#more strength is the obvious choice but maybe a bit more range?

[spamatron3000]

So I miiiight have bought the Temple pack because I had a bunch of plat saved up (also I just wanted their signa and had just bought their Gemini skin, so very much a "why not, I'm already this deep" moment lol) and I'm really liking their gameplay! They're really fun!

Now if only I had the slightest idea how to figure out builds beyond "ability strength big" 'cause this frame has been out all of two seconds and no one has a build video out for them yet 😭

[poppinlovemp4]

can you explain like in words how ksoo's vocals have regressed? yeah i could just listen to his voice but i know barely anything about anything related to actual vocal technicalities so. ik nervousness affects his singing (smtown 2022 we love yew) and i'm aware of that like, jaw tensing singing style he does but tbh to me it seems like it's sometimes at least a semi conscious choice? cause he didn't do it in all those bloom cover songs and he sounded good when he didn't so 🤷‍♀️ i do hope he'd attend some vocal lessons again though but also #controversially i think it doesn't make too much sense to compare him to bh in that regard bc their singing parts in both exo and their solo work are so different and require different abilities

belatedly realised this is long so it’s under the cut!

yeah ofc! part of it is definitely a stylistic choice since he now goes for like. well the ed sheeran sound 😭 so he no longer utilises his agility which is imo his most unique strength so that’s really a shame but that aside his voice has gotten muuuuch thinner there’s a lot less support and if you listen to his early lives (i think that one rookie live performance they did of baby don’t cry is a good example or like any tell me what is love fancam lol 😭) vs his recent output it’s pretty easy to hear. not sure how to describe it but his voice used to have a very rich quality that’s just not there anymore?

he never had a particularly good range (not a bad thing range isn’t the end all be all of a good singer but there’s a reason bh was taking all the high notes from way back when) but he strains noticeably more singing the same notes as he used to. even in fancams from exo’s 2024 fanmeet you’ll hear him yelling higher notes more than he is singing them. i think as of late the highest i’ve heard him hit stably is maybe a d4 and that was on a segment with obvious heavy editing. he also has a tendency to get pitchy live which he did a bit even at his peak but he’s no longer dancing and he’s still a lot less stable…

also not sure what exactly you’re saying irt bh sorry i’m a bit slow 😭😭😭 but regardless of how much vocal prowess their chosen genres require i think they’re at the end of the day both idols who are known as Singers and don’t do much else (in fact you could argue that bh does more since he’ll integrate some choreo every now and then) so at the very least the voice should remain in good shape… ksoo’s solo work isn’t particularly ambitious and doesn’t require much skill for the most part but i don’t think that’s an excuse to give up when singing was the only thing he really had going for him as far as the technical parts of being an idol go no shade

[struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor]

https://www.tumblr.com/struggle-but-its-all-ocean-floor/742051249296474112/since-solo-era-began-my-opinions-on-btss-vocal?source=share

You're kinda right. I'm not a jk biased but i do think there's a difference in his skills vs other vl when it comes to singing Acapella. I'm a jm biased more like just jm fan, I don't bother too much with other members other than him if I'm being honest here. Jm's voice, live singing i think was great like i prefered his voice nd singing than anyone else in BTS's vl from their early years but recently more like for few yrs his singing doens't give me that which it used to give me back and it's about like Acapella only cause he sounds of course great in albums, solo songs etc. But i don't think he sounds that good live singing now comapred to in the past. I do believe jk is kinda ahead of other 3 vl members Cause he's got that skills and voice. Jm's voice recently sounds like he has strained his voice maybe because of all those yrs of him hitting high notes, you know them making him sing way beyond his range so it might have damaged his voice. The breathing was too obvious. But recently he's doing good since he's taking the vocal lessons ig. I really hope he's taking it from outside of hybe, who actually knows what he needs to work on.

But apart from that i think everything else they go wayy good than other groups, but i do think some of other vocalist of some of other groups can do better.

I think with Jimin, the way he sings now is different. Like, before he used less falsetto - his voice sounded grittier and deeper - and he didn't add all of those vocal cries and use vocal fry. These are stylistic choices that honestly make his voice perfect for records - especially when it's smoothed out in the studio - but kind of weird on its own, because it doesn't sound "normal". It's like seeing someone wear an outlandish runway outfit irl - it might look fashionable and artsy in the runway, but weird and ugly in the streets. Jimin's voice works best with a instrumental backing him up. He also lacks confidence acapella or on his own without a loud instrumental. Beyond that, I think Jimin, from a technical pov that I won't pretend to know much about, has a few weak spots. Like, he always sounds a bit off when he's humming, but it may be that his singing style just makes it sound different. I also think the members have always relied on Jungkook for technically challenging parts, or for stuff like adlibs, runs, harmonies, so they aren't as practiced.

A lot of groups have one or two good vocalists and a lot of so so vocalists who are definitely worse than V or Jin - who aren't so-so vocalists imo. The thing is that Hybe doesn't often know how to play to their strengths and can even make them sound worse in the studio than live (I'm thinking of Jungkook's For Youth bridge, for one). Imo other labels give weak vocalists easier notes and know how to mix their vocals better. It's like Hybe doesn't know how to. They blend Jungkook's voice with V's a lot in harder parts - to the point where you hear Jungkook more than V (YTC and Run BTS pre-chorus, Bad Decisions, etc.) - but they insist on giving the members really high songs they struggle with. BTS vocal line isn't the strongest ever, but if we're talking about active groups, I think it has to be in the top 10. Most vocals lines have more members so they have more than one good vocalist and more than one weak one. BTS vocal line is only 4 members, which people forget when comparing it to vocal lines double that. People also tend to only focus on the best singers in a vocal line, but with BTS they don't. Like, Seventeen has how many members in their vocal line? Plus, the dance line members sing more than rap. Only 4 of them are genuinely good - DK, Seungkwan, Woozi and Hoshi imo - and the other members are mediocre or weak, and don't even have unique tones. Yet they're considered a great vocal line. In numbers they have more great vocalists than BTS, but BTS have way less members who sing. Their roles are clearly defined - 3 rappers and 4 singers.

Anyway, I think the way vocal lines are compared is flawed. But I also acknowledge BTS's vocal line limitations.

Thanks for the ask!

[yeetlegay]

Why Kinn’s voice fucks me up: a silly little analysis

I’ve been obsessing over this for a solid month now but haven’t seen anybody really talk about it in depth so I’m taking it upon myself to write this meta. Dw my brand as Unhinged Shit-Stirrer in the tag remains intact. 🤙🏻

This post is kind of hard to do without audio clips (and I’m way too lazy to do all that lol) but hopefully screenshots will still give you a sense of what I’m talking about.

First things first, let’s talk about Mile’s voice. Especially next to Apo, he comes across as a lot quieter, more reserved, and even when he’s excited his voice tends to be softer, not really high per se but lighter. My guess is he’d be a tenor if he sang, mayyybe a baritone with a more limited lower range.

In real life, interviews, BTS clips, etc, his voice makes him sound gentler, more mature, more approachable, even a little shy. His voice projects kindness and gives you the sense that he’s the sort of person you’d like automatically if you met him.

It would make sense then, in his role as Kinn, if he altered his voice, spoke lower or louder, affected a different timbre and tone, all to add to his appearance as someone dangerous and maybe even violent. It’s an obvious choice to make, given not just Kinn’s personality on the page but also the world he lives in, a world dominated by men and toxic masculinity where he’s already dealing with derision and snide comments for being openly gay. It would be completely reasonable for someone like Kinn to use every tool he can to protect and enhance his image and especially his masculinity, which would include his voice.

But Kinn doesn’t do that. Mile doesn’t do that. His voice stays more or less the same in the series as it does in real life, obviously with a little more dramatic tension involved. Kinn speaks softly, calmly, even when he’s at his angriest. Sure, he can go a bit louder in certain scenes, like when he’s running from those gunmen in ep1 or when that hot assassin is beating the shit out of him with her baton (ma’am I am begging u for literally just one date, pls), but there’s always a softer undertone to his voice despite the occasional need to yell.

So how exactly does the exact same voice manage to convey two totally different personalities and general energies? How does Mile totally embody this character who’s extremely dangerous, possessive, ruthless, and often violent, with that soft, gentle voice?

Because in the context of the story, that voice tells us something about Kinn. It’s intentional on Mile’s part, an interpretation of who Kinn is and how he interacts with the world, and it immediately breaks him out of the mold of this archetype that viewers will want to instinctively place him in.

In the first episode alone, that voice tells us three things.

1) Kinn is comfortable and confident in his skin. Does he have issues? Fuck yes. But he doesn’t give a shit about trying to appear threatening or dangerous. He expects that everyone already knows this. His quiet voice in moments like that first scene with the Italian mob show that he doesn’t need to appear anything. He knows he’s in control, and he’s confident everyone else knows it too. His reputation precedes him, and he doesn’t bother with projecting power through his voice when he already sees the power as his. (Another indication of this is his clothing. His suits could present as a kind of armor, and they do in a way, but he’s just as comfortable, emits the same level of charisma, when he’s in casual clothes or even matching silk pajamas. I won’t talk more about the silk pajamas because the things I want to say would all get god’s lightning bolt on me w a quickness.)

2) He’s a strategic thinker. He’s learned to keep his outward cool in almost every situation, and moderates his voice accordingly. Even when he yells, it’s well-controlled and only to make himself heard, not to show strength or aggression. In fact, his voice tends to pitch higher when he speaks louder, maintaining that softer undertone. It shows that he’s not reactive, that he’s working to manage his emotions and think ahead while he’s talking. All of that is external though; he’s still a freak and certified gay disaster on the inside.

3) He’s not cruel. He may look like it, may even want people to think he is, but his voice gives him away. His scene with Yok in the bar is staged to threaten Porsche, to make him nervous, but the way he speaks to her, even though it’s partly for effect, is still courteous and kind. He wants Porsche to feel the threat of that interaction, but he doesn’t make anyone else feel that threat unnecessarily. Yok may understand more than she lets on about what’s happening, but there’s no sign she’s overly nervous or uncomfortable around Kinn despite that. (As an aside, the low-class mafia comment and the way he says it is hot, but it also ties back to the first point. He has no need to force artificial authority or strength or power into his voice. His confidence and charisma speak for themselves, and he’s so self-assured that the people around him don’t need any reminders of who he is or what he’s capable of.)

There are a few scenes from eps 2 and 3 that stick out in my mind too where Kinn’s voice is especially important to setting the tone for the scene.

The coffee scene:

Kinn adds a bit of bluster to his voice in this scene, inflecting more and speaking just a little louder overall than he usually does in ordinary conversation. His body language and facial movements are also interesting here, along with the blocking, with him seated and looking up at Porsche, but that’s another post lol. Essentially he’s projecting his voice more, which he doesn’t do much with Porsche, and directing it upward to meet Porsche’s eyes. It adds such a subtle vibe to the scene that I didn’t even notice it on a first watch, but after seeing it a few times it’s obvious what his voice is indicating here: he feels bad. We know (from how he talks but also just the hints we’ve gotten so far) that he’s not cruel by nature or needlessly violent. He did what he did in the previous scene to protect Porsche, but he didn’t like doing it. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it real guilt. He’s practical enough to know he made the right call and he’s not close enough to Porsche to truly care about him yet. But I really think in this scene he’s working a little too hard to meet Porsche’s eyes, to act like himself. His voice is a little louder and more...provocative isn’t the word, but something like it, to give no room in the scene for any appearance that he does feel bad for what he did. This is one instance where he does raise his voice to project an image of strength and maybe even defiance, and all so Porsche doesn’t have any reason to wonder if he regrets hurting him. Babie behavior imo but go off king

The wound tending scene:

Kinn does this really fun thing where when he’s being possessive or reasserting his dominance (jfc Kinn are u gonna pee on him next, like ffs), he softens his voice, makes it a teensy bit slower, and enunciates very clearly. When he does this, it’s to make you lean in to listen, to make you pay extra attention. It’s a power play, and it’s interesting that he uses it so often on Porsche. He wants Porsche to lean in, to pay extra attention to him, and even if he thinks it’s solely to put an employee in his place, it’s obvious to the viewer that there’s something else going on.

The pier scene:

This is pretty much the first scene where we see Kinn really let down his guard and be emotionally intimate with Porsche, even if it’s only because he’s drunk and his inhibitions are lowered, as seen earlier when he was shaking his tiddies at Porsche like it was a Lizzo concert. It’s not just that he’s looser and smiles more easily and talks more freely; it’s also that his voice is lower, which lends a sense of intimacy to the scene despite the open space around them. He’s talking to Porsche, focusing his eyes and his voice on him, rather than at him. There’s also something about his tone that feels...idk receptive, like he’s speaking to Porsche on equal footing for the first time. It makes me wonder what he’ll sound like when he’s being genuinely affectionate and loving toward Porsche, because his voice here sounds like a taster of that even though they’re nowhere near that point yet.

In general, Porsche makes Kinn’s voice do things it doesn’t usually do. Kinn is actually a little less well-modulated with Porsche, given how much he gets under his skin, and it shows. His voice has more variety in it when he talks to Porsche; he swings from a soft murmur to a more brash, loud tone in the span of a few seconds. It’s like Porsche’s chaos is rubbing off on him a little, messing with his control. He feels more human because of it, more dynamic, which I think is a good indicator of how Porsche will change him more generally as a person.

Other posts in this series:

Kinn’s voice in episode 4: basically my man is losing it

Kinn’s voice in episode 5: Kinn, respectfully, go to therapy

Kinn’s voice in episode 6: aka Kinn’s Camp Rock “this is real, this is me” era

Kinn’s voice in episode 7: heart boners everywhere

[utilitycaster]

Hi! Mechanics question here

I building a fighter (gunslinger) and am considering putting some levels into Paladin. Do you have any recommendations on feats, level distribution etc.? It's my first time making a multiclass character so any tips are appreciated. We are starting at level 5

I would not do this multiclass. Fighter/Paladin in general can be good, but the major caveat is that it should be a melee fighter. Pretty much all paladin abilities (smiting, auras, lay on hands, the vast majority of spells) require that enemies and allies be within melee range or very close, and so a gunslinger is defeating that purpose.

If you want to build a fighter/paladin, I would pick a different fighter class (champion or battlemaster are easy smart choices; rune knight or eldritch knight are a bit more stat-intensive but could be good if you're looking for a bit more of a challenge) and build a strength-based melee character instead. As for levels...that really depends on how much you want to lean into smiting and paladin spells vs. straight fighting with a little extra. There's a lot of mechanical and character considerations for this one, so while I'd go for at least 2 paladin levels (that's when the smites start) I don't know if you want to go mostly paladin or mostly fighter.

If you want to build a gunslinger fighter who has the option of doing burst damage, I would take a few levels in rogue, rather than paladin- while assassin rogue is a weak class overall, it works extremely well as a 3-level dip for ranged martial classes. A similar dip in ranger classes (specifically gloomstalker) could also work and would give you a bit of magical flavor and touch healing, if that was the motivation behind paladin.

If you want to build a gunslinger and convey some amount of religious conviction, I'd do that through RP and maybe some feats - you could take magic initiate for cleric spells, for example.

I think that covers the most likely options of what you might have been trying to achieve with fighter/paladin. For all of the above, I think I'd need to know the character motivations to really recommend feats, but gunner with gunslinger seems like an obvious choice.

[charming-charlie]

Washed Away

Title // Washed Away

Pairing // Evan Buckley x Reader

Warnings // Panic attacks sort of. This chapter is mostly clean.

Summary // Who knew hanging out with Buck and Christopher for a day would lead to a life or death situation?

Word Count // 1.5k

Prompt // Hi! Can i request a fic where you were with Buck & Christopher when the tsunami hit? They could be dating or crushing on each other. If nothing comes to mind, then it’s completely fine to ignore this request! Have a nice day!’

Author’s Note // This is Part 1 of the Washed Away series. || Part 2 || Part 3

It was a beautiful day at the pier. Crowded, yet beautiful. Carnival music was playing in every direction. The smell of funnel cakes, cotton candy, and popcorn wafted through the air. There was laughing, screaming, and merriment everywhere you looked.

You had to give Evan Buckley credit. He sure knew how to pick a good first date spot.

Okay, so maybe date was pushing it a little bit. You have known the guy for a while now, but that’s mostly because of Christopher. You are the nurse at Christopher’s school. It’s how you met Buck. When Christopher is ill, or perhaps has an incident where he needs to go home, sometimes Buck picks him up. He was, after all, one of the few people Eddie Diaz trusted around his son. Since Buck quit the LAFD and Eddie was working constantly to pick up the extra work, Christopher was often in Evan Buckley’s care.

And my goodness, what a charmer Evan Buckley turned out to be.

Buck and Christopher finished riding Shark Frenzy, a ride that reminded you of the teacups at Disney World. They met up with you at a blue picnic table, where you had cotton candy ready for the boys.

Buck took the blue one. “B for Buck, B for blue.”

Christopher took the pink one and dived right into it, giggling and enjoying himself.

“Mmm,” Christopher said with a satisfying smile. Pink floss was stuck to his fingers, but he paid no mind to it.

“Good?” Buck asked, and the little boy nodded. Buck went to snatch a piece, but Christopher pulled back with a laugh. It was kind of adorable to see.

“Where to next?” you asked as you looked around. In every direction, there were amusement park rides everywhere.

“Let’s take a break and play some games,” Buck said as he flashed you a charming smile.

The three of you cleaned up the table, with Buck tossing everything in the trash. You were on one side of Christopher and Buck was on the other, with the little boy using his crutches in between. Slowly, the three of you made your way to the arcade row on the pier. Games were lined up one right after another and Christopher pointed to a water gun shooting game.

“I want to play that,” he said, and Buck complied to his wishes.

You insisted on paying for a round or two, with Buck being out of a job and all, but the handsome ex-firefighter swatted your hand away and plopped two dollars on the table.

“Two rounds,” Buck told the person in charge.

“You are so stubborn,” you retorted as you pocketed your money.

Buck only smiled and sat down. He pulled Christopher into his lap and together, they began round one.

Christopher held the trigger and Buck controlled the aiming. The object of the game was to shoot a stream of water at a small target which will raise a platform. The first person whose platform reaches the top wins.

Together, they were invested. Honestly, you were watching from the sidelines and you thought for sure they had some kind of strategy planned out beforehand.

“I am so proud of you right now, I cannot be more proud of you. Come on, we’re so close! So close!” Buck was telling Christopher as their little platform was rising more and more with each passing second. Christopher was smiling the entire time, and when the bell rang, both boys acted like it was the greatest moment of their lives. They screamed and cheered, and celebrated their win.

“You did it! Come on, high five!” Buck said as he held his hand out.

Christopher slapped it as hard as he could, and Buck over-exaggerated the little boy’s strength and flailed backwards.

However, the sound of a siren interrupted the fun and games and Buck immediately turned. He was looking past you, over your shoulder. Slowly, he stood up, his eyes never leaving what was happening behind you. Curiosity got the better of you and you turned to see what the man was looking at.

“And we have a winner!” the man running the water gun booth said in the background, handing a giant brown teddy bear to Christopher.

But the two of you paid no mind to that as an ambulance rolled up through the crowd.

A person in some kind of dinosaur costume collapsed. Buck was inching closer to the scene, and you grabbed him by the arm to hold him in place. He looked down at your hand, which was around his bicep and his eyes traced your arm up to you.

“The paramedics got this,” you whispered to him and he nodded, looking defeated and a bit sad.

It broke your heart.

At school, when Christopher would see you, he would always go on and on about Buck and firefighting. Buck had such a passion for his job and to not have it at the moment must be soul-crushing.

“Buck!” Christopher said behind the two of you, “Buck!”

The paramedics shocked their patient with an AED and you could feel Buck exhale. He was holding his breath the entire time. You pulled him back and he turned to face you with a forced smile. While he would never admit it, he was so grateful you were there.

“Come on, you two. Let’s go sit down and take a break,” you said as you handed Christopher his crutches and abandoning the second round of the water gun game. The three of you found an empty bench at the edge of the pier and sat down. Christopher wanted to look out at the ocean, so Buck picked him up and helped him stand on the bench. Gripping the back of Christopher’s shirt tightly so that the boy doesn’t fall in, Buck sat down, and you sat next to him. There was silence for a little bit and you looked over at Buck, who seemed deep in thought.

“Ever think about what you wanna do with your life?” Buck asked, “What you want to be when you grow up?”

“Astronaut or a pirate,” Christopher answered instantly. It was like he didn’t even need to think about it.

Buck nodded in agreement. “Some good choices. Cool outfits too.”

“No wait,” Christopher said with a smile, “a firefighter.”

Of course, it made sense. His father was a firefighter and Buck used to be one. Growing up in that field and being around that environment made such an impression on Christopher.

Buck only chuckled and nodded a little to accept Christopher’s answer. He clenched his jaw, wanting to clearly move on from the topic. “What about you, Y/N? Was nursing what you always wanted to do?”

You turned to look at him, a little confused by the question. No one ever asked you that before. Everyone just assumed nursing was your passion, considering the overwhelming amount of schooling you need to become one.

“Yes,” you said with a nod, “I like helping others.”

Buck grinned and turned his head to look at you. He knew all about helping others. It was one of the many reasons the two of you relate so well with each other. Slowly, his hand was creeping off to the side, getting closer and closer to yours without trying to seem obvious. You didn’t even realize until his pinky finger was brushing the back of your hand.

“Yeah, me too.” Buck’s pinky linked through your own and you could swear that your heart fluttered as he touched you. Could it be? Did Evan Buckley have a little crush on you? Did you have a crush on Evan Buckley? Was this really happening?

He was gazing into your eyes and…wait a minute, was he leaning in? Should you lean in too? Not going to lie, you wanted to. And… there goes your head, getting closer and closer to his.

But he stopped. He looked alarmed, shocked even, and turned his head to look out at the ocean. You slumped back with a slight pout, knowing it was too good to be true. It was stupid to have a little crush on Buck.

The ex-firefighter was gripping onto Christopher’s shirt tightly as he stood up, your pinkies unlocking, and you could tell instantly that something was very wrong. You stood up too and looked at Buck.

He held onto Christopher as a crowd of people were gathering behind you, watching was well. Everyone seemed to stop in their tracks and stare at the ocean.

“What’s wrong?” you asked as you followed his line of sight out to the ocean.

But the answer was right there in front of you. The water had pulled back drastically.

“Where did all the water go?” Christopher asked, looking confused.

Panic was slowly rising inside of you as you stood next to Buck. You felt his hand slip into yours, holding your fingers tightly in a grip. You clung back onto him with your other hand wrapping around his arm tightly.

A warning siren blasted through the loudspeakers in place of the fun carnival music.

A giant wave was rolling back, taking in as much water as it could possibly carry. Your panic turned into fear as you saw the wave approach the shore. A massive tsunami was about to hit and you, along with Buck and Christopher, were trapped on the pier.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #196

Today on Fate and Phantasms we're building the last of the Three Goddesses Alliance, Ereshkigal! (It took her long enough to show up.)

Eresh is a Grave Cleric for relatively obvious reasons, as it lets her do pretty much everything she does- raise the dead, care for the dead, raise the dead properly, cause earthquakes, and start pandemics. Maybe don't do that last one right now, we're kinda busy with one already. It's a shame Soul Cage is a wizard spell, but pobody's nerfect.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: Now all of China knows you're on the naughty list.

Race and Background

Ereshkigal is part chthonic god, part human thanks to being a pseudoservant, that means Fallen Aasimar is a pretty good choice for her. You get Darkvision, Celestial Resistance to radiant and necrotic damage, Healing Hands to heal with your hands, and the Light cantrip to help the mortals with their dumb mortal eyes, using Charisma to cast it.

She's also the Three Goddess' Representative on behalf of humanity, trying to squirrel some away to prevent them from being entirely wiped out. This gives her proficiency with Intimidation and Religion, as well as an extended spell list we'll go over as it comes up. If you're wondering about the Intimidation: Yes the fandom thinks she's cute now, but you have to remember she's still a god of death. Most people aren't going to be as chill with her.

Ability Scores

Wisdom is first, Ereshkigal spent millennia honing her art alone in the underworld, so either she has a super high wisdom or an incredibly low one. But high wisdom works better for the build, so we'll go with that. Second is Charisma- some people love you, some people are terrified of you, those are both charisma. Your Dexterity is also solid, because your armor is not. Your Constitution is above average because while we don't need it for the build have you SEEN her HP stat? Your Intelligence is okay. You're not dumb, we just need other stuff more. Finally, dump Strength. You're a bit awkward with that spear, but we'll get some stuff to make it work later.

Class Levels

You're 100% Grave Cleric, so we'll just get into it. Starting off in this subclass gets you proficiency with Wisdom and Charisma saves, as well as Persuasion to show off your awkward charms and History because you're literally older than the written word. At first level you also enter the Circle of Mortality, so your healing spells automatically heal for max HP on creatures with 0 HP, and you get a suped-up version of the Spare the Dying cantrip that uses a bonus action and has a thirty foot range. You also get Eyes of the Grave, meaning you can sense undead creatures within 60' of you if they're not behind cover. It won't tell you about their identity though, so make sure you don't pick a fight with Strahd, you're still only level one. You can do this Wisdom modifier times per long rest. Starting in a spellcasting class also gets you Spells, surprise surprise, and having a Ravnica background gets you even more. Being a grave cleric gets you Bane and False Life for free, giving you easy access to curses and HP boosts early in the game. Something I want to bring up about the ravnica background before we move forward: I misread how these backgrounds work before. They add spells to your class' spell list, not your spells known. That means builds where you pick spells every level only get the opportunity to learn those spells, they don't just get all of them for free. Clerics can prepare spells from their spell list every long rest anyway so it's not a big difference here, but it is something I'll have to go back and fix for the other members of the alliance and Ishtar. Anyways, you get Illusory Script added to your spell list, not exactly something you'll probably use. For spells you can actually choose, grab Resistance for a goddess core that adds 1d4 to your next save, Thaumaturgy for when you need to get dramatic with extra magical effects, and Toll the Dead to do just that for some necrotic damage. You can also choose to prepare spells like Command to flex your authority and Protection from Evil and Good to flex on your sister.

Second level clerics can Channel Divinity once per short rest in two flavors. Turn Undead takes care of undead that fail their wisdom save, and Path to the Grave will clear out anything else. Spend your action to curse a creature, giving vulnerability to the next attack that hits it. Rules as written you can't target a mountain with this, and you definitely can't get the bonus for an Earthquake spell, but I'd allow it for the cool factor. Alternatively, you can Harness Divine Power to spend one use of Channel Divinity for an extra spell slot which is a level equal to or less than half your proficiency bonus. You can do this once per long rest, but that will grow as your Channel Divinity uses do.

Usually your third level doesn't get you much of anything as a cleric, but since you're a fallen aasimar you get a Necrotic Shroud, spending an action to get really spooky for a minute. Mechanically, this is your big ghostly form, and it'll frighten nearby creatures that fail a charisma save, and for the minute you're transformed you'll deal an extra bit of necrotic damage once per turn. You can go ghost once per long rest. You also get second level spells now, including your freebies Gentle Repose to prevent people from rising back as zombies and Ray of Enfeeblement, which weakens a creature's weapon attacks for up to a minute. They can make a constitution save to shrug it off, but not until the after the spell's already hit, so at least you'll get your money's worth. Thanks to your background you can also learn the spell Enthrall, making it harder for people to notice anyone but you. As someone who's existed in this fandom for any period of time, I can confirm Ereshkigal definitely has this ability. You can also prepare spells like Spiritual Weapon to have a spear that actually hits good and Protection from Poison for more goddess core shenanigans. Finally, make sure you pick up Silence. I'm still not entirely sure how we'll build Tiamat, but that should help shut off her immortality.

At fourth level you get your first Ability Score Improvement, which won't actually be improving your ability scores. grab the Eldritch Adept feat for the Armor of Shadows invocation so you can cast mage armor on yourself for free. You also learn how to cast Friends to make it easier to make friends and terrify your enemies.

Fifth level clerics get third level spells, including your freebies Revivify and Vampiric Touch. You're the god of the dead, so people should only really die when you want them to. Alternatively, you can Animate Dead to summon some skeletons for your own uses. You can also use Spirit Guardians to get more ghostly defenses. They'll slow down creatures of your choice in your area, and if they fail wisdom save they'll take radiant and/or necrotic damage, with it getting halved if they succeed.

At sixth level you get a second use of Channel Divinity per short rest, and a second use of Harness Divine Power per long rest. You also become a Sentinel at Death's Door, shutting down a critical hit near you as a reaction, turning it into a regular attack Wisdom Modifier times per long rest. Sure, you can bring people back later, but this is way less expensive.

Seventh level clerics get fourth level spells, like Blight and Death Ward. It is really hard for flowers to grow in the underworld. You can also use Leomund's Secret Chest thanks to your background, or you can prepare Banishment to throw Tiamat back where she came from, use Guardian of Faith for more ghosts, and leave an Aura of Purity around you to give your allies the blessings of Kur.

Eighth level clerics get another ASI, and this one will improve your ability scores. Kinda. We're grabbing another feat, but being Shadow Touched will improve your Wisdom by one point. It lets you cast Invisibility or Disguise Self once per long rest for free, or you can cast either spell as if it were a normal spell on your spell list. Now you can really make yourself look ghostly, if a bit undersized for your boss fight. Your destroy undead also bumps up to hit CR 1 creatures, but that'll blow up your skeletons as well, so be careful with it. Finally, Potent Spellcasting adds your wisdom modifier to your cleric cantrip damage. Nobody can toll the dead harder than the god of the dead.

Ninth level cleric, fifth level spells. Antilife Shell prevents anyone from getting too close to you, though it also means you can't get close to them without breaking the spell. It's almost poetic. Anyway, you also get Raise Dead, which is like revivify but with a more lenient time frame. You can also instigate your very own christmas event now with Contagion! This spell poisons a target, and at the end of each of its turns it has to make a Constitution save. After succeeding three throws, the spell ends. If it fails three throws, it gets a disease for the rest of the week. The closest thing to Sumerian Flu is probably Filth Fever, which gives disadvantage on saves, checks, and attacks that use strength, but there's all sorts of diseases you can give people. Technically this isn't a contagious disease, but talk to your DM, I'm sure you can work something out. You can also use Hallow to turn your room into a little slice of the underworld, shutting down your sister even further.

Tenth level clerics can invoke Divine Intervention with a 1 in 10 chance of getting a free favor from your god. Your god is you, technically, but it'll make more sense later. You can use this once per day, but it takes a week to recharge after it actually works. You can also cast the Light cantrip now. You could do it before, but now it's stronger.

Destroy Undead grows to hit CR 2 undead, and you can cast sixth level spells. Create Undead makes stronger undead for your army. Sadly dinosaur skeletons aren't available, so you'll just have to settle for ghouls. At higher levels you still won't get dinosaurs, but you can get ghasts, wights, and even mummies! Just be careful you don't stop recasting the spell, mummy rot can be rough. You can also summon a Heroes' Feast for more blessings from Kur, and you can take on an Otherworldly Form for another ghost transformation. This spell makes you immune to fire and poison damage as well as the poisoned condition. You can fly 40' per round, get +2 to AC, and you can attack with weapons using your wisdom twice per attack action. You're stuck with the UA version of this spell, so it takes an action, but on the plus side this just gives you an excuse to use Spiritual Weapon more.

Use this ASI to bump up your Constitution for more health. Health gets added retroactively, so you get +12 HP now instead of just +1. It's pretty nice.

Seventh level spells! Resurrection further cements your control over death with a time limit of a century, and you can also Plane Shift yourself (or an enemy) into the underworld.

Destroy Undead hits CR 3 creatures now. Not even mummies can stand up to your power!

Fifteenth level clerics get eight level spells. If silence won't keep Tiamat down, Antimagic Field should do the trick. The one problem there is it's only a 10' sphere around you, and you rely on magic way more than Tiamat does. You can also cause Earthquakes, turning a very large area into difficult terrain, disrupting concentration, knocking creatures prone, and destroying structures in the area. The one problem here is that you can't fly, so be careful where you're pointing that thing.

Yet another ASI. Use this one to finally max out your Wisdom for super strong spells and better protection from crits.

If you make it to level 17, you get the super powerful ninth level spells. Also, Destroy Undead hits CR 4 creatures, and you become a Keeper of Souls, stealing away some of a dying enemy's soul to heal an ally based on the creature's hit dice once per turn. Right though, ninth level spells. True Resurrection brings someone back even if they've been disintegrated 199 years ago. It's expensive, but you can always grab some gems from your sister if you're pressed for cash. The benefits of sharing a body.

At eighteenth level you get a third Channel Divinity and another use of Harness Divine Power. Really get those paths to the grave filled, it's kind of your thing.

Use your last ASI to grab the Tough feat for 38 HP now and another 2 next level. You have one of the highest HP stats in the game, this only makes sense.

Your capstone level is an improvement to your Divine Intervention. You know how I keep bringing up multiclassing as a con when we include cleric levels? This is why. Your divine intervention now always succeeds. Period. I mean, it makes sense. You are the god giving you power. But yeah, you get guaranteed god-level power freely given as an action. You truly have the power of god and anime on your side.

Pros and Cons

Pros:

Clerics have a good variety of spells, and you take it even further with your background. You can heal but you're not completely hosed on your own like Medea Lily, you can deal damage and still do stuff outside of combat unlike your sister, and you have utility without your build being dominated by it like Hundred Personas.

You might not be good in a one on one fight, but you don't get into those that often thanks to your skeleton army. If you just dedicate harnessing divine power to keeping them in line, you can have nine extra bodies on the field to turn the action economy in your favor.

Even when we're not talking about spells, you're still really supportive of your team. Shutting down critical hits and stabilizing your allies quickly will seriously improve the longevity of your party.

Cons:

Dabbling in so many areas of magic means you're unfocused, so you won't excel in any one. You won't heal as much as Medea, deal as much damage as Ishtar, or be a skill monkey like Hundred Personas.

You also rely on magic completely for combat, which means stepping into an anti-magic zone can be deadly. This is especially bad for you, since an anti-magic zone will probably be the best way to deal with Tiamat.

You might have an undead army, but your best spells are area of effect and you're a cleric. Destroy Undead is kind of a big deal for you.

[toadwarts]

Safe At Last

Two humans in love manage to escape from an abusive home and right into the twisted world of Mother Miranda's village. After fleeing from mutated monsters, they meet with The Duke, who offers them board and food in exchange for their work. It is their first night in his caravan, and they discover that they may have another person to add to their romance...

Fluffy and flirtatious, this is a self indulgent and simple fic about The Duke and polyamory. It is written first person, but made so you can also insert yourself into the narrative if you so please.

Read on A03 or Fanfiction! Or you can read here, below the Read More!

I stared down at my empty bowl, reveling in the warm feeling of a full stomach. The Duke’s cooking was more than high quality--it was incredible. It had been a long, long time since either I or my partner had a meal with high quality ingredients, and not something wilted, slightly green and fuzzy at the edges, or simply scraps from someone else’s meal. 

I looked over at my partner, a calm feeling unfolding in my chest. They looked right at home here in the back of The Duke’s caravan, surrounded by the wealthy man’s various wares. A content, dazed expression was fitted on their hard features, and when they met your eyes their own lit up. 

“Did you like your meal?” They asked, smiling as they nodded to my bowl. It was clearly a tease, since I had all but licked it clean. 

“I don’t know, did you?” I laughed, playfully knocking into their shoulder with my own.

“Yeah, I think I could eat this food forever!” They said, patting their stomach and leaning back on the elegant couch we were sitting on.  “Plus, it doesn’t seem like the vampires or lycans come anywhere near here.” Their gaze flitted up to the garlic hanging overhead, then back to me. “Do you feel safe here?” 

I paused. Before we had run away to find the village, my partner and I...had not had the best of lives. Trapped beneath my mother’s thumb for years into adulthood, we lived in a less than sterile and a more than hostile environment. It felt as if the trauma was as much a part of me as the bones beneath my skin. 

Then of course, the village...was not as dream-like as we had hoped. We had narrowly escaped a group of lycan like creatures before stumbling upon the Duke’s caravan. He had offered us a place to stay and some food to eat in the back of his wagon in exchange for work--seeking out wares, cleaning, and just a little bit of heavy lifting. It was our first evening here and so far… It seemed too good to be true. 

“I do feel safe.” I finally said, swallowing down the hard lump in my throat. “But that’s what scares me.” 

They leaned back, sighing heavily. “I know how you feel. It makes me wary, but...what choice do we have?” 

“He does seem nice.” I nodded in agreement. “Even if he is very interested in his stock.” 

My partner laughed, their hand encircling mine as they pulled me close. “It’ll be okay. Maybe this is what we’ve been looking for! He did say he travels...so who knows where we might end up?” 

“I don’t mind as long as it’s far, far away from there.” I whispered, suddenly choked up. I couldn’t believe we were really gone. That we were in this immaculate, clean and beautiful oversized wagon, with an immaculate, clean and...admittedly, beautiful oversized man. A kind man. We would never have to go back to that evil place ever again. 

“Never again.” They whispered, pulling me close and planting a kiss upon my forehead. “I love you, dearest.” 

“And I love you.” I returned, nuzzling into the crook between their neck and shoulder. 

The back of the caravan swung open then, letting the fading light of dusk in. “Well, well, how are we doing back here, little ones?” The Duke stood before us, leaning on an ornate cane to support his heft. He was a massive man, both in height and girth, immaculately groomed and dressed to the nines. He was the finest gentleman either of us had ever seen for sure, and we felt lucky to have been found by him. 

“We’re okay,” I said shyly, standing up. “The meal was absolutely perfect. Thank you so much!”

“Of course, of course!” The Duke smiled broadly. “I quite enjoy cooking, so if there’s anything in particular you have a craving for, just let me know. All I’ll need is assistance procuring ingredients, but that should be no trouble at all.” He heaved himself up the steps to the caravan, ducking through the doorway and coming inside. He had quite the mighty presence indeed, radiating a quiet elegance and strength despite his jovial tone and quaint attitude. 

“Is there anything you need us to do tonight?” I asked as my partner took our bowls. My feet ached terribly from running so much , and I shifted a little from side to side. Like The Duke, I was also fat, and unaccustomed to the sort of travel and fleeing we had been facing in the days prior. I yearned to sit back down, but my politeness won me over. 

“No dear, not tonight.” The Duke said. “You two just rest after everything you’ve been through. Tomorrow is an early day though, so do be prepared!” He walked over to the couch, settling down with a sigh. “I have some stock for Castle Dimitrescu, so we will be heading there.” 

“Castle Dimitrescu?” My partner said, dubious. “I heard...less than good things about that place. I’ve already dealt with enough vampire hags!” 

The Duke laughed heartily, as if my dear one had said quite the funny joke. “No need to fret! I have a truce with all of Castle Dimitrescu, as well as the other Lords you have heard about, so there is nothing to fear since you are now being employed by me. You simply have to look pretty and do a good job of peddling my wares.” He winked, leaning back. 

My partner blushed, and so did I. The Duke was also a rather straightforward man. 

I kept shifting from foot to foot, feeling uncomfortable but doing my best to not to show weakness. Before, weakness had gotten me beatings and beratings. Though The Duke seemed benevolent, I had no desire to discover if he had a dark side. 

“Are you alright, little one?” He asked, eying me up and down. “Feet hurting? After a long day, I certainly know how that feels. But you’ve had many long days, yes?” 

I grimaced. “Ah… Yes. They are, a bit.” I flushed with embarrassment. 

The Duke leaned forward. “Why not have a seat, my dear?” His face crinkled with concern. “No reason to cause further harm to yourself. Rest easy now.” 

I began to lower myself to the floor, but jumped back up when the large man’s jarring laugh rang throughout the back of the wagon. “W-What?” I said, flustered. My partner was then protectively at my side, their hand at the small of my back. 

“You don’t need to sit on the floor! While it is certainly a nice one, that will only hurt your back.” The Duke said. 

“But...there’s no where else to sit.” I looked around. Duke took up the couch we had been sitting on, and there was really nowhere else to go but the floor now, unless we went to The Duke’s bed further in the caravan. The thought made me flush. 

“You can sit right here, I don’t mind.” The Duke patted his sides. His ample belly and the arms of the couch made for a makeshift seat for sure. “And you too,” He said, pointing to my partner. “I know you, the strong type--never wanting to rest, always pushing yourself for everyone else. Come, be comfortable, and let’s chat.” 

I looked up at my partner, face red as a bushel of roses. I was delighted to see that they were too. It was rare that I saw my partner this flustered, and it made butterflies dance in my stomach. 

“Are you comfortable with that?” They asked me, squeezing my hand, a knowing look in his eyes. We had talked about this sort of thing before, but nothing had ever come to reality. 

I nodded, feeling like a storm of wasps was zooming around in my guts. The Duke really was incredibly straightforward, but it didn’t seem as if he had any ulterior motives. He just wanted to offer comfort and good company to both of us--and I guess it was obvious that both my partner and I thought he was pretty cute. 

My partner glided forward, hand still in mine. We stood before The Duke, who had a calm and knowing smile on his face. He offered his hands to each of us, which we shyly but gladly took. We climbed up on either side of him, settling down and reveling in the softness of his sides. We sat there stiffly for a moment, feeling completely out of our leagues. 

The Duke chuckled gently, his strong arms coming ‘round to encircle us. I felt myself go stiff when his hand brushed against my back, the cool metal of his rings soothing as he placed his hand there. “Is this alright?” He asked both of us coolly, looking from my partner to me. I nodded, locking eyes with my partner as he nodded too. 

My partner was long and thin, a wonderful contrast when sidled up next to the massive Duke. I was short and fat, but even I felt swallowed up by The Duke’s own plush body. He felt like the world’s comfiest...well, not human exactly, but something.

“Good, good. Last thing I want is to make my newest proteges uncomfortable.” The Duke nodded firmly before beginning to rub soft circles into my back. “Now, try to relax. The two of you deserve it. “ 

I let myself lean into The Duke, resting my head atop his pillowy chest. I relaxed into his side with a soft sigh, relinquishing myself to his soothing touch. 

“Protege?” My partner asked, their tone light. “Since when were we your proteges rather than just employees?” 

“I don’t let just anyone handle my wares!” The Duke announced with a chuckle. “I could tell there was something special about the two of you. I’ve heard of the sensation of le coup de foudre.” 

“Love at first sight.” My partner said coyly. “You don’t play around, do you?” They slid an arm over The Duke’s soft belly, reaching for my hand. Tenderly, I reached my own arm forward, taking their hand in mine in an embrace that came as easy as breathing to me. The feeling of my partner’s fingers squeezing mine atop the pillowy expanse of Duke’s midsection was heaven. 

“Oh no, not when there’s sales to be made!” The Duke laughed brightly. “And new friends to make. Perhaps more?” 

I reveled in The Duke’s scent--rich cologne intermingled with the faint touch of expensive cigar smoke. I looked into my partner’s eyes, bright as the sun itself. I let myself relax even more, cuddling up to The Duke and relinquishing myself to comfort. I was finally free, ready to face the world with the love of my life, and we had both run right into the arms of someone else with plenty of love to give. The future was surely ripe with possibilities.

Both of them smiled down at me, and I felt...safe. 

Safe at last. 

[steve0discusses]

S5 Ep 15 Pt 2: Don’t Trust Anyone Who Wears a Floor Length Robe Over Their Casuals in Yugioh

Hey, it’s my birthday, so I’m gonna release this early because the rest of today I just have to work like an adult and that’s no fun.

In the first half of this episode we dunked the worlds smallest plane into a lake and so this second half of the episode involved the kids running as far away from their only responsible adults as they could.

Which like...took whole of less than a second for them to peace out and enter mortal danger.

...I’ve never been in a jungle in India but...I have seen the Jungle book many times...and there’s like tigers and stuff in there, right? and tons of monkeys that are hella mean? And freakin snakes? They sing jazz and scat? That’s some terrifying stuff.

Like these city kids have to learn at some point to fear the woods. But they just freakin don’t. And strangely, the most dangerous thing in these woods isn’t even a snake or something, but a human man just being as suspicious as possible lying prone on the ground.

(read more under the cut)

The card cultist happens to have a British accent, because this voice acting team freakin loves to pull out their British accents. It’s not as lowbrow as Valon, but it’s not as...well whatever Bakura is supposed to be. He’s a lot more tame than Bakura’s, but still very British.

I don’t know if this is because British English tends to be taught instead of American sounding English in many parts of India, but, most likely they just wanted to do an accent. And like...he’s an archeologist...and so the stereotype is there...but honestly, the decision of making this guy British gets weirder and weirder as this episode goes on, get ready for it. None of you are ready for what I assume is the very obvious plot twist of this freakin guy.

Catfish of the century, this freakin guy, I’m pretty sure.

Yugi immediately believes this completely out of place white British stranger in the Indian backwoods next to this inaccessible lake and immediately thinks “yes, my Grandfather crash landed in India EXACTLY where I’m standing right now, and now I must save him.”

Thankfully, Yami exists to gently and politely tell Yugi to hella stop.

Also, I like that Yugi has finally stopped wearing his school outfit out of school. But, he is instead wearing a jacket that is so close to his school outfit I honestly couldn’t tell until the end of this episode. It’s like...I think one shade more purple, it has white piping, and his undershirt has a center seam. It’s nice Yugi has 3 versions of the same black sleeveless undershirt, and this show cares enough to show that tiny factoid about Yugi’s closet.

So, because Yugi is a dumbass and Pharaoh has to just sit back and watch this happen so he can say “told you so” later, they follow this random cultist they found in the woods. Much like Hansel and Gretel, we snack on cake crumbs all the way to the witches house, which in this case, is an undiscovered monolith you would have easily seen from outer space.

HMMMMMMMMMM.

And so get ready for this:

Hey guys.

Remember how Alexander the great was buried in a pyramid?

Now because they’re name dropping Alexander, that’s actually kind of helpful, because Alexander the Great’s favorite damn horse in the entire world died while he was at war with India so he named a city after it. It’s believed to be in Punjab, which is in the Northern part of India

Which means we first of all, definitely crossed the tallest mountain range in the world to get here, and also means that we are like...in some really disputed territory of India right now, and it is crazy that these kids went here for a vacation completely unsupervised.

Another fun fact about Alexander is that when he died, it took 6 days for his body to decompose. At the time, they thought it was because he was a God (or in Yugioh’s case, Extremely Cursed) but nowadays historians think it’s because it took him 6 days to fully die. He just wasn’t dead yet. Had to give it a minute and the ancient Babylonians just got way too excited.

Anyway, Alexander super died in Babylon so I don’t know what the hell he’s doing in India. There is a fun spot in History where his body did get dragged to a couple different places, meaning we probably did lose the original Alexander and there’s a lot of people just guessing at where he ended up...but putting him clear up in India sure was a choice when one of his assumed burial sites was literally Egypt, which would be a more fitting location for a Pyramid and a more fitting location for this show.

Especially since Alexander was trying to invent a new race and culture...it seems a little strange he’d be buried in such a massive pyramid, but maybe he got a really, really good pyramid deal from the funeral home when he was like 28 and just figured he’d change it before the time he died at 32.

Which...now that I’m older than 32, how crazy is it that Alexander the Great died at freakin 32? You blink twice and you’re 32. Is history seriously trying to tell me this guy wasn’t like secretly 62? That maybe he just celebrated his 20th for like 20 years in a row as a royal mandate? I just feel like history is playing pranks on me with Alexander.

Anyway, our weird shady new archeologist guy is named Alex and so take that as you will.

I sure hope Alexander the Great was revived to wear khakis and bother children. Guy conquered the world once and was one of history’s Freakin Worst so he does deserve it, but also...it would explain why he thinks it’s normal to wear a Darth Maul robe over your business casual.

Anyway, lets enter the obvious trap pyramid.

Joey just wanted a nice time running around Northern India. He just wanted to eat some yummy chaat and look at some tourist destinations and maybe glance at a Bollywood star or two. But instead he’s gotta deal with spike floors because Yugi couldn’t say no to a cultist.

Also...one of those spikes clearly went through Tea’s feet, right? And she is absolutely fine? Just checking on Tea’s godlike strength and clearly it is still godlike.

Alex gives us a very long explanation of how he went upstairs and Grandpa went downstairs, and there was a door or something so Alex turned back around and Grandpa was gone.

All of those steps were probably plot relevant and I’ll probably forget all about it in 2 episodes.

The thing is Alex...literally thinks he evaporated. Literally thinks that. But how do you disprove it to this freakin guy who like...might have named a city after his horse once and thinks that’s a normal and acceptable thing to do?

and so Joey immediately leaps onto the haunted playing floor.

the way Yugi said this line was sort of hilarious to me so I may cap it. If I remember to do it (I’ve been a little busier lately, with things opening up, as you can tell because my update schedule is in the toilet.)

So, if Joey jumps in...everyone else has to, also.

And we say good bye to Alex and enter the new forest zone, which looks a LOT like the other forest we were just in.

Nice Protoss armor.

We get some hijinks from the local wildlife, which are all cards but real (but not real because we’re in a board game...don’t think about it) and the off brand Sheikah tablets have helpful monsters in them if you touch em.

This season may have been better off as a video game, being honest.

Joey has gone somewhere else, despite going onto the same game tile, and he’s too busy on a mountain range to really help anyone out. So he’s just gonna vibe up here for a bit.

Tea got up after this point and said along the lines of “k, what’s next?” Because mortal danger does not affect her and she fears nothing.

At a beach somewhere, Tea and Tristan spend some quality time together forming a new family with whatever these creatures are.

And Tea’s love of her winged angel comes full circle and now I will suffer this winged orb for the rest of this arc, pretty sure.

Please admire the number of belts on Tea. Her outfit is like max 00′s and I appreciate that. We’ve had a lot of questionable fashion on Yugioh, but they actually dressed Tea pretty on point this arc. Like I often feel like 00′s fashion is hard to define or describe, but it’s Tea right now. That’s it. She did it, it’s right there.

Yugi gets a new flagship card for this arc, and this time it’s Celtic Guardian. Hell why? I feel like his defining card changes every single arc, and they need to like focus and just give him one. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s still Dark Magician...and maybe the show forgot?

Anyway, if you just got here, this is a link to read the rest:

https://steve0discusses.tumblr.com/tagged/yugioh/chrono

I think I forgot that link in the last recap because yo it’s kind of been a while since I’ve updated, I feel. (well I had a graveyard post and those don’t count really) But, we’re back, we’re still going, slowly but surely.

[hb-writes]

We’re Alright

Summary: For the angst prompt “I miss being in your arms.” John and Lucy Watson keep in touch by email while he’s away for the war, but when Lucy’s latest missive goes unanswered for several weeks, she begins to worry about her brother.

Characters: John Watson & Lucy Watson (Watson!sister)

Content Warning: Angst (and comfort), War, Alcoholism

--

It was so quick, email.

The short span of time that passed from inception to send to received made it so Lucy Watson could connect with her brother in mere minutes, or half a minute if she typed quickly enough, almost no time at all in the scheme of things. She should have been more grateful for it, for the connection, for the ability to reach her brother when he was so far across the globe, unable to reach him or hear him. And she was grateful, even if it always left her wanting for a bit more.

It was much faster than dealing with the standard post. In theory, John received the messages as soon as they were sent. He had hypothetical access to her words at the very moment she hit the send button. He could write back the very same day, even.

These days, Lucy rarely felt closer to her brother than when a response made it back to her within the hour, a coincidentally timed missive full of what always seemed to be a detailed, thoughtful response to almost every word she'd sent his way, John's words swallowing her up like a hug, like an arm snaked around her shoulder while he asked after her day at school, like his careful hands addressing the careless wounds as he did in her childhood or his soothing voice calming her juvenile worries, the man chiding and commending and soothing her as appropriate, the perfect blend of stern and fun and proud. It sometimes amazed her how John managed to be all of those things in a matter of seconds, achieving it all through the medium of a simple email.

It was the knowledge of that very fact that brought Lucy Watson a bit of concern.

Her latest message had been sent almost two weeks before, cast off in the middle of the night, sometime after her older sister finally passed out, after her wife had left and Harry was exhausted from the booze and the fighting, tired from yelling at her wife and younger sister when the person she really wished to yell at was herself.

Harry and Lucy Watson had reconciled in the time since, the shouting and painful words that had passed between them a willingly forgotten piece of the past, something in Lucy almost wishing she hadn't sent the email to John that night, not at that alarmingly late hour when he'd be questioning her for being awake. Part of her would have been happy now to let the moment remain in the past, to allow it to become buried, to eventually be overshadowed, forgotten by the inevitable next time arrived, the encounters cushioned by the calm they were living in now.

It was a cycle Lucy was familiar with, the times of peace and war that passed through their household, its bounds determined by Harry’s drinking and the apologies, the unfilled promises and the feelings both sisters often left buried and untouched. They were back to peace now, back to their usual indifference, but the cycle was steady, predictable. 

Lucy knew they'd go around again soon enough.

She read through the email settled in her ‘sent’ box once again, the eleventh or so pass since she’d originally sent it, her eyes skipping over the introductory small talk about school assignments and the weather to the only thing that had brought her any comfort during her brother’s digital silence, the vague picture she’d painted for them, a small memory revisited, nothing more than a casual question to test his recollection. 

‘Remember when I was little and Harry’d chase me around the garden and when I grew tired, I’d run to you to keep me safe?’ 

The inquiry had originally been followed by ‘I miss being in your arms like that,’ a sentence Lucy deleted before sending the message into the ether, feeling too sentimental and obvious by it, too exposed even though it was only John on the other end of the message, or maybe feeling that way because it was John on the other side and he’d know the question truly meant something more, was hiding something more. 

Lucy hadn’t wanted to place that concern on her brother, had only hoped he’d take the same comfort in recalling the moment that she did. Or maybe she’d wanted him to know, to pry, to make her confess it all, comforted more by the prospect of that than the memory of simpler times ever could accomplish.

In John’s silence, the comfort any of it brought her was waning. The longer she waited for a response, Lucy thought more that this was one instance of ‘no news is good news’ that brought her little satisfaction, and even beyond the silence, beyond the need of confirmation that her brother was alright...and safe...and alive, Lucy simply needed her brother. She needed him to remember the moment, to bask in the inherent and nostalgic goodness of it, and though Lucy had made it difficult for John, made it more cryptic to decipher, she did want him to simply know that things weren’t quite right at home without her having to say it. She wanted him back. 

Lucy knew she couldn’t really have that, though. She couldn’t have him or his hugs or his smiles or the dry wit or the knowing looks he’d often dole out, a gentle scold offered with just his eyes, a message of doting care given with just a twitch of his lips as he tried to temper an insistent smile. Lucy had accepted that, accepted that she had to subsist on a more meager version of her brother’s comfort. His words. Imagined expressions. Memories.

Lucy spent more nights than anyone would have believed tucked away in bed with her older sister’s laptop, re-reading the messages she and John had passed back and forth since he’d gone away, imagining her brother’s voice as her eyes scanned over the screen, imaging his laughter and scoffs, imagining him fixing her with a look which said he knew precisely what she was leaving out, that he somehow knew that there was more there, more she wasn’t telling him. 

John always knew. He was well aware that Harry wasn’t the perfect caretaker for their Lucy, knew that the girls had their rubs, knew that Harry had her struggles with the drinking, but there hadn’t been another choice, and John had always been comforted by the fact that his sister’s wife was there, a source of stability and calm for Harry, and for Lucy, too, but there were still things that troubled him. 

Lucy read over her original message another time before pulling up the message she’d started drafting to her brother days ago. It was short and overly formal for the two of them, a brief ‘I hope you’re well. Please write me when you can,’ sandwiched between a sterilized greeting and send off. 

Lucy hovered over the send button, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as she prepared herself to click, hoping beyond hope that John’s lack of reply was nothing more than a mistake, praying that his silence was due to a message gone incorrectly to the spam box or an instance of an unread email mistakenly set to read, willing herself to believe that the follow up message wouldn’t go unanswered.

Lucy’s finger continued to hover as the weary sort of silence that usually followed the woosh of a newly sent message prematurely settled within her. It was a terrible sort of vacuum that sucked everything along after it and she imagined all of her hope and wishing and patience would be sent off with the message itself, leaving her with very little left inside. She resigned herself to passing what little remained of the night, or the morning rather, with just that feeling for company, curled in her bed watching as the rising sun reached through her curtains to ease her into another day, but the chime of a new message came before she could bring herself to hit send and she moved to her inbox, pulling up the message from John, only two lines in length. 

The first chided for the time her previous email had been sent, but the second was a morsel that could feed her for a bit. It was just an overly casual ‘You can reach me here for now,’ the words accompanied by a phone number, one she recognized as originating from England, in London. 

The computer fell to the side as Lucy scrambled for her phone, fumbling with the keys as she dialed the number, her breath held as the rings continued on, a sob caught in her throat as a gruff throat clearing sounded from the other end of the line. 

“Hello?” 

“Joh—” Lucy swallowed down the lump in her throat. “John?”

John sighed at hearing his sister’s voice, the heightened pitch nearly catching, nearly breaking before she’d reached the end of his name. His sigh was heavy despite being such a small gesture, filled with exhaustion and impatience, and still yet an ounce of understanding and compassion and pity at the very same moment. 

“Lucy…”

She felt the lump in her throat thickening at hearing him say her name after so long, a few insistent tears spilling down her cheeks in the short moment of silence that engulfed them, her breath quietly hitching before John continued. 

“It’s rather late, sweethear—”

A sob broke from Lucy’s end of the phone line. How long had it been since Lucy Watson had heard that particular endearment directed her way? John hadn't even finished with the word and she'd already been pulled apart by it, years of feigned strength and composure at John's absence ripped entirely from the girl.

John sighed again, setting aside his incriminations about the hour, hoping the curtain pulled closed between him and the roommate he’d been assigned to just the morning before was enough not to disturb the man. He seemed to be snoring still, so it was either that or the sturdy painkillers he’d been prescribed keeping him asleep. 

“Alright, sweetheart,” John whispered into the phone, turning his body away from his neighbor best as he could with his limited range, shifting the borrowed laptop to safety. “It’s alright.” 

Lucy continued crying on the other end of the line, coughing over her sobs and gasping for breath, seeking more air to fuel the painful howling, her attempts at verbal response to her brother nearly incomprehensible. And the pain of hearing that, the ache of listening to his sister in such a state and not being able to do a thing to help, he could swear that was far worse than the residual pain in his knee, far worse than the gunshot itself or the surgery or the intensive physical therapy regimen he’d been enduring since. The sensation filled his entire body. He felt it in the dropping of his stomach, in the drying of his throat, in the persistent ache in his heart, but John pushed it all aside and cleared his throat firmly enough to speak over the growing lump. 

“It’s alright. Let it all out, sweetheart.” 

John lost track of how long it went on like that, with him simply listening to the sounds of his sister’s anguish, a few years of pent up frustration and grief and hurt coming out of her in waves as he listened on helplessly from his bed in the London rehab, wishing he was there to soothe a bit of her pain, but settling for uttering of a string of comforting words that Lucy latched onto like they were an embrace, clinging to it as if John was right there in her room tending to the passing of a nightmare, dulling her pain and cries until it all shifted and the sounds that came from her were no longer filled with anguish he hadn’t known her capable of holding. They both shared a bit of relief as the line grew quiet, nothing more than their cadenced breathing falling between them. 

Lucy sniffled and cleared her face. “You’re in London?”

“Yes,” he said.

“You’re home. You’re safe.”

John considered the allegations, considered the truth of her words even though there were parts of him that felt far from safe, parts of him that still felt kilometers and countries away, still in Afghanistan, still fighting, and a sound came from his mouth, the start of a shaky breath stifled almost as soon as he’d released it. 

“You’re alright,” Lucy offered. “We’re alright.”  

John cleared his throat, his grip tight on the phone receiver as he nodded to himself.

“Yeah, we are, sweetheart.”

Three or four deepened breaths passed between them then, the Watsons each staring out their respective windows at the dawning sky, the dark night slowly, but insistently turning to day. 

“Lucy?” 

“Yeah?”

“You’re alright?” 

“Better,” she mumbled. She wouldn’t be quite alright until she actually saw him, but hearing John’s voice had made her feel better and it would be enough to carry her through until she could have the real thing. “You?” 

“Better,” he confirmed, “but you should get to bed. You have school tomorrow.”

Lucy hummed as she smoothed her hand out across the quilt, reaching out to shut the laptop and set it away on the nightstand. “But I am already in bed, John.” 

John snorted, his sister’s cheek loosening a part of him that had become too stiff while he had been away, some small part of him thawing as he smiled into the receiver. 

“Better indeed,” John laughed. “Sleep well, sweetheart. Call me tomorrow.”

--

Sherlock BBC (Lucy Watson) Masterlist

500 Follower Celebration Masterlist 

[tigerkirby215]

5e Kayle, the Righteous build (League of Legends)

(Artwork by Jessica “OwleyCat” Oyhenart and Victor “3rdColossus” Maury. Made for Riot Games.)

You know I find it funny that I haven’t made a build for Kayle yet, given that I made Morgana awhile ago sort of as a spur of the moment thing. Despite the fact that I main support I really don’t play Morgana (can’t hit skill shots omegalul), but meanwhile I really like Kayle. She was one of the first champions I played along with Sona since I was told she was very similar to Terrorblade who was one of my favorite carries in DOTA 2. I dropped her for a bit after her rework but I picked her up again and she’s still super fun! I mean, shame she’s kinda trash in the meta.

Anyways it’s about time I make a build for her since Morgana was alone for so long, especially since she’s coming back along with Pentakill! Kayle’s probably the perfect character to play if you want to go Lawful Stupid, but out of respect for everyone else please don’t play her Lawful Stupid.

GOALS

On wings of fire, hope ascends - It’s the quest of all champions to eventually transcend mortals. Hopefully we’ll at least be able to fly after this.

Fire reveals truth - Kayle is also well-known for her Zealous attack speed, so we’ll need to be able to get out as much DPS as possible.

The worthy survive! - A little bit of Divine Judgement goes a long way. An explosion of flaming swords helps too.

RACE

This may come as a surprise to you but Kayle is an Aasimar. More specifically a Protector Aasimar, which is rather fitting seeing as she’s seen as The Protector in Demacia. As an Aasimar your Charisma increases by 2, but I’m going to increase your Constitution instead of the typical Wisdom increase from Protector Aasimar, for a bit more lane sustain.

You have Celestial Resistance to both your own Radiant damage and your sister’s Necrotic damage, have the Light Bearer feature for the Light cantrip, and can give yourself or an ally a Celestial Blessing thanks to Healing Hands. It only heals up to your level but it certainly helps!

You also get Darkvision and the Celestial language, and Radiant Soul at level 3 thanks to your Protector subrace, We’ll discuss that when we get to level 3.

ABILITY SCORES

15; CHARISMA - League of Legends body types, am I right? Sure you have a bit of an “evil must be purged” personality, but D&D Paladins like that a lot.

14; DEXTERITY - Something something medium armor. I would call what you wear Half Plate, which means that for once the choice of Medium Armor is accurate!

13; STRENGTH - This feels strangely familiar...

12; CONSTITUTION - Kayle is very squishy in League but I like not dying so...

10; INTELLIGENCE - You may have lived through history but most of that time was spent up in the stars. Basically we need everything else more.

8; WISDOM - Yeah I didn’t increase Wisdom with your racial increase because I was planning to dump it. Kayle’s fatal flaw is that she’s blinded by her sense of justice, which is a sign of poor Wisdom and critical decision making.

BACKGROUND

There isn’t a great background for “Half of the Aspect of Justice” but Celebrity Adventurer’s Scion works fairly well. You get proficiency with Perception as well as Performance (you were in Pentakill, after all!), a Disguise Kit (but I’d maybe replace that with something else or ditch it entirely), and two languages of your choice. (Pick your poison.)

Your background feature Name Dropping lets you tell people that your mom was actually a god. You might be able to find people who knew your mom (or more realistically worshiped her before... you know... you became half of her?) and folk might recognize that you’re... half a god, and give you free stuff.

(Artwork by Alvin Lee and Kan Liu. Made for Riot Games.)

THE BUILD

LEVEL 1 - SORCERER 1

Starting off as a Sorcerer because Kayle is about as useless as a level 1 Sorcerer at level 1. (Also because CON saves are nice.) But you can also grab proficiency with Religion (you are a god, after all) and Intimidation. (Because you aren’t exactly nice.)

Sorcerers get to choose their Sorcerous Origin at level 1 and Divine Soul is like being a Cleric but you get to dump your Wisdom because you’re blind to morality. You get one free spell from your Divine Magic and I guess Bless makes sense since its attached to Law? Honestly there are other spells I’d recommend (Protection from Evil and Good would be helpful, and you can’t go wrong with either Healing Word or Guiding Bolt) but it’s honestly easier to just take Bless and call it there.

But of course since you get Divine Magic that means you get Spellcasting! You learn 4 cantrips from the Sorcerer list at level 1 such as Firebolt to smite the wicked, Sacred Flame for enemies with a lot of armor (but hopefully bad Dexterity), Thaumaturgy to make sure your words are heard, and Guidance because it’s good to provide aid to those who need it.

You also learn two spells from the Sorcerer list: we’ll be taking Mage Armor for the same reason you buy Doran’s Shield as a top laner (because laning phase sucks and you’re weak as hell at level 1), and we’ll also grab Healing Word for your Celestial Blessing. As a treat.

You are also Favored by the Gods, so if you miss an attack roll or fail a saving throw you can add 2d4 to the roll to potentially turn it into a success. Given that you’ll likely be making a lot of attack rolls later in this build it’s very useful to be able to give yourself some insurance.

LEVEL 2 - SORCERER 2

Second level Sorcerers get a Font of Magic for Sorcery Points equal to your Sorcerer level. For now all you can really do with them is get one of your spell slots back, but they’ll be more useful later on.

For something that’s useful right now take Ice Knife for the AoE burst of your Starfire Spellblade. Yes it does Cold damage, but you also shouldn’t have an AoE E by level 2. Hell you technically shouldn’t even be a ranged champion yet. We have to make compromises here.

If you want a single target Starfire Spellblade Guiding Bolt is a decent choice I suppose.

LEVEL 3 - SORCERER 3

Third level Sorcerers gain the power of the Aspects thanks to Metamagic. You learn two Metamagic options to change your spells in various ways: Quickened Spell will let you increase your attack speed to slay the unjust with Zealous fervor, and while it’s perhaps not the most practical choice Transmuted Spell will let you wield holy fire, instead of holy ice or whatever other damage type you pick up.

If you don’t care about doing specifically fire damage than Empowered Spell is a good choice to more effectively maximize damage.

As a Protector Aasimar your Radiant Soul lets you sprout wings as an action. For 1 minute you have a 30 foot flying speed and can add your Charisma modifier as Radiant damage to one target whenever you deal damage. It might not be much at level 3 but the extra damage from Starfire Spellblade adds up when you get more AP! Oh and to top it off you can also learn another spell like Misty Step, for Flash.

LEVEL 4 - SORCERER 4

4th level Sorcerers get the first of many Ability Score Improvements. Increase your uneven Charisma score as well as your Constitution score for nice, even, Lawful stats.

You can also learn another cantrip like Message to keep in team chat, as well as a leveled spell like Spiritual Weapon. Kayle summons hundreds of swords for her ultimate so I think it’s fine if you summon one sword for some more DPS.

LEVEL 5 - SORCERER 5

Normally I wouldn’t go out of my way to get 5th level spells but we kinda need Fly more than once per Long Rest. Sprout those wings or grant the gift of angelic ascension to an ally!

The bad witch Tasha also gave Sorcerers Magical Guidance, letting you spend a Sorcerery Point to reroll a failed ability check.

(Artwork by Zeen Chin. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 6 - PALADIN 1

I swear it wasn’t my intention to make two casters with Paladin levels one after another, but we’re doing it anyways because it’s not like Kayle wouldn’t be a Paladin. First level Paladins get Divine Sense to know of any villains who need justice, and Lay on Hands to save the righteous.

LEVEL 7 - PALADIN 2

Second level Paladins get to choose their Fighting Style. Normally I’d take Blessed Warrior for a character who’s more-or-less a pure caster but you kinda get too many Cleric cantrips as is, so we’ll settle for good ol’ Defense because you can’t go wrong with +1 AC.

Protection and Interception are also fine to help your friends if you’re willing to hold onto a shield (no reason not to), and if you want to do a funny joke you can take Blind Fighting because Justice is Blind.

But of course what we’re mostly here for is Spellcasting: sure you got the entire Cleric list at your disposal but Sorcerer spells known is very limited, so take the following from the Paladin list:

Command to force evildoers to grovel at your feet.

Detect Evil and Good to... detect evil and good.

Protection from Evil and Good to... yeah this is fairly obvious too.

Heroism to empower heroes.

Shield of Faith to protect the righteous.

You also get Divine Smite, which sure would be nice if you used your sword as a melee weapon. I mean if you want to hit someone in melee you can turn a spell slot into damage but I kinda have to wonder why would you.

LEVEL 8 - PALADIN 3

Third level Paladins get to choose their Sacred Oath. Honestly just about any Paladin Oath would work for Kayle, but an Oath of Redemption would probably be best after you failed to upkeep justice the first time. Along with adding Sanctuary and Sleep to your spell list you also get two Channel Divinity options: if you go for Emissary of Peace you can add a flat +5 to all your Persuasion checks for 10 minutes. But Rebuke the Violent works great as a recreation of Divine Judgment’s damaging effect! When a creature within 30 feet of you damages someone other than you they must make a Wisdom saving throw after you use this reaction. If they fail they will take the same amount of damage they dealt as Radiant damage, and if they succeed they will take half. This has no maximum limit so you can use it when an enemy nukes your allies to have them experience retribution! "Drown in holy fire!"

The vial witch Tasha also lets you Harness Divine Power with your Channel Divinity to regain a spell slot equal to half your proficiency bonus once per Long Rest. And finally you get Divine Health, because justice doesn’t take sick days.

(Artwork by John Yucedag. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 9 - PALADIN 4

4th level Paladins get another Ability Score Improvement so cap off that Charisma modifier, because we’re building AP in this build. Maxed out Charisma also means more prepared spells, but we’re going to wait for...

LEVEL 10 - PALADIN 5

5th level Paladins get an Extra Attack which sure would matter if you were actually swinging that sword instead of shooting Fire Bolts and Sacred Flames.

But what does matter is that you get second level Paladin spells! Along with Hold Person and Calm Emotions from the Redemption spell list (you should perhaps cast Calm Emotions on yourself at some point?) you can prepare spells like Aid to boost yourself and your allies, and Warding Bond (Tasha’s work once again) to take some damage for an ally. (Which is almost like making them immune to damage?)

LEVEL 11 - PALADIN 6

The only reason to multiclass into Paladin as a caster would be for Aura of Protection. Seeing as your Charisma modifier is maxed out already that means that you (and your allies within 10 feet) can add +5 to all their saving throws! I really don’t think I need to explain why that’s useful: your Constitution saves are now a +11 (meaning that if you take 22 damage or less you automatically succeed the Concentration check) and even your lowest save is still a +4!

You can also prepare one last spell but I’m actually going to take this time to remind you that Paladins are prepared spellcasters. Even though you have a relatively limited amount of Paladin spells be sure to swap them around to whatever’s the most useful for your task at hand. But if you must pick up a spell Detect Magic is never bad to have?

(Artwork by Alex “alexplank” Flores. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 12 - SORCERER 6

Now that the obligatory Paladin levels are done it’s time to go back to Sorcerer. Hope your party didn’t expect you to be the support because you’re only now getting Empowered Healing to spend a Sorcery point and reroll any healing that you or an ally within 5 feet performs. I mean by total level 12 healing numbers will actually get pretty big, so this becomes a lot more useful!

But speaking of healing we’ll be getting not that but Haste instead. While you can’t use it too well (can only use it to make a weapon Attack, Dash, Disengage, Hide, or Use an Object) you can turn your allies into an avenging angel! As long as you can keep your Concentration which I mean... you have a +11 to your CON save.

LEVEL 13 - SORCERER 7

Unfortunately there’s no spell to make someone completely immune to damage for one round (while also still letting them move as normal except the 9th level spell Invulnerability that you can only cast on yourself) so we’ll just have to settle for Death Ward keeping the target you cast this on alive after reaching 0 HP. No rain of holy swords either unfortunately.

LEVEL 14 - SORCERER 8

8th level Sorcerers get an Ability Score Improvement and I think it’s about time for us to grab Metamagic Adept for 2 more Sorcery points to use on your Metamagic options like Twinned Spell to spread your wrath amongst all, and Careful Spell to avoid hurting those allied to your cause.

Speaking of AoE damage Vitriolic Sphere may do Acid damage but it’s a great recreation of the AoE damage of a high level Starfire Spellblade.

LEVEL 15 - SORCERER 9

Behold the might of 5th level spells! Remember how I was a little disappointed that you didn’t have the ability to make flaming swords rain down from the sky? Here you go: Flame Strike! Sure it basically does the damage of Fireball (and hey feel free to grab Fireball if you’re so inclined) but it has the holy flair that’s to be expected of Kayle.

If you want something more interesting than “Radiant damage Fireball” Dawn is also a good spell choice.

LEVEL 16 - SORCERER 10

10th level Sorcerers get another Metamagic option! Seeing as weve already got plenty thanks to Metamagic Adept one of the few options left is Heightened Spell to make sure your foes tremble beneath your might! You can also grab another cantrip like Prestidigitation for more generalized divine power.

And finally there’s also plenty of great spells you can take but Dispel Evil and Good probably fits Kayle the best. Now is a great time to remind everyone that you’re more than welcome to make your own Kayle, and while what I take may be “accurate” it’s not even necessarily what I’d build if I was making the character.

(Artwork by West Studio. Made for Riot Games.)

LEVEL 17 - SORCERER 11

11th level Sorcerers can finally ascend! I hope you kept your Paladin weapons because it’s time for Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise! Calling upon the power of the Upper Planes (or lower planes too I guess if you’re awful) you get:

Resistance to Radiant and Necrotic damage (which you already have. Oops.) (I mean Lower Planes would make you immune to Fire and Poison damage...)

Immunity to the Charmed condition.

A 40 foot flying speed.

+2 AC

The ability to use your Charisma to attack, meaning that you can finally swing a sword well!

And the ability to attack twice, which you already have.

And the cool part is that unlike Tenser’s Transformation you can cast spells and don’t Exhaust yourself after using this spell! If you want to finally use your Paladin levels to bright the fight to your opponents you finally have the power to do so!

LEVEL 18 - SORCERER 12

12th level Sorcerers get another Ability Score or Feat and I’m simply going to suggest the Tough feat. Even if Kayle doesn’t usually build health in League you can, and d6 hit die suck when it comes to actually surviving.

What? Did you expect another spell known? Nah fuck you lmao WoTC says no to Sorcerers having spells.

LEVEL 19 - SORCERER 13

13th level Sorcerers can learn 7th level spells and while this may seem like a copout I have none that I really want for Kayle. Pick whatever you think would be the coolest since you can make your own choices by level 19. (My personal vote for Kayle would be Fire Storm but you are kinda loading up on AoE spells.)

LEVEL 20 - SORCERER 14

Our final level is the 14th level of Divine Soul Sorcerer to finally ascend. You have Otherworldly Wings for a permanent 30 foot flying speed! You did it! You reached max level as Kayle! You’re now unstoppable!

FINAL BUILD

PROS

Kneel before the light! - Your spells known go up to 7th level, and your spell slots go up to 9th. I really don’t think I have to explain that a full leveled caster is extremely powerful.

What is dark in me, I will illuminate - Even your non-spellcasting has great utility. Both your Channel Divinity options are extremely useful, and a little bit of Lay on Hands healing never hurt anyone. Not to mention your Aasimar transformation providing a flat +20 to damage every turn while it’s active!

I am your salvation! - Even if you aren’t running up in melee range Paladin levels do help a ton for staying alive. +5 to all saves is no joke, especially when it means that your Concentration save sits at a whopping +13! (You have to take more than 26 damage to even have a chance at failing your Concentration check!)

CONS

Why have we wings, sister, if not to fly? - You’d think a high Charisma would at least make you good at socializing but... no you’re not even that. Proficiency in the “mean” Charisma skills and mediocre ability scores in everything other than Charisma means you’ll contribute very little other than divine wrath.

Wings of Immortal Flame, lift me from mortal temptation! - How much flight is too much flight? Between your Radiant Soul, Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise, and you know... the Fly spell you have quite a lot of ways to take to the skies which all become near-completely redundant by level 20.

Celestial justice, guide my blade - Ironically enough one of the biggest issues with this build is how long it takes to get online. The Paladin dip may keep you safe but it’s not making you stronger, and I doubt you’ll be sitting beside your friends like a support. If you don’t mind praying to darker powers Genie Warlock is actually a great choice to get considerably more damage (and “attack speed!”) with Eldritch Blast and easily accessible flight by level 6 in Warlock. (Celestial Warlock also exists if you want more healing utility and want to stay in flavor.)

Of course weakness is something to shed as you come closer to divinity, but remember that even if mortality makes you weak mortals are not. Your allies will fight by your side and its your duty to protect them, as they shall no doubt protect you. Treat them with respect and vanquish evil together! Because no one likes a lawful stupid top laner.

(Artwork by Atey Ghailan. Made for Riot Games.)

[silver-inked-quill]

Duskwood- Episode 7½

Warnings: has a big spoilers from episode 7

Words: 1859

A/N: You know, once I finished the episode, I realized I would probably have to wait months to see what happens so i felt like giving my own continuation untill we have an actual one:) 

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•

He fell on his side as I could hear his breaths suffocating to leave his body, until the phone fell, and I could only see the sky. “Richy...” My trembling voice kept calling as I saw no movement from his side. The choking sound of his efforts to breath air had stopped as absolute silence dominated in the atmosphere. I could only see the cloudy sky. In realization, I shot up and and typed Thomas’ number quickly on my wired phone, unable to leave Richy like that. 

“Richy please don’t go... Listen to me please!” My voice was shaking as the words leaving my mouth sounded more like “Uh it’s not Richy.” Thomas spoke, rather shocked. “MC is that you?” he added in wonder, nonetheless he knew the answer. “Yes, it is.” I spoke as clearly as I could. “Richy is in the forest, close to the meeting spot, its bad, call an ambulance and be careful.” I sounded loud in my efforts to make him understand. “Calm down and tell me what happened.” Thomas tried to reason now sounding worried about my and his friend’s well-being. It was obvious that something was terribly wrong. “I don’t know. Ambulance at the meeting spot” I yelled between my cries that weren’t successfully held back anymore. I still had the videocall on as there was no response from Richy. My phone was vibrating, notifying me for Jake’s text storm. He was worried. “Alright, alright” Thomas backed off “I am hanging up now... and I am calling you right back.” he spoke to calm me down. “Yes” I replied and finished the call myself.

It was like time had frozen. Yelling, crying for him to respond but there was nothing. I was not aware how long it had been as the sirens from the paramedics woke me up from the oblivion of frustration and irrational hope I had fallen into the past couple of minutes. The call ended after some moments and I shot up ready to call Thomas when the phone rang with Richy as the caller. I picked up. “It’s hard to say this MC” Thomas sounded in the other side of the line, I could tell he was crying or at least wanted to. He was being as sympathetic as he could, his friend was just murder and I was the only witness and yet I witnessed nothing useful. “Are you there...?” He added in my grave silence. “I am.” I spoke up “I am good don’t worry.” I added, I wouldn’t back off from looking for his girlfriend. I was holding my breath to not break down in the phone with him. “You can’t be, not after this. Look I have to let Dan, Cleo, Jessy and Lilly know... and-and inform his family too. In the meantime, take your time.” Thomas advised me, his voice hoarse breaking in the reference of the mechanic’s family. “Lilly could take over; we can tell the hacker” He offered “No do not talk to him” I snapped at the reminder of Jake. “Alright but I... I have to go” He sighed “Okay. Take care.” I spoke up and finished the call. I couldn’t listen to him or anyone. ‘Jessy was marked’ I reminded him. Jessy was marked just like Richy. At the thought of her ending up like Richy, I cried even more.

I was impressed by my reflexes. Dan was at the hospital and the girls would be as calm so Thomas seemed like the best choice. Tears were still streaming down my face, I looked like a ghost as my skin stood pale against my red eyes. My phone rang and the three question marks rose upon the screen. I didn’t want to pick up. But how could I not? I eventually obeyed to the call but didn’t talk “MC, are you there?” Jake asked. “You saw, right? You know. I saw or heard nothing” My voice came out more abrupt than I wanted. “This does not concern me right now, you do though” Jake sounded tensed, he was right to. 

"I am just fine" I responded just as abrupt as before. "You are not, you do not have to lie to me. I know this was horrible. I am here though, and worried. Talk to me, or someone, if you don't want me. This is the worse you could do to yourself" Jake spoke up. Despite the voice altering program he was using even now; I could listen to the concern and fear that flooded his voice. I wanted him there. More there than just a call, therefore I wouldn't want him to risk... I wouldn't stand it if something bad happened to him. I didn't answer. "You there?" "Yes, I'm going to your sister's cloud” I breathed out. We have to find that one person who did this to Richy, me, the rest

"this... Is not what I meant" Jake replied "I removed your access from these data" the hacker announced. "Why? I want to search" I insisted the annoyance being sketched perfectly upon my tone and expression. “It just became personal Jake. Only your sister was in danger but now Richy was murdered right in front of my eyes. Jessy is potentially next, and you ask me to stand inert to a jeopardy that just keeps growing and growing.” I shouted again without really realizing. “I am not going to let you in at least not until you get better. It harms you MC” Jake spoke up, his tone tensed and yet reassuring, caring. “And What do you care” I snapped louder and this time he shouted too “I care about you! I do MC. You said yourself when I asked you if there is a limit on what a one can to do to save a human life and you said there is a limit when more lives are being risked.”  He told me and he was growing calmer towards me. I do not know how but there wasn’t a single trace of anger in his voice, he was upset with me therefore, certainly not angry. He caught me completely off guard as I stayed quiet for some seconds “Too late for that though, Richy is already gone and frankly I am not going to allow Jessy end up like that” I replied calmer this time as I was gathering the strength to tell him something he would definitely disagree with.

I had forgotten that my camera was turned on, Jake was able to see the spasms of my face and my broken expression and how my eyes were still welled up. “I will go to Duskwood for the funeral… And I will try to stay permanently, ask for a transfer to the university there as well” I announced looking serious and straight to the camera. “I will become aim and the others won’t be in such danger.” I spoke again my gaze frozen to the camera, I needed him to understand that I was being serious. “But you promised.” Jake said, he sounded a bit hurt. “You can’t go there. You will be in danger” He added in an effort to present proper arguments to change my mind. He knew it was impossible to change my mind. However, he kept trying. “I am able to protect you with only threat being my pursuers. But there, it will be an actual one, you will be on your own and your life will be at stake.” He stated as hints of frustration and panic hit his voice. “Same went for Richy” I responded rather coldly. “This way we will find your sister faster.” I suggested, I didn’t want him to think that I forgot the reason I was summoned. “I promise, I will be careful” I tried to smile at the camera. I heard his sigh, it was shacky and sad. “I know I can’t stop you…” He said his voice had shifted to sad, I could tell despite the voice change. “MC I am scared, and I care about you. I don’t want you hurt.” His sound broke or trembled at the end of the sentence I wasn’t sure what of the two.

 “I will be alright Jake. And we will be talking more” I assured him softly smiling at the camera. There were some moments of silence. “You have a really nice smile you know” He complimented me, and my smile widened without me wishing it would happen. “Thanks” I giggled hoping my heated cheeks wouldn’t be red on camera. “So, you never told me… What are you studying?” He asked me softly trying to change subject and actually succeeding to do so. “Chemical engineer, heavy on engineer, junior on a polytechnic department” I answered mechanically “You are not saying it with pride. It’s really hard. You don’t get in if you do not deserve” He rationally wondered with sincere confusion flooding over my reaction to my study object. “I am not going to say, you will make fun of me.” I sighed having a slightly grind, I liked that he was asking about me. I wanted to tell him but there was zero chance I would just tell it without playing it hard. “You know this is not true. Now tell me” He insisted softly. “Alright… I always aimed for the fine arts. And I got rejected at the college and I lost a semester trying to get a scholarship there again, but I was rejecting again and then the same the next. Thankfully I passed all subjects by third semester.” I explained briefly. “Oh, so an artist and a scientist. That’s rather unusual” Jake commented smoothly. “So, what’s your art?” he asked, “Well I am a painter, but I have a nice voice and I play the piano too.” I said and sighed “Thank you” I told him out of the blue “Why MC? I ought to thank you instead… You had to gain nothing and yet look at you here, risking your life for me, my purpose. And you don’t even know me” Jake said admiringly. “I know enough Jake. And I thank you cause the massive hysteria is long gone now.” I sighed and smiled “Look. I have to go now. I need you to take a nap and maybe have a tea. Tomorrow I will give you back the access of Hannah’s cloud” Jake informed me gently “I promise I will.” I smiled sadly as I realized this was the time, we would say goodbye. “Take care, talk soon” He concluded, and I waved my hand at the camera before allowing him to finish the call.

[dustofbrokenheart]

The Covenant: I’m With the Bassist

Reid Garwin x Female Reader

Word Count: 2,631

Warning:  contains physical intimacy and mature language

Summary: Your band is popular on the local music scene and one fan in particular has managed to catch your eye. One night, you take him back to the dressing room after a show and things get heated. 

Colored stage lights bore down of the band, illuminating them for the crowd’s sake but the heat had long since taken its toll. Even the crowd appeared damper than when the show first started.

Your cloth bracelets were glued to your skin and chaffed uncomfortably against your wrist with every stroke you played. The choice to wear a black top was a good one because it hid the patches of sweat well even though you felt soaked.

There was no such luck with your face—a trail of constant sweat had been trailing down the side of your face for the past hour and you suspected that the precise eyeliner you walked on stage was smudged. Hopefully, it was more of an artistic smear and not a case of you looking like a racoon, but there was no way to be certain.

Your singer’s voice trailed off as the song faded out and you strummed one last chord on the bass before ending. The crowd writhed in electric frenzy, riding a concert high and expressed their delight in different ways, most directing their energy into cheering but there were a few who opted to throw things on stage. Empty red solo cups and an assortment of men’s and women’s underthings, mainly.

The singer grabbed the mic and walked to the edge of the small bar stage. “Whoo! How’s everyone doing!?” Screams rang out in answer.

Your band was small-time only performing on the local circuit two to three times a week, but the fan base had been growing and there were always loyal faces that the venue being played on a given night.

Blue eyes in the front of the crowd caught your gaze for a second as you looked over the crowd.

Then the singer spoke again, pulling your attention back to the band. “Thanks for coming out, we love you. Honest! See you guys next week!”

The main lights turned on lighting up the inside of the bar with its usual dingy, yellow bulbs. Applause and cheers rang out once more from the fans as the band readied to exit.

Purposefully ignoring the audience, more specifically the front rows, you turned back to talk to the drummer while sliding your bass strap over your head to take the weight of the instrument off of your shoulders. The band threw quick waves to the fans, and the guitarist stopped to pick up a particularly silky pair of men’s boxer briefs with a coy smile, and then you all bustled to get to the dressing room.

Performing on stage for people was an addicting rush, for sure, but you liked having down time in the dressing room to come off of the adrenaline and go about your business privately.

First thing you did was get yourself to a mirror so you could clean up the mess around your eyes. Luckily, that night’s smeared make-up looked tastefully done and not like a clown rendition. Next, you redid your eyes so that they returned to their glory from the start of the show; a nice, sultry bass player look. A dash of lip color followed, but nothing so obvious that the rest of the band would notice that something was afoot.

You took your sweet time in the dressing room and one by one the other members left, until you were the last one in the room. A few minutes passed until you peeked out into the hall. Everyone was used to you taking your sweet time after shows so it wasn’t weird that you were still in the dressing room. Sneaking someone in was though, and you didn’t want to get caught in the act.

He saw you signal him from his position up the hall near the bathrooms and grinned, sauntering slowly towards you until he was within reach, at which point you hauled him into the room and slammed the door shut. The lock engaged with a click and you turned to scowl at him. “Could you have dragged your feet any slower? Someone could’ve seen you!”

“Are you really that embarrassed of me?” he pouted. “You’re gonna give me complex, babe.”

“You know that’s not true. It’s more like… I’m just trying to spare myself the roasting for as long as possible. They’ve never seen me with someone and they’re going to rag on me no matter who it is.”

“Even if it’s a fine specimen such as myself?” He puffed out his chest and pursed his lips in comical exaggeration.

“You’re lucky I like you so much Reid.”

Reid Gawrin, or ‘groupie guy’ as you had initially referred to him as, was a big fan of the band and had been coming to every show for three months straight. It was hard to miss him with that blond hair contrasting with his black beanie and intriguing tattoos that showed when he rolled up his sleeves or wore a loose collared shirt. And those blue eyes… it was easy to yourself in them.

He’d always made sure to stick around after shows so that he could chat you up and at first you figured he was just a groupie looking to score with a band member, hence his moniker ‘groupie guy.’ Not wanting to come off as rude you indulged him in conversation, but always kept your distance.

It wasn’t uncommon for people to try and sleep with the band, and to be honest, the band did end up in bed with some of them. Take your guitarist: she always managed to pick up the hottest women and men. It worked great for her but you wanted something more and weren’t going to take a chance on the guy, even if he was cute, if he was just looking for a hook-up.

And, who knows, maybe it had started out as purely physical attraction on his part, but the two of you had grown emotionally attached after a while too. It was the emotional side that had led to the current situation. Not officially dating, but no longer musician and groupie either. And that lack of a label wouldn’t stop you from finally getting intimate that night.

Reid picked you up with ease and you wrapped your legs around his waist, his hands gripping your fleshly thighs as he pressed you between the hard brick wall and his body.

“You were incredible tonight,” he murmured, pressing soft kisses onto the hollow of your neck. Your head titled back and hit the wall with a thud as he trailed upward with his nose so that he could kiss the soft underside of your chin.

“Yeah?” you panted with excitement. You knew what was coming next.

He nodded and finally kissed you on the lips, his tongue quickly gliding inside of your mouth with strong, measured licks. “Bassists are always hot.” Your eyelids drifted shut and you lost yourself to his ministrations, a warm cloud of pressure weighed down your muscles.

As soon as you moaned, Reid wasted no time in grinding his pelvis against yours, the friction from his belt buckle rubbing you just the right way to fire up a reaction in your core. You pulled back, panting and he chuckled at you trying to catch your breath. “You like that?”

He was obviously fishing for an answer but you weren’t so gone that you’d give into him just yet. You merely nodded your head and bit your lip at a particularly delicious thrust.

“Tell me you like it,” he pressed.

Still, you refused him and he took it as a challenge to get you to use words. He relaxed his hold your thighs so that you slid down the wall and ended up resting high on the leg he inserted in between yours. Now you were not only stimulated by his grinding, but also rode his leg whenever your hips, the added pressure making it harder to not give in.

Your will hung by a thread, ready to give at any moment. Then he upped the ante by reaching down the waistline of your bottoms into your underwear, his fingers skipping past teasing to directly touching you in your most sensitive place.

“Tell me. Tell me you like it.”

“I like it,” you whined, your mind filled with pleasure.  

“There, that wasn’t so hard, was it? You’re a good girl.”

His wandering nail-polish covered fingers reached down lower to cup your slit more fully and Reid purred when he felt a gush of wetness flow from you. “You liked that, huh? You like being my good girl.”

A nod. You weren’t used to this kind of dirty talk. Most guys are not good at it but Reid was. He didn’t give a shit what he said as long as it produced results and produced results it did.

“So wet,” he grinned as he slid a finger into you experimentally. “See, went right in you, just like that.”

A single black nail tipped finger soon turned into two and he was eager to caress your silky inner walls, scissoring his fingers into a v that stretched you nicely. “Shit, Y/N. Look how tight you are, you don’t wanna let my fingers go.”

You gasped, goosebumps raising on your arms. It was a good thing you were against the brick wall because you didn’t have the strength to support your head on your own. As it was, your head was still lulled to the side.

It took Reid capturing your chin in one hand to get you to straighten out. The other hand was removed from your pants and used to circle one of your wrists so that you were unable to turn away. He pressed his lips gently against yours, a stark contrast from the lewd things he had done a second ago.

He rested his forehead against yours, his eyes wild with adoration and desire. “Does my good girl want more?”

“Please,” you begged.  

“Do you need it?”

“Please!”

With a parting kiss, he dropped down to his knees and pulled down your pants and underwear with a single tug. Your shaking hands grasped his hair as he placed his mouth over you, the blonde strands wrapped around your fingers. His breath was warm and, unlike when he was kissing your mouth, his tongue was relentless against the bundle of nerves between your legs. Circling, laving, sucking. It all blurred together and you realized that you were in trouble. If it was this good with just tongue, how would it be when he actually put his cock in you?

You moaned just thinking about it. Your legs squeezed together in reaction to his excellent skills but he didn’t seem to mind being stuck down there. Time lost meaning; it was felt like it was passing too slowly and too quickly simultaneously.

Eventually, his mouth left you with a wet pop and he stood at his full height. Making direct eye contact, he popped the top button on his jeans open and kicked them off, his shirt and beanie following suit. He stepped forward and hooked one of your legs around his waist to make more space.

You settled your hands flat against his chest and that damn tattoo that’s been teasing you for the past couple of months is now completely exposed for your gaze. It vaguely registers that the boy is ripped. Like, six pack ripped, but it’s the tattoo that you couldn’t stop looking at. It sloped at the base of his neck and extended past his collar bone; it was mesmerizing.

“You like that one, don’t you?” he cooed, noticing your heated stare.

Blue eyes held yours as he rolled on a condom. He entered you in one sharp thrust, your core feeling stretched and full. A sound that you didn’t know you were capable of making poured out from your throat and you immediately raised hid your face.  

Logically, you knew pleasure was nothing to be embarrassed about, but you couldn’t help feeling like you needed to reign yourself in.

Reid pried your hands away from your face and kissed you while he continued to drive in and out.

“Don’t be shy, baby,” he cooed. “I like your noises.”

Almost like his voice had control over your body, another whine left you. “Reid. I-I nee- I need…”

“What? Be a good girl and tell me.”

“More,” you cried out. “I need more.”

He picked you up entirely, both legs circling his waist and walked you over to the couch. Honestly, all of the furniture in the room was probably suspect given that all the bands used it, but you couldn’t bring yourself to focus on it during that moment.

Your back hit the couch cushions and then Reid was back to swiveling his hips, his cock hitting just right. This new angle with you on your back, your legs hanging over his broad shoulders, had your cries rising in pitch and frequency.

The euphoria was suddenly interrupted with a sharp knock. Panic ensued you snapped to look at the door. Thankfully, it was still locked which meant that you wouldn’t get caught in a comprising position, but there was still the matter getting rid of whoever it was.

“Yo, Y/N. You still in there?”

You were about to answer when Reid cupped your right breast and bucked into you hard. Shocked, you looked up in disbelief, your mouth wide open with no sound coming out. He merely winked and did it again.

The second time a whine escaped you and another knock rang out. “Y/N, you good?”

Reid leaned down to whisper conspiratorially in your ear. “Better answer them, Y/N.”

You swallowed. Risk wasn’t something you considered yourself to be into, but was a lie to say you didn’t feel yourself getting wetter at the thought.

Hoping and praying that you would pull it off, you tried to talk but nothing came out but a croak. Clearing your throat, you tried again. “H-hey. I’m still here.”

“You good? Why’s the door locked?”

In an attempt to keep your voice steady, you closed your eyes and clung on tight to Reid’s shoulders. “Just changing. Locked it to be s-safe.”

That was the right thing to say cause the voice at the door immediately backed off with an apology and left the two of you alone.

“Good save,” he acknowledged. He slowed his hips slightly and reached down to circle your clit with his thumb. “I think you deserve a reward.”

“Oh my—Reid.”

The ceiling came in and out of focus as Reid coaxed you to the edge at last. “Come on, Y/N. Say my name.” One well pressured flick to the small bundle of nerves did the trick and sent you flying, bucking like a high wire cable flailing wildly in the wind and chanting his name in a desperate prayer.

Your core clamping down on him sent him tumbling right after you with a drawn-out groan as he held himself deep inside you.

He dropped next to you on the couch, out of breath. “Shit.” He took a moment to compose himself and repeated his words. “Shit.”

You rolled your head to pin him with a teasing stare. “Cat got your tongue?”

“Oh, there was definitely a pussy involved.”

A weak slap landed on his chest. “Don’t use that word, you sound ridiculous.” Your favorite tattoo was within petting range and you kept your hand there, stroking it gently. The two of you settled into quiet bliss, content to cuddle into one another.

“That was a good one,” Reid finally remarked, stroking your arm. Exhausted, all you can do is nod against his toned chest. He hummed and you waited patiently for him gather his thoughts. “Think we can get another round in?”

_______________

Forgive me, for I have sinned 😂. Is it even good? I’m not sure but thanks to those who read it. Partly inspired by a conversation with @rpwithjayn​ but I made Reid the groupie instead of the rocker. Hopefully I did him justice for all of the Reid fans out there. 

[farfromsugafanfic]

This Christmas

Genre: Producer!Yoongi, Fluff, Angst, slight enemies to lovers, Christmas-y

Pairing: Yoongi/Reader

Warnings: Portrayal of an abusive relationship (not involving Yoongi)

Synopsis: Yoongi doesn’t wanna work with a bubble gum idol like you. Especially not after your scandal where your and your manager’s relationship was revealed. And definitely not for a Christmas song.

✦✧✦✧

"You want me to what?" Yoongi asked. If this were a cartoon, his eyes would be bugging out of his head. The CEO of the company cleared his throat and looked at Yoongi over his glasses. It was obvious that despite being a high-level CEO of a successful music company, he was nervous to pitch this to his most successful producer.

"Listen, Yoongi, I know you're not happy about this. But, Y/N's comeback is crucial for her career. You know the scandal she had last year and this is her first comeback since then. We need this song to be everywhere. This why we need you to produce it."

"Okay, but like, a Christmas song? I know Y/N had a pretty pure image, but isn't that a bit much? Even for her?"

"Her scandal broke on Christmas Day last year. We thought having her do a Christmas song would help address that she moved on and wants to focus on her career."

Yoongi remembers your scandal a year ago. You'd been dating your manager. It was said you used his fondness of you to move up in the company. It was why you were a soloist and not in a group, why you didn't write your own songs but still got all the best ones, and why you had your good girl image. You were the role model for school girls everywhere in your pale pink skirts that matched your lips.

He'd never worked with you before. You were always so clean-cut, so bubblegum. It wasn't the type of song he wrote or worked on. In fact, despite working at the same company, and you being one of the largest idols signed with them, Yoongi didn't remember ever meeting you. He'd seen you passing, your manager placing his hand on the back of your skull to shield you from the camera flashes. Your hood up and a mask pulled up to cover most of your face.

"I've never done one of her songs. Why this one?"

"After the last year, it's impossible for Y/N to go back to her pure image. It just isn't believable. We need you because you don't do typical sounding songs."

Yoongi thought for a moment. An edgy Christmas song? Certainly possible, but could you really pull it off?

"It will be a new version of Last Christmas. We want it to be heartbreaking. Address the scandal without directly commenting. You have a knack for subtly that she needs."

"All right," he said. He knew he had no choice in the matter and it was only one song. Yoongi hadn't made his name as a producer doing bubblegum songs, but the company allowed him to release his own music under their label as long as he produced all the other artist's songs they asked of him. "But I'm not going to be like the other producers she's worked with."

✦✧✦✧

The night before your and Yoongi's first recording session he pulled up a playlist of your songs. You had a good voice, Yoongi would admit. He listened to a few seconds of each. You had the sweetheart image with mostly upbeat pop songs with a few heartbreak ballads mixed in. They were all written by the best songwriters at the company, except for Yoongi, of course. He'd never written for you, although you had considered one of his songs once.

A few emails exchanged before you ghosted him. "Wine" ended up going to another soloist and had won Yoongi an award, he really didn't care. After the scandal, you had the spoiled brat look. And, honestly, it didn't surprise Yoongi. Everyone knew you came from a well off background and went to a private school that the company commonly scouted at.

Girls like you always had talent, but you always ended up destroying yourselves. He was surprised you were even trying for a comeback instead of taking the money you'd made so far and setting yourself up to live off royalties until your name was forgotten enough to re-invent yourself.

When the scandal broke, Yoongi had just released a new mixtape. It affected the entire company, causing the sales and streams of his album to plateau. He silently cursed your name as he tweeted album links.

✦✧✦✧

Yoongi sat in his studio. The hood of his black hoodie pulled over his head and slightly crouched in his chair, he worked on your song. While he didn't have your vocal yet, he could easily work on the instrumental. It was tricky. "Last Christmas" was an iconic Christmas song that needed to be recognizable, but he also needed to make it different and stand out from every other cover.

His phone vibrated. It was you.

Y/N: I'm heading down now

You were most likely heading downstairs from the dance studios. He took off his headphones and soon heard a gentle knock on the door. He kept a lock on his studio to prevent anyone from bothering him while he worked. Only a few people had the code. And only to make sure Yoongi left every couple days.

Opening the door, he first saw your small smile. All lip, no teeth, yet still friendly. Behind you stood your manager, the one with who you'd had the scandal. Despite your break up being publicized, he was contracted as your manager for another year. Yoongi had no idea why you didn't just buy him out and let the poor kid get on with his life.

"Hi," you said softly, bowing politely before walking inside and leaving your shoes by the door. Your hair was up in a ponytail and you wore a blue sweatshirt three sizes too big. "It's nice to finally meet the famous Suga."  

He returned a tight-lipped smile and reached out to shake your hand, but your manager stepped in front and shook took Yoongi's hand instead. "I'm Kwanho, Y/N's manager."

Yoongi nodded, giving the man an odd look as you skirted to the side. He noticed the way you balled up your hands in your sleeves and looked down at the ground when the other man pushed you out of the way.

"Nice to meet you," Yoongi said. "If you give me your number, I'll call you when we finish for the day or if we need anything."

Yoongi motioned to the recording booth and you walked in, putting on your headphones and immediately taking your place. You seemed to relax as you prepared yourself in the booth, beginning to test the microphone and adjust the cords around your feet.

"Oh, no, I actually stay in the studio with Y/N."

Yoongi paused. "Uh, well, I tend to work better when it's just me and the artist. You know, so I can kinda get a feel for them and get the best vocals."

"She's more comfortable when I'm here."

Yoongi glanced over at you in the booth. You seemed much more comfortable by yourself in the recording booth than you had with your manager and ex-boyfriend.

"She seems fine. Listen, this is my studio and it's a bit small. I really don't like people getting in the way."

Your manager fumed, his hair beginning to stand up and his face growing red. His fists clench around the water bottle he carried and he sighed.

"Fine," he said. "Just let me give this to her."

Kwanho walked into the booth, his form completely hid yours as he stood in Yoongi's view. He saw the man hand you the water bottle. Even after you took it, the man loomed over you for a few extra seconds.

Knowing he had an audience, your manager soon left the booth and the studio. When Yoongi heard the lock click shut, he turned on his mic to talk to you.

"Y/N?" he asked. "You ready to get some vocals. Need to warm up at all?"

You shook your head. "No, I warmed up while we were waiting."

✦✧✦✧

It had been nearly a year since you'd recorded anything in a studio. Yet, nothing felt foreign. You had immediately adjusted everything to your preferences. Taking a sip of water as Yoongi started the music, you began singing. Your phone was full of practice runs from the night before. You didn't want to embarrass yourself in front of the famed producer of your company.

You had no idea what he'd said to Kwanho to make him leave, but your stomach had untied its knots when you saw him leave the studio. Even with Yoongi's critical gaze, you were used to tough producers.

"That was good," Yoongi said. "But, I listened to some of your tracks last night and I know you can do better. Think you could lower your voice a bit on the chorus."

"Lower it?" As a soprano, you were used to coaches and producers pushing your voice to its highest notes and octaves. Rarely ever did your lower range get explored. "Uh, I can try. But why?"

"Well, this comeback is supposed both your vulnerability and strength, right? if we explore the range of your voice more, it will show a different side of you. Plus, if your vocal isn't perfect it might show some of the vulnerability we want."

Your eyes widened and you nodded as the track started again.

4 Hours Later

Yoongi was growing frustrated. Your vocals were fine, but only that. They weren't anything special. He couldn't entirely blame you. You weren't used to singing in your lower register and it seemed your vocal coaches only cared about cultivating your voice for the cutesy songs of your past.

He sighed and rubbed his temples. "All right, let's take a break," he said. "I think we both need it."

You came out of the booth and almost immediately held the phone to your ear. His brow furrowed as he wondered who you were calling so immediately.

"Hey, we're taking a break."

Based on the quick response and hang up, Yoongi knew exactly who it was.

"Is he bringing you lunch?"

You nodded and sat down on the small loveseat Yoongi kept at the back of his studio for the artists or few visitors that came in. Pulling your knees up to your chest, he couldn't help but notice how much smaller you looked. When he'd seen you before the scandal, you looked healthy and filled out all your tight skirts and dresses.

Maybe it was just the oversized sweatshirt, but you looked thinner. Your collarbones stretching your skin and your cheekbones more prominent. He walked over to where he kept an electric kettle and started heating water.

"Want some spicy noodles?"

You shook your head.

A knock sounded and you got up. Letting your manager, Yoongi cause his hard gaze. He handed you a bag and refilled your water bottle. "Remember you're on a diet, okay?" he said.

You nodded.

"So, how's it going? Got enough for the song?"

"Not yet," you said. "We're working on it. Yoongi is really pushing me, but I think it will turn out well."

"I hope he's not working you too hard."

"Of course not, I love being back in the studio."

Yoongi poured the hot water into the instant noodles. "I think we'll need another day. Clear her schedule tomorrow."

Kwanho blinked twice. "Y/N is talented. I have every confidence it will only take one session."

"How long have you been her manager? Surely, you know it can take multiple sessions to get everything I need."

"I haven't recorded for a while, Kwanho. It's just cause I'm out of practice."

Your manager sneered and dropped the water bottle. "Fine," he said. Leaving the studio in a huff, he didn't seem to realize he'd spilled the water all over Yoongi's studio.

"I'm sorry," you said, looking around for something to soak up the mess. "He's just protective and doesn't like leaving me alone."

"Didn't you two break up?"

"Yeah, which I think made it worse."

Even if the two of you were still dating, Yoongi sensed something wrong. He pulled out paper towels from a nearby drawer and dropped to his knees to help you.

"He's kind of a dick."

"He wasn't always. Would you believe he was once really sweet?"

"Maybe he acted that way."

The two of you ate in relative silence, only piping up to discuss the song or the general happenings of the company. Yoongi finished his noodles and you finished your salad. After a few sips of water, you walked back into the recording booth.

✦✧✦✧

It wasn't until nine o'clock that night when you and Yoongi finally agreed that enough progress was made. Yoongi waited for Kwanho to pick you up and he watched as the light he'd seen in you when you recorded slowly dimmed.

He didn't knock this time, opting instead to text you. You answered the door and he walked in. Without a greeting, he met Yoongi's eyes. "She's free tomorrow. But let's make sure to finish this up tomorrow. We only have a few weeks before we have to release."

"Last I checked you weren't my boss," he said. "I understand the timeline and the song will be done in time."

Yoongi turned to you. "If you record anything good tonight, you can text it to me. If it's good quality, we might be able to use it."

"Wait, you have his number?" Kwanho asked, grabbing your bicep.

"Yeah, I've had it since I showed interest in his song a year ago." You glanced at Yoongi quickly before bringing your eyes back to your manager. "We're working together. I don't see why it's a big deal."

"If you need to text him recordings text them to me and I'll get them to him."

You scoffed. "Kwaho! Stop being so jealous, this is ridiculous."

The atmosphere came to a boiling point and all Yoongi could focus on was you. The way you puffed out your chest at your ex-boyfriend and called him out. But, he noticed the fear in your eyes, the way you flinched when Kwanho let go of your arm.

"Let's go, Y/N. We can talk about this later." Opening the studio door, Kwanho motioned for you to leave before him. "And, you," he made sharp eye contact with Yoongi. "Delete her number."

You and Kwanho disappeared through the door and Yoongi locked his phone, placing it back in his pocket.

✦✧✦✧

Yoongi stayed in the studio after you left. It wasn't unusual for him to stay until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes, he would even sleep on the couch and get a few hours of sleep before continuing in the morning.

The deadline for your song didn't warrant such actions. Instead, he just sat in his studio and read back through his notes from the day. There were a few bits of your backing vocals from the day that he wanted to include on the final track, but the main vocal still needed work.

Thinking back over the day, he was surprised at how different you were from what he believed. You were soft-spoken, polite, and good to work with. You took direction well, but pushed back when Yoongi got too caught up in the production that he made a bad call about your voice.

Kwanho--on the other hand--wasn't the loyal manager you took advantage of. At least, not from what Yoongi had seen today. He'd heard others at the company say you deserved it for using your relationship to get special treatment. But something didn't feel right about the way your manager still held control over you.

✦✧✦✧

It rarely snowed in November in Seoul. Yet, as Yoongi stepped outside around midnight, he was met with cold, wet snow that soaked the ends of his hair. He walked towards his apartment that was only a few blocks away when his phone rang. It was you.

"Suga?" you asked, and Yoongi realized he hadn't even told you his real name.

"Yes," he said. "What's up? Did you get a good recording?"He heard sniffles on the other line and he stopped walking. "Y/N? What's wrong?"

"We fought after we left and I finally fired him. But now I have nothing," you said. "He took everything. My apartment, my money, everything. I was wondering if I could stay in your studio for the night until I can figure something out."

Yoongi looked up at the snow and felt it soaking through his clothes. "Where are you?"

"I'm outside the company building. I don't have my ID."

"I just left. I'm on my way."

✦✧✦✧

Yoongi handed you a cup of coffee. You wore his sweatshirt and a pair of his sweats. It felt a little embarrassing and you knew what the tabloids would think you were taking advantage of yet another at your company.

"I don't have creamer or anything, sorry," he said.

You smiled. "Suga doesn't have any sugar." You took a sip of coffee and felt his gaze on you. When you looked up, you saw him smiling at you and holding in his laughter until you met eyes.

"It's amazing that you can make jokes when your life is changing," he said.

"The lawyers will handle everything," you said. "Plus, what can I do now other than finish the song?"

There was a pause, but unlike when you were in meetings with the company executives, or when the silences between you and Kwanho led to explosions, it was content.

"I need to apologize to you, Y/N."

Your brow furrowed. "Why? You've been so nice to me."

"I judged you. I believed the press, too. Even up until yesterday, I believed you were entitled and the one taking advantage of Kwanho, not the other way around."

"There was no way you could've known, Suga. But I appreciate it."

"Yoongi," he said. "Call me, Yoongi."

✦✧✦✧

"What if we change the song?" Yoongi said, halfway through the next day when nothing was coming together like both of you wanted.

"What do you mean?"

"Instead of focusing on Last Christmas, what if we wrote a new version that focuses on how you've changed for the better."

"This Christmas?" you said, your voice rising in pitch.

"Actually, yes."

✦✧✦✧

BREAKING: Y/N RELEASES NEW CHRISTMAS SONG PRODUCED BY SUGA THAT DETAILS PAST RELATIONSHIP ABUSE

Today, Y/N released her first song following last year's Christmas Day scandal that revealed that she was dating her manager. She is due to have her first comeback stage later this month.

The song, "This Christmas" discusses how when the news broke that it had been an attempt to control her. Her ex-boyfriend and manager leaked the news himself to prevent the singer from breaking up with and firing him. It focuses on the strength this experience brought her.

Y/N and her ex-manager are currently involved in a lawsuit that alleges that her manager used his privileged position on her staff to access her bank accounts and important documents. He then used this access to steal from the singer and commit various other crimes against her. Additionally, Y/N has told other sources that she was frequently controlled and emotionally abused while in the relationship.

This new song has already performed well on the charts and shows a new side to Y/N and her music. Famed producer, Suga, produced the song and spoke out in support of Y/N. The two have since been seen together on multiple occasions following the release of the song. A new Christmas romance for Y/N?

[pokeexehasstoppedworking]

Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch5 Sponsorship

(Hey everyone I apologize for the late chapter. Also I should mention this story will contain my own headcannons about the backstories of some of the characters and info on the league cards and that the next chapter might be a lil late cuz of irl stuff.)

The trainers had arrived.

Professor Magnolia hummed in the middle of her trip to the kitchen as you and Leon watched from the couch. You both had a pretty good idea of who it was as the excited knocking continued when an answer didn't come from anyone instead. Eventually the professor answered.

"The door's open!," she shouted towards the door and you were impressed when she didn't flinch with how fast it flew open and in came the two children you both were waiting for. Hop and Gloria with excited smiles on their faces.

"PROFESSOR!," Hop greeted as he came right in and you blinked when Leon stood up from the couch and walked on over to stand next to the professor.

"Why, Hop dear," Ms. Magnolia greeted as he came up to her, "So these must be the new trainers Leon requested the starters for." She then turned to Gloria. "And this must be your friend, Gloria."

"And rival!" Gloria stood proudly which made the Professor chuckle.

"I see." Her eyes looked over to the bag on Hop's back, a few Pokeballs visible in a pocket on the side. "Oh? I see Wooloo has made some new friends. I trust you two received the pokedex from Sonia. I'm sure you'll have it complete in no time."

"Hey, Professor, do us a favor, would you?," Hop asked with a nervous face and the older woman turned back to him with a hum. OH BOY! You knew exactly where this would go. The professor would convince Leon into sponsoring the two for the Gym Challenge but not before he had them give a battle to convince him otherwise. "Help me convince Lee he should endorse us for the Gym Challenge!"

By now Leon had stood next to the professor as she hummed and turned her head to the Champion. "Oh Leon, why wouldn't you endorse them?"

Here it comes.

"Ehh." he sighed. Reaching a hand up to take off his hat and running his other through his long purple locks. "Hop and Gloria only just started out as pokemon trainers..." Both teens smiles dropped and they looked at one another. "There's still loads they don't know yet! Plus after today's little incident...Maybe they're not ready to take on something like this."

"BUT LEE!," Gloria interjected catching his attention. "You were younger than us when you first started out on your journey!"

"Yeah! And Sonia had to help you how many times?," Hop gestured to him like it was obvious.

Leon hummed with a frown. "Yeah, but I'm always hopeless with directions. I never went into Slumbering Weild at all, except to get you two out, but that's totally different then walking in intentionally."

"Now Lee," Ms. Magnolia looked at him. "It's in every young child's nature to make mistakes. It's all a part of growing up and becoming stronger. Dearie, I thought your dream was to have everyone in the Galar Region become strong trainers. Isn't that right?"

He hummed returning the hat back to his head. "Well...yeah. You're not wrong. That goal's precisely the reason I gave them both pokemon, in fact."

"Well then why don't you give them a chance to make mistakes and grow," she suggested as he still had that Skeptical frown. Leon hummed and looked back to the two. "You made plenty of mistakes too, Lee. Don't forget. You said so yourself."

"I know, I know." A hand came up to rub his chin. "And it does look like they caught a few pokemon by themselves." A small silence passed over them as you watched with a smile knowingly, and the two teens looked almost scared of his anwer....Before he sighed again. "Right then...In that case, how about this?" He held up a finger pointing. "Let's see if the two of you can show me such a brilliant battle that I'm left no choice but to endorse you. If I think you two have a good enough fighting chance then the endorsement's all yours."

"YES!!," both teens cheered with Hop doing an arm pump but it was enough for Leon to smile at them.

"And don't worry. I'll make sure both your teams are in good shape before the battle starts." He paused and looked out the window for a moment. "....It's been almost the entire day...We better go outside and get started if you two are going to be back home before dark too."

"RIGHT! I'll be waiting outside, Glory!" And again Hop dashed away

"HEY WAIT!! NO FAIR!!" She frowned and ran after him with Leon chuckling.

"Hurry it up, Glor! You've gotta battle me so I can get myself that endorsement!," his voice echoed back outside.

"Ah those two. I don't think I had that much energy even when I was their age." You got up Sobble chittering as the professor chuckled and started towards the door, cane thumping against the floor. As you two followed her out.

Leon sighed. "Yeah. Well I better get out there. If something goes wrong they'll need some help and someone needs to watch the battle they put on."

The three of you piled outside, you two slowly going out after the professor and finding the two teens already at the battle court a lil ways from the purple house pokemon already out and ready to go and you blinked. Oh. Looks like they did get some new pokemon.

"ALRIGHT!," Leon called side stepping past the professor fast and quickly walking towards the two, catching their attention. "Listen you two! The reason I'm unbeatable is because I learn from every battle I see or take part in. That's how I've gotten to where I am today. So show me something good in this battle!" He finally made it to the middle of the court and looked between the two for a moment. "Ok! The same rules of your first battle will apply to here as well. The first one to become unconcious or knocked out of bounds loses!"

"I'm interested in seeing how you two young trainers battle, too." Leon looked over as the you and the Professor stepped beside him and she finally made it to watch with a smile. "Now remember to give it everything you got. That's the best thing you can do for your pokemon and for yourselves, too."

"Good luck you two!," you added with a wave Sobble chirping in agreement.

"I'm going to become the greatest pokemon trainer there is!," Hop declared, Wooloo baaing in total agreement with him on the field, "And to do that I need that endorsement to take part in the Gym Challenge!" He pointed straight to Gloria. "Come at me with everything you have so we can prove to Lee that we've got what it takes!"

Gloria huffed hands on her hips. You figured by now that would probably be her default pose like Hop's was that couched fist pumped one. Not that you judged. "HA! If you want a show you've come to the right person then!" She pointed back. "Guess you'll be tasting my victory again!"

"We'll see about that, Glory! IT'S TIME FOR MY LEGEND TO BEGIN!," he shouted pointed out to the field challenging, "LET'S GO, WOOLOO!!" The sheep pokemon baaed out challenging to Gloria's...bird pokemon?? You didn't recognize it. "Have you gotten a bit stronger?"

Gloria hummed. "I'd say so. I wouldn't have this new pal here if I hadn't! What do you think?!"

"I think me and my test will put you to the test and see!"

"OH YEAH! WELL IN THAT CASE! ROOKIDEE USE HONE CLAWS!!," Gloria barked an order to the small bird pokemon and you guessed that the pokemon was a Rookidee. The small pokemon gave a tweeting noise and jumped in air, and you had to blinked when all of a sudden there was a dazzle of bright white light in the shape of slash marks. You blinked and....nothing happened. The wooloo was still in the standing position. What was all that about?

"You're confused?" You snapped to the professor as she smiled seeing your confused expression. "Hone Claws is a move that allows Rookidee's accuracy and attack to rise for their next attack. A smart or dumb move depends on what Hop does."

"WOOLOO USE TACKLE!!" The wooloo followed it's master's orders and quickly rolled into a ball and headed straight for them. You were surprised when Gloria made no move to stop it as her Rookidee remained standing as the wooloo was about to hit- The Rookidee was knocked back a few feet from the Wooloos tackle with a chirp and Gloria still did nothing.

"USE HONE CLAWS AGAIN!!," she ordered and this time you turned your head from the bright white attack reflecting the sun's light.

"HA! Didn't you see the first time that Hone Claws didn't work, Glory? USE TACKLE AGAIN!!" Hop taunted before ordering another assault. Again the same thing repeated with Gloria doing absolutely nothing and letting the rookidee be hit away a few more feet. Two or three more hits and Gloria would be ove-

Your eyes widened, Hop's question replaying in your mind. Head snapping to Gloria who remained unmoved. 'Didn't you see the first time that Hone Claws didn't work, Glory?'....Hop had no idea what Hone Claws really did did he!? You looked at Gloria who still did nothing as her pokemon shook it's head. That sneaky gal! She knew exactly what she was doing and so did you! Gloria was buying time for Rookidee's power to rise enough before delivering a powerful attack raised from the two hone claws attacks! Hop had no idea what was about to come his way!

"USE TACKLE TO YOUR MAX STRENGTH!! KNOCK'EM OUT!!," Hop ordered and the wooloo obeyed. Rolling fiercely towards Gloria's Rookidee as she did nothing to stop the upcoming hit-

"PECK!" It all happened so fast you could barely register it, didn't help it happened at such close range too. As soon as the wooloo was just barely a foot away from it, Gloria quickly ordered a ..Peck, and a direct power hit was delivered right to the wooloo's front in a grey cone shaped blur. Which resulted in a loud baa from the wooloo and it was knocked backwards. Rolling head over heels over and over again until it landed on it's side and slide the rest of the way before Hop's feet.

"WOOLOO!!" He cried almost horrified and dropped to his knees before the pokemon and reaching his hands out towards the spiraled eyed pokemon.

"Wooloo's unable to battle!," Leon shouted pointing to Gloria, "Gloria wins the first round!"

You felt sorry for Hop as he looked really down as he stood back up and took out a pokeball to you assume to put his wooloo in, but you had to wonder...Wasn't wooloo already still tired from their first battle earlier that day?? And from running around to try and catch some wild pokemon before they got here? Gloria probably would've beaten Hop anyways if he had no idea about Hone Claws but this world was a bit different from your game play or any game you could remember. This was a live battle you were witnessing, so of course it'd be more intense. Hop eventually did return the wooloo and pulled out another ball soon after.

"Alright then! Time to shine!," he shouted throwing out the next pokeball. What you weren't expecting was his Grookey to pop out in a flash of bright light. ...Wouldn't grookey be tired as well? Since Hop only had two pokemon he used, it made since he could only use the two he had for the previous battle and pokemon catching, so both might've been more exhausted.

"Are you going to switch your Rookidee, Gloria?," Leon asked looking to her but she shook her head.

"Nah! I'll stick with the one I got, Lee."

He nodded. "Alright! ROUND TWO GO!!"

"YOU WON'T GET THE BEST OF ME THIS TIME!! NOW THAT I KNOW YOUR TRICK!!," Hop shouted at Gloria frowning and pointing towards the rookidee, "GROOKEY USE SCRATCH-"

"PECK!!", Gloria ordered back quickly and..Well you guessed your suspicions were right dead on...because the Grookey wasn't fast enough to dodge the upcoming fast flying attack. You weren't sure if it was a factor of Hop's pokemon being tired or Gloria's rookidee being still hyped up from Hone Claws (or maybe a lil bit of both who knows?), but the grookey was struck in mid air midscratch and tumbled to the ground in a one hit K.O., Hop letting out a startled cry as his grookey was taken down.

The tention was cut by a flutter of Leon's cape and his hand pointing out to Gloria. "MATCH! Grookey's unable to battle! Victory goes to Gloria again!"

You knew it was probably in the gameplay for Gloria to win, so technically you shouldn't intervene or really feel bad about this, because if everything went according to the game, that meant you could go home or wake up from this weird dream you having but-...Hop returned his grookey back into the pokeball with a frown and disappointed look and you frowned too. You couldn't help but feel bad for him losing like this. Dream or not Hop seemed to show real emotion and you felt bad for knowing what was going to happen.

Hop looked glumly to the pokeball in his hand for a moment, before closing his eyes and you supposed, took a breath. Before snapping back up with a smile. "Well, Look at you! Seems you've really learned your type matchups!" He suddenly held up a pokeball. "How's about best two outta three rounds?"

"Sure! Why not!? After all I already won two outta 'em!"

"Yeah? Well I bet you weren't expecting THIS!" He tossed out another pokeball, or you assumed another, they all looked the same to you, and out with a flash of light came a ...Rookidee. Just like Gloria's. "It'll be a close one, but that's exactly my sort of match!"

Your eyes widened a bit. Oh wow. You weren't expecting that for sure. Leon also seemed to be interested as he looked back to Gloria. "Do you want to switch out your pokemon before the final match, Glory?"

After a moment of staring she shook her head. "Nah. I think I'll stick with rookidee and battle it out."

Leon nodded. "Alright! Final match! Ready you two!? BEGIN!!"

"ALRIGHT! TIME TO START THIS OFF WITH HONE CLAWS SINCE THAT WORKED SO GOOD FOR YOU GLOR!!" Hop pointed and in another flash of bright white light that made you blink as the rookidee flew up and gave the same slice attack to the air Gloria's rookidee did from earlier.

"ALRIGHT THEN! LET'S DO THE SAME SHALL WE?! ROOKIDEE HONE CLAWS!," Gloria ordered smiling and the bird pokemon did the same attack from before.

"USE PECK!!" And you all watched as Hop's rookidee honed it's peck ability and with a flap through the air they dove right towards the other rookidee before them.

"DODGE IT!!" You guessed Hop wasn't expecting Gloria to actually dodge the attack and instead use another move based off the Hone Claws attack she ordered from earlier. But with a quick blur, Gloria's Rookidee barely dodged out of the way, but somehow completely missing the attack and then it happened. You had guessed that Hop's rookidee was going too fast to pull up in time as it flew down at gloria's at a downwards strike. Because with a crash and sound that made you and your sobble cringe, the poor rookidee smashed into the pavement battle field as Gloria's rookidee flapped it's wings and fell over, from there the lot of you watched as the poor pokemon continued to roll head over heels unable to stop itself as it rolled towards Gloria who quickly lifted up her leg as to avoid the pokemon who rolled off the field and onto the grassy area behind her. Everyone stood there in silence watching the now still pokemon as it laid there for a moment before it let out a small chirp and managed to lift it's head up just a bit. Not knocked out but probably not able to battle.

"ROOKIDEE!!," Hop shouted in worry leaving his place and running over from his spot startling Gloria's pokemon and as soon as he got close enough, dropped to his knees in front of the tweeting pokemon. Hands hovering over the pokemon. "IM SO SORRY! ARE YOU OK?!" He jumped and looked up as Gloria grabbed his shoulder and gave an apologetic look.

"Match over!," Leon called jogging his way over to them, humming at the sight of the rookidee, "Well...Wasn't certainly expecting that of all things. Hop, put your pokemon back in it's ball. We'll have Nurse Joy at the center take a look at your pokemon on the way home."

Hop immediatly did as Leon suggested and quickly returned the rookidee back into it's pokeball before standing up as you and Professor Magnolia slowly walked towards them. Hop sighed and reached a hand up to rub his head letting his other arm flop to his side. "Man, oof. Gutted that I lost..." He turned to Gloria with a sad smile. "But I'd expect nothing less from my rival! And I even got my pokeball throw perfect, too."

"I'm sorry, Hop," Gloria apologized gently grabbing his arm as he blinked, "I didn't think that'd happen to your poor rookidee. I promise next time I'll try not to let that happen."

Hop quickly looked away clearing his throat and shrugging. "I-It's fine. That's how it is in the real world. The sting of defeat and joy of victory. I guess going through both is the key to the two of us getting stronger, r-right?"

"Gloria. Hop." Both looked back up as Leon smiled down proud at them. "I'm really glad you see it that way. I'm proud you learnt a good lesson from all this. And that being said...Well." He crossed his arms proudly. "After seeing you learn, and after seeing a match like that I suppose I've little choice but to give you both an endorsement as Champion!"

By the way their faces went from smiling to shocked, with their mouths literally dropped open, you would've thought they'd seen a ghost or something, and you couldn't help but giggle at that. Especially when they gasped upon seeing Leon reach behind him and pull out two small envelopes from behind his cape, each one having a small red wax seal on them. Leon proudly held them out to the children and you could see Gloria do her best as to not freak out.

"SHUT. UP. REALLY!? OMG!!" She yelled starry eyed and grabbing the letter from him like it was a teenage girl's first phone. "BEST! DAY! EVER!!"

"YES!" Hop jumped holding the letter up. "Thanks, Lee! I swear I'm going to win my way through the Gym Challenge to reach you!," Hop promised.

Leon laughed happily in return looking proud, and it was a smile which was contagious as you smiled. "You may both still be young, and plenty rough around the edges, but it was a proper battle. Charizard and I were both feeling the excitement in every last cell in our bodies!"...His smile wavered just a bit as he hummed. "But if I can offer some advice after seeing you two duke it out there." He turned to Hop. "You seem to panic a little bit there and your pokemon were tired. My suggestion would be to find the good and bad line between the phrase 'pushing your limits'." Hop paused for a moment..before frow- "Hop, you've always tended to get caught up in things like how you throw your poke ball out..Things that have nothing to do with real strength." He explained softly, "Honestly, I'd been worried about you still obsessing over that sort of nonsense, but it seems you really have grown a bit, Little Brother!" His smile came back and Hop blinked wide eyed before Leon turned to Gloria who froze under Leon's stare. "And I'd like to see more thrilling pokemon battles out of you too, Gloria...But a word of caution. It's obvious where Hop lacks in battle strategics you have impressive moves, but don't get too over confident. There's a fine line between confident and cocky. You two will be going head to head with other FAR MORE EXPERIENCED pokemon trainers and Gym Leaders who's going to have more tricks, more know how, and more success. But always remember practice makes perfect. You two practice and work on your weaknesses and soon you'll be heading towards battling me in no time!"

The smiles came back to both teens once again and you sighed. Well that could've gone much worse, but you were glad that at least things were starting to go as it was supposed to of course, but you had to wrack your brain and try to remember as much of this game as you could! If not for your sake, then the two kids here. The last thing you wanted was something like Gloria sneaking into Slumbering Weild again.

"Alright, Glory!" Hop flashed his friend a confident smile thrusting the letter at her. "You and me are going to train up against one another to aim for that Champion title!! It's like Lee said! The more we keep battling against one another the more our pokemon will grow!"

"You're on, Hoppity! Can't wait for our rematch then!"

Both kids laughed and you smiled even mor- You winced when your sobble suddenly chirped in your ear and turned around on your shoulder suddenly. "Ow! Hey! What's wrong?" You asked as you turned to the pokemon on your shoulder but it's body was half blocking your view as it looked up towards the sky. So you could only see his blue body, but it caught the attention of every other person there as they looked up and saw the shining light with a red trail leading behind it.

"Huh?! HEY! Look there!," Hop shouted pointing a hand towards the sky at it, "What's that!?"

"I don't know but it's coming right for us!"

Everyone watched and you eventually got Sobble's tail off your face just in time to see two sparkles land on the ground a little ways from the Professor's lake. The two teens already making a dash for the shiny objects and of course you fo-...You paused....Wait. Something was coming back to you now...OF COURSE!! THE WISHING STONES!...THINGS! In the game the player used those stones to make their pokemon gigantic! Or dynamax as everyone in this world called it. Looks like you were starting to remember a bit more about all this. In the meantime, Hop had picked up the shiny stones into his hands and gave them a wide eyed look upon realizing what it was.

"Gloria! Would you look at this!?" He smiled widely and turned with excitement plastered all over his face. Gemstones shining brightly in the sunlight. "They're wishing stars!"

"NO WAY!!" Her blue eyes widened looking at them like she had never seen something more beautiful in her life. "THAT'S SO COOL!!"

"Since there's two of them, you should take one yourself!" Hop held one hand out to her and she squealed in ecitement instantly.

"Wishing stones?," you repeated under your breath and apparently the professor heard you because you jumped as she spoke.

"A Wishing Stone is a stone found in the Galar Region with a mysterious power to dynamax a trainer's pokemon. It's said that your dreams will come true if you find one." She smiled at the two exited teens. "And it looks like you two are about to have a lot of luck indeed."

"With one of these, my pokemon can dynamax! They're gonna be massive!" He thrusted the stone into the air as Gloria was still cooing over the shiny stone in her hands, turning it this way and that, inspecting it as carefully as a detective would a case. "YES!!

Which made Leon give a good natured laugh and put his hands to his hips as his little brother looked to him excitedly. "It's a lucky day for everyone here then! Trust you to pull something like this." He nodded towards the stone in his hand. "They say wishing stars fall down for those who have a true wish in their heart, you know." Which made Hop's eyes widen even more.

"REALLY!? Well if that's the case!" He thrusted the gem towards the three adults(you being one of them), "I will be the greatest trainer ever! I will be the greatest trainer EVER!! I WILL BE THE GREATEST TRAINER EVER!!" He shouted out and it made you giggle along with Leon and the sobble on your shoulder giving Hop a scowl from the loud volume. "There! I've said it three times, so surely my wish will come true now, right?" He asked glancing to Leon for confirmation.

"Hop! The three wish thing are genies with the lamps. Not wishing on stars," Gloria said raising a brow at him.

Beside you the professor chuckled, sighed, and shook her head in that order. "Don't be silly, Hop." The boy looked to her as she explained and pointed to the stones in their hands. "Those Wishing Stars are composed of a curious sort of soft containing unknown power. They are one of the most precious resources we have here in the Galar Region." She hummed. "But they won't do a thing for you in that state. Give them to me now, and I'll have you sorted." She gently held out her hand to the kids and Gloria didn't hesitate to give the professor her shiny stone-

"Ah, right. You've done heaps of research on the Dynamax Phenomenon, haven't you, Professor?," Hop asked excitedly but continued before she could even answer. "Then please! Give Gloria and me the power to dynamax our pokemon!"

Gloria held up a hand. "Hop. You didn't even give-"

"First we got to battle the mad pokemon in the Slumering Weild, and now this!" No on noticed the bright orange haired woman walking over from up the dirt pathway. "It really feels like we're getting caught up in the adventure of a lifetime-

"HOP!!" Gloria shouted at him with a scowl startling the boy with a jump as he blinked to her. "You can't dynamax anything if you don't give the Professor the Wishing Star."

.......He blinked. "O-OH! RIGHT! SORRY!"

The professor still smiled kindly as Hop dropped his own stone into her hand beside Gloria's and she pulled her hand back having them. "I do understand your excitement, young man, but don't get carried away. You want to save your energy for the day after tomorrow's journey."

"Seems I came back home in time for all the excitement!," a lady's voice cut through the air and everyone turned to see Sonia just a little ways from the battle court smiling at them. Yapper at her heels panting and barking in agreement to whatever she said. Before she shook her head and started to walk over towards you lot.

"HEY! Sonia! You just missed all the fun!" Leon smiled and jabbed a finger behind him towards the children. "I just got the honors of not only being the Champion Referee, but being the sponsor for two amazing young Gym Challenge Trainers!" He then gestured towards the Professor. "And then even got some Wishing Stars the Professor's gonna make into Dynamax Bands."

"Wishing Stars? You don't say," She smiled glancing to her Grandmother for a moment and shook her head before crossing her arms, "Well I'm sorry if I missed all the action, but if you forget someone had to resecure the gate leading to the Slumbering Wield."

Both children instantly froze...before Hop cleared his throat and looked away with a hand rubbing his neck, and Gloria whistled while also looking away. Riiiight. Totally not suspicious looking in the slightest. And it made you chuckle again at the childish behavior before shaking your head and looking up towards the sky. This world's sun was setting and you had to reach a hand up to block out the harsh light to your eyes. The sky was starting to fade a pinkish purple color and you knew for a fact it would soon give away to the dark black of night. Leon seemed to have noticed you looking to the horizon and so turned his head to to look at the slowly setting sun. You glanced at him from the corner of your eye. The taller man smiling, and the light reflecting in his eyes enhancing the gold coloring and for a lil bit making it look like he had cold coins for eyes. And you couldn't help but watch-

"Hm..Getting kinda late...Hey, you lot, why not have some dinner?," Sonia suggested pointing a finger, "You must be hungry, right? I've been totally obsessed with making the latest trendy curries."

At the promise of food your stomach grumbled a bit and you were thankful for the hopeful gasping of the teens at the promise of Sonia's famous food Leon always talked about..but the Champion shook his head before turning back to Sonia. "Sorry, Sonia. As much as I would ADORE to have your curry, I promised Ma and Mrs. G I'd get the kids back home safely. And it's getting pretty late. If we want to get back by dark we'll have to leave now."

Sonia frowned a bit but nodded in understanding. "I can understand that. Want me to walk back with you guys." She smirked playfully. "Wouldn't want you somehow ending on top of a barn again."

"OH COME ON! It was one time!"

Sonia giggled and you decided to speak up. "It's alright. I can make sure he doesn't wonder off anywhere."

"Oh come on, Y/N! Not you too!"

Everyone shared a chuckle and it was decided you lot would head home for the night, bidding good bye to the Professor and starting on your way as the sun had set for the night. But not before the Professor told Hop and Gloria to come back tomorrow morning and get their new dynamax bands for them to use on their journies very soon. The walk back to their homes was pretty uneventful, the sky got slowly darker and the two children were excitedly pointing out pokemon you could make out in the darkness with their glowing eyes. It was when you four were passing by the town's Pokemon Center is when he and Hop turned to go towards it, but not before Leon turned towards you.

"This is where I'll leave you two for the night," he explained while gesturing towards the center and Hop waiting for him, "I promised Hop we'd fix his team up before we got home."

"Are you sure you won't get lost going home? No offense," you asked him raising a brow and he nodded,

"Yeah. Hop can make sure I get there good enough, and if not I can always have Charizard fly us back home. What about you? Do you and Gloria wanna wait so I can walk you guys back?"

You thought for a moment tempted by the offer but seeing Gloria yawn and how dark it was, you held up a hand. "I think we'll be fine the rest of the way. I don't think I'd want Gloria's Mum to worry about her when it's gettin' dark. And I think I'm pretty tired too."

"I can understand that. You two have a safe trip back."

You nodded Gloria and you bidding the two brothers fair well, before walking the rest of the way home in setting light, Gloria excitedly telling you her captures of a wild Rookidee and Yamper earlier. By the time you both got to her house and inside it was dark, and Gloria's mother was already waiting for you two with dinner. Salads but you weren't surprised with her being a farmer and all in a farming community like Postwick, and you were hungry anyways so you gladly accepted the food offered to you and let Gloria ramble on about her day to her mother fishing out and flashing the official letter to her mother and on and on. She was real excited wasn't she? It was like a blur as you did the nightly routine of taking another shower and later curling back up on the couch with your Sobble curled up against you like a cat would, and you wondered briefly is Sobble was cold blooded and that's why it did it before dozing off for the night.....You know. You think you'd wake up from whatever dream this world was by now and just be on your way to college late in the morning....But no. Again you woke up but this time it was because of the smell of food in the air and your stomach grumbled for you to get up and eat. The sobble groggily chirping in surprise from you accidentally knocking him off the bed as you rose up rubbing at your eyes and your f/c hair all a mess in a bedhead. It smelt like more eggs. You were just blinking around tiredly, sighing at the sight of Gloria's living room when the smell became stronger. Whelp. Looks like you were still stuck here for the time being.

"Good Morning. I was wondering when you were going to wake up." You blinked your sluggish body over and standing there was Gloria's Mum, a plate with an omelet on it. Oh. Well that explained the egg smell at least. She put it down on the coffee table in front of you as you began to fully wake up. "I trust you had a good sleep last night."

"Y-Yeah. *YYAAAWWWNN* Thanks," you mumbled reaching for the food. "What time is it?"

"It's about ten in the morning. Gloria left with Hop a while ago. They said they wanted to try and catch some more pokemon and battle some of the neighborhood kids before they leave tomorrow for the Opening Ceremony, but after all you did yesterday for them I told her to let you rest further."

....OH! That's right! In the game your journey truely begins when the player and Hop leave for the opening ceremony in ..Motostoke you think?? To officially register into the Gym Challenge. So you nodded. "Oh. Yeah. Thanks."

You sat there and ate the omlet for a bit, your Sobble climbing back up onto the couch with a small frown from being tossed over and gave you a chirp to let you know about it. Oops. You should probably remember to not knock him off again. After eating you did what you usually did around here and grabbed your things to go change in the bathroom. During the time you were in there, you didn't here the doorbell ring or see Gloria's Mum happily let in the man on the other side, so it was a surprise when you opened the door all dressed and found Leon sitting on the couch who smiled and stood upon seeing you slinging the backpack holding your pjs in it on your shoulder.

You blinked surprised at the Champion waiting for you. "Leon. What are you doing here?"

"Hey, Y/n!" He greeted giving a smile. "I decided to swing by before I head back."

"Back? You mean you're leaving now?"

To confirm your question he nodded again. " Yeah! But I didn't catch the morning train, got lost in the dark hours of the sun rise and somehow ended up circling my way back in front of my own house." He gave a sheepish chuckle and one hand came up to rub his head. "Not sure if I should consider myself lucky or not, but now I have to wait for the afternoon train at Twelve."

You rolled your eyes but smiled. Yep! That was definately something Leon would totally do, game canon or not. You shook your head before looking back to him, not minding the Sobble who jumped onto your overalls and started climbing up you like a cat would. "Are you looking for Gloria? Her Mom said she left I think."

"Actually I was looking for you!"

That certainly caught you offguard as you blinked and your Sobble finally managed to flop itself over your shoulder as you blinked and pointed to yourself, "Me? Why?"

He looked over for a moment still rubbing his head nervously before closing his eyes and sighing. "Y/n...Never in a million years did I think Hop or Gloria would think taking off into Slumbering Weild would be a great idea, and honestly..That place is so unexplored and full of dangers I wouldn't be even caught lost in there." He looked back up to you. "Those two could've gotten seriously lost or...well I don't want to think about what could've been worse. I don't know how you figured out how they were in there, but that was some quick thinking on your part. As Champion I should thank you for your efforts, but as a big brother I could never thank you enough. But I'd like to try." He smiled real widely at you with that goofy grin you always saw.

You stood there for a moment brain processing what he said, before asking, "Huh?"

He chuckled at your reaction to him. "You lost all your stuff being chased by those wild corvinight right?" He gestured towards the door. "There's a local market and clothes store just across from the Pokemon Center in town. If you're going to be traveling all over the place with Gloria then you're going to need your own seperate stash of clothes and food to sustain yourself. I can help in that department."

You stared......Was...W-Was Leon offering to BUY you new clothes?? Your brain finally clicked back to normal and you instantly shook your head holding up your hands. "N-No! I couldn't ask you to do that!"

"And have you travel around Galar with no supplies at all?"

That made you pause. You didn't really have any suppiles did you?.....Literally nothing but the clothes on your back, a back pack, and one pokeball for the sobble on your shoulder. And now that he mentioned traveling with barely anything-.....You were REALLY under prepared and hadn't even thought of that! No food, barely any clothes, and overall no money at all to buy things with. So in much easier terms, you were absolutely hopelessly broke. BUT Leon was offering to pay for anything you needed- NO! You shook your head. You only helped out because you knew someone would be in danger and you knew the things had to progress in game if you wanted to get home. It'd be wrong to accept money just because you helped him out....But then again you still had nothing, and it'd be better not just for you but for Gloria too if you guys needed supplies for two people traveling around a giant region for who knows how long. Plus Leon is THE Galar Region Champion! He's the most popular person in all of Galar with millions of fans. Logically he'd probably have cash to spare for the supplies and not put a dent in any of his paychecks and you DID need the supplies. So technically he'd be helping out Gloria as well as endorsing her too if she insisted on having you come along.

"I mean-.." You started raising a brow. "Are you sure? I really don't mind and you don't have too!"

"If I didn't I wouldn't have offered, Y/n!" He gave a smile and again gestured towards the door. "Plus..I could use someone to help make sure I didn't get lost on the way there again. I wouldn't want to loop in front of my house again."

Well....Considering all the factors and that he was totally willing- "I mean....Sure! Ok!" You nodded and smiled. "I'm gonna need some supplies if I'm going to be traveling I guess. And since you're offering I guess I can't say no. Oof!"

That earned you a friendly pat to the shoulder from Leon as he smiled. "That's the spirit! Mrs. G won't mind if we leave now. She's already busy anyways."

You nodded in understanding and when he gestured for the two of you to leave again, you walked your way over to the door, Leon being the polite gentleman he was opening the door for you as you stepped out back into the world and the two of you were off. Walking down the road and passing all the normal things you all had done previously on your way towards the Center, which was pretty easy to spot as it was bright pink. And again people awed and waved at Leon as he smiled and waved back. At one point stopping and agreeing to take a picture with a young boy who couldn't have been much older than five or six as his presumed mother took his picture, before thanking Leon and allowing the two of you to continue on they're way. The smells of flowers and veggitation was in the air. You didn't see Hop or Gloria on your way there though despite being out catching more pokemon. You just hoped they didn't decide on going back into Slumbering Weild again. Once you two got to about the center, Leon turned to you and gestured for you to follow him to the left past as a couple od eldery ladies walked past the both of you, both giving Leon a 'WOW!' kinda look. The building he led you too was a brick building with a green and white striped onning over the doorway and a sign above it reading 'Postwick General Store'. In front of the store was a couple crates of you assumed crops the local farmers produced.

"There it is!," Leon explained to you walking towards it as you two got close to it. "Should have everything one needs if they're going on a journey. It's where I got my supplies for my journey long ago, so it should have everything you two need." He assured as you two finally got near it. Once again reaching out and opening the door for you, a small bell going off above you, to which you thanked him and walked in. The inside was cool, and it ...looked exactly like a regular convenience store with a bunch of shelves with things labeled with prices and a few freezers stuffed with more foods. "See? What'd I tell ya?!"

Before you could say anything a different voice caught your attention. "Well, Well. As I live in breath." Both of you looked over to a counter and a middle aged man with dark brown hair and mustache smiled from behind the register. "If it isn't little Leon the champion, eh? Last time I saw you, you weren't much bigger than a beanpole. Now what pleasure does this old soul have to have you walking in here?"

The purple haired man happily waved to him. "Hey, Mr. Frederick! Long time no see!" He happily patted your shoulder. "My friend here needs some supplies, and being the best store in Galar, I thought you would have just the things we needed!"

The old man laughed and nodded smiling. "Well you ain't wrong! Look 'round and see if there's anything to your liking."

That was enough signal for Leon to grab onto one of those convenience store baskets and nod towards the food on the shelves. "C'mon. We'll want to find non perishable foods that'll last longer for long trips! So they should be in-..." He gaze the aisles a look..and rose a brow. "Uh.."

"In the last aisle to the left," the older man corrected him.

Leon pointed to the left. "What he said! I remember now!" You chuckled at him, but he seemed to ignore them as he walked over and you followed. Taking a look at the aisles they seemed to stacked with the regular food you'd find in stores like back where you came from, and the aisle you guys went too could have what could only describe as camping foods. All packed away in plastic wrap and such so well they looked like a hiker's paradise. Especially when Leon hummed at what was available. "I guess a couple trainers already been here. Usually there's a whole lot of this available. But y'know what, that's perfectly fine." You watched curious as he just started grabbing a ...lot more than what you were expecting as he started just grabbing handfulls of packages from the shelves before you. "You can never go wrong with lots of rice and sausages."

"Uh..." You raised a hand.

''There's also plenty of pasta and salad mixes too," he mumbled to himself grabbing more handfulls of plastic wrapped packages of instant foods, "I think you'll like the moomoo cheese here. I used to use these a lot as cheese usually lasted a long time, like these bean tins here. Although steer clear of the pungent root. It's edible but has a strange smell too it. Coconut milk is also good to have on hand, canned moomoo milk is always good-"

"Leon," you intrrupted his rambling as he hummed and looked to you. And you pointed to the now almost overflowing basket, "Isn't that u....a lil much for two people?"

He looked confused for a moment, before looking to the basket and seeming to get it. "OH! Nonono. I was grabbing some for Hop as well. ....I...probably should've mentioned that before we got here I guess, but it slipped my mind." He gave an embarrassed smile. "Sorry about that."

"It's alright." You assured him as he turned. "I think that's really nice of you to help us like this anyways."

"Well, a journey is never easy and if I can make it easier for him I will." Well you couldn't argue with that. By the time you two had walked out of there, Leon was holding two bags and you were holding one after helping to seperate them between the three of you (three of you meaning You, Hop, and Gloria of course) after paying the man with what must've been this world's version of a credit card, and you once again started following him after he turned to you once out of the store and said, "Follow me!" He nodded ahead of you and there was something you recognized. It was the clothing shop you'd encounter in the beginning of the game. It looked fancy compared to other buildings in town, with manniquens wearing clothes in the window, Sign above reading 'Cothes Mart'. "We can grab you two or three outfits in there and that should be that." He paused...before grunting and turning back over his shoulder. "Oh no."

you stopped and looked at him, before glancing at your sobble, then back to Leon again. "What?"

He stared at the pokemon center. "I forgot to stop by the center for something." He turned back to you. "And I have limited time...Here! How's this? Go inside there-" he nodded to the store. "And ask for Martha, she's the lady that owns the store. She knows my mom since she shops here all the time. Tell her that I sent you and to put it on my mom's tab, I'll digit my mum the money to pay for yours!"

You gave him a deadpanned look. "Leon, no offense, but wouldn't that just look like I'm trying to bum off you? If anyone could do that, then it probably would've happened a lot more with you in a lot of identity theft."

"Oh yeah! Tell her 'I got lost on a barn's roof!' That's the code I set up with her after one of my getting lost sprees. Hehe," he gave a nervous chuckle and you couldn't help but roll your eyes. How could anyone get lost and end up on top of a barn? Only Leon you supposed.

You nodded. "Alright. Won't you get lost? No offense."

"None taken. Ill wait for you outside the Center, just be sure to make it quick. I don't think I'd want to miss my second train of the day."

You nodded before the two of you parted ways, you going towards the building, semi heavy bag of foods in your hands towards the double glass doors. Once you reached the door open, a small bell went off and you stood in aw at the fancier looking store than the previous general store. There was....a LOT more included in here than you remembered in game. Much more clothes racks. Much more shoes on shelves. Much more bags. And MUCH more shelves of clothing.

"Good Afternoon, Young Lady." The lady's voice spooked you enough to make you jump, nearly knocking the chirping sobble off your shoulders as you turned to a middle aged dark brow haired lady who looked about the same age as Gloria's Mom as she smiled at you cheerfully. "Welcome to Clothes Mart. Feel free to ask for help if you need anything."

"Uh...." You blinked before clearing your throat. "Y-Yeah?....Martha?" You asked hesitating before pointing at her and she nodded.

"That's me! How can I provide you excellent service today?"

....You looked around a little bit before walking up to her, a few other ladies and young girls were looking at the clothing, this Martha raising a brow as you approuched. Eyeing the others around you before clearing your throat and looking back to the slightly confused lady with uncertainty. "Uh...I got lost on a barn's roof?"

She still looked confused for a moment before her face instantly went from confused to overjoyed like a person had waved a full stack of a million dollars in front of her face. "OH! Of course. Would make sense since the Champion is in town." You sighed relieved as she stood from her place behind the counter with a smile. "Although I wasn't expecting Leon's cute country gal coming in.~ And just in time by the looks of it." She gave a critisising eye over the overalls and green gum boots you wore.

It took a moment for you to register what she had said, and your Sobble gave this Martha lady a scowl as she looked you over. ...And you instantly held up your hands, red faced. "WHA- OH NO!! DEFINATELY NOT! I'M NOT-..HE'S...W-Were just..Friends." Well...You couldn't say exactly that you guys were friends since you've only know him a total of what...two or three days at most outside of a video game. But it was the only thing you could think of to call this.

She paused to look at you for a moment but shrugged. "Small mistake. Any friend of Leon's is a customer of mine." You lightly scowled at her as she smiled and sat back down. "Do let me know when you're finished, Ma'am. And don't be afraid to ask for assistance!"

"R-Right. Ok." You quickly shuffled away shaking your head from the encounter and looking at the Sobble. "Can you believe that?" The Sobble chirped and nodded in agreement with your statement and you couldnt agree more. "My thoughts exactly."

It didn't take long for you to pick out just a few shirts,two black with a pink pikachu and green eevee, and a blue one with an arcanine, and some plain black sweats to go with them. A pair of really good sneakers, a plain blue dress you thought was nice, and a jacket. Before you realized that it'd be impossible to carry it all with your small old backpack. Probably why Victor didn't want to take it in the first place you thought, but managed to find a rather large grey plaid rucksack, it was perfect with it's multiple pockets and size. You were quick to try and check them all out as this Martha lady wanted to chat but you didn't feel so talkative after the way she seemed to judge you with her eyes and quickly just left as fast as you could after she had apparently finished punching everything into someone's online tab she kept and wishing you a "Champion Time, with your 'Friend'!" and to "Stop by anytime!". Man you couldn't walk out faster and get outside holding the heavy bags of clothes and food you had gotten. Thank goodness because you surely just wanted to get back to Leon and help him back to the train station. Just your luck too as you walked past the Postwick's general store and towards the center, you managed to catch sight of Leon. He was leaning down and signing a small girl's book while her assumed mother watched.

"LEON!!," you called out and he looked up smiling at you waving a hand, one of the bags hanging from your wrist.

He waved a hand back, finished signing whatever the excited young girl was holding out to him before nodding to her and her mom before picking up his two large bags and walking towards you as you continued to walk towards him. "Hey!" He greeted once he was close enough smiling. Glancing at the new backpack on your back and the new bag in your hands. "I see you got some new kicks! Good! Sorry I took so long, but I got a lil caught up as you could see."

You smiled rolling your eyes, "I know. And it's fine....Are you sure about all this stuff tho? It's really no big deal-"

"Exactly!" He stated with a wink. "It's no big deal to me either, and I'm not bothered in the least." He gave that wide champion grin. "I make it a habit to use my position for as much good as possible, especially now with the power crisis." He turned to walk back down the road towards the train station and you followed.

"Power...crisis??" Oh yeah! Wasn't there a plot in the game involving that kind of thing? You tucked away that information just in case.

He nodded as you two walked. "Yeah. Been having it ever since I was about sixteen. The Chairman's been trying his best to help and look into the problem, I think?? But so far there hasn't been much progress unfortunately."

"Oh. I see..." You glanced down to the bags he held. They looked a wee bit fully than you last seen. "What did you get at the Center anyways?"

He seemed to perk back up at the mention. "OH!" He held up the bags. "Some more things that two trainers would need for the long trip! Potions, antidotes, one or two revives and awakenings, and a few healers. Trust me. They're going to need them for their pokemon in case there's no pokemon center nearby to help them."

You nodded as the two of you continued to walk all the way to the train station, still no signs of the two children. You remembered someone saying that there was a lot of wild pokemon on Route 2 so maybe that's where they went?? The two of you walked the rest of the way to the train station and he was nice enough to hold the door to the station open for you to walk in, you thanking him. The inside wasn't anything special. A bunch of waiting seats, a man in a small stall like area who seemed to not pay attention to you, what must've been this world's version of an ATM next to a vending machine along side the far right wall, a clock above them, and a pay-to-enter entrance to a grey and yellow train. Well, at least Leon won't miss his evening train. Speaking of Leon he seemed estatic.

"Phew! Made it just in time! And not a minute too soon it looks like." He glanced at the clock on the far wall and frowned again. "Ten fifty eight! It's going to leave in two minutes!" He quickly turned back to you and you blinked as he held out the two bags. "Shoot! I'd sworn we had more time! I have to get on before I miss the second train in one day! Could you give these to the kids for me!?"

You took the bags from him as he nudged them towards you Sobble chirping in curiousity at them as you blinked again. "W-W-Wait! You're not saying good bye to them first?"

"Well I kinda don't have a lot of time," he said gesturing between the clock and train, "I can't be late for this one!''

"Oh right!" Your eyes widened at the clock. There was now one more minute before noon, when the train leaves. So you pushed Leon who blinked. "You should get going then! You only have one minute!"

"OH RIGHT!!" He quickly turned and made a run for the pay-to-enter entrance, once again taking out what must've been a pokemon world's credit card and either letting the machine scan it or pushing it into a small slot in the side, you couldn't tell past his cape tha swished around with his movements. He managed to get past the bars and stopped at the other side to give you one last smile. "Thanks for helping! Maybe we'll get to see each other again-"

HONK!!

Both of you jumped at the loud train horn going off and you pointed. "LEON!!"

"I KNOW I KNOW!! BYE!!" Grabbing his hat he ran to the double doors that opened and closed behind him with a whoosh noise.

You sighed in relief and the train chose that exact moment to start pulling away with a metal groan. Followed by the click-clacking noises you knew only trains could make and you sighed. You did end up just sitting down in one of the waiting seats arms and feet sore from carrying all the things with yo-

"LEON!!" You and your Sobble jumped, the small pokemon tumbling into your lap as you turned your head and a familiar purple haired boy came running in and you whipped your head around to the blur of Hop rushing in. Slidding to a stop in front of the entrance to the train watching as it continued to go past. "AH MAN!" He deflated with a sigh. "...I'm too late."

"Hop?"

It was his turn to jump and snap to you as you sat there with a brow rose staring at him. And he relaxed. "Y/N! What are you doing here? WAIT! Did Lee come through here already!?"

Your Sobble chirped in annoyance righting itself up at Hop, and you nodded as the last car of the train flew by. "You just missed him actually...Hey. Where's Gloria?"

He groaned and reached a hand up to rub his head. "Ah man. I really wanted to say good bye...Oh. Glory's battling one of the local Elementry School kids down the road." He pointed his other hand out the door. "I was kinda hoping I'd get a chance to see him go, y'know..." He looked at you again and seemed surprised at the bags around you...and pointed. "Hey. What's all that you got there?"

You blinked for a moment before looking to the bags, and smiling. Holding out one to the younger boy. "Leon left you guys a fair well present."

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #97: Nightingale

Today on Fate and Phantasms, we’re making everyone’s favorite medical practitioner and biting enthusiast, Florence Nightingale! The good Ms. Flo is the most skilled nurse in Chaldea, with a variety of techniques to deal with disease and ill health on and off the battlefield. She’s not afraid to use them, so try not to get sick.

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: RUN! It’s a creature legally distinct from Godzilla!

Race and Background

Nightingale’s a Human, and the variant version gives her +1 Wisdom and Charisma, as well as Insight proficiency and the Crossbow Expert feat. Some settings allow for pistols, but some don’t, and we’re playing it safe here. That feat means you can attack multiple times in a turn with a crossbow, attack within melee range without disadvantage, and if you’re holding a crossbow in your off hand and another weapon in your main hand, you can attack with the weapon as an action and the crossbow as a bonus action.

Nightingale might be a nurse, but she spent most of her time patching up wounds in the army, and the Soldier background gives her proficiency with Athletics and Intimidation, both things she pretty good at.

Ability Scores

Make sure your Wisdom is as high as possible for the best medicine checks and spellcasting. Make your Dexterity the second highest to multiclassing, damage, and to keep your AC up (that’s not exactly heavy armor). Your Charisma is next, you can be “persuasive” when you want to be. And by that I mean you’re terrifying. You may be pretty lucid, but you’re still a berserker; that means you’re hard to take down, and that means your Constitution should be next. Your Strength is pretty low. We don’t need it, but you’re still a berserker, so we’re dropping Intelligence instead. You don’t really care about topics other than medicine, so it’s not like you’ll be using it that much.

Class Levels

1. Cleric 1: Shockingly, the nurse is a Cleric. However, you know the best way to avoid infections to kill anything that could infect you, which definitely makes you more of a War cleric than a life one. As a war cleric, you start out proficient in martial weapons, which means we don’t have to jump through hoops to get your hand crossbow like we did with Shirou’s weapon. You’re also a War Priest, meaning a number of times per day equal to your wisdom modifier you can attack as a bonus action after attacking with your main action. This means you can still have two attacks per turn without having to dual wield like your feat wants you to.

You also learn Spells that you can cast and prepare using your Wisdom. You also get Domain Spells, which always count as prepared and you don’t have to spend prep time getting, like Divine Favor and Shield of Faith. The former makes your gun run a little hotter with radiant damage for up to a minute, and the latter gives a creature extra combat awareness, boosting their AC for up to 10 minutes.

You can also prepare spells outside your domain; healing spells are an obvious choice, but you should also check out Detect Poison and Disease and Purify food and Drink to make sure you have some antidotes on you.

Finally, you also get cantrips. Guidance adds 1d4 to an ability score, so long as they follow your directions for fluids and bedrest. Mending puts two things back together (it’s intended for nonliving things, but I’m sure it works fine on limbs too). Spare the Dying is what you’re actually supposed to use when people’s limbs come off, stabilizing creatures at 0 hp so they don’t have to worry about death saves.

2. Cleric 2: Second level clerics can Channel Divinity, either Turning Undead to make those that fail a wisdom save of DC 8 plus your wisdom modifier plus your proficiency, or making a Guided Strike, adding 10 to your attack roll. Some times the most effective way to end a disease is to end the person it’s afflicting.

3. Cleric 3: At third level you get second level spells, like Magic Weapon and Spiritual Weapon. Despite the similar names, the former improves your existing weapon a bit and makes it magical to avoid resistances, and the latter makes a brand new weapon that you control as a bonus action each turn. Along with your domain spells, you also get the performance enhancing drug Enhance Ability, the tranquilizer Hold Person, and more Protection from Poison.

4. Cleric 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to become a Healer. Now when you stabilize a creature using a healer’s kit they regain 1 HP, and you can spend a use of a healers kit to heal a creature for 1d6+4 HP, plus an extra amount of HP equal to their maximum number of hit dice. This healing can only be done once per short rest for each creature. Doctors gonna doctor.

Also grab Thaumaturgy so your Angel’s Yell can carry further.

5. Fighter 1: Bouncing over to fighter gives you a fighting style, like Unarmed Fighting, which gives you unarmed attacks that deal bludgeoning damage, but more so if you’re not holding your crossbow at the same time. Guns are nice, but sometimes you’ll have to get physical. You also gain a Second Wind, letting you heal yourself as a bonus action. This means you can save your regular materials for your party members.

6. Fighter 2: Second level fighters get an Action Surge, making it a lot easier to heal and shoot people at the same time once per short rest by adding an extra action to your turn.

7. Fighter 3: Grab the Banneret as your subclass to gain a Rallying Cry. Now using your Second Wind also heals your party members for a little bit as well! It’s not much compared to healing spells, but sometimes you run out of slots.

8. Cleric 5: Back in cleric now, your Turn Undead becomes Destroy Undead, instantly killing any undead monsters with a CR of less than 1/2 when they fail their save. You also get third level spells like Crusader’s Mantle and Spirit Guardians. The former causes everyone’s guns to run hot with radiant damage even if they’re using a sword, and the latter summons a couple angelic guards to protect your patients. If you find yourself in a lot of close-quarters combat, you can also use Spirit Shroud for some extra enemy control and damage.

9. Cleric 6: At sixth level you can Channel Divinity twice per short rest, and gain an new option to do so. You can bestow your War God’s Blessing on nearby creatures, spending your reaction to add 10 to their attack roll.

10 Cleric 7: Seventh level clerics get fourth level spells, like your domain spells Freedom of Movement and Stoneskin. The former helps you gnaw off your arm like a rabid coyote to escape capture, and the latter gives you all the relevant benefits of raging without stopping you from casting spells. By that, I mean it gives a creature resistance to nonmagical physical damage types. But you’ll have plenty of competition for your concentration, because you can also cast Aura of Life and Aura of Purity this level. One gives creatures in it resistance to necrotic damage and instantly revives non-hostile creatures who’ve been downed, and the other prevents diseases, weakens poisons, and empowers your party against most status effects.

11. Cleric 8: At this level, you can finally use an ASI to improve an ability score, bumping up your Wisdom for better healing and more bonus action attacks. Your Destroy Undead also bumps up to CR 1, and your Divine Strike makes your weapon attacks a little stronger once per turn. Turns out guns are stronger than crossbows, who knew?

12. Cleric 9: Ninth level clerics get fifth level spells. Flame Strike can be one of those neat little bottle-shaped grenades, and you also get Hold Monster for an even stronger tranquilizer. Beyond that and some healing spells, there isn’t really much at fifth level that screams Nightingale to me, but feel free to play it by ear.

13. Cleric 10: At tenth level you can use Divine Intervention to ask God for a bit of assistance in keeping your dumbass party alive. You can use this once per long rest, but also have to wait a week after it succeeds. Since you’re a full level of spells behind regular spellcasters right now, calling in a favor from time to time might come in handy.

You also pick up your last cantrip; Toll the Dead is another solid way to finish off diseased or injured enemies before they can spread whatever’s affecting them to the party, dealing more damage to creatures who are missing HP.

14. Cleric 11: Eleventh level clerics get sixth level spells, and like last time there’s not much specifically at this level that caught my eye. But that’s only if you’re playing the character religiously close to canon, and you probably shouldn’t be if you want to jive with the rest of the party. Or maybe you’re all playing expies of other characters, idk live your life.

15. Cleric 12: Use this ASI to bump up your Dexterity for better gunplay and AC.

16. Cleric 13: Now you have seventh level spells, and unlike the last few levels, there’s spell outside of your usual healing you might want to check out. Temple of the Gods. lets you build your own temple within a cube of 120′. It lasts 24 hours per cast, but casting it once per day for a year in the same spot makes it permanent. Inside the temple, extraplanar entities can be kept out of it if they fail a charisma save, and they also get 1d4 subtracted from their attacks, checks, and saves while inside. The temple is immune to divinations spells, and the temple also boosts the power of healing spells cast inside of it. Great for giving your keep it’s own medical wing.

17. Cleric 14: Fourteenth level clerics have a Destroy Undead that affects creatures of CR 3 or lower, and their Divine Strike becomes a little more powerful as well. You just learned how to build hospitals from nothing, not every level can be a massive leap forward.

18. Cleric 15: You pick up eighth level spells this level. By this level, most spells are a bit too flashy to fit into Nightingale’s toolkit, but Holy Aura still manages to do it. Creatures within 30′ of you glow, and get advantage on all saves. On top of that, attacking creatures have disadvantage, and fiends and undead have to make a constitution save or become blinded for the duration of the spell.

19. Cleric 16: Use your last ASI to bump up your Constitution for more HP and better concentration saves.

20. Cleric 17: At seventeenth level, your Destroy Undead gets even stronger, you get ninth level spells, and most importantly, you become an Avatar of Battle, granting you a permanent resistance to nonmagical weapons. Effectively, you’re always raging, but still have access to your spells.

Pros:

You’re something of a tough nut to crack, especially for a healer. You’ve got quite a bit of health for a cleric, ways to heal yourself and the party at the same time, and a sort of permanent rage damage resistance going on at the end of it.

Despite being a healer, you’re also pretty skilled in ranged combat, with plenty of ways to add more damage to your crossbow bolts. You might not have multiple attacks like most fighters, but you make your shots count. This also means you don’t have to be quite as deep in combat as your standard “mace and shield” cleric.

The healer feat and your Rallying Cry give you access to nonmagical healing. This is most likely to be a niche skill, but sometimes you’ll have to deal with anti-magic zones or low-magic settings, in which case you’ll still be able to shine.

Cons:

Despite us putting several levels and feats into making your crossbow good, you’ll still always have to deal with the fact that it’s nowhere near as strong as a fighter’s would be. It’s fine for emergencies, but you probably won’t be the standout damage dealer of the group.

Bumping over to fighter for a couple levels also prevents you from getting the Cleric capstone, and they have a really good one. Guaranteed divine intervention is nothing to sneeze at.

You don’t really wear armor, and you don’t get anything like monks or barbarians do to offset that fact, so if you’re playing to character your AC is abysmal. Like I said earlier though, feel free to put on a breastplate or something, there’s no wrong way to play D&D. Except for in person, and not wearing a mask.