#plus it’s playable on mobile!!!!

[icedtoastt]

Finished itigokuruiza and oh my god takumi and ren ruined my life AAAAAGHHHHHH

[taudad]

Oh my bug boys, how I’ve missed you

[jaycemeswain]

I'm honestly kinda annoyed at parts of the hi3 & hsr playerbase for seeing the words "flamer chasers Journey" in regards to amphoreus and are forcing the what is likely the playable cast of the chyros heirs to be counterparts/expies of the hi3 flame chasers/MOTH characters.

Like currently the only 2 who kinda are in some form a variant/expy/counterpart of MOTH is Cyrene/original march who is kinda sorta elysia but is likely meant to be Elieen & Cipher who visually looks and feels a bit like pardofelis.

Through the 3.0 storyline and partially through the visuals and such, phainon is meant to be an expy/variant of Adam, one of the few male valkyries who is the main mc of APHO, with Mydei being an expy/variant of Lyle, Adam's sniper support who also has tons of subtext of them being kinda sorta a couple.

Then you have the triplets who make up Tribbie who are 3 different theresa variants, Castorice who visually looks a bit like the mc of the mobile exclusive otome of hoyo's but ends up being a mix of Benneras(her dragon summon looks and sounds more like hers) with Herscher of Rebirth Seele(shares the colour scheme and theming plus she is looking for her twin)

[tailschannel]

Sonic Mania Plus arriving to mobile devices via Netflix Games in 2024

In a press release that has surprised Sonic fans, Netflix Games revealed that Sonic Mania Plus would be coming to iOS and Android via the service in 2024.

Exclusive to Netflix Games and on mobile for the first time, experience the ultimate celebration of past and future in Sonic Mania Plus. Multiple playable characters give you the ability to go explosively fast as Sonic, soar as Tails, or power through tough obstacles with Knuckles’ brute strength.

You can relive the Sonic of the past with an exciting new twist on classic zones while fighting against new bosses and Dr. Eggman’s evil robot army. Sonic Mania Plus was developed by Christian Whitehead, Headcannon, and PagodaWest Games in collaboration with Sonic Team. Welcome to Sonic Mania Plus!

[jaybeess]

One Piece DND AU — Romance Dawn Trio!

Here is something I have been working on for a couple of months— One Piece DND! I wanted to mix DND lore and One Piece lore. Make them into playable characters that are balanced and fun! I am also making playable sheets and sprites— show some love if you would like me to post them!

Basic Back Info:

Monkey D. Luffy:

Aasimar Protector (wanted to do something based on his Nika origins… also his role as a leader. The flight can be revamped into his bounciness)

Pirate background (duh)

3 Barbarian Beserker (Wanted to show how he shrugs off his attacks and the damage, and punches twice as good. I don’t think monk really displays his rubbery capabilities. Maybe before the time skip— but as a barbarian berserker he still gets a lot of attacks)

5 Battlemaster Fighter (More of the leader and how he has special menuevers his his fighting abilities. I think he would want to protect his crew as much as possible) + Unarmed Fighting Style

Mobile Feat (Wanted to keep freedom of movement + be able to weave through the battlefield)

Cloak of Displacement (His build is less a tanky build, but more an avoid being hit build.)

—x-x—

Roronoa Zoro

Shifter Beasthide (I wanted to include some tiger aspects that he has and also include the animalistic aspects to his special attacks. I think his were mode can correlate to his demon mode without being a squishy tiefling.)

8 Samurai Fighter + Two Weapon Fighter (Kind of a no brainer)

Bounty Hunter

Dual Wielder Feat (AC Bonus)

Dragon’s Wrath Sword (Wado) + Alchemy Jug (Haha)

—x-x—

Nami

Summer Eladrin (I wanted to play more off of her connection to the weather and nature, that she often shows on the sea. I think also fey ancestry has to do with her trickery and summer with her fiery personality)

8 Storm Sorcerer (I wanted her to go crazy with the lightning damage and really have her be a fun build. I think meta magic also shows how clever she is in her fights. The flight plus the fey step makes her stay as far away as possible aswell.)

Ruined Background (Wanted to go into more of her backstory with Arlong and I think the Alert feat fits her well aswell)

Elemental Adept Feat - Lightning (Make sure she does all the damage with her lightning and thunder damage)

Staff of Defense (Climatact) + Magic Tattoo of Constitution - (Wanted to maintain her crappy AC while also being able to cast mage armor for free. Also can be workshopped to include Zeus as protecting her!)

That’s all for now will be posting the next three next.

[orginllazyblog]

Been playing AFK Journey and honestly...I'm loving it so far

So here we go with some headcanons and silly interactions

:D

The player, either male or female, can attract beautiful women or be beasties with them

With my player and with the interactions with the characters I meet so far, she is most fond of women

Haven't really thought of a name for my player, so I'm going with "Magister" even tho their name is Merlin. Plus, they forgot half of their memories

Meeting with Valen, the character who everyone falls in love with him. Yeah... I don't really see him that way 😅

Other people: "He is so fine 😏"

Me: "He's my beastie. If I die, he's dying with me, ain't no choice."

He's my emotional support friend

Also, I'm glad that there were characters from the Afk Arena such as Antandra, Satandra, Rowan, Niru, Brutus, Thoran, Lyca, Silvina, Arden, Lucius,Mirael, and Eironn I'm surprised how Lyca is playable but not her brother Lorsan 😭

There are only a few celestials and hypogeans in the game (so far)

The side quest I've completed, Romeo and Juliet, I find it quite funny as the group read the letter Romeo wanted to give tk Juliet. Yeah, it was a bit cringe, but luckily, Lorsan is the guy who knows romance 👍🏼

And with that, we become a trio: Valen, the friend everyone has a crush on. Lorsan, the friendly one, and me the player and the great mage everyone thinks but just a chaotic gremlin searching for treasure chest. And then there's Rowan, the rich friend.

I go straight to the npc monsters to get goodies and resources for my heroes. I make sure my team is at a higher level than them.

Yesterday, I just figured that you can interact with the animals like a cat or dog, and it was just...so cute. It show hearts and even sounds of them.

As for the guild party, I haven't decided on which one and more focus on the story mode.

Speaking of which, I actually got asked on a date by none other than...Mirael. Yeah, that got me by surprised 😮 Fun fact, Mirael was my first crush when I started playing afk arena bc she could wield fire, but that was when Lilith introduced Talene. So getting asked out by her was like... a dream to me ��

But then she left 😭 like what did I do!?!?!? Did I choose the wrong answer? Don't leave 😢

Back to the story, the group has to sneak into the old man's mansion to investigate more of the grape situation, and that's where I left on bc I was playing late at night

It is such a beautiful game with the graphics, the weather changing, and new heroes. I'm very happy to be able to play when it got released for mobile. Also, I was wondering if the devs would add heroes from the Afk Arena

[hellspawnmotel]

What’s going on in project sekai. You make it looks so interesting!

oh uhhhh well. before you get your hopes up some of the stuff i drew is just edgy aus i made with a friend theres no blood or magical girl stuff its mostly just teenager drama. but anyway heres the deal

(disclaimer it is a mobile gacha game and those are predatory and addictive etc so yknow uh. use caution. imo though its extremely playable without having to pay any extra money)

project sekai/colorful stage is a vocaloid rhythm game where you unlock visual novel style stories about five different teen music groups who work through various problems and issues.... and also hatsune miku and her friends are there to mentor them. its got tons of vocaloid songs to play through, most with covers by the voice actors of the cast if you so choose, as well as a lot of songs made for the game, and even if you dont read the story stuff its just a really fun rhythm game. i play it basically every day lol

the groups are as follows:

-leo/need is four estranged childhood friends who desperately want to be together again but have to work through their highschool drama first, through starting a rock band

-(i havent actually read through more more jump or vivid bad squad so i cant give a good summary but theyre an idol group and street musicians respectively)

-wonderlandsxshowtime is a ragtag little group of clowns attempting to revive an old themepark stage and become famous as a theater troupe, with lots of goofs and hijinks

(suicide tw incoming)

-nightcord at 25:00 is my favorite group and the one ive done the most art for, theyre the only ones who are already an established band at the beginning of their story and theyre actually doing pretty well in terms of making music and gaining popularity, the issue is theyre all suicidal and have massive psychological problems. the main story focuses mostly on when one of the girls decides to, yknow, "disappear", and the others have to come together to try and save her. as you can probably tell theyre the group with the darkest story by far but also the best in my opinion. theyre so fucked up and i love them. also one of the members is (canonically) transfem nb so thats cool

so if any of that sounds interesting, give it a shot i guess?? i feel weird encouraging my follower base to play a gacha game lol so just be mindful. i started playing it just bc its a vocaloid rhythm game and im not good at project diva and i didnt really expect to get invested in the new characters but here i am. its also introduced me to a lot of voca songs i didnt know before which is always a plus!

[whit-doodle]

Path of Titans is one of those games that people either seem to love or they hate. There doesn't seem to be a middle ground for most people. For me, I find the game quite enjoyable.

It's one of the few games I actually bought the day it released on console. Even as an adult, I never outgrew my childhood "dinosaur phase" so I was ecstatic when I first found out about it.

The changes and improvements the devs at Alderon Games have made since its release have been astounding, honestly. Yes, there are things that definitely need to be worked on, but overall, it's really not as bad of a game as many people would want others to believe.

Plus, one of my favorite things about it is the cross-platform playability. The game is available on console, PC, Switch, and Mobile so unless you have cross-platform settings turned off, you'll find players from every device in a server. And kudos to those who only play on mobile because I have no idea how they do it. I have tried but I much prefer my Xbox and a controller.

One of my favorite dinos to play is the Amargasaurus. I lovingly refer to mine as the "walking buffet" because it's an instant target when spotted by carnivores. This is as screenshot from a couple nights ago. That Ceratosaurus followed me and let his buddies know where I was. In the end, 3 Ceratosaurus, 1 Sarcosuchus, and 1 Spinosaurus were needed to take down my Amargasaurus. I honestly laughed the entire time because 1) I am terrible at PvP and 2) The Spino was called in for backup because the rest of them couldn't take down my Amargasaurus.

I flew over Impact Crater on my Thalassodromeus, and the Hatzegopteryx was so high up I didn't even know it was there until it nearly knocked me right out of the sky. I flew for my life, but alas, my poor little Thal didn't stand a chance after the initial hit. I had just been passing through to see what was happening in IC because it's always either a bloodbath or everyone is gathered around the pond just chilling.

I don't know what it was with Ceratosaurus players the other night, but I ended up switching from Gondwa to the Panjura map after my Amargasaurus got taken out. I was in the server maybe 5 minutes before this Cerato in the background tried to make a meal out of my Latenivenatrix. They failed after I was able to outrun them, but I give them an A for effort.

Path of Titans is one of those games where people do get frustrated due to how many times they're targeted by other players. Global chat can be full of toxicity and sweaty PvP players. Then there are days where you'll find a large group of players hanging out in Hotspots, just chilling and chatting in global.

I personally don't mind being targeted by other players. It's a PvP game after all where the end goal is literally make it to adulthood then see how long you can last.

[miloscat]

[Review] Sonic Dream Team (ATV)

Hardlight finally gets let off the leash.

Based in the British town of Leamington Spa, Sega's studio Hardlight has been pumping out Sonic mobile games since 2012, mostly numerous versions of Sonic Dash but also Sonic Jump (the smartphone version) and the mobile non-Team version of Team Sonic Racing. These games, with their streamlined gameplay and aggressive monetisation/grinding mechanics, have rarely impressed me. Finally, Sega has allowed them to make a real game and the result is a pretty gosh dang decent Sonic experience.

Cream is an important part of the plot for maybe the first time ever as Eggman has kidnapped her in order to hijack her unconscious mind to steal the power of the dream dimension or something. Luckily, Sonic and pals follow him into the dreamscape to help the sheep lady Ariem (geddit?), guardian of dreams, to fight back. You know, this game presented the perfect opportunity to incorporate Sonic Team's Nights into actual Sonic lore after decades of cameos (or, for that matter, reference the existing lore of Sonic Shuffle)... but oh well. The dream setting gives a good excuse for the level design to be surreal and out there, but Sonic is usually just like that anyway.

The core loop is about getting dream orbs to unlock new levels. The main source of these is challenge levels which like various Wii Sonic games remix each main level with specific goals. While there aren't too many levels in total (12 in the story mode, plus boss fights) they get good mileage out of these, or replaying for collectibles on alternate paths. What I like about the level design is the semi-open spaces that are often included, little playgrounds to test your characters' abilities and explore between the linear platforming sections and grind rails. While there's a lot of asset recycling, all the levels are fully 3D—no filler 2D sections in sight—and often manage to have some memorable setpieces, despite being relatively small. Beating the campaign also unlocks a handful of harder stages, added in a postlaunch update, which offer a fun and satisfying challenge.

Another cool feature is the character roster. For one of the very few times in the entire franchise—thank you Rush—there is actual gender parity [within the binary, of course], with your playable cast coming in pairs: Sonic and Amy (can air dash and light speed dash), Tails and Cream (can fly briefly), and Knuckles and Rouge (can glide and climb). On a basic level they all play the same, with a homing attack and boost: this is damaging like in "boost formula" games, but with a short Frontiers-like recharging bar that's also quickly refilled by pickups scattered throughout the game world. Once they're unlocked, you can freely swap between them during a level, and their strengths all feel useful at different times.

Actually, forget what I said about gender balance because just recently Shadow was added to the game. He is playable in bespoke challenge stages in a separate mode, but you can unlock him for story mode... by playing and consistently beating challenges for... [carry the two] upwards of forty days!?? So this game does retain some obnoxious mobile game-isms in the form of time-restricted content and reward tracks. Anyway, Shadow is fun to use with unique abilities borrowed and adapted from his powers in Shadow Generations: he can slow time with Chaos Control and warp short distances in arbitrary directions. I just wish I could simply play his levels without being forced to come back for the randomly allotted dribs and drabs.

Being set in an otherworldly mindzone isn't quite used to its full potential. The opening world is a beach zone where much of the landscape, and the crab boss, are made up of inflatable pool toys, a fun idea. The second world's goop factory and robot boss are a bit less inspired, but the third world's spooky hedge maze is cool and plays with gravity à la Lost World, ending with a fight against a creepy bat-octopus monster. The final world is Eggman's idealised metropolis, the aptly named Ego City, filled with statues of him (and some Colours-style pronouncements over the tannoy). This ends not with a proper boss fight but a platforming gauntlet, although the giant multi-armed dream-Eggman that you clamber all over is a cool enough setpiece to justify itself.

At the moment I can't say how the extra stages end, because the current version of the game contains a bug that means Ego City Act 3 Challenge 6 can't be completed, and you need all the orbs to unlock the final bit. I'm told a fix is on the way, but who knows when it will release? I should note that this game remains for now locked to the Apple Arcade service which many Sonic fans aren't happy about. I don't mind too much, there's plenty of games in the series locked to certain formats or that have been delisted. Being playable with a controller or on touchscreens, the control scheme is simple and despite a few welcome accessibility features, it can be a bit clumsy to control at times. Some of that can perhaps be attributed to my Apple TV model, which can technically play the game but with problematic performance and frequent crashes, even on the lowest graphic settings. Using a Mac or connecting a controller to a higher-end smart device is what I'd recommend if you can.

After toiling in the mobile game mines for so long, I'm so glad Hardlight got the chance to show their stuff with a more full-featured Sonic game, and it's a commendable effort considering its relatively small scope and probably low budget. I'm disappointed by the performance issues and crashes though, considering I've played games that seem more technically demanding on this same device without problem. The music doesn't have quite the same punch as the series' heavy hitters either, but it's pleasant enough. Anyway it's worth playing if possible, and hopefully one day there'll be a version where the side levels aren't locked on a three-per-day cycle.

And that brings to an end my six-month-long journey through the Sonic franchise! It was supposed to be a brief jaunt but turned into a monumental odyssey, with soaring heights and crushing lows. The series is constantly reinventing itself, for better or worse, and I wouldn't have it any other way. What a rollercoaster, a thrilling exercise in radical creativity, unselfconscious attitude, and corporate meddling. I can't wait to see what the next roll of the dice brings us!

[xehabaldera]

joking about missing link on twitter got me thinking.

people have managed to make fan servers to revive dead MMOs and stuff, right. like, YEARS after its death, dedicated fans managed to revive wakfu: les gardiens with all the story, gameplay, assets, etc archived, completely playable, on an independent server not owned by ankama. a video from feb 2024 as a quick example:

could this possibly be done with khux? we obviously have literally everything datamined, and there ARE some people out there who still have the app even after its full on removal from stores. (we're one of those people :p)

there's some aspects that might make it challenging- i'm not sure disney would be too fond of it, though i expect SE to be more lenient. getting a mobile app running as a desktop game would probably be rather tough, plus the costs of hosting the server would be a hurdle.

but could it be done, do you think? i don't computer, so i'm not entirely sure, myself, and i definitely wouldn't be able to host the server!!

[etaleah]

My Sonic Predictions and Hopes for 2024

Admittedly some of these are things I want to see happen rather than things that are likely to happen, but what the heck, I’ll list ‘em out and see if any of them end up coming true. 🤷����‍♀️

A one-shot for the comics involving either springtime or Valentine’s Day. I think spring is more likely since (1) they’re avoiding romance and Valentine’s Day is a romantic holiday, and (2) having a springtime one-shot nicely follows the trend of having Endless Summer and Winter Special one-shots.

I’m pretty pessimistic about the third movie still happening in 2024 given how stubborn the studios are being about the strikes, so I’m guessing the release date will be pushed back to 2025. However, I do think 2024 will bring us a trailer/teaser with some news about casting and whether any new characters besides Shadow will feature.

Part 3 of Sonic Prime, which will likely involve something bad happening to Shadow for reasons explained here. PLEASE LET THIS ONE BE TRUE I NEED PART 3 NOW

A DLC, update, or some kind of “Plus” pack for Sonic Superstars since that seems to be the trend now.

I doubt we’ll see much more for Frontiers since it won’t really be a new game anymore and will have already had a big update. Maybe a few minor tweaks like a new outfit or pair of shoes.

A new Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games title since 2024 will have the Paris Olympics.

More Sonic Symphony tour dates, one of them probably being New York since that’s a really big city for them to leave out.

More merchandise, possibly featuring Shadow to tie in with the third movie.

The Knuckles TV show released on DVD (hopefully).

The comics will take a darker turn again. They seem to alternate between dark, serious arcs and fun, light-hearted arcs. Right now, they’re on Misadventures, which is fun and light-hearted, so I suspect that at some point in 2024, things will turn serious again.

I also suspect that Starline might be revealed to have survived after all, but that could just be wishful thinking on my part since I like his character and was sad to see such a cool villain go so quickly.

Another visual novel or some kind of storybook thing that builds on the success of Murder of Sonic the Hedgehog. No way is something that successful gonna be a one-time deal.

A remaster or re-release/port of an older game. The titles I think are most likely are Sonic Adventure 2, Sonic Heroes, and Sonic and the Black Knight. Adventure 2 would tie nicely into the release of the third movie (especially if they’re adapting its storyline) and they clearly know how popular it is since they released a new figure for it and put City Escape in one of their other games. Heroes is possible since it’s 20+ years old, had some songs included in Frontiers, and the franchise as a whole seems to be leaning toward having more playable characters and team/partner-based play. Murder and Superstars lean into this hard, Origins added Amy, and Frontiers will soon have other playable characters too, so I think they’re testing the waters for a game with an ensemble cast. The launch of the Fast Friends comic series on their socials also shows a lean in this direction. Black Knight is possible since 2024 would be the game’s 15th anniversary, the storybook setup was well received in Murder, and they seem to be calling attention to it by putting its characters in their mobile games.

Again, these are just guesses and I could be wrong about all of them. We shall see… 👀

[ikibli]

Making Speedsters in Fantasy TTRPG AUs

Class and Power Selection

First, the spellcasting class that fits speedsters(fluff-wise) the most is actually Clerics.

Their powers are a direct result of being chosen as the champions/children/conduits/avatars of the Speed Force(one of the Seven Forces of the Universe, on the same level as the Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum as a whole).

Their top speed and additional powers are influenced by their belief and faith in their capabilities more than any set limits.

Plus, there's at least one comic where Barry and Wally use their electrical aura to make a flash that destroys/banishes creatures of darkness, Barry apparently has the ability to heal people of Anti-Life, and Wally straight up calls the Speed Force "God" at one point, albeit in a semi-joking manner.

I will also mention that their DC Wiki articles list their powers as "Speed Force Conduit", not "Speedster (Physiology)".

The "magic aura of wind and colored lightning" visual indicators of their power usage and the constant time travel shenanigans have been expanded into full primary themes for a lot of the class selections, just because of the nature of fantasy settings and because those sorts of subclasses often have movement abilities.

Now, onto the actual character building- both for fanfic and for creating a playable character that is blatantly an expy. (Don't worry, there are a lot of non-cleric options, despite my rant.)

D&D 5e

Best Class/Subclass Options: Cleric(Tempest Domain), Monk(Four Elements or Open Hand), Bard(College of Swords), Rogue(Scout)

The Speedy/Mobile feat and Athlete feat are pretty essential if you're making a speedster- just note that 5e feats replace an Ability Score Improvement, which come at 4th, 8th, 12th, 16th and possibly 19th level(some classes have another class feature instead).

College of Swords Bards are a relatively melee-focused Bard subclass, with a focus on style and speed- including multiattack at 6th level. Blade Flourish also includes a 10-foot walking speed bonus on a turn you make an attack, in addition to the more lengthy "spend a Bardic Inspiration to add a bonus effect to a successful attack" part.

Tempest Domain Clerics don't have many speed-related abilities, though they do get a fly speed at 17th level. The main reason they're on the list is because Speedsters Are Clerics.

Monks gain a speed bonus while unarmored, and are also Dexterity-focused combatants. They're just better for a purely martial-class speedster than a fighter. Four Elements has Warlock Invocation-style Elemental Disciplines, while Open Hand is more purely martial.

Scout Rogues are a pure mobility-focused Rogue subclass, with a movement speed increase at 9th level and a 3rd-level starting ability that lets them move half their speed as a reaction whenever an enemy ends their turn within 5 feet.

All in all, D&D speedsters would probably be a martial class, and 5e just doesn't offer much character customization.

Let's move onto Pathfinder, which offers a lot more customization and fitting subclasses/abilities, and thus requires a cut for readability.

Pathfinder 1e

Best Class/Subclass Options: Cleric of Desna(Travel and Liberation Domains), Oracle(Time, Winds or Heavens Mystery), Sorcerer(Destined, Djinni, Air Elemental, Stormborn or Dreamspun Bloodline), Kineticist(Aerokineticist Element), Magus/Rogue(does not have subclasses)

First, feat options. There's a number of direct movement/agility-enhancement feats- Lightning Reflexes, Improved Initiative, Dodge, Mobility, Nimble Moves, Step Up, Spring Attack, Wind Stance, the many, many feats that have one of those as prerequisites, etc. Wind Stance and Lightning Stance grant concealment while you move, but most of the others only need to be explicitly picked if you're going to be rolling dice.

Azata Style feats require Dodge and Mobility as prerequisites, with Azata Sprint requiring Wind Stance. They're overall good flavor for a speedster- Azata Style gives you a bonus to AC in turns when you move at least 15 feet, Azata Mischief lets you trip people who fail attacks of opportunity against you and Azata Sprint increases your ground speed and lets you ignore difficult terrain.

For Cleric deity choices, I chose Desna since she's a Core 20 god that has both Travel and Liberation as follower domains, but making the Speed Force a deity in your setting rather than using the Golarion gods would fit okay.

Travel Domain clerics gain a 10-foot base speed increase, and both of their domain powers are movement-enhancing. You need it.

On the other hand, Liberation's first domain power removes penalties to your mobility. It can be replaced with another domain such as Luck or Air if you want.

Winds Oracles have Wings of Air(flight speed, minimum 7th level), and a lot of other air and lightning-related revelations, as well as having Acrobatics, Fly and Escape Artist as class skills.

Time Oracles have Speed or Slow Time(free haste/slow once per day, minimum 7th level, Temporal Celerity(initiative enhancement), Time Hop(short-range teleportation, minimum 7th level), and lots of spells that replicate things Wally, Bart and Barry have done before.

Heavens Oracles have Lure of the Heavens, which gradually lightens their footsteps until they can actually fly for short periods. Their other revelations don't really fit well, but the theme of "stars and harmony with the universe" kind of fits with the flavor(much like Time, but to a much lesser degree).

The problem with Oracles is that they have a Curse, a disadvantage that grants thematically appropriate benefits at higher levels while never fully dissipating. I feel Tongues works best, since Hunger grants a bite attack, and speedtalk could maybe be represented by Auran.

The Stormborn-bloodline Sorcerer has Dodge and Wind Stance as bonus feats, as well as a lot of air and lightning-themed bloodline powers. The Aerial Wildblooded bloodline replaces Thunderbolt with Control Winds.

The Air Elemental and Djinni bloodlines are pretty much identical save for their capstones- Elemental Body vs Limited Wish 1/day. They both offer a fly speed at 15th level, as well as several agility-related bonus feats.

The Dreamspun bloodline offers Combat Precognition, and with the Visionary Wildblooded bloodline, Visions(which effectively acts as divination once per day while asleep).

The Destined bloodline offers a bunch of luck-manipulation mechanics, and a heavy thematic tie to fate and time.

Overall, Sorcerers mostly offer the side themes, but could be good for when you're trying to pretend that your character most totally isn't an expy, or to explore alternate character interpretations. Or just because you think those themes are cool.

The Kineticist is blatantly elemental-themed, but Aerokineticists have a number of movement-related wild talents, including Wings of Air and its prerequisite Air's Leap. Simple.

Maguses and Rogues are pretty standard Dexterity combatants. The difference is that Rogues focus more on stealth and trickery, and Maguses are half-casters that can enhance their weapon attacks with spells.

I'd recommend looking at Archive of Nethys for details on character creation. Since Pathfinder runs under the OGL(Open Game License), only the Golarion-setting fluff is copyrighted, and all rules elements are free to access.

Pathfinder 2e and non-fantasy RPGs, as well as other characters, will be covered in a later post.

[lestcat-de-lioncourt]

I'm seeing a lot of people posting about how they're glad Genshin has Finally made a 5 star disabled character and are finally representing the disabled community, and whilst yes, they have made another disabled character, it's not the first one, nor the first 5 star! But Baizhu has been long awaited for by many players, including myself!

Huge Reminder that Collei is disabled with chronic illness, and I'm pretty sure Layla has been discussed to have Narcolepsy. Also, many people totally forget Xiao is a disabled 5 star character with chronic pain inflicted by his karmic debt and mental health struggles partly relating to that, and rarely anyone talks about it! I know we are all excited, but, this is another problem.

Less "obvious" (even though if you have got chronic pain, it's the most obvious thing in your life) disabilities get forgotten about, in real life too, hence the ongoing promotion of invisible disabilities or less obvious but just as difficult to deal with ones, needing to be acknowledged.

He is NOT the first 5 star which was made playable!

Xiao was, but for Baizhu, they're more obvious about his health and his power ups that he is in the medical field and has disabilities, also woth the presence of glasses too which is another visible disability

As health a big part of his job and powers too, it's easier to notice, but that's another part of how the people within the community with less obvious physical disabilities get forgotten or missed.

Xiao was the first released disabled character that was 5 stars! A favourite of mine to play since he dropped as he resonates with me gender wise, and with that, I too have serious chronic pain! He has chronic pain induced by his karmic debt, and barely anyone talks about that because it's not been focused on as a part of his character as much as people have with Baizhu.

But yeah, with the drop of Collei as well who also has a chronic illness, and Layla suspected to potentially have narcolepsy and some NPCs in Sumeru having stories being told about their conditions has been great especially as games rarely make main characters that are disabled and as someone who is disabled with mobility aids and chronic pain, it is exciting as this has been my favourite game for 2 years plus now.

So far Xiao has been a saviour for me as well as Genshin as I've played it most days i cannot do absolutely anything and remain bed ridden from my disability and I've wanted Baizhu dropped since he was introduced as well and I'm glad they're making multiple characters with disabilities as it's very real truth MANY gamers have disabilities, and we deserve rep.

[elecalice]

Getting back to Skullgirls thanks to the mobile game. I haven't played the game for YEARS, yet I do adore the art and the gameplay. Also the lore is awesome!

The mobile game somehow works???? Like, I can fight people, makes combos and also play the characters I don't have since I haven't payed for the DLC?!

I'm aware of the Gacha element, but the only thing I bought for the mobile is Minecraft. Outside that, I don't have a stable source of income, so I'm not paying for mobile games! So I'm not able to pay for Gacha!

Plus, I'm aware of FOMO and I will NOT let myself be dominated by it. I stopped my Cookie Run Ovenbreak addiction since because I ended up realizing how much it was eating my whole life and that I played that game to calm myself down. And I had to stop because, It was either Cookies or Online School! I ALMOST screwed up Online School due to myself and Cookie Run. (I'm not throwing shade at CR. I do liked Cookie Run Ovenbreak. But, again, it was eating my time)

That's a massive tangent there, sorry. But anyways. I need to be more mindful about my game habits.

I loved Peacock since she's silly and fun cartoon girl. But I'm starting to appreciate the other girls, Marie. Beowulf is so funny. I want Leduc. I'm starting to adore Leduc. He's a good electric boi. I hope he can be playable someday, but I'll be happy for the other characters. (Also. I realized a funny detail about Leduc but I'll save it for later)

And I'll admit. I HATED Black Dalhia with a burning passion, since she's a horrible being. But I'll admit, I now respect that she's a horrible being. (I need to test her on Mobile. Also. I love her classiness)

Skullgirls is neat.

[tessathegamefreak]

Headcanon Time...

All Wreck-It Ralph AUs/realities can exist on the same Earth with the right conditions!

Okay, so hear me out...

Now, the vast majority of us Wreck-It Ralph fans were not happy with the results of the sequel we got, AND FOR GOOD REASON!

There was so much wrong with the sequel, from inconsistencies with the original story to the sudden throwback in characters. I was so appalled by what we got that I found ways to consider it non-canon; one of these ways went as far as being a headcanon that this sequel was just a really bad fanfiction Candlehead wrote!

Then, there were many people that said, "well, what if this took place in a different arcade?". Now, they might have something there. There was no mention of Turbo in the new movie, the Sugar Rush game console is different, and doppelgangers are a thing, so maybe Litwak is actually a fully different person or a relative that runs a family business. Plus, the Internet is a wide place, so big that there was no way the sequel could capture and depict every part of it, so everything is possible!

But this goes beyond that... I am here to explain how you can fit your AUs into one world on top of this! I will use a couple of examples to give clearer explanations.

So, I have an OC that is from "Kingdom Hearts Union X", a mobile game that was once online- and once so great. If you are familiar with Kingdom Hearts, you know that they are a big crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney franchises, and Union X was the only KH game that has the Wreck-It Ralph world as a playable location. I have integrated my OC into my WIR roleplays numerous times, despite having lived out the events of the movie through her game. But how can that be possible? Doesn't it get awkward that she thinks she has these memories, but the others have no memory of her? Well, I have 2 reach arounds to combat this...

"The Simpsons" explanation! The Simpsons is so well known as a show, but not just for its revolutionary comedy, but for its "predictions"! Now, the farfetched explanation for how they could have so many accurate predictions is that "Matt Groening is a time traveler!". For the plausible explanation though, it could be said that "there are numerous possibilities in the world, and if you throw one out on the media, it is possible that it will come true". So if you were to write a story where you interact with the characters, but the movie already exists, you could explain it lore wise that Disney had bought licensing to these games, made a movie, and the events from that movie became a reality.

[KHUx OC] Coalette's character arc is similar to Buzz Lightyear. She is so ingrained into her false memories that she will eventually have to grow apart from them by interacting with the real characters in front of her. You could write something similar to this where AU characters meet their original counterparts and vice-versa!

Now, that could account for the potential plot hole of the events of the movie happening across multiple coordinates in the world, but you may think that there is another plothole when it comes to connecting AUs: Turbo. How could I possibly explain the same character from the same game getting greedy in the same way and manner across numerous arcades?...

Well, what if I told you my explanation for that was a flaw in Turbo-Time's programming? Think about it, we don't hear much of anything about Turbo in the sequel, not even mentioned or seen as merch or a fan favorite game, or even as a remastered/revival game anywhere on the Internet! You see, Turbo was programmed to be the "#1 racer" ever, and this held true for the first five years in arcade history. When newer, fancier racing games began to come out, Turbo would then feel his programming being challenged, causing him to go berserk and break into other racing games. What if this issue was common amongst ALL Turbo-Time consoles? They would have all been programmed the same way, so the moment arcades took notice to Turbo causing other racing games to crash and become corrupted, a nation-wide recall was issued on the consoles, preventing the game to become known amongst future generations. The surviving Turbos would remain in their arcades, and Turbo-Time would be put away as lost media. His story would only be a tale that those from before 1987 would be able to tell.

And there you have it, my explanation for connecting Wreck-It Ralph AUs and Realities together! Hope you have fun with world lore writing!

[gascon-en-exil]

The History of Three Houses Saturation: An Impromptu Heroes Retrospective

I've been poking through the Heroes archives some more. There's been a predictable amount of wank over Engage's sales numbers, and its supposed poor performance is sometimes propped up by the fact that so far FE17 has only gotten a single Heroes banner. Ignoring of course that IS must plan out these banners months in advance, I wanted to take a look back and see just what the mobile game was putting out around the time that Three Houses launched.

In 2019, FEH released the following for Three Houses:

July: New Heroes banner, with both Byleths and the house leaders as well as Mythic Sothis

August: New Heroes banner, with Hubert, Petra, Mercedes, and Hilda, also Kronya as the GHB unit linked to the July banner and the Death Knight as the GHB unit linked to this month's

December: Seasonal winter banner including Sothis

And...that's it, actually. FE16 wouldn't get any more new units until March 2020. The units added in 2019 make a lot of sense considering that Three Houses is much more frontloaded in terms of its playable roster; counting all routes, the player has access to 25 of its 40 characters by Chapter 1, and Sothis, Kronya, and the DK are all revealed fairly early (Kronya less so, but the two large reasons that she was the game's first GHB unit go without saying). The two banners combined account for whales who chose any of the three houses, with the leader and a wide-appeal(?) waifu option available for each of them.

It's tough to compare because FEH was less structured the first year of its launch, but this is in fact more restrained than how hard IS pushed Echoes in 2017 which got four banners within the first two months of its release. Looking at that, it's little wonder that Valentia doesn't have enough for even one more new heroes banner at this point.

Now, as for 2020:

March: New Heroes banner, with Ferdinand, Bernadetta, Annette, and Lysithea, also the Flame Emperor as the GHB unit

April: Legendary Edelgard

July: Seasonal summer banner, with Duo f!Byleth/Rhea, Dorothea, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Lorenz as the TT unit

August: Brave banner with CYL 4 winners which was swept by Three Houses: the house leaders plus Lysithea

October: New Heroes banner, with Seteth, Flayn, Catherine, and Shamir, also Nemesis as the GHB unit as well as Legendary Dimitri

December: Seasonal winter banner including Bernadetta and Hilda with Felix as the TT unit

That's twenty-four new units from a single game in a year. It's easy to understand why Three Houses fatigue would be setting in, especially when combined with the pandemic and this being more or less when the discourse got infamously bad. But the oversaturation got even worse in 2021:

January: Seasonal desert banner including Harmonic Dorothea/Lene and Raphael, also Mythic Seiros

February: Legendary Claude

March: New Heroes banner, with Linhardt, Dedue, Ingrid, and Marianne, also Solon as the GHB unit

May: New Heroes Fallen banner including Edelgard and Dimitri

June: Seasonal summer banner, with Duo Hilda/Marianne, Caspar, Ashe, Mercedes, and Leonie as the TT unit, also Legendary m!Byleth

August: Brave banner with CYL 5 winners including Marianne and the Gatekeeper

September: New Heroes banner, with Yuri, Constance, and Hapi sharing a banner with a Heroes OC, also Balthus added to the standard summon pool and Aelfric as the GHB unit

October: Seasonal Halloween banner including Duo Sothis/m!Byleth and Rhea

November: Seasonal ninja banner including Shamir as the TT unit

December: Seasonal winter banner including Harmonic Lysithea/Lute, Manuela, and Ignatz as the TT unit, also Legendary f!Byleth

That's thirty-one units, with only two months out of the year not getting any new Three Houses content. One of those was also the notoriously meta-centralizing Fallen Edelgard, plus I think this was the first year to have a bunch of Reddit drama related to her alts with A Hero Rises? That's not really what I'm looking at here.

I've looked into this this far - might as well finish it up with how 2022 fared. This was the year that Hopes released, so there was some new-ish Fódlan content to pull from at last. I'll go ahead and throw what we've gotten so far of 2023 in here too:

May: New Heroes Fallen banner including Rhea

June: Seasonal summer banner including Harmonic Edelgard/Altina, Dimitri, and Claude

August: New heroes banner with CYL 6 winners including f!Byleth, also Jeralt as the GHB unit

September: New heroes banner with Ascended Hilda (uses her Hopes design), m!Shez, and Monica, also f!Shez added to the standard summon pool and Holst as the GHB unit

October: Mythic Arval

December: Seasonal winter banner including Dorothea and Annette using their Hopes designs, also Legendary f!Shez

January 2023: Seasonal desert banner including m!Byleth

March 2023: Seasonal spring banner including Bernadetta and Ashe, also Legendary Yuri

April 2023: New Heroes banner with Rearmed Ingrid (uses her Hopes design), Felix, Sylvain, and Rhea, also Cornelia as the GHB unit

May 2023: New Heroes Fallen banner including f!Byleth (based on Hopes)

A mere fifteen units in 2022, and ten so far in 2023. This gives Houses/Hopes 93 units so far - more than any other individual game aside from Awakening (which is only slightly higher at 97) and Fates (a hefty 129). Both those games have larger playable rosters and were pushed hard in FEH's early years to the point that people also complained about it, so FE16's oversaturation is impossible to ignore.

I very much doubt that it will get another New Heroes banner this year...not because there still aren't candidates but because there's exactly one Agarthan with a unique portrait (Thales) they haven't used as a GHB unit at this point. Seasonals are always a tossup, although I'm wondering if Fódlan can carry a summer banner for the fourth(!) year in a row when the only remaining high-value waifu IS has left to stick in a swimsuit is...um...Petra, I guess? Unless they go with church units - and Rhea's already been put in a bikini - or the Wolves, all the rest are the type to go for more innocence fanservice appeal, like Bernadetta and Lysithea. We can safely say at least that IS has been treating Hopes like an expansion pack after its single banner, using it out only for some seasonals, a limited selection of Legendaries (m!Shez incoming at some point, probably), Mythics (...this one's pretty much just Arval), and Fallen units (I fully expect Fallen m!Shez next year) and for easy Ascended/Rearmed designs, in the same way that the post-timeskip Houses designs seem to be reserved for Legendary and Brave units.

How much does any of this reflect on Engage? Probably not much, really. It's nowhere near as frontloaded in terms of units so IS can't dive too far into the roster for characters like the Brodians and Elusians without getting into spoiler writing territory, whereas both FE15 and FE16 had multiple starting groups to pull from for early banners. As I mentioned re: Valentia, they may have also learned that adding a bunch of new units in quick succession is an easy way to struggle to fill out new banners in the future and draw the ire of some of the fanbase at the same time. I do expect another Engage banner in 2023, although it'll probably be in the second half of the year. Maybe they'll be used more in seasonals? The Awakening-and-Fates-esque vibe of FE17 better lends itself to goofiness like the summer and Halloween banners, and if they do thieves again in August that'd be a sure way to slip in fan favorite Yunaka before she's scheduled for a regular banner.