#safe to say he is the party's favorite npc

[raffinthebox]

Behold! The party's favourite NPC!

Tenue Versor (he/him) Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts

Head of Slytherin house. Versor hides a lot of secrets, but you don't need to uncover them to know the man was born to be a teacher. Even so, the party is working hard to unveil the mysteries around him by traumatizing him at each meeting.

Campaign: A day at Hogwarts Mastered by: @all-unwoven

[auncyen]

Pre-incident Siffrin being actually a lot "stronger" than the other party members is a favorite pet theory of mine. ("Stronger" because they're not physically so, exactly, but there's a combination of experience and other things.)

Reasons:

Especially with Adrienne saying Sadnesses aren't ONLY due to the King and were around before (but the Curse is making things much worse) Siffrin has a strong case for having more practical fighting experience than the others due to scraps with wildlife and Sadnesses. Isabeau would probably be next closest but he even says himself that the worst Defenders see is burglary so Isabeau's experience would be mostly training/theoretical still.

They also might have given themself a slight "boost" by skirting Craft cooldowns at times. Like going off of above, pre-game Siffrin could have been that one post about classically trained wizard vs. self-taught wizard where the latter is terrifying for how much they've learned by practical experience while completely missing certain safety fundamentals (or. well. forgotten them). Since Craft cooldown has physical feedback, Siffrin probably never completely wrecked themself but like. I can imagine very early on Siffrin having a habit of pushing themself hard in fights to end them quickly and make sure everyone's safe and then at the campsite for the night they're just kind of. trying to keep going to at least get their share of chores done but ow ow ow. (They probably slowly learned to stop doing this with the combined experiences of 1) fighting with a team 2) fights with Sadnesses becoming much more common and thus making it worse to overextend themself every single fight 3) recovering from the incident probably forced them to respect cooldowns more which ties a bit into next reason--)

The incident with Bonnie is given a good amount of weight in narration but then doesn't seem to have kept Siffrin from being as strong a party member as the others in combat, which might seem slightly odd. ...Unless it was actually that he was stronger before and him being at the same level with them IS him having gotten weaker, which could also mesh well with him having seen three people fighting a Sadness and being like 'hey. obviously you need me to stab it.' (Counterpoint, I can easily believe Siffrin getting himself in a fight to help people even if he wasn't confident about the odds of winning. Like, I've written that. When he's not confident about fighting, he's confident in his ability to run like hell. But maybe he was confident about being able to kill the Sadness!)

Basically like. Pre-incident Siffrin in terms of party levels/gameplay coming off more as a overpowered guest NPC escorting your party and doing their own thing and skirting Craft cooldowns (I can just imagine part of Odile's 'assassin' suspicion being no normal person learns to fight like this? what the hell) and then the Incident happens and it's like oh they're a regular party member now. Okay.

[csphire]

Larian, you don't just give us this fine ass tiefling that gives us dreamy bedroom eyes and not let us romance him!

Why Dammon should and needs to become a romance option in a future DLC or Patch:

There are some sparks flying between him and Karlach already. Maybe just of friendship but honestly, I think he's got a little crush on her given some of his lines. It's clear he's concerned about her at the very least, and that could easily bloom into a deep friendship or something more. Letting us romance him on a Karlach origin playthrough could be rather sweet. It could also help shake up that status quo of men being the brawn and women being the brains. At the very least, it would help some shorter guys and taller ladies who pair up feel seen and celebrated.

He's an NPC we see on the regular in all three acts. (Granted he's rather fragile. Seriously Larian, give him more than just 8 hp! Alfira the bard has 20 hp for goodness sake!) Even if he's not made into a companion most of us already make a stop at least once a day at his forge to sell him our stuff. Sure it's business at first. But even in the game currently, he gives the player all kinds of freebies if we bring him the right things. Plus, most of us don't think it's weird at all to support a loved one's time and efforts so him remaining our favorite merchant is not a problem. People have housewives and househusbands they support all of the time, after all. Let us do so with our future forge husband.

Visiting him on the daily is also more than enough time to provide the player with small opportunities to progress in a relationship with him. Once a day he could say something new about his. Or he drops a new tidbit about his past and his passions. The player then could pick a response to up his approval. His merchant approval and relationship approval might be tricky to navigate but could both be displayed when buying or trading with him. He could also pay a visit to our camp on occasion too. Perhaps at the camp party, it starts out as a one-night stand, then rescuing him from the ox later on at Last Light Inn we can admit we do actually care about him.

NPC romances are not a new thing and have been implemented in other games such as in Dragon Age Inquisition with Josephine and Cullen. We also lack a male tiefling option. (Although there are some Zevlor and Roland Stans out there too. Hey, more options with horns and tails the better I say. ^_~)

All the companions have some rather big things on their plate and lots of baggage. At times this can be overwhelming for some players or at least on every playthorugh. What about the Tav or Durge's needs? What if the player is going through some tough things in real life and just can't deal with any more drama? Perhaps Dammon could be an alternative in that he could provide some with more emotional support or comfort. He invites Tav over for a home-cooked meal. Maybe he burns the pizza a little or he could suck at cooking, but it's the thought that counts. Or maybe he's usually a fantastic baker and sends you off each day with some kind of camp supply treat. I'm not saying make him boring but keep his romance a bit on the little lighter side? Why? Some players just overall feel better when their loved one is back at home and relatively safe, and that's valid. Plus during the course of the game, we do rescue him around three times and he's sure to have some baggage from his time in the hells. It would be just nice if he had a little less than most of our companions. If we had a fluffier romance option instead of one that leaves us crying.

He's already a part of the player's story and could help showcase and offer some in-game tutorials for Tinker or Artificer class if made into a full companion or even if he remained an NPC. If shown say any blacksmithing schematics he could provide more information or insight about new weapons and armor. For example, if one misses the sussur bark nature roll he could suggest where to find some if we show him the quest item.

He could provide a story of being biracial. Given his white sclera and other coloring, some are left to wonder if he might have a few elves or humans in his family tree. Granted this might be a rune power keg of a topic but it could be a way to allow many to feel seen and hear a similar story to theirs unfold in a game.

Rumor has it the Voice Actor for Dammon, Frazer Blaxland is all on board at the idea of working with Larian more.

There are a few more reasons beyond the ones given, but these listed here are some of the strongest reasons why Dammon as a new romance option makes perfect sense.

Feel free to comment below about yours! The more reasons the better!

Also, you can submit feedback to Larian HERE. Send them your thrist.

[strawberryshortcake1495]

The Owl House Zoo 🦉

Hello dear visitors, and welcome to The Owl House Zoo! My name is Riliane, and I will be your tour guide today. Please follow me for the tour to begin!

Here, we have the Titan Goddess and the Cotton Candy Haired Goddess, but we all like to refer to them as Luz and Amity. Amity is a witch who’s joined containment with Luz because of their everlasting love. Luz is a Titan and human hybrid which is extremely rare in this world so there are people out there who have her on their hit-list, but The Owl House Zoo is the most safest place in the city. Unfortunately, they’re both infertile but they’re both extremely docile, so they’re safe to approach. Ah, it looks like they woke up.

Luz: Oh…I didn’t know you had a tour going on today. You should’ve told us to wake up early…

Amity: Who are you talking to, Luz?

Luz: Just the zookeeper and some visitors.

Amity: Alright… *goes back to sleep*

We’ll come right back to you Luz, but let’s move on and let these two get ready for the day. Here, we have the witches. This is Eda, Raine, Willow, and a bunch of other witches. It’s pretty crowded in here, but it appears the other witches are elsewhere inside the cage. Eda had a son named King but because he’s a Titan, she cannot be contained in the same cage as him because a witch and a titan together is extremely dangerous. We still love her, though!

Eda: You! What did you do to my kids, you motherfu-

Raine: Eda, we have visitors!

Willow: Let us out of this cage!

Let’s move on. Speaking of King, here’s him now! The titans were once powerful creatures who ruled the Demon Realm but one day, they got in a big war with these creatures called the Archivists and this little guy is the last living titan for as far as we know. At first, he was a little fussy but he’s grown used to living in the zoo.

King: *eating a treat and notices you* Oh, hey.

Hi, King! We’ll be moving on now.

King: Bye! *waves*

Here, we have the Collector. They’re a young Archivist, and they’re very small for their age. The Collector is an affectionate and loving creature, so we here at the Owl House Zoo actually encourage you to play with them! They love playing games and making new friends, and speaking of friends, the Collector is actually best friends with King. Despite their family history, they’ve managed to form a friendship stronger than no other.

Collector: Ooo, visitors! *runs up to the fence and looks up at you with starry eyes* Hi, I’m the Collector! Wanna be my friend?

*You reach out and gently ruffle his hair.*

Collector: Hehe, that tickles!

We have to get going now, Collector, but the next tour group will come see you in a bit, okay?

Collector: Okay! Bye-Bye!

What a sweet kid…he’s my personal favorite. Anyways, we’re entering the Grimwalker den. This place used to be flooded with these guys but now there’s only one left because of the…nevermind. Here’s Hunter! He’s a very hostile and defensive grimwalker, and honestly, I can’t blame him. Try to avoid eye contact, as that can make him anxious and angry. That scar right there is from Eda, because one time we thought it was a good idea to put all the creatures together in a cage to have fun but that didn’t go so well…What? You think I’m mistreating these guys? Hey, I’m just a tour guide. I would’ve put his cage near the main pathway of the zoo but the guys in charge say he’s “too dangerous” and that he might “hurt the little ones”. Oh, it looks like he fell asleep. Poor baby…he looks exhausted. Anyways, shall we move on to the next?

Here, we have the puppets. They’re kinda like real life NPCs. Last year during the Collector’s 8th birthday party, he accidentally shot some sort of spell at a party guest, creating a puppet. He tells us he can’t control it so we’ve contained most of them inside this cage. The reason I say most and not all of them is because some puppets are promoted to zookeepers based on good behavior. We’re not sure the puppets have any…sentience or what not? They either just stand, lay down, or walk around the cage mindlessly. Anyways, let’s get a move on.

I saved the best for last. Here in this den are the palismen! This is Ghost, Clover, Emmiline, Owlbert, Stringbean, and Waffles! There used to be a cardinal here named Flapjack but he died due to the- um…nevermind, anyways Stringbean and Waffles replaced him. Stringbean arrived a year ago and Waffles arrived in February. We’ll always remember Flapjack, but it’s important not to shun the new palismen because of the past. Change can be difficult, but it’s how we grow. It can be the hardest thing to realize you can't hold on to something forever. Sometimes, you have to let it go. But of the things you let go, you'd be surprised what makes its way back to you.

And that concludes our tour. If you have any questions, feel free to ask; and if you don’t, thank you for visiting The Owl House Zoo! Come back again soon and have a wonderful day!

(You can ask questions by reposting and stating your question.)

[spookydicks]

Since its the Spookiest day of the year, Here's Bell's Hells Trick or Treating Headcanons

Chet: He goes ALL OUT on trick or treating. His costume is just his wolf form. No one questions it and its glorious. All the neighborhood kids thinks its awesome and ask to give wolf!chet some scritches. For trick or treating., he has a big ass pillow case thats bigger than he is and you bet he makes sure that it filled up by the end of the night. As for trick or treaters, he doesnt make anyone say "trick or treat" to get candy. He also gets the regular sized candy. Kids love him.

Orym: Orym's pretty chill about Halloween. He also does easier costume but he's mainly there to make sure that his trick or treat buddies are safe. His candy bag is one of those McDonalds trick or treat buckets but, because of his size, its half the size of him maaaybe smaller. For trick or treaters, he makes sure to have candy options for any dietary restriction.

Fearne: For trick or treating, she dresses like shes going to a ren faire for halloween. She uses aa bag with flowers that are on fire on it for her candy stash. As for trick or treaters, we know that she puts a tiny bit of her shrooms for the older trick or treaters. She's a hit with teenagers. She tends to use more sour candies because fire.

FCG: Our lil' robit loves halloween. They mainly go as pets for his costume. Unlike his other party members, he uses himself as a candy bag. He uses his chest compartment Glamrock Freddy style. As for trick or treaters, he's the kindest lil' candy giver. He has extra options for anyone with dietary restriction but he does tend to say a little bit about the Changebringer to the trick or treaters tho........ It's not to annoying or noticable tho.

Laudna: Halloween is our girl's TIME TO SHINE! Our favorite living dead girl is a theatre kid, so OF COURSE she goes all out. She mainly goes as "fun scary " characters such as Emily the Corpse Bride and Lydia Deetz. One year, her and Imogen went as Jack and Sally, she was Jack ofc, and it was adorable. She even dressed pate up at Zero. As for trick or treaters, she LOVES talking to the kids. She tells pate to "mind his manners" with the younger kids but if there are older kids/teens, he goes all out. Both the older and younger kids find her delightful.

Imogen: Imogen goes hard for halloween costumes. Sometimes, she does a duo costume with laudna, but sometimes, she does a costume on her own. She uses a pillow case with horses on it as her candy bag. As for trick or treaters, she does the handing out while Laudna does the conversation since child and teenager thoughts are rough.

Ashton: For trick or treating, they just wear normal clothes and just say that they're going as an npc. Honestly, he's mainly going trick or treating to hang out with the Hells and to get candy. Iconic. He also likes to people watch, aka see everyone's costumes, all while subtlety roasting those that didn't get the assignment. As for trick or treaters, he mainly has a bowl with a sign that says something like "Take what you want. Don't take the bowl". His candy bag is also a pillow case.

[thestalkerbunny]

It really does sound like a good game, wish I could get into it, but even watching a let's play fells daunting. You got any favorite characters?

LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT MY FAVORITE FUCKING CHARACTER.

HER NAME IS ALFIRA. She's a random NPC you meet early on in the game, in grove where a bunch of Tieflings are taking refuge cause fucking goblins want to do a murder to them. And She plays you a beautiful song if you help her with the lyrics and there's a whole cut scene. And she misses her mentor and wants to do like a tribute album. And then she comes to your camp and is like 'I wanna travel with you guys! I wanna see the world and make it to Baldur's gate! (a major city)' And OF COURSE you say yes cause she's a cutie patootie dressed like a JESTER. Perfect Bard Girl.

She is THE BEST GIRL, looket them little bells. She jingle jingle.

However.

If you play as Dark Urge. She joins your Camp.

And uh.

The Thoughts(tm) win whether you like it or not.

This LITERALLY gave me such a fucking JUMP SCARE when this happened cause I DIDNT KNOW that this would happen and I FREAKED OUT. Started yelling at my friend who said 'oh play as Dark Urge, there's more content if you play as Dark Urge' cause HE DIDNT KNOW THAT HAPPENED TO ALFIA, so we're both screaming hysterically cause for the past hour I was hyping up this little clown girl to him.

Anyway.

There's a work around glitch you can exploit if you knock her out and then immediately go to save at your camp-you just murder a random hobo that comes to stay with you briefly. And Alfia will live. (and you get like a cool cape that lets you turn invisible which fucks hard as hell.)

It took me 2 REAL LIFE DAYS to get that to work cause I was so *BAD* at it. Every time I knocked her out the cops either caught me or I knocked her out TOO HARD and she died. A Lot of restarting from previous save for that nonsense.

I finally got it to work and when you defeat all the nasty rude goblins and the tieflings are finally safe to make passage to Baldur's Gate-she's at the party later that night. And you get to meet her later on in the game and I KNOW she's not a core important character like any of the romance options you travel with. But she's MY ROMANCE OPTION GODDAMIT. WHY COULDNT I ROMANCE ALFIA? I WORKED TO HARD TO SAVE HER LITTLE LIFE.

[animehouse-moe]

Shangri-La Frontier Episode 2: A Peculiar One

Worldbuilding. Incredibly important, hard to pull off sometimes. Shangri-La Frontier seems to have zero problem with it. As it does with action, and comedy, and basically everything. It's an incredibly smooth series through these two episodes, and it gives me a lot to talk about!

So let's talk worldbuilding first. While the wolf does show up in the opening, it's actually featured somewhere else more importantly. Yeah, in the image that I used for the cover of this post.

One of the new players actually points out the emblem that adorns this massive suit of armor. That emblem being a wolf holding a sword. Hmm, interesting choice for what's noted as an "achievement focused clan". To put two and two together, the clan's chasing after the unique monster that appeared to Sunraku at the end of the episode. Mostly because after we're treated to its appearance, we've learned that zero unique monsters have been defeated.

What about sneaky boss mechanics then? Ravenous Python is the area boss that blocks beginners from making it to the second town. Forcing them into parties is a great way to foster communication and interaction in this big world, so it's a great idea for a starter boss. Even better than that though is its design, with hair/fur on the head and the tail.

Like me, Sunraku didn't really think it anything important, but we find out that the python can spew poison from its tail. Immediately, the pieces fall into place, it's a little hint/giveaway at the fact that the tail is also a weapon/danger. Very very neat detail.

Some more boss details! While it's not officially stated, while Sunraku is stacking crits on the Python, it looks like it's potentially being staggered? That is, being hit with a critical temporarily stuns/staggers an enemy which provides an additional opening. Of course, being able to stack crits means that the stagger would be overpowered, so the python recovers rather quickly.

After the python dies we finally make our way to the first (though really second) town of the series, where we get some time with different players before seeing Sunraku. Not anything crazy, but the fact that they're telling us about what denotes a PKer is pretty interesting. What they don't say though is if there's any debuffs or real purpose to killing players, and where you can do it. They're only just outside the town so there's most likely not a safe area, but is it possible for them to fight in the town? Just some random thoughts I got from the episode.

So, Sunraku's in the second town now, and because he's died and has a skill penalty, he's decided to do some shopping. Really plain and simple idea, but they show off the armor he purchases as being from Mud Frog's, which are a rather simple/passive mob with a gimmick in the area. Really great idea for starter items, since they're easy to farm and only provide specific/simple defenses. Also, Mud Frog's another monster name from FFXII (though it doesn't bare any resemblance). Starting to think that the author might have a favorite game.

And this is where things start to get interesting with the world. When the NPC blacksmith says that nighttime's dangerous, they mean it. I love this idea and how they execute on it, starting with a Redcap Goblin. It might not have the iron greaves that typically denote a Redcap (though Overlord's do have them), it's still undeniably inspired by the D&D monster.

Even more interesting is the approach. It wears more complicated clothing than the beginner Goblin, sporting a necklace even as decoration. Further, it has a proper metal axe, a weapon even nicer than the blades of the Vorpal Bunnies in terms of quality.

The icing on the cake though is its intelligence. It's got a fighting style that can resemble the reckless abandon of the original goblin, but has far more refinement and a much more intense attack pattern, featuring things like even throwing their axe.

One step above that is how they treat the creatures of the night. This thing is clearly intelligent as it summons allies to its side. Like Sunraku says, this is typically a weak monster's trait, but when applied to a high level one makes them even more dangerous, essentially enforcing a time limit on the fight for viability. Really really cool stuff that doesn't just use overpowered monsters to make the night difficult. It ups the intelligence of them in several ways, arguably the most notable being the fact that these monsters roam at night when there's less people (making it safer for the monsters). Really really cool ideas.

Anyways, the episode itself is really really impressive in a lot of ways like I said before. The humor hits well and is balanced with the game talk and interaction, the story builds slowly and surely about the norms in regards to partying up and interaction (which is something Sunraku doesn't get in their experience with other games), the action is impeccably paced and the choreography is truly impressive, and the camera work is just insane, the tricks and ideas they implement in its movement are really really great. C2C is standing tall on all fronts with Shangri-La Frontier, poised to make it a remarkable and memorable experience.

[bunnidarling]

About Averyll:

1: Where in the Faerûn is your Tav from? Averyll grew up in the country between Candlekeep and Baulder’s Gate. His mum and dad have an inn off of the Coast Way

2: What is your character's alignment? Chaotic Good

3: Race and subclass? Half-Elf Bard

4: If your Tav was a companion, where would they be found? Maybe just wandering along the risen road somewhere between the abandoned inn and Wakeens Rest.

5: Dark Urge or no? Nope

6: What companion are you platonically close with? Karlach is his ride or die BFF but he’s friendly with all of the companions. 

7: Romantically close with? Astarion and Halsin

8: Who are they suspicious of? The Dream Visitor 

9: Is your Tav from Baldur's Gate? Why are they travelling there? He spent a lot of time there as he traveled up and down the Sword Coast practicing bardic arts. 

10: Are they proficient in playing any instruments? Yes- viola

11: Weapon of choice? Rapier / Shortbow

12: What is their orientation? Like sexual orientation? Gay. Gay and slutty. 

13: What are their thoughts on killing? Is it a necessary evil or do they enjoy it? He doesn’t enjoy killing mindlessly, but can’t help getting swept up in the bloodlust during a good battle. 

14: What hobbies does your Tav have? He enjoys writing stories and drawing. 

15: What NPC's do they like? Which one's do they dislike? NPC’s they like: Dammon, Alfira, Isobel and Dame Aylen, Madame Lucretius NPC’s they dislike: Cazador, Gortash, Lorroakan, Roland, Auntie Ethel

16: Do they have a favorite creature in the Faerûn? They’ve become quite fond of owlbears and cave bears lately. 

17: Do they enjoy life as an adventurer? He does! Both his parents were adventures, so he came by it honestly. He hadn’t gone on too many adventures beyond the cities along the Sword Coast before the abduction. 

18: What would your Tav be doing if they weren't kidnapped on the Nautiloid? Probably continue their travels up and down the swordcoast. Had they not been kidnapped they likely may have found up in some kind of adventure. It would find them eventually. 

19: How do you think they'll meet their end? Dang. Hard to say! Probably shooting their mouth off to the wrong person at the wrong time, but that charisma is just too. Damn. high! So I’d like to imagine they’d die cuddled up with their loved ones safe and warm in bed. 

20: Would they destroy the elder brain or control it? Destroy!

21: What is your Tav's favorite spell? Faerie Fire/Cure Wounds

22: What languages is your character fluent in? Common and Elvish 

23: What do they do after the absolute crisis? Its a really hard choice for him because of how much he loves Karlach, but seeing Astarion run off smoking nearly broke his heart. He chased after him, sending Wyll in his stead. He and Astarion are currently adventuring through the underdark to find a cure for Astarion’s sun sensitivity. 

24: Does your character believe in the afterlife? Not really. 

25: What arcana major best represents your Tav? The Fool

26: What animal best represents your Tav? The swallow

27: What was their life like before the events of BG3? Pretty interesting. Averyll was still close with his parents, but had left the nest as it were. He was in the process of finding himself as he journeyed from country to city singing his stories.

28: Is your character the de facto leader of the party? Or do they consider someone else to be the leader? He’s the leader and he’s pretty bewildered as to -why-. He’s the youngest and the least experienced and everyone relies on his decisions. It's a little overwhelming but he’s doing his best. 

29: Does your Tav want to utilize the tadpole powers or not? Hell yeah gimme them worms

30: What's your favorite thing about your Tav? He’s a good kid. He has his flaws, of course, but has a big heart. He wants to do right by the people he cares about and try to leave the world better than he found it. If he can make someone laugh or smile with his songs or quips it makes his day. I also love how he seems incredibly innocent and is VERY much not.

[wretcheddthing]

HI. mercury: 2, 16, 7 for all the categories (like 2 for general, 16 for story specific, you get it), bethan: 10, 7, 8, and venali: 11, 1, 5

hiiiiii hii hi hi hi sarah

putting these under a break bc i'm writing a lot and there will be bg3 spoilers for basically all of it.

Mercury 2. Do other companions have special comments or reactions upon recruiting your Tav? - I imagine Mercury would be found in a lone standoff against some intellect devourers near the crash site so her first impression is someone who can (at the VERY least) fight good, if a bit erratically. I think Lae'zel and Shadowheart may be like "Maybe it's better to have her on our side." and more sensible characters like Wyll or Gale would be like "... She hits hard? And not us, so that's good?" 16. How do they react to the Dark Urge killing Alfira - That happened pretty early in my Durge run and Mercury needs to be fixed so Depending on if anything has happened to start making her nice, she'll be pretty apathetic about it. Like "oh man. well don't kill me next, huh? lol" 7. What questions can Zethino ask the PC about Tav in the Love Test? - What is Mercury's favorite weapon? (Answer: Alchemist's Fire. Less specific? Bombs.) - How would Mercury spend a quiet evening? (Answer: Doing anything to make it less quiet) - What is Mercury's greatest asset? (Answer: Her (at times unearned) confidence. Will also accept "her big muscles")

Bethan (Durge) 10. Are there any unique NPCs associated with your Tav that can show up during the course of the game? - I do not know! Durge seems to have a canon backstory you have to uncover as you play but if there's a bit of wiggle room with it, I like to think they had a partner and fellow follower of Helm who trained with them. In the case of them showing up, they would be disgusted with Bethan, and Bethan would only have an inkling as to why. (It's the murder.) 7. What can they be found doing at the tiefling/goblin party? - Prowling. Not in a purposefully menacing way, they just don't do parties. 8. If they’re poly, do they have a reaction to the PC engaging in a relationship with Halsin? - Not only do they approve, they want in on it too.

Venali (Current LOML) 11. Are there any moments in the game that trigger unique dialogue for your character? - Defeating Lorroakan will trigger a conversation about how she once lied her way into his tower to browse his personal library. He was offputting the entire time, but she got the information she was after that led her to further understanding of her wild magic. She's happy to see him gone, however. Will be happy for Rolan if he's around to take over. 1. How does your Tav advise the player character when it comes to the Dream Visitor? - Tread with caution but listen to everything they have to say. Like with Raphael, there is truth hidden in their words. You just need to play along and listen for something you can use to your advantage. 5. Does the romance have different branching paths, or just one route to take? - Really only one way to resolve her quest and that's to help her discover the source and nature of her wild magic. When it comes to romance, she's in it for the long haul. All she wants is to make sure she's not a conduit for something evil and then settle down someplace safe and far away from everything that happened with the tadpoles. Preferably somewhere close to the people she cares about.

[creacherkeeper]

multiples of 7 for the character asks for bo!! <3

7. what quality do they like the least about themselves?

OOF. WHAT A WAY TO START. i think theres a Lot about himself bo doesn't like and he's still coming to terms with what a lot of that means like. In Context. of like. Everything. but i think Right Now the thing he doesn't like the most is that he makes people sad. because he can Tell but he also cant Help It and he's trying to find the balance between. opening up. and making people Worry about him. because he!!! does not want to affect the people he cares about in a negative way!!! its fine if they do that to him but not the other way around. he's not supposed to take up space <3

14. do you have a favourite conversation that they’ve had with another character? briefly describe it!

i definitely have favorite conversations with the pcs, but i think my favorite conversation with an npc was when they were in the book and bo got. a little mad. at bubba. for not just working things out with ezzy. and yelled at him a wittle bit. just bc i think that was like a Turning Point for bo of like. maybe the first time he ever acted selfishly towards someone? and knew he was acting selfish and said it anyway? and just being like. actually me and rosie deserve a full family so why cant you get your shit together. which like. in hindsight with everything we know about them now, Harrowing for bubba, but it was also bo like. showing he felt safe enough with bubba to get upset at him? bc that's pretty rare for bo

21. without revealing any secrets, how much of your character’s backstory does the rest of your party know about? 20%? 75%? 0%?

i mean. broad strokes, 100%. there's always going to be little details to flesh out, but bo backstory was pretty simple and didn't get changed at all from original version to now. all the nuance that's come with it has come from hollis. i didnt know jack shit about bubba or him and eabha's relationship or the rangers or anything. i found out In Game with everyone else (madly affectionate)

28. what is something that helps to comfort them?

talking to kai <3 kai is really good at both grounding him but also making him like. actually deal with stuff so he gets it out of his system. he's used to being like. oh i'm upset. gonna bury this forever. but kai is like. okay bud we're gonna talk through it and then chill out and bo is like wait huh this actually helps?? wild

35. pick a character that they know. what is something that they do that your character finds annoying/frustrating?

flip side of that,,, less annoying and more frustrating / concerning but. kai not eating well <3 bo is such a big food guy and like. is so used to people showing care through food. and so kai will stress bo needs to take care of himself because he deserves to feel good and then will have like. an iced coffee for breakfast and not eat again for 8 hours and it drives bo insane. he doesn't understand how they can be so in tune with things emotionally and also expect so much from their body and fighting abilities and then not take care of it right

42. how similar is your character to you?

MEAN QUESTION. i think more similar than i would like to admit but not as similar as i would fear. i think we have some good traits in common and some bad traits in common and some hangups in common but overall we have fairly different like. cores. and life experiences, obv. it is sometimes hard for me to play bo cause im like noooooo i dont want to say this but its what bo would say!!! it what bo would think!!!! im very much a Character Actor as a player and me and bo differ. A Lot in how we go about the world

[space-city-traffic]

Byron: 18, 26, 58, Bellamy: 34, 35, Silas: 17, 29, 52 - no need to answer them all if that's too many of course but I went through your character tags and I am so interested in all three of these

omg omg omg of COURSE I am gonna answer all of these!!! i will put em under a cut tho in case not everybody wants to read all that lol

18: do they see themself as a leader or a follower? honestly, I think Byron wants neither. he’s grumpy and doesn’t really like hierarchies or working with people. that being said, though, he does end up taking on leadership roles at times. he runs his tavern like a tight ship, and he tries to provide a safe haven for anyone who needs it. so there are definitely times where he ends up taking charge as the manager and defender of that little sanctuary.

26: who do they miss? Byron misses his little brother. he failed to save that boy a long time ago, but he still wonders what kind of man he would have grown into.

58: what do they think their role in the party is? what is their role in actuality? in his opinion, Byron is the grumpy voice of reason. he can often be found saying things like “be safe!!!” and “don’t do warlock pacts, kids!!!” and “NO, do NOT vomit acid on my floor to try to summon an old god!!!” and while this is totally true, Byron is also just as unhinged as the rest of the party. this man has never followed his own advice ever. someone stop him.

34. which party member do they go to in a crisis? Bellamy would absolutely go to Lethe, who’s our resident blood hunter. both of them have immense expectations from their families on their shoulders, and only Lethe really knows how bad Bellamy’s situation is. they’re very similar, which means they’re each other’s biggest confidants. and they yell at each other to not be so reckless, because they are both self sacrificing idiots at times. (see: blood hunter.)

35. which party member do they worry for? Bellamy worries about EVERYONE oh my god. I would honestly say he worries most about Cadoras, who’s a disowned teenage wizard whose powerful parents are actively trying to kill him, (and is also the love of Bellamy’s life). but he’s the party’s favorite npc, not technically part of the party, so idk if he counts. Bellamy definitely worries a TON about Lethe, too, (see above). currently, though, i think Relban takes the cake? he is a tiny halfling who did fantasy shrooms and astral projected so hard he came face to face with a kraken that is apparently trying to eat his mind right now??? unclear??? but yeah Relban is currently staying in Bellamy’s room so someone can keep an eye on this poor boy.

17. what do they dream about, when their dreams are their own? currently, Silas doesn’t dream! he bought a magic badger plush that keeps away bad dreams! but normally he just has nightmares about the eldritch horrors he’s seen, as his mind tries to hold itself together with the weight of that unholy experience. fun!!

29. who would they save? who would they be saved by? Silas would save everyone he possibly could. no one would save him. (actually nowadays Thespa might actually come save him—which is a problem bc she’s the one he’s been ordered to spy on and possibly kill—he’s having a crisis about that—it’s fine—)

52. from whom do they seek validation? ohhh boy Silas LIVES for his handler’s validation, it is painful to watch. he knows his handler wouldn’t come save him, because the mission is all that matters, and he has to be okay with that. he has this utterly obsessive devotion to his organization, and his handler represents everything that stands for boiled down into a single person. Silas doesn’t even know his name. but he would die for that man without hesitation. and he doesn’t ask for anything in return. ✨fucked up child soldier paladins, man✨

tysm for these asks, I love talking about my blorbos from my ttrpgs!!!!!!!!!!!

26. who do they miss? Byron misses his little brother. he failed to save that little boy a long time ago, and he still sometimes wonders what kind of man he would’ve turned out to be. he misses his spouse Mer, too, because Mer travels a lot and isn’t always home. he misses the cleric. that almost-romance didn’t end well. yeahhhhh he misses a lot of folks.

[lastwave]

do all the asks for dnd renfield i double dare you

DARE TAKEN.

1: How did you come up with your OCs name?

tha dracula special interest

2: Does your OC have a theme?

OH I JUST TALKED ABT THIS!! we decided that this piano of sigmas theme is very him

3: What is their Class?

SOULKNIFE ROGUE. he was going to be a college of whispers bard but then his charisma needed to be shit. also soulknife is cooler and directly tied to the dracula curse (haven't figured out the exact details)

4: What is their Race?

human. lol

5: Are they from a Module or a Homebrew?

the Heckna! module :)

6: What TTRPG are they from? (D&D, VTM, or something else?)

D&D!

7: Have you gotten to actively play them/introduce them to the story yet?

ive rped as him so ya!

8: What do they look like? (Do you have art of them? Are you open to fan art?)

ohh ok ok. so u know my dracula renfield design? that but he has multiple outfits and he dyes one half of his hair brown because he has trouble coming to terms with the fact hes old LOL

9: What is their personality like?

answered this bad boy

10: What’s their relationship with their parents like?

oughhhh god. ok. he has very mixed feelings on his birth parents. they did what was best to keep him safe as a kid but that doesn't mean it didn't hurt (see iliveinprocrastination's ask abt number 11 for context). he has had a lot of parental and mentorial figures in his life tho and i think he loves all of them. and misses them very deeply

11: Where did they grow up? Do they miss it? Would they ever go back if they could?

answered this one<3

12: Did they have any backstory adventures before joining the party? If not, what were they doing before they were introduced?

ehhhhhh? they werent really adventures but he did have an eventful life pre campaign due to being a traveling act (escape artist & contortionist)

13: What is their alignment? What would THEY say their alignment is? Does it matter to them?

answered this bad boy too

14: Are there any secrets to their backstory you know, but they don’t know yet? (Secret parentage perhaps?)

not that i know of. unless the dm has plans i dont know abt

15: Do they have a favorite food?

onion soup 👍

16: Least favorite food?

gooseberries

17: What means the most to them? (Not a person)

BAILEY HIS MEXICAN REDLEG TARANTULA FRIEND

18: Who means the most to them?

hrm. thats a good question. i dont know<3 out of living people probably elaine? first long-ish friendship in a WHILE.

19: Do they hate anything? (Not a person)

gooey textures ?

20: Do they hate anyone?

dracula LOL. he Will hate heckna later but he hasnt gotten there yet

21: Are they currently in a romance? (NPC or PC)

this man is ace/aro (probably more greyromantic but yanno. under the umbrella) so no

22: Do they have any romance in their backstory? If it ended, how did it end?

midlife crisis where he tried to convince himself he enjoyed dating and hookups

23: Do they have a favorite school of magic?

he does not know that humans can do magic yet

24: Least favorite school of magic?

see above

25: Have they ever lost someone important to them?

yea. sorry for putting u in the blender old man its for the themes and motifs and plot

26: If you had the choice, would you rather they have a happy ending, a bittersweet ending, or a tragic ending?

HAPPY. LET HIM REST MY GOD.

27: Are they a liar? Do they lie to the party, or only to others? Do they usually think they have a good reason?

liar is a strong word. he will if he feels its in his vested interest in survival to. hes not a good liar, but hes very good at avoiding truths.

28: What’s the worst thing they’ve ever done? How do they feel about it?

he used to be like. really mean when he was younger in the whole. scaring people department. he probably did a pretty mean spirited joke on someone that didn't end well. i think he feels bad about it.

29: What’s the best thing they’ve ever done? How do they feel about it?

oughhhhh u know? whatever good hes done for other people i dont think he recognizes it because for the longest time he was never able to see the results. im gonna have to think abt this one

30: Who is their favorite NPC? Or PC if they’re an NPC?

bailey counts as an npc right

31: Least favorite NPC? Or PC if they’re an NPC?

unknown at the moment but it will prooobably be heckna

32: If they suddenly lost their class and had to pick a new one, what would they choose? What would YOU choose for them?

he would choose ranger probably. id choose abberrant mind sorcerer because it fucks

33: If they played the TTRPG they’re from, what would they play as?

FIRBOLG CIRCLE OF DREAMS DRUID NAMED FREYA W/ THE FEYLOST BACKGROUND

34: What is their biggest flaw?

answered this and the next one

35: What do they think their biggest flaw is?

see above

36: What is the best thing about them?

he cares a lot for the people around him. he doesn't make it known verbally but u can tell by his actions

37: What do they think the best thing about them is?

he thinks hes soooo funny

38: What would happen if they suddenly appeared on Earth?

he would simply go back to sleep because it would be a dream 2 him

39: If they suddenly appeared on Earth, what time period would you place them in? What location? Why?

victorian era london. puts him back in his habitat

skipping 40 because idk ❤️

[thescrapbookingscientist]

Biweekly Media Roundup

- Across the Spider Verse (Movie) - I pretty much already knew this movie was going to be amazing given how Industry-changingly Incredible the first one was, but wow man-What a spectacle. Visually I think it’s even more impressive than it’s predecessor and honestly the best looking thing I’ve seen all year, with the different animation styles for each character and dimension being a joy to behold every time. Gwen’s watercolor dimension was my favorite location and I loved how the colors would shift with the characters emotions and bleed down the screen. Spider-Punk was a standout as well with his paper-craft style and fantastic design making him steal every scene that he was in. I also really liked Miles as a protagonist in this one, he really got to shine here. I don’t really have a lot to complain about, the writing was tight, both villains where fantastic, the soundtrack slapped, the only thing I’m mad about is that I have to wait a year to see the story resolved-but that’s a feature, not a complaint.  As a side note I do find it pretty funny how horny everyone is for Miguel btw, like don’t get me wrong I get it, he’s a big tiddied well designed tragic backstory vampire cringe fail DILF, he’s lab tested to be popular on the internet, it’s just pretty funny that I can’t scroll for 5 minutes without seeing his thiqq ass plastered on my screen, y’all are thirsty. 

- Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom (Video Game) - Progressing a bit slowly due to some other stuff I’ve got going on, but still greatly enjoying it! I beat the water temple and now ghost Sidon follows me everywhere which is cute, and I’ve enjoyed seeing the memories play out. I wish it was a bit easier to make money given how much I spend, but maybe that’ll change once I do more story stuff or spend more time in the Abyss, we’ll see. 

- Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Movie) - I’m surprised with how much I enjoyed this, given how little I’ve heard about it. It’s a really cute and fun little found family story in a classic fantasy world. The movie is accessible to any audience (As my parents loved it with no knowledge of DnD), but you can tell that the creators had a lot of love for the game in how the characters and dynamics are depicted. I love that the two main characters are a completely platonic male female pair who are best friends and raise a child together without any hint of romance? Incredible. I love how there’s a character with huge “OP NPC the DM created for lore purposes who despite the players protests the DM won’t let join the party because that would make the game to easy” vibes. There’s a lot of creative and funny scenes, and while I wish there were more explicitly queer characters, it’s nice to see familiar DnD conventions in a well-made product. I would love if they made more of these and would recommend it to basically anyone as a fun family film. 

- Stalker (Movie) - My dad wanted to watch this old indie Russian film after reading an article about it being a formative sci fi film, so we watched it and. well. It certainly was a film. I will give it credit in that the idea of a location that miraculously grants ones deepest desires being portrayed as sinister not due to a monkey’s paw style twisting of how the wish is granted but due to the self-reflective horror of having to face what your deepest desire truly is and what that says about you as a person is pretty rad, but outside of that cool idea this movie was kind of a mess. There were a lot of self indulgent “Auter” style rants on art criticism and faith which honestly just came off as more complaining than anything else, and while I can respect the unique shots they were able to get the majority of the time I was just thinking “Man, it looks like they are straight up filming at an worn out/ abandoned sewage tunnel, it can’t possible be safe to have the actors crawling around in all this rancid water can it?”. Turns out I was even more right than I thought as they were in fact filming on an abandoned nuclear waste facility and just a few years after this film the director, his wife, and several members of the crew died from cancer that was heavily speculated to be the result of the radiation poisoning from filming this movie. Insane. Anyway my main take away from this film is thank god we have OSHA now.

- Kill the Lights (Webcomic) - Read this as a quick self indulgent relaxing one, and I enjoyed it for what it was. I have a soft spot for Skip Beat! style actor-based narratives where you get to see the actors thought process on how to enhance/ play out a scene, so that aspect was fun. Actually, I kind of wish the story was way more about that, I was getting into those scenes and found myself disappointed whenever it switched back to the romance stuff, despite that being the reason I came here in the first place. Aw well, I wouldn’t exactly say this is memorable enough to recommend to anyone outside the BL genre, but I liked the protagonist, side characters, and art. Also, how weird is it that with this, Mo Dao Zu Shi, and End of the Road, there are 3 completely unrelated stories in which an asian man who’s ruffian background made him adept at combat dies young and is then reincarnated into the existing body of a rich twink with a reputation for sleeping around who then runs into an even richer man from their past who turns out to have secretly been harboring a borderline obsessive crush on the protagonist and is now the sole person able to recognize them in their new body? Like, 3 isn’t a lot but it’s weird that it happened thrice right?

- Heavenly Delusion (Anime) - Genuinely impressed by how often this mystery show will pull the rug out from under you, lulling you into a false sense of security in which you think you have the plot figured out and then hitting you with a reveal that leaves you with more questions than answers - Good work.

- Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies (Video Game) - I think I took a long enough break, I’m ready to finish the Ace Attorney series now. The Dual Destinies DLC case was too long for my liking but at least had decent characters, and I do like both Athena and Blackquill, I wish they didn't have to share time with the previous leads and just got to do their own thing though. 

- Crazy Ex Girlfriend (TV) - How does this show have so many straight up bangers. My Spotify playlist is wrecked now. 

- The S Classes That I Raised (Webcomic) - Some interesting revelations in recent chapters that shed Han Yoohyun’s motivations in a new light. I’ll admit, while I did quite like him as a character, this new information is helping to retroactively fix some of my complaints about his actions towards Han Yoojin in the first timeline, making me like him even more- The brothers are just very cute honestly I love how much they care about each other. Also adding a Yoo Myeongwoo photo here because I miss him. 

Listening to: A bunch of Crazy Ex Girlfriend songs, including After Everything You Made Me Do, A Diagnosis, and Remember That We Suffered, Eat Your Young by Hozier, LosT by Bring Me the Horizon, Let’s Get This Over With by They Might Be Giants, Read Between the Lines and Hey I Don’t Work Here by Tom Cardy, That’s What I Want by Lil Nas X, He Mele No Lilo by Mark Keali’i Ho’omalu, Stalkers Tango and Lent by Autoheart, Across the Spiderverse OST.

[c-is-for-circinate]

Y’all this episode had everything I could possibly have wanted and things I never even knew to wish for.

How did one episode start with Henry Crabgrass, the most glorious and beloved NPC of my heart, and end with mother fucking Avantika, with so much awesome shit in between!!!  How!!!

Okay I am making a list of shit I absolutely loved tonight, in approximate chronological order:

Y’all I just love Henry Crabgrass so much.  I don’t even have smart things to say about that fact, just a warm glow in my heart.  May all the light of Melora’s grace smile down upon them and leave Henry as the toughest, most unkillable patch of crabgrass in all Exandria.

Vess and the Tombtakers, so many questions and so few certain answers, so many things to wonder, so many dots to connect!  I really do feel like the crew are connecting them at this point, and while I’m sure in some places they’re far from the map, the general outline really is starting to emerge.  What, exactly, was in the book the Tombtakers tried to claim without showing it to Vess deRogna first?  What did it do to Lucien?  And, if Vess has the book--what are they trying to find now?

So okay, let’s talk about Yasha and Beau. As someone who has had a lot of feelings about the intense relatability of Beau’s crush on Jester, I have now fully committed to also having a whole lot of mostly new feelings about these terrible awkward disaster lesbians with no fucking idea what they’re doing.  I saw a post the other day mention how this whole relationship is about the feeling of discovering you can have this, that you can actually be happy, that you get to have this kind of relationship with someone.  I’ve written about that.  And I feel it so, so hard, every time I see them interact, when every bit of bravado leaves both of them. It’s so easy to be off-putting!  It’s so easy to have crushes on wonderful people you kind of wish would look at you but you’re absolutely sure never will.  It’s so hard to actually know what the fuck to do in the face of wait shit this might actually be a thing I could get for real? how? wait, how???

Also let’s talk about Jester in that scene, who ships Beauyasha harder than anything in the world???   Because yes, right, some of it is just that Jester loves romance, and some of it’s that Jester gets very invested in the happiness of her friends, but that is a lot of investment there.  And I can’t help wondering if there’s a little dimension of...she wants to see True Love and Happily-Ever-After work.  And she’s delighted to see it work for her friends who she loves, and when it comes true they’ll be happy and she loves that, but also I don’t know that Jester’s ever actually seen two people fall in love with each other and enter into a healthy, happy relationship before.  But hey, all of her books say this wonderful magical thing exists, and now it seems to actually be showing up for her friends?  Of course she wants to see it.  Of course she wants it to be just as magical and wonderful as in all her stories, even if it’s not for her. (And maybe especially if it’s not for her, but I think that’s a whole separate post about Jester and her very high passive insight and all the people who are in love with her and the very specific ways she treats each of them.)

I love Yeza.  Don’t we all love Yeza?  He’s trying so hard.  It’s always great to see Yeza for that kind of wide-eyed outsider POV on the M9 shenanigans, and I love it.  He made a comment this episode about meeting goblins while living in Rosohna, and everything that’s happened to him really hit me in a while new way.  Usually I think about how he’s had his life turned upside down by all of this, but man, just think how much he’s seen that he never in a million years would have begun to expect to experience!  This smalltown alchemist from a pastoral little farming city in the middle of the Dwendalian midwest has lived for a significant amount of time as a housekeeper in the capitol city of the Krynn Dynasty.  He must have gone to the markets and met the neighbors and learned the streets and the food, and who had he ever known in his whole life who could say such a thing?  He lived with the Ruby of the Sea in Nicodranas by the ocean.  He’s been to Zadash, now, and it’s only a matter of time before he sees Rexxentrum.  How much farther will he go?  (Man, I would love some good Yeza fic once this campaign is over.  I think it’s going to take that long for me to really know how his story arc ends.)

Someone was posting earlier this episode about witnessing Vess scare Yeza so badly, and insight into how the Nein are starting to run in circles that really outstrip the people they used to know.  Watching Pumat in the wake of being Informed By Lady de Rogna That He Would Put A Rush On That has really hammered it home.  They remarked, in their very M9 somewhat idle vaguely ridiculous way that they wanted the icebreaker, and one tiny snowman later Vess had pulled rank and money and rerouted the ship’s entire passage for them.  She’s scary--and with her, the M9 have the kind of power that’s scary, too. And that’s always such an interesting moment.  The M9 are used to thinking of themselves as people with very little, who have to fight and scrap and get lucky for their own survival all the time.  And yes, they’re utterly careless with money--why not be, when it comes and goes and almost none of them have ever really seen it help or last?  And yes, they’re prone to violence and sometimes pretty rude.  But before now, it’s always been a situation where the M9 acting loud, rude, and demanding could be chaotic underdogs scrapping to get what they needed or wanted from people who had the option of saying no.  Suddenly they’re in a position where the balance of social situations is biased in their favor instead of against them. There’s such a difference between ‘please accede to my unreasonable request because I have a high charisma and will pay you lots of gold’, and, ‘you’re going to accede to my unreasonable request because otherwise my Cerberus Assembly boss may or may not have you assassinated’.  The M9 have never been on this side of that before.  I’m very curious to see how much they notice that they are now.

PALADIN OATH PALADIN OATH PALADIN OATH!  I was not paying nearly enough attention when that scene started, so I am going to need to watch it again and also make extra sure to read any available source material on this specific homebrew oath, because it’s probably not exactly the same as the Oath of the Sea homebrew you can find on google.  There’s some overlap between the abilities there and the ones Fjord already have, and the vows don’t quite match up, though some of them are close.  Ugh, mostly I’m just so glad it has happened and Fjord has promised and he means it, he means it so much.  He rest-of-his-life means it, and my heart belongs to Fjord who couldn’t even imagine the rest of his life as a thing separate from the monotony of his first thirty years, so very recently.

I actually always really love when CR has episodes at sea?  Obviously the M9 have done it the most, but Vox Machina went sailing a time or two as well, and it’s just always so great.  It’s often days of down time in a way that overland travel isn’t, and the party fills it with so many good little moments.  Matt always gives them such cool encounters.  On boats, spending a week at a time getting from one place to another, so much of the chaos of rewriting a plan seventeen times in an hour gets stripped away: they’re headed towards a destination, sometimes something comes up to deter them, and they have to find a way to deal with it.  There are always crew members and the structure of a boat itself to take into consideration in any combat that pops up.  It’s just such a nice tone, and I also love that the ocean itself kind of hates them now because it adds really delightful additional risks, and anyway heck yeah ocean voyage.

WHICH ENDS IN UNDEAD AVANTIKA ATTACKING THE SHIP WITH A TRIO OF CRAB-MEN AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE HOLY FUCK.  Look, I think M9 becoming pirates by accident and then trying to figure out wtf might actually be my favorite arc of this campaign so far, and every time it comes back I get so so happy.  I’ve got some feelings about this showing up in the same episode as Fjord finally taking his full oath to the Wildmother. They are going to have to kill U’kotoa before this campaign is through.  They are going to have to, because Fjord will never be safe on the ocean again if they don’t, and Fjord has bound himself by vow and will in service as the Wildmother’s paladin of the open sea.  She hasn’t asked it of him, not specifically, but it’s his job.  It’s going to be his job.  In part it’ll be because it’s poetic justice, Fjord taking down the cruel demigod who (in some ways) made him.  Mostly it’s just that killing U’kotoa is a job that needs to be done.  To protect the oceans, the life they hold, the people who sail upon them, it’s going to need to be done.  It’s Melora’s domain to do this, which means it’s her paladin’s job, and Fjord is her paladin of the sea.  It’ll be him sooner or later.

I am so fucking delighted at the massive pile of fireworks on the deck of this ship, and I hope to god these Chekhovian bottle rockets go off before the end of this combat encounter, because this is, in fact, all I ever wanted the minute Beau put them in there.

[writing-frenzy]

Airplane gets Ghosted~

Brain: :D

Me: Oh no, what did you do.

Brain: Let’s make another Airplane Harem~

Me. 🥺 why are you like this?!

Note: Inspired by A Crowd of Evil Spirits Lines Up to Confess to Me; pretty funny horror unlimited flow story, with some good scares that leave ya at the edge of your seat. (I really love the Protagonist, so good and pure and I headcannon as Aro-Ace~) So anyways, for those who don’t know, in the novel, the Protagonist Gu Wuji is a genuinely good person, an aspiring actor on hard times who suddenly gets pulled into this horror survival game. Here is the thing; while for others this is a truly cursed and terrible thing, for the protag this is just a regular day, just with some people who need some help; he will help Ghosts just as much as he would help a human.

Ghost: *being Scary*

Gu Wuji: Oh no, let me help you? *smiles*

Ghost: *either a blushing mess, happy to be helped, or can feel how strong this human is and is the one scared instead*

So yeah, here this man goes, bewitching everyone he meets, especially terrifying Ghosts who want him to die so they can stay together forever 🙃 Lucky he is so charming, and that with every Instance cleared, he can get points to get items and information/hints from the store.

And then I though about Airplane being in this position and I just grinned.

So, to preface this, I’m going to go on how I think Airplane has been raised in this AU.

Basically, since our favorite writer was young, Airplane was pretty much raised by ghosts. With two increasingly furious and arguing parents who couldn’t care less about him, they don’t notice at all how weird their kid is, not wanting to be reminded of old memories. So thus start’s Airplane’s growing up more comfortable with the headless car-crash victim who helps him know when his bullies are around then actual living people who only seem to try and tear each other apart more then most dead ever want to. Not to say he hasn’t met some mean dead too, but all they seem to care about is just scaring him off so they can be alone. Which, fair.

Just... Airplane is still Airplane, but for him, normal is dealing with the Ghostly Neighbor who will at least hear him out most of the time, especially since most Living people are assholes.

(Also, Airplane will have some of the strength that Gu Wuji is known for, but he mostly just has a really good head for intelligence, logistics, plots, and strategy... Let’s just say Airplane has seen and been through some shit in his younger years.) 

I am also being a gremlin and making Shen Jiu and Yue Qi be the friends Airplane makes in middle school, Shen Jiu being superstitious as fuck and Yue Qi going along with it, even as he because more WTF the longer they are friends with Airplane and fully realize ‘Shit, ghost are fucking real, nope, nope, nope.’ It is a beautiful, disaster of a trio and their friendship is eternal... (even if Shen Jiu will never forgive/hold over Yue Qi for leaving him with the ghost in the fucking burned down Mansion, even if Airplane fixed it; apparently it had something to do with their previous incarnations?)

So yeah, these guys are released out into the world, where Airplane writes really good, if bloody dramas, asking his Ghost Friends if he can use some of their stories and them either not caring or excited as they give him the go ahead. (The Police have some questions...)

Sure, he writes some bad porn on the side, but with some of his Ghost friends able to beta read for him, Airplane is able to stay a float nice and easy, if still anxious every time he has to pay the rent because human interaction is so hard when you’re dealing with the living. (Don’t have to worry about meeting someone’s eyes if they’re gouged out after all)

And then we get to the Instances :) (Now, besides the first one that does happen First, these others could happen with one or two between them.)

First Instance(Novice): The Traitor’s Secret~

The fresh new Players, with some older ones here, is part of a Merchant Caravan that they just have to ensure gets from point A to point B, and just live. Simple mission as this is a Novice Instance for innocents pulled in. And it would have even remained a simple one, only having to deal with the wondering dead that are manageable, as they have plenty of supplies to ration and work with, if one of the Older Players wasn’t here with ulterior motives.

See, this ‘Senior’ managed to buy information that there is a great item that can be obtained; the thing is, one must betray their comrades in order to get it, with the first betrayal making the difficulty rise from the Novice to Intermediate immediately, as this as awakened a terrible Boss.

It probably would have gone smoothly (maybe....) but here is the thing.

As it turns out, ‘Senior’ didn’t buy enough information; after The First Betrayal, the Boss Ghost will sneakily become a part of the Party, acting much like a helpful NPC when really he is a trap; if the Betrayer betrays him, it is game over.

But the game is different this time; No one expects Airplane, who has the ability and instincts of a cockroach who was completely willing to hug a Ghost’s (well, NPC’s) thighs

Cue Shang Qinghua who is very confused, because after he sneakily becomes part of the group, this human has decided to cling to him of all people, the Creepy/Grumpy NPC, and not his fellow group members... 

Airplane grows on SQH like a fugus, makes amazingly funny commentary, and even tells some interesting stories. On Airplane’s part, Shang Qinghua feels not only like the strongest guy here, but also the most reliably competent...

 Not to mention he feels comfortable to be around, which is weird since Airplane doesn’t usually feel to comfortable with the living~ (ha ha ha, maybe because he’s a NPC? Though he still freezes with those guys too...) 

As it is, because ‘Senior’ needs to betray everyone, he tries to get Airplane, who, again, is still a very, very morally ambiguous guy, sees this guy trying to kill him, and simply pushes them instead into a throng of the undead.

Airplane: Ah, sorry for the terrible sight Senior brother, but he was trying to kill us? Are you alright? Do you want a massage?

Shang Qinghua is incredulous, but becomes more charmed as time passes.

(Remembers, how his martial brothers, people who he had lived and worked beside all his life, so easily sold him out, trying to kill him only for him to suffer a fate worse then death. It was only so much time was passed, after having to spy and betray those who betrayed him before he finally had the release of death; but even then, his resentment was too strong, even the blood sealed onto his jade hairpin filled with resentment.)

It is this item he gives to Airplane, blushing as he does as he says if the other ever needs help, to just use the pin and it won’t lead him wrong.

When Airplane leaves the instance, he gets a system notice about the points he got, increased because of the Instance’s sudden level increase, as well as information on the item he received from Shang Qinghua 

Shang Qinghua’ Hairpin: A Hairpin with deadly secrets, belong to A Spy with a vast network of information, be able to uncover hidden secrets with ease and learn anything you wish of with loyal shades at your command,

 Level One: Summon two shades to gather information. (Each level up gets you another shade to do your bidding)

(He only has the information from level one, but once he levels it up, this is what else it can do)

Level 3: Your shades can now help you escape dicey situations

Level 5: Able to uncover the deadly poison hidden in the hollow of it, this deadly substance can poison Living and Dead both

Level: 7: Able to use the Hairpin like a deadly knife, the resentment enriching the wood to be harder and sharper then ever before.

(Past Level Seven, must full on stab someone in a vital place to discover this ability: Able to release one ensured fatal attack from the Hairpin; after that, it will continue to drop to a fifty-fity chance and before renewing each Instance.)

Level 10: be able to summon Shang Qinghua, the deadly competent Spy to your side to aid you; note, he will only help as much as he likes you and you are only truly safe from him for an Hour before he gets free range to do whatever he wants.

So yeah. this is Airplane’s first instance~ It was so terrifying, having to be around so many people and freaky monsters, but he thinks he made a friend? He hopes?

(He certainly gets one heck of an admirer.)(¬‿¬)

Second Instance(Novice): The Healer’s Broken Heart

So, next Instance, Airplane finds himself in an ancient, fantasy hospital with a group half novices and novices who at least survived two or three games after this. The challenge this time is two pair up into teams of two or threes and try and treat as many ‘patients’ in the hospital as one can. First, they have to collect all the medicine they need, prepare the Nursing rooms, and then, of course, treat at least five patients each, or face death for failing. 

See, the patients are sorta, kinda, Undead they need to treat as if they were living, so they Have to do things like bandaging sliced throats, sew back on sliced limbs, and drain puss and other gross gory things to give nightmares. Not to mention that they have to follow regular rules like in most hospitals, so no running in the hall, no loud sounds, things like that when their are Ghosts everywhere. (As long as someone doesn’t break the rules, the Ghosts won’t notice you.)

 As Airplane is a nervous wreck around people, and with this being a bad day for his anxiety, no one but one guy is willing to partner up with him, this gentle, sweet guy called Mu Fan, who’s amazing chill affects Airplane’s own chill and helps him feel a little better about the situation.

Ha~ Mu Fan is so nice and even knows so much about all the medicines and what to do here! He’s even helpful and nice when Airplane was about to have an anxiety attack, following what Airplane warned him about not touching him, but if he could, maybe hum if he could?

Of course Airplane can’t just let the other carry him the entire way! Mu Fan is just too nice and really helped him back there, so he wants to pay back at least a little. So, being this disaster that he is, instead of thanking Mu Fan and asking him if their is anyways to pay him back, Airplane uses his Hairpin instead to see if he could help the other out.

He gets an... interesting reaction...

Apparently, Mu Fan is actually Mu Qingfang, a Boss Ghost (tho Airplane only knows the other is a ghost) of this area, who can be activated in some ways; examples, if the Players try and hurt the Patients, if Players try and kill each other in cold blood, or try and steal Medicine. Mu Qingfang’s most sincere wish is to free his patients from this cycle of pain, hopefully be free from it for good.

This is the information that Airplane gets, what Mu Qingfang has been trying to discover for years with no luck.

Airplane: QAQ Mu Qingfang is truly too good, too pure for this world, wanting to help the other ghost past on and be out of pain.

On Mu Qingfang’s part, he saw this poor, distressed man and the doctor instincts in him went on fire as he did his best to help the other with their heart demons. But he was really, extremely impressed by them with how they treated his patients, taking care of their wounds like it was nothing, joking with the decapitated head as he sewed it back on, getting a breathless laugh from the woman as she cried happy tears from it. The doctor went really gooey though with how Airplane spellbound his audience of twins who needed to be separated after their parent had sown them together, the two young (very creepy as fuck) children begging for more, distracting from the pain of having to reattach their arms in the right places one more.

(Tries not to cry when this disaster of a Man says he has to do something first before he leaves after he finishes the five patients, only to bring a true gift back as he does. Mu Qingfang has nearly given up on his poor patients ever being free from this constant cycle of pain, their Bandit Killers, for such a small, evil group, never brought to justice only for Airplane to catch them all, bringing them to the hospital so that all their grievances can be aired out and payed back once and for all. It took a bit, and Airplane accidently raised the Level of the Instance himself this time doing it, but he got all the baddies round up and incapacitated as he did.)

Mu Qingfang is ever so grateful, even as Airplane offers to help the man finish up here before he leaves, the last doctor’s visit these ghost will ever need to have. He blesses Airplane with a powerful healing ability, along with a Doctor’s kit that is full of useful supplies, refilling ever day if needed.)

So, Airplane is back in his space, cleaning his hands and body because that was still gross (but not the worse thing he has dealt with) with new points and some good prizes once more, even if he isn’t sure why the level went up all of a sudden? The Bandits honestly weren’t that hard to trick and sabotage?

Mu Qingfang’s Medical Bag

Basically, like the Hairpin, full of goodies that can do more and more OP things the higher the Level it goes (and yes, has a secret poison function as well; Now Shang Qinghua can refill the Hairpin if he ever need to :D And yes, Mu Qingfang can be summoned with an Item in the bag once he gets to Level Ten..

Same with the Healing ability, it just gets more OP the higher the level, tho it doesn’t have a summoning ability, but will let you heal others as much as you want at Level Ten

So thus, this is Airplane’s second Ghost ‘Friend’~ (〃￣︶￣)人(￣︶￣〃)

Instance Three (Intermediate): Guards of The Icy Village

So, Airplane is confident in himself, seeing as he’s managed Instances that go from Novice to Intermediate all the time, thinks ‘why not try an Intermediate, since my Novice experience will probably turn out like that anyways? (the fact that all the choices he has left are either Intermediate or Hard does not matter!) 

Looking through his choices, he see a Limited Event One, with a Special Link to it; not knowing what this means but being effected by the Limited deal, he picks it.

(What this means is that there will be an Event in this Instance that will literally only be open this one time and can not be done ever again; Special Link Means that this Event will and can effect in even Higher Level Instances in the Future, depending on how Many +’s are in the title of it.)

This Event has a Max Number of +’s :)

So, he picks his choice and finds himself in this beautiful Icy wonderland with a group of other people. Everyone has to be set into teams here, guarding the snow village from evil spirits and monsters that would prey on it for five days and five nights. And because I want to, Airplane has been teamed up with Gongyi Xiao, Qin Wanrong, Qin Wanyue, and Qiu Haitang. As long as they protect their part of the Village, they will be able to pass the Instance and everything will be swell

(Is this me indulging in having some badass girls, and letting these characters not only get some damn scene time, but be able to be happy and live? Yes, yes it is, because let me explore these guys in this traumatic AU where they have to do all they can to live, and still be able to trust to have each other’s backs dang it) 

So, the Huan Hua High Schooler group have already been through two instances at this point, Airplane has been through a lot, and Qiu Haitang has had one game that turned from easy to hard in a minute that she survived with luck and her wits (and gave her a crap ton of points and a need for survival classes she took asap before her next game). Airplane, because he doesn’t trust the fact that they’ll be okay if other parts of the Village they’re in are invaded, sends his spirits and some nifty golems he got from the shop to help patrol everywhere. 

Because come on, if one place gets breached, of course the rest will be vulnerable! He’s played the Empire Building, Fortress Making games to prove it!

(Everyone nods, because this actually makes so much sense, how could they have ignored such an obvious trap! Intermediate Instances are no joke!)

Cue really scary as fuck ice monsters and evil spirits. Things are going good, Airplane and co are making it through, with Airplane discovering and making obsolete yet another trap unknowingly because he’s making sure everything is rationed(and using some points to actually buy some fooof) and checking in with villagers all over; because they are literally in charge of protecting and managing all these people, and with everything around here with the blizzard and seize, they have to make sure there is enough food and supplies for everyone. 

(That this prevents making evil spirits and monster from rising with the Village is a big thing actually, because some of them are made from the dead.)

So then, the forth day comes; it starts out nice, no more harsh snows, people are coming out of their houses now, Airplane is nearly tearing his hair out from stress and too many people, but he can make do. (has had to make do with worse really)

And then he hears some of the Villagers are about to riot, planning to go at something with stones and pitchforks. Panicking, thinking these NPCs that he has to protect are trying to go outside their weight class, Airplane gets the others in his team and other teams who are useful to hopefully get the weak peasant class NPC out of danger as he goes about handling the problem himself, only to stop and start at the literal child bleeding in from of him.

For a moment, Airplane blanks... (Sure, he knows, from experience, that Children Ghosts are in fact some of the most, if not the most deadly ghost out there... And yet... for all the pranks and cruelty they played, they were always the ones who understood Airplane’s loneliness the most, being the most truthful and blunt and just honest with him...)

So, when Airplane sees this light blue demon child with horns and nasty claws, tear stains on his still baby fat cheeks even as they scowl and bare fangs, fear and anger in their eyes as they tremble before him, Airplane does not kill the child or run them out of the village.

It takes some coaxing, and it’s mostly hunger on the child’s part that wins in the end, but with the last of Airplane’s Jerky being torn through, he is able to treat the kid with his kit in his tent, even get them some cold soup to eat before they sleep.

Airplane has enough time to possibly panic over the fact ‘Wait, if there is a child there must be a parent’ before said Child’s Father appears in the Village the next morning, KO’ing two teams before almost killing his own before Airplane shakily presents them their well treated and contented child... 

who doesn’t let go, until their parent raises an eyebrow, makes an amused huff, and easily grabs their child, even if it leaves Airplane with some nasty scratches and one less lucky charm necklace.

(The Future Mobei-Jun, still Mo Bolin, nearly cries, but stubbornly bites his lip as he does, glaring at anything and everyone around him, especially his parent and the warm person he has to leave here. He wants to keep them! They saved him when their was no gain for it, and even used much needed supplies to treat him, which Mo Bolin knows are important and guarded fiercely! They told interesting stories and had good food! He doesn’t want to leave them.)

Mo Bolin’s Father is very amused, and gives Shang Qinghua an ice power(shield) and a Teleporting Token.

So, when Shang Qinghua gets back from this instance, he gets some friend requests, a bunch of points for the best possible ending ever achieved in a game, and info about his new things.

he’ll only be able to make Shields and Barriers with his new Ice Ability, with the strength and number he can make increasing with each level.

With the Token, it allows him to teleport a limited range and places he either sees or has been. It can’t be leveled, but apparently, if he fulfills some sort of condition, it can be upgraded.

So, those are ideas I have for some of the Instances. Things not mentioned:

Time with the Instances is weird; Time still always moves forward, but it can easily skip around... So the next time Airplane accidently gets into a high Nightmare Grade Instance, He might see a fully grown Mo Bolin, now Mobei-Jun~ 

Another example of Time being weird with the Instances; Airplane obviously met Shang Qinghua first, but Shang Qinghua had been Betrayed and sold out to Mobei-Jun, the same Mobei-Jun that Airplane saved as a child :D

(Yes, Airplane will summon Shang Qinghua in an Instance with Mobei-Jun, and it will be gloriously awkward, even as Shang Qinghua is smug, because he can still see Airplane anytime the other wishes to summon him)

(This will probably lead to Mobei-Jun upgrading Airplane’s Token, making it to where it’s range is even greater now, and can summon him if Airplane wishes it.)

I am still on the fence of making Shen Yuan either a Ghost and part of the Harem, or a player who is bros with Airplane.

There is an Instance in their Real Life, where Qiu Haitang, Shen Jiu, Yue Qi, along with Airplane go along one hell of a Blast from the Past as they find out terrible secrets, things get resolved, there is much crying to be had, and everyone agrees to never mention the Instance ever again or so help them Shen Jiu will make them forget.

(Shen Jiu likes having a sister. Qiu Haitang likes having a brother she actually likes.)

Liu Qingge is a disaster; is he a player, is he a Ghost, is he a monster? Who knows, Airplane doesn’t. (I’m going to say he is a fellow player~ he just likes messing with Airplane.)

And thus, here is this AU~ Hope you guys like it~ EDIT: Noticed this was weird to read, so I added spaces: hope this helps.

[semi-imaginary-place]

CYRUS NO!

i killed the boss too fast...

... i truely have the glass canon team. i went slower this time and haanit ch4 boss wiped me. so last time i killed it before it could phase 2 me.

yeah taking it slow and trying to keep it alive just keeps wiping the party. saw petrify for the first time wow permament party removal.

haanits story overall is one of my favorites, it didnt have the strong thematic throughline/moral lesson some of the others had, but the characters are the best.

wonder if anyones done a solo character speedrun of the game. on one hand its counter to the themes of the game, on the other hand it could lead to some interesting gameplay. on the third hand it'll probably end up being tressa since money is the most powerful stat in the game. and on that note, i've reached 3mil leaf!

therion's evsion has reached 739 i might be overleveled.

i've been struggling with giving runeblade and starseer to tressa or alfyn. tressa is so powerful with runes i mean her physical attack might only do a few hundred but then the rune does like 2000-7000 and with the hunter and dancer skills tressa is so strong. but on the other hand starseer doesnt so much for alfyn. starseer would be good in combination with the priest ability that lets you target all party members. and alfyns elemental attack is bad.

maybe I'll talk about it later but everyone's vooce is softer in jp compared to eng.

therion ch4. eh im overleveled we can take the goons. shame i never had therion and ophelia in the same party would be nice to hear them talk faith.

we're letting darius live? the battle dialogue was pretty cool. ops forgot to steal money from him ahhh well. i like this chapter, one of the more solid ch4s.

omg im beating up tressa's mom and dad.

ophelia ch4. is this overarchive plot going anywhere? also yeah picked up that mattias had something to do with the savior. shame that. so thats therion, cyrus, and ophelias stories where someone tries to open a portal and release the sealed god or tries to harness its power. not to mention all the ruins with artificial lifeforms/automatons and redeye which is implied to have been created.

this game's inconsistent on whether your party members are there or not. theres party dialogue when ophelia gets locked in the cell. but its implied when primrose gets in the carriage among other times that the character is alone. also it took me a bit to warm up to primrose but i am just here cheering her on when she plots revenge. Go Girl!!!

is tressa the only one with a mom? idk about olberic or cyrus, therion doesnt have any, h'aanits an orphan? ophelia is an orphan and her adopted family is a single parent family haanit's too, primrose's is dead and or didn't exist? the story does care about her, alfyn's also an orphan. so we have a smattering of dads but no moms in this game lol.

ok h'aanit just did 17k damage 8*2k(and change). uh mattias caused me problems when he sealed all of primroses elemental magic and all of ophelias healing magic meaning i was down a damage dealer and had no one with healing spells. good thing ive been hoarding items!

dare i say that ophelia's story is somewhat well written? also the like is then meals wont be tasty. ahhh fe3h review past line button has spoiled me

so when it comes to story writing i like to think of it containing 2 components: concept and execution. concept is how interesting or more the story brings to an idea. execution is how well its done. octopath stories aim for a nostalgic tradition feel or perhaps the feeling of a story you have heard before and so its stores ride entirely on the execution score. sad the execution is poor and i think its safe to say that the main story character chapters are the weakest part of the game.  the best part is the music but the second best part is wandering around cute towns and talking to npcs. when

olberic ch4: not the gate of finis again... there were some really good parts to olberics story but this chapter felt a little clumsy. to protect those that need protecting is vague as all hell. if werner was trying to open the hell gate why is he in riverford?

update: cyrus is first rounding everything with his weakest attack and i havent even fed him nuts yet. and for other big numbers alfyn’s base first aid healing is about 4k