#the pain of needing the same materials for 2 armors and a weapon

[pretend-im-not-there]

Me: "Today is a rest day. After I get home from watching my dad's dog for the morning, I'm staying home to rest."

MHN: Y'know that monster you've been trying to get materials from? There's 5 of them on the other side of your neighborhood and you have 15 minutes to get to them before the monster refresh. Oh, you got those? There's 4 more over here now that it's refreshed. You'll never have this kind of luck again.

[monstersdownthepath]

Monster Spotlight: Xill

CR 6

Lawful Evil Medium Outsider

Bestiary 1, pg. 283 (pic from 2e Bestiary 2, pg. 299)

These tyrannical parasites from the Ethereal Plane have a scattered, militaristic government hellbent on subjugating all non-Xill life. While this doesn’t necessarily make them  different from most Lawful Evil creatures with any level of society, the general emptiness of the Ethereal Plane and the elusiveness of most other inhabitants in the transitive plane means war is all Xill society IS. Whatever infrastructure they manage to create (or, more likely, steal) is used to build weapons and armor, whatever knowledge they gather is devoted towards the capture and exploitation of other species’ and resources, whatever farms they create are solely to feed their victims, and all forms of art and entertainment are tossed aside in favor of complete military focus. A great many creatures in the Ethereal Plane are born from mortal thoughts or dreams, the incarnates of ideas themselves... so it may very well be that the Xill, whose origins are otherwise unknown, could be an invasive, living nightmare, a rogue thought escaped from a vast and alien mind, or even flesh and substance given to the very idea of conquest.

Perhaps the most alarming evidence to the latter is how they treat their victims. One may at first thing that these obviously carnivorous, predatory creatures may see all others as food, but that is, unfortunately, far from the truth. As Outsiders Xill don’t need to eat, and they don’t even have to feed on an abstract sensation like pain, fear, or love like some fancier Outsiders do. Rather, victims captured from the Material Plane are put to work at whatever tasks the Xill has for them in eternal slavery--oh, sorry, no, that was [checks notes] 99% of every other Evil always-marauding race in fiction. No, while the Xill may sometimes use captured victims as slaves, that means their bodies risk going to waste. You see, Xill are capable of infesting any form of life with their terrifically invasive eggs, with Phase Spiders--their greatest, longest-term enemy--being their favored incubators.

A Xill can Implant 2d6 eggs into a helpless creature by using a “grotesque ovipositor” located in their mouths, the tenacious young hatching a day later to consume the host from within. Each writhing lizard-bug deals 1 Con damage to the victim per hour until they’re removed (via Remove Disease or invasive, damaging surgery) or the host dies, the latter of which prompts the younglings to gorge on the tissue as much as they can before shifting back to the Ethereal and into the arms of their waiting brethren to grow into another conquering parasite. As written there’s no limit to the number of eggs a Xill can implant into a single host, nor a limit on how many eggs they can lay per day, but I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that a Xill can either only lay one clutch a day, or the maximum per host is 12... because otherwise, there‘s no mechanical reason they couldn’t capture, say, a deer, and shove 40 eggs into it.

But how do Xill capture victims in the first place? Preferably alive. Paralytic poisons are favored whenever they can get ahold of them, but most Xill simply knock targets out via overwhelming damage. Their Multiweapon Mastery prevents them from ever taking penalties on attack rolls with their numerous weapons or from using weapons and shield-bearing claws in the same flurry of attacks. While they can comfortably wield any weapon, the example Xill wields three shortswords (1d6+3 each) and leaves one hand open to deliver a claw attack (1d4+3), the claw also capable of Grabbing victims. Even when wielding one or two shields, the claws can still be used! Their four limbs also, amusingly, allow them to use two bows at once (or two melee weapons and a bow, should they wish), the example Xill firing two longbow attacks a round for 1d8 damage if they need to take care of opponents at a range.

Bereft of weapons, a Full-Attacking Xill can use all four claws, and whether they possess weapons or are going at it feral style, they can mix their incredibly deadly bite (1d3+1) into their Full-Attack. No, the damage isn’t threatening... but the 1d4 hours of paralysis if one fails a DC 16 Fortitude save is. The damage is meant to be low, because biting victims over and over again to keep them paralyzed is how Xill prevent their incubators from becoming a danger to the eggs. Whether a battle ends once an enemy is laid low by damaging attacks or by their paralytic bite, a Xill can then Planeswalk with a helpless (or willing, if they threaten a victim into compliance) to or from the Ethereal Plane. Their Planeswalk has no cooldown or per-day restriction, but takes two entire full rounds to pull off, which thankfully means that the threat of kidnapping a paralyzed party member is low, but not zero, especially since Xill become harder and harder to hit as they fade away.

Also, to close on some fun facts and DM advice: While it’s more likely than not to encounter a Xill hunting to begin its own colony, they heartily embrace the idea of working together, and an army of Xill hunting as one can disappear entire towns in a single day, making them excellent foes for parties to face at just about any level in their adventuring career. HOWEVER! Due to the animosity between the Xill and every other species in the Ethereal, a party hoping to battle against an especially massive Xill incursion may be able to find unlikely allies in the plane of ghosts and memories... and depending on the scale of the invasion, they may need to.

You can read more about them here.

[melodyfsoul1]

My DreamSMP Head Canons:

c!Foolish

Species: Shark Totem Demigod

- c!Foolish is immortal, meaning he cant die of old age, but a critical injury can kill him (the amount of his canon lives is unknown)

Being a god he can shapeshift into multiple forms

1) Sky/Life & Death God, a humanoid Totem of Undying, resembling a golden statue with colorful scarab wings, in this form he can control Life & the skies/ weather. The Totem of Death is basically the same as the 1st, but with faded colors, and red instead of green markings, he controls Death

2) Ocean God, a human or golden shark/ (merman) esque monster. He has gills & lungs so he can breathe under & over water. He controls the ocean/tides, is more feral and shark like and automatically shifts into this form when fully emerged in water

3) Human, 6'1f, looks like ccFoolish, but wears egyptian style clothing around the Summer Home.

- He owns a Snowchester uniform and a couple of fancy clothes for special events

- He never uses this form because he feels vulnerable by his limited human abilities, only c!Eret has ever seen it

4) God Form, a humanoid golden Totem with scarab wings and a shark hood, gills, claws and shark teeth, controls all attributes of the weather, tides, Life & Death

- c!Foolish heals in the light of his beacon in his pyramid or in water (2nd one takes a lot longer tho)

- his Totem body is made of solid gold, including organs etc, and he bleeds liquid Emerald

- since c!Foolish's body is solid gold, he doesnt get affected by temperatures unless its extreme heat like lava and can not be hurt by regular hand to hand combat, but is vulnerable to materials harder/ more dense than gold, like Diamond or Netherite Weapons

- scars on his golden skin look like kinstugi, a "Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum"

- He hides the scars from the Red Banquet at all costs, under golden armor & accessoires to not be reminded of death /feel vulnerable

- I imagine c!Foolish to be a younger god, somewhere around 900 years

- being a Totem, c!Foolish can feel if a soul dies and gets resurrected. The first feels like a bad feeling washing over you, the resurrection causes him physical pain since its unnatural

- c!Foolish can revive people at will, but it takes one of his own lives in return

- when reviving people and when he dies the sound of a Totem popping can be heard

- because his death & respawn, works different from mortals, his actual body never disappears like it normaly would, so critical injuries will leaves scars

- when c!Antfrost killed c!Foolish at the Banquet it took him 2 attacks to kill him fully. The first strike was a sword through his back & chest, but that didnt kill him immediately, so c!Ant went for the neck decapitating him

- the only time when c!Foolish respawned, was at the Red Banquet when the Egg surpressed his powers, his body turned to gold dust and he respawned in his pyramid. This is why c!Foolish was in denial after his death, he had never died like a normal mortal before / wasnt aware he even could die like that

- c!Foolish's personality as a young god was wild, carefree, arrogant, angry, blood thirsty and had no appreciation for life

- after becoming a Totem of Life, he  avoided violence, treated living beings with care, is very protective, loyal, patient, cheerful & friendly to you if you treat him well.

- c!Foolish may seem like a gentle giant, but he is no pushover & not naive, considering his long life experience. He can stand his ground, uses his abilities when needed to intimidate and is observing and cunning.

- After the Red Banquet he became a lot more reserved again, stressed, anxious and paranoid with the fear of dying, desiring his immortality back which is why he made the deal with DreamXD

- c!Foolish is aware of Lady Death and is a lower god under her & DreamXD

- the only person c!Foolish considers to be his close friend is c!Eret, but he gets along with most people he interacts with. Other people he has some sort of attachment to are c!Puffy, c!Ponk, c!Sam, c!Ranboo, c!Michael, c!Tubbo and c!Aimsey

- c!Foolish can give life to objects like Totems, which is how he "got" his children, c!Puffy brought him a normal Totem of Undying and c!Foolish gave life to it

- doing so, Totems start morphing from a regular Totem/Object to a living being, limbs & abilities growing over time (like a tadpole)

- Depending on what kind of nature the Totem God is, they have different attributes & animal body parts. Foolish Jr. has wings since he is a Sky Totem, and Finley has shark fins since she is an Ocean Totem

Plus some old concept art I made of my c!Foolish design, its a bit outdated, but I still like it a lot

[kairosoftwithbutternut]

Ok so time to finally write about my thoughts on Epic Astro Story...

I didn't like it. It wasn't terrible, but there was a point very early on where I was completing it for the sake of completing it. It gets very repetitive once you unlock free expansion, and that's because there is very little to interact with. There are few buildings, despite it technically being a village builder. There are few weapons and even less armor. There are few alien species, and they are not evenly spaced out (most are in the snow and desert areas). It's just lacking, and it's frustrating since this could be a fun game. I do hope it gets a sequel someday that fleshes it out more.

Overall, I give this game a 5/10. It's ok and very basic, but nothing is done wrong, so I guess there's that.

So lets go over some tips:

1. After your first planet visit just send one person with high exploration. This just saves money.

2. To save more money, set up an exploration into an area with one person with high exploration. Leave the battle at the end and then send in your actual fighting team.

3. Ability = attack so use those people for fights only! And keep changing them out since different characters have different maxes

4. Upgrade weapons and armor first! Research points are a pain to get so use them to get vetter gear first.

5. Have lots of space ports and resort hotels. Easy money and the best way to get research points.

6. Upgrade tech last. And I mean the tech that makes you more money. The food one should get 2 upgrades, but you dont need more than that. Machine and electronics use the same materials, so pick one. Mining can get some upgrades, but dont bother finishing it until you have the volcano area. Same with demolition. Rocket doesn't need to be fully upgraded either.

And that's it. Can't wait to play the next game, Pocket Clothier! One of my personal favorites~

[megashadowdragon]

Lancelot had a (b)romance with the half-giant king, Galehaut. Some fun stories about them

Galehaut's forces were laying siege to king Arthur's and looked as though they may prevail but before clinching victory, Galehaut offered surrender on the condition that the mighty black knight who fought so valiantly (Lancelot) become his friend. Arthur accepted the terms then Lancelot and Galehaut adventured together.

Galehaut helped cover for Lancelot and Guinevere, allowing them to use his castle for secret meetings.

He later encouraged Lancelot to move somewhere else where he could be with her even though it meant they'd never see each other again (his giant blood and own kingdom meant he couldn't leave).

Upon (false) news that Lancelot had died, Galehaut is said to have died of either loneliness or heartbreak (Lancelot had been kidnapped then driven mad so it wasn't completely implausible).

When Lancelot died, instead of being buried next to any of his three-ish wives, he chose to be laid to rest in the grave Galehaut set aside for the two of them so that they could be side by side for the rest of time

Gilgamesh is an architect nerd

Heracles madness and invulnerability isn't just due to his labours and being too strong to control

He had an actual moment of pure madness due to his invulnerability, his wife gifted him an undershirt that had been soaked in the blood of a centaur that tried to rape her, Heracles killed the centaur with an arrow coated in hydra blood, the hydras blood was deadly to all living things except those of divinity, the centaur knowing why it was dying told her if she felt her husband was cheating on her all she had to do was make him wear the cloth and he would fall completely in love with her and she gave him it as a gift

The hydra blood poisoned him but due to his inability to die he was stuck in perpetual pain and death with no cure he was eventually driven mad, during his madness he hit one of his friends so hard he sent them hurtling into the ocean, during his madness he commanded the building of an enormous pyre which once completed he threw himself on top of and set it on fire, hoping to burn his body into nothingness before it could heal and release him from the poison

I've never heard of a telling of Atalanta's story that has her die in that incident. Every version I've seen that includes that incident says that the two of them were transformed into lions.

As has been mentioned in other comments, FGO did address the existence of Chrysaor in Gorgon's Bond CE, and Mordred proposing to Guinevere, IIRC, is brought up in Fate/Apocrypha.

As for others...

While only addressed in the FGO Materials (and said materials note that it's unclear if this applies in the Nasuverse), some tales say that Medea and Achilles were once married.

There's one tale that happens before Heracles' labours, where he is tasked to hunt a supernatural lion (not the Nemean one). One version has him be rewarded for his success by being allowed to sleep with all 50 of the local king's daughters - Heracles beds and impregnates 49 in one night, and the only reason he didn't go for a full 50 is because one of the daughters wasn't DTF like the other 49. The other version has the hunt take 50 days, and each night Heracles is permitted to sleep with the king's eldest daughter... except they've plotted such that in the darkness, each night a different sister would crawl into bed with him, resulting in all of the sisters getting pregnant.

Heracles spent a couple of years as a lover to a snake-woman (who may or may not have been Echidna) during one of his labours (she was keeping Heracles' horses captive, and wouldn't let them free until she'd had three kids from him). One of their sons, Scythes, became the serpent-woman's heir, and is said to be the king for whom the Scythians were named. The other two sons either joined or founded other neighbouring tribes.

Going by Le Morte d'Arthur, Gareth gets really violent with cock-blockers (or, I suppose in the Nasuverse, clam-jammers). The first time, the intruder got their head cut off, but Gareth ended up being stabbed in the thigh and that ruined sexy-times. The second time, Gareth cut the intruder's head off, broke the skull into itty-bitty pieces, and threw them all into a moat... but sexy-times got ruined again because the fight re-opened the previous thigh-wound and the blood-loss nearly killed Gareth.

solomon and sheba

It varies depending on which version of Arthurian legend it is, but in Thomas Malory’s version, upon learning that mordred is an incest bastard, and Merlins prophecy that mordred will destroy Arthur and his kingdom, Arthur puts every baby born on the same day as mordred on boats and sends them away in hopes they all die, which obviously doesn’t work. I enjoy it because it makes mordreds hatred of his father a bit more understandable, and while he’s still a pretty bad dude, I feel for him a bit. Although in fate, mordred is my favorite character so I’m a little biased towards both her, and her actual counterpart

Arjuna

- "Endowed Hero" is a bullshit title. Arjuna and his brothers, due to being son of Pandu, was forced to be exiled and live in poverty for 14 years.

- Among Drona's student, he is the bravest among them. Even Karna's reason to study more under Parasurama was due to his jealousness toward Arjuna.

- Yudhistira is strong in using chariot and spear, Bhima in using mace, Arjuna in archery, Nakula and Sahadev in using sword. Despite all of that, Arjuna is better in technique than all of them in their respective forte.

- He got his astras by doing wrestle with Mahadev himself

- Among the youngling during Kurukshetra war (it means excluding Drona, Parasurama, and such. Oh, excluding Krishna as well), only Arjuna have fought non-human enemies and won.

Karna

- He's always the one with the obsession to beat Arjuna, not otherwise. Always want to be acknowledged.

- It's true that his armor is immune to everything thrown by Gandiva and even Chakra Sudharsana itself, but doesn't mean Karna is unbeatable. What impossible is to kill Karna, not beat him. Karna already loses 2 times against Arjuna before Kurukshetra war, either fainting or fled.

- Once Karna fought against Bhima. This battle happened years after Karna trade his armor with Vasavi Shakti. Both participants fought with normal weapon. No astras. No gods interference. No blessings. Bhima beat him so hard that Ashvattama needs to carry him.

In Greek mythology, Heracles was given another trial for some reason and he was given to a queen for said trial. The queen tried to humiliate him by making him dress up in women’s clothing and do knitting while she would dress up in his Nemean lion pelt and go into battle, essentially reversing gender roles. Well it turned out that the plan backfired on the queen as Heracles actually came to enjoy knitting. He said it was a calming exercise for him, so he actually found a new hobby out of this trial instead of humiliation. Needless to say that I would find it hilarious if we found berserker Heracles knitting a sweater for one of the children and ritsuka and mash catch him in the act. Just imagining a hulking behemoth like that knitting would be a hilarious image.

[thelibraryofthacey]

[Closest thing to a grim reaper the psychopomps have. I used a halberd to approximate the scythe, I think that's pretty standard. Not that monsters have to use the same weapon stats as players.]

Vanth (CR 7)

Medium Primordial (psychopomp), neutral

Space 5 ft. Reach 10 ft.

Initiative +3

HP 102 (12d10 +36 Con)

AC 16 (natural armor)

Proficiency Bonus +4

Str 18 (+4) Dex 16 (+3) Con 16 (+3) Int 11 (+0) Wis 16 (+3) Cha 15 (+2)

Saves Dex +7, Int +4, Wis +7

Skills Acrobatics +7, Insight +7, Intimidation +6, Perception +7, Religion +4

Condition Immunities poisoned

Damage Resistances necrotic, radiant; piercing

Damage Immunities cold, poison

Senses darkvision 60 ft., spiritsense 60 ft.; Passive Perception 17

Languages Primordial, Abyssal, Celestial, Infernal

Speed 30 ft, Fly 40 ft.

- - -

Spirit Touch: A psychopomp’s weapons are magical, and can target creatures in the Ethereal Plane (such as those under the effects of Blink.)

Spiritsense: A psychopomp can automatically pinpoint the location of any creature with a soul within 60 ft. of them.

- - -

Innate Spellcasting (Spell DC 15, spell attack bonus +7): The vanth’s innate spellcasting ability is Wisdom. It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components.

3/Day - Blinding Smite, Branding Smite, Guiding Bolt (3rd level, 6d6 damage)

- - -

Actions

Multiattack: The Vanth uses Frightful Presence and makes three attacks with Reaper’s Scythe.

Reaper’s Scythe +8 melee weapon attack, reach 10 ft., 9 (1d10+4) slashing damage and 9 (2d8) damage of a type depending on the target’s creature type.

Undead creatures take bonus radiant damage

Constructs take bonus force damage

All other creatures take bonus necrotic damage

Frightful Presence: Each creature of the vanth’s choice that is within 120 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 14 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature's saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to all vanths’ Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours. This action ignores immunity to the frightened condition if the target is undead.

Bonus Actions

Summon Scythe: If the vanth is not currently holding its scythe, it either summons it into its hands, or creates a new one if it has been destroyed.

- - -

Tactics

Run up and smack ‘em with your scythe dog! It’s a pretty straightforward attacker (with reach!), but it gets to use Smite spells for extra pain and status effects! Guiding Bolt is there if you need a ranged attack, but for the most part they wanna charge at a squishy and eviscerate them.

- - -

Lore

Vanths guard the Astral Current itself, though they are reinforced by more powerful psychopomps when needed. Many are the creatures that would attempt to divert souls from their course, whether out of greed, hunger, or mercy, but the vanths do not permit anyone to approach the Current, and respond to any attempt to do so with lethal force. Their signature scythes are effectively a part of their bodies, and they cannot truly be disarmed of them.

The psychopomps are a mysterious group of creatures that oversee the machinery of death. While they are infamously reticent about their history, methods, and motives, scholars have uncovered evidence of a time before the Astral Current and reincarnation, and a popular theory states that the psychopomps, or their predecessors, created it. They certainly maintain and safeguard it now, as anyone who has found the Current in the Astral Sea can attest, having likely been driven off by waves of the creatures. Their realm lies somewhere in the Astral Sea, but no one has yet found it and returned to tell of it. A few who have been invited to take a portal there directly report an island made of bone, and buildings made of stone embedded with fossils.

[phantomwarrior12]

Old Wounds

How long has it been since she's been home?

Lord Shaxx watches as the Young Wolf materializes mid-stride, her ship battered from the floating wreckage of the Glykon. A rifle he hadn't seen before slung across her shoulders doesn't go unnoticed and the Warlord smiles behind his helmet.

Of course she'd return with a new gun - what actually surprises him is that her vault can still hold the litany of weaponry she's recovered over the years. His amusement ebbs after a moment, gaze drifting along her frame for any semblance of damage as the Young Wolf pauses beside the Tower's chief mechanic. As she allows her Ghost to relay the extensive damage to Holliday, Shaxx takes note of a few singe marks that hadn't been there before, a few new dings to her armor. Altogether, she seems fine - humoring the playful chiding from the mechanic before she finally turns to face him. The air around them shifts, sparking with Arc and Solar Light as their eyes connect.

How long had it been since she's been home?

He strides toward her and he swears it's relief that washes over her frame. She moves - albeit slower - toward him. She must be exhausted. All the more reason for Shaxx to scoop her up in his arms, her smaller frame weighing next to nothing for the Titan.

"Welcome home, Guardian," he says softly, clinking his helmet gently against hers.

Her only response is wrapping her arm around his neck and clinging to him. It's then that he realizes her Ghost had transmatted the weapon from her back and he is grateful for its foresight.

Over her head, Shaxx notes the nod of approval from Holliday, a genuine smile tugging at the corner of her mouth before she turns and sets to work on identifying which part of the list Ghost had given her warranted the most attention.

"Time for bed, I think," he chuckles and he can see more than feel the shift of her hood against his chin. She'd nodded, of that he is certain. Sometimes he wishes she'd speak, utter a single word of confirmation here and there. But he understands why she doesn't. Ever since Cayde-6, she...well, words are sparse. He does miss the sound of her voice - it's been so long since he's heard it. Even before Cayde's death, she hadn't spoken often, but it was often enough when they were alone.

Many things have changed since then, the Young Wolf, especially.

But there is a constant in all of this. Something he has no doubts of even after all this time. Something he clings to: her feelings for him. They are apparent in every interaction; every touch, every kiss, she cares for him deeply and that is all the Titan requires. He can survive without her words because her actions, her touch, every subtle movement of her lean frame tells him the same: she loves him and that has not changed.

It doesn't take long before he's carried her back to his quarters, setting her down and she gives him an appreciative pat on the chest. He watches her move off to go shower away the spore residue and Hive fluid while the Titan gets changed for bed. His helmet is set on the desk in the corner of the room before shutting off the light and sliding beneath the blankets just as the water shuts off.

He listens to the rustling from the bathroom before the door slides open and he looks over. With the moonlight streaming into the room, he can make out an oversized tshirt - that is no doubt from his top drawer - hanging over her frame like dress. His eyes follow her as she deposits her helmet beside his on the desk. Her back is to him and yet, he can see her head is turned toward the window that faces the hanger.

He knows where her thoughts lie on nights like these. Post-missions are always the most difficult. She'd grown used to giving reports directly to Cayde. They'd been close friends after all, and dare the Titan suggest, like family. Without him, there's a void in her heart, like a key piece of who she'd been is gone.

But then again, she tries to suppress it. Tries to power through because it's what he would've wanted. There's so much Shaxx wishes she'd tell him, starting with what it is he can do to ease that ache. Vengeance had only done so much - in fact, the only time the Warlord had been even remotely wary of the Young Wolf was the night she brought Cayde's body back to the Tower.

The chasm in her eyes, the silent determination. It wasn't the Young Wolf he'd fallen in love with and what came back still has a tendency to toe that darkened line. But she holds on, if not for him, then for Cayde.

It's then that he realizes how long it's been. A matter of minutes at most, but it feels like an eternity. At last, he finds his words, lifting the blankets as he does so. "Come to bed, dearest."

She jolts as if he'd broken a trance and she pivots. Soft rays of moonlight cast across her features and the sadness she's trying so damned hard to conceal glints in emerald eyes.

"Come on," he beckons softly and she shuffles slowly across the small room toward the bed. Usually it's only a few strides and she's there but there's a reluctance to her gait. Slow and measured and meandering all at once.

It's unlike her.

Perhaps some discussion of her mission will calm her, give her the sense of giving a report to someone she trusts deeply without actually having to do so. Or perhaps it will simply give him some insight into what jarred her on that mission.

"Your ship looks to have been damaged." He begins awkwardly, his eyes watching her every movement.

She manages a slight shrug and a vague gesture of the hand to signify dismissal.

"I suppose it was a wreckage, that's to be expected."

She nods her agreement as she climbs onto the massive mattress and slips beneath the covers he'd held up for her. But she doesn't move close to him like she usually does, just lays on her back, eyes trained on the ceiling above her.

What had gone through her mind in that shower that caused such a stark contrast from the hanger?

Lord Shaxx lays down beside her, resting on his side. "What are you thinking about?"

She shrugs again, tugging the blankets up to her chin.

"You can talk to me, my little Hunter. I'm right here," he props himself up on his elbow, studying her intently.

She appears to hesitate, take a deep breath as her eyes flicker to and fro on the ceiling before she can finally find the words.

"Found the Guardian onboard. Torn to pieces, strung up." She says softly.

"That must have been a gruesome sight." He rests his hand over her forearm beneath the blankets. He can feel the tremor of her muscles beneath his fingers, feel the subtle flare of solar energy cascading against calloused skin. She's barely keeping it together and now he needs to know why.

She nods after a moment.

"...there was something else, wasn't there?" He pries softly.

She shakes her head, gathering herself to speak. "No, just - I was too late. Always too late, Shaxx. I couldn't save him like I couldn't save--" she trails off and he can see the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes.

So, there was more to it.

He shifts closer, slowly leaning his head down to press a kiss to her forehead, "I know. I know it feels that way. But you made it in time to save Osiris and Crow. You aren't always too late--"

She looks up at him for the first time. She doesn't believe a word he's just said, he can see it in her eyes. But there's something else, relief, perhaps? Appreciation? No. It's tired but acknowledging all at once. She gets his point but doesn't believe it in that moment.

It's a look he rarely sees, especially from her.

There is nothing he can say to correct that voice in her head - nothing she'll believe anyway. So, he settles for the only thing he knows will bring her comfort: cuddles.

He gathers her against him; strong, solid arms wound tight around her small frame as he holds her close. "It'll be alright," he assures her softly and she clings to him. He can feel her nails digging into his shoulders, the pain dull but there - he doesn't say anything. She breaks down and still, he holds her. Waves of solar energy cascade in soft waves against his frame and still, he holds her.

What she saw took her back to that fateful day in the Prison of Elders. Of that, he is certain. The powerless feeling must have been overwhelming and he wonders for a moment if the slow gait in the hanger hadn't been exhaustion, but grief. Now that he thinks back, she had seemed to stare past Holliday, not responding when the mechanic had looked toward her.

It doesn't matter now.

She's begun to drift off in his arms, sniffling softly as her forehead rests against his chest and there is no Light washing over him. Sleep will do her good, just as those tears had done the same. She's a long way from recovering entirely, but this is a step. She's reopened an old wound and perhaps - perhaps this time she'll face those demons rather than suppress them.

Perhaps she'll speak again, maybe even smile that playful grin he hasn't seen in three years. He can hope but he knows one thing with absolute certainty: he will be at her side through all of this.

The Crucible doesn't have time to consider loss. The only way is forward. But, perhaps, just this one time - loss must be the focus.

For her sake.

--------------

Forevers: @halo-2 @reaped-winnower @genken64 @sugarcoated44 @cayde-6 Shaxx's Guardians: @ataraxia101 @squirrel-stars @rain-wolfe

[crossoverworldtree]

Kinesis

Telekinesis and Pyrokinesis are covered in the expanded rules for Buffy and Angel RPGs, but there are more things people move with their mind than that.

These qualities all use Telekinesis are their basis, and unless contradicted, operate on the same wavelength.

Bio-Kinesis: 5 points per level

Bio-Kinetics are better called Protein Kinetics. But they do horrible things to animal life with just the merest thought or wonderful things.  Bio-Kinetics can heal 2 damage per SL in a Willpower + BK test, or deal Armor-ignoring damage to any target within range at the same rate.  This is extremely painful and forces a Willpower + Constitution + Resistance (Pain) or Resistance (Powers) test against the attack roll to avoid being paralyzed with screaming pain. Biokinetics naturally heal slightly better than regular humans.  Where they heal their constitution per day of rest, they heal their Constitution + Biokinetics level.  It's very tempting for BKs to make minute changes in the body to cause massive harm, but the limits are what they are.  Unless they have X-Ray Microscopic vision, targeting small parts to cause heart attacks and strokes is a no-go.  What occurs when a BK attack is mass spectrum rupturing of cells that is insanely hard to focus.  Strokes and heart attacks are the results of powerful BK attacks.

Electro-Magnetic Kinesis: 3 Points per level

This ability has had some stuff on it before, but I'll expand here.  This is an Energy-manipulating ability that can also affect metals.  On its own, it can create EM Shields (AV SL x 2/SL x 4 vs. Metal) or create sparks of energy dealing SL Electrical Damage at pistol ranges and forcing electronics to make Constitution (or equivalent) rolls against the attack roll to resist shut down. Alternatively, against flesh it can be used to create a stream of stunning electrical current (resisted by either Con x 2 or Con + Will), putting a -2 to all actions for SL turns, dealing 1 damage per SL.  This also halves the damage of an electrical attack.

When using Metals, it works like TK, but shields made of metal are either 3 x SL in AV or 4 x SL, depending on if it's a soft metal (like Gold or Copper) or a harder material (lead, iron or steel).

It also has the basic abilities of material Kinesis types.

Material-Kinesis: 3 Points per level

Earth, Water, Air, and Wood.   These elements are all commonly manipulated under the label of specific psychic powers.  There are two ways to do this.  One is to have TK with the Limited Use drawback applied once to the character.  This is the more complex method.

The basic rule of being able to lift and manipulate SL Strength worth of material still holds, but in some cases, more fun can be had with the results. Various constructs can be formed by manipulating the elements (each lasting 1 turn per level of Willpower per Success Level) to defend or attack enemies.  This is also true of TK, but few Telekinetic see a need to do this out of sheer sloth and overconfidence.

To construct a weapon, she must decide what weapon she wants and gain enough success levels equal to the damage multiplier of the weapon. So, a pig sticker needs only 1 success level, but a claymore needs 5. 

Each element has its own effects, and a subset element (such as paper) can have up to 3 points worth of special abilities in addition to the elemental abilities.  Success Levels can be instead used to by special abilities for the weapon, such as converting it to ranged (-3 Success levels) or other weapon modifiers expanded upon in other places, with 1 success level equal to 2 points. Making a rock spear armor piercing would need 4 success levels.

Other items she can create (such as ride-able paper airplanes and ropes) are treated as transmutation spells, requiring the psychic to achieve a number of success levels equal to the cost of the spell effect as determined by the GM, but the time limit remains.

All elemental Kinetics need to have the material on hand to effect it, obviously. 

Earthen Elements (Rocks, not metals) Are the sturdiest and toughest.  Armor created with it varies depending on what's available.  Soft materials (Sand, loose dirt) grant 2 x SL AV either as an armor construct or as a quick shield.  This increases to 3 x SL with softer rocks (Sandstone, mudstone) and 4 x SL for harder stones (Granite, Marble).  All constructs grant a +1 to Strength when used.  Outside of softer rocks, fine manipulation of sand and harder stones is done at a -2 Difficulty depending on the task.  Soft materials have trouble forming hard weapons and objects/barriers well, and hard rocks have problems moving and being flexible/fast.

Water is the most common natural liquid manipulated.  Controlling other liquids is possible but invokes the limited use options.  Changing water between its elemental forms takes only a single action.  Water grants 3 points when forming bizarre weapons and abilities for its constructs instead of 2.  Shields erected with water grant 3 x SL armor.

Air is the weird one.  Because it's everywhere, there's always enough of it, but because it's invisible, it grants a +2 to all combat actions taken with it.  When forming armor and defenses with it, though, it only provides 1 AV per SL or can be used to deflection bonus for other defense actions (1/2 SL added to the attempt).

Plants or Chlorophil are also pretty weird.  Wood and even green plants can provide the user with 3 x SL AV when used defensively.  The Chloro-Kinetic can, however, generate and promote/restrict plant growth to always have the force they need (Depending on the species).  This grants them a very effective green thumb and can even force plants to flower or produce fruits with simple tests.

Umbrakinesis is perhaps the simplest of them in nature but in spirit the weirdest. This strange ability manipulates darkness.  It works as Telekinesis, but has penalties or bonuses based on how much darkness there is around them. High Noon sunlight or being under a spotlight puts a -5 to the tests.  Indoor Lightning puts things at -3.  A windowed room with the lights off is at 0.  A room with the lights off and the blinds closed grants a +1.  A night street in a city grants a +3.  Midnight in the middle of the wilderness far from any city grants a +5. 

By bending shadows, it can also provide a bonus to hiding, at +1 per 2 Success levels.  Like Telekinesis, it can be maintained for several rounds.

[lacependragon]

 @sparkvoid “Lace drop your favourite mods list.”

Okay. Keep in mind these are all for FORGE on 1.16.5. Let’s go.

Powah! A really fun power generation mod that is easy on the game and based on tiered technology. There’s no penalty for forgetting something, as even reactors just shut down if you forget a coolant. The colours are gorgeous, the ideas are fun, and the cable system is A-Tier.

Mining Gadgets. A really fun laser mining mod that lets you create one of three tiers of mining laser. It is charged with RF/FE, and you can add upgrades onto it to give it fortune, magnets, etc. I love this thing so much.

Mekanism. Easily the most complex tech mod in 1.16.5. Mekanism let’s you mine JUST ores, separate liquids into their component parts, create gases, and even quintuple your ores in processing. It has so many little parts that setting up a factory is just a whole lot of nonsense but in a REALLY good way.

Sophisticated Backpacks. My favourite backpack mod. You start with a low tier backpack and upgrade it all the way to Netherite. It even has upgrades that let it void items, magnet items, and auto collect into its inventory rather than your basic inventory. It also has a keybind to let you open it without taking it off.

Curios. The successor to Baubles, Curios let’s you equip non-armored items into specialized slots, like necklace, back, etc. It lets you carry more trinkets around, usually from other mods, and the backpack from the above mod can go into the back slot and you can SEE IT.

Double Slabs. This might be the best thing in Minecraft. You can stack different slabs together. No more shall you suffer with decisions! Not only that, it also allows for vertical slabs and you can orient them in anyway you want either on the edge or CENTRE of a block. And the lighting! Works! No weird shadows! I could scream.

The entire Macaw collection. Macaw makes amazing decorative mods - doors, gates, fences, furniture, windows, roofs, trapdoors, and more. They’re all gorgeous, they all go into the game beautifully, and they all have fantastic logic. The windows OPEN and you can GO THROUGH THEM. It’s brilliant. Just brilliant.

Easy Hammers. Plenty of mods have their own hammers, but I like to be thorough. Hammers break a 3x3 space, with the block you focus on being the centre. They’re made with 5 of the same material and two sticks and they are fast, gorgeous, and have a TON of durability. Hammers. For making mining more fun.

EmendatusEnigmatica. Okay, so hear me out. This mod was made for Engimatica 6, a modpack, but it allows you to manipulate your ore gen, both modded and vanilla in a way you can’t with other mods. Turn off the ore gen in all your other mods (provided EE has the ore), then open the config on this and go wild. I have iron almost doubled in my configs from the default because modded takes so much.

Cooking for Blockheads. Build a functional kitchen in Minecraft. Oven, fridge, etc., and you can use the counter to see everything you can currently make. The sink is an infinie water source and probably the most infamous item in here because it attaches to pipes from all mods and takes up one block.

Ocean Floor. Hey you know how finding sand/gravel/clay is a pain in the ass and modded needs all three for some reason? This changes all oceans to have these three as its primary floor. Some dirt, too, but lord is this so good and useful.

Pam’s HarvestCraft 2. All parts. One of the best food mods out there. It’s got so many CROPS and so many TREES and it’s got a MARKET BLOCK and it’s just so much fun. I love making all the different foods just because I can. And having such a diverse farm just feels right, you know?

Silent’s Gems. Gemstones! They make weapons. They make pretty blocks. They add MORE ORES to your world. What else could you want? Pretty!

Peaceful Surface. So, I am a coward. The mobs in Minecraft upset me deeply but I cannot play on Peaceful because I need the DROPS. So, this mod helps with that. It makes it so monsters can only spawn at Light Level 0. This makes the surface WAY more peaceful and also makes caves with lava in them easier to handle. It’s much less scary.

Biomes O Plenty. The OG biome mod is still my favourite, by far. I love the autumn forest biome and I hunt one down in every world I make. It’s so gorgeous. I love all the different biomes and how different they are, while still working in the scope of Minecraft.

EnderStorage mixed with some kind of chunk loader let’s you drain the nether of its lava. What more do you need? Basically, it creates a more sophisticated version of the Ender Chest and a Tank, which have three colour bars. Set the chest/tank to a string of three colours, with Minecraft dyes, and it’ll link to every chest/tank (must be same) with the same colours. Even across dimensions!

Refined Storage. Y’all sick of CHESTS? This makes your storage DIGITAL. ENTER THE NEW AGE. It’s so much simpler than Applied Energistics and I love it so much more. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it’s highly expandable and has lots of good add-ons.

Item Zoom. When you hover over an item in your inventory screen, or any screen that is a menu, it shows a bigger version on the left hand side of the screen. No longer do I struggle with textures.

There are the ones I adore the most, but I’m sure that’ll change as I get deeper into playing again. It’s been a while. Thank you for asking!

[onychaos]

Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis log 1

So, it is time to track my progress in Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. It has been a while since I did this, and figure I do it again. Should be fun, I hope.

02/18/22

Augmenting my new gear

My new weapon: Cinquem Rod+40 has been augmented. The augments are slightly weaker because they are level 2 versions of augments and not level 3. I will try to see what I can get later on and I need to get the new gear or units.

 Schwarzrosso Armor is something I don’t have the funds for, and probably won’t get updated to +50 for a good while, but I’m not here to sweat this game. I did what I needed to do in Base Pso2. Everything in New genesis is extra for me.

Once I get the new gear to +50, new genesis will be on the sideline, and if progress takes too long, new genesis will be on the sideline as well. lol

My new units will not replace the old ones at this moment in time. But later on, I will be able to replace them, I hope.

Materials 

The Materials I have at the moment, not many but the list will grow later on.

Farming with randos

It was pretty fun farming with randoms, and not my guild. It is nice to see new faces and meet new users, and they were pretty nice and chill.

They were there to farm and get exp and Materials, and when it was time to leave, we all said goodbye. It is moments like that I like that somewhat keep me playing certain games a bit longer. Kindness with me goes a long way.

Dark Falz with guild

Dark Falz with Witching Hour was fine. The urgent quest, not trying to party up, that was awful, lol. Making a party is still awful in my opinion, that won’t change. Still, a pain in a half but the boss was fun, not on the same level doing this in a public urgent quest, now that was fun. People getting hyped and happy for the first time doing this.

The run with the guild just felt empty for me, but it was able to clear. The magic was missing but a lot of the magic for me has been missing and this urgent quest is bringing back some of that lost magic but it’s something.

It is Sodam from Phantasy Star Online 2 but in a different form. He reminds me of Sodam, and that is not a bad thing. I liked sodam, it was the fun end-game raid. I am still rocking mostly +40 gear that is now outdated but gets the job done. 

Day 1 has been something interesting.

02/20/22

Dark falz w/ guild

It is 01:05:17 AM and still in the lobby waiting. An interesting “start” but things finally took off with the party but it was fine. Nothing worthy of note. The UQ is still fun but there is no magic there. Kind of dull doing this with the guild.

02/21/22

dark falz again

I’m teaming up with some people I do not talk to outside of pso2, and waiting on Alu who went brb. It is fun but I don’t know. The UQ is fine but getting dull. It’s like eating or watching a rerun of a show you love but you start to get sick of it.

This UQ is the same, no less with this guild. It’s not fun anymore. The guild is sorta empty. It feels like I am playing with robots but I remember these are not robots but min maxers, causal players, giga hunters, and others!

Level 44 Gigas

If you like giga, you do you. Not wasting my time killing a giga, time I could use on more important things and games. Why no? They take even longer. If all you play is this game, then pso2 giga is “not bad”

I play many MMORPGs, if something is a waste of time, I’m going to use that time elsewhere. And If I get +50 gear, I will maybe do giga, but as of now, I have no interest in doing giga “content” even less now.

02/22/22

weapon updates

My Cinquem Rod+40 is potential 1 and it feels stronger than my other weapon, but not strong enough to pass it in power. Progress is slow but sure, and I’m happy at least. However this weapon will be outdated in the future, but for now, it is good.

Dark Falz pug

I logged on and saw that Dark Falz was getting started or going to start and I saw some witching hour getting ready to party up, and I got asked to join a party. Me not knowing any better said ok. And learned, the party I was in was going to join a public urgent quest.

By this logic, I could have joined the public urgent quest and had the same result. Next time I will ask before joining, and on the same note, Elpha is still a work boss. Can’t treat Elpha like alu or dae yet. And the guild members are co-workers I talk to if I have to do so.

Witching hour Picture day

we took pictures. Though, it’s more like a time capsule when someone gets banned/ leaves/ whatever reason. :o I suppose we can take pictures for the one day that someone leaves or whatnot.

02/23/22

Dae and alu funds

So my frens helped me get some mesta to get me the better gear and because of them, I was able to get my Cinquem Rod to +50 and good augments and got a good unit and because of this I got some new good gear for the time being or until new gear comes out.

Dark Falz

I can now somewhat do damage in this urgent quest. And it is a good feeling. :o I feel like this will be a relik 2.0 but of course, that will be like that when I get enough scales, but that will be a long way away for now.

02/24/22

purple trigger lv 44

I did the new purple trigger with Elpha, Wren, and Alu to see where I stand in the giga trigger, and I can help clear 4/5 of the bosses there. I am strong but not strong enough to clear

But It was fun to do at least. And when I can clear it. I will do it for the fairy dash. I don’t care about the relik weapon anymore since getting it now would be up to chance on getting the right weapon.

02/25/22

Please don’t do this. | Public Dark Falz

Alu said there was an urgent quest and I already knew it was full. And so, I logged on to do it and I spoke up. Prob my big mistake there. Which, Shiro spoke up and asked if I wanted to be Party 4

And time to incoming rant. 

If there is one thing I hate about some of the Witching Hour members is that once they get in a party, they just go silent and it feels like talking to a bunch of bricks, And is this mean? no. At least speak up and say, “Sorry, I’m in a party”

Like that has been a thing in this guild, and it is pretty annoying when you get asked to make a party and the whole guild goes silent. If I get asked to make a party, I think I will go silent. Like how hard is it to speak up and say “oh, sorry, I’m in a party” or “oh, I can’t join, I’m in a party” They have no problem talking up a storm about random stuff?

There are moments where I like this guild, and there are moments where this guild turns me off. I’m not gonna leave but I hate being asked to do something that boils down to me wasting my time. 

I swear, sometimes these guild members can get under my skin and it’s the little things that build up over time until they hit the boiling point. This guild is full of bakas, bakas, bakas. I suppose it is why I am so distant from the guild members, save a few. It is whatever.

But on the upside, Public Urgent Quest went ok. It was not bad but not good. Could be worse. :o

[talesofsonicasura]

Wonderful Hunter

Chapter 1: Awakening

Life was very odd when it came to the future. Sometimes souls are brought together in the most extreme circumstances...in a bang. Warning: Description of graphic injuries and swearing! Rating Estimate: Teen

I never wanted to be a hunter. Ever since I was little, there was a desire in me to perform. Dance on the stage to my own melody, to bring awe and in wonder for others to witness. A dream that I never had a chance to grab.

To perform in little free time, what wasn't taken by vigorous unwanted training. Nearly every piece of money made to buy materials with the purpose of crafting costumes was placed for ointment to mend any injury or ailment. A toy soldier who wished to no longer have a winding key.

Who would've thought that day where the key had broken was the day I died?

"What the hell did you do?!" The soft whir of electricity echoed through the void in a massive blur of distortion. Voices clear for all to hear but so jumbled that a possible identification of even a gender was impossible. Under all that chaos was a quiet heartbeat. "The machine is overloading! Everyone evacuate immediately!"

That soft whir grew into a high pitched whine as a formed cacophony alongside the harsh thuds from thousands of stomping feet. "___?! No, come back it's too dangerous! Leave that mongrel behind!" Growls of pain and concern from some unknown animal blend together with the crackle of electricity.

An explosion of bright white and velvet purple burst throughout the void with that heartbeat going silent and a small voice hidden amongst it all. Despite the darkness filling the abyss, sensations of phantom pain, muffled voices full of concern, and hands across the skin, that one voice overrides them all.

"We had a good run, pal. Misfits always stick together, ____."

Bright red eyes opened with a harsh start, their owner fully aware of the unfamiliar dimly lit room around them. These confused ruby orbs belonged to a young man around his mid 20s, and almost nude except for the black boxer briefs. Wild cherry blossom pink hair that ends halfway down the man's back, soft peach tan skin, 6'8 tall body sculpted with lithe but powerful muscle and covered in various scars.

Some of these healed wounds were mild such as scratches, bite marks, punctures but there were extreme ones from burns whether it be acid, electric or fire, 2 in deep lacerations to even a large bite mark on the jugular of his neck. Part of the man's body such as his chest and arms were covered in fresh gauze bandages paired with a crude makeshift splint on the right arm.

Raising an eyebrow, the young man removed the bandages whilst breaking the splint with a harsh pull before he took in his surroundings. The room seemed to belong to someone with a rich background from the decor alone. Pastel blue walls lined with beautiful expertly painted portraits, furnished dark oak dressers, a large vanity, double king sized bed complete with silk sheets, pillows, and hard oak frame, large oak wardrobe and three separate doors.

If anything, this made the man feel very out of place. He did catch what looked to be a pair of clothes folded by a table near him, a note on top of the stack. The pinkette delicately got out of the large bed and walked over to the table. 'Dear guest, sorry if I had to leave you a bit underdressed but your wounds needed to be addressed. Hope these would suit you until your wounds finally finish healing. The discussion about the armor would be a later dealing. Sincerely, Maestro of Wonderworld Theatre, Balan."

The man couldn't help the snort or raised eyebrow from the rhyme scheme of the note. His caretaker had left a plain white shirt and long black pants, the material being silk from spiders by the feel of it. Placing the clothes on, he noticed it was a perfect fit suspiciously as it wasn't too tight or loose.

Upon leaving the room, the young man fully understood where he was. It seemed to be a theatre, well, if a theatre was mixed with the dimensional size of a small mansion and aesthetics of a castle. The grand small staircases, rafters above a tall ceiling, fancy torches hanging through a few corridors and the various posters of different shows being some evidence.

As the pinkette walked down the halls, he couldn't ignore the feeling that he was either being watched or led somewhere. The corridors felt wrong, almost if the walls were alive and shuffling each other. He also can't forget the sensation of invisible eyes on his lone form. Whatever the case, the sound of someone talking or to be precise, two people grew louder.

"You are not touching my guest, Lance. Even if the man is odd, I will still hold a defensive stance./ That human isn't normal. Something you would easily notice if you drop being formal. Injuries on his flesh were those that can kill any human. You aren't blind to that weapon and armor made from materials that aren't of man."

Both voices were definitely male in tone and their owners' clearly arguing. The first voice was deep and had a texture similar to smooth chocolate, a type of sweetness paired with charisma. The second voice was softer just as it was light in pitch, however there was hidden animosity to the calm yet alluring tone, a siren luring their delusional prey.

All of it was coming behind a slightly opened door, perfect to peek through or eavesdrop. Quietly the pinkette tiptoed over to the oak frame, ruby eyes looking into the room on the other side. This particular door led to what appeared to be a bar from the kegs put on the side of the bar stand and the various liquor bottles stacked on the shelves behind it.

Sitting at a table adjacent to each other were two humanoids, both being significantly different from the other. The only traits these two oddities shared were their tall 10 maybe 11 ft tall forms, peculiarly thin waists, tendril-like hair, performer attire, spindly arms and spindly legs. Other than that, they could be considered Yin and Yang or opposites.

The one on the left had soft jellyfish-like pastel green hair similar to dreadlocks, pitch black skin, a large perpetual toothy smile, and amber yellow eyes that peered through his hat. A sparkling white hat bearing a red ribbon which acted like a mask for those odd eyes, red cravat, long sleeved short white coat with gold elegant rims, a black tuxedo vest, short red cape alongside fancy white gloves, long glittering white pants that were ruby red past the thigh with gold rims on the bottom, and white pointed shoes.

His opposed companion looked more human except for some glaring details. Deathly pale skin highlight by soft dark violet, long elven ears, blue eyes bearing slit pupils that dwelled in yellow iris, sharp clawed fingers, and long black tendrils with elegant markings in various colors such as green, pink, blue and yellow that sprung from the man's back but was also his hair.

A pitch black bodysuit with gold rims, torn long sleeved short violet cloak bearing elegant gold embroidery for a top, white mask shaped pauldrons on his bony hips and gold toed shoes made for nasty kicks. Wine glasses sat between these two eldritch like entities.

"Dragging others into darkness might be your role, but this one isn't taking a more grizzly toll. He is also greatly injured and like you said could've been dead if I didn't help instead." Spoke the top hatted male, that deep velvet voice belonging to him. It also meant that the darker counterpart had to be Lance from what the pinkette heard outside.

The young man scanned the room, ruby eyes looking for anything familiar to him. His focus immediately sharpened on the glint of darkish violet poking from a large wooden crate, belonging stripped off the pinkette. Carefully and quietly, the man opened the door then slipped inside.

He stuck close to the floor and moved about as the two slender giants were focused on their conversation. It was almost comical how the young man traveled on his hands and feet like a predatory cat, stealthily approaching the target without a sound.

The pinkette was about to reach for the box when the unexpected happened. The door he went through had slammed itself shut with a loud thud, both giants immediately pulled out of their conversation and watched as the chairs parted away from each other. An act that put the stunned human on full display, a deer in the headlights or hand in the cookie jar situation.

No one moved as it was a silent staredown, neither were expecting the chairs or door to come to life like that. It was the man who immediately broke out of his stupor first, the pinkette sidekicking the crate. The box shook as an object was flung out of it by the harsh force, a gun.

It was a double barrel shotgun that was an inky sinister violet in color, the barrels were that same violet but lightened to a red color by the end, the handle of the gun mimicked a dark violet scabbard bearing tannish gold spiral patterns on the side, bone like caparace similar to a segmented blade lined the bottom of the gun barrel and held the trigger within a bone like cage.

With very fluid movements, the pinkette grabbed the descending gun from the air by the handle and spun it until he was holding the trigger whilst the barrel was aimed at the two taller entities. Sapphire and amber could see the subtle cautious fear hidden in those steeled ruby orbs.

"Who the hell are you? And where am I?" The pinkette's voice was slightly rugged, fire within the husky baritone, and a bit of a growl in the pitch. You could hear how deadly serious the human male was at the moment from his voice alone. Lance and his unnamed companion carefully put their hands in the air, sudden movements would only spook the pinkette further.

"There is nothing to fear, you are completely safe here! Please put the gun down, such an item used in a theatre is a huge frown!" Even that giant smile remained despite the slight twitches that showed the top hatted male's nervousness, well, that plus the beads of sweat and now dot sized pupils.

Lance merely raised an eyebrow at the weapon. "You do know it is rude to destroy those bandages you were given? Balan had some difficulty but his will to help you was focused and driven." Those words made the pinkette lower his weapon but not drop it.

He contemplated the words then thought back to the note. Whatever conclusion that came to mind was enough for the smaller man to put the gun down on the table, something that eased the room's occupants. "That means you're Balan? Fucking hell. What the hell happened to me?" The pinkette questioned as he went to sit on the floor only for a chair to move in place instead.

An action that made the human jump back in shock, nearly kicking the chair. "Bloody hell! My day has already been Congalala shit so I really don't need all these magical shenanigans! Please tell me you have some liquor to spare." Balan and Lance could only look at each other completely aware of a very odd explanation.

Not even 5 minutes later, the pink haired man had down half a bottle of wine as he now sat with the taller odd men in the room. Massaging his head, the mortal man finally spoke up. "So I am in a magical sentient theatre that serves as a gateway to someone's heart. You two, mainly Balan, are tasked to use that magic to bring balance to anyone whose heart is out of place upon entering. Nearly godlike beings who performed this task for over 3000 years?"

The top hatted Maestro nodded his head in agreement while Lance took another swig of his wine glass. Both of them ignored the pinkette swearing under his breath, the guy was having a bad day so it was normal. Although none of them could deny that this particular person was anything normal at all.

"Alright. My name is Val'tah, Val'tah Choso and I'm a Monster Hunter." Val'tah quickly raised his hand up before Balan and Lance almost immediately shot out of their seats. "Whoa! Not that kind of hunter for Namielle's sake so don't have your knickers in a bunch. Do any of you have a pen and paper?"

Magically upon request, the mint green haired performer took out a pen and notepad from behind his cravat. Rolling his eyes, the hunter took the items and began to draw something on the paper. Val'tah then placed it on the table for both Maestros to see.

It was a sketch of what looked like a dragon made completely from stone. Stony humps that grew bits of moss protruding from the back, a tail that looked like large pebbles strung together, even flat wings to a wide meteor shaped body and narrowed rhinoceros-like face. "That is a Basarios, a Monster or species of monster."

Lance and Balan looked at the picture with curiosity. It definitely explained why the man had that sort of weapon or armor. "Hunters are sort of like mercenary peacekeepers. Whenever a monster starts a huge ruckus or someone has a job in monster infested territory, we get called to do it."

Taking a swig from the wine bottle, much to Balan's distaste, Val'tah continued. "We don't have to slay targets such as the Basarios if we want to. A Hunter has permission to capture and relocate any large monster to a better habitat, something that I usually do. Where I'm from, it's our duty to keep the balance of not only the ecosystem but between human and monster kind."

A hum of acknowledgment rumbled from Lance's throat, it was almost comical in a sense. Normal hunters have various goals in mind when it comes to hunting: glory or survival. This was the first time hearing about ones who bring balance amongst more dangerous fauna and humans. How very ironic.

"Very interesting, to imagine there is a world beyond the realm of our understanding. There is still a question, how did you end up in our sacred bastion?" Balan's question rang through Val'tah's head alongside a bit of pain. Memories flashing through the pinkette's mind as a look of solemn horror crossed his face.

"I'm remembering it now. I was assigned to an expedition to investigate some odd ruins located near Wyvern's End, a den of a very dangerous monster. Those ruins were actually a machine that accidentally turned on and… I think I was caught in an explosion. Dear Namielle, I think I died."

Silence washed over the room, it was so deafening that a pin drop could be considered a bomb going off. Balan's perpetual smile dropped into a neutral frown, horror crossing his eyes upon the hunter's visage earlier. Severe burns on the unprotected skin and his arm in a very unnatural angle...Wait.

Any other chance to say anything was stopped when a look of abstract terror and grief burned within Val'tah's eyes. "No…! Buena was with me. She must have got caught in the blast too! Where's Buena?!" The pinkette shot out of his chair, the piece of furniture hitting the floor with a loud thud.

Neither Lance or Balan could grab the hunter before he ran for the door, the hard oak opening into a gray expanse of rocky terrain than the actual hallway. Not that the change deterred the hunter as Val'tah ran in but surely took the two Maestros by surprise.

"The theatre opened its doors to a new world never seen before! Could this be the hunter's trauma born from his core or is it something more?" Balan was quick to pick out the growing intrigue within his darker counterpart's words. There was more going on with Val'tah but they couldn't figure it out without finding the man.

Both Maestros quickly ran through those doors to catch up with the hunter and his questionable head start. It appeared that the gray expanse was actually the part of a larger mountain, a steppe to be more accurate. Thick deciduous forests could be made out past some of the gray rocky cliffs other than the one the door led them there, vast yellow fields of grass and very rough uneven terrain laid alongside unknown fauna than just plants.

Or the terrifying large nest made from various sticks, broken logs, ivy, bones of different creatures; humans included, and large egg shell remains of whatever species made it. The only indication that this world was made by Val'tah's heart were the small floating islands and giant airborne accessories or props.

Ribbons woven through part of the forest, a showman's cane that hung by the cliff leading down to the grassy plain, masks hanging across the stone walls, and instruments disguised as plants or rocks playing beautiful music bearing a tribal origin by the beating drums, whistling flutes and sitar strings being strung.

"How very odd and peculiar. This place must be spawned from a memory very familiar. It will be harder to avoid any wrong, when the aura of this world is heavily strong." Balan spoke wearily, a feeling that they were being watched prickle the fuzz on his skin. There was also the strong sensation about splitting up being a very bad idea.

Using the cane to slide down to the forest below helped give both theatre dwellers a quick glimpse of the surrounding areas before they hit the ground. For a split second, Lance swore he saw something large moved through the trees. Whatever it was, it was too big to be Val'tah or any of his familiars.

Both Maestros landed on a reddish clay ridge, small ledges to an almost natural stone bridge connected the large ditch at the center, a small stream of water passing down the middle, various large mushrooms and beehives leaking honey from multiple branches. Or that they weren't exactly alone.

Grazing about the area were deer, their pelts were a dark green speckled by white dots that overlapped a soft peach underbelly, large grayish silver antlers for the males whilst the females had short black horns and azure eyes that stared at the duo. Some of the deer continued to munch on the flora while the others kept a wary gaze on Balan and Lance.

"Definitely inhabitants of Wonderworld but not quite. I think these deer were crafted by Val'tah's memories that hold powerful might." If these animals shared similar traits to their earthly counterparts, the Dark Maestro knew they were relatively harmless unless provoked.

Another thought then immediately crossed Balan's mind. "If these creatures are here, then we might have more to fear. These deer are prey…" Suddenly the various green pelted beasts rose their heads up, ears twitching as if they caught something the other two hadn't.

"Wouldn't a predator cause dismay?" The top hat wearing man really didn't like where things were going as the large herd began to scatter immediately when the sound of heavy thuds could be heard. One deer was running for the bridge, the thuds stopped and both Maestros only had time to blink when something large and purple snatched the scared fawn off the stone ground.

"Holy shit." Balan would've scolded Lance for foul language if they didn't have a bigger problem on their hands. The body of the snatched deer hung limply from the jaws of a giant purple monster. A 69 ft hulking dark violet draconic tiger, its body mostly covered in violet and yellow edged plates of caparace like armor bearing a ruby red underbelly, a short tigerine snout that held large sharp teeth and two large tusks at the ends of the mouth, giant jagged yellow horns that mimicked those on the helms of samurai which also covered long thin ears or the burning azure eyes.

Both front and back legs held four digit paws carrying razor sharp claws or what looked to be long yellow spikes on the forelegs, and the large reptilian tail that ended with a three pointed Spade spear. Balan and Lance watch the deer disappear into the beast's mouth, minced to pieces down its gullet and the feline smiled with blood tinted fangs.

Or that the draconic tiger let out a threatening roar right at the duo as bright blue fire burst from the edges of its mouth like a miasma. They barely had the chance to jump out of the way when the giant beast bounced at the two, sharp claws shredding through the dirt as if it were paper.

"This is a beast we'll have to fight or neither of us will come out alright!" Violence wasn't something Balan often indulged in but he knew there were times that he had no choice. Facing his hands forth, small spheres of yellow energy manifested on the maestro's fingertips before tossing them in the form of arrows.

With a wag of its tail, the draconic tiger brought forth burning blue will o' wisps and launched it back with a tail swipe. Both volleys of energy exploded into fireworks of their respective color, the armored beast leaping through the smoke with claws alight in blue fire.

Lance quickly dove under the beast while Balan flew over to the left side, the Dark Maestro flared out the tendrils on his back then slammed into the beast's unprotected belly alongside a vicious uppercut. The violet tiger felt the pain but took the opportunity to release a thin burst of glittering blue powder from its body before being launched into the air by Lance's attack.

Whatever the blue powder was irritated the raven haired male, the sensation being a mixture of itchy powder and bubbling hot grease. "Lance, look out!" Balan's shout made him look up at the airborne beast, the spade of its tail had opened into a trident as it swung the limb through the air.

The momentum being enough to correct the beast's position and trajectory so it could dive-bomb the Dark Maestro like a burning blue meteor. Neither of them expected for that particular powder to ignite upon contact as Balan watched his dark counterpart get flying by an azure explosion from his own body.

Creating a larger blast of yellow energy, the hat wearing man threw it at the violet tiger before heading over to his fallen ally. It let out a howl of annoyance upon the projectiles not only striking it's face but burst into a thick mustard smokescreen that made the feline gag.

Lance laid slanted by the tree he had hit, burn marks sprinkled over parts of his skin and clothing was singed too. "You okay, Lance?! This beast has more frightening power than just a ferocious stance!" Balan spoke, carefully helping his counterpart off the ground.

The movement made the elven male let out a mild hiss before shaking the greenette's hand off him. "As much as I like seeing you frown, this beast needs to be taken down. Balan, watch out for any powder from the skin of the hide, you'll lose more than just your pride."

Sharp claws of the draconic tiger swept away the hatted maestro's smokescreen. Bright blue fire burning burst the open jaws, the feline was absolutely pissed as even more azure fire spewed from the legs and tail or that the yellow ridges on the back and forelegs were now giant blades. It let out a furious roar forcing Balan and Lance to prepare for another attack.

That was until the entire world became silent, all of the instruments had oddly stopped playing. It was quiet until the sound of shamisen strings being plucked filled the still air with an orchestra of intimidating brass to follow in its wake. Sinister sounding melodies of violins and shinobue flutes were met with someone walking out from the brush.

It was Val'tah, a violet mask resembling the tiger donned on his face alongside dark violet coat with golden fur sleeves, dark violet hakama trousers decorated in elegant gold patterns reminiscent of fire and swords, two fake tails similar to the violet beast sewn on the back and without any shoes, only barefooted.

Balan and Lance stood speechless as the pinkette did something neither of them expected. The hunter had begun to dance in a style similar to those done by kabuki actors. His arms glided through the air, bits of glittering violet powder produced from the sleeves creating streaks in the air with an appearance mimicking purple misty fire.

Val'tah stomped his foot to the ground to spread out the mist like powder around him, the man spun into a short pirouette so he could stop in the Dragon Stance found in martial arts. It was like the hunter was manipulating magic to flow with his elegant and entrancing dance.

The sinister orchestra went perfectly with Val'tah's movements. Beating of hand drums, male chants with an ominous tone, shinobue flutes paired alongside the plucks of the shamisen and strung chords of the violin told a story on its own. A ritual performance of omens and cautionary tribulations.

Balan and Lance couldn't look away, neither could the beast who appeared to be calming down. The long yellow caparace blades lower themselves back into thin ridges, the trident tip of the tail collapses into its spade form and the eerie blue fire burning around the beast sputters out. Bright blue in its eyes dimming into a soft mellow teal.

Val'tah spun on the ball of his feet before transitioning into an aerial kick. The pinkette then used the momentum of the kick to position himself so he could bring down his arm in for a slash. He landed on the ground in a predatory stance, nails of his right hand dug into the soil, feet spread apart with knees bent for a crouch, left arm held out behind the man and the tiger mask facing the spectators.

The hunter then twirled himself into a backflip, all for the purpose of landing on his feet with his arms held and hands pressed together while the fingers were positioned to mimic fangs. Val'tah pulled his arms apart and let out a loud beastly roar with the final loud beats of the drum, the draconic tiger letting out its own roar in unison.

The pinkette took off his mask once the music returned to its more peaceful counterpart. "Glad I made it in time or Buena would've torn you to pieces. Luckily the Sonata of Omens can be played here or I would've been forced to do an acapella." Balan nearly choked upon the words Val'tah just said.

The giant hellish tiger that spews blue explosive fire was the hunter's friend?! Something Lance couldn't help but state the inquiry out loud. "You telling us the beast that nearly had us ravaged, is your companion that you ran off to scavenged?!"

Val'tah sheepishly scratched his head and let out a soft chuckle. The beast or Buena groomed their paws as if nothing happened. "She is a Magnamalo and they tend to be... tenacious predators. Buena is unique since she's friendlier than the regular 'malo, at least to me and any friend of mine."

Balan had a feeling there was more to this odd bond than just a story but… "At least your missing friend has been found, even if she treated us like a steak for a pound. Best to return back to the theatre, Lance got burnt bruises that need gauze by the meter." The top hatted Maestro then clapped his hands together as a giant door formed behind him.

It was big enough for the large Magnamalo to go through without any hindrance. Val'tah had a feeling there was going to be more magical convenience when it came to this odd theatre than just the taller duo living inside and a magical replica of the ritual clothing for the Sonata of Omens. Something to think about when he tries to figure out their situation.

And that's it! Yes this is a crossover between Balan Wonderworld and Monster Hunter but also my first Balan fic too! If you guys don't know, Balan Wonderworld is one of the games I've recently got and wholeheartedly. Sure it had problems but it was a delightful experience throughout my entire playthrough.

If you do decide to get the game, wait until it goes on sale. The full price isn't really suited considering the huge controversy involving it's development.

Our two star characters of this fic are an unlikely pair.

'The Hunter Who Wished To Dance' and owner of the mysterious 13th Door in Wonderworld: Val'tah Choso. A Monster Hunter who strived to become a performer but forsaken the goal partly for his ward, Buena.

Buena is a subspecies of Magnamalo called Will-O-Wisp Magnamalo. They expel blue fire often mistaken for spirit orbs and can engulf their body in an armor of azure fire for offensive defense. Only the Sonata of Omens, a mysterious ritualistic dance can calm a rampaging Magnamalo.

Until next time folks! I'll see you back in Wonderworld.

[grailfinders]

Fate and Phantasms #112: Shuten-Douji

Today on Fate and Phantasms we’re making the ASMR oni and boss of Mount Ooe, Shuten-Douji! Spirits, Poisons, and Being an Oni will be yours to command with this build!

Check out her build breakdown below the cut, or her character sheet over here!

Next up: What is this, 8 Bit Theater?

Race and Background

Shuten is a demon, but the closest thing we can get in D&D is the half demon Tiefling. As a child of Fierna you’ll find yourself very persuasive thanks to the free Friends cantrip you get as part of your Legacy of Phlegethos. You also get +1 Dexterity (thanks to Tasha’s) and +2 Charisma, Hellish Resistance to fire damage, and Darkvision. 

Giving Shuten a human-based background is a challenge, but you certainly act the part of the criminal more often than not. This gives you Deception and Stealth proficiencies.

Ability Scores

Make your Charisma as high as possible- there’s definitely something charming about you, given that golden kid keeps hanging around you despite rising odds of decapitation. Speaking of, make Constitution your next stop. Getting your head taken off does a lot of damage, and you have to be able to survive that. Your Dexterity should also be pretty good- you don’t wear much of anything, and yet you’ll probably want to live. Your Strength isn’t too bad- Oni generally have good strength, we just needed other stuff more. You’re not stupid, but Intelligence wasn’t high on the list, and finally, dump Wisdom. You take a shot every time you use your NP, that can’t be good for your wisdom saves.

Class Levels

1. Sorcerer 1: Oni don’t play by the rules, and neither do we. We’re making Shuten a Toxomancer, a class that didn’t exist before now, and whose existence is based on Plane Shift material, making its existence even more dubious. (For anyone wondering, it’s based on the Pyromancer class from Plane Shift Kaladesh, just with everything Fire replaced by Poison instead.) This gives you proficiency in Constitution and Charisma saves, as well as Insight and Persuasion. You certainly know how to run a party, at least.

Like all sorcerers, you can cast Spells thanks to your Charisma, which is your casting ability. Unlike most sorcerers, you come packing a Heart of Poison; whenever you cast a 1st level or higher spell that deals poison damage, creatures of your choice within 10′ of you take half your sorcerer level (minimum 1) in poison damage. So your aim’s a little off when you pour, you’re not hearing any complaints!

As far as cantrips go, grab Infestation because why not, it’s poison damage, Acid Splash and Poison Spray for more thematic damage dealing, and Shape Water to control your drink after it’s been poured. For spells, you can cast Mage Armor to help not die and Ray of Sickness to sling drinks around at a farther range.

2. Fighter 1: Don’t worry, we’re not getting too crazy with multiclassing this time. We’re just here for sword skills and Unarmed Fighting. You can literally rip people’s organs out with your bare hands, you should at least be good at punching people. You can also use a Second Wind for a bit of healing as a bonus action once per short rest. There’s always time for a drink break.

3. Sorcerer 2: Second level sorcerers become a Font of Magic, giving you Sorcery Points that can be turned into spell slots and vice versa. Thanks to your Legacy of Phlegethos, you can also cast Charm Person once per long rest as a second level spell, forcing up to two humanoids to make a wisdom save (DC 8+proficiency bonus+charisma modifier) or be charmed by you until the spell ends in an hour or you do anything harmful to it. Slapping people sobers them up- don’t do it.

You can also cast Tasha’s Caustic Brew this level, throwing acidic drinks as long as you can keep your concentration up (for a minute), which clings to enemies until they wash it off. Wine stains, am I right?

4. Sorcerer 3: Third level sorcerers can use Metamagic to change up their spells at the cost of sorcery points. Specifically, you can use Heightened Spell to give your enemies disadvantage on their sobriety saving throws, or Extended Spell to keep the party going even longer.

Speaking of, at this level you can break out the cheap hooch by casting Blindness/Deafness, mostly the former.

5. Sorcerer 4: Use your first Ability Score Improvement to round up your Charisma and add a bit to your Constitution as well. You also get one last gift from your Legacy, letting you cast Suggestion once per long rest as well. This lets you charm a creature that fails a wisdom saving throw, forcing them to perform an activity that isn’t obviously harmful within or for the next 8 hours. Once again, don’t hit them.

Speaking of spells, this level lets you cast Sword Burst because you’re not going to be good with physical attacks for a while and Enhance Ability to imbue yourself or others with oni strength, giving them advantage on strength checks. (Or dexterity, constitution, intelligence...)

6. Sorcerer 5: Fifth level sorcerers can find Magical Guidance in their magical powers, letting you re-roll a failed ability check if you spend a sorcery point. You also learn how to cast Sweet-Smelling (Stinking) Cloud, a 20′ radius cloud that obscures the area, and forces all creatures in it to make a constitution saving throw each turn. Those who fail waste their turn in a drunken stupor.

7. Sorcerer 6: Sixth level Toxomancers have Poison in the Veins, meaning you resist poison damage, and your poison spells ignore resistance. Your wine gets sweeter, and you can still get high on your own supply! You can also cast Hypnotic Pattern now, which is roughly the same as Stinking Cloud, but there’s only one chance to get charmed.

8. Sorcerer 7: Seventh level sorcerers get fourth level spells, like Conjure Shadow Demon. I’ll level with you- I was really hoping we could get Contingency later so you could summon a demon upon your own death for a funky sort of guts, but Wizards just had to be special and keep it for themselves. You can always just say you’re bringing Ibaraki along for some fun.

9. Sorcerer 8: Use this ASI to grab the Poisoner feat. It lets you ignore poison resistance on all damage rolls, not just spells, you can poison blades faster, and you can make potent poisons with a poisoner’s kit, which let your weapons deal extra poison damage and poison the target for a turn.

You can also cast Confusion to throw your enemies into further disarray.

10. Sorcerer 9: Use your first 5th level spell slots to grab Cloudkill for a wine powerful enough to melt people, dealing 5d8 poison damage to any creature that fails its constitution save in the cloud.

11. Sorcerer 10: For your next Metamagic option, grab Subtle Spell. You’re not very loud in general. You can also cast Prestidigitation, because we’re running out of good cantrips, and you can make good on that “drinking people” threat with Enervation! If the target fails a dexterity save, they take 4d8 necrotic damage, and you gain hp equal to half the damage taken. For the next minute (with concentration) you can automatically deal the damage each round as an action.

12. Sorcerer 11: Now that you have sixth level spell slots, you can cast Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise, turning you into a proper oni! While it’s active, you’re Immune to fire and poison damage, as well as the poisoned condition. You get +2 AC and can attack twice as an action, plus your weapon attacks are magical and you can use charisma instead of strength for the attack and damage rolls. (You also get a flying speed, and there’s an upper planes version, but shush.)

13. Sorcerer 12: Use this ASI to max out your Charisma for the most oniing an oni can oni!

14. Sorcerer 13: For your seventh level spell, grab Power Word Pain to get one creature with less than 100 HP severely drunk. Each turn they’re charmed, they can only move 10 feet per turn, and has disadvantage on all attacks, checks, and non-constitution saves. Every time they try to cast a spell, they have to pass a constitution save first, or waste the spell. At the end of each turn they can try to pass a constitution save to end the effect.

15. Sorcerer 14: You’ve become so infused with alcohol that when you get hit wine pops out, like a boozy piñata. Thanks to Toxomancer’s Fury, you can react to taking a melee hit to deal your level in poison damage to the attacker, ignoring any resistance. 

16. Sorcerer 15: Your drinks get even more potent thanks to your eighth level spell Power Word Stun. This instantly stuns a creature with 150 hit points or less, and it stays that way unless it can pass a constitution save at the end of its turn. Feel free to hit this one, they won’t feel it until the morning.

17. Sorcerer 16: Odd numbers make us sad, so use this ASI to round up your constitution with Durable. Now each hit die is guaranteed to give you twice your constitution modifier. Given that means you’re getting at least a 6 on a d6, that’s pretty good.

18. Sorcerer 17: For your last Metamagic grab Empowered Spell, why not. Your drinks are already so potent they can instantly kill a human thanks to Power Word Kill, which can kill any target with less than 100 hp.

19. Sorcerer 18: You’re now so steeped in wine it’s soaked into your very essence. Your Poisonous Soul makes you immune to poison damage. Any spell or effect you create also ignores poison resistance and treats poison damage immunity as poison resistance. I would definitely argue that this would include any poisons made from your poisoner’s kit, because who doesn’t love a little boozing? (I should point out this means you’ve got wine strong enough to give Jing Ke a buzz.)

20. Sorcerer 19: Use your final ASI to grab the Tough feat for 40 extra HP. Not the flashiest way to end a build, but at least it’s not sorcerous restoration.

Pros: 

Poison might be a common resistance/immunity, but you can eat through those defenses and deal with them as they come up.

Your charms and poisons alike give you great crowd control options, in both lethal and nonlethal flavors. You can shut down an angry mob you want to reason with thanks to Stinking Cloud or Hypnotic Pattern, or just slaughter them all with Cloudkill!

With almost 200 HP, features that rely on close range and getting hit, and Tasha’s Otherworldly Guise, you can hop onto the front line for a bit to give your regular tank a rest- at least for a round or two.

Cons:

You can get around resistances later, but your early levels still have you relying on Poison and Acid damage for most of your attacks. Like I said above, you’re still relying on the most resisted/immune to damage type in the game.

Unlike your poison, your other spells never get any less resisted. Tasha’s Caustic Brew is one of your most efficient damage spells from level 3 until level 10. Or at least it would be, if it wasn’t for being acid based.

Your Low Wisdom means you might fall for someone else’s charms as easily as they fall for your own. Suddenly being a tough, poison-spewing demon isn’t a good thing. Ah well, there’s always next party.

[starlightsearches]

The Runaway—Ch. 3

It was supposed to be like any other bounty. Just another job. But when Din Djarin meets a runaway trying to escape a tragic past and a bleak future, everything changes. (Set after the events of Season 1, no spoilers for Season 2)

Masterlist

Din Djarin x f!reader (no y/n)

Series Warnings: Language, canon-typical violence, mentions of abuse.

AN: Near-death experience in this chapter, but that’s the only extra. Feedback is always appreciated!

Din squints into the darkness, hardly able to see even with the adjustment his visor makes to the steadily dwindling light. He doesn’t show it, as he leans up against the rough-hewn entrance to your makeshift home, but there’s a stiffness to his muscles after the journey here—his legs aching underneath the weight of the armor, and the sun had been inescapable, beating down on both of you like the wrath of god. Although it’s setting now, the heat hasn’t abated in the time since and underneath his armor Din’s clothing is clinging to his skin.

“It’s around here somewhere,” Din can just make out your shape now, a dark smudge against blacker surroundings, but you move with confidence and quiet surety as you search around the small space. “Ha! Here it is,” there’s a faint click, and the little hovel you’ve led him to is filled with a yellowing light that stutters against the walls before steadily growing brighter. You swing the flashlight around in small, sweeping motions and Din takes it all in, his heart shriveling in his chest like a life-vest with a leak.

“It’s not much,” you say quietly, watching him out of the corner of your eye, “but it’s far from the worst place I ever lived.” Din doesn’t want to know what those places were like.

You’re hunched over, practically in half, but the dirt of the roof still scrapes at the top of your head, little crumbles of dust nesting in your hair as you move. He has no idea what stuff you’ve planned on grabbing—there’s nothing here worth taking. You’ve got a meager supply of food, stacked against the far wall, high off the ground to keep it away from any pests, but no table, no place to build a fire. There’s no bed, either, just a mat and a blanket so threadbare it seems to be made of holes. He can’t take his eyes off the blanket, the blood draining from his face; for a moment, he thinks he might be sick. His fingers curl in on themselves, twin fists resting at his sides, and he wishes that your father were here, right now. He’d end him.

“Hey,” Din turns at the sound of your voice and finds you kneeling at the edge of the back wall, near the mat and you’re looking up at him expectantly—Din wonders how many times you’ve tried to get his attention. You wait for a moment, and he nods to show that he’s listening. “Can you help me with this?” He’s not sure what this is, as you point at the wall—a gesture that gives him no helpful information—but he agrees, the child following closely behind as he takes his first step inside. 

 Din crouches, but only manages one or two half-steps before falling to his knees, which is all it takes to cross the distance from the door to the place where you kneel. You push the flashlight into his empty hands before lowering yourself to the ground. 

Starting in the bottom corner of the room, you rest your palm against the wall, stacking your hand one over the other with careful precision and Din shines the flashlight in your direction without asking any questions. About halfway up the wall, you begin to move towards him, walking your hands along the wall until you’re leaning over him, your body stretched across his without ever moving close enough to touch.

The light falls across your face, your lips moving silently casting strange shadows on the wall behind you before you stop just on the other side of him, the tip of your finger carving a soft x in the wall. “There,” you say quietly, just a soft puff of air against the side of his mask.

You lean back, taking the flashlight from his hands, sitting back on your legs, looking at him expectantly. Din is at a loss.

“I need you to hit the wall where I marked,” you say, characteristically cryptic, “really hard.”

Din looks at the wall, examining it more closely; unlike the rest of the packed-dirt structure, this side seems rock-solid underneath the caked-on, crumbling dust. He hits it hard enough, he could break some fingers, at best. 

You see his skepticism through the mask, shuffling a little closer, “it’s a false wall,” you say, retracing the x with your fingers, “I built it myself when I first came here—couldn’t just leave my stuff out in the open.”

“Why didn’t you keep it under your mat?” Din asks, still hesitant. That was the standard procedure for most of the criminals that Din had encountered, although he’s not sure that you fall into that category. Thieves among thieves will target their own if needed, but it’s futile to try and steal from anyone who sleeps on top of their possessions. Especially when there’s a blade under their pillow. 

You roll your eyes at him, “because that’s the first place everybody looks.” Din makes no move to do as you’ve asked, and you examine him more closely, your eyes searching the mask for the answer to a question that you haven’t yet asked. There’s a pause, a shift in the momentum of this conversation, this partnership, “don’t you trust me?”

Din sighs, rolling his eyes at you and he thinks some part of you knows because you smile as he pulls his fist back, his eyes on the carved x.

“Then again, my hands could have grown in the time since-” you blurt out in warning, but Din’s already loosed the punch. He closes his eyes, unwilling to watch the impact, waiting for the snap of bones, but it doesn’t come, his hand crashing through the wall amid a shower of dirt. 

It’s not a large break in the wall—Din can feel both edges of the space you’ve created without much movement, the tips of his fingers brushing the back wall while his wrist is still visible. He pulls his hand from the crevice, brushing the dirt from his glove and you fill the place immediately, shining the light and digging around in the illuminated opening. 

“Here,” you shove something into his hands, still focused on the crack in the wall. Din takes it, glancing down.

His eyes blow wide when he sees the item—a necklace like a collar, made of woven gold and blood-red gemstones. It’s caked with dirt, but still sparkles in the evening light, each stone throwing fractured ruby streaks against the walls of the room.

“Is this real?” Din asks, unable to keep the awe out of his voice. He’s not sure what kind of material the necklace is made of, but it looks expensive. He starts the mental tabulation: fuel costs, food, repairs that need to be made. New weapons to be purchased, toys for the kid. Maybe even an upgrade for his armor.

Before he can finish the thought, you’re shoving more jewelry his way—handfuls of glittering stones and expensive metals. Din sways on his knees, light-headed.

“I think that’s the last of it,” you turn to face him, shifting into a sitting position. You hold your hands out, and Din lets the collection fall into your waiting palms. You begin to sort the baubles into small piles, brushing the debris from each sparkling surface. Din stops your hand as you’re about to place a set of delicate silver bangles next to a jewel-encrusted hair pin.

“What is all this?”

Your eyes flicker with confusion, trying to interpret Din’s response, and honestly, he’s doing the same. His hand stays on your wrist, his grip loose enough that you could break it if you tried, but you don’t, your stare fixed right where his eyes would be.

    “You told me you didn’t have anything left. That you sold it all.” His voice shakes as he looks at the extravagant spread, the necessities and indulgences he had been calculating earlier multiplying ten-fold. With this sum, you could buy . . . anything. But when he looks at you, your expression pained, he’s immediately chastened. There were some things that had no price.

    “I lied,” you say gently, watching as the child wanders over to inspect the treasures. Din moves to grab him before he can reach any of it, but you hand him something to play with—a simple golden chain—and he’s mollified for the moment, pulling at the object with his little, green hands.

    “Why didn’t you tell me?” You both pull your attention away from the kid when Din speaks, and you sigh, brushing a few stray hairs away from your face with a rough hand.

    “I didn’t know if you could be trusted. For all I knew you were going to take it all and turn me over to my father anyways.” A huff of air escapes Din’s lips at your statement. There’s plenty you’ve left unsaid, words that weigh heavy on Din’s shoulders, a trust that he can’t fully fathom. It’s not just your life that you’ve placed so fully in his hands—it’s his, too, and the kid’s. With this, and the bounty your father had offered, he could buy a better life: no running, no danger, no bounties. He could find the child’s people, make sure he was safe. And then, after that, he could do anything.

    You knew all of this, when you brought him here. Din feels very small, sitting on the floor of this dingy dirt hut in the middle of nowhere, and this choice, this offering, feels much too large.

    You push the piles towards him, scooping them all together in your hands. “I want you to have it,” you say through shaky breaths, “for helping me.” 

    Din makes no move to take it, although he could. He grabs the strap of his satchel instead, tossing it into your lap.

    “Hold onto it for now,” he commands, “I don’t take any payment until the job is completed.” 

    You don’t move, lips parted and eyes on him. He thinks he might see the barest hint of tears pooling at the corners of your eyes, but they fall closed, and for the first time, Din can see what this means to you. You want to live. You want to be okay.

    You begin clearing up the jewelry, packing it into the satchel, slinging it over your shoulder. That’s when Din hears the noise, footsteps crunching over the terrain outside. He stops you with a finger to his lips, pulling the flashlight towards him and flipping the switch, throwing the room into darkness.

     His visor adjusts to the shadows and his eyes follow soon after. You seem to know that something is wrong, and he can see you in the eerie green light that the mask offers as you pull the child into your lap, looking up at him with wide, worried eyes.

    Din moves quickly, back on his feet and out the door in mere moments, scanning the black horizon with careful eyes. He catches their flickering light source first—three people, he assumes based on the cadence of the footsteps and the soft chatter between them. The shortest one carries the torch, walking a few steps behind the others, and Din stands casually, waiting for them to notice him. His hand hovers over his hip, and he unlatches the strap on his holster.

    “‘S that you, Mando?” The familiar voice, one that grates like gravel against his ears, calls over the distance between them. He was right before; three people approach, but the man in front is the only one he recognizes, and everything gets more complicated. 

    “Hello Tate,” Din keeps his voice even, folding his arms over his broad chest, and the light from the torch flickers dangerously off the beskar. He hopes you’re hidden from view, with the child and the satchel. Din could get you all out of this with relative ease, as long as none of them notice your presence. 

    “Greef told us you were on the runaway job,” Dev says, and then he chuckles, “he actually told us not to bother.” He shifts his weight, leaning on one leg more heavily than the other. He’s got a blade in his hand, but his grip is casual, and he rests it against his hip. The other two have weapons as well—the zabrak on his right has a dangerous-looking club slung over his shoulder, and the twi'lek on his left carries a blaster in the hand not holding the torch. None of them seem too eager to use them just yet, and he’s not planning on giving them any reason. Still, he shifts again, resting his hand on his own hip, just above his blaster. Better to be safe. 

    “We decided to take our chances anyways,” Tate continues, eyeing the change in Din’s posture, “and with a bounty like that, can you blame us?” The others laugh, but the smiles don’t reach their eyes. “Somebody on the way to town told us to look for her out this way. We thought we might find you here.”

“The place was empty when I arrived,” Din gets straight to the point, “I think she might have left it abandoned. I’ve been waiting for her to return.”

    Tate smiles, “I thought you might say something like that.” 

    It happens quicker than the light flashing against his armor—weapons are drawn and he’s got the barrel of a blaster resting at the edge of his mask. Din keeps his own blaster aimed at Tate, but he watches the others in his periphery, tracking their movements. 

    “You gotta get a more subtle look, Mando, if you’re gonna be tellin’ lies like that. We heard from a few different people that they saw you chasin’ the girl out of the cantina.” He steps closer, twirling the blade with surprising dexterity given the meatiness of fingers, and from this distance, Din can see the dirt caked into the creases of Tate’s face, see the shadow of a beard growing over his skin. 

    “So now I’m forced to wonder,” Tate continues at a whisper, “where you’ve got her stashed if she’s not here, hmmm?” Din keeps silent, shifting his grip on his blaster, putting the slightest amount of pressure on the trigger.

    “Where is she, Mando?” he asks again, but  his gaze flickers to the zabrak, a movement so minute he almost dismisses it, until he shifts to check on the twi’lek. Din lets out a low sigh through his nose. Tate thinks he’s got the upper hand on him based on numbers alone. In his mind, he’s already won.

    “She back on your ship?” he asks again, growing impatient with Din refusal to accept defeat, “she out there with that little green freak you stole?”

    The sound of the shot booms in response and Tate stumbles back, hand at his midsection, checking for the burn of the blaster bolt, but it’s the twi’lek who falls, eyes rolling back into her head before she lands with a thump, the blaster falling from her hand.

    Din’s already aiming again, for Tate this time but the shot goes wide as the zabrak catches him on the shoulder with the club. His knees buckle and he fights to stay standing, blocking the next swing with his forearm. Wood clangs against beskar and Din grunts at the impact, pain sparking through his armor. 

    He’s hardly recovered before he hears the metallic slash, feels the burn in the open space where the pauldron meets his chest plate, and out of the corner of his eye, he sees red. 

    One of them hits him in square in the chest, and then there’s a boot at his neck. He places one hand at the heel, but the other isn’t cooperating—a strange tingle travels from the tips of his fingers up to his shoulder, and it burns, dead at this side.

    “Gonna ask you one more time, Mando,” Tate leans over him and Din sees black around the edges of his vision, fighting for every breath, “where’s the girl?” 

    Din says nothing, willing some kind of life into his arm, struggling against the weight of the world for one more lungful of air. He hopes you’ll keep the kid safe. 

    There’s a streak of red that shoots across his vision, and it’s funny to him; no one ever mentioned that as a part of dying, but he’ll accept it. There’s another—he lets his eyes fall closed. And then the weight is lifted, and he can breathe again, and he falls into a deep and restless sleep.

[raiseyourcups]

Cabur

Chapter Three

Pairing: Din Djarin x Original Female Character (slow-burn) Warnings: None that I can think of Word count: 2.1k

Note: I decided to change the update days to Wednesdays and Saturdays because I have so much of Season 1 already written and keep having ideas for Season 2.

Also on AO3 Masterlist

Summary: The Mandalorian fixes his mistake but gets himself into trouble. Aili is asked for a very big favor.

Aili had just handed the Armorer the bag of credits when she tensed up and the largest Mandalorian she had ever seen came into the forge. She had never really seen a lot of the Mandalorians in the Covert other than their bounty hunter but this guy was huge...and very blue. He paused and cocked his head when he saw her and Aili tried not to stare too much. She could almost feel the glare coming from him. It was impressive given the helmet that covered his face. She wondered how long it took Mandalorians to craft their skill in getting their emotions to show past their armor.  

“What is it?” The Armorer questioned, tilting her helmet slightly. She knew that he would not have come into the forge unannounced without a good reason. 

His helmet tilted towards Aili again before he must have realized that he was wasting time, "That di’kut got himself in trouble, he’s pinned down by the other bounty hunters.”

Somehow Aili just knew that he was talking about the only other Mandalorian that she had spoken to not even two weeks ago. How he managed to piss off the other hunters was a mystery to her since he never wasted any time speaking to them. The two of them had been in the Guild together for years and the time he tried to take her puck was the first time they had ever spoken. She was actually a little impressed. 

“Then we must go to his aid,” The Armorer ordered as if it was the simplest thing. As if it wouldn’t put the others at risk.

“We’ll be revealed.”

“This is the Way." And just like that the argument was over and Aili knew it was time for her to go. Whether that meant to leave the covert and help them or head back to her ship or...there was a problem. 

“You’ll need a plan to get the foundlings out,” Aili spoke up, already standing up so she could help in any way she could. “In case the Guild decides to go after you when you help he get away.”

“What do you know of the foundlings?” Big Blue growled out as he took half a step towards her. It took every ounce of willpower she had to not bare her teeth or grab her blaster. Shooting each other wasn’t going to help anyone right now. 

“Four of them are mine and if anything happens to them because you want to waste time talking, I promise you that I will not hesitate to kill you,” Aili threatened despite knowing that it was a bad idea. Big Blue had at least a foot on her but she wouldn’t let that stop her. She had taken down bigger targets than him, granted they had never been wearing what looked like 50-plus pounds of armor, but she could probably handle it. 

“Enough. Gather the others and go to his aid.” The Armorer ordered before turning to look at Aili. He knew a dismissal when he saw one and he left almost as quickly as he came but not with one more tilt of his helmet towards Aili. “Aili Verdella, I must ask something of you.”

“What is it?” Aili kind of hoped she was about to be told to take the kids and leave but she knew that was more than wishful thinking. They were Mandalorian foundlings and they would stay with the Mandalorians even if none of them had sworn the Creed yet. 

“Go to our beroya and help him,” The Armorer said as she held something out for Aili to take. “Show him this, tell him I sent you.”

Aili made no move to grab whatever it was. She didn’t like this request at all, didn’t like that she was being asked to just leave her girls. “Why would I do that when-" 

“Your ade will be fine, the foundlings will be first to leave should trouble arise and I’ll send them with the best warriors.” The Armorer said knowing that was the only thing that was making Aili hesitate. 

Aili shook her head, that wasn’t enough for her, wasn’t enough of a plan in her opinion. “That’s not making me want to agree, do you even have a way off planet if it comes to it?”

“Seeking passage will be...difficult but not impossible.”

Aili paused to think about her choices, none of them easy to choose from. But she finally made a compromise with herself, it was the best option and it was the only one that made the anxiety growing in her chest simmer away. “Take my ship, if I’m to join your bounty hunter then I have to leave my ship behind. It’s a Glowzee-class, more than enough room, and it’s fully stocked. Should have enough fuel to get you at least a few systems away from here.”

The Armorer stared in silence knowing how much this choice was paining the woman in front of her. To leave her ade behind, to leave the only home she had known for years now and to help someone she didn’t even know aside from their one tense conversation. 

“Vor entye. Now go before the fight is over.” She held her hand out more insistently for Aili to take the item in her hand. The bounty hunter hesitated for half a second before taking it, surprised to see it was a pendant. She didn’t know what it meant or how it would convince the Mandalorian bounty hunter to trust her but she wasn’t about to question it. She pulled off the vambrace that contained the controls to her ship and handed it to the Armorer. She wasn’t going to need it any time soon and she would feel better if the Mandalorians had it at the ready if they faced a blowback from helping their bounty hunter. 

Aili waited half a second longer before she spun on her heel and left the forge, wrapping the cord attached to the pendant around her wrist as she went. She paused at the sound of children asking where everyone was going and she wondered if she should say goodbye. The decision was taken out of her hands when a voice called out to her. “Ori’vod! Are you going too?” 

She turned at the sound, not sure if she was relieved or not. “Madsin, shouldn’t you be keeping an eye on your sisters?”

“They’re playing with the others. So you’re leaving?” Madsin questioned, crossing her arms over her chest. Her dark brown eyes were narrowed and it reminded Aili of how the other girl had always looked back before they came to Nevarro. Too serious, like she had never had a childhood which was true but it still hurt to see again. 

“The Armorer asked me to help your beroya. I don’t know how long I’ll be gone and I need you to watch your sisters. If someone tells you to run, you run and make sure they’re with you, I want you four to be the first ones on my ship. Got it?”

It was a lot to ask of Madsin but Aili knew it wouldn’t be a difficult order for the teen to follow. Listening to orders had practically been drilled into all of them before they were old enough to know what a blaster was. The fact that they were given said blasters soon after spoke volumes about their upbringing. Madsin stared at Aili silently before nodding. “Ret’urcye mhi ori’vod.”

                          *Run away to a place where you can breathe*

Aili skirted along the edges of the fire fight knowing that going into it would be pointless. The other Mandalorians were about to join in and that meant she needed to get to the Mandalorian bounty hunter’s ship before that. She also needed to get to her ship first and grab whatever she could because while she could handle being without certain comforts, she didn’t want to be without certain things. She’d seen his ship, she’d be surprised if it had a working heat system let alone a decent water system. She rushed over to where she had landed her own ship thankful that she had chosen to land near the Razor Crest for once. 

She shoved things into a couple of bags, not caring what it was for the most part. She did stop by her food supplies and take a couple of things, just in case the Mandalorian didn’t believe in keeping food in stock. She had no idea what he kept on his ship other than weapons and a carbonite freezer. And she only knew he had those things because she had those things. The sounds of the firefight were louder now, the Mandalorians having joined in and Aili let out a silent curse before hitting the control panel to close the gangway, jumping out before it had even begun to close. 

After dropping her bags onto the floor of the Crest, she didn’t have to wait long for him to show up and she couldn’t say she was surprised by his reaction. She would have done the same thing. She was surprised by his shiny new armor but that wasn’t her business. Even though she knew for a fact that beskar was hard to come by nowadays. She couldn’t help but wonder where he had found enough to get new armor from the Armorer though. 

“Why are you here?” The Mandalorian was quick to aim his blaster at her chest before he adjusted his aim towards her head. Looks like he had noticed that her cuirass was made of the same material as his own. He had something wrapped in cloth held against his chest and Aili wondered if that was what the fuss was all about. It didn’t look like anything worth a firefight but what did she know. She couldn’t even see what it was. 

“Your Armorer sent me to help,” Aili said, letting her palm open just enough for the medallion to dangle in the air. Even with the helmet covering his face she could read the surprise in his body language. She was about to say something when she saw movement behind the Mandalorian and she grabbed her blaster as fast as she could, aiming over his shoulder. As expected the Mandalorian bounty hunter did not like that.

"Don't even think about it Karga," Aili said as the Mandalorian spun around. With two blasters on him now Karga stopped moving forward knowing his chances of stopping Mando were dwindling. He was surprised to see that Aili had apparently teamed up with the Mandalorian. They had only ever met the one time and it hadn’t been a very warm encounter. 

“Now let’s just stop and think about this. You broke the Code and now you’ve dragged my second best into it?"

Aili bit her tongue to keep her comments to herself. Second best? They were tied at the very least and no one had dragged her into anything. She let her eyes shift over to the Mandalorian to see what he planned to do. 

“Move to the wall.” She almost missed the muttered comment but she was quick to hug the wall when the Mandalorian pressed a button on his vambrace. A grappling hook hit one of the buttons on the ship’s control panel and the bay filled with smoke. Karga shot his blaster, missing both Aili and the Mandalorian in his panic. Aili was about to take aim at him when the Mandalorian beat her and shot Karga out of the ship. It was a good shot and as much as Aili wanted to make sure he was dead, she knew the Mandalorian would take off without her without a second thought. And she had now promised the Armorer to help him so she stayed on the ship.

The Mandalorian stared at her for half a second longer, still holding the bundle in a way that she couldn’t see what it was, before he shut the ship’s gangway and went up to the cockpit without saying anything. Aili wasn’t about to wear out her welcome so quickly and settled down on top of a cargo crate and waited for the ship to move. The ship took off but the Mandalorian stayed in the cockpit. Aili took the chance to rearrange her things and take stock of everything she had grabbed in her rush. She hoped she had grabbed useful things but when she caught sight of a ratty blanket, she knew she should have paid a little more attention.

Mando’a Translations words not seen in past chapters

di'kut - fool, idiot Vor entye - "Thank you"; literally: "I accept a debt" Ret'urcye mhi - Goodbye; literally: "Maybe we'll meet again" beroya - bounty hunter

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@lifeisapitch15​

[pernatius]

Lost in Space Part 11: Ch 2

Previous 

Summary: Finally, on Commander Knox’s spaceship, the trio finds themselves running out of time before the commander becomes an all too powerful Watcher.

Lost in Space on Tumblr

Lost in Space on ao3

Both grab the doorway. Like with Ashley, both Tauvoxes were fitted with gauntlets, but theirs are fingerless. Their sheer strength bends the walls and stretches them, breaking the glass part of it. We cover our eyes from the flying of sharp, translucent material. 

Shiitake grabbed Saamuki and me and shoved us down as the two of them thrust their claws at us. They ripped through the circular wall behind us, shattering the already cracking glass and tearing through the metal, and graze against Shiitakee’s arm. The cuts are minor, but he still cringes at the pain. It will take him seconds to heal, but I still am stricken at seeing his blood. 

Saamuki pushes the two minotaurs away from us with her powers. She lashes a blue ray of light at them. They skid across the floor, but not too far from us because both giants grab the floor before they can be forcibly thrown any further. It’s still enough distance to give us time to get out of that cramped, broken space. 

The leftover glass behind us continues to crack until it eventually shatters. Just in time yet again and yet again, it’s Shiitakee that protects us when he catches Khavas’ fist. The long, thick, and stringy vegetable tissues that make up his arms and legs expand a moment after the impact, nearly tearing apart. They contract back after when he stops sliding backward, but his body proceeds to shake from having to stop a mass triple his mass. 

Shiitakee is on one knee when he asks through his whimpering, “Any of you going to step in?”

Mikrovos comes up from behind the bigger Tauvox. His shadow engulfs the wilting mushroom. He’s about to turn Shiitakee into a pancake until Saamuki blasts him. She runs over to him with glowing blue fists when he falls with a hard thud. I get out my sword again and step over to help Shiitakee, but the Tauvox he’s engaging with points his free hand at me. The gauntlet stretches and clutches me, and when I’m lifted several feet in the air, he tightens his grip until I feel my ribs cracking. I scream, flail, and try to keep my sword from slipping out of my shaking hand. 

Even with my limited mobility, I try jerking my sword at my suffocating seal. It merely clinks rather than cutting me free. 

Saamuki punches Mikrovos across his face, but he follows it up with his own punch. She dodges that and even catches the next one, but she doesn’t get to counter his kick. The kick from the beefy alien flings the flail alien, causing her to come barreling back towards the elevator, but she readjusts herself so that her feet hit it instead of her back—the metal dents around her feet. 

Just like with Khavas, Mikrovos extends one of his gauntlets towards her. She tries blasting at it, but she’s too slow. Saamuki is grabbed too, but he swung her over us, across the room, and then let go when she passed us. 

Saamuki smashes through the roof, and I am sent falling back down. We crash into the floor. Someone screams as soon as we do. 

My body tried to relent. It screamed at me, but I forced it to get back up. Breathing became difficult. It is as if a Tauvox is sitting on me, pressing their mass onto my chest. Considering my chest has collapsed in on itself as I can see through blurry eyes that some pieces of ribs have pierced through my skin, of course, with my squirting blood, the feeling makes sense. Standing back up is met with slipping and falling back down face first. I still have my sword in my hand through my struggles, which I transform into a shield and get my blaster out. I try aiming it at Khavas because he’s currently engaged in a brawl with Shiitake. This is probably the first time I’ve ever seen him truly mad. Annoyed he’s been, but nothing even remotely close to this. He swings left and right, giving no time for Khavas to do anything but be his punching bag. With every swing, his fists crack, but they quickly reknit. The same is said for Khavas, but his nanites can’t process fast enough because of the downright brutal jabs. His chest is covered in bruises, a sizable second-degree burn, and his face is covered in his blood. He can’t stand anymore, and I think I can see pieces of rib have torn through his flesh as well. The Tauvox goes unconscious, hitting the floor; the out of breath victor tries cooling his smoking hands by shaking them about. Although his victory doesn’t last long. Mikrovos brings himself back into our senses, Shiitakee’s mainly, when he grabs the worn mushroom’s face. 

I crawl out of that crater and limp towards them. I shoot as well, but he blocks all but one. It digs into his flesh, dispersing a clump of fur on his cheek, and twists it until it comes out of him. Mikrovos huffs then while squeezing the now squirming Shiitakee. Something takes over me. Is this what Ojos was talking about? Heart racing, everything in the room blurs but him. I don’t feel the pain anymore. I didn’t even realize I dived away from his fist and smashed the shield into his stomach, cutting into it, but as soon as the collision occurs, Shiitakee’s head explodes in his grip. 

He drops the headless Shiitakee. Around Shiitakee’s twitching body is his blood gushing out of his neck and pooling underneath him. I turn back to the beast above me and look into his lifeless eyes. I shove my shield upwards. It smashes his face. His head juts back, and when he returns it forward, I see that his nose is bleeding, but I shove the shield again into his face. He growls and reforms both of his hands into blades. They are rammed towards my neck, but I shoot into his mouth, missing his spinal cord. It’s now his attention is focused on himself. Mikrovos presses down on the wound, covering the spurting blood. 

I’m crying, but I’m smiling. I’m too scared to mourn yet. “It’s because of you I’m standing before you. You’ve saved my life, my dear friend, too many times. Now I am going to save yours once and for all.” My shield’s fire soars onto me. It consumes me as I transform the broad piece of metal into a war hammer. The weapon, the biggest one I’ve ever had to create, has two faces on either side as big as the Tauvox’s face. Without this invigorating feeling, I wouldn’t be able to hold this monstrous weapon upright with just a single hand. I wouldn’t be able to hold it at all.

I ready myself, widening my stance and tightening my grip. The hole in Mikrovos’ neck must’ve been patched up because he returns his focus onto me and stretches both his gauntlets towards me. I outmaneuver some and strike the rest. Shoot, too, as I’m circling around and inching closer towards him. Mikrovos evades all of them. I knew he would, and I made such a seemingly pointless effort because it made it all that much easier to get onto one of his gauntlets and dash across the rippling armor. Upon noticing how close I am to him, he tries batting me off with his other hand. I slid under it and beat my hammer on his forehead. 

Another Tauvox lay knocked out. Both will get up soon, but I still head to the comrade I have left and begin to carry her away from the brutality. Upon my touch, she begins to wake up, but she’s groggy. 

“S-Shiitakee...Where is he?” Her eyes move around the room until she spots what’s left of the man in question. She tears up, but she can’t bring herself to cry. I place her head on my chest. We stand there in silence as my eyes linger on Shiitakee’s lifeless body. I still can’t bring myself to cry, but I can bring myself to bring our focus back to the bright room at the end of this hallway. Both of us drag our feet. 

The crystal is colossal and purple. Besides the size and color difference compared to the Tauvoxes’ spaceship, this crystal is covered in beating veins. They cover the room as well. What was once an energy source now looks to have become a parasite. Stepping inside the room validates that assumption because the two of us become weak. She’s slipping in and out of consciousness, her eyes flick from blue to its regular color, as streams of blue light emanating from her float towards the sickly rock, and now I’m having trouble keeping us both upright. When I get on my knees, she moves a trembling glowing blue hand towards me. I, in turn, grab it with a fiery one. 

Our unworldly powers blend into each other and surround us, creating a rainbow-colored bubble. Our energy comes back to us, but we find out we have our backs to Commander Knox as he slowly claps. I have my blaster ready to blow off his head, and she’s ready to blast him into deep space to choke on his failure, but he grabs the two of us before we can and throws us further into the room.

We go tumbling, and as I do, I see he rips into particles. He teleports on top of me and presses down on my neck with his foot. Saamuki comes right behind him and blasts a blinding ray of light. That would’ve easily killed Cala, but Knox reaches out towards it. The blast doesn’t even scratch the metal arm. He grabs her face and throws her across the room. She goes right through the wall across from us and several others beyond it. 

Knox laughs at my pitiful attempts at trying to pry him off. I feel myself growing weaker again. “I didn’t get a good look at you the last time we saw each other, cousin. What an ugly sight you are.”

“Your people have gotten this far yet none have created a mirror.”

“A true shame, isn’t it? But I don’t need one when I know the beauty I carry, centuries worth of splicing and dicing our DNA with some of the most powerful civilizations.”

“Power, but the catch was your humanity.”

He grabs my collar and lifts me up. Then, slams me into the wall directly facing us. “Your people would do the same things I have done. In fact, they have done them—wars and slavery. Our histories have always been about atrocities. It should not be a surprise a semi-human would be at the forefront of the second intergalactic war, but we’ve always done it all for a reason.

“So, now I’m here asking why you are trying to stop me? Humans have made Earth a living hell, but they’ve also made it one of the best planets in the universe. I’ve caused destruction. Beyond these walls, thousands are dying as we speak, but sacrifices must be made to make the universe a better place.

“The Lords are merely puppets. They do not care for us, but I do. Do you really think it doesn’t hurt me knowing so many are dying out there?”

 I don’t respond. 

“This is the part where you explain yourself before I kill you.”

“How did you even know we would be here?”

“Instead, you bring out a question rather than an answer? Fine. Relieving you of your worries is the only mercy I can grant you.

“That idiot Syco, a child that kissed the ground I walked on, has been missing my calls, so of course I began to question. I wondered for some time if he finally moved on from his daddy issues. Thankfully my suspicions were proven to be right long before you entered my ship.” He snaps his fingers. S1Y jumps down from the roof with a familiar, limp shape over his shoulder. He throws Skeema’s pummeled body towards us. 

Skeema’s eyes are swollen shut, his legs are bent the wrong way, and he is covered in dried blood. He’s breathing, but barely. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled out. 

Another snap of his fingers and one of S1Y’s hands impales him. 

“Skeema!”

Because of the state that Virmus is in, he doesn’t relent when S1Y yanks his still-beating heart out. The robot squeezes it until it explodes. I cry out. 

“There are plenty of places to hide on this ship, but there’s only so much time before a rat becomes hungry. He survived far longer than I calculated. I’ll give him that.”

Once more my fire envelopes me. I punch the Virmus’ commander square in the face with such a force he lets go of me and crashes into his crystal. He lands back on the ground with a shaking body and looks up at me with the broadest, toothy grin I’ve ever seen from anyone. 

S1Y is about to engage me, but with the third snap of Knox’s fingers, the robot returns to being an audience member. Knox dusts himself off. 

“All of you messed up fucks only know how to care about yourselves! You make us pawns in your sick little game, but us pawns are people just like you. We have history. We have thoughts. We have feelings. All so meaningful, precious, but it takes you to be brought to your lowest for you to finally understand that, so that’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to cut off that stupid smile off your horrid face.”

“The outdated fighting against its perfect form?”

“More like it’s broken form.” In an instant, I’m in front of him with my longsword about to slice off his head. He stops me from doing so with just a single finger pressing against the blade. Again, not even a cut. He smirks as my eyes widen.

“I am God and in these few minutes you have left I will make you understand that.”

[demonfox38]

Competed(ish) - Monster Hunter Rise

In life, there are times Where you must slay other beasts To protect your own. 

Haiku time, bitches.

So, "Monster Hunter" games. I've heard good things about them, but I've personally struggled to cut into them. I first experimented with the series back in the early 2010s with a copy of "Monster Hunter Tri" through my GameFly subscription. (It seems like they're still operational, which is quite surprising to me!) Long story short, I didn't have the time or patience to get into it through my rental period, so I bounced out of the series. Given a scratched track record, what helped me stick through "Monster Hunter Rise"? Was it just having the time to explore the games, or did this game latch onto some inner weeaboo hook?

Hey. Sometimes, it's just about making sure I make the most out of $65.00 USD.

"Monster Hunter Rise" is Capcom's 2021 release of its "Monster Hunter" series in which you…well. Hunt monsters. Pretty obvious, right? This game takes place in Kamura Village, an idyllic Japanese town known for its weapon forging and sweet shops. You, the newest village hunter/idiot, are charged with helping to defend the village from being overrun by monsters. That's it. Nothing deep. Just you, your yokels, and your various animals driving other animals away.

Look. I'm gonna be honest. This isn't a game you play for plot or deep characters. You're here to do the "Shadow of the Colossus" thing, but without the artsy veneer. And good luck doing that!

To say this game is abstruse is an understatement. I mean, it tries to teach you about your game loop and your weapon usage, but damned if I didn't have to spend an hour or two on YouTube just to get my bearings. There's a lot you have to manage. Your equipment. Your buddies. Their equipment. The needs of the people. Your stamina. Your health. Your maps. What monster's going where. What's it doing? Why's it doing that? How should I kill it? And that's just going solo!  (No, I didn't do multiplayer. I was feeling cheap. Also, my modem and router were dying a slow death. That's been fun to fix over a holiday weekend…)

I did enjoy the game's attempt at making the game feel like a multiplayer title, even when I was playing alone. The inclusion of Palicoes (cats with human-equivalent intelligence) and Palamutes (knife-wielding dog mounts) is particularly helpful. Palamutes, while not as technical as Palicoes, did give me a break while traversing the terrain and provided some additional speed with item usage in battle. The right kind of Palico can save your ass. Personally, I was fondest of those with Healing and Gathering personality sets. I think Fighting types also have their uses, but I struggled to see the help that Assist or Bombing types provided. But, I'm sure every player has their favored type.

Outside of "Shadow of the Colossus," the other game I kept thinking of while playing was "Devil May Cry." Why? Well, they're produced by the same company, for one. But, for another? I expected a game with such a pedigree like "Monster Hunter" to feel a little more elegant and polished when I started it. Instead, I was lucky to understand battle pacing, never-the-less combos. "Devil May Cry" is a game series where I start feeling like a pro and end feeling like a pro, but with a few more tools under my belt. With "Monster Hunter Rise", I started feeling like a clod and ended without a drop of sweat on my brow. Such development can be frustrating, especially if you don't have the time or any real reason to commit to the game. But, there can be fun in figuring out, "Hey, I can do this!" or "Well, I can abuse this terrain/endemic life to gain an advantage."

Really, really could have used a better targeting system, though. Sometimes, it felt better not to use it at all.

While it did take me some time to feel like I was competent at anything in game, I think my first turning point was fighting Aknosom, a fire-spitting crane. I finally slowed down enough to learn its movements, guard against its attacks, then smack it around when it was done acting up. Additionally, it helped teach me about the importance of stopping to heal status effects, as well as how to kite around it to recover the most health possible while keeping engaged in battle. Groan it up, but it's certainly analogous to a "Dark Souls" experience. Easier, but similar.

Additionally, of the pre-credit matches, I enjoyed fighting Barioth, Khezu (who is still a songless fight, by the way!), Somnacanth, Bishaten, and Magnamalo (the pre-credit final boss.) While they all had their own status effects, I found it easy enough to avoid their more irksome attacks by being aggressive with rolling and keeping close and to their backs/sides. Also, I enjoyed using wirebugs to zip in and smack them on the face when they had finished their attacks. Those little goobers are great! Takes a hot minute to use them smoothly, but man, when you can, it makes punishing so much quicker.

The hunts I tended to avoid the most were those that had creatures with poisoning capabilities. Seriously, poison sucks in this game. Keep antidotes stapled to your ass at all times. I also had some difficulties with heavily plated dragons, but I suspect using a hammer would have mitigated that. Something to test another time, I suppose.

Also, I can't say I got too much into the Rampage side of this game. I mean, it's okay? It's a Tower Defense mode. Nothing too taxing. However, I didn't feel the need to grind for a different reward set. What I saw was just improvement stickers to slap on pre-existing equipment. It seems like the kind of thing that would have unique rewards associated with it, but I didn't see anything that compelled me to stick with it outside of a couple of experimental battles. I'm sure it will eventually offer something unique. Just didn't need it.

I think the best I can do with this evaluation is help you get a step into the game, should you want to play it. And really, it's mostly about the play. If you're looking for a novel story, unique characters, decent voice acting, or the next video game soundtrack to get stuck in your head, this isn't really the game for you. (Although, "Cold Blues and Flaming Reds" is a banger!) It's really just about fighting cool monsters and attempting to be cool while doing it.

So, here! First, take my hunting prep loop:

Gather items earned from quests/subquests from the previous hunt.

The quest maiden in the town (Hinoa; shrine maiden sitting around and eating dango) gives you single player quests. Her sister in the hub (Minoto) gives group assignments.

Manufacture new weapons and/or armor for your character.

You'll be looking for an old, grumpy dude who's hunched over (Hamon).

Most of the stuff you can get for weapon creation will get dropped for you somewhere between 1-5 kills of that monster's set. At least, that was what it felt like for me. Khezu equipment took the longest to get, but I think I just had some bad luck there.

Try to use the tree page as much as possible to determine what you'd like and what you need to make. This helped me visualize when I needed to recreate a weapon to get something new through a unique branch. Icons with arrows over them can be reversed to a previous state. Icons with a treasure box on them indicates that you've got this particular weapon in storage.

You can make upgrades to armor and weapons as well, if you'd like! I didn't find it necessary, but some people may want to beef up their stats.

Manufacture Palico/Palamute weapons and armor from scrap and/or unneeded materials.

This'll be the kitty to Hamon's right (your left, if you're facing Hamon.)

You can trade for scraps in the event that you have some piece of a monster that you don't anticipate on using. But really, really make sure you don't need an item before you scrap it. I learned that the hard way regarding Electro Sac scrapping.

Hire at least 1 new Palico or Palamute until a total of 15 is reached. (It'll help you with a subquest later on.)

You'll do this from the Buddy Plaza, which is in the exit opposite of the hub area. Find the kid in the forest playing with a puppy (Iori).

I personally had 2 of each Palico personality type, but you can pick whatever you'd like. Really, really get some healers, though!

Check Palico/Palamute training progress.

It'll be another Palico by Iori (without a hood).

Check Meowcenary progress.

I can't say I really needed the items from this, but it did help me make some unique pet armor!

This will be the Palico in the blue robes and hood by Iori. You won't see him for a bit, though.

If possible, reassign lowest-leveled companions to training duty, then highest to Meowcenary tasks.

Don't interrupt the Meowcenary tasks, at the very least.

If it's been 5+ hunts since you last checked, climb up a tree in the Buddy Plaza to check the Cahoot's nest. If there's two golden eggs, take them.

Create, purchase, and restock items.

Honestly, I only bought trap-making materials from the shop (umbrella dude with a seal taped to his face by the name of Kagero.)

Pet/feed the Cahoot.

Okay, this is optional, and the rewards it triggers can be a pain in the ass to bag. But, pet the owl anyway, idiot.

You can call your owl by dicking around with your D pad.

Accept your quest of choice and subquests from one of the quest maidens.

Cook Motley Mix.

You can do this in the multiplayer hub or in Kamura proper, but I just go to the Kamura proper location. You're looking for a green-clothed gal (Yomogi.) Sit at her counter to her left.

You can cook on the battlefield, but you might as well have the dango lady/Palicoes make your food for you. You can get bonus tickets to improve your Bunny Dango's stats this way!

Eat Bunny Dango.

There are multiple pages of dango you can buy, so don't feel like you need to stick on the first page.

If you see a dango about training your buddies, get that! Might as well help your dudes out, right?

Also—I know the dango lady rants about my character just eating meat and fish, but really. Dango's not healthy. There really should have been some sort of alternative customizable foodstuff for this. Like, I dunno. Sushi?

Depart.

As for control tips:

Don't rush your inputs. Flailing around will leave you open to getting batted across a field.

Try a lance as soon as the game will let you. I recommend this weapon for newbies because its combo system is simple. It's X X X for low attacks, A A A for upper attacks, and R to guard. Learn to target certain body parts using this, and you can handle pretty much any other weapon afterwards. I wouldn't stick to it forever, but it's good for grounding yourself.

Cut off tails; bash in heads. I can especially recommend using great swords for the tail chopping. It'll give you something additional to harvest!

Use items on your Palamute to gain mobility while vulnerable. This is particularly helpful with sharpening your sword or healing up! Press A when you're near your dog to get on it. Press B to dismount.

Rations/steaks heal stamina. Stamina helps you move and attack quickly. It's the yellow bar. Under the green bar. Which is your health. I hope you saw that one, at the very least.

You can auto-craft some items. Absolutely set this up for potions and antidotes. You want that shit ready to go as soon as you touch its base items.

Sheathing your weapon is Y. Using your selected item is also Y. Make sure you know what state you're in when you hit Y (i.e., weapon in or out.)

To select your items: Hold L, then tap Y or A to scroll left or right through the item wheel. Release L on the item you want. Tap Y to use it. This seriously was a pain in the ass for me to learn, so I'm putting it down here. (You can use the L + a control stick to use an item, but I always ended up using stuff accidentally that way.)

Use wirebugs to zip in and hit monsters. It's a bit putzy to do (ZL + ZR while your weapon is sheathed, then X to hit the monster.) But, nailing this will help you lower their defenses against being ridden and get in a good combo starter.

Hold the minus button to warp. There's no penalty for doing this, so get yourself back to your base and restock. You can't do this while you're in active combat, however.

Your time remaining is the clock in the upper-left corner. Try to keep your monster kills in under 15 minutes. You can usually bag three monsters in a go, but it's up to you whether or not the fight is worth it.

Put some time in the Training Arena. It's past the Buddy Plaza, which is the exit past the armor shop. It's a free place to practice comboing, so take your time here to figure out how you'd like to move going forward.

Honestly, you may want to wait a few months for this game's price to drop down and for updates to settle. It's a hot property as of writing this very second (Memorial Day weekend of 2021), but with that heat comes a financial cost. If you've got a buddy who's really biting to play, then go for it. If you're a people person, you might really like the multiplayer! Otherwise, it may be difficult to feel like you're getting the most out of this game.

However, the value of this game really can't be captured in video or audio, as much as I relied on videos to get into it. It's not an Hour One enjoyment, either. It's more about hitting Hour Twenty and finding out that you've become this brutal, beautiful acrobat, despite everything standing in your way. But, "Devil May Cry" takes less work, and "Shadow of the Colossus" scratches that arty itch more, so take the pride I have in my progress with a grain of salt.

Also, I very much hurt myself playing "Devil May Cry 3" and "Shadow of the Colossus." (Don't force yourself to fight bosses for and hour and a half straight, kids.) At least I didn't hurt myself playing "Monster Hunter Rise!" Just battered my dignity for a bit.