new and fresh loot options! Hand out some new treasures, a new potential plot device for future stories, or as a change from the same boring gold and repetitive magic items!

If you love ttrpg stuff like these and want access to more options for your Dungeons and Dragons or Pathfinder game as well as a hoard of printable paper minis, terrain and monsters to help fill your table, check out my Patreon page! I create affordable paper minis, VTT Tokens and more, with a release every week! You can follow for free so you never miss a drop or join as a member to get access to all the extra Patreon exclusive goodies.