#give me my dual wielder!

[stephaniejuhnay]

Okay but is Kirito in the ROOM with us in S4?!

[mumuscae]

ArTw: Extraterrestrial! Pollux

More info on the Extraterrestrial project, and character info beneath the cut!

Extraterrestrial is a personal project for me to remake ArTw to be... Not as bad as it is. Basically making my ideal version of Arcana Twilight. A fan reboot except it's probably not getting any further than concepts, rambles, and art. I will be omitting things I personally dislike, giving more soul to the characters, attempting to write a coherent plot, WORLD BUILDING, and getting rid of some uncomfortable and controversial things within the games writing. Part of this project is rewriting and redesigning individual characters! I'll be going over the basics first for these next few posts, before getting into the nitty gritty of what I have to offer So up first is Pollux because... I like his design as it is ngl I don't really have much to change. And I'm SO NORMAL FOR THE POTENTIAL BEHIND HIS LORE AND CHARACTER

Disclaimer! A lot of this is my own personal tastes and how I, Mimi Mumuscae, would write and design these characters. If you do not like it, you do not have to! That is fine if you like the canon and original versions! I like them too! This is a completely self indulgent project.

Design Changes Made

Not much ..😭

Not as pale (yes he's paler than this in game)

More saturated eye colors! I always liked to think his eye colors were meant to represent how the stars Castor and Pollux are Blue-White and Yellow-Orange in color. Wanted to make it more apparent.

I really don't think I did anything else to him??

Random Character info!

Personality wise, he's about the same-ish. less "OwO i-i totally don't like you!!! >w< " and he leans more into the trickster and "I don't make friends easily cuz I'm too cool for that or whatever 🙄" aspect of his personality. Although it's plainly obvious he's not truly meanspirited he's just trying really hard to feel cool... He acts troubled but it's mostly because he's surrounded by bad influences and needs better friends.

Other than that I mostly wanted to expand upon his magic and give him more reason to be in the guide committee, since in Extraterrestrial Ive made it so every guide sorcerer is exceptional in one way or another.

Ive taken inspiration from Castor and Pollux in mythology.... So our Pollux can now throw hands! His threat to beat up anyone who bothers summoner actually has some merit to it now. He's a dual gun wielder (his guns are called Dioscuri, meaning twins), he uses Destruction magic, and has some awfully powerful mana.

However powerful mana ≠ good sorcerer. He's still very new and lacks skill. And skill and range of abilities is usually what people consider makes a good sorcerer. Can't do much outside of destruction magic. His fighting style is also very reckless, unpredictable, head on, and doesn't mesh well with other sorcerers who don't know exactly how to cover for his weak spots and compliment his strong points. (There was once a sorcerer who could do this perfectly.... However he's mysteriously disappeared. oooooOoooOoOooooO whoever could that be.) So a good chunk of the reason he's gets to stay in the committee is simply because he has good potential. (Gets to stay. They thought about kicking him out after there was a "misunderstanding" about what kind of magic he uses. Apparently there was a misprint and they labeled his brother's magic instead of his own. Odd)

Much more to his redone character, but that shall come later✨

Ik this was a lot of rambling. However it will get worse. You are not prepared for the changes I will make to Sirius.

[the-unconquered-queen]

You know, Blades of Light and Shadow gave us some really cool skills. Now that it's over, I have decided to rank my absolute favorites more-or-less definitively based on my playthrough and MC, so here goes.

Beastmaster - I know seduction and bows are the most popular among fans, but this one is simply too iconic to me. MC casually being a Disney Princess and busting out the animal speak? The complete lack of an explanation of how she knows how to fluently communicate with creatures she's never even encountered? Am I supposed to not recognize how impressive this is? Definitely the skill I missed the most in subsequent books.

Scythe - I will admit, this one snuck up on me. I love a bow and arrow, and with an elf MC, archery was even more perfect, so I always viewed that as my MC's signature weapon. But getting the scythe as the first skill in b3 and having the game mention that MC used to use those back in the farm made it all click for me—not only is it badass (being a scythe-wielder is so cunty, even just the visual of carrying it around), but it's a weapon she would have been better trained in than any of the others across books from all that farmwork growing up. So MC gets an aesthetically distinctive weapon AND it's a tie to her life in Riverbend, something I like to emphasize in my MC.

Bows - Here we go. I explained this one above. It's really straightforward—I just love a bow. Plus, Aerin's reaction to seeing MC with the premium bow in b1 suggests that it's very impressive, and I love that for my MC. It's definitely her second-most-used weapon.

Seduction - Y'all love it, and I love it. There's a badass energy that comes with seducing your enemies into defeat, plus it was just as amazing, if not more, to see the group (read: Mal) react to MC's seductions (shoutout to the Shadow Realm bug monster and also Xenia). Will forever owe this skill my life after it granted me the most iconic moment of the Aerin route ("All I want is to be with you" you will ALWAYS be famous).

Realmwalking - I feel like this one is not usually the first to come to mind when talking about cool skills since it's a default skill, but it is objectively so impressive that MC can do it. Also, it's great when it's there along with other skill-locked choices because it's the one skill everyone is guaranteed to have to get that xp.

Assorted, miscellaneous commentary on other skills (not rankings—I didn't feel like ranking all 42(?) skills):

Blades - Such a cool skill, doubly so once MC learns to enchant weapons to look extra badass like Tyril does. Or it would be. Because despite the series literally having "blades" in the name and how epic it would be for MC to focus on this kind of weapon after wielding the titular blades and defeating the Dreadlord, the actual blades skill is the second least relevant skill in all of book one (second to charisma, I think it was? The actual least relevant skill). And as someone who always goes for maximum XP in these books, I don't get to enjoy this skill because it's only called for near the very end of book one. I will also say that, given that it's "blades" and not "swords", there was more room to bond with Mal over daggers. Also, in book 2, at least, MC is shown to carry around a knife, so why am I not getting Mal and MC dual flipping their blades Loki-style together or tossing them between each other during fights?

Spellshot - I still don't barely know what this is

Alchemy - Makes MC come off as very smart, and it gives her something to bond over with Aerin? What more could I ask for? Just for that, I can forgive it for getting in the way of outfits.

Intimidate and dominate - This is the same skill twice. They were just running out of ideas. I realize that dominate is portrayed as somewhat magical (unlike intimidate), and don't get me wrong, it's a cool energy to intimidate/dominate enemies into submission, but again. Same skill twice. At least in use. Now, if this had at least had come up as an option in a sex scene... (I'm kidding. Maybe.)

Medicine and healing - Imo this is another case of essentially the same skill, not necessarily in nature but maybe in application. Don't get me wrong, I think there is a very clear difference between healing via magic versus using nonmagical resources (the latter of which may not always be available), but I feel there are instances in which MC could conceivably use them interchangeably but the game doesn't allow for that. Also a loss when you can no longer use these skills, because given how often MC and company get injured, it makes no sense in-universe for MC to not use them. Especially when all the healing gets relegated to Nia, who certainly is the best at doing it magically, but it's like. Y'all are leaving all this life-draining magic to the human person who is already well on track to have a tragically short lifespan when MC (who, in my pt, could easily live over 300 years) is perfectly capacitated to do the same, or, at the very least, concoct a salve or something? Do better.

Insight - I love that having common sense is a skill. Another one that makes my MC look smart.

Shadowsight - Cool skill, but I think it makes no sense that MC can just learn to see in the dark. I feel like instead of making this one a skill, it should have just been kept to race-exclusive dialogue/choices for elf MCs, who canonically have sharpened senses.

Light - Shoutout to this one. The bedrock of all magic skills. Many subsequent magic-related elite skills are just specific tricks, but this one is basically the branch of magic itself. And bonus points because it's MC's introduction to her own magic affinity.

Shatter - Remember how I mentioned when discussing Light that subsequent magic skills are generally specific tricks? This is one. I wish that it had been Valax teaching MC Shadow magic in general to parallel Nia teaching MC Light. Also wish MC could do more Shadow magic throughout the series period.

Divination - Super cool skill, but I don't think it makes any sense that it can be taught. I feel like it should be something you're either born with or you just don't have it. And ultimately, it ended up being fairly useless in the story.

Shapechange - AMAZING skill that I wish we'd gotten for longer, but just like divination, I think it makes no sense that someone can just learn it, especially since it's so easy. Literally all my MC did was listen to her friends' common-sense advice and will her body to change and it did. Like divination and several other super useful skills, it also makes no sense that only MC learns it, because you're telling me they're giving out free shapeshifting/clairvoyance lessons but everyone else just sits them out when it would come in incredibly handy on their quests to have everyone train to the best of their ability? At the end of the day, I definitely prefer MC being more powerful than less powerful, but this is almost absurd. That's it, that's the only reason I don't place it up on the proper rankings even though it's certainly more than good enough to earn its place.

The Blades writers really went "this is MC she's the hero of the realms (also potentially royalty) and she can walk between them at will and she can see the future and she can shapeshift and and she can see in the dark and talk to animals and wield at least nine weapons and and and-" like they may have overdone it because at this point she's a basically a goddess herself 😅.

I actually don't know/haven't thought out the extent to which the version of MC I imagine in my head has all these skills, because if she truly has the 42 skills simultaneously (which would be the case in-universe, only that for whatever reason she doesn't make use of all of them), it's comically unrealistic and borders on Mary Sueism. But again. Beats being underpowered, so.

[vigilskeep]

Which builds are u using for urself and the companions on wotr :0 ive been meaning to try out the game and ur posting gave me motivations

crpgbro on youtube has an insane number of build videos and while i have watched more than i’ve actually tried out, i’m immediately having so much fun with my druid that i won’t hesitate to recommend them. and just the sheer number gives you a lot of cool ideas to start from, including a couple variants for most companions

my only caveats would be that each build for the main character is designed for a particular mythic path, which if you’re not familiar, is a route your character takes throughout the game gaining the abilities of a mythic creature like an angel, demon, lich, trickster, etc. it’s a big part of the storytelling as well as the gameplay, so it doesn’t necessarily leave you the most rp versatility especially if you’re new to the game and don’t know what direction you’re going to want to head. the builds are also a little min-maxy so there’s an overall preference among the builds for, i don’t know, humans with the pickpocket background, and a lot of strength-based damage dealers no matter the class, and having access to an animal companion, etc. etc. just because certain things happen to do well in the game. which can feel restrictive, for character building

however he’s building for the stupidly high difficulties so if you’re a regular person playing normal or lower difficulty like me, tweaking it for what you want to play seems absolutely fine. i didn’t play a human for my druid so i totally lost out on a bonus feat that would’ve been really helpful for the first couple of levels and you know what? it was literally fine. and as far as i can tell the mythic paths will have a little something for everyone, even if the synergy isn’t perfect to get the Best Build Ever if you go off the road

but he’s not the only one, there are plenty of builds and build advice givers online if you just start looking. not as vast resources as for something a little less niche, but plenty. it helps the wild variety in the character creator feel a little less overwhelming!

if you don’t want to stick tightly to a build, the most important thing i’ve learned about pathfinder compared to the dnd system in bg3 is that in bg3, feats are a fun little occasional flavouring, whereas in pathfinder you get way more feats but the correct feats are fundamentally necessary to being a good caster or archer or dual wielder or whatever. so the important thing is figuring out the feats that are necessary for your play style. which is easy enough to figure out if you look at a few builds. and honestly i kind of like that because it feels... more real? like for example your archers need a bunch of highly specific skills to be functional in a fight, like a feat that stops them from having a penalty picking out a target who’s in the middle of a melee scrum, and nobody without those skills could just pick up a bow and do what they do. it feels more earned, somehow? but that’s just me putting more storytelling weight on it than there is as always haha

[aarcanechaoss]

I had a terribly funny Bleach thought / idea

And for the purpose of this idea we’re just gonna pretend Kaoru is my only bleach OC

We know at least in the Serireitei they have computers and of course there’s the phones and shit they use to track hollows etc.

So we’re going to assume they’ll eventually decide to keep up with human technology while still using shit they know.

Anyway yeah computers exist and now soul smart phones that’s the gist.

But I’m not done

Someone, some young soul reaper’s perhaps, even some random people they’ve met all around Soul Society heard about a fun little thing that humans do called Fanfiction… and decided to give it a go

About the Soul Reapers they know of- Captain’s Lieutenant’s etc.

Eventually others find it, some think it’s weird and others dive right in too….

Eventually the poor Captains, Lieutenants + some find out.

MENTIONS SMUT

Scene

Kaoru is sitting in Zaraki’s office with Yumichika and Ikkaku just figuring out their new phones and making sure they all know how it works (let’s be real Yumichika and Kaoru already know but they’re helping Ikkaku and Kenny out) and lets say Yachiru is off on one of her adventures.

Yumichika, the poor man, screams and goes rather pale.

“What the hell is this!” Followed by “My eyes are burning.”

“What’s gotten into you?” The Captain grunts.

“Yeah what’s wrong with you?” Follows Ikkaku.

Kaoru however pries the device from his hands to see a page called “Fanfiction Society.” She frowns and scrolls down the page.

“Oh.” Her hand covers her mouth as she reads on. “…what did you even search for find this?”

“My name.” He says dramatically.

“And you somehow found a ten-k word story about you and-”

“Don’t say it out loud.” Yumichika gags. “I’d never do such depraved things with a brute like him.”

“So you read enough to know how … oh … would that position even work with two guys?”

“What the fuck are you reading?” Ikkaku looks appalled.

“Something called Fanfiction.” She taps away at the search on her own phone while throwing Yumichika’s back- said man was still gagging. “Fanfiction… stories written about people, fictional or real some include reader inserts and others original characters… poor Yumi here just found one about you two.”

Kaoru was trying so hard to keep it together as Ikkaku’s eyes bulged.

“I would never.”

“Oh look someone wrote something cute about your friendship aw.” She says now scrolling through the site. “It’s called Cross my heart- the third and fifth seats of squad eleven have known each other a long time… but just how did they meet let’s write our own story.”

Zaraki looked both incredibly pissed off, bored and amused all at once. How? She couldn’t tell you.

“Why the hell would anyone write that?” Yumichika pouted.

“I dunno- oh hey look there’s a whole tag on the Captains…. Oh even creepazoid Mayuri has some gross.”

“Why are you still looking!” Ikkaku exclaimed.

“Curious.” She shrugs before a snort rips from her. “Damn they got me too.”

“Oh this’ll be good.” Yunichika’s gagging seemed to have stopped at least.

She scrolls further, electing to not say mention the number of threesomes she’d just scrolled by not only with Ikkaku and Yumichika but apparently whoever was writing these - howlingforakiyama was the name she saw the most- decided she needs to be sandwiched between Captain’s Kyoraku and Ukitake…. Or have her legs over Captain Kyoraku’s shoulders…and have her head between Soifon’s thighs… another with Yumichika and even more Shunsui Kyoraku x Kaoru Akiyama (she did not want to know what dual wielder sword play meant).

A moment later and she choked, dropping her phone into her lap as a snort ripped from her.

“What is it now woman?”

“It would never work.” She said between wheezes, shoulders shaking as her arms wrapped around her belly.

It was Yumichika’s turn to glance at her phone though warily before he also burst out laughing.

“Woman.” The Captain grunted.

“Captain you’re a joy but I- hahah- I would never.” She choked the words out through her full body laughter. “I’d never sleep with you I- HahahHA.”

“The fuck does that mean?” He growled out more confused than annoyed.

“You’d fucking impale me.” She takes in a ragged breath.

The man blinks- and she thinks this is the first time she’s ever seen him look so… confusingly normal.

“Impale?” Ikkaku looks flabbergasted.

“I am five-foot-three and he is six-foot-six.” She sucks in a breath. “I’d die.”

“Oh my… there’s quite a few of you with each of us and more with Captain Kyoraku.”

She snorts again. “Please don’t click on the dual wielder sword play tag I don’t want to know what that means.”

Somewhere across the Seireitei.

Shunsui sneezes. “Man a beautiful woman must be thinking about me.” He says before scrolling his phone and thoroughly enjoying his new reads.

[wieldingtwilight]

≻ how does your muse handle the duality within themselves ? [Baldr]

from here ;

POORLY.

(I have a long, headcanoned family life and past for Baldr from a few years of writing him with my partner, bear with me--)

He was raised like a lot of wielders to know and believe there is a huge divide between light wielders and dark wielders. His family was very.. old fashioned(?) in the sense of believing dark wielders were bad, darkness = bad, you are evil if Darkness.

Unfortunately, some people are just more prone to it. that is simply how it is.

So Baldr struggles (and struggled) greatly with a sort of imposter syndrome of knowing he could be stronger and great if he let himself be a dark wielder, but the pressure of family and everyone around him forcing the whole "light is good" mentality pushed him to feel the same way.

He handles it badly. He is greatly torn between wanting to give up or push himself until he can't anymore for approval. He's a very dual-sided character in a lot of aspects and.. handles them all pretty bad, ngl.

[ficretus]

I've seen many interpretations on what Cinder's left arm could look like post theoretical redemption.

No arm option is probably my least favorite. Yeah, there is an interesting symbolism of it being permanent reminder of Cinder's past, how not everything can be restored way it was. However, I feel like a missing eye and scars already do that. Missing arm would also severely hinder her combat abilities (being both dual wielder and archer), which clashes with my idea of Cinder actually helping the good guys as part of her redemption arc.

Mechanical arm is fairly common option. It's a go to option for characters with missing limbs in the show, so it's a safe option to bet on. However, I feel like mechanical limb has negative connotations in the context of Cinder. Combination of her being enslaved by Atlas as a child and her previous limb not belonging to her. So I'm not sure Cinder would accept Atlesian prosthetic limb.

Glass arm is cool option. It symbolizes Cinder both using her powers in non destructive way and her taking control of her own destiny. However, to me glass arm is way too impractical even with "rule of cool" factored in. Glass is neither elastic enough to mirror joints, nor is it good idea for your limb to be so brittle (magic or not, Cinder's glass creations break way too often). Glass eye on the other hand, I can see that happening.

Option I'm leaning the most these days is Aura limb. I like it as both inversion of Grimm arm and because I like the prospect of Jaune being the one to redeem Cinder. Instead of it being soulless and intrusive foreign object, it would symbolize Cinder opening up and her broken self being mended. I imagine it functioning similarly to Grimm arm, being able to reform out of Cinder's Aura if necessary. However, instead of draining Aura, it could carry the piece of Jaune's Semblance and allow Cinder to give her Aura to other people.

[feniksido]

Ok tell me about your ocs right now

-fuckitwebhaal

I was thinking really hard about who to talk about because I HAVE SO MANY but I decided on my two main Baldur's Gate characters so RAAAA

First is Zenith the Silver aka The Dark Urge

Zenith is 42 years old and kind of pissed about it cus his knees are starting to hurt. When he was adopted into his family he was given the name Zenith and after the whole killing your family cus the urges manifested thing he stopped using the name. Eventually when he moved into the city proper and knew he would need a name that wouldn't set off any red flags for people he went back to it.

He's a dual wielder fighter/rogue. He's incredibly efficient and doesn't care about right or wrong, nice or mean, he'll put on the mask that he needs when the situation requires it. He will gaslight the hell out of you and you know what that's okay. Very calculating, very quiet most of the time but when he does speak it's LOUD. So he tends to be a man of few words. His favorite animals are hyenas, he likes to read since that's how he learns to adapt to different situations (basically absorbing scenarios and playing them out since he doesn't get a lot of actual living interactions), and he has a very strong sense of smell. Incredibly insightful always people watching, looking at the subtleties

And now Santino! A Cleric of Talos

Santino is a 54 year old mortal son of a cambion. He was raised by his cambion father and was named Santino as a joke. An infernal son named "Saint" raised by a devil. He was born because his mother was cursed with never-ending pain, she made a deal to that once she gave birth to a son she would be free from said pain. She died immediately after his birth. He was raised in like a basement demi-plane and when he was 13 he got kicked out and was told to go help bring people to make deals with. He was basically an unofficial warlock but his dad fucking hates him so he barely got anything out of it.

Santino was sick of it so he ran away instead and went to school. He sucked at it. He did eventually meet a girl at that school who he eventually married. They wanted to move to Waterdeep so she could continue her studies as an alchemist but on the way over there it was storming like crazy and the visibility was shit so they got ambushed by bandits. The bandits ended up killing Santino's wife while he was pinned under the cart. He begged his father to come help but he didn't show up and so instead he turned to the Stormlord Talos to give him the strength to imbue him with his fury and let him avenge his wife. And so he did. So he turned from the infernal to the divine and became a tempest cleric.

He's also ridiculously insane and completely unpredictable. This guy was my first Tav and he's been with me since Early Access. He's like chaos incarnate and i do love him.

Yes they are both evil, yes i can talk about them WAY more. I just love them so much

[shovel-the-quasit]

Ranger/Rogue/Fighter Lae'zel

My Lae'zel Origin build is so much fun I had to share.

5 Gloomstalker Ranger / 4 Assassin Rogue / 3 Champion Fighter

The idea is to have ridiculous initiative, get advantage in the first round (from Assassin), dread ambusher (free action attack in the first round) and multi-attack from Gloomstalker, plus action surge from Fighter. She can take out several enemies on the first turn of combat. That's not even the fun part. The fun part is she crits on a FOURTEEN OR HIGHER. Stick with me.

Feats:

Dual Wielder - Honestly, this isn't necessary, and I should really re-spec to bump Dexterity to 20. (I took Two Weapon Fighting from Ranger and Archery from Fighter, obviously.)

Savage Attacker - Rolls the damage dice twice and takes the higher result. Making the most out of each crit and sneak attack.

Equipment:

Sarevok's Horned Helmet, Bloodthirst, Knife of the Undermountain King, and The Dead Shot all lower the number to crit on by 1, as does taking the Champion Fighter subclass. All that + an Elixer of Viciousness = crit on a 14. It's wild.

For trinkets, she has the Executioner's Ring (auto-crit on the next attack after killing an enemy) and the Strange Conduit Ring (+1-4 psychic damage when concentrating, so I try to keep up Hunter's Mark). Then there's the Surgeon's Subjugation Amulet, which can paralyze humanoids on a critical hit (once per long rest). You see the synergy here.

The Unwanted Masterwork Scalemail is nice for getting the full +4 AC on a Medium armor set, but mostly because it looks awesome. Boots of Persistence for mobility, Legacy of the Masters for another +2 attack and damage. Thanks, Dammon!

Gloomstalker levels also give our favorite githyanki darkvision, bless.

It's honestly way too much fun and makes going back to vanilla rogue very boring (what do you mean only one attack per turn?!).

[blackjackkent]

OK, with Viconia dead, it's time to take Shadowheart into the Chamber of Loss.

Pretty sure this is going to hurt like hells.

Quick stop at camp for a long rest first - partly bc everyone is covered in blood and exhausted and needs to prepare emotionally for this experience, and partly bc @zenjestrr has given me some Helpful Tips on slight respecs for Jaheira that will increase her AC and hopefully lead to her not getting completely flattened on every single fight. Because we love Jaheira and she deserves for my gameplay to reflect her level of badassery.

(The primary changes are - switching her Circle once again to Circle of the Land, which allows her to take Mirror Image, giving her a spell-based boost of up to +9 AC, plus taking Dual Wielder instead of Mobile which gives her +1 AC since she's wielding double blades. With these changes and a DEX of 16 she's up to 17AC, which is the same as Hector.

Also have swapped out Crimson Mischief (one of Orin's weapons) for Bloodthirst (the other one) in her offhand, since when wielded in the offhand it also gives a +1 AC, bringing her up to 18. Zen also suggested a mainhand dagger I could have her run instead but that would entail unequipping Belm that we got from her sanctuary, so RP goblin brain is vetoing that one. XD This brings her up to 18AC from 15, though, which will help a lot.)

Fingers crossed for Jaheira getting squished less going forward. XD

We get a little chat with Shadowheart about Viconia during the long rest:

"Shar did not come to Viconia's defense. All who bow to her are disposable pawns, in the end. The mission she sent me on was a lie - same as everything else she ever told me. She sowed her own downfall in trying to take the prism for herself. Had she never sent me, I'd still bow to Shar, none the wiser..."

She sounds so tired and sad. :( I think Hector would give her a hug if he thought she'd accept it. That's never really been their relationship, though, even if they have gotten much warmer towards each other since the Shadowfell. What she really needs from him more than anything, though, is a listening ear while she works this stuff out for herself.

"Viconia won't be a problem anymore. What comes now?"

Her shoulders square and her jaw juts out with sudden determination, muting the exhaustion for a moment. "My parents are still captive. I need to free them."

[tiangouaway]

Initial Thoughts on the WB Leaders

Shadowverse: Worlds Beyond just released the leader profiles!! Let's take a look at them and their crafts!

1) Portalcraft - Dreizehn

Portal's been bumped up from last to first, now having it's own poster girl! Meaning thirteen in German, Dreizehn seems to be a serious girl with a lot of power. I wonder if her world will be similar to Aiolon, especially with the "machine-dominated" aspect. But she herself is called a machine... perhaps her story will be about her identity of machine vs human, if she's human at all.

For her design, aside from the mismatched legs, and how her breast/chest-piece looks awkward, almost as if it was glued on... I like it! I especially love the cape and the guns!

2) Forestcraft - Lovesign

First off, awesome name. He seems to be a lazy, probably cocky spoiled prince who doesn't care about his duties. I'm interested in the dynamic with his older brother - I can picture the arguments already! I expect him to have a character arc of learning responsibility, along with being a fan favorite. He seems like kind of a jerk, but in the way that you would hate working with him on a group project, but would have fun talking to or going to a party with.

I'm in love with the colors, and definitely did not expect this for Forest (guess that's what 8 years of Arisa will do to you). Plus, his weapon is cool as hell! My only concern is that the vague Egyptian theme will lead to orientalism in his world... but I'm going to remain positive!

3) Swordcraft - Marie Malisse

Sword's first leader has been upgraded from knight to noblewoman! While the "drops of rain" simile could just be for flair, that, her "Soleil" rank, and even the flowers makes me believe she'll have a sun or weather theme. And going back to Erika comparisons, the talk about sinners reminds me of Erika's loyalty to her kingdom for atonement - is this Marie's reason as well? Though, I assume it'll be justice for her kingdom and family name.

Surprised at how we already have two dual wielders, but I'm certainly not complaining. I don't really think she looks like a noblewoman, but whatever. I'm more focused on how she looks like Dionne, one of my favorite Sword leaders. Win for me!

4) Runecraft - Kaori Yuihara

They really love giving us ranks and classes to get us excited, don't they? She seems to be a thrill seeker looking for a fight, and I'm curious about her personality. Despite the fire theme, she seems to be laid back. Makes me all the more interested in her, and her world! An archmage in a metropolis sounds like a fun modern/futuristic fantasy setting.

Once again, in love the colors, especially her gradient fire hair! The runes on her body and her ghost hand are super cool, especially the whip-like thing around it she's "holding" with her other hand. My favorite design so far!

5) Dragoncraft - Galan

I'll be real... I was very sad when I first saw him. I get that they're doing some "subversions" of the crafts, but even then, I just found him underwhelming. But I think that's the point - making you believe he's just a humble doctor. I think he'll be the more level headed and knowledgeable one of the group, but not in the wise old man way. More like just an old guy who's seen a lot and knows a lot.

I... don't really know how to feel about his design. I like the subversion, but I don't really like the colors, namely the orange streaks in his hair and the green earing. But I'll never turn down a Chinese themed design! Makes me excited for his world and plenty of Asian dragon cards.

6) Abysscraft - Diawl

Before I start talking about it, I gotta talk about Abysscraft. I haven't seen any WB gameplay footage, so I'm really curious about how it'll work in game. It makes sense to combine Shadow and Blood, being the most similar in aesthetic. I assume Abyss will have some mechanic around damage to the player or your cards.

But now, onto it's leader! Very interested in it, mainly it's characterization. It literally being an "it" with no VA makes me wonder how it'll interact with the other leaders, assuming WB's story has a plot where they all meet up. Regardless, I like how it's a beast of legend, making me believe it'll have a story about being summoned, or the classic "oh no the ghost story was real!!" plot.

As for design... I don't care. Generic monster with a strangely skinny waist.

7) Havencraft - Esperanza

Hm... I don't really have much to say about her, to be honest. Characters shrouded in mystery aren't really my thing, but I am interested in the detachment, since that reminds me of Eris, and her attachment lead her to summoning Nexus. I guess this is another subversion type.

But I really like her design! Speaking of Eris and attachment, I guess they couldn't give up the yellow and purple palette. Her staff and veil thing are cool, and, of course, the gas mask!! Need I say more?

Closing Thoughts

While I do think some elements are lackluster, and I'm curious about how the leaders will impact their classes overall aesthetics, I'm nothing but excited for Worlds Beyond!! I've been a fan of Shadowverse nearly since it's release, and I can't wait to see where Worlds Beyond takes us.

[teecupangel]

It was just announced that AC Mirage is releasing in October. Are you excited? (I managed to get the collectors edition!)

Congrats! I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition as well <3

Sidebar: the normal version is currently 49.99 USD in PSN which gives us an idea of how long (and how big) this game would be. It's not surprising as Mirage did start off as a DLC of Valhalla so this will definitely not be as long as the recent AC games. I hope that means this would have a tighter more focused storyline and doesn't mean the narrative suffers because it's shorter. Also, as it's available for previous generations, it would probably have the same graphic options as Valhalla.

Alright, this can be a bit of a rant because, well, it's me XD

I read it's using Origin's parkour system but they've improved on it which sounds nice 'cause it's like the love-child of old and current AC games' parkour system.

The scene where Basim used that lamp-looking thing to quickly turn? Reminded me a lot of the old AC games, that's for sure. And that throwing knife kill? Definitely gave me AC1 flashbacks XD

Special assassinations are back and, not gonna lie, absolutely excited for that. That was my favorite part of the stealth mechanics of Unity, Syndicate and Valhalla's Siege of Paris DLC. I'm hoping it's quite diverse like those games and that scene where Basim uses a rope to hang his target feels like one of the special assassinations.

Also, also, also...

Chain Assassinations look so cool and if this is an unlockable skill, I know where my early skill points are going XD

As for open combat, I'm a sucker for dual wielders especially if it's the more traditional long blade/short blade combo and I love fighting styles that have a lot of twirling around so this entire sequence?

Yeeeessss, thank you. Twirl for me, dorky wolf dad. Twirl. I demand more twirling.

Btw, his Mirage fighting style is a bit different from his AC Valhalla style and I wonder if we'll know why he changed his fighting style in Mirage? (I'm betting it's connected to his Loki memories)

Baghdad looks awesome btw and, not gonna lie, I am having AC1, Revelations and Origins flashbacks.

Also, we saw another character in this trailer that is actually mentioned in AC Valhalla.

(So we know he's not gonna die which is nice XD)

Overall: I am cautiously optimistic and I hope Ubisoft doesn't fuck this up. I really hope Mirage is a success so the higher-ups in Ubisoft see that stealth-heavy AC games are worth developing.

Also, I read the Prince of Persia remake is being handled by Ubisoft Montreal (who is also handling Hexe) who handled Mirage so this might be a good indication of the kind of game the Prince of Persia remake could be.

Also, because it's me.

Hello, Hidden Blade Kink, my old-ish friend.

[lasatfat]

dadwc prompt list/info

general info:

I'm most familiar with the Inquisition roster, and I've played Origins enough to get a handle on those guys, I think. DA2, I haven't played as much. I'd avoid Awakenings and Absolution for now, because I haven't got around to them yet. I also haven't played Veilguard, but I'm developing some Rook ideas.

Please specify the prompt list you're using, if you can, so I can link back to it. Don't worry if you can't.

I'll be reposting stuff to AO3 by default, but if you'd rather I didn't repost for your prompt, I will absolutely respect that.

OT3/poly prompts are welcome, cracky ships are welcome, rarepairs are welcome. "LI swaps" are welcome (e.g. my Surana romances Alistair in my game, but you can request her with Morrigan, for example. Or a non-romanceable character. Anything you like). Nothing too dark, though, please.

If you send me prompts for platonic interactions, I will love you forever. I will give you a little digital kiss/hug/handshake/high five/wave.

If you send me something that I have a real mental block against for some reason, I will let you know and you can send in another prompt, if you want to.

If I combine prompts, I'll post one with a screenshot of the other(s), and @ the other prompters.

prompt fills

Blood of the Crow || Two Hands Longing (For Each Other's Warmth) || Tempting Fate || An Unfriendly Wager || Shadows and Tall Trees || Sanctuary || Easy Like a Sunday Morning || From Childhood's Hour || Scathefire || A Rose Upon a Thorn || Let Me Walk (Before They Make Me Run) || Risk My Hands to Pick Up Shards || Fair Game || Safe Under Cover || The Beginning of All Things || Aisling Lavellan Makes Her Mark || The Safest Place to Hide (NSFW) || You Will Find Him Next to Me || Don't Look Back Into the Sun || Planning Permission || The Nug King's Prize

prompt lists

I have a whole tag for story prompts and ask games HERE; this is just a selection of various types and topics. Again, please include the name of the list if you can, but don't panic if you're on mobile or just forget. Sparklies are for things I'm particularly feeling.

dragon age artefacts

unusual words and Raleigh's lost words

adventuring party dialogue pt. 2 and pt. 3

fantasy settings starters

drabble checklist

50 wordless ways to say "I love you"

75 kisses

enormity of my desire and dirty little compliments

soft sentence starters

hurt/comfort starters and bad day prompts

shit you don't want to hear

100 indulgent prompts ✨

my ocs

canon protagonists:

Eireann Surana, Hero of Ferelden - City elf mage, arcane warrior and spirit healer, wielder of Spellweaver. Mother of Farah. Radically kind, values honesty, wishes she didn't have to keep so many secrets. A good tactician. (she/her, bisexual)

Rian Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall - Human hedge mage, force mage. On the diplomatic side of sassy, or the sassy side of diplomatic, depending on your view, but always aims for compassion. (they/them, pansexual)

Gideon Lavellan, Herald of Andraste - Dalish storm mage, Knight-Enchanter. Twin brother of Athim, brother of Aisling. Cunning, and good-hearted, a great believer in uplifting the downtrodden. His title is a burden, but he tries to use his power for good. (he/him, gay)

Persephone "Pidge" Ingellvar, bare bones of a Dwarven Rook. Floundering after being pushed out of the Mourn Watch, they quickly find that they're also free to explore their own interests for the first time. (any/all pronouns, pansexual)

my other characters (I made characters to try out most of the Inquisition romances, and ended up shoving them all into my canon for funsies):

Athim Lavellan - Dalish mace-and-shield reaver. Twin sister of Gideon, sister of Aisling. Honest and inventive, good with problem-solving. Shares her brother's dry humour. (she/her, bisexual with a preference for men)

Kali Lavellan - Dalish dual-dagger tempest, sketches anything and everything. Perpetually anxious, and hides it well until she doesn't. Always goes the extra mile. (she/her, bisexual)

Sigyn, the Lady Archer - City elf mage of the Kirkwall Circle, escaped at the age of fifteen. Mother of Camile. Isn't used to being around people. Angered by injustice, will always protect those in need, but still building her social confidence. (she/her, grey-ace)

Farid Adaar - Tal-Vashoth mage, shapeshifter. Level-headed and kind-hearted, mellow until a game board or cards come out. A friend to all living things. (he/him, aroace)

Basvaarad Adaar - Tal-Vashoth rift mage, freed saarebas. Says little, and chooses his words carefully. Painfully shy, but loves deeply and well. (he/him, they/them, bisexual)

Nanna Adaar - Half-dwarf Vashoth, two-handed warrior, non-verbal. Brash and hot-tempered, but easily mollified. Very protective of people she loves. A lover of all physical contests. (she/her, lesbian)

Torunn Adaar - Vashoth archer and midwife. In-game she's an artificer, but in my heart she's a bard. Boisterous but emotionally intelligent and always eager to learn new things. Has big sister energy. (she/her, bisexual greyromantic)

Farah Surana - daughter of Eireann Surana and Alistair Theirin. Gregarious and inquisitive, she could make a friend in an empty room. Learned from her mother to value kindness above all else. Later travels north to fight with the Veilguard. (she/her, bisexual)

Luceo "Sunny" Aldwir - adopted child of Eireann Surana and Alistair Theirin. A survivor of slavery by the Venatori, they value their freedom and that of others. Trying to prove themself as more than just a person with famous parents. (they/them, gay)

Camile - adopted daughter of Sigyn. Shy and quiet, but always eager to help. Still learning to trust people to help her where she needs it. (she/her)

Aisling Lavellan - baby sister of Gideon and Athim Lavellan. She's brought to Skyhold to live with them after their parents are killed in the fighting in Wycome. Still finding her feet, but curious about everything. A budding creative. (she/her)

my 'ships

As I said, I would love the challenge of any random ships you want to send me! But these are all the ones I have in my verses. Ships crossed off are the ones I have a ton of prompts for that I'd like to get through before getting any more about them.

main verse:

Gideon Lavellan/Dorian Pavus

Eireann Surana/Alistair Theirin

Eireann/Alistair/Kali/Cullen (and any combination of these) ✨

Kali Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford

Rian Hawke/Anders

Rian Hawke/Varric Tethras

Athim Lavellan/Solas

Rian/Athim/Varric

Sigyn/Blackwall

Basvaarad Adaar/the Iron Bull

Nanna Adaar/Sera

Torunn Adaar/Raleigh Samson (quasiplatonic) ✨

Kali Lavellan/the Iron Bull (FwB) ✨

Gideon Lavellan/the Iron Bull (FwB)

Carver Hawke/Merrill Sabrae

Cole/Krem Aclassi ✨

Fenris/Isabela/optional Zevran Arainai

Josephine Montilyet/Leliana

Raleigh Samson/Ser Thrask/Ambra

probably more I can't remember right now

the Lion and the Hind AU:

Torunn Adaar/Cullen Rutherford (whom the AU is named for!)

Athim Lavellan/Josephine Montilyet

Basvaarad Adaar/Cassandra Pentaghast

Gideon Lavellan/Solas

Kali Lavellan/the Iron Bull/Dorian Pavus ✨ (Bull is romantically/sexually involved with both Kali and Dorian, but Kali and Dorian are completely platonic)

other ships I enjoy but don't have anywhere specific to put, really

Basvaarad Adaar/Solas

Alistair Theirin/Zevran Arainai

Solas/Varric Tethras

[sc-intothedarknightofthesoul]

OC Ramble

Just got an idea for Ezra's fighting style to help differentiate her from other rapier users like Raphael and Amy.

For my fic, there's a running theme where the central characters (Kasta, Grøh, Azwel and Ezra) all are dual wielders (Kasta with their daggers, Grøh with his double-bladed swords he can detach, and Azwel with his conjured up red and blue twin Kris), but I didn't know what to give Ezra with the fighting style she has in-game (she has the Soul of Amy fighting style to clarify).

But then I remember reading and watching movies and shows about duelists carrying parrying daggers alongside longer swords such as rapiers.

Part of me wishes the rapier/parry dagger combo was a thing in Soul Calibur.

[criticalrolo]

Oh man now you’ve got me curious about other stories about how nmj and nhs’s moms interact/play with the two kids 👀👀❤️

AAAAA would love to talk about these guys forever, I've made up a very cute couple of moms ;__;

NMJ's mom lost her right eye in a night hunt and got a jade prosthetic eye that makes her look SO !! Awesome !! to NMJ and NHS. The kids go WILD watching her take it out and put it back in when they're toddlers, it's their version of like, peek-a-boo

She's also a blacksmith / silversmith. She made a really lovely intricate crane-shaped hairpiece for NHS's mom when they. met. and she makes lots of little presents for her kids too. She hand crafted the flower pins and pauldrons that adult NMJ wears :)

Dual Wielder NMJ's Mom My Beloved. 25% of the reason she agreed to marry Sect Leader Nie is he said he'd teach her nie sect saber techniques. She's NMJ's first saber instructor when he turns, like, six, and NHS has just been born and they're trying to keep him busy while NHS's mom rests with the new baby

NHS's mom is a Genius with talismans, and she is Always coming up with little magical effects to dazzle the kids. it's like she's casting prestidigitation constantly and they LOVE it

She taught the boys how to do cartwheels :)

She is also always ADVOCATING for more color variety in the grey Nie Sect Wardrobes. She's always adding in little splashes of color to the kids' outfits. She's giving them little red sashes and purple hair ribbons and she paints colorful fans for both boys

Sect Leader Nie is the Loves To Toss Kids As High As Possible kind of dad!! And with that Nie Style Cultivation. that's pretty fucking high LOL

The kids say they hate his beard because it's scratchy when he picks them up and hugs them but then one day he shaves and both of them HATE hate HATE it so he grows it back out right away

[dreamatia-stories]

Design Notes: The Original Ten Peggle Masters

If you follow my main, you might know that Peggle Dual Shot for the DS has a mechanic known as the Bonus Underground. Each playable Master that made it in (Marina got axed, presumably due to hardware limitations) has a unique background and layout, and most notably for this project, different colored Gems to collect.

Why is this notable? Because I made sure that all ten of them got that color somewhere on their design for OoD. If playing Magic Pengel has taught me anything, it's that colors bring meaning to life, and also that I'm drawn to bright things like a toddler.

And I figured that while I'm explaining that, I might as well explain the rest of the choices I made. Note that I'll be using avatars from Recolor as "concept art", so some details may be off.

This'll be a long post, so bear with me here.

Bjorn's Gems are Orange, as reflected in his hat, jacket, and shorts. His glasses being orange are a complete coincidence, though; that element was actually taken from his appearance in Blast!

(Funnily enough, earlier drafts from before Blast's release had Bjorn getting his eyesight damaged in a fight with Fnord; in the current lore, he's always had nearsightedness that he actively hid with his magic for...Fnord's-eyepatch-related reasons)

His outfit is a little out-there, but it's definitely grown on me. I wanted to go for more RPG Hero than Superhero, specifically an agile spear-wielder. Horses are pretty fragile animals, and a having a jabbing weapon rather than a traditional heroic sword serves as a nod to his horn.

The biggest change I made from the concept when drawing is probably his hat, which loses its brim and gets a horseshoe instead of a star. My goal with all the Institute Masters is to hide a horseshoe somewhere in their design to tie them all together; it's gonna be harder for some Masters than for others.

(The Academy has its own insignia: a flipped horseshoe resembling an omega, as seen on Fnord's eyepatch in canon.)

Jimmy's Gems are Blue, as seen on his jeans and elbow pads. Not many places I can hide a theme color on an already-clothed Master, but thankfully our favorite gopher (who I thought was a guinea pig for years cause science) is consistently pantsless.

While there was no getting rid of his iconic hat, I did give him some protection from impacts in his elbow pads. I gave him jeans to look more like a Rad Cool Kid(tm), but apparently it's recommended skaters wear them due to being wear-and-tear resistant.

While I'm pretty sure it's just weird artifacting from cranking up the saturation slider in Recolor, it kind of looks like he's got green patches or leggings, the latter of which I would definitely wear if I was forced to wear jeans for whatever reason.

If I had to add a horseshoe, it'd probably be some kind of charm on his hat.

Kat Tut's Gems are Cyan, which can be seen, uh...everywhere.

I'm not gonna lie I had ZERO ideas on what to do for KT. I knew Recolor had an "Egyptian Headdress" item (which I'm not sure were actually a thing in Ancient Egypt) and went from there. I do like the silhouette of the headpiece, though.

I wanted something light and show-offy, since Kat Tut is an acrobat and a performer, and well...something definitely happened.

This is probably the most likely to be subject to change, even if I do like the flowy shapes.

Splork's Gems are Yellow, as seen in his overshirt and shoes.

I originally wasn't the biggest fan of Splork, but I think designing this look made me warm up to him a little. It's fairly basic by gijinka standards, just with an added bowling shirt and shoes in his theme color.

Splork only has one eye, so I deliberately gave him the Other Eye Syndrome bangs as a nod. The particular hair part I use for said bangs have an annoying layering shortcut that puts a pile of disembodied hair at your avatars' feet, so I have to make a bald version of every Splork I make and photoshop the two together.

If I ever draw him, I very much intend to give this guy his bulk back. We have enough twinks in this project already.

Claude's Gems are Magenta, which I misremembered as a more coral-y shade of pink. At least it stands out more from Warren's purple?

My main inspiration for Claude was essentially just "guy who tries to pick up chicks at the beach". Unfortunately, in my folly it completely slipped my mind that the guy who gives you Flippers might have a reason to be wearing, well...flippers.

At least I gave him some Big Meaty Claws.

Renfield's Gems are an eerie Lime Green.

My idea for Renfield was to somehow combine a suit with a wizard's robe, and I think the execution went REALLY well.

The suit portion was actually lifted from Eyegor; while it hasn't been stated, Renfield is available as a hat/head item for Xbox Live Avatars if you own Peggle, heavily implying Eyegor is a headless body that Renfield normally perches upon.

Despite having left the Institute prior to the New Frontier's formation, Renfield is one of the few characters that actually DOES have a confirmed horseshoe placement: a subtle shape made with the detailing on the back of his jacket.

Tula's Gems are more of a minty Green, which I misremembered as being more vibrant like her stem.

Tula's design was...supposed to be derived from her Blast Design, but when I went back to look it turned out it was COMPLETELY different.

For starters, her hat. I initially gave her a sunhat, but I recently started wondering if it was actually meant to be a bucket hat. Looking at the art, I legitimately cannot tell what kind of hat that is supposed to be. And apparently it's supposed to have a gaudy fake flower charm on it??? Not only that, but it completely clashes with her color scheme??? That is NOT the same yellow as her petals, and that orange is nowhere else in her outfit!!!

Also, her raincoat??? Apparently it's not actually cerulean, but a bright aqua that makes the green of her stem look muddy and the rest of her design look plastic and fake, which is especially egregious since she's an environmentalist!!!

And good GOD, I think Blast!Tula's face is somehow giving me DOUBLE Uncanny Valley vibes. Like, Classic Tula and her flower friends are kinda disturbing since they have detailed human faces on flower bodies, but Blast Tula STILL looks disturbing because of how Not-Tula she looks.

...Anyways, this is "Design Notes", not "Getting Really Mad At Fashion". Let's move on.

Warren's Gems are Purple, which is convenient since his regular outfit is already almost completely purple.

In this concept, I made his suit fit better since he's larger than he is in-game as a humanoid, but I think I wanna walk that back. He's a gambling addict on a teacher's salary, this man CANNOT afford a tailored suit. If the art department had ever seen a rabbit before in their lives then he would've already been peak design.

Also, just for fun, Warren's form is short as hell. Possibly the shortest New Frontier member besides Gnorman and Luna. I'm thinking 5'1" (~155cm), possibly even shorter.

Cinderbottom's Gems are Red.

Not gonna lie, I think I might be less happy with Cindy's concept than Kat Tut's solely because of how I put in the red. I REALLY should've gone for something less bright. Probably need to do something about that hair, too; maybe some kind of gradient.

Among the Institute, Cinderbottom is the most at-odds with Bjorn, even (not-so) accidentally making him violently ill with his smoke in one of the old Blog posts -- now what was that about 'flames only serving the virtuous'?

Anyways, my point is that Cindy is also based on an RPG hero, this time an armor-clad knight with a sword, befitting his noble stature. (I also thought it'd be a neat reversal if The Hero had a lance while The Lancer had a sword.) His green mail is derived from his green scales.

Master Hu's Gems are White.

This one was pretty much as simple as just giving him a white robe. Recolor didn't have any good turbans, so I left it off.