#the trial of the spirit beast

[askthepsychic]

As they fly towards Rey’s first effort, Rey looks at Aaron “out of curiosity, do you know what it could look like if all goes well?”

Aaron looks at her “sort of. Spirit beasts have an exceedingly wide range of appearances they could manifest as, but one can get an idea of some common attributes based on the kind of spirit the one who hatches them possesses. In the case of a true guardian soul, like what you have presented over the course of your life thus far, there tend to be some angelic elements to their appearance.”

Rey smiles “I see. But aside from that, there’s a lot of things that are up to chance, right?”

Aaron nods, then looks down “I believe I know the answer, but I’ll ask anyways. Do you know that house?”

Rey blinks, looking at it “yes. A good friend of mine lives there. She’s going through college right now and I must say, based on things she’s told me about her ambitions, I’m looking forward to seeing what she does in the future.”

Aaron nods “as am I. Right now though, she could use some help. Let’s go in and check on her.” He then flies through a wall directly into the bedroom of Rey’s friend.

When Rey follows, she finds her friend, a unicorn named Stellar Heart, asleep at her desk. She comes closer and sees a textbook open under her. Rey looks at Aaron and he tells her to try to grasp one side of the book. When she does, a spiritual copy of it manifests in her hand which she looks at. “This is one of the more difficult courses she’s studying.” She says, looking at Aaron.

Aaron nods. “Yes. She was reviewing to prepare for a big test tomorrow. If she doesn’t complete her review, she’s likely to do poorly on the test. That will be a blow to her confidence. She’ll start to wonder if she’s really good enough to accomplish her long term goals. Up until now she’s been a straight A student if I don’t miss my guess. Even one score lower than an A at this point could compromise her so badly that she might give up on what we’re both looking forward to.”

Rey looks at Stellar. “I can’t accept that possibility. Her goal could help countless people have better, and healthier lives. Tell me what I can do to help her.”

Aaron nods “dream manifestation. It’s similar to the dream walking skill Luna and Nyx command. Not as potent, but it would still allow you to manipulate her dream. You could bring an image of that textbook into her dream, along with a desk and notebook. A quill wouldn’t be a problem either. All the things needed for her to complete her review and let you test her while still getting a full night’s sleep so she’ll be studied and rested for the test tomorrow. However, beyond these things, you would only be allowed to bear witness to the results. You can influence a reminder to remember her dream once, and only once.”

Rey nods “so I can help her finish her revision, but the only help I can give her during the actual test is a single reminder of the dream study session. Good enough.” She says, looking at Stellar as she prepares to delve into her dream.

As she manifests, she finds the manipulation of the dream to be highly intuitive, and thus she sets to work. In just a short moment, she’s smiling at Stellar as she blinks in confusion, looking around.

Stellar Heart, a sky blue coated unicorn with purple eyes, mane and tail quickly realizes what’s happened and looks at Rey again to ask “when did you learn to dream walk?”

Rey chuckles. “I didn’t. Not really. This is something different. But that’s not important right now. What is important is that you fell asleep studying. How are you going to pass the test tomorrow if you stumble in the last leg of the race?”

Stellar blinks, then blushes, rubbing the back of her head embarrassedly “good question. Guess I better wake up and get back to it.”

Rey shakes her head “not so fast. Wouldn’t it be better if you were well studied and well rested for the test?”

Stellar nods “well sure. Wait. Can you help me with that?”

Rey nods “that’s the plan. I’ll manifest a desk, quill, notebook and textbook.” As she lists each item, they appear. “Once you’ve reviewed the test material, tell me which pages are involved and I’ll quiz you. Then it’ll just be a matter of remembering this dream and you should pass your test with flying colors.”

Stellar smiles, nodding “sounds like a plan. Alright.” She says, picking up her textbook and starting to review the necessary pages.

A few moments later, Rey closes the textbook after quizzing Stellar “full marks. Remember this dream tomorrow and you’ll be set.”

Stellar nods “if you stick around, I’ll treat you to breakfast as a show of gratitude.”

At this, Rey’s smile falls “I’ll have to take a rain check on that one, Stellar. I’m afraid I’m in no condition to share breakfast with you at this time.”

Stellar blinks, tilting her head “why not? Got something going on? Are you sick? What’s up? I’d like to help if I can.”

Rey smiles ruefully “I’m sure you would help if you could, and I’m absolutely grateful for the sentiment, but… I’m afraid I’m a bit more than sick. Look. I’ll stick around till morning. That’ll give you a better understanding of what’s going on. But I want to make one thing clear right now. The condition I’m in right now? Temporary. Absolutely temporary. There are ways to get me back to full health from the state I’m in. It’ll just take time, that’s all.”

Stellar looks down. “I see. Rey… you’re dead, aren’t you?”

Rey blinks “I… um… how… did you guess?”

Stellar sighs “I’ve hung out with Ambrosia on more than one occasion. I’ve been around when she was working. When you started this dream, I noticed something felt off. Something about you. Your energy felt wrong. And with what you said after I asked if I could help you… I finally made the connection. Rey? Is this really a temporary thing for you?”

Rey nods “I swear it is so. Just you watch, Stellar, I’ll be back in my body before the year’s out. I… I still have things to do. People to protect. I’m not going to leave them or you. I’m coming back.”

Stellar gives a small smile and nods. The next day, she passes her test with her typical perfect score. As she heads home from school she can sense Rey nearby. She whispers a word of gratitude.

Rey smiles, watching Stellar a moment more before looking at Aaron “a perfect resolution. But… Aaron, is she… aware of me?”

Aaron nods “she is. Spending time with Ambrosia as she said she has. That can have a unique effect on someone. Stellar’s abilities are just beginning to form, but at this point, further time spent in Ambrosia’s company is unnecessary to further development. It would accelerate development to be sure, but at this point Stellar will steadily grow more aware of psychic phenomenon all on her own. And if she takes the right approach to this process, she could even unlock some special abilities for herself. If that happens, her current ambitions could prove to be only one of the great impacts she could have on the world.”

Rey nods “I see. Could I be of any help guiding her through this process?”

Aaron nods “you could indeed. Now, as for your score in this first effort. I’d say it’s a perfect score. Even when you spoke of your current situation, your intentions never veered away from helping Stellar. Good work.”

Rey chuckles “are you going to be reporting on my score every time? I’d prefer you didn’t. It could be distracting.”

Aaron smiles and nods “very well. Let’s find another place you can help someone, shall we?”

Rey nods, and the two of them head off to continue her work.

[sammakesart]

Solavellan, or the Tale of the Dread Bridegroom

The reason I have always been drawn to the Solas and Lavellan romance in the Dragon Age series (besides having a deep love for villains and dramatic cheekbones) is because it brings to mind my favorite type of fairytale: the animal (or monster) bridegroom. The most famous of these would probably be Beauty and the Beast. However, the Solavellan romance felt more similar to my favorite iteration of this type: East of the Sun and West of the Moon. 

In the tale, a young woman is married to a monster… or so she thinks. He is keeping his true identity a secret from her. He brings her to an enchanted castle, and everything is actually pretty great for a time. Then she grows too curious. She discovers his true identity—he’s an attractive man! And a prince! He is forced to leave her and return to his evil witch-queen stepmother. Our heroine, who has fallen in love with her revealed prince, sets out to find him and save him from his wicked stepmother. She has to make a perilous journey. She faces trials and tribulations. She frees her prince, breaks the curse, and they leave together to live happily ever after.

There is also another tale that has many parallels to the Solavellan romance. The myth of Eros and Psyche, which is the blueprint for the animal bridegroom tales. It follows the same general plot, but I’d like to highlight a few differences. This is a myth about a god falling in love with a mortal, and that mortal becoming a goddess herself in the end after proving herself and winning her god-husband back.

In the myth, Eros is sent by his mother, Aphrodite, to trick Psyche into falling in love with something hideous for a perceived infraction against the goddess. Basically, Psyche had too many admirers who were worshiping her as the second coming of Aphrodite. Eros falls in love with Psyche instead, and spirits her away to a castle. She discovers his true identity. He flees. She faces trials. Etc and so forth. Eros and Psyche are reunited. She is given the drink of immortality, and joins her husband in the realm of the gods as a goddess in her own right so they can be together as equals.

It was the kind of ending I wanted for Solas and Lavellan. A heroine falls in love with a cursed prince and saves him. A mortal falls in love with a god, a doomed by the narrative pairing if there ever was one, but in the end, she triumphs, and she joins him as his equal.

Those are very simplified synopses, but you can see the parallels. Solas, in a reversal of the beast-husband trope, is keeping half of his identity secret from Lavellan, but it’s the beast (the Dread Wolf) side of himself he is keeping a secret. He takes Lavellan to his castle, Skyhold. They begin to fall in love. They kiss in a dream. They kiss on a balcony. They dance at a ball. Very fairy tale romance. They’re happy. Until they’re not.

When our heroine discovers Solas’s true identity, that he is Fen’Harel, the Dread Wolf himself (who does indeed turn into a giant wolf monster as we see in Veilguard), he must leave our heroine, and she cannot join him. What can Lavellan do? Well, swear to save him, of course! And if that is what she chooses, she sets out on her own journey of trials and tribulations to rescue her monstrous prince. But he is not just the prince or the monster, he’s the villain as well. Delicious.

Lavellan is Solas’s heroine, his knight in shining armor. Funnily enough, you can make a joke about “riding in on a shining steed” to Solas during an early conversation with him. She can also flirt with him later during this conversation. What is that flirt option? “You can trust me.” She tells him she will protect him… however she has to. Solas here is the damsel in distress, the prince who needs saving, and she will save her prince from his tower (or his regret prison) however she has to.

What trials does our heroine have to face, you ask? Besides the tracking him down, of course. Well, let’s see. Trials always come in threes.

Three times Lavellan reaches out to him, and asks him to stop. She tells him that whatever he is facing, they can face it together. “Whatever you need, we can find together.” “Let me help you, Solas.” “I am walking the dinan’shiral with you.” And it’s like he’s under a curse to reject her, but every time he reminds her he loves her, because he wants to be saved. He wants to be with her. “I cannot do that.” He does love her. “I wish it could, vhenan.” He wants their love to triumph. “Ir abelas, vhenan. I cannot.” One more time, my heart. Ask me one more time. He is under a geas, but screaming as loud as it will let him: Save me! I love you!

(I do not think he is under a literal geas in the story. It is more of a psychological one, one he has put himself under to justify his wrongdoings to himself.)

It also is very fitting that the rule of three is what it takes to stop him: Mythal, Rook, and Lavellan. Past, present, and future. Though it was Lavellan who found the first statue which kicked off the quest, the spark of hope that he could be saved still.

It also appears that Solas reaches out to Lavellan three times on his own. He orchestrates a meeting in Crossroads to explain. He visits her in dreams, though from an endless distance. He sends her a letter, reaffirming his love for her and telling her he wanted to be with her, and that his feelings will never change.

So the fourth time she reaches out, after the (metaphorical) curse has been lifted, there is no rejection. She’s won. He only offers a warning. She must choose him freely and with full knowledge of what is to come. She does. They perform a wedding ceremony of their own making and share a bloody kiss. Peak cinema.

It’s a darker fairytale, where the heroine falls for the prince, the monster, and the evil sorcerer all in one. And she wins. She gets everything she wants.

I’m just very passionate about fairytales. I wrote many a paper on them in college. Nothing pleases me more than a good retelling that captures the essence of what fairytales are truly about.

I think too many critics are trying to view Solas and Lavellan’s romance through the lens of a real life, modern day relationship. But fairytales are the realm of allegory, not reality.

We are in the realm of the mythic. Here be gods and monsters, princes and evil sorcerers. And Solas is all of those things. Lavellan is the heroine of all time who ends the story having saved the world (again), and is now ascending to godhood (there is an Andraste and the Maker parallel here, I swear), and she’s rescued her true love to top it all off.

I see a modern trend of no longer giving heroines love stories, and I dislike it. Because love stories in fiction are rarely ever about just finding a man. It’s about accepting the whole of yourself. I think of the heroine’s journey. The reconciliation with the masculine and the darker aspects of yourself. Women are told they must always be good. Make the right choices. Nah, let her fall in love with the villain and be selfish. Let her make out with her monster covered in blood as a treat.

I think monster romance has become so popular lately because, subconsciously, women feel like there is a monster inside of themselves that they have to hide from the world, lest you be judged for being imperfect, ugly, monstrous. Monster, and by extension villain, romance lets you fall in love with the dark other as the ultimate form of self-acceptance. (This is not an experience exclusive to women by any means, but I can only speak to my personal experience as one.)

Our heroine didn’t make the polite, respectable choice. She fell for the monster, the villain, and chose herself in the end. She didn’t choose a man. She wasn’t chasing after him, begging him to love her, in the hope of getting him back. She was pursuing him in her quest to stop him in order to save the world. She was just also in love with him and hoped he could be saved. Hope is a powerful thing, but this age has made people cynical. Let her have a little hope. Sometimes it’s all we have.

I do believe she would have killed him if she had to. And he would have killed her if given absolutely no other choice, or perhaps let her kill him for an extra layer of angst. Interestingly, I think Lavellan would have been able to live with that choice, but I don’t think Solas would have been able to. It would have destroyed him, fully twisted him into Pride, and he would have lost any hope of being able to “come back.”

I am fascinated by the fact that Lavellan and Solas are quintessential hero archetypes. The type that will not sacrifice the fate of world for their love, but will sacrifice their love for the world and for the “greater good”—as they see it. Only Solas has twisted himself into the villain. He’s a dark mirror of the hero. He is the hero, reversed. Thus, he dooms the world in attempting to save it. Repeatedly. (“He’s a tragic deuteragonist!” I scream, as they drag me away.)

Lavellan is the upright hero. She will save the day, or die trying. She will sacrifice her love, which is why I think it’s incorrect to say she gave everything up for him. She says in her second conversation with Rook that she would not join him in his Fade Prison. “To give up the world for him? No. We’ve got to save it first.” She will not give up everything for him. She will not doom the world to be with him. But after the world is saved… well, then. That’s a different story. She wants to be with him. And together, they can find balance.

They were both made and shaped into figureheads. Weapons. Legends. A hero and a villain. They’ve had the fate of the world on their shoulders multiple times over. There *is* no place for them in this world. But in another world... they can find their true selves away from well-meant misunderstanding and mindless worship. 

This is an apotheosis of Lavellan’s own choosing. I will not be your Herald. I will be a god on my own terms.

Solas never saw Lavellan as anyone other than who she is. He knew she was not the Herald, and he never treated her as such. He was uniquely able to understand her plight. He too had been given a title once and was later consumed by it. Dread Wolf.

Where else can two people like them go? Especially where they can be together in peace?

However, I don’t see this as the end for them. They are just onto the next adventure, this time together. And they’ll be unstoppable. The narrative had to make them exit stage left. No enemy could possibly win against them. They are too powerful. Lavellan is stronger than the narrative itself. The narrative had doomed her love, and she went: “No, I don’t accept that. I will save the world, win my prince/monster/villain, and now we’re leaving. Thanks!”

And Solas? We saw how devoted he was to Mythal. But Mythal never chose him. She twisted him into Pride. Used him as a weapon… and he destroyed the world for her. Twice. And was trying for a third. Just imagine what he could accomplish now with Lavellan, who chose him. Who encouraged him to be Wisdom. Who does not stand above him, as his goddess—but beside him, as his wife. Yeah, the writers had to put them in the Fade Prison. Their combined power was just too strong.

And I don’t believe for a minute they’ll be trapped in that regret prison forever. Solas tells us how to escape, and now he is in the right state of mind to accomplish it. Solas will do his court-ordered therapy. Lavellan will get a much needed vacation in dream land… then they’re going to heal the blight with the power of love. Or something. They just needed to be nerfed long enough for BioWare to squeeze a few more games out of the franchise. Then Solas and Lavellan will be set free to find a secret third option for the Veil, remove it safely, and Sandal’s prophecy will finally come true: “One day the magic will come back. All of it. Everyone will be just like they were. The shadows will part, the skies will open wide. When he rises, everyone will see.”

This is not to say I don’t have plenty of critiques for how Solas and Lavellan’s romance was written and concluded in Veilguard. But I think it was always going to be disappointing in some regards because it’s very difficult to conclude your heroine’s story from a new hero’s point of view in a new hero’s story. She will lack the agency she needs in this kind of tale because she has been relegated to a minor NPC, and she (and we) can hardly get a peak into Solas’s state of mind. How I wish we could have asked him endless insightful questions, instead of just pointing fingers. How I wish while Rook was in the prison, we could have controlled our Inquisitor for a quest or two and had a private conversation with Solas. The writing overall was a huge letdown for me. But I still love my once doomed couple, now together forever. I always will. 

[sauronxgaladriel]

Haladriel Library

Saurondriel/Haladriel Fanfic Recommendations. Some of these stories could fit into multiple categories. If you have any more recommendations feel free to add them!

Marriage

Shadow-Bride by eye_of_a_cat

Bridesprice by FormerlyIR (Irony_Rocks), Irony_Rocks 

Poison & Wine by Coraleeveritas

Galadriel takes longer to discover Sauron's identity

no matter how many skies have fallen by stitchingatthecircuitboard

A man is a god in ruins by eye_of_a_cat

Queen of the Southlands by FormerlyIR

Galadriel Says Yes

The House That Fire Built by Ready_For_The_Laughing_Gas

dig up the bones (but leave the soul alone) by Wyrd_Syster

Gilded by eye_of_a_cat

And white winter, on its knees by eye_of_a_cat

The Trials of Mairon by EllieCarina

Mortal Laws by Helholden

A Portion of Thyself by Frotu

Reforged in the Making by FormerlyIR (Irony_Rocks)

Fabricated by Frotu

Canon Divergence/Reimagining of S1 and onwards

I could be your king by cliffdiving

The Tides of Fate by fireheart321

In Case of Defeat, Break Glass by eastwynds

that i may rise and stand, o'erthrow me by mortaltemples

Five times Halbrand's secret got revealed by eye_of_a_cat

Across That Fine Line by MyrsineMezzo

Instruments of Salvation by Scriberated

a fair form by properhaunt

Autocorrelation by EisforEverything

The Return of the Queen by Nenya Business (Cec_Jo)

A Feast of Starlight by TheLightofArwyn

Supernatural Creature AU

should have known better by Nenya Business (Cec_Jo) (Witch/Demon AU)

Wild Magic by Scriberated (Witch/God)

Storm Tides & Weaving Threads by elssiie (Siren AU)

just a taste by stardustspell (Vampire AU)

Haladriel meet before TROP

Spark, Ignite, Burn by cliffdiving

our souls were made from the stars by silverwing12 (Deleted)

Necessity's Bargain by Scriberated

Though the Gods and the Years Relent, Shall Be by Helholden

determination is the cure (for longing) by downtheroadandupthehill

where the spirit meets the bones by kangaroopaws

people throw rocks at things that shine by ophidion

Pick a star, and follow it home by CloudlySkies124

Hades Persephone Vibes

Beasts of the Hill and Serpents of the Den by Helholden

a dust like thine by mortaltemples

One-Shots

Unsired by shady-swan-jones (sweetleaf), sweetleaf 

the light of his eyes by eastwynds

now dark, now glittering by mortaltemples

In the Shadow of Your Heart by mzladybird

i cannot heave my heart into my mouth by fallofrain

this love is glowing in the dark by Orcas86

we could just kiss, like real people do by justatinycollector 

a millstone around my neck by mortaltemples

the nameless by bimmyou

next time by you_wear_fine_things_well

ouroboros by Amuria

Pregnancy/Parenthood

Light and Power by chronicallyexhaustedwriter

shining like a fiery beacon by ophidion

A Blessing of Eru by Scriberated

mitosis by Orcas86

Darkness Bound by no_more_doubt

Smut

A Stressed Tiding by FormerlyIR (Irony_Rocks), Irony_Rocks

this love is glowing in the dark by Orcas86

Buried in Bone by Invisible_Hand

Riptide by makeshiftdraco

Perfection by Nenya Business (Cec_Jo)

like magnets work, only drawn to thee by audreystark

To Follow the Light by Thrill_of_hope

A Moment of Honesty by Draconic_Grace

Dream Within a Dream by Nenya Business (Cec_Jo)

bind yourself to me by Nenya Business (Cec_Jo)

Dream Within a Dream by Nenya Business (Cec_Jo)

Lady of the Seas by eye_of_a_cat

Dark/Dead Dove

all your pain will end here by poeticmemory

Land of Enchantment by EisforEverything

perle by emphemeron

Glanduin Kiss by Anonymous

The Cost of Victory by EisforEverything

what you and i have wrought by thefudge

what heart's ease by fallofrain

Sauron as Annatar

hold her head above the water by Orcas86

next time by you_wear_fine_things_well

the light of his eyes by eastwynds 

Contaminate by Frotu

[majosullivan]

Nevermore Dashboard Simulator

🌷 many-coloured-grass Follow

Can we all agree to stop making jokes about each other’s deaths? Making light of someone’s death even as a joke is really gross

🪦 deadgirlwalking Follow

No I was murdered so I can reclaim it

85,958 notes

⏳ dream-within-a-dream Follow

Okay but can someone tell me how posts here are getting so many notes? There’s like around 100 people at the academy and I’m frequently seeing posts with well over 1,000 notes. Like, it would be one thing if these posts were years old but some of them are from 2 days ago. Did I just miss the memo and everyone here has at least 10+ accounts, like WHERE are you guys coming from?

👻 hourofsecrecy Follow

Can the spirits not show their appreciation for people’s commentery? Can the creatures of the night not find humour in wits and gists of others? What is the difference from the newly departed and the Unseen Ones?

⏳ dream-within-a-dream Follow

Absolutely horrific answer, thank you for your time

26,496 notes

🪱 conqueror-of-worms Follow

Tell me why it’s around eight in the morning and the first thing I see while heading to the dining hall is Lenore PINING Annabel Lee AGAINST A WALL

☠️ spookyxskeletons Follow

🪱 conqueror-of-worms Follow

Care to clarify who the hell you were referring to in this post?

☠️ spookyxskeletons Follow

Yes

3,270 notes

🎈 floatinghoax Follow

After everything the afterlife could have been, you’re telling me that I have to go to SCHOOL and have CLASSES that start at 9AM? Truly tempted to walk straight into the wasteland, there’s only so much a second chance at life is worth

#not to mention with have fucking ROOMMATES #this academy is MASSIVE #you’re telling me there isn’t enough room for single rooms in this place?

7,984 notes

🥀 wilted-rose Follow

I’m curious, who do you guys think you could take in their spectre forms?

🥀 wilted-rose Follow

IN A FIGHT

69,285 notes

🎶 decomposingmusic Follow

You’re not about to manifest your spectre, you’re just dehydrated

🩰 ghosting-giselle Follow

out of the way gay boy i’m boutta separate myself from my remaining mortal ties and embrace the abilites of my spiritual form

🩰 ghosting-giselle Follow

nures rom

173,032 notes

🌙 voyage-to-the-moon Follow

do you think the Deans wake up every day, take one look at us before telling Ms. Poppet ‘PUT THOSE BEASTS IN SITUATIONS!’

2,396 notes

🌃 eveningstar Follow

Does anyone know if Duke and Pluto (the two boys friends with Lenore) are an item or not? Cause any time I’ve seen them interact, Duke has consistently referred to Pluto as Mon Minou (my kitten in french) and I’m not sure if the two of them are together or if they’re just…Like That

🌃 eveningstar Follow

UPDATE: SO IT TURNS OUT PLUTO DIDN’T KNOW WHAT MON MINOU MEANT AND FOUND OUT THROUGH MY POST. HIM AND DUKE HAVE BEEN BICKERING ABOUT IT ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE DORM ROOMS

🌃 eveningstar Follow

Despite what you would think would occur from this development, none of this has answered by original question

#I was just curious if these two were gay or just European #by all accounts they might be both

6,974 notes

🍋 gives-you-lemons Follow

I think I’m about half with through the manor right now? Honestly this lesson is going much better than I expected!

🍋 gives-you-lemons Follow

RATS RATS RATS RATS RATS RATS R&)26?83@/$

5,052 notes

☔️ dew-dropped-nights Follow

[about to be eaten by one of the monsters in the Teraphobia trial] okay but do you think I’m cute? Be honest

4,824 notes

🪐 eureka Follow

Do you think that Annabel Lee and Lenore have ever explored each others bodies

🌷 many-coloured-grass Follow

Can you fucking not do this? Not only are they real people, they’re our classmates and clearly can’t stand each other. Stuff like this is weird and gross

🔮 sorcery-sorcery-sorcery Follow

I bet they fucked nasty up at the widow’s watch

🥂 drinking-into-the-grave Follow

This is actually how Lenore won the Mystery Manor lesson

☠️ spookyxskeletons Follow

Sometimes that butch pussy gets you acting unwise

🏵️ pendulum-in-the-pit Follow

THAT

WHAT

🪦 deadgirlwalking Follow

What’s not clicking

29,496 notes

[tk-duveraun]

Qijiu aus continue

Yue Qi dies shortly after leaving Shen Jiu behind to become a cultivator. It happens so fast, he only realizes WHAT happened when he's a spirit looking over his body.

He's not surprised to be a ghost, it's not as if he ever got a soul calming ceremony, but how is he supposed to save Xiao Jiu like this?

Regrettably, he journeys to the demon realm first. After all, if any righteous cultivator senses him, he'll be exorcised without hesitation. In the demon realm he learns a lot about demons, demonic beasts and spiritual creatures, more than enough to pass on to Xiao Jiu to give him a leg up as a cultivator, but he still has no ability to really interact with the world.

As time passes, he makes a decision. It's a bad one, but he can't wait any longer trying and failing to cultivate himself as a ghost.

Instead, he feeds himself to an abandoned runt from a litter of Soul-Devouring Dusk Hyena cubs. As he'd hoped, despite being unable to do anything else thus far, he manages to win against the cub's animal soul in the merger and take over the body.

He immediately starts his return journey. He arrives to the Qiu ruins still smoking, but finds Xiao Jiu's scent leading away. He's leveled up quite a bit from his trials on the path from the demon realm and doesn't hesitate to bite out Wu Yanzi's throat on sight.

SJ is still in shock from his qi deviation and murders, so he just stares at the hyena as it comes up and bloodily nuzzles his thigh. He pets its head and is rewarded with a happy whine and enough pressure from the thing leaning on him that he nearly topples over.

When the hyena is still there the next morning, he tells it, "Okay but when we find qige you only bite him a little. Maim one limb at most."

He takes the whine to mean the hyena is blood thirsty.

He doesn't question his assumption that it's intelligent enough to understand him.

[dgrailwar]

Round 13, Day 5 - A Wish for the Future

It seemed like the majority of you were willing to side with the goddesses. The tensions seemed high for just a moment, before the Ancient God's anger seemed to subside briefly, an expression resembling gratitude slowly forming on her face.

' I thank you. This future… '

There wasn't a moment for the Mother of Monsters to fully indicate her own gratitude, as another voice rumbled.

' I'VE HEARD YOUR WISH… A WORLD DEVOID OF HUMANS AND MONSTERS… '

The ground rumbled.

A massive beam shot towards Echidna, aiming straight for the core of the 'Grail'.

"...!"

The Ancient God's eyes widened, her own mystic eyes flaring with immense magical energy in defense of the Mother of Monsters as her curse flared outward, meeting the sudden attack head on and the resulting clash causing the chamber to rumble. Even then, the Ancient God's attack didn't seem to be enough, as two more waves of energy spewed outward, the cascade of magical power slamming into her massive form and causing her to stumble back with an agonizing roar.

"He's awake…?"

' Typhon… that is not my Typhon… '

While it did look almost identical to the dragon that Avenger and his Masters had seen, the pulsating purple growth on its chest was new. A small shape circled around the behemoth, white wings fluttering as dark ooze began to drip from the beast. Each dark puddle formed into a creature, as the three-headed dragon let out a massive bellow, the ground shaking once more as the Servants stumbled, quickly trying to catch their balance.

' I WILL GRANT YOUR WISH. '

The voice, that seemed to rumble like thunder and quake the earth itself spoke again.

"Hrm. So, the moth carrying Pretender's curse still lives, and it has begun piloting the Father of Monsters instead. How… vexing."

"Wait, a Pretender-Typhon? Not to steal MoonCancer's thunder as the worrier, but Pretender was already an incredibly powerful dragon… hooking up a fragment of him to one of dragonkind's progenitors is both way too compatible, and way too dangerous."

"Wait… why'd he talk about the wish being 'a world without humans or monsters', rather than a 'world of humans and monsters'…? Do you think that whatever Pretender's 'infection' is, it's like… twisting wishes around?"

The Gunner shrugged, before focusing his gaze on the Ruler and the MoonCancer.

"So, seems like the dragon doesn't want our world either. Plan on joining its team, or are we putting grudges aside?"

"...At least your wish considers humanity. Even if I don't agree with the principle… I'm not going to abandon my Masters or mankind! We're fighting together! To the end!"

"As if I'd turn down the chance to fight a final boss like this! I mean, I'm still super scared, but I've got to show off my god's divine might, right?"

"Hahaha! Glad that we're in agreement, then!"

The Avenger boldly stepped forward, throwing his arm outward. His mana, flames of vengeance and disaster, flared violently around him as you felt his Spirit Origin expand and grow in might, pushing his manifestation to the absolute brink.

"Kuhahaha-- KUHAHAHAHAHAAA! Behold, the giant Typhon! Beyond mortal, beyond dragons, beyond gods! Birthed of the Earth and the Abyss, his might was not meant to be overcome by humanity, nor his own kind! However, this serves as our final trial! A world of human and monsterkind, this is the path that our Masters have chosen!"

"I am Avenger! My True Name is the Count of Monte Cristo! Let us burn our spirits to the limit, and push on to a bright future!"

One by one, you felt as your Servants began to push their own Saint Graphs to the brink. Magical energy, prana surging like rapid rivers as they prepared to throw everything they had against the massive godkiller.

"Masters, let's prepare for battle! Show me the faith in the world you want, and I will respond in kind! You have Jeanne d'Arc's banner, so let it fly in the name of victory!"

"C'est la dernière danse! One last performance before it ends! I hope you're prepared, Masters, because there's no time to get cold feet now!"

"Alright, here goes nothing… Shree Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha… Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Kaaryeshu Sarvada…!"

"Go! Kiheitai! Come forth, Proto-Arahabaki! We're sparing no expense, we're pushing with everything we've got, so let's put on a show that'll make even the gods tremble!"

The Gunner pointed his hand outward, the space on the ground being filled with a swath of armed and ready soldiers, his mana burning alongside the others as he leapt upwards, landing on the shoulder of a massive pseudo-divine machine.

"This is it… one more battle, and we'll have done it…!"

The massive form before them let out an echoing, terrifying roar.

The six remaining Servants readied their skills and weapons, preparing for the fight of their lives.

Behold, the ancient weapon that struck fear into the heart of the king of gods. A god-killer, world-shaker, he who could rip asunder the cosmos. Behold, the ancient ephemera that struck him down in the short time of its manifestation. A being that holds no desire for wishes, but only a desire to see one's hopes laid low and their hubris brought crashing down.

The Progenitor Dragon, corrupted by the Mors King's curse! Typhon-Ephemeros!

The Extra Class of Twisted Wishes, Pretender!

[nyaskitten]

Hmm in My head I think the Overlord isn't the only of his kind, that there were others, and he just got lucky.

I'm gonna yap like A LOT . Be forewarned.

They were a species of parasitic spirits conjured by powerful sorcerers and brought by the Oni Warlords to corrupt Ninjago, and after Mystake killled the other two Warlords, she kinda had to help FSM hunt down and exterminate the parasites.

Unfortunately for them, one of these parasites found his way into the body of a dying Patriarch, the Patriarch of the Central Flatlands (which would one day become Ninjago City, and this specific area is quite literally the area within which Borg Tower was made, hence why the Overlord always returns to that area, it's where he's most powerful) and merged with the untouched power that lay in his weakening body.

This resulted in the birth of the Patriarch of the Eternal Shadow, who would soon be known as the Overlord. FSM felt the departure of the Patriarch of the Central Flatlands, but just as well he felt a great corruption had entered his soul, and with Mystake, he sought to find what happened.

When they arrived, they found this new Patriarch wearing the corpse of the previous Patriarch, and FSM was enraged at the sight. He instantly went for the kill, much to the dismay of Mystake.

Though FSM managed to obliterate the body, he only weakened the spirit, and worse yet, now the Patriarch of Eternal Shadow had tasted the FSM's power, he bore some of it within him, and it just made him stronger, hungrier... it made him sentient...

The spirit's energy seeped into the ground, slowly draining the surrounding life and the very power upon which Ninjago was founded upon, and using it to strengthen himself. This would have HORRIFIC consequences (the creation the Balance, a power which ties the spirit eternally to Ninjago,) Soon was born the Overlord, and he tore the world open as he rose.

Terror and panic spread across the people of Ninjago. The FSM quickly returned to the sight of his prior conflict to find things had gotten way worse. Suddenly the parasite-spirit had grown, he had grown larger than the Patriarch he once embodied, he was something New.

The something New was way too powerful for the FSM, he created a species of beasts meant specifically to hunt elemental powers (grundles,) an untouchable fortress, an army of indestructable stone warriors, and a corrupted serpent whose sole mission was to devour everything in her sight.

The FSM was at a loss, and could only retreat, he had no way to stop anything the Overlord was throwing at him. He and Mystake had no idea what to even DO about this, that is until they started to look through the information compiled of the realms, and saw a stand-out realm. They were in awe, it was said to be a realm which housed a kingdom run by dragon energy, a realm of extreme advancements and unique design, Imperium.

With no other option, FSM went to Imperium alone (as Mystake, a full-blooded oni, would no doubt rile the dragons up more than he, a half-blood.) He went to the Empress of Imperium at the time and sought her aid in creating for him a suit of great power, one which relied on dragon and elemental energy.

It was kind of awkward though, because he swore he recognized at least one or two dragons there from the war, and now he was getting them to power a weapon of war? Whoopsies. (Ofc while he was there, he found a way to implement vehicles from Imperium into his Golden Weapon which is my explanation for the random-ass Golden Weapon vehicles.)

Anyways while the Empress' top scientists were very busy at work with this mech, the FSM took the time to study fighting techniques from the dragons, and developed from them the Art of the Golden Dragon.

After a few days of trial and error, the FSM's new battle armor, the Golden Mech, charged with both his own power and the combined energies of several other dragons, was finally ready to help him take on the Overlord.

When he returned, he was bombarded with a horrific sight, his once gorgeous realm was now in ruin, darkness growing all around, where he stood was one of the few lands of sanctuary left within his world. He had to act fast. He called out to the Overlord, who near-immediately arrived through the shadows, his legions in tow.

The FSM quickly summoned the Golden Weapons and used them for one last boost on his mech, and prepared for battle. What the Overlord WASN'T ready for was the FSM grabbing him by the snout, slicing off one of his wings, dropping him to the floor, stomping on his snout, and charging up his blade in order to decapitate him.

To combat this, the Overlord quickly summoned shadows to restrain the Golden Mech, then he was able to get up and blast the FSM back so hard he probably would've felt that for a week. Or three. FSM was lucky enough to land on his mech feet and continue to clash with the Overlord. Soon, he realized the battle was getting a Bit too futile, and he came to a realization.

Too much of the land had fallen to the Overlord, he couldn't expel him from this world, but he could seal him from the land... with that, the FSM charged his blade one final time, this time with all of the energy and strength of his mech and himself. He leaped upwards and he drove his blade straight into the ground.

The resulting shockwave was so powerful, it tore the island in two and knocked the Helmet of Shadows (or the Overlord's Crown of Horns,) clean off, and into the hands of the FSM. The Overlord's spirit was torn away from his body, and his spirit was stuck on the half of the island slowly drifting away, while his army was left on the FSM's side.

In order to do a clean-up, the FSM had to seal the Overlord's destroyed physical vessel in a realm beyond and between realms, a sort of pocket-realm akin to the Grasslands or Nether-Space (which only the Golden Weapons could open.)

Then he constructed an indestructable tomb and used the Helmet of Shadows to force the Stone Warriors down there. Some were stuck submerged in the sea or FAR in the wilderness where no one would find them (well except for Misako several thousands of years later but she's an outlier and should not be counted.

Eventually, FSM did have to trek back to the Dark Island in order to seal the Golden Mech within the Temple of Light, and then submerge the island as much as possible to ensure the Overlord would not return.

Then he had one last task to perform, removing the darkness from Ninjago. It was... difficult. At one point he considered just eating the Dark Matter and their crystalline remnants, but very quickly decided against that. Eventually, he and Mystake were able to get enough gold from the Golden Peaks to erase the Dark Matter from the land forever... he also had to reseal the grounds that the Overlord tore apart which was. A pain in the ass.

Ehhh one problem after ALL of that though... the Overlord's serpent was nowhere to be found, and his element-hunting dinosaurs were still running loose somewhere in the vast lands of Ninjago... but I'm sure it'll be fine... what's the worst thing that a snake with corruptive powers could even DO psht I'm sure it's Fine. FSM will be FINE nothing bad'll happen

[penny-anna]

hi everyone guess what time it is THATS RIGHT its fic rec time

Slowly but Also Like All at Once by putaposyinyourhair

"Any sign of Knuckles?” He huffs out a soft breath of air, mentally cycling through the answers that are starting to feel almost programmed by this point. Kris, he ain’t coming back. Kris, he’s gone, man. Kris, stop asking me shit I don’t have the answers to, dude. Instead he goes with something a little more sensitive. “Negative.”

AU based on the ending of Rise of the Beasts. tragically not updated for over a year but MUCH to chew on here & i must share this excerpt:

“Look, man, I can explain—” “Noah,” Reek begins again, tentatively— like he’s about to ask something that even he can’t quite believe he’s going to ask. “Did you fuck that car?” Noah damn nearly chokes on his own tongue.

Personal Space by Neon_Honeycomb

“Are you okay?” Cool, smooth metal presses against his face before he can even register Mirage moving, shattering the memory that’s slowly engulfing him until it dissipates entirely. He’s left staring again at the metal beams above, the backdrop of yellow clouds far behind them, and the movement of a single tree branch swaying just within sight. “Only you would have a roof fall on you and then ask if I’m the one that’s okay.” Noah and Mirage get trapped under a pile of rubble together. While waiting for someone to come free them, they get... comfortable.

its ur classic premise <3

lose my mind by Donts

“Do I turn you on, Noah?” Mirage murmurs lowly. Noah sucks in a breath, dropping his hands and opening his eyes, gazing at Mirage’s optics with surprise. Mirage is looking at him with a smug grin, and oh fuck. or 5 times Noah masturbates because of Mirage, and 1 time Mirage helps him out.

ohhh thats the good filth!!

A flickering spark, his unwavering spirit by caelleth

“We were… friends, weren’t we?” The words left his vocals before he could quell them, and Noah considered them before he could regain his wits enough to take them back. “...Yeah. We were friends.” His head turned, and he tore his gaze away from the mech, leaving Mirage to stare at his dust-fettered curls, struggling to find any words in this planet’s limited language that could ever hope to describe the unbearable mix of guilt and yearning and grief and above all that, unyielding hope that bubbled through his chassis. But it seemed no amount of words ever could, Cybertronian or otherwise. “I can see why,” was all he said to the human. (Or, the trials and tribulations of repairing a Cybertronian.)

another AU based on the ending of the movie. ohh this was a great time. the first Mirage POV chapter is a particular highlight.

Manhandled by SadVibez

Mirage picks Noah up to grab something on a shelf. Things quickly turn not so PG-13.

manhandling :)

An Old Mech Worries For A Human by SadVibez

During the fight in Peru, Noah was hurt after being dropped by Scourge. He hasn't told anyone and with Mirage to not fret over him, no one has noticed. Well, almost no one. Optimus notices Noah in pain and the two have a small talk.

a rare non-shippy fic. ohh i love a 'this character should have been injured let's talk about that' fic

Tactile Intimacy by BunnyFair

When Mirage makes an expected engine noise, Noah has to investigate and give his friend a thorough check up. Popping his hood, he soon discovers the world of tactile interfacing.

tactile interfacing for u!!!

human junk by Secretkept (KaiNinjagoo)

After a few nights of Noah sleeping in the garage, Mirage notices something he hasn’t seen before (PENIS)

firstly can i just say, summary of all time, i've been thinking about (PENIS) for weeks. secondly: great series feat. sexless robot Mirage & Noah navigating their relationship. love the realism of this one. great time.

Exposure Therapy by Neon_Honeycomb

“You’re not made of metal. I— I don’t know the limits of what you’re made of. I don’t know how much is safe contact, and when it turns into— when you— when I—” This is the part where Noah is supposed to get it. The part where he’s supposed to understand the depth of what Mirage has just told him, where he realizes the danger he’s in if Mirage so much as simply moves wrong at the wrong moment, the moment where he lets go and never comes near him again. He waits; waits for it all to click into place in that biological processor of his, waits for the moment he pulls his hands back to himself, waits for his face to morph into entirely justified fear. “I could break you, Noah, I could…” He’s not prepared for Noah’s expression to go soft. There's only one way for someone to learn how much strength to use when handling something, and that's through experience.

screaming yelling throwing up wailing sobbing:

Noah doesn’t break. He doesn’t immediately start leaking red, his face doesn’t even pinch like Mirage has seen him do when he gets hurt. And somehow that makes it so much worse when Noah looks up at him, looking just as good as he had a moment ago, completely fine, only for him to say, “Right there. That’s how hard it takes to start hurting.” like it’s no big deal at all.

[englishotomegames]

Ten Trials of Babel -The Doppelganger Maze- (巴别十书：如何逃离二重迷宫)

Release dates (Steam) Chinese: March 13th, 2022 English and Japanese: November 15th, 2023

"You have been drawn into a game of racial survival, the 'Babel Cross'. Humans, Mekas, Spirits, Ghosts, Yaos, Beasts, Relics, Phantoms, and two unrevealed races, together explore the world within the book, climbing the mysterious Babel Tower. At the top of the tower, after passing through ten worlds, the victor gains glory and the hope of evolution, while the defeated are erased along with their entire race.

——And so far, the number of StoryDivers who have passed through the tenth world remains zero.

In the 'Doppelganger', the Story World you enter for the first time as a newcomer, you meet StoryDivers assigned to the same world: Saint, Victor, and Kruger. If the Doppelganger is triggered, you will face instant death; and the team, seemingly harmonious and friendly, also harbors restlessness and ominous signs.

Is the heart of those not of our kind different? The Babel Tower has taken away the 'language' of communication between the ten races, In the face of allies and enemies, what will you do?

■4-8 hours of gameplay (varies with puzzle-solving speed) ■6 characters to pursue (including 2 hidden characters) ■7 BEs, 1 HE, 6 individual character endings, and 1 grand finale ending, 15 endings in total to unlock ■18 pixel CGs for cutscenes and endings ■30+ puzzle maps ■Mild horror elements"

This is a game now available in English on Steam! It seems to have RPG, puzzle and horror elements in addition to the standard visual novel format. You can buy it here!

[mymalebulk]

Trial 3 notes:

Subject has volunteered to undergo experimental growth treatment.

After the subject was informed of the risks, provided consent and agreed to perform regular check-ins, treatment started.

Initial check-ins reveal very positive results. Subject shows great increase in lean muscle tissue.

Subject reports increased hunger, energy levels and libido. [He's a huge flirt, pun intended, but that would definitely breach ethics.]

Dosages and food intake will be increased.

Subject has continued to grow... a lot. He's expressed gratitude for being included in the trial admitting that he's "always wanted to be big".

Subject reported constant hunger and horniness. [He frequently tries, and fails, to hide his arousal. I think that's grown too! It's getting really hard to focus around him with all that beef.]

Dosages and food intake will be further increased.

Subject's latest check-ins revealed explosive growth. Significant increases in muscle and body fat. Even increases in height! [His body is incredible!]

Subject shows decreased mobility and reports decreased ability to perform activities of daily living. This constitutes an adverse event... again.

Following procedure, all treatment will be stopped. Subject will continue to check in for monitoring.

Despite stopping treatment, subject keeps growing. [It's amazing!] No normal clothes fit him. Like the previous cases, subject will have to be moved to the facility for observation and 24/7 care.

Subject seems in good spirits however and is excited by the unlimited food, gym access and other services at the facility. I volunteered to collect his personal effects to make him more comfortable. [Found out we have a lot in common. Maybe, now that he's at the facility permanently (he's way too big for normal life), this could be the start of something between us. Ethics be damned.]

Final entry:

Subject [his name is Henry] has settled into life at the facility well. He continues to grow thicker, stronger, and bigger everyday. Without the treatment, his expansion has slowed, however his body has been permanently altered to always be in a slow, but steady, state of growth.

I make sure to take care of all his needs. [We can hardly keep our hands off each other. My boyfriend is a fucking beast!]

Trial 3 is complete, preparations for Trial 4 are underway. [Maybe this time, I'll participate.]

[i-drop-level-one-loot]

YOUR HIGHNESS I HAVE A REQUEST FOR YOU. 💍 not much of request, more of a suggestion if you ever feel like writing it, what about a necromancer yandere? or a mortician?!! OOOOUGHH im so obsessed with necromancers and everything related to them, and there's só many options!!! trying to realive darling reader? put me in! necromancer went to get body parts but when they were doing research they fell in love with one of the people they were getting body parts from, now they want to realive them! DELICIOUS!! killing unwilling reader and bringing them back as a form of punishment! IM ON! i give you full creative control thy humble lord, thank you for the food

(and of course, feel free to deny, YOU are the artist, you are what matters ❤)

Yeah, I can do this

Yandere!Necromancer x GN!Reader

CW: Mentions of death and corpses, both human and animal

The most powerful bastard to have ever lived.

The unspeakable horror known as Letum the Terrible, a powerful sorcerer that seemed to draw magic from the universe without any limitations; a bottomless pool of stamina who could wipe out armies with a snap of their fingers.

Or, as Nephin knew them, (Reader).

He still remembered the first time he met (Reader), when they were a young teenager and he was just a child. What the pitiful town's people called power hungry and malicious, Nephin understood to be ambitious and determined. Even at the age of five, the small boy could see how the people never broke (Reader's) spirit; how every time they publicly beat them out of fear, or accused them openly of evil and conspiring with dark forces, (Reader's) resolve strengthened.

Unlike wizards, who had to learn the ancient arts and memorize countless spells, or mages who had to use magickally imbued artifacts and books written by magick users of the past, the terrifying teenager was a sorcerer, who's power was instinct and perfected by trial and error experimentation.

Nephin craved the user's attention.

He studied so diligently, begging the universe to give him access to the energy of the universe or to grant him his own supply of natural mana.

The rest of the town was so focused on being afraid of (Reader), that no one but Nephin noticed their one and only flaw. (Reader) could not heal themselves.

Less than a month before the human known as (Reader) would seemingly fall off the face of the earth, they had changed the course of the little love sick child's life forever, after an encounter hidden deep in the woods.

Nephin cradled a bleeding rabbit, focusing on a simple healing spell, chanting it over and over again while rocking on his little heels, screaming in his heart for the universe to awaken his healing power. But the rabbit continued to bleed out over his shirt.

"Hel, oh breathing earth, this broken body. Hel, oh breathing earth, this broken body. Hel-"

The small little black rabbit went limp in Nephin's arms, releasing her last breath. Tears tumbled down out of frustration.

"No. No. No!" He whined, gripping the body against his chest harder. "Wake up! Wake up!"

A warm green light bubbled up from the earth like liquid, rising into the air around Nephin and the rabbit. It was working. "Wake up! Wake up!"

The rabbit stirred to life, moving within his grasp, without breathing.

Joy filled Nephin, believing himself to have finally achieved the power to heal, when he realized that the wound on the bunny never closed, and blood was still dripping from the gash.

He didn't have much time to wonder what was happening, as (Reader) emerged from the bushes, wide eyed at the sight before them.

"I.. didn't heal him right.." Nephin sadly stated, holding out the rabbit to his unrequited love.

(Reader) reached out for the beast, ignoring it's screams. After a brief inspection, (Reader) got on their knees to stand at eye level with Nephin. "What is your name, child?"

".. Nephin."

"Nephin, dear young magick user, you were born for power, but not to heal."

"-but-"

"This rabbit is dead." (Reader) angled the violently wriggling head towards Nephin so the child could see the green hue in the bunny's clouding eyes. "What you have accomplished, was quite impressive for one without training. You are a necromancer."

Nephin felt his tiny heart shatter. The tears that had begun to dry restarted, falling freely down his round, baby cheeks. "But I wanted to - to heal!"

"Look at me." (Reader) snapped their fingers, startling Nephin into choking back his sob. "With the advancements in non magickal science, even regular men can make healing medicines. With time, the doctors and the apothecaries will surely render healers useless. However, you can do what no healer has ever achieved. You can raise the dead."

(Reader) hoped that they successfully encouraged the kid, handing him back his first successful minion.

Their words would haunt him for the rest of his life.

After (Reader) disappeared, Nephin ran away from home, traveling across the continent to find necromancers to study under. They gladly accepted him as one of their own, filling him with praise over his natural talent. And as the years went by, Nephin grew in power tangentially with (Reader). He had no proof that the nearly inhuman Letum was (Reader), but with the descriptions of their abilities he had little doubt in his mind as to who they were.

Without an ability to heal themselves, (Reader) slowly became less and less of the person they once were. Stories told of the terrifyingly powerful being spread around the world, as the strongest warriors of all classes and species left to challenge them and were destroyed so thoroughly that there was not body to send back to their families. The only times (Reader) was injured was due to their hubris, which allowed their opponents to gain the upper hand. The fighters would be reduced to ash with a snap of their fingers afterwords, but (Reader) never missed the opportunity to allow their opponents to show off their pitiful abilities against them.

Scars covered so much of (Reader's) skin, that their original skin tone was difficult to determine. With a bald head and lack of a nose or upper lip, the intimidating menace was easily mistaken for a monster.

No one but Nephin remembered (Reader), but everyone knew of Letum the Terrible.

And as time went on, Nephin's love for his first crush never faded, counting down the days until he reached adulthood and could track down (Reader). He knew, logically, that (Reader) would not remember him, but whether or not they allowed him to follow them around like their loyal dog, or killed him without a second thought, was enough for him; just to be in their presence once more would be an honor.

On Nephin's twentieth birthday, when he was awarded the highest rank amongst his adoptive village and became not only an adult, but a necromancer more powerful than any other in history, he set out to find (Reader), ready to track them down by following their crimes like a trail of rose petals.

Instead, Nephin found a nation of people celebrating the death of Letum.

And it was as though his entire existence had been a waste.

Letum the Terrible was preserved with magick to be researched my magickal scientists.

Their body would not deteriorate, nor rot, as scholars from around the world freely came to poke and prod and slice open their body in an attempt to understand what gave Letum such immense power.

In the hall of intellectuals, Nephin stood transfixed before the viewing table, admiring what little remained of the neighbor he once knew. Their chest and abdomen were hollowed out, every organ except the brain removed and placed in jars to be examined. Everyone who got a chance to see the most powerful evil to have ever lived felt comfortable enough in the corpse's presence to mock (Reader).

"They died from something so mundane.."

"An allergy? Even children can heal themselves.."

"Perhaps they were bored with life.."

"Perhaps they weren't so strong after all.."

'Enough with this slander.' Except for (Reader's) body, each and every cadaver, no matter how incomplete they were, woke, and turned on the humans. The atmosphere quickly changed from cheeky to tragic, everyone scrambling in a mass panic as the dead began to tear apart the living. In the chaos Nephin stole away (Reader's) body, carrying them like a bride on their wedding day.

It took years to find every piece he needed.

Nephin searched the world for pieces to fix his precious neighbor, his first and only love. The two were now the same age as each other, as a corpse can not grow old.

Although Nephin found (Reader) just as beautiful with their scars as he did when they were children, the world knew of Letum, but only he knew of (Reader). So he hunted down pieces of the old (Reader) throughout the lands. Someone's similar shaped nose, a hide matching their skin tone and texture, scalping someone with (Reader's) hair. Bit by bit, throughout the years, with the help of a warlock under contract to resurrect her wife, Nephin sew (Reader) back together.

(Reader) woke up.

Head splitting in pain, they forced themselves to sit up, despite the voice of a stranger commanding them to take it slow. Everything was fuzzy, and they couldn't recall what had happened to cause such a stiffness and agony. The last thing they remembered was being bitten by a spider, and falling ill nearly instantly, collapsing alone in the woods.

They raised their arm to inspect their bite, but found an unfamiliar arm. Patches of skin stitched together. Their other arm was similarly foreign, and as their eyes learned to focus again, they learned that the same was true for the rest of their naked body.

"I wanted to clothe you, however I was worried the texture would be uncomfortable on your new skin." The stranger with white hair and tired eyes shyly spoke, disturbingly pale skin blushing red.

"I am in no mood for jokes." (Reader) attempted to proclaim loudly, however, their voice was nothing but a dry whisper.

"You may not remember me, but I remember you. I am the one who brought you back. And.." The red deepened as his smile trembled. "I am your master now."

"Ha! Cheeky. Regret your words, and I, Letum the Terrible, shall let you live."

"You are no longer Letum the Terrible." He bent down, caressing their left hand and placing a soft kiss on a their ring finger before pulling out a small box. "You are (Reader), my beloved spouse."

"That's it." (Reader) raised their hand, no longer amused. "This conversation is over."

And snapped their fingers.

.. but nothing happened.

Confused, they looked at their hand.

"I told you." Nephin said sweetly, admiring the green swirl of magick in (Reader's) eyes. "I am your master now."

[the-gay-rat]

Riordan-verse Prophecies

Percy Jackson and the Olympians

You shall go west, and face the god who has turned, You shall find what was stolen, and see it safely returned, You shall be betrayed by one who calls you a friend, And you shall fail to save what matters most, in the end.

You shall sail the iron ship with warriors of bone, You shall find what you seek and make it your own, But despair for your life entombed within stone, And fail without friends, to fly home alone

  Five shall go west to the goddess in chains, One shall be lost in the land without rain, The bane of Olympus shows the trail, Campers and Hunters combined prevail, The Titan’s curse must one withstand, And one shall perish by parent’s hand. 

You shall delve in the darkness of the endless maze, The dead, the traitor, and the lost one raise. You shall rise or fall by the ghost king's hand, The child of Athena's final stand. Destroy with a hero's final breath, And lose a love to worse than death.

A half-blood of the eldest gods shall reach sixteen against all odds and see the world in endless sleep, The hero’s soul, cursed blade shall reap, a single choice will end his days, Olympus to preserve or raise.

The heroes of Olympus 

seven heroes shall answer the call to storm or fire the world must fall an oath to keep with final breath as foes bear arms to the doors of death

Child of lightning beware the earth the giants revenge the seven shall birth forge and dove shall break the cage and death unleashed through Heras rage 

 to the north beyond the gods lies the legions crown falling from the ice the son of Neptune shall drown

wisdoms daughter walks alone the mark of Athena burns through Rome twins snuff out the angels breath who holds the key to endless death the giants bane stands gold and pale won through the pain from a woven jail 

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard 

Wrongly chosen, Wrongly slain, A hero Valhalla cannot contain. Nine days hence the sun must go east, Ere sword of summer unbinds the beast. 

The Trials of Apollo

Caves of blue. 

…Westward, burning.

Pages turning.

…Indiana.

Happiness approaches.

There was once a god named Apollo, Who plunged in a cave blue and hollow, Upon a three seater, the bronze fire-eater, Was forced death and madness to swallow 

The words that memory wrought are set to fire, Ere new moon rises o’er the devils mount, Till bodies fill the Tibet beyond count.

Yet southward must the sun now trace its course, Through the mazes dark to land of scorching death, to find the master of the swift white horse and wrest from the crossword speaker’s breath.

To westward must the lester go; Demeter’s daughter finds her ancient roots. The Cloven guide alone the way does he know, To walk the path in Thine own enemies boots

When three are known and Tiber reached alive, tis only then Apollo starts to jive 

Bronze upon gold

East meets west

Legions are redeemed 

Light the depths 

One against many

Never spirit defeat 

Ancient words spoken 

Shaking old foundations 

Destroy the tyrant 

Aid the winged 

Under golden hills

Great stallion’s foal 

Turn red tides 

Harken the trumpets

Enter strangers home 

Regain lost glory

Apollo faces death in Tarquin’s tomb unless the doorway to the soundless god is opened by (Bellona’s Daughter)

A wildcat near the spinning lights. The tomb of Tarquin with horses bright. 

To open doors two-fifty-four 

O son of Zeus the final challenge face, The tow’r of Nero two alone ascend, dislodge the beast that hast usurped thy place, The son of Hades, cavern runner’s friend, Must show the secret way unto the throne. On Nero’s own your lives now depend. A dare reveals the path that was unknown, And bears destruction; Lion, snake-entwined or else the princeps never be o’erthrown 

Apollos flesh and blood shall soon be mine, Alone he must descend into the dark, The sibyl never again to see his sign, Lest wrestle with me till se his final spark, The god dissolves, leaving not a mark 

Apollo must fall, but Apollo must rise again 

The Sun and the Star

Go forth and find the one who calls out your name, who suffers and despairs for refusing to remain; there leave some of equal value behind, or your body and soul no one will ever find.

(correct me if i got any wrong)

[talking-ink]

Ladies and gents, I'd like to introduce you to my newest creature, Kit. You might if seen a while ago I was playing cassette beasts recently I got back into it after a long break and am almost done with the main story I think. But I wanted to make an oc for new wirral wo I give you kit!

I realize I might be bending the rules of cassette beasts slightly, but we have sentient robots, so... I suppose not too far? But kit is an ai from the far future who is along the lines of kinito pet, clippy, siri, etc who fell into new wirral and was kinda stuck in a flashdrive until they somehow managed to get themselves stuck into a cat-5 (I haven't thought about how) but through alot of trial and error they befriended the beast/spirit and it allows them to use it as a sort of body though it's not a perfect companionship (it is a cat)

Thus was my first take on them, and I kinda hated the clothes, so I changed them for the other piece, but it's an accurate picture still of what kit looks like in a proper computer/monitor situation

[bethanythebogwitch]

Giving the Phantom Thieves Digimon Partners

I like Digimon and very much enjoyed Persona 5 so why not combine them by giving the Phantom Thieves of Hearts Digimon partners. For non-Digimon fans, a human character will have a digimon partner that can evolve through different levels and the forms it takes on often have symbolic resemblance to the human's character development. I'll be giving each Phantom Thief a partner with its forms from the Rookie/Child to Mega/Ultimate levels. No Strikers or other spinoff characters because I haven't played those games. There will be P5 spoilers.

We have to start with the protagonist and his main theme is being the rebel against the unjust authority. His role in the plot is being the rebellious fallen angel to the controlling Gnostic god Yaldabaoth and so I'll be giving him fallen angel Digimon as partners. His partner will start as DemiDevimon/Picodevimon, then evolve to Devimon. These are the most iconic fallen angel Digimon in the franchise so they're easy picks. Devimon will then evolve to Baalmon. Baalmon is a demonic Digimon that seeks out knowledge and will put people through trials to show them the truth. This fits with the protagonist putting people through the ordeals of having their heart stolen to show them the truth of the monsters they've become. Finally his partner will evolve to Bagramon. Bagramon really is a great fit to Satanael as it's a fallen archangel Digimon that rebelled against the unreasonable justice of the Digimon god. If Bagramon is played as a hero, this fits really well with the Gnostic myths P5 draws from where Satanael (or the serpent or Sophia depending on which version you read) rebels against the unreasonable and authoritarian false god that is the Demiurge/Yaldabaoth to bring wisdom to humanity.

Next is Ryuji, who has the themes of electricity, delinquents, athletics, and his Persona is a pirate. I think a great partner for him is Pulsemon, an electric Digimon that is the mascot of the vital bracelet (RIP), a device intended to encourage fans to exercise. Ryuji used to be on the track team so a perfect fit is one of Pulsemon's default evos, Runnermon. For the next level, Runnermon will evolve to CaptainHookmon, a pirate like Ryuji's Persona and a good through line to the final form: Gankoomon. Gankoomon's design is based on a Japanese delinquent like Ryuji and it has a very tough and unapproachable demeanor, but is a hero through and through. For non-Digimon fans confused about a tiger turning into a pirate and then a delinquent, be assured that that isn't anywhere near the weirdest evolution in Digimon.

Morgana is one of the ones I struggled with because his themes of cats, wind, and Zorro don't lend themselves to many Digimon options, but I found a great option from Digimon Frontier. In the Frontier continuity, there are human and beast spirits of elements that can combine to a fused spirit and one of the elemental spirits really fits Morgana. The first stage will be Liollmon because it's a cat. Liollmon will then evolve to the human spirit of darkness, Loweemon. The human spirit represents Morgana's belief that he's human and desire to attain a human body. Loweemon will evolve to the beast spirit of darkness JagerLoweemon/KaiserLeomon. This form represents the cat body that Morgana is trapped in. Finally will be the merged spirit Raihimon, the fusing of human and beast, which represents Morgana accepting who he really is. Raihimon also has wings so the wind element can come in at the end.

Ann's themes are cats, fire, beauty, and seduction via her Persona. I will have her start off with Candlemon. It's the least thematically appropriate of her line but it's a good fire Digimon that leads well into the next form: Lynxmon, a cat made of fire. Lynxmon will then evolve to Bastemon, a seductive, feminine cat that seduces prey before attacking them, fitting well with Carmen's depiction. Finally, Ann's partner will evolve to BeelStarmon, which combines Ann's femininity, beauty, blonde hair, and enthusiastic use of firearms. It even wears a similar catsuit, though black and much more revealing.

Yusuke's themes are foxes, art, and ice and his Persona and costume are the most Japanese of the Thieves. I struggled with him because there aren't really any art themed Digimon and the few ice Digimon don't fit him. I decided to go all in on the foxes and Japanese themes with Yusuke to give him Renamon as a partner. Renamon will then have its dark (but not evil) evolution line of Youkomon to Doumon to Kuzuhamon. I picked the dark line over the normally good line of Kyubimon to Taomon to Sakuyamon because that line uses a lot of fire attacks which wouldn't work well with Yusuke's use of ice. The Renamon line is very much based on fox legends from Japan and China plus Onmyodo and Shinto elements. Also Doumon uses a brush for an attack. It's a calligraphy brush instead of a paintbrush, but I'll take what I can get.

Makoto's themes are rebellion, martial arts, motorcycles/machines, intelligence, and radiation. I gave her a machine line starting with Hagurumon. Makoto's story arc started with her just doing what was expected of her even if it was wrong or not what she wanted and Hagurumon is almost literally a cog in the machine. Hagurumon will evolve to Machmon because it's a motorcycle and so is her Persona. Machmon will evolve to Fumamon, a cyborg ninja Digimon. Makoto's skill in strategy and martial arts would suit a ninja well, plus they have similar color schemes. Finally her partner will become Justimon, a cyborg warrior for justice symbolizing Makoto rejecting doing what is expected of her in favor of following her desires and doing what's right. Plus they both have scarves.

Futaba's themes are isolation, shyness, technology, UFOs, and information gathering. A perfect partner for her is Espimon, a cyborg Digimon with stealth powers designed for espionage and data retrieval. Espimon will then follow it's standard evolution line to the UFO themed HoverEspimon and Oblivimon. However I'm not going to use Espimon's standard Mega/Ultimate level of Invisimon because it being a combat-focused humanoid warrior doesn't fit Futaba. Instead Oblivimon will evolve to the superintelligent alien cyborg Ebemon.

Haru's character is an interesting contrast between her sweet, kind, and polite public image and her Thief form showing off her toughness and enjoyment of violence. I decided to combine this contrast with her love of gardening. Her partner will be the pretty flower Floramon who evolves to the boxing cactus Togemon. Togemon will then become pretty and feminine again as Lilymon before finishing up with BanchoLilymon, a pretty and feminine but violent and rebellious delinquent with a heart of gold.

For Goro I decided to focus on the contrast between his polite boy detective act and the violent and unhinged person he is behind the mask. I gave him Lopmon as a partner. Lopmon is notable for having a good and evil evolution line and Goro could use both, switching between them as needed. The good line goes Lopmon -> Tururiemon -> Antylamon/Andiramon Data -> Cherubimon Virtue while the evil line goes Lopmon -> Wendigomon -> Antylamon/Andiramon Virus -> Cherubimon Vice. The two forms of Cherubimon being an angel and fallen angel represents Goro's use of light and dark skills and how he had all the tools to be a real hero but became a monster instead.

Finally is Sumire, which took the longest for me to figure out, but I like what I came up with. I focused on her taking on the mask of her sister and the struggle between that hand her true identity. Her partner will start off as Sistermon Blanc, a cute and feminine Digimon who is close to her sisters Sistermon Noir and Sistermon Ceil like Sumire was close with Kasumi. The next stage will be Lianpumon, a Digimon themed after Chinese opera who always wears a mask and never lets anyone see its true face like how Sumire took over her sister's role and abandoned her true self. The next stage will be Luminamon, a Digimon themed around duality. Luminamon is the angelic and benevolent alternate self to the wicked and violent Shademon which mirrors the duality between who Sumire is and who she wants to be. Also Luminamon nicely fuses the holy and cute elements of Sistermon Blanc with the bestial elements of Lianpumon. Finally the last stage will be Cendrillmon. Both Cendrillmon and Sumire's Persona come from Cendrillon, an adaptation of the tale Cinderella. Cendrillmon also has crystal legs like Sumire's Persona and wears a leotard and coat like Sumire's Thief outfit. I honestly think Cendrillmon's design homages Sumire.

[adailytea]

The Ice Spirit

The team nodded, a collective shiver running through them, but before they could react further, Boris’s and Sergei’s gazes drifted past Yuriy, their eyes widening in surprise.  "Hey, Yuriy..." Boris's voice was a hushed whisper, his usual bravado gone. He lifted a hand, pointing past the redhead’s shoulder. “There is one wolf alright…” Expecting an immediate threat, Yuriy quickly turned around, and his heart skipped a beat as he followed the slate-haired’s gaze. 

Standing there, just beyond the van and atop a tall snowdrift, was Wolborg. Her human form was radiant, otherworldly, like a beacon in the frozen wilderness, white gown and long light blue hair flowing gracefully with the howling, freezing winds. Her eyes, the same piercing and glowing spheres that Yuriy knew so well, aimed at the boys with serenity. For a moment, time stood still. Yuriy’s breath caught in his throat as he stared at her, the world around them fading into insignificance. This was his bit-beast, standing peacefully before him of her own volition for the first time since she was dragged away from him.  “Wolborg,” the name escaped his lips, his widened eyes captured by hers. “What are you doing here?” She raised a hand and delicate feminine fingers pointed towards the dense forest ahead.  It took some time for him and his team to understand that message. Once it happened, a surge of emotions washed Yuriy’s soul.  “She wants to guide us, let's go!” He urged and a second later they were already hopping back on the van and preparing to move.  The engine roared to life. As they set off, Wolborg vanished and reappeared a moment later, ahead of them, standing on a snow-covered boulder with her arm extended, pointing them towards a narrow, winding path through the trees. “There she is!” Boris pointed at her and the van turned accordingly, following her direction. Minutes later she materialized again, perched on a ridge to their right, her arm outstretched, indicating a sharp turn they needed to make. This pattern continued as they navigated the treacherous terrain under her guidance, her presence both reassuring and haunting.  The journey felt endless, the forest closing in around them. Finally, the dense trees began to thin, and the van emerged into a clearing. Sergei’s foot sank in the break; before them, the land dropped away abruptly into a vast expanse of white—an immense cliff overlooking the snow-covered wilderness below. The scene was breathtaking in its stark beauty, the horizon stretching out infinitely under the ending afternoon. Wolborg was right there, at the very edge of the cliff, facing the frozen expanse ahead. The van came to a halt and the boys disembarked. The bit-beast was gazing intently at something far below, something unseen yet deeply significant; the boys approached her and followed her gaze downward. Below, at the base of the cliff, a small human camp was nestled at the entrance of a cave. The two snow-covered tents and scattered equipment were unmistakable signs of life. A makeshift fire pit sent wisps of smoke into the frosty air. Suddenly, a figure in the camp looked up and spotted the boys atop the cliff. Without hesitation, the person began jumping and gesturing frantically, waving their arms and yelling for help. 

Boris’s eyes widened excitedly as he recognized the scene below. “Hey! That’s them!” he exclaimed, kneeling down to safely lean over the edge. “We found them!” Sergei joined him. “We need to get down there. They don’t look like they’re in good shape.” Yuriy cast one last glance at Wolborg supposedly at his side, intending to thank her, but the ice maiden had already long vanished into the cold mist. There was no time to linger.  “Let’s go, we gotta find a way around this cliff,” Yuriy commanded, his spirit and resolve renewed, and the boys sprinted back to the van.

Excerpt of Trial by Ice, Chapter 8*

[sonofcoulson]

Dungeons and Dragons: The Witches Road

Yes, my d&d x marvel obsession continues, even though I have never played the game in my life.

Obviously, massive spoilers for Agatha All Along here so if you haven't seen it (why haven't you seen it?), stop reading now...

Incoming premise and character builds.

First off, for a full d&d campaign, we need more. More backstory, more lore, monsters, merchants, taverns etc.

In short, we need the Witches Road to be real.

Agatha's repeated ritual and probably thousands of other Witches learning of the song and attempting to perform the ritual made it real, just like the song became a warding spell for Alice. She is completely unaware because only a true coven can enter, as Agatha set out in her sham ceremonies.

Follow me my friend...

And once you get on the road, you can't leave unless you succeed.

...to glory at the end

So most have either died or got stuck on the road, leading to whole communities and economies within this liminal dimension, especially near the start of the road.

Billy is responsible for opening the door, as the coven is not true, not at the beginning.

They could have several encounters with the Salem Seven, managing to drive them off each time. They would also have encounters with legendary beasts on fetch quests and such, Salem Seven secretly setting up false clues to send them dangerous monsters so it's not just the trials.

It starts the same, Agatha under an illusion, investigating Wanda's death. Rio and Billy pull her out of it. Rio gives her a reprieve, Billy wants to go to the road, they make up the coven, start the ritual, Salem Seven show up and the door opens just in time.

Characters:

There is, unbelievably, no official Witch class in the game. I found a few homebrewed ones and quite liked this one, but there is no guarantee it would be allowed. So I have chosen from official classes and subclasses as much as possible. Also, having never played the game, this may be more about character than game balance.

I used this article about different types of witchcraft as inspiration.

Agatha Harkness -

Class:Warlock

Subclass:Undead

I figured Agatha should mostly use spells to harm people so I wanted her to have access to lots of necromancy spells. I would ask the DM if you could change your title to Spirit Witch or something similar (Death Witch?).

At over 300 years as a practicing Witch, Agatha knows a thing or two about magic (Arcana skill). And she likes to bully people (Intimidation skill).

She has an Eldritch blast which can be upgraded to Agonising Blast with the Warlock's Eldritch Invocations at level 2. The 5th level spell, Enervation, works a a drain spell.

I've made her a Variant Human as she is enhanced with magic even when not casting. She gets Insight as her skill as she understands people pretty well, even though she doesn't seem to like them. And her bonus feat is ritual caster which allows her to cast Find Familiar (they largely ignored familiar by thy side didn't they?). There are other good options like War Caster, so she can cast spells under pressure, but I want Señor Scratchy.

Background:Charlatan

Scam:I insinuate myself into people's lives to prey on their weakness and secure their fortunes

False Identity:Agnes of Westview

Skill:Deception

Personality:I lie about almost everything, even when there's no good reason to

Ideal:Independence. I am a free spirit – no one tells me what to do. (Chaotic)

Bond:I crossed the wrong person and must work to ensure that this individual never crosses paths with me or those I care about

Flaw:Don't expect me to save those who can't save themselves. It is nature's way that the strong thrive and the weak perish (Couldn't find a flaw that fit under Charlatan, so I swiped one from Outlander)

I based this off Agatha's repeating scam/mass murder shtick. Also very good at carrying off different personas. She gets the Deception skill with this background and a disguise kit.

Agatha saw what was happening to Witches in Salem and gave herself the tools to survive. She then survived the incident with her coven and has been surviving ever since. This powerful massacre attracted Rio and they made a partnership. Agatha gets power, Rio gets her bodies.

But Nicky complicated things...

William Kaplan/Billy Maximoff -

Class:Sorcerer

Subclass:Wild Magic

I like wild magic for Billy as it sounds like chaos magic, just like his mum. Ask the DM if you can rename as a Chaos Witch.

He seems to mostly understand his coven, he has Agatha's number and he is charming and polite so I have given him the Insight and Persuasion skills.

He gets suitable cantrips and spells like Chaos Bolt, Mass Suggestion and Wish. The description for Wish says 'you can alter the very foundations of reality in accord with your desires'. Very apt.

He is a Variant Human as he was an embodiment of a sliver of the mind stone wished into reality by a mutant witch, with an imaginary android father, who escaped the dispersement of the hex that gave him life and found a dying boy to impart himself into. Very variant.

I gave him Animal Handling as his extra skill as he loves Sparky and Señor Scratchy. And he has Ritual Caster as his feat so he can summon his little dog to his side. Dogs are not official familiars but I can't imagine too many objections from DMs.

Background:Haunted One

Harrowing Event:Your family has a history of practicing the dark arts. You dabbled once and felt something horrible clutch at your soul, whereupon you fled in terror

Personality:I like to read and memorize poetry. It keeps me calm and brings me fleeting moments of happiness

Ideal:I try to help those in need, no matter what the personal cost

Bond:I keep my thoughts and discoveries in a journal. My journal is my legacy

Flaw:I talk to spirits that no one else can see

Horror Trinket:The memory of a sibling who died on the day you were born

His background Skills are Arcana and Religion as I think he is so studious as to have researched and remembered many, many things about magic and witchcraft. He seems like he would journal and read poetry too.

Also he can talk to spirits that no one else can see. That may come in handy after the end of the campaign...

Though he didn't create The Road™, he did unconsciously choose the coven members from moments in his life. The witch trials are drawn from his expectations on what they should look like and he often says things and then they happen (ie "I wish Lilia was here"). This is not Divination, this is reality altering Chaos Magic...

Just like the show he is hoping to get his brother back as his reward.

Jennifer Kale -

Class:5 Artificer, 15 Cleric

Subclass:Alchemist, Life

I'm not that keen on the Artificer class for Jen, but it's the best way I could see to work her potion magic into her build.

See if the DM will let you have a Herbalism kit and proficiency (as an 11th generation rootworker) instead of thieves tools so she can make things straight away, she can also get Cook's Utensils too. Then when the Alchemist Subclass kicks in at level 3 she gets an easy way to make potions (Experimental Elixirs) which levels up with her. You could, theoretically stay on that path till the end. You could even pretend that all the Magical Tinkering objects and Artificer Infusions all use magical potions to make them work. You may have to just pretend that in your head though as the DM might ask you where all these potions are coming from...

But I like the idea that she was born into a Hearth Witch family, and then joined a Wiccan coven, covered here by multiclassing into Life Cleric (Hathor might be a good fit as a Patron). When she was bound she lost her Wiccan magic and went back to hearth magic; she used it to build her beauty business from scratch. She has lotions, potions, creams, soaps etc. But as she identifes as more than 'just a witch' she wants to go back to being a High Priestess too, hence The Road™.

She will need to discover earlier that Agatha was actually the one that bound her and make her set her free, so she can begin to regain her power and explain the switch into Cleric/Wiccan Priestess. Again, check with the DM if they mind the renaming to Hearth Witch (Alchemist Artificer) and Wiccan Priestess (Life Cleric).

I chose the Medicine and Nature skills as these complement gathering ingredients and administering healing elixirs.

Her race is Variant Human as she is a magic user and 100+ years old.

I chose Ritual Caster, again, as her feat and a Poisonous snake as her Familiar. The Rod of Asclepius is closely associated with medicine and features a snake entwined round a staff. Also, she could probably milk it for anti venom potions.

I chose Survival as the bonus skill because it complements her knowing so much about nature, herbs, cooking and medicine. She knows where to find ingredients, what's safe to eat and how to cook it.

I chose Sage as a background and Alchemist as her Specialty within that. She studied hard in both her disciplines and is very proud and knowledgeable about both.

Personality:I'm used to helping out those who aren't as smart as I am, and I patiently explain anything and everything to others

Ideal:Beauty. What is beautiful points us beyond itself toward what is true

Bond:I've been searching my whole life for the answer to a certain question

(eg Who bound me? Or, How do I get my power back?)

Flaw:I'm quick to assume that someone is trying to cheat me (from Guild Artisan background, couldn't find one in Sage that really fit)

I figured after the experience of being bound, seemingly by a muggle, and consequently leaving her coven, I thought she might be slow to trust. And actually, that attitude will serve her well against Agatha.

The man that bound her was a doctor, a man of science, a student of 'modern medicine'. He couldn’t stand that a woman practicing witchcraft was more popular and successful then he was. The TV show obviously cast Sasheer Zamata in the role which adds another, significant, layer. This binding was religiously intolerant, misogynistic and racist. Agatha is complicit in this, despite her excuses. There is an interesting take on this, and other themes in the show in this article. I love her unbinding herself as well ("You hold nothing!"), very powerful moment.

Jen stays with the party after releasing her bond as every living coven member must complete their trial first.

Lilia Calderu -

Class:Wizard

Subclass:School of Divination

Lilia is clearly a Divination Witch so this Class/Subclass is a great fit. The rename to Divination Witch is also not too big of a change.

Like Agatha, Lilia has lived a long life in the craft and would therefore know a great deal about magic (Arcana) and gets a sense of people and places from her passive Divination skills (Insight).

She gets an object as an Arcane Focus. There is an Orb on the official list which could work as a crystal ball, but you could also ask the DM if she is allowed a pack of Tarot Cards as her focus instead.

I would give her the Scholar's Pack as it seems more useful for Divination than an Explorer's Pack.

She gets features like Portent, Third Eye, and Expert Divination as part of her Subclass. She also has access to spells like True Seeing and Foresight.

Variant Human again (magic user, long life etc). Perception skill as her bonus, as in extra sensory. She can have Lucky as her bonus feat because it apparently goes well with Divination. She gets Find Familiar from 1st level Wizard spells and I have gone for cat as that seems appropriate.

She has Hermit for her Background as it can refer to a group and I thought that her original coven had isolated themselves, nun style, to prevent personal attachments affecting their visions (a little Star Warsy, I know). The Hermit gets a herbalism kit; I thought Lilia could make teas to read the leaves with. Also if Jen isn't allowed one then Lilia can assist her sister in the craft with her potion ingredients.

Life of Seclusion:I was partaking of communal living in accordance with the dictates of a religious order

Personality:I often get lost in my own thoughts and contemplation, becoming oblivious to my surroundings

Ideal:Greater Good. My gifts are meant to be shared with all, not used for my own benefit. (Good)

Bond:Nothing is more important than the other members of my coven

Flaw:I have trouble staying in the present, which confuses others (custom)

I think Lilia might need a custom Flaw as the options available don't really seem to suit. Neither the Hermit Flaws nor anything from the other Backgrounds.

Lilia has not lost her magic, she has lost her joy, her community, her focus. That's what she wants back. She couldn’t save her first coven, her mother from death and it has gnawed away at her for centuries.

She could potentially survive the confrontation with the Salem Seven and the reversed Tower if someone casts Feather Fall on her and then they patch her up before moving to the last trial.

Alice Wu Gulliver-

Class:Paladin

Subclass:Heroism

Alice is a Protection Witch (or something similar, check with DM), and as a police officer and security guard she's probably had a few tangles. So a Paladin with a Sacred Oath of Heroism seemed to be the way to go. I went for the Athletics and Insight skills, would have been handy for her previous jobs. Her Fighting Style is obviously Protection.

Tenets of Heroism:Embrace Destiny You didn't choose this road, but it's yours to walk. And it will carry you into legend.

She gets the Peerless Athlete feature, which gives her advantage on Athletics and Acrobatics rolls. That's dice rolls by the way, she isn't doing roly polys down The Road™. She gets Guiding Bolt (we'll say it's orange) from Oath Spells on lvl 3 and has a range of combat skills and protection spells.

She could be a Human as she's not been alive for that long compared to the others, but she is a born magic user. If you do go for Variant Human the the skill could be Stealth? Survival? idk

The feat would be Ritual Caster and her Familiar would be a Hawk.

She obviously has the Investigator background with Investigation (obvs) and Perception skills. She gets Thieves tools (handy for traps) and a disguise kit.

Case:You survived the destructive use of a curse that killed your mother. Then, the coven found you. You now travel with them, hoping to somehow lift your curse upon the Witches Road

Horror Characteristics:-

Personality:Nothing is more important than life, and I never leave anyone in danger

Ideal:Obsession. I've lived this way for so long that I can't imagine another way

Bond:I lost someone I care about, but I still see them in guilty visions, recurring dreams, or as a spirit

Flaw:I'm especially superstitious and live life seeking to avoid bad luck, wicked spirits, or the Mists

Horror Trinket:An urn with the ashes of a dead relative

Alice wanted to know if the curse was real, if The Road™ was real, even if magic was real. Always wondering when she lost a job or had a break up, was it the curse?

But despite her grief and anger, which drove her to denial, deep down she knew the truth and longed for a way to break the curse.

Alice is definitely weakened by Agatha's attack, but this being Dungeons and Dragons a saving roll or a team mate's spell could save her!

Sharon Davis -

Class:Druid

Subclass:Land Circle

According to the TV show, Sharon never makes it past level 1, but would have been a Land Druid/Green Witch (Though the starting Herbalism Kit does lend itself well to her gardening interest).

I'm imagining that she keeps animals at home (Animal Handling) and, as mentioned above, she likes gardening (Nature)

In her handbag she is carrying a dreamcatcher that she bought for her niece but hasn't passed to her yet. That will serve as her Druidic focus.

She would not be able to speak Druidic, only common. This would make it difficult for her as she would have to learn as she goes.

She does not have weapons, armour or a shield. She only has what she carried in her handbag. And the Herbalism Kit. And some cook's utensils from her background...it's a big handbag okay?

She would know Create Bonfire and Druidcraft Cantrips if she was a real druid, but we'll get on to that in a minute. She does not have a familiar as she doesn't have access to the spell. If she survives, she may be able to transform into an animal herself, but more on that later.

Her race is Human and I chose Guild Artisan for her Background. I thought she would probablybein the Women's Guild. They are chiefly Cooks and Bakers for which she gets Chef's Utensils. There are many other skills within the Guild, such as Sharon's gardening.

If they happen to come across any members of the Women's Guild on the Witches Road then they're laughing, as they may have multiple skills as well as being able to give them shelter or a good meal. There is a possibility for a crossover between Witches and the Women's Guild as many will meet the criteria for joining. This increases the chance of some Women's Guild members being on The Road™.

Personality:I'm full of witty aphorisms and have a proverb for every occasion

Ideal:Community. It is the duty of all civilized people to strengthen the bonds of community and the security of civilization. (Lawful)

Bond:I owe my guild a great debt for forging me into the person I am today

Flaw:I like a glass of wine. Or two. Oh just give me the damn bottle! (I wanted to reference the moment from the potions trial so I made a custom one. Don't judge me)

There are different ways of playing Sharon. One is she has no magical ability at all and is destined to die during the potions trial. Perhaps then the person role playing her can switch to Rio or the DM could have her as an npc.

Equally, you could decide that Agatha chose her because she saw some potential in her and, in the event of her survival, she can develop into a full Druid.

Again, a saving roll or a spell/potion from an ally could mean Sharon's story has many more chapters.

Rio Vidal-

Class:Sorcerer 1/Wizard 2/Cleric 17 (Witch)

Subclass:Shadow Magic 1/School of Necromancy 2/Death Domain 17 (Green)

Rio is a special one 🖤

After reading this thread and doing some research I found a lot of features I wanted to incorporate into her build. Not sure how picking skills works with multiclassing. History would be a good one for such a long lived creature but that doesn't come up until you get to Cleric. Arcana may be the best choice as she is the longest practicing green witch in the world...or universe? Also, she mentions the sacred balance a few times which has a quasi-religious tone to it so Religion could be an option too.

She gets to pick a Quirk from Shadow Sorcerer which plays up her otherworldly, deathly persona.

Shadow Sorcerer Quirk:You have trouble remembering that living creatures and corpses should be treated differently.

From Shadow Sorcerer she gets Eyes of the Dark which is essentially Darkvision (although she will get Darkvision with her race). If you stay in that class she gets to learn and cast the Darkness spell, but retains her ability to see through it.

She also gets Strength of the Grave which makes Rio harder to kill.

1 lvl of Necromancy Wizard gives you Necromancy Savant, which reduced the cost of Necromancy spells and GRIM Harvest, which gives you HP back (or "reap life energy") and has an even greater benefit when a Necromancy spell was used.

Death Cleric gives bonus proficiency in martial weapons. This could possibly give you a glaive reskinned as scythe (ask your DM). This Subclass also gets you the REAPER feature allowing you to learn a Necromancy Cantrip from any spell list.

She can have a raven as her Familiar.

I chose Shadar-Kai as her race. The description is pretty close, just needing a few tweaks, which should be fine. It would be nice if you could rename it to something more apt like Shadow Being, ask your DM about this.

It is an Elf Race, which I liked for the not needing to sleep feature. Though you don't have to refer to her as such. Elves do die though...

Blessing of the Raven Queen allows her to teleport and appear where others aren't expecting.

Background:Faceless

This background gives the Deception and Intimidation skills. Intimidation is certainly a good skill for Death.

It also allows her to have Rio Vidal as a Persona that she takes when walking amongst the living but isn't actually her true form.

Personality:I'm earnest and uncommonly direct

Ideal:Anonymity. It's my deeds that should be remembered, not their instrument. (Any)

Bond:What I do, I do for the world. The people don't realize how much they need me

Flaw:I am callous about death. It comes to us all eventually

As mentioned above, Rio could be played by the person who is being Sharon, if she is dying at the Potion Witch trial. Otherwise she will need to wait until she is accidentally summoned to The Road™ and then joins for the ride.

Rio is hurt that Agatha never wanted to see her again and angry that she stopped their little arrangement. She was furious that Agatha used the Darkhold to hide from her for decades. She knew it was because of Nicky but never fully understood why. Never fully understood grief until (I saw this on a post on Tumblr somewhere but I can't find it now...) Agatha died. That's where her story is leading.

In conclusion:

I have spent way too much time on this.

Also, this can be as close or as far away from the TV show as you want it to be. They can all survive, they can all die (save for Rio), or somewhere in between. You can have lots of battles and encounters or just the trials.

Such great characters and such a great jumping off point for a Dungeons and Dragons campaign.

This has been my TED talk. Thank you for listening.