#raising paladins

[chibi-pix]

Raising Paladins? IN 2023?!?!!?!? Apparently so.  I was rereading the fic a bit and saw an art in it. And instantly? I wanted to draw it again. But better. So here I am, redrawing this piece three years later. And I’m pleased. The lighting is better. It feels more natural in how she’s sitting. And she’s still got that old yupper plush. Perfect. 

Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy this one! Until next time!

[avicinda]

"It's time to put aside your pride, Avicinda. Avoiding problems is the coward's way!"

I said Avicinda should be locked up forever and I enjoy the jokes about how much of the story could be skipped by just punting him into the sun (it wouldn't take that much force anyway, he's tiny)

BUT honestly I really love what they did with him after the story!

His character is really all about his pride. His family is proud of being the greatest servants of the Wishing One, of being the closest to him. With the Wishing One gone, Avicinda carried forward that legacy with the full belief that when the Wishing One returns, he would be there to serve just as his ancestors did.

That pride made it easy for Chigda to manipulate him. OF COURSE the reincarnation of the Wishing One would protect him; OF COURSE Wish Master Chigda would make him Captain of the Paladins. How else could he serve the reborn Wishing One best? And in turn Avicinda justified all the atrocities he committed through it. "These are the Wishing One's orders and this is what the Wishing One wants of ME, his greatest servant." Chigda says Kuroda was a traitor, so it must be true! Bully Giroda because he's that traitor Kuroda's grandson? All part of serving the Wishing One and punishing traitors!

You could say he was tempted and preyed on by Chigda, who is a Lucifer Archetype, in this essay I will—

Staying on track because this is a post about post-story Avicinda—

All that context is to say: Avicinda swallows his pride and gets a job at Dorobo's Family Restaurant.

I made Nikki's line about his pride the title of this post because I really think this is the moment Nikki starts getting through to him. He was just as devastated as everyone else about Chigda's betrayal, maybe even more so as he realized what it meant for everything he did under Chigda's orders. That he WASN'T being the good servant to the Wishing One he thought he was and in fact was aiding someone who had joined the very enemy he was always meant to fight against.

But because he still has his pride, he was still in denial of all that on some level. All that was left to him was a big helping of self-loathing while locked up in that cavern and to answer the questions about his actions (like giving the location of the key, giving away information of everything Chigda did), would be to acknowledge he had willingly done all those things and wasn't a better servant to the Wishing One. Because he "was too stupid."

Nikki gets through to him by offering a different interpretation of the Wishing One than he was ever taught: that the Wishing One is found in the happiness of little things in every day life.

When you find him at the restaurant, he outright says that Nikki was right about this. That's why Avicinda's choice of atonement is (currently) washing dishes. He's found a way to serve the Wishing One and "protect everyone" that isn't just some vague "be the strongest and greatest servant" type thing.

His ancestors were part of making every arrival of the Wishing One "like a sacred ceremony." But the Wishing One is gone and maybe is never coming back. Who does Avicinda serve now? Why does he train? Does he keep trying to fight for some distant, uncertain being he can hold out hope for returning, no matter how long it takes? Stay locked up forever to wallow in self-pity and hatred? Sit outside of their society for the rest of his life lamenting what he could have done better while watching Giroda lead them down the path he hoped for all along?

Or maybe he can find his atonement in serving his fellow Faewish Sprites in tangible ways that might be small in impact, but still makes a difference, like washing dishes for them?

It's the little things.

[glupshittostan]

I’ve been writing sole/danse fics like there’s no tomorrow and I just like thinking about what each companion would be like if tasked with watching their kid. Hancock would be the cool uncle and a terrible influence.

[swordmaid]

shri’iia mood board

[the-punforgiven]

I know there's that whole stereotype of DMs and PCs hating each other or whatever but to be 100% honest the most joy I get out of D&D is when my players come up with some absolutely crazy batshit idea that should be absolutely impossible rules as written because as the DM I can choose to ignore that dumb nerd shit and just say "That sounds fucking rad dude, I'm giving you inspiration for that idea, now make an Acrobatics check."

[spiderwarden]

A reality of pre-canon Minthara is that she’d have killed you without hesitation if Lolth ordered it, even if she loves you. It’s easy to forget she did not leave the Drow society willingly, she did not give up her place in the hierarchy because rebellion, she was every bit the Generic Royal Drow female of your Drow rebels nightmares, except it was her actual job to hunt your Drow rebel for defying society and Lolth most of all.

[empty-blog-for-lurking]

I am a firm Lion Change hater/blue paladin!Lance truther but also i am almost intrigued by canon Black Paladin!Lance if only because i firmly believe he would still end up being depressed, isolated, and ready to kill himself but without the dead gf ending and within 3 seasons instead of 8.

[faerie-fang]

{ If you travel deep enough into the Forest of Secrets, you may learn where it gets its name.

Deep at its center lays a grove, a pocket of trees guarded by a flock of crows; crows that seem too wise, too cunning, too knowing to be ordinary birds. And odder still, you may find a boy, in weathered leather and a cloak of crow feathers, looking at home in the tree he rests in, a tree shaped as if it were made to cradle him — as if the boy himself was a secret made for her to keep. The shadows here do not follow the light, but seem to listen to the child, and the crows treat him like their own. But for all your fascination, some magical force prevents you from getting any closer. And if you manage to find your way back out of the forest, you will find that for as sharp as the memory rests in your mind, something prevents you from sharing what you saw with anyone else. The story sits at the tip of your tongue, where it will remain unspoken. And you understand now why they call it the Forest of Secrets, for now you have one of your own — of the boy protected by Shadow Secret and Crow. }

Jean-Paul Darkfeather!!!! *guitar riff* my most beloved oc who i can and have talked about for hours but have barely shared on the interwebs <3 feels vulnerable when the character and story is a piece of your soul!

[discordiansamba]

I love that in the Runaway AU, Keith can be explained by being half-galra, but then there's Heath and he's Also just Like That and it's hilarious. Poor Shiro over here is just burdened with the knowledge that yeah, Keith may be part Galra, but also he's part Heath. Just, Heath is hilarious because here is a man who had a child with an alien without so much as batting an eye and, of the paladins, only Shiro has enough context to know that. Anyway I love your fics, thank you!

It's so much fun to characterize Heath, since we know so little about him. He was only brought up three times! Personally I think any guy who decides to not only fall in love with the alien woman he pulled from her ship and have a child with her is going to be a little on the unique side. Plus he was absolutely down for fighting aliens. Needed zero convincing.

It's just fun in general to think that Heath as a kid was actually a lot like his son- he just mellowed out over time. Which is why he's more than willing to encourage his son being Like That because he was also Like That and he turned out fine!

Honestly? Once I characterized Heath as the guy who brings a shotgun to space in anomalous point, there was no going back from that. He's just like this now to me.

[comicallysmallcereals]

So my dnd character died (well sort of he’s…fine? Just literally in Hell)

Here’s his remembrance shrine (under the cut)

From @moon-thyme

More under the cut

My stupid idiot son,

he died as he lived making generally unwise decisions and being a cutie patootie.

[sapphireclawe]

Stella looks at the altar she was praying at, and smiles. This time her family won't be upset with her. This one won't be the mission that gets her expelled from the Order.

As the various peoples of the party arrive at the palace of Wielgtor Ithael, the advisor studies each of them. They're let into the palace and the dwarven advisor explains the situation.

"We've been getting a bunch of gods telling us that the royal bloodline is doomed to end, and the last one of the bloodline we can find is the prince. Your gods may have better instructions than I do, but please, keep the prince safe. We need an heir or the kingdom will fall into chaos." The gnomish rogue slinks into the shadows at that, and a would-be assailant is hogtied a moment later. The twin elven mages walk away, arguing between each other whether setting wards or launching fireballs would be more useful. The dwarven cleric heads up to the prince's room, followed by Stella. The paladin prepares to remove something from her pocket while waiting for the cleric's back to be turned.

"So I was called here by Attica, for he mentioned that the prince was in danger. What brings a half orc here if it's not to kill any assassins?" He glances at Stella as she pulls out a brooch. Then his eyes widen with a grin.

"Forgive me, Stella, I've been having some visual issues as of late and I didn't recognize the one who helped me escape the arranged marriage." He turns around again while Stella hums to herself, pulling the item from her pocket and pouring it into a glass of elven wine.

"I was called by Brunhilde the Devoted to protect the prince, and I think I understand why.... that and due to the fact that what I tend to do is far different from what the Order teaches their missionaries to do, if I mess this up then I'll be expelled." She hands the bewildered prince the glass of wine before checking the daylight. "Sun's going down. Don't let anyone into the room who the prince doesn't ask for."

"So uh...... what was that shiny pink goop you poured into my wine?"

Stella, being tied up with multiple weapons and spells pointed at her, waits.

"Why did you poison the prince!?"

"You claim you were sent to protect him! Lies!"

"What did you do, lass!?" The cleric looks distraught as he tries to figure out WHY the person that saved him did all this.

"Because if I didn't, the prince would have been doomed to a life solely meant for having children with someone he hates!" Stella watches a dagger get much closer to her face.

"So what, your idea was to KILL him!?"

"Not unless he tries rejecting who he really is." A moment later, and the previously unconscious prince groans.

"I need...." Everyone braces for the next words. "I need garlic bread..."

"He's ACE!?"

"Fuck, we're out of royal bloodline after all. Get this man some garlic bread..."

"Yeah, get him some garlic bread and ask the staff if any of their mothers were courted by the king. The prince should be okay after he eats, but the king is KNOWN to have had a ton of affairs." Stella points out, and the mages split up to find each member of the staff. The rogue just opens a secret door into the room exposing a girl who looks almost identical to the prince. Holding a knife. And garlic bread.

(Tagging @process-of-understanding and @pastelpixel1987 because they were interested. No proofreading, just vibes)

[swagging-back-to]

seetttthing scalding hot take but honestly i feel no sympathy or theoretical sadness about altea being blown to bits. the few alteans we DO know are all assholes. clearly the universe isn't missing much. in fact, if you look at the only canon universe that DOES still have altea--- they go on to be just as bad as the galran empire if not even worse.

so yeah. maybe zarkon did the universe a small favor before he went truly off the deep end.

edit; just found out alteans destroyed Diabaazal long before zarkon destroyed altea. nothing ANYONE says can convince me alteans are anything *but* the real villain of the show. they got what they deserved.

[tapewyrm-talks]

Enthralled by this little beast of my own creation

[ryebreadies]

90% of what i draw lately is my tav...

[swordmaid]

ok so it's not in bg3 or even dnd 5e canon, but paladins can very well be godless! paladin's half-caster magic doesn't come from their gods, but from their dedication to their oath. meaning shri-iia can probably create her own tenents of faith and swear upon those and still be a paladin, even without a god!! it just isn't in the game mechanics though... but a lot of ppl have already made mechanics for a godless paladin variant that mimic dnd 5e rules!

im aware it isn't!! but i like the idea that she thinks it does - or at least, she thinks lolth empowers her because in her mind where else would she get them? in her own self? when she was raised in an environment where she believed she's nothing without lolth? get outta town

[goblingirlpicnic]

Drew another drow because I love them :3