#now i have to keep building my guild battle teams

[blueberrymilkcookie]

i finally beat both towers completely stormbringerless!!! im actually goated at this game

[dawnfelagund]

I normally actively avoid posting about anything where money is attached. I'm making an exception here for a project that addresses what I see as a significant (and growing) need in the fandom.

I (along with a team of incredible comods) run an independent archive, the Silmarillion Writers' Guild. We are one of the only independent archives left, at least in the Tolkien fandom.

We wage a lot of uphill battles to keep our archive open and active, but one of the biggest is the tech side. I'm not an IT pro; I'm a middle-school humanities teacher. I began learning the tech skills to run an archive in 2006 and have been learning ever since. By now, I've devoted hundreds if not thousands of hours to learning how to build and run websites. And it's hard, mostly because it is hard to find information that is written at a level comprehensible by an exhausted middle-school teacher who has a half-hour at the end of her day to puzzle something out. Documentation generally sucks; tutorials often seem to be written at a level just above where I am. My knowledge has a lot of holes as a result, and I sometimes have to give up on something because I can't find what I need to teach me to do it.

The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development is a Kickstarter project that aims to remedy that by producing materials aimed at teaching web development concepts specifically to a fannish audience and with the goal of supporting an independent fannish web, where fans have the know-how to build their own sites, archives, and other web projects. They are very close to their goal. I made my donation today; I'm hoping we might push them over the finish line.

Currently, fans are primarily tethered to a few large sites used for fandom purposes. Some of these are benevolent and trustworthy (AO3, for example); others are not and have taken damaging steps toward fandom over the years (not mentioning any names here ...) All of them have their limitations. The primary complaints I hear about AO3, for example, have nothing to do with AO3 doing anything wrong and everything to do with people wanting AO3 to be something other than AO3. At the same time, I get it: We are at the point where AO3 is often the only choice for many creators to archive their work and the only choice for people who want to enjoy fanworks. Those people are understandably upset when AO3 can't meet their needs because they don't see themselves as having another choice.

But it didn't used to be this way. It used to be (at least in Tolkien fandom) that if you wanted something that didn't exist, you built it yourself. This is how the SWG came to be: some of us wanted an archive just for Silmfic, there wasn't one, so we built one. We weren't alone in this, and we felt empowered because so many other fans were doing the same thing: learning together and teaching and supporting each other as we went. This was when "building a website" meant learning enough HTML and CSS to hand-markup a page or adjust an eFiction theme.

But, as time passed and the internet evolved, our enthusiastically acquired knowledge of HTML wasn't enough to keep afloat sites that were breaking at a much deeper level, and those sites began to disappear. My comods and I did endeavor to gain the knowledge to save our decaying archive and, as noted above, it was not easy, and I do not blame anyone for not doing the same. It was a part-time job for me for over a year, and I'm lucky that I was able to make room for it in my life. It's unreasonable to expect that everyone will be able to do that.

The increasing consolidation and corporatization of fandom is a problem too. We've seen time and again that for-profit companies don't have our interests in mind. All of the fannish stuff we love on Tumblr and Discord and FanFiction.net could be gone tomorrow and for no better reason than someone will make a little more profit if our embarrassing fandom garbage is not there. It's happened before, many times. Even without corporate malevolence, digital data is fragile and having everything in just one place is perilous. While I'm sure AO3, for example, is diligent in preserving our work as best as possible, data losses and breaches do happen all the time.

It used to be that Tolkien fanfic writers would archive their work in three, four, more different places. If one had a data loss, that sucked, but mostly because you lost comments, not because entire swaths of fanworks were gone forever. That level of crossposting is no longer an option.

It used to be that Tolkien fanfic writers would archive their work in three, four, more different places. If one had a data loss, that sucked, but mostly because you lost comments, not because entire swaths of fanworks were gone forever. That level of crossposting is no longer an option.

[blackjackkent]

Found the Mason's Guild!

If this was indeed the headquarters of the local Selunite Resistance against Shar's encroaching darkness, they didn't do a very good job, because it is DARK over here; this area is covered with the scary sort of dark where Selune's blessing isn't enough and we have to carry the moonlantern around.

Hector tries to assuage his anxiety via being a history nerd and Shadowheart is unimpressed.

She's right, though. There's a series of skeletons mounted outside the entrance to the guild building proper, which doesn't seem to bode well for a friendly welcome.

You don't scare me, I have a fancy lantern. >:|

There's also a lot of abandoned cut stone everywhere in case we want to leave this life of adventuring and build a giant marble tower.

Stepping inside, the place has definitely seen better days. Karlach notices a pile of bones on one stone slab (which the narrator describes as being "of varying shapes, sizes, and creatures"); it has a plaque next to it stating: "Here lies the Grand Mason, his bones and lies exposed." But the import of this, if any, is not obvious.

Oh, hey, more presents for Karlach in the event she needs a tune-up.

This seems promising.

The basement is full of even more cut stone and some broken statues.

There's an elevator here which doesn't seem to serve an obvious purpose:

As well as this, which was hidden behind a perception check:

I brought Astarion in quickly to deal with this bc it's a DC 18 and Hector's middling sleight-of-hand is starting to run through my lockpicks.

Unlocking this pushed open a hidden door in the wall. This note is pinned up inside:

Uh oh.

Unsurprisingly, this super conspicuous chest sitting out nearby is super trapped:

As soon as Hector biffed the disarm roll, some gates came up, a wall opened revealing gargoyles with fire in their mouths, and we went into turn-based mode.

O.O; I'm gonna reload and bring Astarion with me for the rest of this section.

There was only 33 gold in the chest once Astarion hacked it open, too. :P

Proceeding onward, we get to a very large room that looks like it might have once been a mess hall or something like that. Promising note for later:

This marked an area on our map for something to check out at Moonrise later.

From this note, I took literally one more step forward and the place erupted with wraiths like the ones Mummy and Daddy were back with Oliver.

...Astarion I hope you've been keeping up to speed on your rapier work.

Ultimately not too bad a fight. Particular shoutout to Shadowheart, who landed a couple very nice Sacred Flames that obliterated two of the shadow creatures. Nice to see since she honestly struggles in combat somewhat compared to the rest of the team.

Upsettingly, each of the corpses of the shadow creatures has some text when we inspect them afterwards:

"A happy, faded memory comes to you. A woman walking along a beach, holding hands with her husband-to-be."

"A distant memory of a man stretching his back with a groan. Another day of hauling masonry blocks done."

"Before the shadows, there was once a house full of warmth and children's laughter in this one's life. No more."

"Calloused hands work a hammer and chisel around a massive slab of rock. Months from now, a face will take shape."

"You can almost taste the souer ale that once clung to this soul's breath. He was insensible when the shadows came for him."

"You sense this one hid for days as the sounds of battle got closer and closer to town. You didn't even care who won, so long as it ended."

:(

There's journals on the table reflecting information about the last Selunites who stood while Ketheric Thorm's Dark Justiciars took over the town, bringing the shadow curse with them. This apparently counts as completing the quest of investigating the Selunite resistance.

Hector's okay with this, because historical knowledge about the Selunites is reward enough for him. For everyone else, though, it's probably a bit anticlimactic.

Luckily there's one more trapped and locked chest to open - DC 21 this time, so very glad I still have Astarion along. Decently nice helmet in it too, so we'll call that a win. :D

[swgohgamer-alt]

WEEK FOUR: The biggest update this week is probably that I got up past level 60, which means fleet battles & fleet arena opened up. But the game is not nearly as generous with ship building mats (which I'll henceforth be calling "ship credits," because, c'mon, they're ship credits) in early game as it is with regular credits. As soon as I hit level 60, I was almost immediately running out of credits to level up ships. And the fleet battles are surprisingly tough at low levels. I haven't even gotten through the first zone. I'm using my cantina store currency on ship credits.

I'll be focusing on Galactic Republic ships for my fleet, so I bumped up their pilots to be my next farming priority after Phoenix. I figure I'll get Phoenix geared up to the point where I can unlock Thrawn & Palpatine, and then I'll move on to Mace, JKA, Snips, Plo Koon, & Bossk. I know Bossk & Houndstooth are a slow farm, but I'm going to want that ship. I'm using my cantina energy on farming up Plo.

There's definitely an argument to be made that I'd be progressing more quickly if I put some resources into some easier characters & ships early on, but I'm trying to stay away from "wasting" resources on ships & toons that I'm not ultimately going to be using that much. With my Phoenix squad for example, I could have ranked Ezra up more quickly & knock out the Thrawn & Palpatine journeys, but at this point I don't think I'm really going to use Ezra beyond that. General Leia Organa is going to be the first Galactic Legend I go after eventually, and I'll need Rex at relic 7 (!) for that. So I'm choosing to take my time building him up now, and I figure that will serve me well in the long run. Similarly with ships, I could keep spending mats on Phantom & Sabine, but I've got my eyes on a Galactic Republic fleet and a dark side fleet. So Sabine doesn't really fit into that picture for now. Of course, that could change. That's just how I'm thinking of all this now, as I try to loosely adapt Songeta's farming guide to my play style.

Speaking of my Captain Rex Phoenix team, I feel pretty good about how they're coming along. I did a lot of mod work this week- got through zone 8 on the Mod Battles, which means all of the Mod Challenges are at least unlocked. Haven't quite gotten through tier III of each challenge yet, but only because I'm just working on them as needed. I'm farming speed mods at the moment. I only need 6 more mods and then I'm done with Phoenix. Zeb and Kanan are already done. Chopper & Hera each need an arrow with a speed primary, so that might take a while. But I've got over 50 unassigned mods with speed secondaries, which I feel like is a pretty good starting point for the account overall. The "recommended power" for the final tier of the Thrawn journey is 13,900 per character, and I'm still a ways off from that. So this week I'll just keep modding, gearing & ranking these guys up.

I did pull the trigger on joining that guild this week. When I joined, they were already in the middle of a Hoth light side TB, so I couldn't participate. Looks like they're working on pit raids, which is actually kind of good because completing a pit raid is one of the achievements I need to knock out. The guild only has 11 members right now. It's a sister guild to my main account's larger guild, so I'll stick with it and hopefully it'll continue to grow.

Since I had more time to play this week, I completed Galactic War at least a couple of times, which is something I'd been slacking on. It's just so time-consuming. Can't wait to get to the point where I can sim it. I'm getting to the point where I can get through the whole thing with Phoenix alone, though, which is nice.

[apricusnights]

Olympus Tournament: Leader's Choice Battle Royale!

"Well howdy world! For those of ya'll that might not know me, I'm Morely The Taco! Mascot of Tacos 'N More, and one of the stars of Morely & Friends! I hope everyone has been having a grand old time watching the Olympus Tournament! We're about to have a super special event that I know you've been waiting for!"

"This is the Leader's Choice Battle Royale! Faction leaders, and World leaders have all picked a representative, everyone is gonna battle it out against everyone! We've got a Tacorific arena ready to go! You lose if you get knocked out of bounds! Last one standing is declared the winner!"

"First we'll take a look at who all is competing, and who they represent!"

Kei Kawakami - Apricus Navy Typhon - Cherry Hills Roland Marigold - PWSB Jacqueline Edana - Ciar Industries Ajax - Potentialism Castor Lucan - Consecration Lionel Myte - Resource Workers United Janus - Paradise Entertainment Hari Lackey - Bounty Hunters Guild Charlotte Montague - Cheshire Financial Kara - Crepusculum Skuld Kraka - Völsung Khepri - Calere Dmitri Morozov - Nivis Tendo Sato - Kwailai Henri Duquesne - Rèunion Mousse Tarseed - Fae

"Now your old pal Morely more than likely isn't gonna be able to keep up with the pure chaos that is about to unfold but you can bet your bottom credit that I'm gonna give it my all! I'll try to call out some of the Tacorific action, and let you know when an elimination happens! Is everybody ready? Here we go!"

"Just like I thought, everyone is fighting everyone! I haven't seen this big of a rumble since we had those limited edition Morely & Friends Taco Buckets! I think I see Kawakami battling it out against Typhon, over there is Duquesne against Tarseed, Sato is sword fighting with Ajax, Kraka is trying her best to defend against Kara...this action is hard to describe!"

"I sure am glad those trees are fake or we'd have splinters flying everywhere! We got buildings crumbling left and right as folks get thrown through em, it's like a kaiju movie down there. The audience seems to be just cheering on the action in general but there might be a few clear favorites!"

"We got Marigold against Morozov in the battle of the biggest men on the field, we got Khepri, Lackey, and Edana fighting through a building, there is Lucan and Janus fighting but they get interrupted by Montague who throws Janus and starts fighting Lucan, Myte is showing some explosive moves as he makes his way through the crowd to fight Janus!"

"Not gonna lie folks I am having a hard time keeping up even with all the different camera angles we got goin on. Ya'll can see for yourselves! We got folks flying through the air, we got fireballs, we got projectiles, we got more blades than the Steaks 'N More chophouse! First time I think I've ever seen a bladed fan....wait no..second time..I forgot that one time with the Taco Felon..he does come prepared for everything ya know."

"I'm pretty sure Marigold just ripped a tree out of the ground and swung it around knocking anyone over who didn't slide under it! That is one impressive game of limbo! Meanwhile with everything going on, Kawakami and Typhon are STILL fighting and haven't taken eyes off each other!"

"We've had a few close calls but nobody has been eliminated yet! Welp there goes the arena alarm which means the boundaries are shrinking a little. Kinda like that one video game that the fine folks at Ciar Industries put out! Anyway everyone is moving closer so they don't fall victim to the shrinking arena size!"

"Looks like we got out first two eliminations as Kawakami and Typhon completely ignore everything going on and are eliminated by being out of bounds..and the two are not stopping even outside the arena! Security is rushing over to pull them apart, Typhon seems to be having the time of his life down there!"

"Janus is almost eliminated by Khepri but Khepri gets kicks out of bounds from behind by Montague! Ajax and Edana team up briefly to catapult Lucan out but then start fighting each other! Marigold and Morozov are grappling once again but both are clotheslined out by Kara in an incredibly show of power! Holy moly!"

"The alarm sounds again as the arena gets even smaller! No more obstacles, no more trees, no more buildings, just chaos! The defensive fighters are starting to have a harder time as they can be attacked from all sides thanks to the smaller arena! Kraka is almost pushed out by Edana but Lackey gives her a hand by distracted Edana and allowing Kraka to lift her up with her shield and toss her out!"

"Janus and Montague are fighting, Janus looks to be on the verge of throwing her out but both are kicked by Henri! Henri goes to attack Janus which causes Montague to shift her attention to Henri but Henri pulls a fast one, changing his target and catching Montague off guard! Henri lands a huge uppercut that sends Montague out of bounds!"

"Just as Janus looks to take advantage he's suddenly blasted by Lackey who boots the masked man our of bounds! Tarseed narrowly avoids being knocked out ad uses her agility to trip up Sato but Sato manages to escape elimination as well! Tarseed finds herself face to face with Myte who gets the better of her and nearly tosses her but she survives again!"

"Lackey is locked up with Kara, Kraka attempts to strike Kara from behind but Kara avoids it, spins and sends Kraka into Lackey, the force of it knocks Lackey out of bounds, Kraka uses her spear to stop herself but is dangerously close to the edge!"

"Sato finds himself once again battling Ajax! Both clash blades but both are almost struck by a sneak attack from Tarseed, unfortunately for her both warriors sense it coming and turn, both landing a strong punch to Tarseed which sends her flying out of bounds!"

"Kara clashes against Kraka's shield, the blows look to be weakening it and it might be any second now before Kraka loses her defense! In a lucky break Myte runs over, springs off of Kraka's shield, flies through the air and lands a huge punch that nearly sends Kara out of bounds!"

"Just as she goes to recover she finds herself stuck in a brawl between Sato and Ajax! She barely manages to escape and out of frustration grabs Ajax's spear, lifting him up and using HIM as a weapon as she slams him into Sato, Sato is send out of bounds and Kara tosses Ajax to the side. Ajax shakes it off and heads right back into things!"

"Ajax catches up with Kara and spins her around to face him. He barely dodges a hit and strikes her in the gut! Ajax lands a series of strong attacks before Kara catches his fist! Kara goes to attack but she's hit from behind by Myte! Myte and Ajax land alternating attacks, finally eliminating Kara with a double dropkick!"

"We got four left folks! It's Kraka, Ajax, Myte, and Duquesne! The arena has shrank once more and is now at the smallest size it can achieve! Our final four are squaring off with each other, everyone looks exhausted..I'm exhausted just from watching this thing. Kraka goes on the offense against Ajax while Myte rushes to attack Duquesne!"

"Myte attempting to use his unpredictability against Henri but Henri still seems calm and collected even as he attempts to avoid Myte's unique style! Kraka braces herself against Ajax, Ajax repeatedly hits her shield which is now showing even more cracks but her sheer willpower seems to be making up for it!"

"Myte gets stuck several times by precision hits that seem to throw him off balance. Henri grabs his arm and throws him, sending him crashing into Ajax who falls into Kraka! The entire pile nearly rolls out of bounds but barely hangs on. Just as they go to recover, Henri lands a kick to Ajax which causes him to lose his remaining balance but just before he falls out he manages to dive to the side, barely saving himself."

"Kraka just barely rolls away as Henri turns and tries to land a knee drop on her. As he recovers he's attacked by Myte! This time it's Myte with a series of boxing style punches, knocking Henri for a loop! Just as he's staggered he's hit by Kraka's shield! She uses it to push him back towards the boundaries! Henri manages to gain enough composure to drop, slam a dagger into the ground, hold on to it and use it to spin around behind Kraka, using his momentum to kick Myte! Myte stumbles back and catches his balance to avoid being eliminated!"

"Myte is wobbly as Ajax is finally back up and running toward Myte! They grapple and Ajax is slowly pushing Myte towards the edge! Kraka is trying to fend off Henri's precise strikes but is forced to put her shield away rather than allow it to break! She defends with her own arms and takes a beating but powers through it and starts landing some brutal strikes against Henri! She headbutts him and sends him falling into Ajax and Myte!"

"Kraka grabs her spear and gets a running start, lodging it into the ground and using it to fling herself through the air! She hopes to land a flying kick to Henri but he just barely shifts out of the way! Kraka flies into Ajax and Myte, all three almost falling out! Henri tries to take advantage and picks up one of Ajax's discard weapons, swinging it at his three opponents! Ajax grabs it and pulls it in, bringing Henri to him!"

"Myte breaks off for a moment but turns and runs full speed, flying through the air like a spinning rocket! ne of his Hecaball techniques! He slams into everyone! Kraka, Ajax, and Henri stumble towards the edge but at the last second Henri manages to grab Myte's leg! All four of them fall out of bounds and the buzzer goes off!"

"Well the officials are discussing what to do...please wait a few moments."

Tacos 'N More advertising plays.

"Ok folks! It seems we have a four way tie! However all four remaining fighters have agreed to face each other in a special four way challenge brawl later in the event! For now though, give it up for the winners!"

Ajax Lionel Myte Skuld Kraka Henri Duquesne

"Thanks for joinin your best pal Morely for this tacorific fight! I hope ya'll enjoy the rest of the Olympus Tournament! Make sure to get yourself some delicious Taocs 'N More during downtimes! Have a great night!"

[abjohn22]

Bell Cranel

The competition

The one-on-one competition was delayed for 3 months due to the time in building the arena and inviting noble people and other Familia outside Orario.

The guild was taking advantage of this situation to make so much money for themselves and for the winning team.

So Bell and others got enough time to practice for the match. This time Bell was learning things very fast. He will go to the dungeon in order to practice what he had learned.

Bell used all the money he had been saving to buy a grimoire with a magic of 'flying blades'. He got a new skill of 'perfect vision'.

This skill help him to foresee all the incoming attacks and help him to identify the week point of his opponent.

Bell got his status updated. All his abilities are rank B. He already have the enough ranks to level up, but Hestia decided to not to level him up until the match ends.

Lili was not just a supporter. She can fight with a spear. She got training from Takemikazuchi. She is also going to fight in the competition.

The day of competition arrived. The Gods are exited to see their children shine. After all this is the perfect thing for them to kill time.

Many Familia participated in the Competition. All the executives of these Familia also joined the competition as they all saw it an opportunity to level up.

Lili got a fight with another Level 1m ( sword user). Lili was struggling against her opponent. But in the end through a single counter attack she knock out her opponent and win. Just from that win Lili was able to level up to 2. But she got defeated in the next match as her opponent out class her both in skill and experience.

Bell's first opponent was Mikoto. Before their turn comes,

Mikoto " Don't expect me to go easy on you Bell, just like you I also want to be strong and protect my family."

Bell " Eeeee, I think you were a nice person, Mikoto "

Mikoto " Are you trying to buy me now?"

Lilli " Don't be an embarrassment to lady Hestia. Even I got at least one win."

Bell " Hey, you win because your first opponent was a newbie. Just who do you think my opponent is."

Mikoto " Don't embarrass me in front of everyone, Bell"

Bell " Seems like I got to loose in my first fight itself."

Hestia and Takemikazuchi was exited to see their children on stage. They cheered for both of them.

The battle began. Bell was going all out and Mikoto wasn't holding back either. Bell counter attacked Mikoto. Mikoto was the one to injure Bell a lot. Bell activated Beast mode when he was almost about to loose. This time Mikoto is on defense. Finally Bell was able to make a cut on her left shoulder. Then Bell pull out his second sword and started double yielding. This surprised Mikoto. She had been trying to do this for a long time, but she couldn't master it at all. She got a little bit jealous of Bell's ability. She then using her concurrent chanting she put Bell inside a gravity Barrier were only she can move freely. Everyone one thought that it was over for Bell. But Bell counter attacked her even inside the barrier, this blew her mind. Bell pull out all the defense modes when she attacked ruthlessly. She then used her gravity barrier to squeeze him. Just when Bell was about to get crashed Bell got really angry and burst out through the barrier. It took a lot of energy for Bell. But Bell didn't gave up. He used his magic on Mikoto. And also go on a rampage on her. She couldn't keep up with his stamina and strength. Bell used his special technique on her and the next moment her sword was flying in the air. Bell's blade were on her neck. Victory for Bell.

Mikoto admitted her defeat. Hestia and Takemikazuchi were so happy to see their children shine their brightest.

Finn " Truly impressive, his swordsmanship is on another level. But that's not the thing..." Riveria observed that Finn's thump was going crazy again. Riveria narrowed her eyes and looked at a the boy.

Riveria with a smile "I guess he is not the same weak boy we met 9 months ago. "

Bell's next opponent was Lefiya. She was a level 3 opponent. She was strong. She roasted him with her fire magic, freeze him with ice magic, blow him away with Arcs ray and defended using barriers. Poor Bell struggled till the end. But he realized something He had an incredible healing power that amazed the Gods. He must have been killed with her ice magic, but thanks to his strength he just got out of it time. Lefiya's weakness was combat, but she block his attacks using her barrier. Bell with no other way unleashed beast mode. He then deflected all her magic with flying blades. Finally he cut her down ( But didn't kill her.)

Finn " This guy got real spirits."

Riveria " Little bit terrifying though."

Aiz " Lefiya almost got this. But in the end she let it go. I think she messed up with her spell in the end."

Gareth " This bunny is for real."

Bete in anger " This rabbit brat."

Freya licking her lips " Interesting."

Bell get to the finals. He was too exited. If he win he got 10 million vallis. But if he loose he will get only 2.5 million vallis.

Bell get shocked to see that his opponent was "Raul".

Bell " Oooi, I think you get to the wrong finals. This is not for level 4s like you."

The moderator " From the request of the majority of the audience, the final is set between you and Raul san."

Bell " Then what happen to the real finalist?"

Moderator " He exchanged his position with him."

Bell " Where does this rule come from out off nowhere ?"

Moderator " Rules are rules, you got to follow them Mr Bunny"

Bell " Oh come on ... "

Raul " Look like we don't have any other choose. Mr Bell Cranel."

Bell " At least you have some respect. "

Raul " Shall we."

Bell " Wait a minute, I still got an option. Okay everybody, I am quitting and the winner is Mr Raul san."

The crowd went silent. Bell started walking away. Bell prioritize his own health over money.

Freya from her chair with the mike " Ooii Bunny, are you scared?"

The crowd started to call him Coward.

Bell pissed " Okay then, bring it on man. But make sure you knock me out fast. I got a go home early."

Raul thought the fight would be easy. But it wasn't. Even though bell is having the disadvantage.

Bell was pissed by the audience. Bell activated beast mode from the start itself. Both of them got real serious.

They fight to the death. Bell is the one getting injured all the time. Raul didn't get any scratch.

Bell then suddenly copied Raul's technique and used it on him. Raul didn't expect that and he got more than 5 scratches now.

Bell with a smile " Bingo, Can't get to sleep tonight if I let you win without even one scratch."

Raul " Alright then let's get it over soon." Soon after Bell got knocked out clean. At least he put out a fight with a level 4 even though he was level 2 for more than 15 minutes.

Finn with a creepy smile " Did he just copy his technique in one shot? "

Riveria with wide eyes filled with terror" This brings back memories. "

Aiz small blush" Wow, Even though he lost he did put up a good fight, Truly amazing."

Freya with a romantic smile" Alright Bunny, I will play with you one day."

Bell was levelled up to level 3. Bell did get 2.5 million valis and he used it to completely repair his residence.

Lefiya was amazed by Bell's will power and strength. She began to have a crush on Bell. She decided to get close to him.

In the Hostess of Fertility, a certain girl smile after witnessing the power of Bell Cranel. She decided to get closer to him.

Finn and Riveria planning on spying on Bell Cranel. They took advantage of Lefiya's crush on him and decided to use her to gain knowledge about him.

Finn and Riveria decided to set Lefiya in love with Bell.

Next time " Operation Love "

[desultory-novice]

Dess’s Dream Kirby JRPG

So, as the subject of what kind of Kirby games would I make/like to see, it’s time to let everyone know...I’ve actually been sitting on a mini Kirby JRPG treatment I wrote up a whole YEAR AGO! Which I'm presenting to you now!

--

If Dess had the time (...which I totally don’t...) I'd make a massive Kirby (Fan) JRPG set in the Dreamy Gear world! It’d include all the various supporting characters/villains as a mix of party members/NPCs. The plot would be divided into chapters: each based on one or more Kirby games, only with a steampunk twist that means it still fits into Dreamy Gear's world...

-

PLOT:

For example, the Kirby's Dream Land/Kirby's Adventure chapter would be about the new company "Nightmare Enterprises" arriving in town and their shiny factory...which is secretly polluting Breezeburg's water supply! Dedede, who learns about this, jumps into action to close down the eateries in town, including Daroach's cafe, to keep the residents from drinking the polluted water, but this leads to claims and fears from the citizens that a heartless President Dedede is "taking all the Breezeburg residents' food away." This sets Kirby (and Waddle Dee) off to investigate the rumors/clear Dedede's name!

(There's also a subplot about electing the new mayor. New industrial super giant Nightmare puts in his bid and Dedede gets involved too. By the end of the chapter, everyone forgets about the election, making Dedede winner by default. But no one officiates his victory - so he becomes "Self-Titled Mayor Dedede.")

Other ideas include the Haltmanns being railway barons trying to buy up Breezeburg to build their new railway through it while chomping up smaller, friendly competitors like Rick and Co.'s Dream Land Express (Pupupu Train.) Kirby and Waddle Dee meet the amnesiac runaway, Gooey, who is being chased by members of "Dark Matter," the nefarious criminal underground, led by Brighton's mysterious crime boss, Zero, who (in disguise) is poised to marry into the powerful Ripple family! "Friendly" newsie, Marx, secretly sabotages the city's power grid (messing with the lights) to gain access to Galatic Nova.

Taranza, a clumsy Nicola Tesla inventor type makes a device that lets people "peer into other dimensions," only to lose his powerful financial backer and partner Sectonia to the device during the initial test and needs your help to find her. Brighton is made host to a big hoity-toity art show ran by the mysterious Drawcia, and Kirby and the gang team up to try and sneak Adeleine's under-appreciated masterpiece into the show. The Jamba Guild, a rival magic guild seeking to increase the spread of “true magic” in this modern world of steam and science, move into town and begin sniffing around the area for a certain legendary artifact, while the apologetic alchemist Magolor begs you to help him find it before they do. (But both parties secretly have something treacherous planned?!) Daroach's identity as a phantom thief is revealed to the public by Nebula, a member of Dark Matter so uncontrollable, he was kicked out of the gang. And now there's a smear campaign saying the noble Meta Knight is hiring his own mercenary force to launch a coup on the city...?!

Of course, the other characters I haven’t written about here would show up too. Also, in good ol’ JRPG style, Alchemist Magolor would be the party’s healer, but instead of costing MP, he costs money.

Post-FL Addendum: And of course, there would be a plot about the Forgotten Land, too. The Beast Pack would be the PERFECT fit for the “Looks Friendly in the Daytime But Actually Suspicious Circus” plot that often shows up in these! Of course, the reveal is that the Beast Pack aren’t the ones to blame...

-

GAMEPLAY

Now, those were just plot bunnies. I know the other question that comes up frequently in the JRPG Yes/No discussion is “Are you really going to make an action-platformer franchise like Kirby into a slow turn-based JRPG?”

As to that, no, I would not give my Kirby JRPG a FF-esque turn-based battle system. What would I model my Kirby game’s gameplay on...?

...Hopefully you’re familiar with the “Mystery Dungeon” series? 

For those who’ve never played a Mystery Dungeon game, in brief, gameplay comes in the form of these randomly generated dungeons, as you go floor to floor fighting (in this case) a variety of Popstar (or Dreamy Gear) denizens and collecting both adventuring consumables and exciting, rare treasure. Combat is turn-based and boils down to bumping into enemies (weak enemies can run from you when you’re too tough) which means they're great for more “friendly” worlds as you don't get the feeling you're picking on low-level monsters, as might happen if your party of level 99 adventures get "stopped" on the world map by a random encounter that turns out to be three slimes...

Now, Dreamy Gear Kirby doesn't have Copy Abilities, which really works for us here. Let's just leave Kirby their air puffs and ability to inhale. While air puffs are a normal "A to Attack" move, inhale is special. Mystery Dungeon games are grid-based, after all, and Kirby's "Inhale" allows them to change the position of the enemy on the map by drawing them closer! You can them push them away by puffing air again. Meaning that, though Kirby's damage output is weak, they’re an exceptional tactical fighter, if you know how to use the map!

But we all loved Star Allies because you could bring friends along, and I already mentioned major characters showing up as party members, so let's talk friends in this game! Of course you can take friends with you! Mystery Dungeon games are ideal with a single partner, but COULD support up to 3 teammates, when the game is balanced well (and with appropriate AI.)

And just like Kirby, they would all have little twists on the standard attack and movement patterns that give you some unique strategies based on who you take along. Just some idea crafting but...

Bandanna Waddle Dee, at least until he gets the Steam Punk equivalent of his spear, acts as a cheerleader character, boosting your own abilities. President Dedede can use his hammer for a 2x2 square attack, but it's slow and thus, takes 1-2 turns to wind up for. Meta Knight can use his dimensional cape to move an additional space, attack an enemy at a diagonal, and move back in one turn, like the Knight piece in chess.

Magolor uses Gem Apples to attack. They're a distance weapon, so he can't attack anything directly in front of him, but the explosions affect a large area too. Watch out, because they can hit party members. Good thing he'll heal you! Marx can kick jester balls at enemies, which also have range AND provide knockback, but he doesn't play well with others, because the knockback means you have to corner enemies, else chase them around the map. But he's aggressive and great at keeping foes from sneaking up on you.

Adeleine can draw up food items, an absolutely VITAL resource, but they get scattered across the whole level when she's done, so you do have to balance whether the faraway ones are worth the jog to go collect. When you've got Daroach with you, you'll always have the ability to see hidden paths and shortcuts...but the somewhat self-serving Rat will occasionally break from the group to pick up items on his own, which might be bad if he does it while you're fighting a tough enemy!

Other random ability concepts: Taranza lays trap webs that can keep enemies stuck in one space for running away or cornering them. Elline leaves a colorful trail behind you, so that you can always retrace your steps, and Claycia can use her modeling skills to dig out chunks of wall, allowing you to skip entire passages. Kine has a powerful combine attack with Kirby where he sucks KIRBY up and spits HIM out at enemies. Kine can also use this to carry Kirby safely across spike traps and water blocks!

...Just like that, you could ideally come up with ways to make every Kirby character unique, playable, and fun!

-

A big problem with JRPGs with huge casts is how do you balance the party while keeping everyone relevant. My solution would be to very quickly give you some kind of Steam Punk Communicator/Warp device so that even those who aren't in the party can still comment on what's going on, meaning that if someone has TRULY relevant dialogue, they won't be left out.

That said, you could also use the device to swap party members between floors. Maybe every 5 floors? Again, for party balance, in order to handle the fact that you never have to be exhausted when you have a stable of dozens of party members on hand, we include a mechanic that is both key to Kirby AND Mystery Dungeons. Eating food items! 

Instead of relying too much on health and HP (which is still there, of course) a big concern is hunger. The characters (especially Kirby) get hungry while dungeoneering and you have to collect and manage food items to keep everyone fed. This means you can't just cycle through your party members when your HP gets low because if everyone's hunger is low, they'll fall just as fast. (Though it MIGHT be enough to get you to a major floor, someplace where you can swap Adeleine in, or back to the surface, if you need.)

So, there you go! That’s how I would make a Kirby JRPG!

...

...

...Does anyone (...or several dozen people...) know how to use Unity or Godot or can maybe program a Mystery Dungeon-clone in RPG Maker and have a lot of time on their hands...? ...Asking for a friend...

[ghostchanuwu]

So I want to build on the WrongEnd!Au a bit more

After the MC and Volo break past the Galactic people and both Adaman and Irida they both realize "Oh shit we can't get to Arceus with Dialga and Palkia going completely haywire" and the usual event happen with the creation of the origin ball with the exception of the MC and Volo creating it instead of Laventon and Rei/Akari,catch Palkia/Dialga,fight their Lord Form counterpart and be rid of the rift engulfing Hisui.

After releasing Dialga and Palkia back into the wild because the MC decides that mabey keeping the literal embodiments of time and space locked away really isn't that good of a idea the MC and Volo start their search for the rest of the plates scattered around the region (ultra powerful alphas now have them instead of the other characters as the alphas were deemed to be much better guardians of them).MC and Volo take a small trip to Coronet to go and hopefully convince Ingo to join them as the MC remembers everything that happened as they were being transported to Hisui and that Ingo's brother is most likely worried sick about him.

Ingo doesn't really know what's going on at first but the memories begin to filter in little by little and is more than happy to join the MC in going back home,Volo and MC agree not to tell Ingo what will happen after they go through the rift as they don't want to cause him to become even more distraught than he already is.The search for the rest of the plates turns out to be quite easy and along the way Ingo insists that he brings along a Hisuian Sneasel,Zorua and Growlithe since he believes that his brother would enjoy some extra company especially from some cute little furry rascals running around.

After a few weeks of traveling and defeating the Alpha Guardians the trio make their way to Spear Pillar and prepare to face Arceus and to hopefully bring the MC and Ingo back to their own time.The MC throws balms while Volo is the one who fights Arceus in those small bursts and Ingo keeps everyone's pokemon healthy and occasionaly helps out Volo with battling since his team is much stronger than it was before.After a hard fought battle the MC throws their pokeball and catches Arceus finally putting an end to all the madness.

Finally the time comes,the MC hands Volo Arceus's pokeball,all the plates and the Azure flute and readies themselves for the rift that sent MC and Ingo into Hisui to be opened for the last time.MC does bring along quite a few of the pokemon that they've caught along their journey and mention that when they get back to their own world that the first place they'll be challenging is the Battle Subway and then the Unova League,Volo doesn't quite understand what the MC is talking about but is still happy for them as bittersweet of a moment this is.Volo keeps his word and has Arceus open up the rift and returns MC and Ingo back to their own world but not without giving both of them some parting gifts;a Riolu and Buneary Pokeshi doll set,evolution stones,a Gible egg for Ingo and a Togepi egg for the MC and finally a replica of his own hat and guild outfit.

As MC and Ingo disapear from sight and the rift closes it's just Volo and Arceus left standing,Volo choaking back tears and Arceus knowing what must happen next.Volo holds Arceus's pokeball completely releasing them from the device's control and voices his one request to the Alpha Pokemon.

"Almightly Arceus....I know I'm not in any place to be making demands or any requests,you must know what my and MC's goals were ever since they were thrown out of Jubilife Village.....so please make our wish come true,if not for me then for them,you chose MC for a reason....one that I will never know of..."

Arceus looks down at Volo,tears in his eyes and lets out a booming roar.

"T H O U R E Q U E S T H A S B E E N H E A R D."

And thus the world is engulfed in Arceus's soft glowing light to be reset and reborn

A world without hatred of outsiders

A world with no fear

A world without pain

Perhaps a better timeline

Volo makes a promise to himself to meet the MC again in their own world as everything around him starts to fade out of existance

✨

✨

✨

[anonymousewrites]

There's a Will; There's a Way (Book 3) Chapter Two

Chapter Two: Gangs Acting Up

            (Y/N) groaned, resting on the table. Here she was in the Uzumaki Café with Dazai, Jun’ichiro, Ranpo, and Yosano. They were all exhausted. (Yosano was pretty hungover, too)

            Trying to get them back to work, Atsushi came in with a casefile. “We have a new job, everyone! Is anyone interested?” He leaned forward with an adorable smile.

            In any other situation, (Y/N) would have said yes. Instead, she and the others answered, “Pass.”

            “I guess this is our answer,” said Jun’ichiro.

            “Yeah, our answer,” repeated Ranpo.

            “Definitely our answer,” said Yosano.

            “Your answer?” asked Atsushi, raising an eyebrow judgingly.

            “We’re burned out,” sighed (Y/N).

            From beside her, Dazai attempted to nod but ended up just dropping his head to the table. “The Guild battles were the biggest since we were founded. I’m so glad we managed to keep the Moby Dick from crashing into Yokohama”

            “Not to mention…You’re famous now.” (Y/N) held a newspaper with Atsushi’s face plastered on the front.

            Atsushi blushed sheepishly. “That wasn’t my intention.”

            “Don’t worry about it.” (Y/N) waved off his worries.

            “Recognition only brings more trouble, though,” sighed Dazai.

            Atsushi stood up and considered his words. “Hm. Oh, where is Kunikida?”

            “Upstairs,” said (Y/N).

            “He’s more gung-ho than ever.” Dazai snickered slightly. “More coffee, please~!” He plastered a charming smile on his face as a waitress came over.

            “Coming,” said the woman politely.

            “Curry for me,” said Ranpo, “Sweet.”

            “I would like some coffee, please,” said (Y/N).

            “Alright,” said the waitress.

            “Something that’ll pick me up,” said Yosano, pinching the bridge of her nose. She had a headache.

            “Are you hungover, ma’am?” remarked the waitress.

            “Sorry for causing you so much trouble all the time,” said Atsushi.

            “Not at all,” said the woman, “The only trouble, really, is Dazai’s tab.” She leaned down towards him with a dangerously sweet smile. “At least buy life insurance before you die, please.”

            Dazai was sweating nervously. “Your will to live…You’re an amazing lady.”

            “I’ll pay this time. He’s already racked up enough of a tab,” said (Y/N), sweat-dropping.

            Atsushi suddenly got more businesslike. “Also, we had a report from the military police. Foreign organizations are in, hoping to take what the Guild left behind when it collapsed.”

            Sipping on orange juice, Ranpo said, “I doubt they’re that interesting.”

            “Still, I saw a Guild straggler in this area yesterday, too,” said Atsushi, “She got away, but she was holding a metal box of some kind.” His eyes were cast downward. “I hope she isn’t teaming up with the criminal organizations to take revenge on us by bombing this building or something.”

            “Is this café in danger, too, then” asked the waitress.

            “Danger is like the bitterness of coffee,” said Uzumaki, owner of the café, wisely, “For those ready for it, it is savory.”

            “Very wise,” said (Y/N).

            “I can’t believe he’s been doing coffee for thirty years,” remarked Jun’ichiro.

            “The smell of coffee doesn’t come off his hands, even with soap,” said Ranpo.

            “That’s all I’ve got going for me,” said Uzumaki.

            “Badass,” said Dazai.

            “The awkward elite type,” said Ranpo.

            “Coffee man!”

            (Y/N) smiled at their antics.

l

            The next day, the detectives returned to the café as per usual.

            “We’re here every day,” remarked Atsushi.

            “It’s the café’s fault for being so close and so comfortable,” said Dazai.

            When they entered, they were met with the sight of broken chairs and smashed glass. Their eyes widened.

            “What happened here?” said Atsushi in horror.

            “Manager!” cried (Y/N), seeing Uzumaki slumped against a wall. They all rushed over to him.

            “What happened?” asked Yosano.

            “His fingers…” breathed Atsushi.

            Uzumaki’s fingernails had been torn off. “It’s not too bad,” he said. He was clearly in pain. “I’m glad you’re all safe.”

            The detectives were quiet. “Danger” was written across their faces. Anybody who saw them would hate to be the people who put those looks on their faces.

l

            (Y/N) threw out a hand, knocking the vault door of its hinges. Ranpo, Yosano, and Dazai stood next to her. All of them had dark expressions. Astonished thugs gazed back at them. They were the criminals who had attacked the café.

            “Impossible!” cried the leader. “There’s no way you could have found our hideout!”

            “Ranpo figured it out in five seconds,” said Dazai, smirking.

            “Th-the security cameras?!” The blonde boss was baffled and scared.

            Over on the computer displays, the feeds cut to Jun’ichiro looking threateningly at the camera.

            “The armed guards?” The leader still couldn’t accept his loss.

            “Our tiger handled them,” teased (Y/N), a cruel, playful look in her eyes. It was a like a predator toying with its prey.

             “We have to thank you,” said Dazai, his smugness growing with every defeated look the thugs gave him. With his chin titled up, he looked down his nose at the criminals. His Port Mafia persona reared its head in moments like these. Dazai could be quite sadistic at times. “You’ve made our work interesting again.”

            “Not yet!” The boss made one final, desperate attempt to save himself. “One phone call will bring all the local criminal organizations here!” As he and his minions heard the person on the phone refuse because of the Agency’s reputation, their faces fell. Their fright grew when (Y/N) lifted up the metal door above her head.

            “I heard you like ripping people’s nails off,” Yosano turned on her chainsaw and approached the leader, “You have an exquisite taste. I finally get to have some fun.” Her vicious tone would send anyone running. Yosano swung the weapon down while (Y/N) threw the vault door, eliciting screams of terror from their victims.

l

            “Ah, this is so relaxing,” sighed Dazai happily, resting his head upon the café table. They had easily…handled…the thugs who attacked Uzumaki.

            “I wonder what Guild property it was that they were after,” said Jun’ichiro thoughtfully.

            “There’s no such thing,” said Dazai, leaning back, “Even if there were, someone else would already have taken it. Those guys back there must have been fooled by the false leads they put out.”

            “I wonder why someone would do that…” murmured (Y/N). Either somebody trying to get rid of competition, or, more sinisterly, somebody is testing the Agency. Worse case, both. Three guesses as to who… she thought sarcastically.

            “Oh, yeah, the Guild straggler…” said Atsushi, thinking they must have tipped off the criminals to trick them.

            The door to the café opened, and Uzumaki said, “Welcome back.” To the detective, he continued, “I’d like to introduce our new staff member, Lucy.”

            (Y/N) looked at the pink-haired girl. She recognized her as a former Guild member, Lucy Montgomery. The girl and Atsushi were just staring at each other. Oh, yeah, though (Y/N), He mentioned that she helped him escape.

            “Why are you here?” Atsushi blanked, clearly embarrassed to have just insinuated she had given false information to those thugs.

            “Because I feel like it!” Lucy blushed and threw the metal box at Atsushi.

l

            “Come on, Dazai, I wanted to go meet up with Katai,” said (Y/N), frustrated. She had tried to go with Kunikida and Atsushi, but Dazai had pulled her into a meeting room before she could. True, after the incident with Shibusawa, she knew who her stalker was, but she wanted to discover more about what Fyodor was up to. She knew he was still up to something in Yokohama.

            “Kunikida will report back with information once Katai gets it,” said Dazai.

            “But I want to find out who’s behind it. I’ve been stressed long enough,” grumbled (Y/N), “And you can’t just take me out of cases!”

            “We can’t risk Fyodor taking advantage of you being out unnecessarily,” Dazai retorted. Dazai used the fact that Fyodor was so dangerous to justify his protecting (Y/N). He just preferred that, if it could be avoided, he could remain with (Y/N) and keep her out of trouble.

            “Oh, come on! I’ve been in danger plenty of times. I can handle myself,” snapped (Y/N).

            “If it’s just a simple run for information, it doesn’t need to be dangerous,” said Dazai, “So you don’t need to go.”

            “You’re not my boss, Dazai! I may not be as smart as you, but I sure as hell am not stupid! I can differentiate between good and bad decisions. Seeing Katai would not be a risk, so I should have been able to go.” (Y/N)’s eyes softened, and she sighed. “Listen, Dazai…I can’t hold myself back every time there is a threat of danger. I can make my own decisions. I’m willing to take this risk. And while I respect you, this is my choice.” With that final sentiment, (Y/N) turned and left to do some work.

            Dazai watched as she left. He had messed up. He sat down in one of the chairs and ran his fingers through his hair. I overstepped. Dazai hadn’t meant to make her feel like he thought she wasn’t capable. He had just…gotten worried. Then, he had acted less like a friend and more like her boss. It was wrong of him. (Y/N) was capable. Dazai knew that. He’d make it up to her.

            Outside, (Y/N) bit her lip in frustration. She hadn’t meant to snap at Dazai, but she had just gotten so frustrated. Sure, she was nervous about Fyodor (he had proved himself dangerous), but she couldn’t let that hold her back from her work. (Y/N) wouldn’t let herself be intimidated into doing nothing. Plus, she could do plenty of damage to anyone who tries to harm her. While she still thought her ability inferior to others’, (Y/N) knew she wasn’t weak or helpless. She would face whatever was in her future with strength and clear mind.

[mystery-salad]

people are asking for ☕️ on lots of story bits, so...have one for the personal story! either broadly or more specifically on any part you'd like :D @kerra-and-company

Ough a tall order!!! Cause my feelings definitely vary a bit along which story you get! So how about we talk about my favorite parts of the guaranteed-across-the-board plot beats specifically. After all, I genuinely wouldn't condemn most of it as a whole, there's a lot of good stuff here with some rough early anet stuff mixed in!

This would skip us up to, what, Claw Island I think? Claw island was honestly I feel the first time the power and severity of Zhaitan really sets in. Especially for a new player on their first run. You've faced smaller tragedies before now, little things that tell you you're heading into a tough battle that needs to be fought and won, but Claw Island really kicks off the actual stakes.

This is where you lose a friend. Not someone you knew for one story beat or chapter, someone who's been along for the ride as your mentor figure. You lose them as they protect your escape with a handful of soldiers, after a loss that was tragically preventable if the stakes had been properly respected sooner by those in charge.

And it's a really good beat!!! Like, it hurts! I don't know anyone who doesn't mourn at least one of the mentors. And a massive defensive stronghold is gone which then threatens Lions Arch in turn and you can picture the whole world falling like this. To decay and a misguided preservation from an entity who sees things so differently from you that there's no room for remorse or forgiveness.

So you rally a team. You go with Trahearne, one of the only other survivors who truly understood what was coming after he'd put his whole life into studying and trying to revive Orr. And this scholar who's awful with people, never one for working on a big team and most certainly never wanting to lead an army himself, finds himself destined to do just that. People are forced into rolls, you're pushed to be Commander, someone has to do it, someone has to step forward when the old dragon slayers refuse to pick up the pieces.

And you strategize, you plan, you break the foundations away piece by piece and you purify the heart of Orr, you make progress in pieces and chip away at everything that keeps this dragon going. You may lose more lives, you may meet ghosts of old from the days when Orr bloomed bright by the ocean.

And it all builds to something that no one with living memory can recall. You face down an Elder Dragon. And what a dragon it is, Zhaitan flying by and staring you down for the first time with his skeletal figure and gaping maw full of dragon heads and, you can't be sure if it's cobbled together from smaller forms or if it's just like that by nature. Zhaitan still defies so much understanding years down the line doesn't it...

But you face it down and you win, it's shaky ground a few times sure but you win and there's a breath of relief, a celebration on the airships and back at the Pact afterward. It is truly one of the kindest, happiest victory I have seen in Guild Wars 2. There were lives lost, but nothing looming. No massive warning signs or another foe waiting in the wings. No tragedy on a deeply personal scale.

Sometimes, it's nice to just go back and play it again. To experience that first Elder Dragon again, but even more to experience the genuinely happy victory. The joyful music. It's so soft, and good on its own. I love the personal story for that.

[im-gay-and-mentally-unstable]

Video game AU

-The School is an online game that had existed for years and is now long after its times of glory, only the most determined players remain and not many newbies show up

-they still host competitions with small sums of money as the first prize

-there's plenty of smaller guilds, but they are slowly getting absorbed by the two largest- Forever and Never

-Forever, its members simply Evers, was the first gathering of some of the strongest players in the game, most of them already connected by friendships, and they slowly took over a lot of resources, earning a huge in-game advantage

-however, a lot of strong players didn't get past the member limit and felt disgusted by the advantage guild players received and in reaction, they made a guild of their own, even the title solely to spite the Forever- they named it Never

-the two guilds are in never-ending competition with each other for years, no one ever being able to grow significantly stronger, stuck in a cycle, almost no one joining in or leaving until Agatha and Sophie come along

-they have both grown up in the same household with Stefan and Vanessa, except Vanessa is dead and Sophie hadn't quite recovered before Stefan remarried again, straining their relationship permanently

-in attempts to earn her affection again, he buys her various gifts, this time, he bought the game to try and give her a new hobby

-she'd normally just abandon it, it's so out of fashion and she isn't interested in things like that in the slightest, but the most popular guy of their school, Tedros Pendragon, who also happens to be the interest of Sophie's undying love, or climbing for popularity, however you want to call it, is the head of Forever

-she makes a master plan, where she intends to join the game, become a legendary player and help him on his journey, making him fall in love with her in the process

-the thing is, she doesn't want to do it on her own (and absolutely doesn't want to go through pages of guidebooks and class descriptions), so she begs Agatha until she agrees to go through with it with her

-they start going through the early stages of the game and level up quickly

-Sophie spends most of her time trying to search for Tedros and save him while Agatha builds their collective inventory

-she very much hates to admit it but she got really into the game

-they become really good fast, mainly because of how much time they spend there (for very different reasons) and the talent for the game they both have

-while Sophie is off hunting for Tedros, Agatha joins a new guest that has just appeared and manages to complete it before the members of Forever, who just walk into the scene and are impressed

-Tedros invites her to fill the last available place in their guild and she tries to refuse and recommends Sophie instead, but they insist and she caves in

-Sophie finds out and is furious, in her frustration, she joins the Never guild in an upcoming tournament, motivated even more to prove herself

Character classes:

Tedros -> fighter

-> honestly the obvious choice

-> strong attack power, almost no health

-> fights in the first line of attack all the time

-> pretty dependent on other players' support

-> at his best as a team player, but incredible on his own too

-> thought the armour looked cool

Agatha -> paladin

-> she just liked the idea of protecting everyone but also doing damage and not being codependent

-> she made the smart choice for balanced gameplay

-> her saviour complex also came into play

-> never plays the first line unless forced to, but if she does she absolutely destroys everyone

Sophie -> sorceress

-> didn't read any of the guides, but liked the idea of throwing fireballs and destroying shit

-> somehow gets all the overpowered spells

-> again, she has huge attack power and very poor defense

-> she doesn't even need defense though, just kills everything and everyone before it gets to her

-> spent an ungodly amount of game money to buy pretty outfits

Hester -> sorceress

-> spent hours trying to figure out the best character for her playing style

->somehow has mastered all the spells involving explosions

-> always in the first line of attack

-> extremely powerful but very prone to getting killed in the first seconds of the match

-> doesn't like to say she depends on backup but the rest of the coven somehow needs to save her often

Anadil -> assassin

-> mostly plays from the shadows without getting discovered

-> usually prefers playing in team as support but also really powerful on her own

-> spends a lot of time making her skills as balanced as possible

-> somehow always plans the strategy

-> the person that spends hours on choosing the best possible armour and weapons

Dot -> cleric

-> just wanted to spend some time with her friends at first, ends up enjoying the game a lot

-> likes playing support even though it's extremely underrated

-> doesn't really do attack stuff unless forced to, usually just healing and defense

-> usually a team player

Nicola -> paladin

-> unlike most others, she prefers playing alone to playing in team

-> her whole character was built around the fact she planned to play on her own

-> and she's way too good

-> she switches between guilds as an exchange player to help out and is very widely respected

Kiko -> druid

-> usually just wanders around with cute animals and smiles

-> then she absolutely destroys you in combat

-> she always says she does it for the joy of playing with her friends

-> she very much just wants to win

Hort -> assassin

-> just chose the character that sounded the coolest and edgiest

-> soon regretted it since his playing style is to rush towards the enemy and try to not die in the process, which is not very compatible with the low defense his class has

-> Dot feels bad for him so she keeps him alive during matches

-> Hester and Anadil often use him as the necessary sacrifice in battles

Beatrix -> fighter

-> she shocked everyone with her character choice but her whole team supports her

-> usually rushes into combat side-by-side with Tedros

-> would be first one to sacrifice herself heroically if Reena wasn't obviously biased in her favour and didn't let her

Reena -> cleric

-> never really plays in the front line

-> supports her friends from behind

-> doesn't mind playing the underrated role, it makes it even more fun to her

-> really powerful even though she barely shows it

Millicent -> druid

-> not really a lot of reasoning for this one, I just have her associated with nature

Chaddick -> archer

-> he prefers bow in the series too so that's it, that's all my reasoning

Ravan -> fighter

[luckysliceofbread]

What me and my friends would do if we got isekai-ed into Genshin

Just note that this isn’t going to be 100% serious and that I made this for fun and to make fun of my friends because I love them. If any of them are reading this. Suffer. Alright start reading

Tw: Death, Normal Genshin Violence, Car accident, swearing

I guess it’s a crack fic? I dunno.

I’m gonna use @’s and Nicknames for the sake of both privacy and shouting out my friend’s tumblrs :D

Prologe (spelling? Who’s that?): The whole group was hanging out again after the lockdown ended, they were all going to their local mall to get some boba and cause chaos. 

However on their way, a truck had lost control and went off the road, hitting everyone and sucssesfully killing all of them. So they were given a second chnace at life in the world of Teyvat, which was coincidentally the world that a few of them were obsessed with.

They were gifted with “protagonist powers” as they called it.

@bring-me-a-wisteria-tea 

Element: Electro

Weapon: Catalyst

Teyvat name: Amai

The one who named called our powers “protaganist powers”

I can assure you they didn’t actually expect to be able to literally have the classic isekai mc powers

Also the one who called this a litteral isekai

Doesn’t sleep

Almost ever

Stays up with Snail at night to “keep watch”

Cmon we all know you just don’t sleep smh

Designated therapist of the therapist

Kind of knows how to cook? 

Not really

Tried asking Snail to make mochi

Wanted to try the alchahol that Cloud brought back to their camp one night

Was stopped by Snail

Was trying to beat my ass when they learnt I signed everyone up for the adventurers guild

Probably should’ve asked first :’)

The scariest fighter

If they didn’t have a catalyst they’d be slaughtering everything in litteral seconds

The secret weapon :)

“Oh shit a metachurl”

“Move, bitch, I’ll handle this”

@red-dangan-mods-forever

Element: Pyro

Weapon: Sword

Teyvat name: Tokio

The happiest

Gets away from their world?

Drama just went bye bye

S W O R D

Sets the fire for the food

Surprisingly good with a sword??

You’d think they’d kinda suck at it

Or at least be mediocre at best

But they’re actually pretty good with a sword

Probably why they were given it tbh

Despises artifacts

“What do you mean we need to go into some creepy forest for Pyro Artifacts??”

“Oh god there’s three abyss mages, we’re totally dying here.”

“Ayo, can you help us cook smth.”

“Oh god not again, I’m going to burn this forest to the ground.”

@yourlocaldeoderantstick

Element: Geo

Weapon: Claymore

Teyvat name: Ghostie (We’re calling them Child and Childe can’t stop us)

Practically dies after a battle

You can tell they’re not very athletic

I mean none of us are

But shshshshshsh

Absolutely throws rocks at Timmy’s birds

Has the “keep everyone entertained so they don’t run into battle like lunatics” job

Doesn’t cause that much touble at all

The favourite child

Stays up at night and tries to train

Almost doesn’t fail

Once accidentally ran into the four ruin guard boss fight

Ended pretty well for a giant team of... eight I think??

Became best friends with Barbara

Element: Dendro

Weapon: Polearm

Teyvat name: Snail

Would’ve been discount Xiao if they had anemo (jkjkjkjkjk)

Doesn’t sleep at night 2.0

No seriously

This time it’s actually to defend everyone

Designated chef

Caries all the ingrediants

The only sane person

Doesn’t understand anything about the world

“Woah, we got that much mora from clearing this camp! We need to do this more often.”

No don’t

We’re gonna die by the time we get enough mora to eat

Suggested everyone to split up and go clear camps for more mora

“Don’t just go throwing yourself into hilichurl camps unprepared!”

“Listen I love you but I have no idea how to make mochi.”

“GOD NO DON’T DO THAT-”

sorry not sorry for making you the group parent

Element: Cryo

Weapon: Sword

Teyvat name: Cloud

The second designated chef

Immediately goes into the tavern to see if they can drink

Looks and sounds old enough to be considered an adult >:CCC

Screw you and your old looks 

We’re gonna call you boomer from now on

Came back to our camp with multiple bottles of alchahol

Nobody even drank it

Not even Cloud

Now it’s just kinda...

there...

“Well what now.”

“I dunno.”

“Do we drink it?”

“I’m not drinking whatever’s in there.”

“And I’m not letting you drink! Definately not now.”

Element: Anemo

Weapon: Sword

Teyvat name: Dun

Hey it’s me :D

time to bully

Local dumbass of the group

Designated therapist

Can’t cook for SHIT

But I know the map pretty well :D

The only one who’s played the whole game so far

As in spend too much time wandering around aimlessly to give a shit

Will not step one foot into Dragonspine

Fuck that place I swear

Got everyone to learn a song and now everyone sings it

Doesn’t fight very well but good at dodging and running tf away

Ignores camps of any kind like the plague

Helped build the teams

Also signed everyone up for the adventurers guild so they could make more money

“Yes I know this requires us to beat a Ruin guard. We can take it, all of us just need to jump it and stab it in the eye.”

We saw Barbara after that

“KIMI O ISSO ISSO INAKUNARE”

“KAWARENAI KONO MAMA NARA TABUN-”

“OH GOD, SOMEONE MAKE IT STOP!”

[feanorianethicsdepartment]

Do you have any personal headcanons about Celebrimbor's mother and her relationship with Curufin? I always thought that it's weird we don't have even the barest information about that considering Celebrimbor's unique position as the only next gen Feanorian. (Sorry if you already talked about this somewhere!)

thanks for the ask! i have, but i'm not going to pass up an opportunity to blather on about my ocs for several paragraphs

curufin's wife (she lacks a name because i hate giving characters names and will delay it until i absolutely have to) is noldorin, she lives in valinor in the years of the trees. i haven't thought much about her family, but i suspect they're middling nobility at the highest the did-valinor-have-social-classes debate is a whole different rabbit hole. she's a metalworker like her husband (she probably specialises in a slightly different subcategory but idk enough to say what) and is a member of the same tirion artisan guild. it's in that context that they meet and begin their Intense Crafting Rivalry

you know that trope where a pair of rivals are so obsessively devoted to one-upping each other it's blindingly obvious that what they actually want is to kiss? that's them, that's their relationship. their specialties are just similar enough they do a lot of the same stuff but just different enough their approaches tend to be radically divergent. what starts as the two of them trying to prove the superiority of their own artistic circle or whatever evolves into them trying to show up him/her specifically, s/he's wrong about x and i know i can do better, why does my family keep asking if we're dating yet????? their competition gets absolutely ridiculous in ways only a pre-scarcity society can get, like building an entire fountain out of solid silicon specifically because he said she couldn't do it (he actually said shouldn't but screw him (not literally cousin oh my valar))

but yeah. their relationship grows an undercurrent of the-only-one-allowed-to-push-around-my-archnemesis-is-me, and they find themselves fighting back to back (occasionally literally) when tirion guild politics takes a turn for the tirion guild politics. they just slowly come to trust each other, more than anyone else, and soon there comes an appropriately dramatic moment for them to suddenly kiss. they're still always trying to out-craftself each other, celebrimbor grows up in a house that's about 70% forge to the background noise of his parents insulting each other's work, but they're comfortable with each other in a way neither of them could have imagined in the early days, and when things get rough they always have each other's backs

things do, in fact, get rough. maglor won't meet his wife until beleriand, caranthir's relationship with his spouse slowly falls apart along with the political situation in tirion, but curufin's wife is loudly team fëanor. she suffers from an acute case of finwean spouse disease, she thinks going to middle-earth to build their own world is an awesome idea, she's deeply embedded in the tirion artisan scene with an entire social circle as think the same way, and when the inevitable civil war flares up she'll probably be even more eager to fight the fingolfinians than her husband. she goes with him and their-still-pretty young son to formenos, and when the trees get eaten and fëanor does the speech she prepares for the adventure of a lifetime

then, alqualondë. i stand by my conviction that nobody on the noldorin side walked in planning to steal the boats, let alone murder the teleri, but it was dark and the world was ending and everybody had sharp things. like everybody else involved in the first kinslaying, curufin and wife got caught up in the battle because somebody shouted 'they're attacking us!' in the distance. she is at first more trying to stop them from stabbing her, obsidian fishing spears glancing off ornamental steel, but then she lashes out and she hits someone in the chest and -

there was this recurring trope in her and her husband’s endless mutual critique. she’d create something beautiful, artfully devised and elegantly constructed, showing off a whole ton of design principles and doing things with the material no one had ever done. he would look at it skeptically and go ‘okay, but what use is it? what is it for?’

red liquid running down the fuller of the exquisite sword she forged herself, light guttering out of another elf’s eyes as he coughs up blood, she knows, sure as once were the light of the trees, what the piece of metal in her hands is for

the next few moments are a blur. she threw the sword into the water, she knows that. somehow she wound up running out of alqualondë, tears streaming down her face, as buildings burned and people screamed behind her. she found a concealed spot by the road, tore off her armour, peeked outside, and watched. when the fires were dying down and the boats were clearly gone, she mustered her courage and went to save her family

in the centuries to come, very few people believe celebrimbor when he tells them his mother tried to get his father to come back by, among other things, appealing to his better nature. nobody believes that it almost worked. but curufin was still only starting out on the road to hellbeastery, and his wife was his eternal partner-in-crime. right there at the beginning, staring out over a burning city, she saw where the road the noldor were walking would eventually lead them, no matter how much they tried to deny it. no dreams could be worth that, she told him. no ideals. and she was always the idealist, wasn’t she?

she was. maybe that’s why he, who had so very few ideals to mark his path, refused to abandon this one. their discussion rapidly devolved into a screaming argument half the camp could hear, much like curufin’s last argument with celebrimbor, centuries later. soon enough, though, it became clear that he wouldn’t turn back, and she refused to go on, and neither of them could change the other’s minds. the only thing left between them was celebrimbor

celebrimbor was eight (-ish in elf years), and completely freaked out, and eight, and knew almost nothing about what was going on, and eight, and had grown up listening to his grandfather’s dreams, and eight, and was surrounded by adults who very loudly thought going to middle-earth would solve all their problems, and eight, and couldn’t tell why his mother was abandoning them. panicking, on the spot, he buried his face in curufin’s smock to wipe away his tears. when he looked up, she was gone

so yeah, curufin’s wife went back with finarfin, that’s why she didn’t go to middle-earth. she initially stayed with nerdanel because almost everyone else on both sides of her extended family remained by (and later burned) the boats, i’m only just realising the horrible curufin argument probably wasn’t even the only one she went through that night, jeez. also she really needed a hug. the sun rose, alqualondë started rebuilding, and she ended up head of her and her husband’s former mutual craft guild, mostly because nobody else with the skills to do it was left. decades turn to centuries, news slowly filters back from beleriand, and her worst nightmares are proven so awfully right

probably the biggest emotion she feels towards curufin in the aftermath is betrayal. they were partners, in every sense of the word, they took on the world and they did it together, using their constant competition to drive each other to ever greater heights. they listened to each other, they trusted each other’s judgement, and she knows he understood the point she was making. him continuing on anyway, and diving face-first into the void - the elf she thought she knew would never have done that. as time passes by, the grief and the loneliness get subsumed by a deep abiding rage. if she ever sees the thing her husband let himself become again, she’ll throw a welding torch in his face

but that anger, that heartbreak, none of that applies to her son. when the hosts of valinor began gearing up for war - she’s the leader of tirion’s most prominent metalworking guild, she can’t not go. while they’re unloading supplies and siege equipment and stuff onto the isle of balar, she happens to pass by this relatively short dusky-skinned noldo hauling some smithing equipment about. as soon as he gets a proper look at her, he gasps. she looks back in confusion, and then she meets his eyes

later, she’ll hear his tales of his adventures in the hither lands, all of the hardships, yes, but also all of the brilliance. later, she’ll learn about the person he’s grown into, someone she can be unreservedly proud of in his choices and works. later, they’ll talk about the future, about his ambitions of making his grandfather’s dream come true, but with open hands and a light to be shared with all the peoples of middle-earth. for now, though, she wraps celebrimbor in a massive hug, and lets the tears flow down her face, because no matter how much they’ve lost, no matter how deep the darkness around them, right here and now, her son is alive

[lala-ladybug]

Healing Hands: Chapter 8

You brush your teeth. now BOOM orange juice. That’s life.

Jasonette Sword Art Online AU

Read here on AO3

Chapter 8: Adrien Elizabeth Agreste, we do not have "plenty of time"

Tag list: @iloontjeboontje​ First | Previous | Next

Marinette was tired. Sure, she didn’t have to be class president, worry about akumas, or study for the baccalauréat, but she was more tired than she’d ever been in Paris. She’d been running herself ragged with training day after day for weeks, waking up earlier and going to bed later than everyone else.

Even her Order was starting to worry about her.

“Hey Mari, let’s go shopping! I’ve heard there’s a really posh fabric district on level 8.” Chloe wheedled as Kagami poured them both a cup of morning tea. The blonde had a sharp look in her eye that meant it was more serious than just a shopping trip, but Marinette wouldn’t budge.

“Sorry Chlo, I want to level-grind so I can prep for tomorrow,” Marinette shrugged and grimaced at her friend. She hadn’t picked up a needle in months, chances were slim to none that she’d start now. And tomorrow was too important to skip training.

Adrien came in from the garden and traded glances with Chloe. He sat down next to Marinette and said softly, “You really don’t have to overwork yourself this much, you know.” He gestured to the four of them and Luka, who sat plucking at his lute. “We’re all here right alongside you, and we always will be.”

Marinette forced a smile. “I know,” she replied. And she did, really. But it was still so hard to let herself relax, even for a moment. She felt more burdened here than as Ladybug. At least back home all they had to do was wait for the next akuma attack. In here, every second not actively spent fighting in the dungeons or leveling up was another second lost in the real world. Another life lost, too.

The newspaper had daily progress updates and blurbs about quests, but every month it also put out a death toll. There were so many names. A good month only had a few dozen. Marinette always read them all, whispered their names to herself as a reminder to keep fighting.

“I should be heading out,” she gulped down her tea and rose from the table. Ignoring the worried faces of her friends, she packed a bag and shouldered a full quiver of arrows. She waved without turning to look behind her and left through the door to the stables.

The roan stallion, playfully named “Rouge” by Nino, had taken a liking to her, so that was the one she saddled up and mounted. They rode into town, where Marinette touched the teleportation obelisk and directed their destination to the thirteenth floor.

She shielded her eyes against the bright sun. The heat rolled off the clay buildings in shimmering waves, carrying with it the scent of spices from a nearby market. In the distance, she could see rolling hills of sand stretching on for miles. This floor was the highest that was open, but the dungeon wasn’t scheduled to be beaten until the next day.

Despite their best efforts to defeat each level by themselves, the Order quickly found that other guilds fought right alongside them. They were much more competent than the Parisians had given them credit for, for various reasons. The game cultivated a cutthroat culture where limited resources served as selfish motivations for players to do as they pleased. Some groups wanted to help, just like them. Others wouldn’t think twice about abandoning allies to save their own skins. Above all, no one wanted to be left behind, not after the fiasco of the first level. And of course, everyone wanted to go home.

When she wasn’t talking strategy with the other guilds, Marinette trained hard to increase her level. She was nearly at level 20, and wanted to be at her absolute best for the dungeon battle. She’d read in the paper that morning that there were scorpion monsters lurking out beyond the limits of the villages. They would be perfect practice.

She spurred Rouge onward down the stone road that wound through the dunes. They’d barely made it out of sight of the village before, sure enough, waist-high black scorpions started tailing them. Rouge tossed his head as he trotted along, sensing something was amiss.

Marinette nudged him into a gallop, which he gladly obliged to get as far away from the threat as possible. But a glance over her shoulder revealed that the monsters were doggedly following. Their pace sped up enough that she could hear the clacking from their many legs scraping over the stones of the road.

Twisting in the saddle, Marinette fired at their pursuers. Her archery skills were her favorite thing to practice. The ranged attacks and versatility were similar to her yo-yo, and moving targets only made it that much more of a challenge.

Her arrows hit their marks, and she didn’t have to turn her head to see the congratulatory loot windows popping up in front of her to confirm it.

More scorpions approached from the sides, which made it even easier to pick them off. Rouge seemed to be enjoying the exercise, never flagging as they bolted across the level. Fending off enemies left and right, dodging fast-paced obstacles, feeling the wind rushing in her hair....

It was the closest she had come to feeling like Ladybug since the game began.

She fell into a rhythm that allowed her mind to wander to Tikki. How was she holding up? Had she found another holder? She would probably need one.... The Order hadn’t talked about it, but they all knew that Hawkmoth likely wasn’t taking it easy on a city devastated by so many deaths and disappearances.

Marinette frowned and swallowed against the lump in her throat. All of the Miraculous holders were here and there was no one left to distribute new ones. She felt so stupidly careless to have left Paris completely undefended.

The next arrow that found its mark sank deeply enough to reward her with a level-up.

Eventually, they reached another village. They stopped for water and some lunch, then kept going onward. By the time the sun was setting, Marinette had reached level 20 and was well on her way to achieving level 21. She felt more ready now, the physical activity having calmed her nerves somewhat.

She and Rouge teleported back to the house just in time for Alix, Kim, and Max to serve dinner. Marinette raised a questioning eyebrow at Luka. She could’ve sworn they’d taken their turn to cook dinner just a few nights ago. Her friend just sighed and mouthed, “Lila.”

Ah, of course.

Lila did deign to come downstairs, allegedly from the girls’ bedroom where she had to take a nap because her vertigo was acting up. Which it only did when there was something she didn’t want to do.

Marinette was the first to serve herself. She piled some of the food from the kitchen onto her plate and took a seat next to Alya. Her best friend was chatting with Adrien and Max about the game plan for the boss fight tomorrow. Listening in to get the context for the conversation, Marinette took a bite of the potatoes.

It was bland.

Terribly, awfully bland.

She hid her face as politely as she could, then stood to retrieve spices from the cupboards in the kitchen. She applied them liberally to her own plate and then to the rest of the serving platters before anyone else could try them.

Upon rejoining her friends at the table, she heard Adrien and Kagami once again shut down Alya’s pleading to join them in the fight. Of their guild of classmates and friends, the Order comprised the only members they’d allowed to fight in the dungeons. Marinette knew her civilian friends were more than capable, hell she’d trusted many of them with a Miraculous at some point or another, but the chance of them getting hurt and dying in the game was too great to take risks.

“What if we just stayed with the support teams? I don’t want to get in anyone’s way, but if there’s something I can do to help I want to do it!” Alya protested.

Kagami shook her head sharply. “Absolutely not. Even the support teams have sustained damage in prior fights. You should leave it to us.”

Lila sat down smoothly on Alya’s other side. “What makes you five so much more competent? Everyone knows how clumsy Marinette is.” She waved a casual hand.

“Well, Kagami and I fence together, and....” Adrien started explaining but trailed off.

“Chloe has been bringing me and Luka to her self-defense classes back home,” Marinette blurted out. She internally cringed at the questioning looks Chloe and Luka gave her. “There’s so many akumas near us at home, we thought it might be a good idea.”

Oh Kwami, she hated lying to her friends. But she couldn’t put them in the line of fire. If something happened to one of them, she’d never be able to forgive herself.

Luckily, it seemed like they’d bought her half-truth.

“Really?” Lila raised her eyebrows.

Well, most of them had.

“I hope that’s really the reason and it’s not just because you guys are hoarding all the loot you get from beating the dungeons,” she sniffed, leaning forward slightly to look directly at Marinette.

Marinette’s stomach dropped. To even think that they could be so greedy and manipulative....

“Oh come on, there’s no way our friends would ever do something like that.” Alya gently put her arm around Marinette. “My bestie is our Everyday Ladybug, and I’m sure she’s going to do her best to help get us out of here.”

Nino and the others spoke up about their support for Marinette and her Order, but she tuned them out. As grateful as she was for her friend’s support, Marinette couldn’t help but feel even more overwhelmed. Being called their “Everyday Ladybug” only served as a reminder of how much they all depended on her.

She finished her meal and quietly thanked Alix and Max (Kim was busy arm-wrestling Adrien). While washing her dishes, she felt herself nodding off. Rouge still needed to be brushed after their long ride, so she shook herself awake and trudged to the stables to do that.

Luka and Chloe were waiting there for her, to her surprise. Luka was already working to brush Rouge’s coat, and Chloe wordlessly took Marinette by the shoulders and firmly guided her upstairs to their room.

“Hey, wh--” Marinette tried to ask before Chloe shooed her up to their loft beds.

Chloe followed her up and said, “You need to rest,” then began tucking her friend in.

Marinette made an effort to protest, but the quilted covers invited her to give in to her heavy eyelids. So she let her friend fuss over the sheets and straighten the duvet.

She hardly remembered whispering her thanks before falling asleep.

* * *

The next morning, Marinette woke from a dreamless sleep. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d slept so long, or so well. She yawned and stretched with a groan, blinking blearily at the large circular window in front of her.

The window spanned nearly the height of the two stories in the girls’ room. It cast shafts of swirling dust, gilded in the morning sun, across the beds on the floor below. She and Chloe had thought at first that they’d drawn the short end of the stick when Lila had insisted they be the ones to take the loft (the extra climbing would be awful on her knees, you know how it is), but in her grogginess Marinette took a moment to appreciate it.

From her vantage point, she could see clearly out into the front of their yard. The hills of their spread-out neighborhood sloped downward to reveal the mountains in the distance beyond the limits of the main town.

As she watched, small songbirds flitted between the apple trees lining the path. She could hear their soft chirping in the distance, as well at the hum of the beehive that had been growing in their eaves.

Today was an important day, she knew that much, but why...?

Oh no.

A glance at the clock embedded in her player menu revealed that she’d overslept. She was late.

She threw the blankets off and quickly dressed, hopping in place to tug on her boots. She slid down the ladder and rounded the corner of the landing on the stairs, terrified she’d missed her team leaving to fight the boss.

Adrien’s bubbling laughter followed by Luka’s soft chuckle told her otherwise. She breathed a sigh of relief and slowed her pace down the rest of the stairs. Thank Kwami.

In the kitchen, Adrien was holding a yellow hairbrush high above Chloe’s reach while she pouted and jumped to try to grab it. Kagami shook her head while Luka snuck up behind them and plucked the brush out of Adrien’s hand.

Chloe huffed at Adrien when Luka handed it back to her. She began brushing out her already-perfect hair, chastising him. “You know this is my travel brush. I’ll need it for after the boss fight! Kwami knows how utterly ridiculous it will look after that.”

Kagami noticed Marinette's arrival and sidled up to her, hands clasped behind her back. “Can’t imagine why she was ever Queen Bee,” she said drily. Marinette put a hand to her mouth to hide her smile. Kagami’s practical sense of humor had only grown the longer her friends had “corrupted” her, as Adrien liked to claim.

“Melody!” Luka smiled warmly, greeting her with a wave. Adrien and Chloe stopped their play fighting to look at her. They crossed the room in an instant, Adrien’s hands placed lightly on her shoulders and Chloe grasping her hands. “How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Better than I have in a while, thank you Chlo,” Marinette smiled at her friends.

Adrien glanced over her head to check the clock in the kitchen. “We still have plenty of time, why don’t you have some breakfast.”

“Adrien Elizabeth Agreste, we do not have ‘plenty of time,’” Marinette retorted. “I’ll take some food to go.”

Lila, sitting with Alya on the couches nearby, gave them a questioning glance. Alya quickly explained, “His middle name obviously isn’t actually Elizabeth, but it’s way funnier to pretend that it is,” before hopping up to give Marinette a quick hug.

“Be safe,” she whispered into her hair, holding her tightly for a few seconds. Marinette gave her a tight-lipped smile as they parted, then caught the apple that Kagami tossed her.

They opted to leave the horses, in case some other players tried to steal them while they were busy with the boss fight. The five friends walked to the teleport kiosk in town.

Marinette felt tense and nervous, but couldn’t help relaxing in the presence of her carefree friends. They all joked and made horrible puns (thank you Adrien) the whole way to the thirteenth floor.

Surprisingly, they didn’t run into any other guilds along the winding, cobbled roads of the thirteenth floor. They must have already been gathered at the dungeon since they were approaching the designated meeting time. Marinette hoped they would wait.

The entrance was an ornately carved archway framing a spiral staircase. The steps led into the depths below the shifting dunes. There were lit sconces every so often, affixed to cavities in the curved walls. The steps were made of glass, but the overlapping flights of stairs didn’t clue them in to how deep the passage went.

A hot draft blew up and scattered the sand at their feet. With a glance to her team, Marinette led the way down.

Their boots had little grip on the glass steps, and they had to grip both walls to try to avoid falling. Adrien cracked one too many jokes about it being a “slippery situation” and earned himself a hearty slap on the back that sent him reaching the next landing a little sooner than he would’ve hoped.

Marinette only paid half-attention to their antics, devoting most of her brain power to going over the plan. Pamphlets in NPC shops said that this boss had ranged area attacks, which wouldn’t mean much until they saw what exactly it could do. She hoped that the extra upgrades she’d given to their armor would protect them from whatever projectiles that could possibly entail.

While her small squad would lead the assault, archers would back them up and hopefully be able to counteract the boss’s ranged attacks. Healers were on deck, of course, and there were plenty of defensive lines with shielding capabilities.

More and more guilds were joining the front lines as the people started to band together. Meetings were no longer the exclusive events they once were, and the plans of when and where to attack were placed in the paper. That meant they’d have some wild cards. Marinette frowned as she considered where they would fit in.

She sighed. Again, they probably wouldn’t know until they were in the thick of the fighting. A glance upward revealed that they could no longer see the daylight warping through the glass steps above them. It couldn’t be that much farther, though it was odd that the air around them was getting hotter, not colder, the farther they went.

Adrien cocked his head and he gestured for the others to quiet down. The five of them had retained some of the attributes lent to them by years of consistent miraculous use, and his hearing was better than most of theirs. They proceeded carefully.

Marinette began to hear it too, a low murmur that sounded like....

Players, dozens of them, were waiting for them at the foot of the stairs. She let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding.

They were scattered about the long, tall antechamber with golden walls that glimmered in the soft torchlight. Arches, like the one at the entrance far up above, supported the ceiling. Three-meter tall pillars displayed vases and other beautiful decor. There was an open doorway at the opposite end of the room, but they couldn’t see anything beyond it but darkness.

The gentle pressure of a hand at her back told her Adrien was standing by her side. She made eye contact with one of the other familiar guild leaders and made her way over to him and his team.

“Hey Danny, are we the last to arrive?” She greeted her American friend. He ran a hand through his cropped dark hair and his icy blue eyes met hers. “Hey Mari. Nah, we’re still waiting on Crimson Dragon.”

His raven-haired friend Sam shook her head. “They’re always late,” she muttered.

Next to her, their other friend (Tucker, if she recalled correctly) shrugged. “But you gotta admit, they always deliver!”

Marinette had to agree with him there. Thanks to the programming in the system, everyone in the game spoke and understood the same language. That meant that the Miracle Workers had wound up working with both Ghostbusters, Danny’s guild, and Crimson Dragon on several occasions even though they both spoke English as their native tongue. She had to admit she was impressed with how well they did. Unorthodox as they were....

“‘Sup party animals!?” A loud voice echoed down the stairwell. The whole room of players turned to look at the small figure sliding to a halt, boots squeaking against the floor. He tossed the hood of a bright red cloak back and threw up finger guns. “Miss me?”

Next to Marinette, Chloe scoffed in a way that said she most definitely did not. Jake was... quite the eccentric character. The rest of his guild, two very embarrassed-looking girls and a tall boy, descended the stairs as well to join their leader.

“About damn time!” Someone spoke up from the back. Jake’s head whipped around and his eyes flashed. Beside her, Danny winced at his hotheadedness. Before anything worse could happen, Marinette gave Luka a meaningful look.

He gave a sharp, loud whistle that drew everyone’s attention to them.

“Listen up people! We all know the plan. Is everyone ready?” Marinette raised her voice to reach the whole chamber. The atmosphere shifted to a laser focus, and she saw grim nods as people drew their weapons and potions.

A glance to Adrien confirmed that it was time. “Let’s go.”

She and her Order led everyone through the great doorway, and into the unknown.

The boss’s room was an enormous, golden circle lined with torches that flickered to life as soon as she stepped onto the glass floor. She could barely see the far wall of the round chamber. Levels of glass flooring circled up to the dome high above their heads, carved into the walls. A few alcoves dotted the walls, but other than that there was hardly any cover to be found, which was concerning.

A whispering noise thrummed through the chamber, made louder by the acoustics of the massive room. Marinette held up a hand to halt the movement of everyone behind her. She listened intently for the sound to happen again.

It didn’t take long, and it was getting louder now. She jerked her head to Adrien and Kagami, who started silently directing groups to assume their stations. While they moved, Marinette cast her eyes around the chamber. Where was the boss?

A loud hissing sound seemed to come from the floor, and then--

Shattered glass erupted from the floor at the center of the chamber. A colossal golden snake with red eyes reared up and bared its fangs at them. This had to be it. Marinette yelled, “Scatter!” and they all ran for it.

It struck right where she had been standing only moments before. Her boots slipped on the glass as she scrambled to gain purchase and hoist herself up onto the nearest alcove. She managed to do it just in time, the boss snapping at her heels.

She raised her shield and distantly heard Kagami shout for the archers to take aim and fire. A volley of arrows fell on the great beast, and Marinette twisted sideways and crouched to take cover under her shield. Loud hissing meant at least some of them had found their target, and to their credit only a few missed and bounced off of her shield.

“Hey, you big ugly worm! I bet you’re all hot air with nothing to show, huh?” Adrien was bravely doing what he did best. Distracting the villain so that Marinette could come up with a plan. She risked a peek from over her shield to watch the snake whip around to face Adrien, who stood a few levels up on the opposite side of the chamber.

It leaned backwards only to shoot forward a few feet, opening its mouth wide. Screams echoed from the people it faced. Oh Kwami, what was that?

Marinette bolted to her feet and raced up the sloping pathway, trying to get a better angle. She stopped and her eyes widened once she could finally see what was happening.

A cone of air coming from the maw of that thing shimmered with heat. She looked in horror to see that Adrien was shielding himself and the civilians around him as best he could, but those he couldn’t reach shouted in pain as their armor began to melt off. The glass around them started to sag and they screamed louder as the floor bent beneath them.

A blur of motion jumped onto the head of the snake from high above. That was Chloe’s signature move, and sure enough it was her. She landed hard enough to knock the boss’s head down to the ground, its body collapsing probably from sheer surprise.

Or maybe it needed a cooldown time? Shit, this wasn’t good. They knew nothing. They were underprepared and overwhelmed.

Mariniette coughed as sand fell from the faraway ceiling at the impact the beast had made when it fell. Below her, Chloe was hacking away at the monster’s face with her flail. It gave no warning before snatching its head back to knock her off her feet and coiling its tail around her. Marinette cried out wordlessly as her friend was trapped in a matter of moments.

She was still squirming when the monster bared its fangs and let loose another breath of boiling air directly onto her.

Marinette could only watch as Chloe's golden armor heated to a bright red and began to melt, her friend still squirming to get out. A desperate cry fell from the blonde’s lips as the hot metal touched her skin, and still the snake kept going.

She flashed a look to their party’s health bars and saw Chloe’s dropping fast. Too fast. Marinette grabbed a specialized arrow and drew back her bow. When she let it loose, the arrow exploded into goopy foam. She’d aimed perfectly, and the snake’s closed mouth was soon covered in the quickly hardening substance.

She pushed off from the wall and jumped. There was a moment when she was suspended in the air where time seemed to slow down. She saw the snake loosen its hold on Chloe and writhe in confusion. She heard the deafening cries from the wounded, and her name on Adrien’s lips. From the corner of her eye, a glint of metal flashed and she felt a split-second of coldness.

Then the moment was over, and she was tumbling onto the snake’s sinewy form and hoisting Chloe up. She half-carried her as she bounded away from the monster. She could see it shaking its head in her peripheral vision. But that wasn’t important right now.

Luka was waiting for her in the antechamber, out of the boss’s reach. He and several other healers already had potions at the ready. Marinette didn’t wait to see how many it would take to save her friend. She ignored Luka’s shouts and ran back into the monster’s room.

* * *

Well, Jason had finally convinced his stupid brothers to fight on the front lines. But the fact that they expected him to fight with them? Laughable.

When they made it to the dungeon, he had left them in the dust, or sand as it were. He was scouting up onto the higher levels of the paths that led up to the top of the dome when it happened.

Some girl was caught in the hold of the boss, a snake with apparently really fucking bad breath. He tensed as it blew a torrent of hot air right on her, but before anyone could move an arrow flew out and hit the beast smack in the mouth, releasing some foaming substance as it did.

Movement on his level caught his eye a few feet away. Jason stilled and observed as best he could without moving.

Some creep was wielding a metallic blowgun, aiming it dead ahead at the--

No, not at the boss. At the person who’d just fired the arrow, the person who had just jumped into the air and left themselves wide open.

He didn’t even think, he just tackled the sneaky bastard. In the commotion, they dropped the dart they’d been about to fire and it sank into their own leg.

As Jason watched, it didn’t take long for green tendrils to start appearing under the person’s skin. They clawed at their leg, but the movements grew weaker by the second.

And then they stilled.

Jason’s eyes widened as he watched them dissolve into pixels. As he watched his own name in the upper corner of his vision turn orange, indicating a player-kill.

Well shit. Dick was going to be pissed.

* * *

Marinette felt calm. Her hands had been shaking when she’d handed Chloe off to Luka, but now she felt nothing but a cool, calculating rage. As she stalked back into the chamber, she saw the boss struggling under another wave of arrows fired from all around the chamber.

A glance upward and a once-over of the pathways spiraling up the walls of the chamber confirmed all she needed to formulate a plan.

Marinette drew her knives and flicked her wrists. This monster was going to regret that. She broke into a sprint and slashed around the body of the snake. It was fast for its size, and it tried to keep up. But she was faster.

Arrows rained down around them, sticking out of chinks in the beast’s scales like some twisted sea urchin. The boss worked furiously to try to unstick its jaw, but as cracks appeared in the substance holding its mouth closed Marinette distracted it with a particularly deep slash.

It wasn’t ready, not yet.

“Get back to the antechamber!” She yelled to the other players. Most of them ran, but some-- Danny, Jake, her Order-- hesitated.

“Go!” She egged on the monster to move towards her, away from the door, giving everyone a chance to escape. “I have a plan.”

They reluctantly followed the others as they left her alone in the dungeon. Adrien paused, asking her, “My lady, I help with--”

“Go.” She growled, glaring at him as best she could while battling the serpent. He gritted his teeth and retreated with the others, but stayed within view of the battle.

Good. Now she could put her plan into action.

Marinette sheathed her knives and pulled out her bow, then dashed to the sloping walkway. The snake pursued, seemingly going after an easy target running scared.

When she’d nearly reached the carved alcove, she fired an arrow with a cord attached to it. The cord was a special elastic design that could retract but couldn’t be pulled to be any longer. It landed high above her and anchored itself into the wall with a distant click. Then came the tricky part.

Marinette turned toward the giant snake and ran at it. Its red eyes burned with rage and the cracks deepened in the hardened foam still leashing its mouth. Still holding onto the other end of that cord, she gave it a sharp tug that sent her flying through the air, far above where the monster had expected her to be.

The leap carried her to the opposite side of the circular walls. She neatly landed on the walkway about two stories up from the ground. The snake gave a muffled hiss of fury and set out on the bottommost level, steadily approaching her as it wound around the cavern.

Marinette let the cord go and started running.

She kept an eye on the monster, firing a regular arrow at it every now and then to keep it angry. That didn’t seem to be a problem. What would be a problem is if she timed everything wrong, or if the snake caught up to her, or if the ceiling wouldn’t--

No. There wasn’t time for doubt. She had faith in herself, and she could almost hear Tikki’s little voice cheering her on. She thought of Chloe and pressed on even harder.

The beast got close enough that she could smell the reek of it before she fired another corded arrow and launched herself across the chamber again. She gained even more height, and continued the climb to the top.

This only made the boss angrier, but she could tell that it sensed victory. There was nowhere left to go once she reached the top. Nowhere but down, that is.

A third corded arrow brought her to the uppermost levels, and then it was only a short run before she reached the edge of the dome. She was panting for breath and her legs were aching with the effort of so much running, but she wasn’t done yet.

One steadying breath in. Two.

The serpent had nearly reached her. Marinette could see it rounding the final curve that would bring it to her level. She drew her bow back and aimed it at its mouth, counting it out in her head.

She held until the beast was nearly upon her, then fired. The arrow was tipped in lead, and easily broke through the already-breaking foam. Immediately after, she fired an arrow directly above her. It hit the apex of the structure holding back all the sand above them.

The beast looked up at the mass of sand falling on it and opened its mouth to fire a hot stream of air.

Marinette didn’t stick around to see how it would play out. She fired one final corded arrow to the side where she could see an alcove in the wall. And there she stayed, facing the wall and shielding her face from the sand pouring into the chamber behind her.

Finally, the avalanche slowed and then stopped. Only then did she risk stepping away from the wall and peering down to see if her plan had worked.

The snake was laying on the floor of the chamber below her. Its form was contorted and broken, speared by great spikes of glass that it had created itself. As she watched, it faded into glowing dust, and a screen popped up in front of her displaying her cut of the loot.

She sighed with relief. Then raced back down as fast as she dared on the dusty glass, anxiety twisting in her gut. She had to see if Chloe was okay.

If something happened to her....

Her thoughts turned to the worst as she neared the bottom of the chamber, no matter how she tried to stay positive. Her hands were shaking when she finally made it to the glass floor and, carefully avoiding the glass spikes, picked her way over to the arch leading into the antechamber.

Adrien was waiting there for her. He embraced her and said, “Don’t scare me like that again,” then let her go to see Chloe.

Tears were brimming in her eyes as she saw her friend, still lying prone on the floor with her head on Luka’s lap. She looked up when Marinette came into her view and sat up with a wince.

“Well,” she said. “I made it.”

Marinette burst into sobs at that and collapsed by her friend’s side, hugging her tightly. She heard Luka softly telling her that Chloe had been at 1 HP, but all the healers put everything they could into bringing her health back up.

It only made her cry harder.

And as she held her friend close, she thought to herself how she would do anything to keep this from happening again. How she couldn’t stand to see her friends get hurt anymore. How she had handled the boss on her own.

There was no Maman and Papa, no Tikki, no Order that could help her. She was alone in this fight, and that was how it had to be.

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[scribesofcalamity]

Oooo more aboard the otome asks >:3

May I have 👋💖💋 for anyone you'd like? And then for needed angst the 💥 for anyone else you'd like!

(@uselessidiotsquad )

Thank you for the askkk! I have chosen Dalamar, my former nightmare courtier, who many of you seemed to like. I totally put too much effort into this but otome games are my next top game type right after Guild Wars. (I’m currently playing Olympia Soiree!)

Welcome to your first route in Calamity Hearts. Tyria has been in turmoil for years with the battle against the elder dragons. You have been selected to join the front lines, and in doing so, you meet the Commander’s Guild, The Scribes of Calamity. What adventures, tragedies, and perhaps love, await you?

👋 – meeting

Common Route

You made your way through the milling crowds in Divinity’s Reach, clutching your order scroll tight to your chest. You had finally achieved your dream of being on the front lines of the war against the elder dragons. You had been amazed when your directives had been to report to the headquarters of the top guild.

The Scribes of Calamity. The guild was practically legendary at this point, and while headed by the Commander, Dietrich Lee, all of the members were renowned. From the ferocious Master at Arms, Ren Soulbleeder- to the storied Astaroche, the Angel of Orr- to Eunome, their armorer and seamstress, who had just released a new fire proof cloth type to the orders for use on the ground. You gulped down your anxiety as you neared the gates of the address on your orders. “I’m good at what I do. Otherwise I would not have been chosen to report here.” Taking a deep breath, you approached the asuran tech scanner that adorned the gates. The machine buzzed to life as you inspected it.

“Hello, how can I help you?” a female voice erupted from a speaker. “A-ah,yes! Y/N, from the pact, reporting for duty!”

There was a moment of silence before the gates unlocked and swung inward. “Please, come in. I will be with you in a moment.”

You took a step through the gates, your body trembling with anticipation of the adventures that could await you.

A moment later, a woman appeared, stepping away from the oak doors of the large house that dominated the courtyard. Your eyes widened as you realized who it was-Rioko, the second in Command of the guild and a noble local to Divinity’s Reach. As she moved her flowing black hair over her shoulder, you could not help but think how much prettier she was in person, compared to the posters and holographic images you had seen before.

“Greetings, Y/N. I am Rioko. We have been expecting you. I will be showing you around today and taking you to your temporary quarters.” She took your order scroll and inspected it before gracing you with a smile. “It is a pleasure to meet you. “

“You as well ma’am!” You gave a salute. Rioko laughed. “Please, no need for formalities. You will be working quite closely with us. And as I’m sure you know, those chosen to assist occasionally become full time members.”

You nodded quickly. What a dream that would be!

Passing back your orders, Rioko gave a quick glance around the courtyard. “So, what would you like to see first?”

> Living Quarters

**>Training Grounds**

>Stables

>Outer buildings

>Garden

“I would love to see the training grounds first.” Rioko nodded. “Certainly. I believe Ren is running some training matches today, so you may get to see a few guild members in action.” Turning on her heel, Rioko led you towards the back of the property.

You could hear the training grounds before you could see them. A loud clash of metal made you jump in surprise. As you both rounded the corner, you were able to see the source of the noise. Rioko led you to the end of the fenced off area. “Oh this will be a treat! Looks like Enyo and Dalamar are sparring today.” A large female Charr twisted her axe, bringing it down hard against the greatsword of her opponent. You tried to focus on them, but suddenly their form shifted, and the greatsword ,in a swirl of shadows, reconstructed itself into a large scythe. The two clashed again and again, kicking up dust and coming ever closer to slicing the other down. You hadn’t realized you were holding your breath until a booming voice ended the match. Turning your head, you were met with the imposing sight of the Master of Arms himself, Ren Soulbleeder. Ren was almost 9 feet tall, and despite the slight greying to his mane, his muscles rippled with power under his sleek black fur. “This the new recruit, Rioko?” He called out, and you both approached. The two who had been sparring moved towards you both as well.

As you reached the three, you chose to turn towards…

>Master at Arms Ren

> Enyo Reignbreaker

**>Dalamar **

You turned toward the figure who had been nothing but a flash of shadows on the field. He was a tall sylvari, and his skin a deep charcoal. His eyes were a stunning shade of jade, and you could see the same color pulsing through his skin. The seemingly silky leaves on his head framed a sharp face, and you could see he was well muscled. He leaned against his greatsword. “That was an amazing match!” His eyes shifted away from yours. ‘I suppose.” His voice was low and deep. “I’m Y/N. I’ve been assigned to your guild.“ You held out your hand. His eyes flicked down to your hand and back up to your face. He looked uncomfortable. “Dalamar.” He stated his name without taking your hand. He turned to Ren suddenly. “I’m going back to my quarters.” Before anyone could speak, he quickly left. Rioko sighed and Ren laughed. Enyo, the other charr, took your hand instead. “Don’t worry about Dal. He’s former nightmare court, and his communication skills still lack in many areas.” You nodded, but somehow felt disappointed you had been unable to feel the warmth of his hand as well.

💖 - heart scene three

You sat on the edge of a cliff outside Thunderhead keep, staring out into the snow. You had left the inner keep for some quiet. Too many soldiers trying to make their peace with death. You stared down at your hand. “Will we really be able to defeat Kralkatorrik?” you whispered to yourself, a tear slipping down your cheek.

“Y/N”

A deep voice, that you had come to know so well, startled you out of your thoughts. You turned to see the tall sylvari standing behind you. “Dalamar…”

He moved closer and sat next to you. “Are you feeling scared?” You twisted your hands together and stared down at them. You could feel him watching you. “Honestly? Yes…what if we don’t win…? What if..I die? You bit your lip, feeling tears prick at the corner of your eyes. “There’s so much I haven’t experienced yet…and if we lose…” your voice choked up, and your shoulders began to tremble. So much had happened since you had reported to the Guild Headquarters in Divinity’s Reach. Now the very fate of the world swung in the balance.

Suddenly, a rough hand was around your shoulder and pulled you close. “Dalamar..?” You tried to look up at him, but he wrapped his other hand around yours and gently forced your head into his chest.

“It will be okay. We all have eachother. If anyone can defeat Kralkatorrik, it’s us.” He suddenly intertwined his fingers with yours, and you felt the soft touch of his lips to the top of your head. Your eyes widened as he quietly murmured to you “And I will never let anyone-dragon, god, or man-ever hurt you.”

💋 - good end

You ran through the crowd of soldiers at the base camp. The sky was painted in a million colors, and you watched with everyone as Aurene ascended into an elder dragon. It was the most beautiful thing you had ever seen, but there was only one thing on your mind. Dalamar. You had to find him. You had been separated in the final battle, as Dalamar was on the front line team, and Anastasia had enlisted you to support getting the guild’s mounts through the rifts and onto the battle field. You frantically swept through the milling camp, but did not see him. “Please.. please…”

“Y/N!!”

A voice rang over the noise. You turned, somehow unsure…Dalamar never really yelled. But there he stood. His hair was a bit tousled ,and you could see a few minor scrapes, but he appeared to be in one piece. “Dalamar!” You were running before you even realized your feet were moving. He opened his arms and you practically leapt into them. “You’re…you’re alright!” Tears streamed down your face from the sheer relief you felt. He gave a slight smile. “I told you we would be okay.” He glanced around. “Let’s move away from this crowd.” You could only nod and follow as he led you away from the main encampment.

You stood together, watching the sky shift with Aurene’s colors. “Y/N…” Dalamar’s voice was quieter than it normally was, in stark contrast to the shout that had moved your attention to him. “Yes?” You peered up at him. He slowly looked up, his jade eyes brighter than ever, glowing from within. “This battle…it made me realize something.” Your voice caught, but he continued. “Much of my life had been clouded by the nightmare. My dream was always blurry, and I lost myself to darkness. Being brought into the guild was something very new for me. They showed me what it meant to have friends and family. But you…you’re something different.”

“Something different? “ Dalamar took your hand in his. He shifted and glanced away. ”What…What I’m saying is I care for you. I have never cared so much for someone. In this battle, all I could think of you was returning to you.” He took a deep breath and looked at you straight on. “Y/N. I love you. Would you stay by my side… and become my new dream?”

You answered by reaching up to kiss him, the opalescent sky swirling above as you held each other.

💥 - bad end

You stood at the edge of Caldeon Forest, tears streaming down your face. “Sirius!!” ,you screamed as you ran towards the large white charr. But it was too late. Sirius crumpled to the ground. Standing above him…was Dalamar.

Why? Why did it end up this way? We were just supposed to pick up a last batch of weapons and supplies before heading to join the rest of the guild in Thunderhead Keep. “Dalamar?! What are you doing?!” The sylvari reaper flicked his wrist, sending a spray of Sirius’s blood off his greatsword.

You dropped to your knees beside Sirius, but the charr was gone. You gasped for breath, rage and confusion coursing through your veins. You stared up at Dalamar, who merely stood there, a cold smirk playing on his lips. “Why?!? He was your friend!! ”

His eyes narrowed into a cold and threatening stare. “Friend? How foolish. Those of the nightmare court do not have friends.”

“W…What?!”

“You heard correctly.” He was moving closer now. “I never left the nightmare court. This was merely a mission. Grow close to the commander. Learn what you can. And now…these weapons and supplies will certainly aid our court.”

“N-No” you rasped, your body numb. You had been there together, training, sharing meals with everyone…fighting for the future of the world. This couldn’t be true.

Dalamar lifted his weapon. “It is now time for us to say goodbye as well. “ The midnight black greatsword came down on you without mercy.

[wherearemyglassesbro]

i saw that you play genshin impact, so i’m kind of curious... what’d be the axis and allies’ vision and weapons?

Uh oh...now you got me started. Be warned, it’s a long one cause I have no self control

Some key terms for those who don’t play genshin impact and want to be included!!

Cryo -> ice, Hydro -> water, Dendro -> nature, Geo -> rock, Pyro -> fire, Electro -> lightning

Hilichurls: a common enemy found in the wild. Despite looking like hairy trolls, they have a district language as well as texts, art and song that they share together making them an advanced species!

Ruin guards: another enemy. Giant, scary robot...they scare me...

Knights of Favonious: an organization of knights within Mondstat that keep order and peace :) very nice guys and gals over there!!

Mondstat: modeled after Germany

Liyue: modeled after China

Alfred: pyro, claymore, Springvale Mondstat

Alfred would be a super heavy hitter in battle but his drawbacks are that despite his energetic nature, he’s slower because of the weight of his weapon

He blows stuff up a lot and sets all of the grass around you on fire so if you fight with him...His teammates will take damage from him Jeez Louise!!!

Since we don’t have all of the nations of Teyvay unlocked, I don’t know where he’d be from! I’d have to explore to get a sense for it so for characters that don’t have a place on the map yet, I’ll mark them with an asterisk from now on! :)

Idk where he lives but I do know that he’d be a devoted member of the adventurers guild! He’s always willing to offer a helping hand to anyone in need! Wether it be helping Granny Ann make hash browns or taking comissions to go kill a huge ruin guard who’s terrorizing the town!! He’s always leaping into new jobs! He isn’t even in it for the money or rewards! He just loves helping out!

Arthur: Dendro, archer, Mondstat

Artie is a beast in battle! Shooting vine Aries at enemies to tie them up or temporarily blind them??? Sick as fuck. Keep in mind, Genshin doesn’t have any Dendro characters that are playable yet so idk how they’d fight but I think I can guess :)

Artie is technically part of the knights of favonious because he works in their library. He translates books written in ancient texts into the standard language so historians and others can read what the old civilizations had to say

Instead of having normal eyes, they’re slit like snake eyes. And he has leaves instead of hair :)

He has a little seelie that floats around at his side. He talks to it but it doesn’t really do anything but provide company to a lonely guy :’) he needs more friends

Matthew: Anemo, catalyst, *

It’s always good to have a catalyst on your team! Ningguang is a great example of an underestimated catalyst cause she can do INSANE damage man!! So I think Mattie would be the same way

Matt isn’t violent and doesn’t enjoy fighting so his in-game voice lines would say that lol

Mattie is an alchemist! Well...A student alchemist. He didn’t take up an interest in alchemy until like, 3 years ago so he’s got a lot to catch up on still! He’s doing his best!

He gets very annoyed with Alfred since Mattie is detail oriented and gentle...Alfred is not any of those things. But he still loves his brother and on rare occasions, he’ll assist him with his commissions

Ivan: Cryo, catalyst, Liyue(temporary)

Ivan would be a support character for sure but he’d do a damn good job of doing it

He’s buff but he doesn’t do hand to hand combat, he’s mastered magic for a reason

Ivan spends most of his time studying hilichurls. He writes books about them, translates their texts and acts as a peace keeper when he can. He gets information from them about the Abyss Order in return for free reign of small portions of protected land where they can live without fear of being killed

Because he’s from Schneznya(spelling?) he’s kinda expected to be a bad guy but he left a long time ago. But he still sounds like he’s from there and...He’s super pale too so there really is no mistaking where he’s from

Ivan can’t stand how ignorant humans are towards hilichurls so he does everything he can to advocate for them. He’s covered in scars from when he first started engaging with the beasts. A huge scar runs down his face but he doesn’t mind it

He’s got big, sharp teeth!! So he doesn’t often smile cause he thinks he looks weird

Francis: Hyrdo, long sword, *

Fran is underestimated when it comes to combat (like Kaeya...I see you slandering this man) but he has so much potential!

Since he’s a hydro, he is so useful for elemental reactions! If he’s paired with a cryo or pyro user, he’d totally boost them!!

Fran is a traveling entertainer, he goes between the 7 nations as a singer and actor for small stage plays. He has a crew of friends who travel with him, they’re one jolly bunch!

He always acts all nonchalant and stuff but once he’s in a battle, he’s wild. Especially if the abyss order holds up his crew on their way to their next tour destination “We need to be in Liyue Harbor in four hours you are NOT holding us back!” *tidal wave*

He’s a regular tavern hopper! A very recognizable face since he’s been banned from a handful for getting too rowdy

He can make not one, but 2 special dishes :0

Yao: Dendro, polearm, Liyue

I just imagine him as a shorter, richer and cooler version of Zhongli

He’d do that kick move that Zhongli does with his polearm oh man that looks SICK dude!!!

Yao would shoot vines out and they’d strangle enemies for a few seconds before disintegrating but if he’s leveled up enough, they’ll totally strangle those stupid hillichurls lol

Yao sells rare gems and other miscellaneous items for very high prices in Liyue where he grew up. His shop is upstairs by the Fatui bank. Rich people enjoy looking at what his shop has to fifer and will argue prices with him. They’re getting scammed for sure. He’ll list a set of cor lapis earrings as $50,000 and the rich will be like ‘I’ll pay $25,000, no more than that’ and he’ll take it!!....Cause thise earrings are worth $5000 at most >:)

Hes close with a lot of the higher ups in Liyue and is often invited to fancy lunches or dinners where they discuss policy, contracts and vendor permits. He doesn’t really get a say in any of that but he benefits from listening

Kiku: Electro, claymore, *

Kiku would be SUCH an awesome electo user are you KIDDING me??? I can see it now, him swinging that huge sword around, purple lightning bolts flying all around and he looks like a total badass? Amazing vibes

When paired with cryos???? He’d do an insane amount of damage fr

Kiku runs a small restaurant where he...runs the place...but doesn’t cook. His restaurant is extremely exclusive and people often throw fits when they can’t get in cause the wait list is over 5 years long. He’ll rest his hand on their shoulder and smile ‘is something wrong? I’d love to take a complaint if you have one’...No one has even dared to complain to his face lol

Behind the restaurant front he deals with the Fatui, buying and selling minerals or artifacts. That’s where his knowledge is at, not with food. He pays his staff to ignore what goes on behind the scenes and the locals are too busy enjoying the restaurant to question what goes on after dark

Gilbert: Pyro, long sword, Mondstat

Gil would be one of the free characters given to you at the beginning of the game but hey, I’m not complaining

He’s highly destructive and very chaotic in battle, he can do that spin move even though that’s meant for claymore users

He’s Mondstat’s biggest trouble maker. He runs an underground gambling room that sits underneath a tavern. He isn’t really into gambling but he makes a lot of money by running it

The only knight who knows is Ludwig which is not good cause...Gil pretty much bribes his brother into not telling the knights of favonious (peace keepers of Mondstat)

Gil never got his gliding certificate cause he kept flying into buildings. He broke his nose doing that lol

Lovino: Pyro, catalyst, *

I can’t add anymore images so imagine a floating, red and black orb. Lovi doesn’t get a book catalyst cause he doesn’t read :) That’s the catalyst thing I’m talking about 😅😅

My guy has the angriest in game voice lines, he’s inconvenienced by every battle, every enemy is ugly and a fuckin disaster. He’s just. Angry.

He’d be a super weak character if he needed to rely on hand to hand combat but he learned magic for a reason babey

He owns a flower stand in his country and makes all kinds of beautiful flower arrangements. He even picks his own flowers in the fields when he can (but usually pays the town’s children to do it for him to ‘teach them the value of hard work’).

Everyone knows he’s a total hothead and will piss him off on purpose just cause it’s funny lmao. But then somehow...Their hair or clothes will just...catch on fire. So is it really worth it to tease him? :/

Feliciano: Hydro, archer, Mondstat(temporary)

I feel like Feli would also be a free character, not cause he isn’t good or anything! But you always need an archer on your team!

Feli has healing properties for his team and doesn’t do an insane amount of damage but when given the right resources, he’d be a pretty sick healer

He moved to Mondstat to join the church there. He leads prayers in front of the church and sings in the choir inside.

He is the sweetest and has never committed a crime in his LIFE but he’s afraid of the knights lol he’s terrified that he’ll get in trouble and be kicked out of Mondstat forever! That would never happen but he’s a worry wart cause of his brother

Ludwig: Geo, long sword, Mondstat

Lud is the only one that I could really think of as a Geo but Geos are awesome :)

He’s a hard hitter but has like...No shield so he’ll take damage fast if you don’t give him those artifacts with shield in them or whatever lol uhhhh I wouldn’t know anything about that cause I suck at building my teams ;-;

He’d totally be in with the knights of favonious! (I think that’s spelled right lol) but he’d take his duty as a knight very seriously!! He’s a familiar face around Mondstat, the elderly absolutely adore him and the local teenage girls swoon over him which he finds super embarrassing lol

He has to work hard to keep Gilbert in check cause even though Gil isn’t a knight, his actions reflect negatively back on Lud very often... :(

Please ignore the spelling errors and terrible photo cropping on my part lol this was so fun!!

By the time you’re seeing this, ive already made full outfit red sheets for everyone mentioned above!!!! :D