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danganronpasurvivoraskblog · 2 months ago

Note

Name: Despair Empire

Description: Despair Empire is the Main Force of despair emperor’s empire of despair and darkness and destruction and authority and it was founded by despair emperor himself after he discovered true power and potential of despair and because they and he sees hope inferior and weak and despair is strong and powerful and the despair empire has advanced technology able to make robots clones and many more and space time travelling machines that able to travel to different planets universes and realms of the multiverse and the despair empire will use dark and despair magics

Leader: Despair emperor is leader of despair empire and sub factions and branches of despair empire he was one the crated Despair empire after he discovered true power and potential of despair that something junko enoshima couldn’t have and he see junko enoshima as a disgrace to despair not being able to do anything right about despair

Second in Commands: Izuru Kamukura and Remnants of despair (Danganronpa) Izuru Kamukura Acts as Second in Command while the remnants of Despair act as third in commands the remnants of despair oversees operations and plan many types of missions sieges escorts and many and the remnants of despair have their own advanced equipment based on their telents

Equipment: the despair empire has advanced military grade equipment for units with specialized roles and advanced military grade vehicles aircrafts watercrafts and including different types of Space Vessels Fighters and many More but they have looted equipment from other universes and history like now dissolute covenant weapons and vehicles turning them into empire version

Technology: Despair empire has Advanced Technology for everything That Use for specific tasks such as Raids, Conquest research, Travelling and many more

Military: Despair Empire Mainly Consists not only humans but different species and life forms from various universes and has law enforcements. but also despair empire has a power and technology to clone specific characters from different universes and realms such as Mercs (team fortress 2) characters such as Peko Pekoyama the ultimate Swordswoman Fuyuhiko Kuzuryu the Ultimate Yakuza Sonia Nevermind the Ultimate Princess Gundham Tanaka Ultimate Breeder Akane Owari the ultimate gymnast Nekomaru Nidai the ultimate Team Manager Kazuichi Soda The ultimate Mechanic Ibuki Mioda the ultimate musician Hiyoko Saionji the Ultimate Traditional Dancer Mahiru Koizumi the ultimate photographer Nagito Komaeda the ultimate lucky student Mikan Tsumiki the Ultimate Nurse Teruteru Hanamura the Ultimate Cook and Ultimate Imposter (Danganronpa 2 Goodbye Despair) operators (Rainbow Six Siege) and many characters from different franchises Units have Names For Specialized Roles and Specialist but clones for the original counterpart of characters their name remain unchanged but they are designated with numbers at end of their names to avoid confusion for clone units and units maintain professionalism and Even though clones their personalities remain unchanged they still take their roles serious and professional while the units roles will have offensive Defensive Support roles but the clones act as Secret Service, Security Forces and Special Forces and other specialized roles while maintaining offensive defensive and support roles and they act like leadership and Dominant Military Force for non Clone units

Ranks: Lowest to highest for non Clone Units But For the Clones they have Different Ranks for Infantry and Captains they Have Minor Major and Ultra

Allies: Despair Empire will make any allies or resurrected them who have been defeated by main character from other franchises after events or they seeking revenge to the protagonist or they hold hatred against republic of Hope in exchange for their allies in return despair empire will give their allies stronger equipment to fight against

Strict Rules:

1. No Sexual Assault are Allowed on Civilians or Children and any despair empire units and clones dare to do it they will be executed or punished for it

2. No Drinking or Partying, gaming and gambling while on duty only on breaks or holidays or Weekends offs or if not given orders

3. keep their weapons clean and maintain avoid any damage to weapon and armor and if any equipment has been damaged or destroyed report to a combat engineer or any engineer unit and clones to get the equipment repaired

4. Must Sleep For Daytime or Nighttime Shifts

5. Always Share with their fellow members and employees

6: no racism or discrimination to other races and species

This is a Work in progress at the moment but this is my Faction I have been working on I know the words looks messy but I’m improving it to Mod

//Looks pretty cool!

//Also, Evil Has Standards, one of my top tropes.

-Mod

#mod

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captainmazzic · 3 years ago

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Introducing Imperial Major-General Wyrren Harker, and former-Separatist-now-mercenary Falynn J’Kurra. Let’s get a little backstory going under the cut :D

Wyrren Harker is largely an insufferable man. Intelligent and ruthless, he has an obsession with always having the upper hand and of always being the one in control. Spoiled as a child but held to very high standards, he is driven and dedicated to his goals but extremely selfish, arrogant, and just a little vain. He is quite willing to manipulate and intimidate anyone he can to climb out on top, and this has made him more than a little domineering and short-tempered when things don’t quite go the way he envisioned. He is not often deliberately cruel, but his sadistic streak comes out in retaliation if he thinks he has been slighted or wronged. He is extremely confident in his abilities, and that occasionally can make him a little reckless. It also makes him very nearly fearless, and he rarely worries about backlash or the negative consequences of his actions. He is not totally without fear however, and when put in a position where he has no power or is helpless, he very literally has no idea what to do.

Wyrren was raised an only child in a hyper-pro-Republic, career military household. Both parents were higher-ranking officers in the Republic army, and their son got the finest education and training their money and privilege could buy. He graduated academy at the top of his class, climbed the ranks quickly throughout the Clone Wars, and was already one of the youngest officers to be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel by the time the Republic transitioned into the Galactic Empire. Like many in the upper echelons of the military, the change was seamless for him. He continued climbing the ranks, bolstered by affluence, staunch loyalty, and extensive connections. He was promoted to Major-General in 17 BBY, and was placed in charge of an IM-455 Imperial Modular Garrison, to be deployed on the foggy world of Nimat.

Nimat itself is sparsely populated, but its position made it of importance in securing the Imperial presence in the Outer Rim. Nimat is the primary access point of the Nimat Corridor in the Tharin Sector, along the Triellus Trade Route, one of the major trading hyperroutes through the Outer Rim.

Nimat is a dim planet with unusual topography. Much of the world is gently rolling lowlands, dotted with open forest, sluggish rivers, and shallow seas, all perpetually housed in a thick fog. There are occasional pieces of land, only a few dozen in number, that rise above the fog – all flat-topped plateaus ranging in size from a couple square kilometers to nearly 200 square kilometers. On these rare plateaus are the few spaceports and settlements that the planet has to offer. Every inch of these plateaus has been utilized for the tiny population, so the placement of the Imperial Garrison that our freshly-minted Major-General was to command was… tricky. It had to be placed nearly a hundred kilometers away from one of the more sizable spaceports, down among the lowlands and deep within the fog.

Wyrren wasn’t terribly happy with the arrangement, but the fragility of the already-overloaded plateaus and the restrictive topography of the planet prevented any other alternative aside from establishing an Orbital Garrison instead of a land-based one. But that would mean Wyrren would be forced to share commanding duties and power with an Admiral from the Imperial Navy, something he absolutely refused to do. So a land-based Modular Garrison it was, and that’s when all his troubles started…

Falynn J’Kurra is a former Separatist general and strategist from Annoo. He is private, aloof, and very patient, and rarely speaks unless necessary. His reserved and quiet nature often comes across as intimidation, as he has Resting Bitch Face™ and when he does speak his voice is gravelly and rough. But he is surprisingly even-keeled, and it takes a lot for him to actually get angry or raise his voice. Despite this, he does not abide anyone testing his limits and is uncompromising in his morals and tactics. Combined with his natural tendency to being a loner, this often results in a “my way or the highway” kind of mentality and it is difficult for him to take advice from others. This hard-line approach frequently caused him to be at odds with other Separatists while he was within their ranks, and he often went head-to-head with anyone who tried to force his hand – up to and including General Grievous and Count Dooku. Needless to say he was not often included in high-profile decisions or decisive battles. Which suited him just fine, as his focus is in the Outer Rim. His primary goal has always been the betterment and protection of his people, primarily against the Republic and the subsequent Empire. He was a primary associate of the revolutionary Ashaar Khorda on his homeworld. Falynn is an Annoo-dat, differentiated as a Ret or “Annoo-dat Blue” only by xenobiologists. (For reference, Adrestin is also an Annoo-dat, but by the time of the Galactic Empire the two species have long integrated their societies into one and do not differentiate amongst themselves). Being as they are a very long-lived species, Falynn actually remembers the conquering of his home planet of Gelefil by the Annoo-dat Prime and its subsequent renaming to Annoo. It doesn’t matter to him, however, as he is like most of his species and considers both Prime and Blue species of Annoo-dat to be one and the same.

After the Separatist Council was massacred on Mustafar and the Republic formed itself into the Empire, Falynn did not immediately seek out any of the fragmented Separatist holdout groups to join. Disillusioned and jaded, he turned to mercenary work instead, trusting more in his ability to get results on his own without any added people as a responsibility. During his new line of work, he would frequently encounter isolated Rebel cells (as the Alliance to Restore the Republic had not yet been formed), and would often take pay to strategize for them, or fight, or sabotage, or whatever else he happened to offer at the time. He would never fully align with the Rebel Alliance, however, as he has little desire to see the Republic restored back to its old position. He wants only for the Empire to fall, and firmly believes the galaxy would be better off without a centralized seat of power.

But he still helps Rebel cells if they have the credits to pay him, especially if it happens to be close to home. And it is one such Rebel cell on the planet of Nimat that hires him to sabotage a newly-established Imperial Garrison…

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I FINALLY MANAGED TO POST lol. So here's that Imperial OC I mentioned I wanted to make based on Wesker from Resident Evil a few days ago. Plus the hardass merc. I'm happy. :D

#star wars ocs #imperial oc #rebel oc #sarc scribbles #star wars fanart

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theworldbrewery · 5 years ago

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Plot Build: Murder Mystery

This is a plotline built to be adapted to your own own campaign or for use as a oneshot. Feel free to change names, NPC races, etc., or adapt by adding or removing enemies, traps, etc. to increase or decrease the difficulty of the adventure. This build assumes a 4-person party at 8th level.

Want a customized plot build for your party? $15 Ko-Fi supporters can leave a private message with their tumblr or email contact information to request a personalized outline.

One-sentence hook:

The war with the Republic has decimated Empire forces and left the Crown Prince desperate for more troops; this could be a profitable business move for your adventuring company--assuming that something or someone doesn’t sabotage negotiations.

The outline will be available under the cut at the end of the post, just in case your players follow your blog 👉😎👉 (pro-tip: if you’re not a DM or prepping to be one, don’t look!)

Groundwork to lay before the plotline begins:

You’ve been assigned to protect Guildmaster Ryker as he negotiates a contract with the Ellywick Empire to supply relief forces for the war effort.

Conflict between the Empire and the Republic of Drexia has been going on for decades, but exploded into war after the late Queen Donella passed a few years ago.

Recently there’ve been attempts on the life of Crown Prince Theodore and so Ryker has been pressured into taking bodyguards to make sure the negotiations aren’t compromised.

See the rest of the build below the cut.

Whodunit - All The Answers -

What: An attempted assassination of the Crown Prince of the Ellywick Empire

Who: A local weapons manufacturer, Antaeus Cloudstrider

Where: During the announcement of the Empire’s contract with the party’s adventuring company

How: Antaeus casts dominate person on Guildmaster Ryker, forcing him to kill the Crown Prince

Why: Antaeus has been ordered to sabotage the Empire by a cloud-giant who has made a bet on the outcome of the war

Major Locations + NPCs:

Antaeus Cloudstrider, the big bad

Cloud-Giant/Rakshasa

An emissary for the Cloudstrider clan of Cloud Giants who has been posing as a wealthy and eccentric weapons manufacturer for the past few years. He plans on getting Guildmaster Ryker to assassinate Crown Prince Theodore through mind magic. Half cloud-giant and half-rakshasa, Antaeus has inherited both illusion magics and hearty strength. His parent in the Cloudstrider clan has made a bet on the outcome of the war, and is not above mobilizing Antaeus to tip the scales in his favor. See Anateus’ stats under encounter 5.

Guildmaster Ryker, the gruff merc

Half-Orc Rogue

Gruff leader and founder of the adventuring guild. He’s been contacted by the crown and is headed to the capital to negotiate a contract. He wants the political grandstanding over and done with, and is weary of the number of recent attempts on the Crown Prince’s life. His low wisdom and relative renown makes him the perfect target for Antaeus’ manipulations.

Guard Captain Katya Hauss, the loyal watchdog

Half-Elf Fighter

A veteran of The Ash Guard (also known as Slaggers or Dust Devils) who served the Crown Prince’s late mother Donella before him. She is on the fence about mercenaries, but convinced that Ryker is not a spy from the Republic. After the assassination attempt, she will try to delay Ryker’s execution but presents the party with a timeline for their investigation to uncover the real culprit. She is suspicious of Magistrate Tossletock’s overt critique of the Crown Prince.

Magistrate Nyx Tossletock, arcane advisor

Gnome Wizard

A sour faced advisor on the arcane to the empire. She is against hiring mercenaries and thinks that the crown prince’s brother, Fredrick, should rule instead of Theodore. She doesn’t have many friends in court, but she is powerful and has allies among both the mages and nobility. She should be a potential suspect for the party to investigate, is innocent.

Heid the “Servant”....*cough* spy *cough*

Human Rogue

Heid, if that is her real name, has been sent by the Republic to spy on the Crown Prince and the negotiations. She’s been posing as a servant for the past few weeks to gain more information. She should be another suspect, but will provide the party information if they can track her down and convince her.

Theodore Ellywick, Crown Prince of the Ellywick Empire

Gnome...just a regular gnome

In charge of the dynasty while his twin Fredrick leads armies against the Republic. He’s a young gnome with prematurely receding hairline and touches of grey from the stress of the war. His main purpose is to get stabbed a lot.

Cloudstrider Estate - an elegant Victorian style mansion surrounded by luscious and immaculately groomed gardens owned by Antaeus Cloudstrider. The gardens are patrolled by 3 Griffons and 2 Goliath Berserkers. Inside the mansion’s library is a secret passageway leading down towards Antaeus’ lair.

The Cracked Flagon - a ramshackle bar in Old Town where a spy for the Republic, Heid, has set up base. She was sent to gather intelligence, and since the attempted assassination has begun her own investigation into the culprit.

Ashguard Prison aka The Black Peaks - Twin towers which hover over the castle and city like a watchful hawk. The prison holds the most important of the Empire’s enemies and doubles as a guard garrison. The party will be led here after the assassination attempt and held for a time before meeting with Guardcaptain Hauss.

The Castle - is a castle...its impressive but generic

The Guildhall - the base of operations for your adventuring party. This is where they meet before leaving on missions, and can restock their potions/equipment if necessary.

Encounter 1 @ The Guildhall w/ Guildmaster Ryker:

Purpose - EXPOSITION - Provide the PCs with a chance to familiarize themselves with their skills and lay the groudwork for the plot

You enter the guildhall and see Ryker there, arms crossed and a scowl on his face. “Finally! Well, come-on. Out to the training yard with ya. What, did you expect me to take you on a job as important as this without seeing what you’re made of first?”

This is the Tutorial section of the one-shot

Start off with either a one-on-one combat or free for all with the party members fighting each other. This will allow them to get familiar with their skills and meet the rest of the team.

Afterwards, on the road, they will be able to ask Ryker questions about the world and their job. They can learn the groundwork points in character here.

Encounter 2 @ The Castle w/ Guildmaster Ryker, Guardcaptain Hauss, Antaeus, Heid, Magistrate Tostletock, & Crown Prince Theodore

Purpose - COMPLICATION - To foreshadow potential culprits, introduce all the characters, execute the “murder”

You arrive at the castle gates, and are greeted by a hand-full of guards in grey chainmail and shields adorned with the Royal crest. One of the guards--a tall half-elven women with sharp cheekbones and a no-nonsense look about her--steps forward, her black cloak and shining plate armor adorned with golden trim. “We have been expecting you.”

The party is greeted by Guardcaptain Hauss at the gates, who shows them to their room. Ryker will insist on beginning negotiations right away while the party settles in, forcing Hauss to lead him off and leaving the party a chance to explore the castle if they’d like.

There are several ways you can foreshadow the events of this evening and present suspects before the assassination takes place:

The party overhears a conversation between guards, or questions someone to learn (depending on the success of their ability check):

The spy master was just fired, as the amount of information leaking to the Republic is atrocious and there keep being assassination attempts against the prince

There’s open hostility towards hiring mercenaries for the war effort and Magistrate Tossletock has suggested that Theodore be replaced by his brother

The party explores the castle and spots a servant (Heid) leaving a hidden passageway from behind a tapestry

They can question her, finding suspicious but plausible deniability in taking shortcuts on her deliveries

They can investigate the passage themselves to find that it leads inside the wall of the Crown Prince’s study where negotiations are happening between him and Ryker

After exploring, the party will be called back to attend the feast tonight where the Crown Prince will announce their contract and provide a general update on the war effort. At the party, Antaeus will approach and present himself as an ally, making small talk. Additionally, with a high enough perception check, the party can spot Heid serving food and drink with a concealed dagger hidden in her belt. After a period of chat, Tossletock will approach and make a poor impression, letting it be known that she disapproves of mercs.

Eventually, the Crown Prince will begin to make a statement. In the middle, those with a high enough passive perception should notice Ryker disappear (stealth check 30--damn rogues). Ryker stabs the Crown Prince twice, rendering him unconscious, before Guardcaptain Hauss has him subdued on the ground. He doesn’t struggle, as dominate person only lasts a minute and he’s now come out of it.

It doesn’t matter if the Crown Prince dies--the party and Ryker will be in trouble regardless. In fact, I would encourage you to let the party try to save the Crown Prince, as that will provide even more reason for why they’re allowed free to investigate while Ryker is imprisoned.

The party will be escorted to Ashguard Prison by guards to await questioning.

If they resist and escape, have Guardcaptain Hauss approach them in disguise/a hooded cloak after a few hours to begin the following conversation about Ryker’s execution

If only some of them escape, add some pressure on that the ones who ran away will be considered guilty with Ryker if they don’t find the real culprit

Encounter 3 @ Ashguard Prison w/ Guardcaptain Hauss

Purpose - MOTIVATION - To present the party with a timeline for their investigation and consequences should they fail (Ryker’s execution and their own trial)

The guards march you through the castle hallways until you reach a doorway, watched by more soldiers. You pass through, and for a brief moment you see the night sky, stars shining above before your view is obstructed by a pair of hulking, charcoal-grey behemoths of towers directly in front of you. Behind their jagged peaks, storm-topped mountains crackle with lightning. Welcome to The Black Peaks, Ashguard Prison.

After spending the night in the prison, Guardcaptain Hauss meets the party and explains that the Council wants to execute Ryker, but she thinks he was manipulated. Since the room was warded from outside interference, the culprit must have been in the room, and she suspects that Tostletock has conspired with the Crown Prince’s brother. Ryker is set to be executed quickly as a show of force. The party has 24 hours before Ryker’s execution. There is also pressure to hold the party for investigation, but Hauss has been able to fend that off for now. It’s uncertain how long that will last.

The party should have two leads after talking with Guardcaptain Hauss: The Magistrate, and The Spy. You don’t want Antaeus to be too suspicious yet or that will spoil the big reveal.

Encounters 4a/4b

Purpose - INVESTIGATION - To provide additional information that will eventually lead the party to Antaeus

These are intermediary steps which should lead the party to the final encounter. They can do both or either in any order.

4a. The Magistrate’s Chambers

The magistrate’s chambers are in suite style. There is a main sitting area which seems to double as a study. An ornately woven rug and plush deep burgundy sofas compliment a dark mahogany desk and tall bookshelves. To the side is a workbench with various arcane contraptions and papers on it. The bedroom is fairly standard. There’s a tall four poster bed with a wooden chest at the foot of it. Off to the side is a vanity and dressing table, as well as a partition that separates the bathing and washroom area. The entire suite bleeds lavish opulence and high society comforts.

There is a trapped chest in the bedroom that holds gold and magic items

A poisoned needle is hidden within the chest’s lock. Opening the chest without the proper key causes the needle to spring out, delivering a dose of poison.

When the trap is triggered, the needle extends 3 in. straight out from the lock. A creature within range takes 1 piercing damage and 11 (2d10) poison damage and must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be poisoned for 1 hour.

A successful DC 20 Intelligence (Investigation) check allows a character to deduce the trap’s presence from alterations made to the lock to accommodate the needle. A successful DC 15 Dexterity check using thieves’ tools disarms the trap, removing the needle from the lock. Unsuccessfully attempting to pick the lock triggers the trap.

There’s a desk with a letter inside from the Crown Prince’s brother Fredrick explaining that he too is suspicious of Antaeus trying to push Theodore towards mercenaries and his sudden appearance at the start of the war, but they can’t do anything about it and Tossletock should simply bide her time.

If the party wont enter the rooms, then consider having Tossletock approach and allow them to convince her of their good intentions

The party should leave here convinced that Tossletock is innocent but Antaeus is suspicious.

4b. The Cracked Flagon

You make your way through the city, passing from the more affluent areas to those more working class. Old Town lives up to its name. The buildings are a bit ramshackle, with patchwork repairs--a melding of different stonework and timbers. Eventually, you see a building--lights on, and a bit of music coming from slightly cracked windows--with a sign hanging out front of a mug that’s been cracked down the middle.

When the party enters the tavern, Heid will attempt to slip out the back. If the party can catch her and convince her to talk, she can reveal she’s already investigated Magistrate Tossletock and found no evidence of any plots. Instead she’s begun to be suspicious of Antaeus, who isn’t a Republic agent but seems to be working against the crown.

The party should leave here convinced that Heid is innocent but Antaeus is suspicious.

OPTIONAL Encounter 4c @ Back Alleyway

If you’re really having trouble getting your party to latch onto Antaeus as the big bad, then add in an ambush encounter while they’re in the city. They will face 2 Berserkers who were sent by Antaeus to either kill or scare the party away from investigating the assassination attempt. The berserkers will either flee when bested--running back to the Cloudstrider Estate--or carry a note on them with Antaeus’ signature and seal. This will serve to confirm their suspicions and lead towards the final battle.

Encounter 5 @ The Cloudstrider Estate w/ Antaeus

Purpose - RESOLUTION - The climax and battle where Antaeus will reveal his motivations and the party will defeat him, clearing the name of Ryker and themselves.

The Cloudstrider Estate is in the Sunset ward, closer to the castle. You pass by numerous shops and businesses, houses that border on mansions. A lot of them have hedges and fences that remove the main house from the street. One of these such estates is protected by stone walls about 8 ft tall. You can see on the entrance-way besides the front gate is an engraved placard that reads Cloudstrider in fancy letters with the crest of a sword piercing a cumulonimbus beneath it. The interior of the walls is big. You’d estimate almost an acre worth of land, most of which is taken up by a beautiful garden. The house itself is a two story classic Victorian style with dark blues contrasting white masonry.

The exterior gardens are guarded by 3 Griffons and 2 Berserkers. If the party find the estate by chasing after the barbarians sent to attack them, the barbarians will raise an alarm and the guards will be more alert. Also feel free to adjust the number of guards based on how many they fought/killed in the optional alleyway encounter. There should be several options for dealing with the guards:

Sneak past them

Distract them

Fight them

Negotiate with them

Unless the party convinces the guards to lead them inside peacefully for a conversation with Antaeus, they will have to investigate to find Antaeus and/or evidence. The physical evidence is all hidden underground in a secret bunker activated by uncovering a trapped rug in the library.

The rug hiding the secret passage is woven with a glyph of warding which will activate unless the proper password is given or it is dispelled.

The glyph can be spotted with a DC 18 Intelligence (Investigation) check by the faint shimmer of an arcane sigil or a detect magic spell.

When activated by touching the rug without using the password, the glyph’s explosive runes erupt in a 20-foot-radius sphere centered on the rug. The sphere spreads around corners, encompassing most of the sitting room. Each creature in the area must make a Dexterity saving throw DC 18. A creature takes 5d8 thunder damage on a failed save, or half as much damage on a successful one. The thunder also alerts the guards (if they are not aware already) who will arrive in 1d4 rounds.

If they find it right away, Antaeus will be waiting in the bunker, otherwise he will exit and confront them upstairs. If they are fighting upstairs and seem to be doing very well, consider having any remaining guards/griffons join the fray to spice things up. Otherwise you can always add a few berserkers chasing the party down to the bunker. Antaeus has the stats of a cloud giant with the added bonus of a curse ability and the Rakshasa’s dominate person and invisibility spells, which should make him plenty difficult for your party.

#d&d #dnd #5e #oneshots #plot builds

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purple-compromise · 6 years ago

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if you had to assign each class plus miss pauling, the administrator, the specialist, and just for shits, saxton hale, a card from the major arcana, which cards would you pick for each character and why? (i have a prediction which card you’ll pick for spec but it’ll be a secret until you answer this, i want to see if my intuition’s right.)

Okay, I spent quite a while doing this, but I’m so happy with it. Being limited to Major Arcana was a bit tricky, but very much worth it. I hope you enjoy–and I’m very curious to know if you’re right about the card I picked for Spesh.

First, the Administrative team:

Miss Pauling - Strength; a woman crowned in flowers serenely holding closed the jaws of a lion, representing control not simply through force, but through gentleness. Upright, it symbolizes courage, strength, compassion, persuasion, and influence. Miss Pauling exemplifies all of these, as a mercenary herself and as the primary contact for the team. In the comics especially, her attachment to and care for them is clear. Reversed, the card symbolizes self-doubt, low energy, and raw emotion. When put under great pressure (particularly in the comics) we see the normally collected Miss P. react with deep emotion and more than a little self-blame for the things that have gone wrong.

The Administrator - The World, showing a woman wrapped in purple cloth who looks back into the past while her body moves into the future–significant of the motivations and journey we see Helen set upon in the comics. The wreath in which woman stands symbolizes the endless, circular pattern of life, that even as she completes one work, she moves on into the next. Upright, the card symbolizes completion, integration, and accomplishment–all characteristic of the Administrator and her machinations. Reversed, the card signifies delays, shortcuts, and a search for personal closure–the latter the very crux of the comics’ plot.

Saxton Hale - I’m going to go with The Emperor. Seated on a throne of ram’s heads, symbolic of the Greek god of war, Saxton Hale, resident king of a mercenary empire, seems fitting. Upright, the card is symbolic of authority, structure, ultimate masculinity. Reversed, it’s signifies domination, excessive control, lack of discipline, and inflexibility. While Saxton controls a fiscal empire, his downfall is his rigidity and lack of discipline; frequently distracted by his own desire to hunt and prove his personal prowess, he does not notice Grey Mann’s rise until too late, and is overcome by excessive faith in his physical prowess, outsmarted by an unforeseen loophole in policy.

Now, the Mercs:

Soldier - This was a tricky one, but I settled on The Fool. Upright, the card symbolizes innocence, beginnings, spontaneity, and a free spirit. Soldier, though he values military discipline, throws himself into every moment of every day with genuine, unfettered passion, as though it is the first step he has ever taken. On the card, a young man looks toward the sky, unconcerned that he’s about to step over a precipice. He is followed by a dog, the symbol of loyalty and protection that will guide him in his journeys. Reversed, the card signifies recklessness and risk-taking–a good fit for Soldier who often launches himself into conflicts and dangerous situations without a second thought.

Sniper - After much deliberation, I have chosen The Star. Upright, the card denotes faith, hope, purpose, and spirituality. Sniper, of course, always has a strong sense of purpose, a pride in his work, but unexpectedly, in the comics, we see him connected with faith and hope after meeting with his parents in the afterlife. Reversed, the card becomes symbolic of despair and disconnection, something we see strongly after Sniper finds his parents have passed, and again after finding and losing his birth parents. Sniper is also frequently considered connected to nature, and the card shows a naked woman pouring water from two jars, one into a river, the other onto the earth to continue the cycle of growth and rebirth–and to symbolize a balance between practical abilities and intuition.

Pyro - Pyro is difficult because we know so little about them, but I’ve chosen The Chariot. A warrior drives a chariot drawn by a black sphinx and a white sphinx, travelling in opposite directions–yet, the chariot still moves forward under the warrior’s control and resolve. Similarly, there’s a huge dichotomy in the way Pyro is represented, at once lethal and gentle, perhaps childlike. But, this does not keep Pyro from success on the battlefield nor in business (as shown in the comics) as much as they may dislike the latter. Upright, the card represents control, willpower, success, action, and determination. Reversed, it signifies self-discipline, opposition, and lack of direction. We never really understand Pyro’s motives beyond a fascination with flames, but there’s no denying the control involved to keep from burning themselves and their team to ashes with such an unpredictable weapon.

Heavy - I went back and forth a lot, but I settled on The Hierophant. Hear me out. He is represented with his right hand extended, two fingers pointed up, two down, in benediction–creating a bridge between heaven and earth. He also sits between two pillars: “law” and “liberty.” Heavy escaped the Gulag–a place he was incarcerated legally–using his personal liberty (something many religions consider divinely granted) to fight against something that, while legal, was completely unjust. The Hierophant is also known as “The Teacher of Wisdom,” and we know that Heavy is very well-educated in addition to adhering to traditional values, such as the value he places in family. Upright, the card signifies spiritual wisdom, tradition, and religious beliefs. In canon we don’t know if Heavy is very religious, but in my interpretation he does have strong spiritual belief and deep intuition. Reversed, the card denotes personal beliefs, freedom, and challenging the status quo–all of which Heavy seems to embody.

Scout - He could easily fit The Fool, but I’m going with The Sun for his interpretation in my fic: in an upright position, it denotes vitality, warmth, success, and positivity. In reverse, it signifies the inner spirit of childhood, an excess of optimism, and feelings of sorrow or lethargy. A naked child is pictured on a white horse, carrying a blood-red banner; innocence is rediscovered through knowledge as the sun shines down upon a field of sunflowers in the background. Scout is familiar with death and trauma, but retains his light spirit.

Spy - The Moon; and this opposition to Scout’s card probably isn’t a coincidence. The moon shines with a displeased face upon two foreboding towers with a wolf and domesticated hound between them, signifying duplicity. Upright, the card represents fear, illusion, anxiety, and the unconscious. Reversed, repressed emotion, inner confusion, and the release of fear. Spy operates using illusion and constantly shows one face to the world while hiding another, and his role requires that he pushes personal feelings aside constantly. He fears telling Scout who he is, and constantly works to regulate the world–and the people–around him.

Engineer - For Engineer, The Magician. A robed figure stands with one arm stretched to the heavens, and the other down to the earth, symbolizing a relationship between the spiritual or mental and the material or physical. The magician is able to manifest his goals in the physical realm using mental ability, just as Engineer with his machines. Upright, the card symbolizes manifestation, power, resourcefulness, and inspired action. Reversed, manipulation and poor planning. The latter we see more in the comics as, while Engineer is a master of manipulating machinery and the battlefield, he is himself manipulated by the Administrator, and the machine that extends her life is no longer enough in the long-term.

Demoman - Again, hear me out–for Demo, I’ve selected Temperance. An angel, both masculine and feminine, pouring liquid from one cup into another, symbolizing the alchemy of life and the concept of temperance itself, diluting wine with water. Demoman, especially as interpreted in my fic, is an excellent chemist–or alchemist, if you prefer. He’s interested in magic and skilled in mixing substances to make explosives. Often, we see the reversed symbolism in Demo: imbalance, excess, realignment. But, as the angel stands with one foot on stone and one foot in the flow of a river, we see that balance in Demo, too: the loud, aggressive, mercenary who loves his drink, balanced with the patient forgiving man who loves his mother and is fiercely loyal to his team. Less often is the upright symbolism visible in Demoman’s characterization, but it’s definitely there: purpose, balance, patience, and even moderation.

Medic - Almost went with The Devil, but ultimately chose Death. A skeleton dressed in armor, riding a white horse: the emissary of death, symbolizing the inevitability of death, characterized in the bones which are all that will remain after life is gone. He carries a black flag with a white rose symbolic of purity, beauty, and immortality. Together, they reveal that from death comes rebirth, that the end of one is the beginning of another. Death is not the end, it is change and transformation, and it is an inherently beautiful part of life. This is exactly the domain in which Medic deals: death and resurrection, the endless cycle of human mortality. Upright, the card symbolizes transformation, endings, change, and transition. Reversed, it represents personal transformation, resistance to change, and inner purging.

Specialist - I did go back and forth a little, but I’ve chosen The Hanged Man, depicting a man hanging upside-down by one ankle–a common punishment in the 14th century for traitors. However, the serene expression on the man’s face suggests he is hanging by choice, viewing the world from a different perspective to gain knowledge or, perhaps, in self-sacrifice. Specialist was, of course, dishonorably discharged from her previous position (though not as a traitor), but chose her current position freely out of concern for her mother’s health, rather than personal gain or wealth. Upright, the card represents pause, surrender, letting go, and new possibilities–all important aspects of Specialist’s personal journey as she learns and grows. Reversed, the card symbolizes delays, resistance, stalling, and indecision–all weaknesses and struggles related to her journey.

Please let me know what you think! :D

#replies #tarot #thatdamnokie #relevant to: this is where we are now #the whole team #miss pauling #the administrator #helen #saxton hale #the specialist #tf2 tarot

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peacekeeper-xiv · 7 years ago

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Honest Q&A: Round 3! Table

By the Twelve! You’re all back!? I mean… um… welcome back, all. Yes. *Cough* Well, as much as it pains me to admit it, I am rather surprised you all accepted my invitation a third time. Excluding mister Mordenson who has… um... graciously chosen to join us despite lacking an invitation… Let’s begin with the obvious question. As usual, we will go around the table.

What is it that prompts you to answer these questions?

Lloire: “I suppose for myself, it’s that I have been through a lot lately. Answering these helps me better understand that man I was and who he is and who he is becoming. The more you learn about me, the more I learn about myself.”

Beta: “That… was surprisingly honest and introspective. Um… We have to be honest right? I’m mostly here to learn more about that guy and to make snarky comments.”

Chadrick: “Aye, ye do seem t’ ‘ave a chip on yer shoulder with ‘Scars’ there lad. Fer me? Ye offered me tha’ hefty pouch o’ gi—O’… too ‘onest ye say? As ye like.”

Aasifa: “The winds blow Aasifa here. You must ask them if you are wanting to know this thing, yes?”

K’risa: “Wait, I thought this was some kinda counseling thing? You’re not just some weirdo asking random questions are you?”

Benedict: “Master Peace there has the right of it. To know oneself is to know the gods.”

Chance: “Good fucking question. Hells if I know.”

Felix: *Laughs* “Master… Peace. Hah. I was bored.”

Alright. Well, now that we have that settled, let’s get into the list of questions our readers have, yes? Great.

Imagine a future point in your life where all your dreams come true. It's the greatest moment in your life and you get to experience it with -one- person. Who's standing next to you?

Lloire: “…I… Well… I have no idea. It depends on the path I take I suppose. We defeat the empire, it’s Ikara or Soren. I manage to uncover all the lost magicks of the world and start a new school of magick, probably Yuti. I… retire and settle down to cook and live with a family… Some unknown person I’ve not met yet or a child I suppose. Choosing one person is too difficult I fear.”

Beta: “No it’s not. Watch. Ikara.” *Eyes Lloire suspiciously*

Chadrick: “Ah’m with tha lad truthfully. But maybe tha’s just us and ye ‘ave way more close friends than we. Fer me though, Aislyn.”

Aasifa: “Hmm, if Aasifa’s dreams are coming true, he is likely alone but he is rathering companion Rahya is with him, yes?”

K’risa: “Rathering is not a word. Where are you from anyways? Oh, I, uh, sorry I asked. Anyways, I don’t know enough people and I’m not all that close to anyone anymore so, I can’t say. Maybe the kid there. He’s adorable and snarky and would probably make whatever it was all the more fun.”

Benedict: “Sunny would be with me. This much I know.”

Chance: “Helfyre.”

Felix: “Oh, you’d all be witness to it.” *cackles* “But only Aya would be standing beside me.”

On an average day, what can be found in your pockets?

Lloire: “Hmm, crystals, jewels, a knife, a few vials perhaps. Some gil obviously. On average.”

Beta: “Gears, wires, bolts, screws, tube of grease, tools, crystals, some nuts and berries maybe. Paper, pen. Um… tape, maybe some choco- oh, that’s enough Sure.”

Chadrick: “A wee bit o’ gil Ah suppose. Most e’erythin else is in me pack instead. Ah prefer t’ keep light on me feet.”

Aasifa: “Hmm, let Aasifa be seeing, yes?” *Starts emptying out pockets on the table* “Pepper shaker, feather of big fluffy dragon with hard to say name, someone else’s grocery list, wishbone of Dodo bird. Hmm… Ball of yarn, playing card, ball from Moogle Paw game. A shell from a snail. A pair of broken spectacles, a frog. Hmm, this is where garlean rubber band ball went. Wait… where is Aasifa’s cotton bolls?”

K’risa: “H-how did, did, you, fit?” *rubs her eyes* “Anyways! Sewing needle, thread, gil, measuring tape, that kinda stuff.”

Benedict: “Gil, as the others have noted… save for Lord Taqalid there. I also keep pamphlets for those interested in learning more of the Twelve as well as marks for each of them. Would anyone here like a pamphlet, no? Alright…”

Chance: “Gil. Knife.”

Felix: “Hmm, herb, poisons, bones, stones, vial of various bloods. What’s with the look? Oh please… fine.”

What’s a body part that you wouldn’t mind losing?

Lloire: “Do we get to live without it? If so, I’d happily remove my heart.”

Beta: “Wow…. Just wow. That… yea.. um… I’d say… Maybe a leg? I could build a magitek one to replace mine. Maybe build a firearm inside it. One of those small ones that pops out in a bind. That would be neat, right?”

Chadrick: “Right… Ye both ‘ave given this thought before Ah see… Ah’d pick, feck… me little finger on me nay dominant ‘and Ah suppose. Cannay imagine losing me ability t’ see tha beauty o’ tha world, or smell good food some lass cooked, or hear ‘er beautiful singing or… well, ye get tha idea.”

Aasifa: “Aasifa is picking his appendix, yes?”

K’risa: “Your what now? I almost wanna swap seats again. I’d lose, an ear I guess? I could always wear hats to hide it.”

Benedict: “Hmm, I need my legs and arms to pray, perhaps an eye. Even if I lost both, Sunny leads us where we need to go anyways.”

Chance: “None. What? He said ‘mind’. I’d mind losing anything. You’re all freaks for not minding.”

Felix: “You know what an appendix is?” *eyes Aasifa* “I mean, that -is- the best answer, but mine is anything except my head. Whatever it is can be grown back.”

What are three labels that you identify with?

Lloire: “Mage, survivor, guilty.”

Beta: “Yup… that sounds about right. You prolly should’a added Martyr first though. For me, Engineer, Inventor, and… Young.”

Chadrick: “Well shyte… ‘ero, dashin’, an’ expert.”

Aasifa: “What is label meaning? Oh! This thing! Aasifa is called vagrant, vagabond, and drifter, yes?”

K’risa: “Sure, Chad, sure. So glad you didn’t add humble. I guess for me it would be miqo’te, seamstress, excitable.”

Benedict: “This is an easy question. Faithful, devout, and friend”

Chance: “Merc, wolf, practical.”

Felix: “Manipulative, cunning, shadow.”

Do you believe in soulmates?

Lloire: “… I did.”

Beta: “…not touching that one. Um, yes. I do.”

Chadrick: “Look, ye can test tha’ souls are real. Ye can also force two souls t’ bind t’gether. It’s nay ‘bout belief. It’s tha science o’ animas. But t’ answer tha question yer actually posing, nay. There be nay two people perfectly matched fer one another. Believin’ so will break yer ‘eart. There’s struggles an’ pain an’ shyte t’ work through to make things work, aye?”

Aasifa: “Aasifa is disagreeing. There is someone perfect for you, they are just not perfect person, yes?”

K’risa: “I’m with Lloire.”

Benedict: “Divine is their will. I cannot say that Nymeia’s hand does not guide two threads together in the forming of a beautiful tapestry.”

Chance: “No. Shit’s dumb. I’m with snowylocks there. You find someone you wanna be with and you work with them to make it. It isn’t some meant to be thing that doesn’t take hard work.”

Felix: “Hmm, actually. Yes. I do.”

What is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?

Lloire: “This may sound morbid… but the calamity. It was horrifying, terrifying, yet, beautiful it its raw destructive power. Bahamut is a terrible creature. Terrible, yet beautiful.”

Beta: “That… you are just full of surprises today. Anyroad… I saw some sketches of the inner workings of Alexander while speaking with some goblins in Idyllshire. They were the most… um. I mean Ikara. Yup! Definitely Ikara.”

Chadrick: “Tha’ was tha worst save in tha ‘istory o’ lads sayin’ dumb shyte tha’ might get back t’ their lasses e’er boyo. Ye need some practice. Ah can give ye a few pointers if ye like later. As fer me? Me ma’s smile.”

Aasifa: “Friend Chadrick is sweet person at times, yes? The lights of golden saucer from afar are prettiest thing Aasifa is thinking of.”

K’risa: “Chadrick! Don’t you dare corrupt that sweet, innocent, pure boy!” *Huffs* “Oh, right… umm… Snowfields. They just look so pure. Even if it’s cold as heck.”

Benedict: “The Sanctum of the Twelve is a beautiful place if you have not been.”

Chance: “Get the feeling ‘Scars’ there would disagree Benny. Sunrise. Means you made it through the night.”

Felix: “There was this Alagan princess…”

Moving on!

What single act are you most ashamed of?

Lloire: “Trying to kill myself.”

Beta: “Good! You should be! But um… I’m glad you realized that… so um… that’s good. Uh… Oh! I know. Um, when I upset Ikara by not knowing what she meant about liking me and an awkward first kiss and yea… I felt like a warped tool.”

Chadrick: “Stealin’ from an old woman. Ah mean, she di’nay know ‘ow dangerous wha’ she ‘ad was… an’ it was fer ‘er own good… but still, it felt nasty, aye?”

Aasifa: “Aasifa let someone he was close to take her own life, yes? He did not see how miserable she had become and did not make better. This is greatest failure.”

K’risa: “That’s, really sad. Um. For me, failing for a hero.”

Benedict: “I think those thoughts are best left for confession with one’s gods.”

Chance: “Nothing wrong with falling for a hero. I’m not ashamed of what I’ve done. I wouldn’t change things.”

Felix: “What I put my daughter through.”

Everyone has disdain for something or someone. Who or what do you consider yourself to be “above”?

Lloire: “If I’m to be honest… those who the Imperials subjugate. The ones who work for them after they have been conquered. I have to fight off those feelings.”

Beta: “Yea, not everyone is a stupidly stubborn as you. Um… I guess… if I have to say… brutish people who only solve things with violence?”

Chadrick: “Primals. Nasty buggers. Nay ‘ave any respect fer somethin’ tha’ enslaves its followers.”

Aasifa: “The dirt? For now, yes.”

K’risa: “That’s not what they--. Nevermind. Um, I’m with Chad on this one. Fuck Ifrit and his followers.”

Benedict: “I am a lowly man in service to the Gods. No one is below me.”

Chance: “Cowards.”

Felix: “It’s better for all of your prides that I simply pass on this one.”

What do you wish you had more time for?

Lloire: “Fishing.”

Beta: “Spending time with Ikara. I should make more time.”

Chadrick: “E’erything. There are nay enough ‘ours in tha’ day t’ get e’erythin accomplished.”

Aasifa: “Living, Aasifa is thinking, yes?”

K’risa: “To keep track of J’ahama and P’arunru and to just hang out with them.”

Benedict: “I would like to have more time devoted to do things Sunny enjoys doing. She gets bored with my reading and prayers and I would want to spend more time letting her have fun.”

Chance: “I’m kept busy enough. I’m good, thanks.”

Felix: “I have all the time in the world.”

What are some skills that you think everyone should learn?

Lloire: “Sewing and cooking. You can get though a lot of things that way. People tend to be more agreeable on a full stomach. Knowing how to close a wound with a needle can save a life.”

Beta: “I… think you’re the only person that took up sewing to learn to apply it to flesh. I think everyone should know the basics of magitek operation. It’s not going anywhere guys, even if the Empire crumbles.”

Chadrick: “E’eryone should learn t’ play an instrument. Music can soothe tha savage beast as they say. Whether it’s an actual beast or yer beast within.”

Aasifa: “Aasifa is thinking everyone is needing to know how to defend selves, yes? Hmm, he is wondering how friend L’ania has been now.”

K’risa: “The brooding handsome over there already gave my answer, but for me, you never know when your clothes will catch a snag or rip and its way better to travel through Ishgard or the desert without torn clothing.”

Benedict: “Navigation! I am awful at it and would be lost without my guide. I really must offer Llymlaen more prayers.”

Chance: “Basic shit. How to light a fire without aether, pitch a tent, gather firewood, survival in the wilderness kind of things. Seen a lot of corpses out in the wild just dead to the elements.”

Felix: “Alchemy. You’d be surprised at what can be accomplished through it.”

How good of a dancer are you?

Lloire: “Decent. Better when it’s a slow dance with a partner. I’m not terribly great at the solo dances unless they are more ritualistic or tribal in nature.”

Beta: “Yea, no. I’ve got two left feet. I’m really bad at dancing.”

Chadrick: “Step dance, slow dance, dance at a ball. Ye name it, Ah’ll manage it. Lu’ made sure o’ tha’.”

Aasifa: “Yes. Aasifa is thinking he can dance well.”

K’risa: “I haven’t had much chance to learn. -Someone- was still pouting about his ex and her dancing.”

Benedict: “I… do not dance. Sunny does though! She is very good at it.”

Chance: “Do I -look- like I dance?”

Felix: “No, not really wolf-boy, but neither does Lloire there, so... Myself? I was forced to learn eventually. Been a few dozen years since I’ve needed to though.”

Do you have any good luck charms or rituals?

Lloire: “Aye, I have a Gagaroon luck-die that Soren gave me a while back. I never travel without the thing. I’m still alive despite my best efforts, so I imagine the thing works.”

Beta: “Yea, if that thing is to blame, we all could use one. Um, I have a lucky wrench? I guess that counts?”

Chadrick: “Psh! Me blood is lucky. An’ Ah’ve all tha charm Ah’ll e’er need.” *Laughs* “Jestin’ aside, nay Ah di’nay carry around any sort o’ lucky charms.”

Aasifa: “Aasifa has pendant that is for this purpose, yes? He is loaning to friend to keep safe.”

K’risa: “Nope. I’m all full up on luck and charms, thanks.”

Benedict: “Nymeia is favored by those who seek luck. Having her with me at all times should suffice.”

Chance: “Fools that trust to luck wind up dead.”

Felix: “You, mister wolf, are no fun. I have one of our companions old coins. He was the embodiment of luck.”

Worst injury you have had?

Lloire: “Assuming we’re not going with self-inflicted, it would be the repeated beatings to my face that left me half blind.”

Beta: “Oh, not counting self-inflicted. That took out half of yours, huh? Um… I guess the small burn I got when that ceruleum tank caught fire?”

Chadrick: “Ah ‘ad this ‘ead injury, made me forget who Ah was fer a time.”

Aasifa: “Aasifa was stabbed through stomach once. Very painful! Yes.”

K’risa: “I’ve been lucky enough not to get hurt too bad yet.”

Benedict: “As have I.”

Chance: “Took an arrow to my heel once. That brought me down awhile.”

Felix: “Just one? I remember I took about fifteen or so once. Blood everywhere.”

Who influenced your personality growing up?

Lloire: “My ma’ and Aliya later.”

Beta: “Um… Lucilus I suppose.”

Chadrick: “Lad, yer still growin’ up. Fer me it was definitely me ma an’ me da. Both in their own way.”

Aasifa: “The Commander of the Guard.”

K’risa: “My father.”

Benedict: “Halone largely, but also my aunt.”

Chance: “Myself.”

Felix: “Nettle’s family.”

If you could remove one emotion from your life, which would you choose?

Lloire: “Guilt most likely.”

Beta: “I’d get rid of bitterness. I hate that feeling.”

Chadrick: “Nay a damned one. There’s too much o’ life in each. Ye get rid o’ sadness an’ ye lose sight o’ wha’ it means ‘ be ‘appy. Ye lose guilt per say, an’ wha’ is there t’ make ye learn t’ nay ‘urt others?”

Aasifa: “Fear. Aasifa would be fearless!”

K’risa: “Jealousy. It’s a nasty nasty emotion.”

Benedict: *turns a shade of red* “Desire.”

Chance: “I think that’s just call lust Benny. And oddball, fear is important, keeps you alive. I’m kinda with snowylocks. You need all of them to be effective.”

Felix: “No, no. I like Lloire’s answer for once. Guilt weighs too much.”

Well, thank you for your answers. Will I see you all again next time?

Lloire: “Most likely.”

Beta: “Sure. It’s interesting to see what you come up with to ask us.”

Chadrick: “S’long as ye keep up our agreement, aye.”

Aasifa: “If the winds blow Aasifa this way.”

K’risa: “Why not?”

Benedict: “Twelve willing.”

Chance: “…”

Felix: “Perhaps. We’ll see.”

Tagged by: Uh, I made this one. So @me?

Tagging: @wicked-virtue @yutikyis @waitingrose @susukosuko @hedgearcher @hana-xiv @devil-you-know @nebula1984 and anyone I might have left off or forgotten.

#lloire peace #chance ashton #beta imito #aasifa taqalid #benedict granger #chadrick tamisier #k'risa mau #felix mordenson #ffxiv rp

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mastcomm · 5 years ago

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DealBook: Bloomberg’s Bruising Debate Dents His Odds

Good morning. (Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here.)

A no good, very bad night for Bloomberg

Mike Bloomberg has spent over $400 million during his ascent in the polls for the Democratic nomination. But money apparently couldn’t save the billionaire from a widely panned performance at last night’s presidential debate. It was like “the gap between an influencer marketing campaign and putting an actual product in front of reviewers,” as Nilay Patel of The Verge put it. (As a professional tech reviewer, he knows what he’s talking about.)

Mr. Bloomberg didn’t seem prepared. “His meek rebuttals seemed to inspire a wider reckoning among his peers, who slashed and bickered with an eagerness the race had not seen before,” Matt Flegenheimer of the NYT writes. He did get in a jab at Senator Bernie Sanders, though: “What a wonderful country we have. The best-known socialist in the country happens to be a millionaire with three houses. What did I miss here?”

How the other candidates whacked Mr. Bloomberg:

• Senator Elizabeth Warren: “I’d like to talk about who we’re running against: a billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians, and no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump.”

• Joe Biden: “The fact of the matter is, he has not managed his city very — very well when he was there. He didn’t get a lot done.”

• Pete Buttigieg: “Most Americans don’t see where they fit if they’ve got to choose between a socialist who thinks that capitalism is the root of all evil and a billionaire who thinks that money ought to be the root of all power.”

• Senator Amy Klobuchar: “I don’t think you look at Donald Trump and say, ‘We need someone richer in the White House.’”

A hot topic was the issue of nondisclosure agreements that some former female employees of Bloomberg L.P. signed after accusing Mr. Bloomberg of harassment and discrimination. Mr. Bloomberg refused to release those women from the N.D.A.s, calling them “consensual” — then appeared flustered by further attacks by Ms. Warren and others.

Prediction markets quickly soured on Mr. Bloomberg’s performance. His odds of securing the Democratic nomination have tumbled about 10 percentage points in 24 hours, to about 19 percent, according to ElectionBettingOdds.com.

Our favorite snark from Twitter comes from @IvanTheK, with one for the Bloomberg terminal users: “Team Bloomberg right now: ”

The takeaway: “There was little in the debate to suggest that Mr. Sanders, the national front-runner and the favorite to win Nevada’s caucuses on Saturday, had been knocked off balance,” Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin of the NYT write.

____________________________

Today’s DealBook Briefing was written by Andrew Ross Sorkin in New York and Michael J. de la Merced and Jason Karaian in London.

____________________________

End of an era for Les Wexner and Victoria’s Secret

The longest-serving C.E.O. in the S&P 500 will step down after selling a majority stake in Victoria’s Secret, the WSJ reports. The deal between Mr. Wexner’s L Brands and the private equity group Sycamore Partners would value the lingerie company at $1.1 billion, the NYT writes.

Mr. Wexner bought Victoria’s Secret for $1 million in 1982. It now accounts for more than half of revenue at L Brands, which the 82-year-old billionaire has run for the past 57 years. Mr. Wexner will remain on the L Brands board and retain his stakes in both Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, which will be what’s left in the L Brands empire. (When Mr. Wexner steps down, Berkshire Hathaway’s Warren Buffett becomes the longest-serving blue-chip C.E.O., at 50 years.)

The retail tycoon’s long tenure ends under a cloud, with the NYT revealing a culture of misogyny, bullying and harassment at Victoria’s Secret and increased scrutiny over Mr. Wexner’s deep ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. From its peak in 2015, L Brands’ market value has fallen by about 75 percent as Victoria’s Secret has struggled to adjust to changing trends in fashion, especially notions of female beauty and representation in advertising.

An unexpected choice for UBS’s new boss

Ralph Hamers of the Dutch bank ING has been named the next C.E.O. of the Swiss banking giant, replacing Sergio Ermotti. Although it was an open secret that UBS was looking for Mr. Ermotti’s successor, Mr. Hamers was not at the top of market watchers’ shortlist.

What’s the plan now? Mr. Hamers has spent nearly 30 years at ING, and as chief was credited with a digital transformation of the predominantly retail-focused bank. UBS is a different beast, relying much more on its high-touch wealth management operations. It’s not hard to imagine that Mr. Hamers’ cost-cutting at ING could come to bear at UBS, which has recently struggled to keep its spending in check.

Mixed signals from the markets: The share prices of both UBS and ING were up on the news.

The White House sees no problem with monopolies

Having a few big companies dominating markets isn’t necessarily a bad thing, according to the Trump administration, Jim Tankersley of the NYT reports:

In their annual Economic Report of the President, released on Thursday, Mr. Trump and his advisers effectively dismiss an emerging line of economic research that finds large American companies increasingly dominate industries like telecommunications and tech, stifling competition and hurting consumers.

Yes, but: The administration is nonetheless looking into whether tech companies are too big, though that may be driven by settling political scores instead of purely economic concerns.

The E.U. sees many problems with monopolies

Officials in Brussels yesterday unveiled proposals to gain “technological sovereignty,” as policymakers in Europe fear that their economies are becoming overly reliant on “gatekeeper” tech companies based elsewhere (mainly the U.S.).

A key passage in the report suggests an expansive view of antitrust policy that could make life difficult for many U.S. tech giants:

Competition policy alone cannot address all the systemic problems that may arise in the platform economy. Based on the single market logic, additional rules may be needed to ensure contestability, fairness and innovation and the possibility of market entry, as well as public interests that go beyond competition or economic considerations.

Further reading: This being the E.U., the policy plan is spread across a convoluted array of reports, factsheets and communiqués. Politico has a useful summary.

The speed read

Deals

• Alstom and Bombardier are trying to shield their train merger from the political turmoil that sank Alstom’s previous deal with Siemens. (Bloomberg)

• Chinese conglomerate HNA is reportedly in talks for a state bailout, which could involve selling off its airline assets. (Bloomberg)

• Forever 21’s deal to sell itself to its two biggest landlords is official. (Reuters)

• Founders Fund, the venture capital firm co-founded by Peter Thiel, has raised $3 billion for its latest funds. (Axios)

• The political comms firm SKDKnickerbocker plans to announce this morning that it has acquired Sloane Communications, a financial P.R. shop. “This is our first (not last) acquisition,” the SKDK chief Josh Isay tells us.

Politics and policy

• The White House conceded yesterday that the trade war had hurt U.S. economic growth. (Bloomberg)

• Boeing has pushed Washington State lawmakers to end tax breaks for the plane maker to avoid international trade sanctions. (NYT)

• The Fed flagged the coronavirus outbreak as an economic risk at its meeting last month. (NYT)

• How the pharmaceutical industry lost some of its pull in Washington. (WSJ)

Tech

• Some Oracle employees are planning a walkout today over the company’s founder, Larry Ellison, hosting a fund-raiser for President Trump. (Business Insider)

• Google reportedly plans to end E.U. data protection practices for British users post-Brexit. (Reuters)

• The first wave of next-generation 5G wireless networks will probably cover only a quarter of the world’s population, according to McKinsey. (Fortune)

• MGM Resorts said that it suffered a data breach last year, but that customers’ financial data was not exposed. (NYT)

Best of the rest

• Some companies have stopped hiring smokers. (FT)

• Want to buy one of WeWork’s Gulfstream jets? It’s on the market. (Business Insider)

• Jho Low, the fugitive financier at the center of the 1MDB fraud scandal, was reportedly spotted recently in Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak. (Bloomberg)

• Hate corporate buzzwords? “Take a deep dive” into this article and let’s “touch base” later. (The Atlantic)

Thanks for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.

We’d love your feedback. Please email thoughts and suggestions to [email protected].

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clubofinfo · 7 years ago

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Expert: Winston Churchill’s definition of history was simple but true: “One damn thing after another.” That’s the way the summer has unfolded, particularly the sticky and steamy month of August, historically a month when nerves are frayed and conflict simmers underneath an oppressive sun. So many events. So many angry voices. So little time spent on self-reflection. American fascism is back in the public eye, flaunting its wares and waking up the domestic population, which tends to snooze through the application of its imperial variant to all variety of freethinkers abroad. But the two are joined at the hip, fascism being the enforcement of exploitation by subjecting the many to the control of the few backed the rationales of racism. Charlottesville chaos If free speech is the lynch pin of American freedoms, then without it, hopes for democracy are eclipsed. A couple of weeks ago, the ACLU defended the right of the “Unite the Right” rally to organize in Charlottesville. Then, after intense pressure to prejudice their universal defense of free speech, including an intellectually porous article in the New York Times, they appear to have caved. Seeing signs from supposedly left protesters in Boston calling for no free speech for racists is, to employ the hackneyed idiom of the pulseless press, a ‘troubling development.’ There also appears to be a concerted effort in the mainstream to yoke the so-called ‘alt-left’ with the ‘alt-right’. The liberal class blames the invention and popularization of the term on the right, an attempt to bring the left under the same cultural animus as the white supremacist movement, which is broadly applied to the right. It was invented on the right, but its popularization can be credited to both political poles. Yet to equate the terms would have the effect of minimizing the fact that the preponderance of political violence is produced by the right, not the left. It would also disguise the contrast between a side infected by violent ethno-nationalism and a side opposing it, even if the minority antifa movement appears to be violently intolerant of the alt-right, a kind of anti-fascist fascism. Trump’s unwillingness to draw this contrast as it expressed itself in Charlottesville has only deepened the liberal community’s hatred for the president, even as the Mueller investigation chugs along silently under cover of night. Those on the right might argue that the president’s subsequent denunciation of Nazis and the KKK clarified his position. Indeed, he has on numberless occasions rejected white supremacist organizations. But liberals regard Trump’s public statements with the same contempt that conservatives regarded Barack Obama’s rhetoric. They disbelieve it. People are wont to read between the lines, ascribe intent to gesture. For the opposition, the apercu is often gleaned from the facial tic and the pregnant pause, less than the scripted apologia or cursory condemnation. Reading Trump by his demeanor and timing rather than words is nothing new. When Burgundy writes a letter of his defection to France to Henry in Henry VI, the court immediately reads into the style of the letter: What means his grace that he hath changed his style? No more but plain and bluntly “To the king”? Hath he forgot he is his sovereign? Or doth this churlish superscription Pretend some alteration in good will? (Henry VI 4.1.50-54) More often than not the style betrays the substance. That’s why so many believed President Obama when he assured the public that we had dealt with our surveillance problem. And we see it on both sides now, the simmering contempt leeching into the wordplay of the proles. He is always “Trump” in the bi-coastal enclave, just as he was “Obama” or worse in the heartland. The dropping of the presidential honorific denotes a loss of respect. A War of the Roses is developing with each side hardening into its intransigent certainties. If I were a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a member of the Bilderberg Group or the Trilateral Commission, a rich globalist with stakes in four continents, say, I would be pleased by this development. Let the plebes duke it out amongst themselves. The pitting of brainwashed identitarians whose sole concern is racism against feral white ethno-nationalists who believe whites are threatened with eradication, is a convenient pretext by which to divert attention from the ruling class and divide the working class against itself, or perhaps pit the professional class against workers. Each side believes the other is the cause of all of our problems, while neither side points at the imperial state as the fulcrum of global unrest. And a side note on the statues: the president asked, “Where does it stop?” If we’re out to eradicate racism, then it’s not just the crass Confederates that have got to go, but most of the founding fathers, too. They owned slaves. They sexually exploited slaves. They built the empire on the backs of slaves. All this after a genocidal ethnic cleansing of the continent. If Glen Ford of Black Agenda Report is right, that American fascism always includes the “Oppression of an internal “Other” as an organizing principle,” then we have always been and must still be a fascistic state. After all, according to the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), white households in 2011 had 111k in wealth, while blacks had just 7k and Latinos 8k. And it doesn’t take long to enumerate a long list of racial disparities that carve the specter of institutional racism into the plinth of American history. The crucial connection to make is this: that same demonization of the internal ‘other’ was also aimed at the external ‘other’ in Latin America via the Monroe Doctrine, in Eurasia via the Truman Doctrine, and worldwide via the doctrine of Full Spectrum Dominance (built on the Brzezinksi and Wolfowitz concept of no rivals). These resulted in a never-ending program of imperial conquest, all under the auspices of democracy promotion and helping those that, due to their inferiority, couldn’t help themselves. Emancipation Park? For who? Nattering nabobs and North Korea As if there wasn’t enough to rattle the average observer, President Trump’s ongoing saga of hysterical threats toward North Korea are being amplified by another apish exercise in teeth-baring hostility, otherwise known as “war games.” This alpha male spectacle, a needlessly large event featuring 80,000 soldiers between the U.S. and South Korea, will evidently include nuclear-capable aircraft flyovers. It has drawn protest in Seoul. South Korea, like dozens of other countries, is occupied territory, and South Koreans know it. Sleepwalking scribes at stateside corporate media ask questions everyone already know the answer to (will mock violence raise tensions?). North Korean state is rightly paranoid about U.S. intervention. It does not want to go the way of Libya when it ceased to seek nukes, an act of peacemaking that was rewarded with a wanton NATO/al-Qaeda invasion in which Libya was destroyed and transformed into a terrorist backwater, an event celebrated in western media, even as Madame Secretary cackled in the background. The U.S. armed forces killed some 20 percent of the North Korean population in the Korean War. Societies don’t just recover from that kind of trauma. Russia is still alarmed about NATO moves eastward thanks in large part to their history of being invaded three times from the west in the 20th century. We lost just under 3,000 citizens on 9/11, and look how it traumatized and transformed the United States. Russia lost 26 million in the Second World War. Imagine the psychic impact on that country. These war games punctuate what we already know: that the U.S. is hostile toward making peace with Pyongyang. North Korea is an independent state, therefore they must be brought to heel, sadistically punished, and subjected to the yoke of imperial serfdom. Of course, North Korea, in conjunction with China, have offered to freeze their missile and nuclear weapons in exchange for a cessation of “threatening military maneuvers on North Korea’s borders.” No can do, says the imperial kingpin. In makes no difference whether that kingpin is Trump or Obama. They both rejected the offer. You see, Washington’s idea of negotiation is to give nothing in return for the fulfilment of its demands. It believes that, as the supreme military power on earth, it should have its demands met as a form of tribute. Empire brooks no concession. Perhaps this is not quite accurate, though. It does give something in return: an unreliable promise not to attack. Small consolation for those within range of Washington’s nuclear-equipped bombers. Of course, we know what happens to presidents that are not sufficiently tigerish or untamed in their comments. They are reviled like Obama and the legendarily despised Michael Dukakis for their perceived pacifism. The press portrays them as latter day Chamberlains willing to pacify and appease and abet until North Korean warships are sailing unopposed into San Diego Harbor. As a rule of thumb, the more farcical the threat, the more column inches it receives. Sometimes only hysteria can suppress rational thought. Afghani amnesia After 16 years of fighting, the Taliban now controls 50 percent of Afghanistan. The fragile state we’ve propped up doesn’t want us to leave; they depend on our largesse. The military-industrial complex (MIC) doesn’t want to leave, since the craggy no-man’s land evidently serves the same purpose as South Pacific atolls used to–nice places to test megaton bombs and fancy drones. The mercenary industry doesn’t want us to leave, since for every soldier there are three mercs. It’s a straight occupation. Some 50k soldiers/mercs on our payroll. President Trump has decided not to fight this fight, even though he knows we hemorrhage men and women and money to a lost cause. So the president says our goals are to kill terrorists, obliterate ISIS, stop terrorist attacks before they hatch, and so on. As Gareth Porter noted, Trump employed same frayed logic of recent administrations, “If we don’t defeat the Taliban, the terrorists will attack us.” National Security Analyst Juliette Kayyem, briefing the American public on CNN, said that our primary interests are “of course, al-Qaeda and counter-terrorism efforts.” This is all nonsense. Terrorist attacks in Europe and here are usually homegrown efforts, ‘inspired’ by ISIS or often the sight of NATO raining bombs of somebody’s ancestral land. Then there’s the core cause of the occupation: there are huge revenue streams tied to this war. The interests of the mercs, the Afghani state, the CIA and Pentagon and defense industry, and potentially mineral concerns, are all enabled by continuing the war. It says something about the state of American resistance that the plutocracy need only reiterate the same policies of the last two administrations to pacify the somniferous populace. Afghanistan is on autopilot, and will be so long as the revenues flow. Barca and the sleepwalkers The Barcelona attacks revived the terror news cycle, with its disturbing footage of weaponized cars and trucks plowing into crowds of protestors or tourists. Bodies fly, strollers race, sirens light the urban field, officers and gawkers stand in stony silence. Then the televisions screech, the news hour comes alive with its dazzling graphics and fulminating pundits. Onsite reporters enumerate the latest numbers, turning carnage into data. Former officers of state sit gravely on set awaiting their cue, globe-trotting terror analysts hustle to makeshift mikes in distant lands, and finally the totality devolves into partisan carping and vilification. Yet where are the pundits drawing the barefaced connection between wars of aggression and terror in the “homeland”? Where are the analysts unpacking the conspicuous fact that we are not fighting humanitarian wars but wars of conquest? Where are the journalists disclaiming on the infinite extensibility of ‘national security’? The corporate media will forever maintain their fraudulent faith in the good intentions of Washington politicians, perhaps the most counterintuitive attitude of all these biddable scribes, since the evidence of history says otherwise (as it piles like a coastal shelf before their shuttered stare). This is also why there will never be long mainstream essays questioning whether the various terrorist attacks in the West were false-flag attacks staged by western intelligence agencies. Even the majority of readers decry such speculation, themselves still subject to the hypnotic pull of patriotism which precludes self-criticism. That cheaply adorned tribalism that declares one’s own people intrinsically superior to another. It is beyond the pale of patriotism to ask about disturbing coincidences, like the fact that many of the attackers had been linked to domestic intelligence agencies prior to their attacks. Or that in at least six western terrorist attacks by migrants, passports or identification cards had been found at the scene of the crime, a strange pattern of self-incrimination. In light of what we know about Operation Gladio in post-war Europe, not to mention the Gulf of Tonkin incident and the Syrian chemical attacks, false flags are a real tactic employed by numerous governments and militaries to provoke conflict. Why are false flags out of the question in Nice, Paris, Berlin, London, Madrid, Manchester, and Barcelona–or even New York? Why can’t we even raise the question without being tarred as conspiracy theorists, a term invented by the CIA? Whether there is government complicity through outright planning, collusion, provocation, or looking the other way, these are valid questions that even the progressive community can’t seem to stomach. But to reject the notion of western complicity out of hand is naïve at best, and otherwise craven. Whether inside the country or abroad, we’re witnessing class war. Racism can certainly factor as a major feature. White supremacists have been tricked into believing they are on the same team as white elites in their tall towers. They are not. They are actually fighting the people of their own class, the very people who suffer from the same oppression that white manufacturing workers have faced in recent decades. But minorities always have it worse, which makes fears of white genocide all the more obtuse. Abroad the general principle is the same: the lower classes must be kept low. Wherever an alternative to capitalism arises, that place instantly enters the crosshairs of American violence. Wherever the underclass raises its head from a posture of subjection, that place, people, nation, continent, must be branded as a menace to American security. Moral and existential panic is whipped up. The nation falls into a frenzy. And of all this permits aggression in the name of self-defense, which is the goal. It enables western governments to impose stricter, more authoritarian rule and allot even more taxpayer dollars to the fake fight against terrorism in the name of national security. War on non-capitalists at home and abroad, all in the name of securing our freedoms. Scare the population and watch them acquiesce. Create a defeatable enemy and a cauldron of chaos right atop the resources and territorial touch-points that you need to control. Then attack the enemy in the name of national security and democracy promotion. Let the battle drift in the fog of war. Let the haze of crossfire disguise scope creep. Let the metastasizing mayhem rationalize the next special appropriations bill. Blast the pacifists and escalate the annual military budget. Ratchet up domestic repression. Keep talking peace. Keep talking values. Keep talking valor. And keep funding war. Here, there, and everywhere. As Rhys Ifans’ villainous mentor in Snowden hisses to his pupil, “Where’s the modern battlefield, soldier?” Snowden replies, “Everywhere.” It was ever thus. http://clubof.info/

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