#maybe they're members of the adventurers guild

[escxelle]

just thinking out loud but someone should totally make a wangxian stardew valley mod

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

I might be wrong, but it's implied that dragons are an extinct species in the SDV universe. So like, what if the Farmer found a petrified dragon egg, or even a whole clutch, and somehow managed to hatch it/them Game of Thrones style? They've done some insane stuff both in canon, and in SVE and RSV so it's not hard to imagine they'd do the truly impossible like reviving not only an extinct species, but a magic species at that. Rambling aside, onto the question: how would the SVE mages (including Morgan) and adventurer's, and Mr. Aguar from RSV react to the farmer's feat of bringing dragons back to life?

(P.s, maybe add Mr. Qi as well bc I imagine he'd be VERY interested in this event)

You're 100% right

And it's interesting: I've long wondered why there was no mention of dragons anywhere in the notes or in the library, when there are skeletons and teeth of these very same dragons lying around in the Calico Desert and Ginger Island? And can serpents be considered descendants of these dragons?

Lance's mention of his teacher with the title "Dragon Master" also gives us the right to believe for the existence of dragons in the SDV world (although I used to think it was just such a cool title for his teacher. Or a reference to Lance's Pokémon trainer in general).

But enough rambling! Thanks for your ask and enjoy some short stories ☺️🫰

Warning: this post is long...

_________________________________________

Marlon & Gil:

Marlon sipped his tea quietly in his Guildhall on a cold winter morning, to the crackle of a blazing fireplace and the soft snores of his friend, Gil. The one-eyed adventurer was enjoying a rare moment in his life - a quiet morning, with no worries about stocking up on provisions and elixirs, no worry about monsters...

But apparently the Yoba itself decided that Marlon had had enough of the peaceful time and presented him with a Farmer riding a dragon. The flying reptile with purple scales, beautiful as amethysts, along with its rider managed to smash through the old Adventurer's Guild roof, but thankfully no one was hurt.

If Marlon had only known Farmer for a few months, he would have been in mute shock at what he had seen. Now that the youth was a full member of the Guild for the second year, Marlon only sighed tiredly and went to the undestroyed room to get his tools. Dragons? Yes, he was interested in that. But questions later, first they need to fix the hole in the roof because it's cold winter outside, you know.

The Farmer will help, of course, as they are the direct cause of the collapsed ceiling. And the Gil will join in when he stops hiding his chuckle behind his snoring. He's been awake for a while now, and he can hardly contain his laughter (and his pride in Farmer) while pretending to be asleep.

_________________________________________

Isaac:

If the quote "I don't get paid enough for this shit" were a person, Isaac would be the complete personification of that phrase.

Anyone would be shocked, amazed and delighted by the most beautiful and noble creatures that had extinct so long ago that many people no longer believed they existed and had come to regard them as a fairy tale and a legend. Anyone, but not Isaac. Because the moment the master of the dangerous reptiles appeared before Isaac's eyes - he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

Let no one dare tell him that 'Farmer is special' or 'Farmer knows what to do'. No, they don't know what they're doing! A bloody immature upstart who coddles a dangerous dragons like a puppies! That even now the curious reptiles are slowly moving towards Isaac to sniff and study him, a man they don't know. And how does HE know what the hell is going on in their heads?! Maybe they see him as just another snack, for Yoba's sake!

He won't be tempted to trade his own safety and the safety of other people for prickly curiosity. He will not, like the others, reach for the huge toothy maw, nor is he going to scratch the head of the purring (dragons can purr?) creature. Isaac goes to report the Farmer and the dragons to the Order of Pythagoras, and he doesn't care that he'll be disliked by many for such an act. It will take a long time before Isaac finally trusts the Farmer and their pets, but that will be a while yet. For now, the scarred adventurer will do what he thinks is right.

_________________________________________

Lance:

After a long training in swordsmanship and magic spells, young Lance always waited with joy for his teacher to call him for a short break. After all, it was during the break that they would both go to the tavern, eating dinner, where his teacher would praise him for his success in the last training session, and most importantly, tell him another fascinating legend about monsters and creature. Even though his mentor was a "Dragon Master", they haven't met any dragons themself. Their great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather, however, had seen the beautiful flying reptile once with his own eyes.

Oh, how Lance wanted to be the man who would see a dragon, how he wanted to believe they still existed!

It was just a childhood dream that Lance had long since grown out of. But life had given him an unexpected surprise.....

He slowly touched the dragon's snout, gently running his fingers over the warm scarlet scales. Taking his time, careful not to bring his fingers too close to the razor-sharp fangs. Lance almost couldn't tear his gaze away from the big amber eyes that watched him intently. Slowly turning his head towards the Farmer, the pink-haired adventurer saw a sign of approval that he could continue. Giving his friend a grateful nod, Lance turned his gaze back to the dragon. Who would have thought that gallant adventurer would have the opportunity not only to see this marvellous creature, but also to learn from Farmer how miraculously they were able to do the impossible.

It'll go down in Lance's memoirs for sure.

_________________________________________

Jadu:

Due to insomnia, hard work with manuscripts and scrolls, and an unhealthy obsession with coffee, Jadu looked like the walking dead these days. Add to that the fact that the young wizard was as stubborn as an ass: no matter how much Lance tried to gently help his friend, no matter how much Isaac tried to force him into bed, and no matter how hard the others tried - to no avail. Jadu's goal was to finish the job - and he'd done it, and sleep was of secondary importance to him.

Naturally, this disregard for his sleep regime was not without consequences, and so Jadu, about to teleport back from the Stardew Valley to the Castle Village, didn't even realise how the world swam before his eyes and his body went limp. But before poor wizard lost consciousness, he felt that someone had grabbed him and would not let him fall. Half an hour later, Jadu realised that he was not lying on the cold ground, but in the warm embrace of someone... with scales? And wings? And claws on its paws?

Is he still asleep?

But as it turned out, he emerged from the realm of reverie and listened half-asleep to Farmer's restless speech. The sensation of inhuman skin and the word "dragon" made Jadu jump up as if scalded by boiling water and quickly get to his feet.

A dragon?! A real one?! Where from and how? Farmer, please explain! You raised it? Where? And what kind of dragon?! He'd studied the legends, but he'd never thought he'd meet a large reptile himself. And what do they eat, and how do they conjure? He need to know? Sleep? What sleep, he doesn't need that right now!

It took a lot of effort for the farmer to at least get Jadu back to a sitting position. It is not clear whether the noble reptile understood their words, but the creature's gaze was shrewd and full of wisdom. And amusement from this funny scene.

_________________________________________

Morgan:

Morgan follows the familiar hidden path again, behind a flowering tree with a swing, where there is a hole in the farm's fence. Trying not to make any loud noise, Magnus' young apprentice walks through the tall grass, holding back a playful chuckle.

Even though the Farmer had long ago told them that they would always be welcome at the farm and would be treated to ripe fruit from the greenhouse, Morgan still chose to visit in this way, adding intrigue and fun to their dull routine of studying the history of the Republic and the bestiary.

The young talent once again wanted to go into the chicken coop, where there was a void chicken that the Farmer had allowed them to feed and even give her name (Morgan had named her Coal). But when Morgan looked into the coop, instead of the usual joyful clucking, they felt a smoky breath coming from a toothy mouth that definitely did not belong to a hen. In the dark wooden room, Morgan couldn't see who it was, so all they could do was run out of the coop screaming in terror and crying.

Luckily, the Farmer, who had arrived quickly, had time to calm the child and explain that a dragon lived here for the time being.

Morgan at the mention of the mythical creature completely forgot about everything in the world. A moment later, the Farmer was bombarded with questions and requests to see dragon again. The farmer allowed (taking Morgan's word that they would keep it a secret). Wow, dragons are even cooler that void chicken! Sorry, Coal...

_________________________________________

Alesia:

Crazy... This was just a crazy idea. Maybe Alesia still had the option to refuse and get off the green dragon's back? Before she could say anything, however, Farmer gave the takeoff command to his winged friend, and they and Alesia, riding the dragon, began to separate from the ground higher and higher. The sniper was out of breath, and her mind was unable to comprehend what was happening. A farmer, a dragon - a living dragon! - and flying on top of a large reptile. How had all this happened for literally half an hour?

Alesia never thought she would agree to ride a dragon without a second thought. She felt a little ashamed, for she had been so quick to give in to temptation and curiosity, forgetting all about safety. But that view... Definitely worth it.

Finally when they landed and Alesia felt the solid ground beneath her feet, she had to temper her excitement and have a serious talk with Farmer. About the dragon, mages and adventurers should know. No, no arguments. It is better to let the senior adventures be warned, for it could happen that seeing Farmer on a dragon could mistake them for an enemy or potential threat. This is for the safety of both the humans and the Farmer with the reptile. The girl sees that this beautiful creature is significantly intelligent and wishes no harm to anyone. Therefore, she will feel safer if Farmer, as a responsible adult, makes the right decision.

But until they notified the Order and the others, Alesia would be interested to hear how the Farmer was able to not only raise the dragon themself, but also hide their existence from the others for so long. And, if the Farmer and the dragon itself are okay with it, to repeat another flight. Because that's was fun.

_________________________________________

Magnus Rasmodius:

The Farmer couldn't have been happier when, after months of caring for the dragon eggs, they saw the first crack of the shell and a cute little scaly face emerge. One little flying lizard was followed by two more, and now the trio are chirping and flying merrily around their parent, already begging for attention and food.

What Farmer didn't know was that as the dragonlings hatched, a strong magical flow would come out of the eggs, which Magnus Rasmodius definitely felt.

Shocked at the unknown strong source of magic, the purple-haired wizard dropped everything he was doing and teleported to the Farmer's house. The magic that had broken through his barrier? But the barrier was still intact! Then what? An anomaly? A strong corrupting spirit? Ancient magic? And his apprentice is right at the epicentre! But while Magnus was filling his head with horrific scenes and preparing to recite the spell, teleporting straight into the living room of the Farmer's house, all his battle fervour deflated. And before Magnus's gaze was an unharmed Farmer, with three little dragons sitting on top of them, eating peach slices with gusto.

On the one hand, Magnus has an irresistible urge to smack himself on the forehead for having conjured up such scary scenes, when as an experienced magician he should always keep his composure. On the other hand, he really wants to scold the Farmer for another wild thing. His gut tells him that he has a very long report to write to the Ministry of Magic. He also needs a bottle of strong wine to get drunk and pass out after all this madness. Poor wizard is too tired to marvel at the very fact that dragons have been reborn. Maybe later...

_________________________________________

Camilla:

My oh my... And how come the Farmer didn't tell her, Camilla, about this wonderful pet that breathes fire and can fly in the sky? She's their best friend, isn't she? And friends always share secrets with each other.... How did the Farmer manage to raise such a marvellous beauty? Really? Hmm, interesting.

Some might rightly resent that the head witch of Castle Village treats a dangerous mythical creature like a cute poodle. Even the dragon owner themself might be surprised that she doesn't show the reaction that people usually have at the sight of a big and scary dragon.

But even it look like Camilla in her favourite way is not serious about everything, it is not true at all. Quite the opposite, she will always put her duty to protect the people of the Village above all else. But she is confident in her abilities, so just in case the Farmer's scaly friend wants to make a little mischief in her domain, she will make sure that the creature never wants to appear on the Continent of Galdora ever again. But enough of that!

Camilla will become a more frequent visitor to the Stardew Valley, because the witch certainly won't miss the opportunity to study such an interesting specimen. Camilla also has some of the rarest pets, and the witch would like to get a dragon as well. Ah, what a cutie!

_________________________________________

Dr. Aguar:

For a fortnight now, Aguar couldn't figure out why his body was tingling with magic like an annoying itch. For a fortnight he had been walking around irritated, unable to understand the source of this itch that was driving him crazy and preventing him from working in peace. It was only at the bus stop that Aguar realised that the closer he got to the farm, the stronger the tingling became. There's clearly something the strange Farmer is doing here.... Magnus had already mentioned that the youth had a magical gift, just like Aguar himself. But the former mage knows nothing much about the Farmer: not their motives, nothing. So Aguar wanted to find out what the Farmer does, and whether it has anything to do with this unbearable itch.

Before Dr. Aguar could even reach the porch of the Farmer's house, something blue flew out of the door at full speed, but he couldn't see it because of its speed. The Farmer ran out after it, calling to someone and waving their arms.

The thing stopped abruptly in mid-air and returned to the Farmer, wrapping their body around Farmer's right hand and growling merrily. The Farmer, barely out of breath, held their breath as they realised they had guests and that they could see the dragon. Aguar, on the other hand, crossed his arms and waited patiently for the Farmer to start the conversation themself.

So that's what it was...

A dragon, yes? And a dragon of the water element, Aguar's own element. Indeed, this little reptile was too young to control magic on its own. And the incessant flow of the same element's magic influenced the flow of the scientist's magic. Very interesting. That's what really caught Aguar's attention. He's really going to want to study the dragon. Oh, spirits, Farmer, there's no need to look at him as a bloodthirsty monster! He won't harm this little one.

_________________________________________

Mr. Qi:

"Congratulations to you, Farmer. Once again you managed to exceed my expectations when your tending to the eggs I left behind succeeded. I didn't doubt the success one bit, of course not. I hope you enjoy your new pets, they are truly wonderful. Also, I'll put it on a note, they are fruit-eaters, so treat your dragons to fresh fruit often. Especially melon, these dragons love it. I already know that, hehe. Good luck to you, child. I'll keep watching your progress. And always remember, the key to success is within you."

The Farmer would probably have been surprised by a letter from Mr. Qi..... But alas, the little flying reptiles accidentally burned the paper before the Farmer could open anything.

[moltensmusings]

Honestly, 100 year quest taking place 10 or more years post fairy tail after most of the guild has moved on to other ventures, starting the way the 1 year post timeskip did would've actually worked imo.

Natsu crashing the GMG and melting half the stadium would've felt so cool especially with him being in his 30s. A moment for the audience to really feel like we've seen him grow up.

Lucy being a well established writer who was content with her new life but so excited to go one one more mission and get the gang back together.

Gray's villain arc actually feeling incredibly tense and being possible because he wouldn't have been in contact with anyone for years at this point and yeah, maybe he's changed but the belief people have in him being good just showing how strong their bond to him is even years later.

Erza either continuing work as guild master of fairy tail to an entirely new generation or working with Crime Sorciere for long enough to become a trusted member of their group.

Levy and gajeel having a kid finally because they're fully competent adults with a life plan and happy to settle down after both of them have become accomplished in their respective career fields (Levy as a historian who periodically runs into trouble with the law for not really caring about it, gajeel as a musician).

And in general us just seeing the guild years down the line for one last exciting adventure would've made me want to watch the series.

[yuri-is-online]

Your fantasy AU sounds fun… Do you have any other thoughts?

Mostly just world building if I'm being honest. The real spicy thoughts could count as spoilers so I'll try to put some fun things first before the building block stuff.

Yuu has a lot of physical damage on their body, and a pendant they're extremely protective of but don't remember why. I had a specific idea for that pendant was in the first outline but since I'm not 100% on this being a JadeYuu fic anymore I'm keeping it vague.

Yuu has some vague memories of being in a coma and several people talking to them, but they don't know who they were or what they talked about. It really hurts their head to think about, but they truly trust Idia and aren't afraid of him or Ortho. Somehow they know neither of them are responsible for what happened... or maybe they just don't blame them?

Idia is the one who brought Yuu to his and Ortho's house, but not everyone who should knows that they're there. Ortho doesn't know how Idia knew where to find them and has decided to not ask questions.

Ramshackle Party currently consists of Ace, Deuce, Yuu, and Ortho! Jack, Epel, and Sebek might join later but I'm undecided if they'll be permanent or temporary members. Ace is meant to be a rogue, Deuce used to be a barbarian who has been training under Trey to try and be a proper knight, Ortho is an alchemist, and Yuu is a mechanist a la FFXIV. Or gunslinger if you prefer that. Grim still follows them around and insists he's a great mage but his magic is... well you know.

Oh and Jack is a druid, Epel is an unwilling palidan/squire, and Sebek is also a palidan sworn to the oath of the crown.

Speaking of Trey, he and Riddle are influential members of the Queendom's royal guard, with Riddle being the Commander and Trey being his Second. Cater used to be a freelance information broker who has settled in the Rose Court as the chief of it's spy network, but he's publicly known as a semi famous bard. Neither Ace or Deuce know his real job ha.

Speaking of information brokers, Azul is still a merchant. He doesn't have a monopoly on physical goods since Sam is still here, but his information services can't be beat. He's actively involved in mapping the labrynth floors and has a lot of pull within the Adventure's guild. The twins still work with him but Floyd like to run off and explore the labrynth on his own for funsies sometimes.

Leona is actually a fairly influential politician in this AU, he's lacking the color scheme but he's in his Duke of the North era. He's known for being the first real adventurer in the labrynth, but how that came to happen, and all of his current personal life, are unknown to the general public. He sends Ruggie to bother Idia a lot.

No one knows how many floors the labrynth has, the S.T.Y.X. keeps detailed track of the known floors and assigns them a difficulty ranking based on things like terrain, monsters, weather etc. The Charon units are stationed at all known entrances to check if people trying to enter have the proper adventurer rank and to keep an eye out for dead mages.

Speaking of that, only mages can be resurrected if they die in the labrynth. Magicless people do occasionally venture in, but usually as merchants and never past floor 10.

The Adventure's Guild has a ranking system that determines how deep into the labrynth you're allowed go. Idia is an Obsidian ranked adventure, which prevents him from forming a party with Ortho who is only Bronze rank. Idia's party he gained that rank with has since disbanded, which makes things annoying for him as adventures are required to form a party with a minimum of four people before adventuring. Ortho has only really met one of Idia's previous party members, but he looks up to him a lot. Idia never talks about the other ones.

I have an idea for what I want to do with Malleus but it's a bit... weird? And I'm not 100% sold on it yet. I need to think more. But I know Briar Valley doesn't have much of a presence in the Labrynth or it's nearby town as they have been able to prevent it from spreading into it's territory. Silver and Sebek do occasionally participate in some of the exploration of the lower levels S.T.Y.X does though.

[felixcloud6288]

Dungeon Meshi Chapter 2

First thing I had to do was compare the map in the chapter 1 title page to the chapter 2 to confirm they are different maps. I'm two chapters in and I really want to play a game where hunting and eating monsters while exploring the dungeon to sustain yourself is a key mechanic.

This is really neat.

So is the basic idea that each floor of the dungeon corresponds to an actual floor of the tallest tower from the golden castle and some magic is being used to alter the terrain per floor?

It looks like there's a water level a few layers down.

Did Marcille's staff always have a little sprout growing out of it?

I'm with Marcille on the bats and rats. That sounds like an easy way to getting sick.

WAIT!! I've seen this meme!

Laios looks so upset and shocked that Marcille wants to eat normal food rather than hunt monsters.

The matagi are winter hunters from Northern Japan. They're known to hunt deer and bears. I guess that's the idea Laios imagined when thinking about hunting monsters or beasts.

So are Matagi a thing from where Laios is from or did he hear about them from the samurai guy who left the party and that's what he imagines they are?

Laios's explanation about how baraselia don't eat people but instead wrap their tendrils around victims to kill them and convert them into compost is not reassuring.

So there's a corpse retrieval and resurrection service. But it's not a union benefit of any kind. And since the resurrected have to pay a percentile fee for being resurrected, this would incentivize finders to prioritize retrieving rich adventurers.

Not sure what stops people from just robbing the corpse instead.

I might as well save each instance of Marcille casting magic and try parsing anything about the language she's speaking. Maybe see if there are any recurring runes in that language.

Kinda interesting how Marcille holds her staff in her right hand when they're traveling but switches it to her left when she begins casting magic.

I already said she was right-handed, but it looks like she prefers to use her right hand to the point that she doesn't use her left hand at all unless it's necessary. She prefers gesturing, holding, and acting using her right hand and will only use her left when her right hand is busy.

The moment her spell-casting was interrupted, she started transferring her staff back to her right hand. And when she was grabbed by the plant, she was gripping her staff with her right hand but doing nothing with her left.

To summarize, Marcille has no instinctive use of her left hand and you could probably easily hit her with a sneak attack from her left side.

Last chapter, Marcille got attacked by a slime. This chapter she got captured by a plant. I hope this isn't going to be a recurring thing with her.

I think the chapter is really brushing aside the part where Marcille was grabbed by a parasitic plant that plants its seeds under other creatrues' skin. Her clothing is probably thick enough to have protected her, but they should check her her skin for any cuts or scrapes and should look through her cloak for any seeds that might be embedded in the threads.

The plant would probably have let Marcille go after a minute or two since it likely wants its victim to be far away when its seeds sprout.

That face Marcille made conveys so many thoughts and emotions, the first of which is the dawning realization that she's going to learn things about Laios on this journey that she never wanted to know.

Marcille probably wasn't thinking how snug the shadowtail's grip was when she was more concerned about being eaten or having seeds implanted under her skin.

If Laios was the one who had been grabbed by the shadowtail, he would have been excited and asked everyone to leave the plant alone while it tied him up.

Love how the hollow comes with a fire pit, a broom, and a sign asking adventurers to clean up the place. Are there guild members who just scout out the dungeon for camping areas and prepare them for adventurers? Someone had to build that bridge they were crossing, right?

There's nothing strange about plants making fruit that other creatures find tasty. The strategy is the fruit and seeds will get eaten by whatever animal wants them and the seeds will pass through the creature's digestive tract and get pooped out somewhere else. The plant is using whatever eats its fruits to transport its offspring and provide some initial fertilizer.

The plants that use their fruits to lure in prey probably generate fruit somewhat independently of when they actually need to eat. If they only produced fruit when they are hunting, then most prey animals would either refuse to approach the fruits or adapt to become able to avoid the plant's traps entirely.

Baraselia might even have a gimmick where it has active and inactive tendrils. Most of the tendrils would be inactive and be meant to trick the prey into thinking its safe to approach the baraselia fruit. But then some random tendrils are active and are meant to catch prey that has concluded it's safe to approach.

And considering how shadowtail works, it likely doesn't produce fruits since it has other means to spread its seeds hence why it wasn't in the list of fruits in the tart.

I'm having fun with this. I'd like to know what kind of adaptations the local animals have to combat or avoid these plants so they can get to the fruits.

back

[erdariel]

One thing that would be kinda cool to play with is a d&d (or similar fantasy setting) adventurer's guild that actually functioned and was structured in a similar style as mid-to-late medieval european guilds. Like, not just some sort of loose group of adventures frequenting a certain tavern with just about enough organization to give out quests to those who ask and maybe occasionally some help to the heroes (though it may have started that way, decades or centuries ago), but like, clear rules, structures, with apprentices taught by master adventurers, journeymen who can work for masters or set out on their own to another city our country to work with and learn from a master there, see how things are done in another place, but who can't have apprentices of their own. Masters, whether the position is inherited or through vote or a masterwork showcasing their skill, who can take on apprentices, and who wield power and set rules and make decisions within the guild.

Adventurer's guild that sets and enforces rules on the methods their members can use in their work, how much they can charge for a job. That takes a share of the profit. That can practically entirely block a non-guildmember adventurer from getting work in the area, and wields a lot of political and economical power, even able to influence the king to set laws that benefit the guild. Capable of providing mercenaries for the king's wars, if they feel like they'll get something out of it.

A guild that looks after their own; that pays for temples its members can pray in, funds a hospital to take care of guildmembers if they are injured or sick. That sees to it that members who get too old to continue working, or who are permanently disabled in a way that prevents them from working anymore, are taken care of, enough to live at least somewhat comfortably. Maybe even helps arrange funerals for dead members

That last might be one of the reasons the guild began, and a major incentive to join even with the rules and limits it puts on its members; adventuring is dangerous work, and gear and supplies can cost a lot, and many adventurers will spend much of their careers with relatively little money to spare. Having the security of the guild, some guarantee that they'll be taken care of if something happens and they're seriously injured, or even if they just get old without ever getting rich, is really attractive and means one thing less that one has to constantly worry about

[rosewoodroad]

Scattered thoughts on SoTO

Tl;dr: Lukewarm climax, lukewarm ending. Isgarren is still rude.

Finished the final chapter in an hour and a half. A lot of drama was condensed into those 3 instances, but it felt like there was zero point to the first two where we were just at the camp. It got a bit juicier in the third instance in Eparch's palace. Like, three drops of juice juicier.

The most interesting bits of the story I can recall are:

Eparch ate his entire army! At the time, I was like "oh shit" but in hindsight, I was really hoping for Eparch to be planning a massive attack or something. There was so much build up as to why he wasn't retaliating against Peitha. But no, his great plan was just to eat his own soldiers. I guess it makes sense with his character, but I think if the execution and consequences of the reveal was better, it would have been a real slap to the face.

Eparch's first contact with Tyria was the Maguuma Jungle and Mordremoth, the latter of which he was scared of. This is a real neat detail imho, and helps paint a better picture of the power hierarchy between our antagonists. Eparch truly isn't that big of a threat in the end.

Eparch's final battle was a letdown for all his intrigue. Heitor was harder than him. I literally stood there and tanked all his hits, there was zero mechanic to the encounter. It sure made the speedkilling achievement easy, though.

Meh battle aside, Snargle is always a pleasant surprise.

Isgarren is such an asshat. It makes him an interesting character, but I'm upset they didn't do more with him. Like, what was all that talk about the Commander being similar to Isgarren before? Everyone is like, "you remind me of him" but they never show how?? I thought they were gonna do some real in depth introspection into his personality by the time the story ends but I guess that's it. We're supposed to see the two of them as twins for some reason, but maybe the Fractal will shed some light?

Sounds like Zojja is leaving us for good this time. The exchange between Zojja and the Commander is the only element of the chapter that made me feel things :( Also, I love how the Commander's lines here mirrored their monologue in the prologue: "See? Everyone's doing just fine, Aurene" to "Everyone will be fine, Zojja."

I think my biggest disappointment with the ending is the lack of implications in the epilogue. We could talk with a bunch of people but they're all about the future with the Kryptis and whether peace is possible and whatever. Nothing about, or from, mainland Tyria. No hints for the next expac. No mention of our guild members. No Ivan, who sent us on the mission to begin with and heard nothing from us since. No Taimi, who really ought to be spamming calls on the comms device now that she knows Zojja is back. What is the point of the communicator device in our bags when it's literally used for the prologue and nowhere else???

Peitha's king now. I love how they kept the 'king' title instead of making her queen. But... that's it for her, I guess. I knew she wouldn't betray us, but I admit it's also sort of boring how the story just ended there. I think it could have benefited from more post-story achievements where we help out with turbulent politics or diplomacy instead of going on another treasure (or kryptis) hunt binge. Right now, it feels like the equivalent of brushing dirt off our pants and going, "welp that's done."

Nobody's gonna mention what Eparch said about Kryptis' predatorial nature, huh? They drop his (very, very tiny violin) sympathetic backstory and motivations, and then proceed not to bring its implications up at the peace treaty scene. Absolutely nobody is bothered by Kryptis possibly needing to feed off mortals.

All in all, honestly a forgettable ending. Looking back, the expac started off really strong thanks to the intrigue behind the Wizards and Isgarren. But once that intrigue is solved and we go delving into Nayos, it just feels like a rehash of all our previous adventures where we fight to overcome some Great Force of Evil- just that the Commander isn't in the spotlight anymore. I would've preferred it if the past three chapters were spent with the wizards instead, solving dumb magical problems (or even fighting to keep the Astral Ward a secret!) instead of partaking in a generic military storyline for the 9th time. Like, instead of Eparch, we could have been hunting down a whistleblower, or a traitor maybe, something that keeps the intrigue there.

At least it's acknowledged that the Commander is tired of this stuff too. They need a nap.

[spectrechosts]

Beast Of Burden - Chapter 2

Even Lunaeris will admit it's fun to drop a good "how DARE you speak to your PRINCESS that way" every now and again.

Full Series

Adventuring, in Kallixenia's experience, consists a great deal more of long stretches on horseback traveling to and fro than it does exploring dungeons or felling great beasts.

Not that that's a bad thing! The opposite, really- She's the sort of professional one hires to, for example, guard princesses. Lunaeris may technically be a novice adventurer, but she got her start exploding the Demon King out of sheer fiery rage; a lack of practical experience with dungeoneering fundamentals didn't really hold her back for very long. Lagakh and company are all decently high ranked members of the Adventurer's Guild.

If the kinds of problems that required the likes of the six of them were common, the world would be a dire, dire place.

But they aren't. So… long horse rides.

Ones that could stand to be longer, maybe. Everyone else would probably disagree- They've been on the road for near a week and a half already, and those heading onward to deal with that wyvern nest have probably another two ahead of them. But today is where her and Lunaeris split off, and head into the Elven Kingdom, and then who knows when they're going to get caught by royal guards looking to reclaim their lost princesses.

She's not worried about that encounter, Lunaeris is quite sure she can strongarm them into taking only her back to the castle and letting her continue on back to the mountains, and Kallixenia fully believes in her ability to do so.

She's going to miss her terribly while they're apart, though. They're not exactly close to her home, entering the kingdom here, and who knows how long they'll both be occupied once they arrive?

"So, are you meeting up with anyone to replace us?" Asks Lunaeris, seemingly untroubled by such things.

"Mhm." Lagakh hums. "Have to. Always good to have a wizard, after all."

"Awwww, I'll try not to deprive you of my talents for too long."

"That… may not be up to us, beloved." Says Kallixenia. "If your father-"

"Oh, to hell with my father! What's he going to do, throw me in the dungeons? That'd be even more embarrassing for him than me being a runaway." Lunaeris scoffs. "He's going to bluster and whine about propriety and then do precisely fuck all to stop me from leaving again."

"We should take more jobs in elf lands." Purrs Ryse. "Law sounds remarkably lax."

Lagakh snorts at that and shakes her head. "You know how to get in touch, whenever you're done picking fights with the King."

Lunaeris had, of course, told the rest of the party that the purpose of their detour was to try to clear up the situation with her family. Not untrue exactly, though she certainly didn't seem interested in clearing it up so much as making her father decide it was too much trouble to continue fighting her on it.

Telling people that you want to break your paladin oath isn't typically wise. And even if Lunaeris is right and she won't face much trouble, Kallixenia very well might. It's up in the air whether she'll even return still capable of adventuring at all, not stripped of all her power and smote for good measure.

"I think this is where we part ways, just up ahead." Lunaeris says, tilting her chin at a crossroads ahead of them.

"Good luck, then."

"Gods guide your journey." Says Sophia.

"Yours as well." Kallixenia says, knowing that the cleric would probably hate her for what she plans to do.

~

The two of them travel alone for maybe fifteen minutes before Kallixenia decides that it's an appropriate time to ask for something frivolous and comforting.

"Would you like to ride with me, Princess?" She asks, scooting back a little in her saddle and holding out her hand.

"Oh! Gladly, hang on-"

Lunaeris takes her hand and joins her on her horse, leaning back into her chest and giving a short whistle to make sure her own steed follows. Kallixenia wraps one arm around the Princess' midsection, holding her close.

"We're going to be fine, love." Lunaeris murmurs softly. "I can handle my father, and if changing your oath will bring the gods' wrath down upon you then, well, don't do it."

"You're likely right." Kallixenia replies.

"I often am."

"Mm."

She lowers her face to the top of Lunaeris' head and places a gentle kiss upon it, holding her a bit tighter.

"Even if it all goes well, I'll still miss my princess." She says, and Lunaeris sighs.

"Gods, I'll miss you too. Need to enjoy being held like this while I can, who knows how I'll sleep without it after all this time."

"Without your head buried in my tits, Princess?" Kallixenia asks with a soft smirk as she kisses her again.

"Without your deafening heartbeat ringing through my skull, oaf." Lunaeris grumbles, ears reddening. "It's comforting, it's like falling asleep in a thunderstorm that loves me."

"O-Oh. Well, that's, I-I also find you comforting. I'll try not to-"

"By order of the crown, HALT!"

Lunaeris lets out a combination of pathetic whine and annoyed huff.

"Already?" She grumbles, as Kallixenia shoots bolt upright and lets go of her. "You cannot be serious. Does he have people watching the borders for us?"

A scouting party emerges from the trees, bows-

"I'm certain you aren't aiming those at your princesses." Lunaeris says with a glare.

-nervously un-nocked and pointed at the ground. The leader of the bunch comes forward and takes a knee.

"Princess Lunaeris. Princess Kallixenia." He says, and Kallixenia feels a little embarrassed because she still really doesn't see herself as a princess. Lunaeris just grumpily takes her arm and places it back around her, not wanting to part just yet.

"Speak." She says haughtily, fully taking on her role.

The man swallows hesitantly, and then says: "We've orders to escort you both to the castle, princesses. Direct from the King himself."

Lunaeris reacts to that with an upturned nose and a loud 'hmpf!'

"If, if you'll allow us-"

"I will not." She says, and the guards look between themselves, lost.

"Lunaeris." Kallixenia says softly, taking her cue to be the ~voice of reason~. "You have to go see your father eventually."

"I didn't think we'd be caught so quickly." Lunaeris whines, now sincere. "I don't want to see him."

"I know, beloved."

She hems and haws and grumbles and kicks her feet and eventually says: "Fine."

The guards visibly relax.

"Right. Excellent, Your Highnesses. If the two of you-"

"No." Lunaeris interrupts, arms crossed.

"…Pardon?"

"I will return with you to the castle. Princess Kallixenia has important business with her holy order, she will be returning to her home unbothered by any further patrols. Are we clear?"

"I- Princess, the King requested you both-"

"Are we clear?"

Kallixenia clears her throat gently. "I give you my word as both a paladin and your princess, once my business is finished I will make straight for the castle."

"…Right, of course, Princess." The guard says, nodding. "Give us just a moment to bring our horses around, we'll be on our way."

Hm. Kallixenia has never given anyone her word as a princess before. Definitely feels strange.

They travel together up to another crossroads, where their escort insists they must part so that Lunaeris can take the most direct route to the castle.

"Ugh, fine, okay." She huffs, turning around to face Kallixenia. "I'll message you at least once a day. Try not to worry too much about… well, you know. And please don't worry for me, I can handle myself."

"That's rather evident, yes." Kallixenia hums, lifting the Princess' chin and drawing her into a kiss. The guard patrol awkwardly looks elsewhere, all pretending to investigate nothing in particular. "I love you. See you as soon as I can, Princess."

"I love you, and you'd better." Lunaeris grumbles, reluctantly returning to her own steed.

"Oh, wait-" Kallixenia says, and Lunaeris pauses. "It's- The weather's getting colder, and I don't know how much longer you'll be on the- Here."

She unclasps her cloak and holds it out to Lunaeris, who takes it and looks at it blankly.

"…Kallie, I breathe fire."

Hells.

"R-Right, um, well, never mind then-" Kallixenia stammers, and Lunaeris shakes her head and holds the cloak close to her chest when she tries to take it back.

"No! I, I still want it. Thank you." She says, ears twitching. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

"Right. See you soon." Kallixenia says, red-faced.

Lunaeris sets off with her guards, and Kallixenia waits at the crossroads for her to leave her sight. She takes a deep breath and steadies herself, then continues on her own way.

Time to go get excommunicated.

[r0-boat]

Au idea

Minecraft Warden submas

I never get tired of turning the twins into weird monster creatures

Thank you @yanban-san for always enabling me and helping me with this

Yanban and I played Minecraft where I got this beautiful idea, naturally we went ape shit

you start in a village you are a seasoned Adventurer with your guild although one day your guild never returned back from their last adventure when they were exploring the mysterious ruins Underground.

your goal was to either find them or their lifeless bodies and what killed them.

with little in your knapsack you said off. Scaling further and further down into the cave.

until you reach something twinkling like stars in the night sky.

No matter how many lights you light down here the darkness never quells.

It seemed to be an old ruins with winding twists and turns the rested iron train tracks broken and rusted. You doubt they're even usable enough to salvage.

It was quiet empty, not even the shriek of a bat can be heard.... This....is abnormal, so you stay cautious .

Maybe you accidentally trip over weird looking Wiggly vines and hear a deafening shriek... or maybe they're already here. The fact is that you're not alone.

You're only here for 20 minutes maybe opening chests and Scavenging for any loot or old relics, that's when you hear it.

"Over here!"

the echoing voice of one of your conrades.

" where are you?"

another one?!

"Cole!" you call back "Mike!"

you call again traveling through disappearing into the dark,

you hear a weird noise annoys you couldn't place your finger on but immediately disregarding when you hear the voice call back.

" stay right there we'll come to you!"

You obediently listen, these are your seniors after all. Or were...

you crouch and wait for them taking cover behind a broken ruined pillar.

the more they called to you the more you questioned...

you hear their voice many voices and fact... But you only hear the footsteps of two...

Your very soul practically froze when you saw it... You could just barely make it out, it was too dark to see anything, those lifeless "eyes" glowing like flashlights, from the looks of it, it couldn't be more than 10 ft tall, it seem to be blind looking in the direction of your voice but not looking at you. It's pulsating mass in the middle beating, like a heart but you can hear it, hear it whisper, breathe... Like a soul. that was all you could see, other than the triangle-looking mouth carved in its face. it wore a constant-looking frown, as it dragged its body closer to your location your breath quietly trembling as its footsteps Echo louder and louder. It's heart glowed a ghostly purple light, it was harder to see it's body almost appearing pitch black perfectly camouflaging into the dark.

you try to regain any sense of Courage you have trying hard not to think about the ways this monster could rip you in half. You crouched and quietly sneak away from the Beast. you almost gasp when you see another one coming your hands holding your mouth as you shake with fear.

Another one...

You can only barely see it but the monster looked like it was smiling as if it enjoyed tearing its prey limb from limb enjoying its soul or flush or brain or whatever this thing eats. It's "eyes" glowing silver just like the other one.

It's heart beating glowing a dim yellow as it walks by. Easier to see it's body getting slightly lighter maybe a lighter blue than the other one.

You try to hold yourself against the wall your nails scratching against some more weird soft sparkly stuff. You couldn't help but let out an audible gasp, the cold wet feeling taking you by surprise,

a whimpering cry

That was all it took for the monsters to turn their heads.

You Hear Voices again but this time you know exactly where they were coming from. The voices of your team members blending together in a voice you don't even recognize anymore.

"cute..."

" Sounds Verrry soft"

The Smiling Beast rolled it's R's as if it was rattling clicking as if it was rebooting itself.

Close close close! they were getting too close!

From the little incident you had earlier you figured out that these beasts were sensitive to sound. Quietly rummaging through your knapsack all you could find was a random potion. as they stocked closer you had no time you turned as much as you could and chucked it. Just enough for it to reach over their shoulders the glass crushing in a distance behind them.

Their "eyes" widen picking up something from the weird horn like sideburn things on their face as it just barely lights up you could only see their full face for a Split Second before they both turn into the direction of the bottle walking in that direction.

You were safe but for how long? you tryed to look out and see where you came up from to no avail it was too dark to see.

(Thank you @yanban-san for Writing this part of the post)

It was after you tripped.

Thudding hard against the stone floor of the halls, foot kicking the metal rails, echoing loudly and harshly-

The blue-lit thing turned the corner, thudding against the wall as it collided. You'd already rolled out of the way, desperate to claw yourself out of the trench and back onto the side rails of the tunnel. Not seconds later it was pawing at where you'd been, breathing heavily, sniffing the air- Growling and thudding and groaning like the demon it was.

You felt a bead of sweat, trying your best to hold back the sound of your breath.

Wishing the earth would swallow you up.

"PreETty..."

It tapped at the rails. Trying to feel for vibrations?

Suddenly it stood up. It's breath became far more haggard, and it inhaled deeply-

And you clutched your ears in agony at the sound that filled the hall. Echoing and reverberating impossibly loud, the sound tearing at your head like the sharp claws lining it's hands- Your eyes and mouth clenched tightly shut as your face contorted from the *pain* of it's voice-

The screech coming from it's mouth was cacophonous and hollow- A distant chorus of hundreds of voices filling the air, with no lungs or chords to give them form- The dying screams of all who'd met their end at the maw and claws of the monster hunting you down, taken for it's own brutal purpose- Like a chorus, lead by one singular voice that had neither life nor breath behind it either- But that dominated them all nonetheless.

As quickly as it had overwhelmed your senses, it ended. You let your ears go, hearing the sounds of *it* thudding around. You opened your eyes.

And it was dark.

No, you had your flash light on you. You hadn't turned it off, you would have heard the click- The thing would have heard the click-

"Now you see as well as we do."

The voice of the thing answered.

Oh shit.

"There's only one differrrence..."

You heard it's claws scraping against the railing- Closer, closer, closer-

"We know these tracks faaar better than you."

[bogkeep]

my friend asked me what a dungeon meshi AU for my OCs would look like...... here's an iphimery X dungeon meshi concept, manga spoilers ahoy

Timian Fable is a tallman adventurer whose entire hometown was destroyed by monsters :) he's incredibly competent at adventuring and slaying monsters, so that's how he's making his living while staying with his uncle - a tinkerer and shopkeeper in a dungeon town. timian is often sent on quests by local rich playboy, Aljanah -

Aljanah is a minor tallman prince who kept getting pushed into picking some sort of Responsible Station, and decided on governing this small and unassuming dungeon town. it seemed easy enough, and there's lots of handsome adventurers to flirt with, soooooooo

Orym is a royal tallman mage who joined aljanah for the dungeon town. often responsible for actually solving problems and situations because aljanah is Not Doing That - or rather, aljanah is solving problem by batting his eyelashes at orym and asking if he couldn't pleaaaaaaaase deal with whatever's going on, darling?

Severin is a mysterious elven travelling scholar who showed up and wanted to hire some competent adventurers for an escort mission :) she can't use mana the way most elves can, you see. aljanah sends orym and timian to accompany them on... whatever he's doing. it's weird, really, severin seems clumsy and clueless - and most of all chronically unlucky - but never steers them wrong, and at times a glimpse of sharp cleverness shine through his veneer.

(orym hates being teamed up with timian at first, sick with heartache and jealousy... but slowly, and begrudgingly, he has to admit that timian's pretty good maybe after all.)

Vinta Qir is a beastkin assassin who belongs to one of those shady groups that are supposed to revive fallen adventurers, but are gaming the system by causing a lot of those murders as well. along with a fellow guild member, katinka, vinta is responsible for a lot of those murders. they don't like it, but they have nowhere else to go, and it's not like it's permanent...

vinta has never failed at assassination before - but they've never attacked timian before, either. it's an intense and even fight, but the party manages to capture vinta - with the intention of handing them in to the authorities and exposing their guild's corruption. but they've travelled pretty deep into the dungeon, and they keep running into elaborate traps and spots where vinta... helps them out? and then vinta keeps helping them out, and they start trusting vinta, especially when they're about as deep in the dungeon as anyone has ever ventured...

Omen, hiding in severin's psyche, is a highly specialized and powerful canary sent by the elven queen to investigate this dungeon, where several canary squads have gone missing without a trace.

The God Eater is the dungeon lord.......... bonus OC crossover: dungeon lord Sparrow Spellcaster, who comes to realize xe really badly needs to stop being the dungeon lord asap and try to get help from Zerd and Greygale while also trying to keep xyr demon placated and unsuspecting, and without falling deeper into the dungeon madness...

[namig42]

Part 2/7 of

The Character Arcs Each of My OCs Would Go Through If They Were Companions in BG3 (The Good Routes)

Helena

Companion Quest Title: The Mischievous Rogue

When you first encounter Helena, she comes across as a bit nervous and wary. She wields her dagger out of fear against you, though doesn't make any moves. If you calm her down, she'll lower her guard and will be willing to join your party, though she doesn't speak too much at first. As you gain approval with her, she starts to open up through snarky comments. While running around the Grove and the goblin camp, she starts sowing little bits of chaos like pickpocketing people, causing confusion by moving people's possessions around without them knowing, and stealing the chicken for chicken chase. They're small things, but she seems happier when she gets to snicker at her victim's annoyance. If you don't tell her to knock it off and maybe even indulge her problematic behavior, she'll immediately take to you and start wanting to plan more elaborate schemes, even starting to target people in your camp with dumb little goofs and gaffs.

By act 2, she starts to open up a bit more. She has terrible anxiety and bits of PTSD that show mainly in the form of nightmares. You catch her one morning after she slept terribly and she'll comment how awful she feels, giving you the opportunity to learn just what kinds of nightmares or things happened to cause her to be so fearful. She tells you, then ends with the fact that people have only ever hurt her, so she's always stuck it out alone. This is the first time she's ever had someone she could count on, and it was nice. After this confession, you can also ask her why she enjoys causing commotion so much. If you do, she'll tell you that she doesn't really know. When she was small, it seemed better to be alone causing mischief than to be alone while being good and doing what everyone wanted. Her pranks and whatnot were how she justified the distance between her and everyone else, so that she felt like she didn't need others. Plus, it got her attention of people like the head of the orphanage she grew up in. That was the closest person she ever had to family, and even then, she barely remembers their face.

Act 3 in the city is where Helena thrives. Though she has many terrible memories, there's so many things she loves about Baldur's Gate. How easy it was to sow chaos in the streets, the sounds of all the people, the lights that shined through all the windows and lanterns at night that lit the city like stars... It's her home. She's excited to return back to the small apartment she has on the outskirts of the Lower City and share with you all the things she's collected over the years. When you arrive though, she is furious to find that it was taken over by Nine Fingers and her crew while she was away. Helena's home is everything to her. It's where she's stored all her treasures and collectibles over the years, and she wants it back. Outside of her possessions, she doesn't really know who she is or what she can offer others, especially this new group she's found herself caring for so much. She wanted to share her things and feel like she had something to offer you all, because obviously she couldn't be enough as she is. You have to fight off multiple Guild members to take back her home, and after fighting off waves of mercenaries, Helena enters her apartment to see that everything is gone. The Guild pawned off all of her loot while she was away, and Helena weeps. Those were her things, her memories, her life, and now it's all gone. After a day of grief, Helena decides that perhaps it's time to find new treasures and create new memories, maybe this time with the new friends she's made during her adventures. After being shown kindness and acceptance, even with her many faults, she can begin to learn to find more worth in herself rather than solely in the things she collects and steals from others.

[studentinpursuitofclouds]

Could you do townies reactions to a non-human farmer? I imagine my farmer with mouse ears and a tail! Thank you!!!

Sure thing :D

Since you picture your Farmer with mouse ears and a tail, the Farmer will be like that in the stories. Thank you for asking! 🫰 Enjoy!

SDV townies react to a non-human Farmer:

"So that gnawed through bag of grain and seed was your doing, Farmer?" Well done Pierre, very considerate of you. What makes him think that even if Farmer has rodent-like body parts, they should behave like a rodent? Pierre decided to quickly fix the not-too-successful dialogue with his client for the better, offering the offended Farmer to purchase delicious cheese with a 45% discount, because they must be very fond of cheese! *judgmental look* What, he screwed up again?

Strange, Haley could have sworn something had changed in Farmer. Tell her the truth? What are they talking about? Oh? Hee-hee, why were they wearing those funny furry mouse ears? They're kinda cute, Haley's already reaching out to touch them and recognize the quality of the fabric and- Yeeeeeeeee! They move!?

Emily knows the feeling: only yesterday she felt like a fragile butterfly flitting from one flower to another in a flurry of dance. Today she feels like a free bird, spreading the wind with her feather wings! Ah, she can tell the Farmer a lot about- What? Not just a feeling? Are they real? That tail.... Oh. She doesn't know what to say. Maybe they could come over for tea and talk about it.

The Farmer can trust Marlon with their secrets without fear - the old one-eyed adventurer won't tell anyone about their inhuman origins if they want to keep it a secret. Furthermore, if the Farmer is persecuted because of their non-human origins, he will give them refuge in his Guild (only if the Farmer hasn't done something illegal or immoral).

Hold on... Caroline needs to check her herbal tea. Hmm, no, it's fine, nothing toxic in it. So Farmer's mouse ears aren't a figment of her imagination? Interesting. She's not really surprised (which surprised Farmer themself). The thing is, Caroline has dealt with something unusual before when she was younger. Well, to be more precise - with someone unusual, but she decided not to go into details, or else there would be too uncomfortable questions. She treats the Farmer's secret with respect, and they treat hers with respect. Wouldn't you agree? Excellent! More tea?

Gil will also keep their secret, and give moral support to their young Guild member. If the Farmer is comfortable, then maybe they will tell Gil about their non-human and not-so-ordinary life. Gil would be interesting to hear, he'd just about pour brandy (or tea if Farmer don't like alcohol) for everyone.

Young man/lady, why are you wearing those silly mouse ears? The Fall festivities are still a while away, so what's the point of this masquerade? What? Speak up, George can't hear you. Are they real? Yeah yeah, and the tail too, he bet, you can't fool him. He may be old, but he's not stupid enough to believe this nonsense.

When Rasmodius looked into the future, he saw vaguely that the new Farmer would be an unusual person, but even he had no idea they would be so unusual. Well, he would react to it calmly (the wizard had seen a lot in his life), even suggesting a special magical ointment if they wanted to hide their non-human origins from unwanted attention.

Haha, good one. Wait, they're not joking...? Wow, interesting. Looks like the Valley holds more secrets than Leah could have imagined. But... What does that change? So, a little non-human, so what? They're kind enough to her and the other people of the Valley, so Leah will accept them warmly and without prejudice.

Heh, what a weirdo. Spirits Eve is a whole season away and they're already wearing a costume. Alex can't figure out why they're wearing those mouse ears. Wait, did they twitch? And the tail, too? !?!?!??! What?

Being an outcast is nothing new for Linus at all. He knows that those who are different from the many are usually subject to ridicule and bullying. Fortunately, Stardew Valley is inhabited by people who are kind and patient enough. And Linus wants Farmer not to feel like an outcast because they are different from humans either. Let Linus repay you for the kindness you showed them at the very beginning of your arrival at the farm.

*Gasp*! Jodi dropped the plate and it shattered. Yoba, how is that possible? Wait, surely it's not a contagious disease or mutation? If they have limbs like a rat, they don't transmit diseases like rats, right?! She's terrified of rats and mice! Was that rather rude of her? Forgive her, Farmer. But they can't just go to her house and tell her that they're- half mouse? Or half rat? Or... She still doesn't get it.

And when Kent came out of the bedroom at the sound of a broken plate to see if his wife and Farmer were all right, he saw Farmer in their real guise. Kent's reaction was just 🗿 You shouldn't expect anything else from him. He'll stand there with 🗿 face and look at the guest, and then with the same 🗿 face he'll go get a broom and dustpan to pick up the plate shards from the floor.

Willy learned of Farmer's secret by accident when he was returning late from the Saloon and caught Farmer on the sandy shore as they were engaged in night fishing. It would not have surprised the old fisherman..... Except that the Farmer was fishing with their tail instead of his rod, and quite skillfully, aye aye! Willi immediately assured the Farmer, who was frightened at the sight of him, that he would not give away their secret. He also wondered if fish really bite better on their tails.

Abigail, in addition to delight and surprise, will also find reason to tease Farmer a bit. Just a little. She won't mock Farmer, of course, but she will often blow into Farmer's mouse ears to annoy them a little, especially since the ears twitch so amusingly from the ticklish sensation. Alright, alright, don't look at her so grumpy, she'll be a goody-goody :3

"....Are you one of those weirdos on TV who claim to be dogs/cats/any other animal?" Pam always watches that show over a bottle of beer and laughs at the absurdity of people. Hey, what are they looking at her like that? Yeah yeah yeah, they're not lying of course. They even can get a number and sign up for their show, might become a new TV star.

Uhhhh.... Yeah, sure, that's great! Penny is so happy for them! Oh no Penny seems to have forgotten to turn off the iron, the stove, the faucet, whatever, she has to go now, bye! (Oh Yoba oh Yoba oh Yoba... Either the Farmer's crazy or Penny's crazy.)

"Holy shit" was all Sebastian said, dropping cigar from his mouth as Farmer revealed their true colors to him. Farmer might think that Sebby felt disgusted with them, but he actually thought it was the coolest thing in the world. Sebastian will keep their secret and not show any negative emotion (inside he squeals like a girl "oh Yoba this is so cool" but he won't show that emotion either. Sebby is pretty reserved on emotions).

Wow, what a miracle... Gus has seen and heard all sorts of things, but this is the first time he's ever seen anything like this. Still, it doesn't change anything, and his Saloon's door to the Farmer is always open. He can also understand that sometimes constant secrecy can bring a lot of stress, so Gus will make them their favorite meal on the house. If they can't make it to the Saloon, he'll deliver the meal directly to their home. Human or not, no one should be hungry and sad.

Oh, my goodness! They have whiskers and mouse ears! And they're real! Marnie got a little scared. Oh, no, no, no, she didn't mean to hurt them, please forgive her! They're not scary, she was just more surprised. *Sigh* Now she feels bad. Maybe a treat of tasty cheese will make up for it? No, she's not teasing them, the cheese actually turned out delicious.

To say that Harvey was at a loss for words when Farmer was x-rayed is an understatement. The doctor was in complete shock. At first he was a little annoyed and didn't understand why Farmer didn't want to take those toy ears off their head. But when the x-rays and tests showed that it was all their body parts..... Okay, he'd have to look up in medical books if there was such a phenomenon at all to at least understand what he was dealing with. Hold on, not a human? Okay, now he doesn't need books, he needs wine. A very... strong... wine.

What? How? A change in the body? A mutation? Animal ears and tail?! They need to get him to a lab right away, Demetrius needs to take tests and x-rays! It's a real phenomenon. He can't believe it. He.... Oh, sorry Farmer, he shouldn't have overreacted and embarrassed Farmer so much. Apologize for that.

"Dad..." Maru knows that her dad can overreact if he gets too passionate about something, so her mom or herself needs to remind her dad about respecting personal space. And though Maru herself is very interested in Farmer's singularity, she's more worried about their health. It doesn't negatively affect their lives in any way, right? If Farmer feels unwell, let them turn to her or Dr. Harvey.

"What's happened? Don't tell me you almost burned down the lab again-" Robin hadn't really woken up yet (especially after a night at the Saloon with her husband), just yawned tiredly.... and looked first at the Farmer with the mouse ears for half a minute. Then she looked at Demetrius and Maru. After that she decided to turn 180 degrees and walked back to the bedroom. Well, she won't be ordering that new Gus cocktail again.....

"What do you call cheese that isn't yours? Nacho Cheese! Oh, how about this one: What did the teenage cheese yell at its parents? Leave me provolone! Hah! And another one-" even Farmer in their hidden thoughts couldn't imagine that after telling Sam about their real self, the young musician would start telling dad jokes instead of, you know, being frightened or surprised. Sammy, dear, you're too young for that. On the other hand, Farmer is glad Sam hasn't changed his mind about them. "What kind of music does cheese like?" Oh, gods...

Shane spent literally two minutes looking at the mouse-eared Farmer and replaying in his head Farmer's admission that they weren't quite human. Then Shane looked at his can of beer. It's full, which means he's still sober. He looked at Farmer again. Then at the can of beer. And again at the Farmer. And again at the beer. "Fuck..." He wasn't going to have a good day off today.

"My dear, I've known about this for a long time" "What?..." As it turned out, Evelyn was very close friends with Grandpa - so close, in fact, that he had told her about his family unusual origins, knowing that Evelyn would keep it a secret. And it makes no difference whether Grandpa is human or not. They were the kindest person and a wonderful friend. And his grandchild is just as kind and wonderful ❤️ Oh dear, Farmer, why are you crying?

Lewis only shook his head at that. In the Farmer's family, it seems to be some kind of strange joke that has been passed down from generation to generation. First their Grandpa also claimed to be non-human, and now the Farmer. Heh, hilarious, made the old major laugh. You're so much like him, Farmer, and the jokes are the same. Lewis warmly remembers his youth and his friendship with Farmer's Grandpa...

When the Farmer decided to tell the secret to the children of Stardew Valley, Vincent was the first to bombard the poor Farmer with a bunch of questions. He believed that the Farmer is like a superhero who could hear better, or they could smell better. Oh oh oh! And they can talk to animals, mice particular? Because if yes, then wow!!!

Leo also decided, along with Vincent, to question the Farmer about their unusual origins. It turns out that they are as strange as Leo himself. That is probably why they so quickly found a common language on the island. You could say two birds of the same feather. So you can really talk to mice like Vincent claims?!

Despite her great curiosity, no less than that of her friends, Jas refrained from asking many questions, realizing that perhaps telling this secret was not easy for the Farmer. And the fact that they had to hide their non-human origins upset Jas a little. Oh! Maybe she and Vincent and Leo will also wear toy mouse ears and claim that they all and Farmer have organized a secret club? Then the Farmer can walk around in peace without fear! (The Farmer laughed off the idea, but decided to give it a try. Surprisingly enough, it worked).

"Yeah, so?" Clint can safely compete with Kent for the best reaction to Farmer with their story about their non-human origins. Just pure 🗿. And it's unclear if Clint is either tired of all this shit with blacksmith that he doesn't show a single emotion, or if he's seen weirder people.

Yoba! Unbelievable! So his dear friend isn't human? That is so amazing! Wait, wait, wait, Elliott is interested in hearing about their lives as non-humans. No, wait, he has to put it down on paper. It'll be like their biography (he'll hide their real name if Farmer wants to). What? What do you mean he wasn't surprised? He was very much surprised, all emotional right now! Disgusted? Absolutely not, nonsense! Elliott generally thinks their mouse ears are quite cute. *Ahem* Well, let's not get distracted, he's already got the paper and ink pen. The story begins...

"Fascinating. It's either a race unknown to mankind or magic", Gunther scratched his chin for a long time, lost in thought. In any case, the door to the library are always open for Farmer, maybe they would find useful information about their unusual case. Or they come to him for a cup of hot coffee, maybe they'll talk about the various civilisations whose artifacts have survived to this day.

"Discounts at JoJa Mart for cheese and seeds! Seeds are discounted by as much as 50% off! You can buy enough to both plant on the farm and nibble on the seeds yourself. You love them as a mouse or something, don't you? Then buy from Joja before they sell out!", and it seemed to the Farmer that no one could outdo Pierre in his tactlessness. They were wrong. First place went to Morris. Well done. The fuck is wrong with these two...

[swimming-n-fanfication]

No beta, we die like men.

-Author ♡

Edited  ══════⊹⊱≼1st pov≽⊰⊹══════

"That day felt like it took forever."

Olivia just stared at me, it was probably because she did most of the packing. Not to mention, making sure I had the essentials packed. And making sure that the right labels were on the right boxes.

But like, I did most of the....    Actually Olivia did most of everything.But she did insist on doing all the work. So it's kinda her fault.

"Y/n, did you forget you're running late." Olivia said clearly disappointed. Well  I was suppose be out of here in the morning. But it's just noon. "No, I'm fashionably late." I said with a cheeky smile. "Plus the dudes from the guild haven't arrived yet." Olivia flipped her line of sight to front doors of dormitory. "All of a sudden, I wish they would hurry up." She mumbled with a sighing face. "Wha, wait what did you say?" As soon as I said that a knock was heard.

We abruptly end our conversation and focus all of our attention to the doors. Olivia walks over to the doors on opens one. "Uh, I'm guessing you're the guys from the guild." Olivia seemed to be worried, I'm guessing the worry is for me. "Yea, you're the niece right?" Olivia still a little shaken up says,"Yea, I'm the niece". The guy talking looks behind Olivia and at me. "So, she's the one moving." Olivia nodded slowly. "So where are the boxes".  I signaled them to follow me upstairs to our dorm.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"Olivia, they're almost done!!!  OLIVA, I'm going to miss you!!" I say in a sarcastic voice. "Now you're just making fun of me." I give her a fake puzzled look. "How so?" Suddenly Olivia just burst out laughing. "Haha, you've been waiting to use that, didn't you." I scoffed, "Maybe." 

"Young ladies, we're done moving the boxes." Couldn't have you guys move the boxes slower. "We're going to get going soon, so you should get to saying your goodbyes."

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"Ahm, OLIVIA-"

"Don't even."

"Don't what?"

"You- whatever."

"I am going to miss you."

"I know, you can't even live without me."

"As if."

"Wanna make that bet?"

"Oh, hell yea!!"

"Hurry up young lady, we have to get going soon."

"Just wait a little longer!!" 

"I bet, you'll be screaming at my feet in 3 months. If I win you have to pay for my meals for a month"

"Bet, if I win you have to suck up to me for a month"

"Deal"

"Deal"

"Young lady, we're going!!"

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

(So it goes

Y/n

Olivia

Y/n

Olivia 

Y/n

Olivia

Y/n

Olivia

Y/n

(One of the guild dudes)

Y/n

Olivia

Y/n

Olivia

Y/n

(One of the guild dudes) )

=======

I wave goodbye to Olivia, as I follow one of the guild guys outside to the cart thingy. That will be my transport for the time being. To be honest I was absolutely terrified, by this place the people I will soon meet.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

The cart stops in front of building, no a shop looking thingy. I really don't know what that thing is. I get off the cart. I go up to the lady behind the stand. "Why hello, you're Y/n right." I nod. "The other members of your adventuring party are just over there." She points over to a stand selling food.

I nervously walk over to the four people in front of the food stand. "Umm, hello. I'm the new member" A boy with gray hair turns around to shake my hand. "Razor" I'm little confused a small pause forms. "Oh, I'm Y/n." During the second pause I used this time to scan this man, he seems to be a young adult like me. He also has bright red like ruby bright eyes. "Y/n a pretty name". Confused with his lack of grammar, I soon respond, "Thank you." 

Another dude turns around. "Oh hello. I'm Bennett." This dude had cuts and bruises, bandages everywhere. "I'm Y/n." Razor moves me slightly farther away from Bennett. "Y/n, Bennett bad luck." I let out a small 'huh' in confusion. "Razor means that bad luck follows me around." I look back at Razor who nods and then back at Bennett. "Oh."

Bennet puts a hand on his neck, "Well, It's been like that for like forever." Another boy with white hair like Bennett turns around. "Oh, Xiangling. The new member is here". The girl next to him changes her focus on the food to me. "Hello I'm Xiangling, this is Chongyun." 'Chongyun' seems to be in a world of his own. "Hello." His eyes move up from the popsicle his hold, to my eyes. "Hello, nice to meet you, Y/n. Would you like something to eat I'll pay for it." I shake my head 'no'. "I'll buy myself food, it's fine." Chongyun shakes his head 'no'. "I insist, on paying you are new after all."

After arguing back and forth, I let Chongyun buy me food. I have been defeated. 

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"So Y/n we're planing on going to Avidya Forest, then back to Sumeru City. Are you okay with this?" Asked by Bennett in a pathetic try to be serious. "Yea, I don't see why not." And Razor sat next to me trying to understand every word. "Y/n, what is Avidya?" I turn my head over to Razor, "Avidya is the name of a forest in Sumeru."  Razor just nods.

"Razor, I don't know why. But I feel like you eat something semi-raw meat". Razor eyes open-wide, confused. "Semi?" I give him an unsure smile, "Well, semi means half or a little more or less than half." Razor lets out a 'oh'. "Razor eats raw meat."Back to the awkwardness, that has plagued all of my interactions with these people. Razor seems to be the most genuine. "Oh, I just remembered. Why did the lady at the guild stand thingy know me?" Chonyun answers my question, "We told her that we were expecting you, and to watch out for you."

Xiangling came back from getting us food. One of the plates had a huge piece of meet on it. She handed that to Razor of course. And then gave the other plates to me, Bennett, and Chongyun who was just behind her.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈

"Razor full" was said after sitting there for like 25 minutes after everyone other than Razor finished. I can hear Bennett chuckle at this. "We should stay at an inn for the night then start the traveling." Chongyun said. A collage for yeas, sures and nods for an answer.

————————————————————————

I going add Razor to the introduction. Should I add a ending banner?

1059 Words

[starlightcleric]

On Tess Revised

So about a year ago I did a head dump of info on Tess, but I wasn't quite happy with her backstory (and spent some time wondering if she was even a Warrior of Light or essentially an npc). But since getting her to Endwalker I've been rotating her in my head over the last few days and have made some revisions that I'm more happy with!

Biggest change: I now ship her with G'raha.

Tess Chamomile

29 years old at the start of ARR

Parents were a pair of adventurers in Eorzea, her mother a Sharlayan from the colony and her father an orphan from Gridania.

When they died, she and her younger brother, Fred, were shipped off to Old Sharlayan to live with her mother's brother's family.

Her aunt favorited her own children over the Chamomile children, and Tess wasn't able to receive the same higher educational opportunities.

Is eventually able to get a job as a library circulation page at the Noumenon and move out on her own.

Fred becomes a gleaner.

Strikes up a romance with a bright young scholar who was inspired by the words of Louisoix to follow him to Eorzea.

Tess's relatives find this out and prevent her from going, so he goes off alone.

The best anyone can tell is he died in the Calamity but the details are hard to track down.

Tess is pressured into marrying the son of an influential forum member who (the son) is a researcher at the Studium.

Tess initially tries to make it work but grows more and more disillusioned and trapped. (He relies on her as a research assistant but never credits her contributions).

Eventually works up the nerve to ask for a divorce and is refused.

Feeling very trapped, comes up with a plan to have an affair with one of her husband's colleagues and get caught to infuriate him.

The plan works, at the expense of her reputation.

Goes "screw this, I'm out of here" and travels to Eorzea to study at the Arcanists' Guild where the plot of ARR starts.

Develops kind of a star struck crush on Cid since he's, like, Cid Garlond and he's actually supportive of her research interests and gives her credit on projects.

Except Cid is really fucking clueless and too busy being divorced with Nero to return her feelings.

Eventually around the end of the Omega raids she decides that this is not a healthy situation for her and she needs to emotionally move on.

PREVIOUSLY there was this G'raha Tia guy that she only realized was flirting with her when he kissed her right before locking himself in the Crystal Tower.

So she never really emotionally unpacked that because she assumed she wouldn't see him again.

And then Shadowbringers happens and Tess and the Exarch have to learn to relate to each other not as figureheads.

She starts developing feelings for him, but he's closed off because he's old and tired and assumes no one would feel for him in that way, and also he keeps expecting to sacrifice himself.

Then he gets put back into his 24 year old body on the Source and starts going "hey, maybe I can have a life now."

And as Endwalker starts they both like each other, know that they like each other, everyone else knows they like each other and wants them to finally get on with it.

Except then they all travel back to Old Sharlayan and Tess's past rears its head.

So she emotionally closes off while they're there.

With the distance in Garlemald start to come back together.

Before she teleports to the moon she kisses him, echoing him previously at the Crystal Tower that she would forever regret it if she didn't.

They FINALLY get together after Tess gets back from the moon (night visitation cutscene, anyone?)

And that's as far as my mental wanderings have gone since that's where Tess is in the MSQ (just before Vanispati).

If this sounds like I'm actually going to write something about Tess, I cannot promise anything XD I'm currently just rotating her in my head for my own amusement.

[nogenderbee]

♡˗ˏ✎*ೃ˚ ℕ25 𝔽𝕒𝕣𝕞 ₊˚ˑ༄

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ not a request

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ my SV phase is back so here it is- maybe I'll do other groups later too...

It's bad ik... But I tested it as chill writing so I don't really care- I liked it and not much else matters to me rn 🤭

I haven't finished further requests so far and found this in my drafts so... have this I guess?

*ੈ✩‧₊˚ headcanons

Affiliation with @virtualbookstore

✧ Kanade is kinda doing everything...

✧ tho she gets to the level 10 from farming because that's what she likes doing the most!

✧ doesn't interrupt anyone else and helps as much as she can

✧ she likes interacting with villagers and could spend entire day talking with everyone but she also wants to do some stuff so she usually ends up talking with just few

✧ she treats birthdays seriously and always tries to get the right gift

✧ she doesn't check wiki tho so sometimes she accidentally gives the bad gift... when that happens she immidietly let's out small sigh and all N25 knows what happened... so they agree to reset a day so she could try another gift

✧ her favorite is Evelyn! She doesn't care about the romantic relationships and much prefers to focus on pure friendship, so the adorably kind granny is the definitely her favorite

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @prsk-krow @modyuki @virtualpoison @miguelito-maruti-blog @hakulivesformusic @hayillaaaaaaa - come get your noodle lover!

✧ Mafuyu spends the days in caves, usually killing monsters but also mining to get on lower floors

✧ gets scolded by few other members because instead of collecting minerals for upgrades, she just kills monsters and doesn't even claim rewards from Adventure's Guild

✧ doesn't care to tell others she got on floor 100 either... or collect chests so they'd get notification... not even final reward!!!

✧ never talked with single villager except with the guy from the mine, that's all

✧ so it's easy to say, she doesn't have a favorite character... she just doesn't care

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @prsk-krow @modyuki @virtualpoison @miguelito-maruti-blog @bl4cktourmaline @nenes-numberonefan - come get your aquarium lover!

✧ Ena loves decorating and collecting anything laying around (secretly picks up stuff from trashcans too)

✧ forging level 10 SO QUICKLY

✧ she's the one decorating the main house, even if it's not hers, setting up second bed there just so she could sleep there and admire her work

✧ gets REALLY annoyed whenever someone moves any furniture or places something in the wrong place

✧ is the type to organize chests and scold everyone, doing hour long speech on what item goes in what chest color

✧ by the time everyone's on the 5th day, she finished creating her character btw

✧ but she of course still finds time for relationships! Her favorite would be Haley or Penny

✧ she usually forgets to talk with villagers daily but she does give them gifts from time to time! Usually not lower than loved or liked- all thanks to checking the wiki...

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @prsk-krow @modyuki @virtualpoison @miguelito-maruti-blog @qxmmi - come get your cheesecake lover~

✧ Mizuki would be the type who focuses on relationships!

✧ at first, they tried maximizing relationships with everyone!

✧ but with time, their most favorite of all would be Emily!

✧ they'd always make others do everything else and force sharing money just to spend it all

✧ probably never sleeping in their own bed either... they're just busy doing events and admiring, and extending relationships with each characters

✧ begs everyone to get them items for birthday gifts for everyone

✧ definitely gets divorced at least 3 times in one letsplay before either ending with Emily or one of the N25

﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌﹌

@bleachtheidiot @prsk-krow @modyuki @virtualpoison @miguelito-maruti-blog @written-by-kafka - come get your cuties lover~

[gaudebo]

Thank you for your answer about orcs! I've loved orcs since I played skyrim, and they've just always been fascinating. I've never seen them as just angry and violent or savages or anything like that. My character was an orc who grew up in an orc village that was burnt down by someone with magic powers and he lost his family. because of this he trained hard to protect himself and joined a group of people who basically housed a bunch of people and had people come to temporarily buy bodyguard/fighter services from people. these people treated him well but they still overall had some say over him and whenever someone paid for his services it was basically a contract that said he had to do anything they said (within limits !!).

the idea itself felt iffy but I wanted to make sure it was obvious that my character and all the other people are there by choice and for the most part enjoy what they do, and the only services bought are adventuring services or knowle services and stuff and everyone kinda has their own "contract" but then it begs the question of why zero would have his contract basically say he has to do what someone else says. (The whole thing is very poorly thought out and I'll probably scrap the whole buying services thing and change his story completely )

so he has a hard time sometimes letting himself make decisions, so when he meets the other character and this character is very much like "dude I bought your help but I want you to just. be you." It kinda shakes up his world. ans even when the contract 'ends' my friends character still wants him around so he stays.

his story was kinda gonna be about growing and letting himself make decisions for himself but in general I wasn't sure how that storyline would seem since I realized the racism present in orc stories and wasn't sure if I was feeding into anything with it.

I also had him fairly violent but not for no reason? like if some of his party members were threatene or hurt he'd immediately be a "fight ask questions later" kind of guy but he's not as trigger happy as my friends character anyway.

I had him very monotone, he doesn't talk much, he's not dumb but he talks in very simple sentences not because he CAN'T say more but because he doesn't WANT to and he's very serious a lot and wants to convey things simply.

I have that he meets two guys who are alre dating, ithink we added angels and demons just to fit in my characters but I'm not sure so if not he's just an elf, and they all fall in love or something but again not very thought out.

I just love orcs and I didn't realize people were still leaning into the "orcs are bad evil things that just want o kill and are dumb" thing, like I thought most people had all collectively decided "oh they're just. big guys. that are sometimes grumpy sometimes soft. theyre just. big guys that are green and have tusks and like 'orc' things more often than not"

I'm gonna give myself an emoji because I feel like I might end up talking about orcs with you a lot of that's okay lol - ✨

Hi again and welcome back! I'm glad the first answer was helpful! This will probably get very long once again so the rest is below the cut!

I would definitely say reworking the buying and selling of services thing would be a good idea! It's the sort of thing that would rub me the wrong way if I were to be reading this. I like the general idea of there being a guild (or something) that he's joined (willingly), but maybe instead of someone Buying his services people submit jobs to the group that he can choose to join? And instead of "he has to do everything they say" more like "he has to do everything he can to complete the job." That way he is still a bit stuck in the situation because if he doesn't complete the job he doesn't get paid, but without the slavery undertones.

The biggest thing for me would be keeping them on even footing! The Other Guy (OG) hired Your Character (YC) for a reason. OG needs help that YC can provide. Maybe part of their relationship development is that OG relies on YC in a way that he hasn't experienced before! Where OG needs him to make decisions bc he doesn't have the experience/physical strength/etc. to do it on his own. That changes the narrative from OG letting him make choices to YC being put into a situation where his input is necessary and valuable. Makes things a bit less White Savior-ish if you know what I mean? (Not that I know OG is white of course, just with the POC-coding of orcs it could definitely read that way from the outside!)

The concept of him ending up on a job with someone who eventually helps him Open His Heart again is not inherently a bad one! There can still be moments of heartfelt connection especially the "I just want you to be you" moment bc that sounds very sweet! It could be a moment of YC expressing doubt that he means something to OG besides Muscle or whatever he's been hired for. Or even still OG asking YC's opinion about something outside of Muscle and YC being surprised that he wants to know. It can still shake up his world! But maybe more from the standpoint of "I didn't know somebody genuinely cares for me" as opposed to "I didn't know I had free will." It could even tie into him losing his family because he thought that everyone who cared about him was Gone and he'd never experience it again. And the growth is learning how to get back in touch with his feelings and connect genuinely with other people!

The storyline you have now isn't bad tbh! It just needs some tweaks. I can tell you do love orcs and that you’re invested in your character!! I think it’s admirable that you’re so intent on steering clear of negative tropes in your story. As someone who’s been turned off from so many stories bc of fantasy racism, I appreciate the effort! I’m sure if this story is ever shared with anyone else they will too!

have fun creating!!