#there also needs to be a support group for axe wielding dead enemies of the main characters who are weak for the avista family

[cielospeaks]

b6 temp tri thoughts

bc hoo boy for me who hated b3 there is a lot to unpack.

firstoff b3 itself thoughts. gosh what a fucking disappointment of a story. for me this was where heroes story started to go downhill. initially gacha was kinda lame but the story was nice or at least bland and unoffensive (aka b1), and from b3 on the gacha was better but the story was much much worse.

before b3 i actually liked the starter trio bc sure, they were boring, but they seemed responsible enough. just like super generic standins for the usual lords/ect. after b3 their personalities developed. () was a fucking control freak and jerk, the sort of person who lectures you on your own customs and tells you why your beliefs are wrong, and also guilt trips you into complimenting them. () is a fucking stalker who has shit taste in relationships and people, thinks abuse is romantic, and is like the embodiment of being positive in a nasty way. () is a horrible leader, a kissass, and has none of the original characters likeable traits (defender of the weak, funny, ect) and instead is just ‘i love money’ memes.

the other characters introduced arent much better. gosh dang eir i was rooting for you to be a pamina character when you were first introduced. now i just feel like. the tired man with his cigarette looking done with everything. like i havent liked eir since b3 so i dont hate her now or anything but like. ok good for you youre a piece of shit.

honestly this is just gonna be me ripping b3 a new one so ill skip to the temptri story. as a premise its not bad, def better than b2s story: hel is left rulerless so the person who’s taken over needs to get rid of the other heir for like. competition. something something i think its like addressed in game of thrones or something idk medieval royalty politics. its like why macbeth sent assassins after duncan’s sons even tho they were out of the country. so the god/dragon of eir’s birthplace, who was also apparently her nanny, saves her life by merging with her and they go on a quest to retrieve the souls of eir’s dead subjects. like ok yea thats vaguely interesting sure go off.

the good: a little more development on hel/ymir. i also do like ymir! shes like the mom whos kinda a pushover, like if her kid (friend’s kid) wants to eat candy late at night she’ll do it bc she feels bad she wasnt in the kid’s life enough sorta thing. having the magic dragon being kind to the protagonist is such a fucking refresher after b2 of n ifl just threatening and demeaning fj orm (and laegy) for like five chapters (until they decided shes redeemable at the fucking last minute despite her being awful. but anyways i digress). i dont have a problem with her. cool good for you.

im having a separate section for ganglot bc i really liked her. like esp seeing the fan reaction against her and how badly shes written in the story makes me like her infinitely more! oh my gosh!

-shes actually dutiful at her job. like shes a really cool i think the word is anti villain? a character who actually has noble and good motivations but does it in a chaotic way/that is destructive to the protagonist. or something like that. theres a mess left over bc of the order’s swaggering and someones gotta clean it up and shes gonna be that someone bc her guardian is dead now, killed by her guardian’s adopted daughter. like her motivations are understandable, she’s after eir for medieval politics plus you killed/helped kill my role model slash mother figure who i thought was also your mother how fucking could you.

-shes that trope of “guy has a bitter animosity toward their presumed rival but said rival is just a dude. who acts normal abt it”. and gosh i love that trope. (herb, sal (from f g o and amadeus the movie version too), randall monsters inc, the list goes on i bet) its a good trope and i always love to see girl characters written with beloved traits of guy characters (gosh i wish there were more characters that arent guys written with wholesome kind jock kronk type characteristics. high school au feng is basically that. but again off topic). i feel bad for ganglot bc she just had to choose the person to have a vendetta against who would actually fuck her up out of proportion but. -doctor idv mourn emote-

-her design is nice and her backstory makes her personality/character more sympathetic. i like the classy formal look, it fits as her being a handmaiden and very dutiful, kinda like the maids/butlers in 14. im so grateful they didnt make her an au version of the main characters like the fan theories were saying. she was abandoned as a child and is older than eir/adopted presumably before eir was, which means she couldnt be those characters even if they wanted her to be. fuck you eat shit fall off your horse. anyways. she basically had nothing and was taken in by someone who not only provided for her needs but offered herself as an example. im willing to bet that seeing hel gave ganglot a purpose/something to look up to, and that hel, while providing for her needs, probably treated their relationship more as a business/apprenticeship sorta thing. in fact theres even stuff that said that ganglot loved looking after eir, which makes it seem like she was kind to eir (which makes what happened even more sad/pisses me off) and only hated her after she killed hel. and considering ganglot didnt know abt what hel did to eir, she wouldnt know why eir rebelled against her. and eir never fucking explains it to her. to ganglot it must look like eir just was like “oh woops looks like im a princess to a pretty lively fairyland happily ever after kingdom im ditching your goth busy realm of the dead to go fuck off and escape from my responsibilities and also imma help some pet self insert of a kill-happy spoiled ass prince and his friends kill your boss slash role model byeeeee -nail polish emoji-”. like idk. its totally relatable and understandable why ganglot would want to kill eir.

-her fatal flaw that leads to her demise is her kindness/mercy. which is something you almost never see with villains, esp ones that are supposed to be unsympathetic. like maybe in a series with an antihero who takes advantage of them falling for a trick or something. or like joseph joestar outwitting the pillar men, but then its less kindness and more like “honor/chivalry” being outwitted by wiliness, which imo is completely different. this is like if the hero is pleading for their life before fighting the villain, the villain decides to give them this out of mercy, and the hero, without explaining anything to the villain who presumably was their friend before, just fucking sacrifices their friend’s life to murder the villain from within in order to kiss up to their longtime abusers who have a sad backstory uwu and that makes it ok. gosh i fucking hate some aspects of this game. anyways i think a villain who has a point whose mercifulness leads to them being killed by a dirty trick is kinda interesting and at least new.

the bad:

-gosh i hate the u b w ripoff in the plot. like please just get a better plot point dont rip off a fucking boring f ate story. their appearances were played up but ultimately did basically nothing but motivate eir, potentially to do worse things but then again thats up in the air (no pun intended) how much of what she chose to do was “for my friends!” and how much was her own idea.

-the jokes abt eirs new design. i dont have a problem with her new design, or even her decisions. it makes sense, seeing shes spent the last however long around these assholes that maybe she’s changed for the worse (or rather from a blank slate to something worse than that). but what i do have a problem is w the “jokes”. no assholes you cant just “cure” depression for one what these characters have is more akin to life altering trauma and just bc theyre wearing brighter colors and smiling more doesnt mean their “depression is gone/cured”. i dont like the in game explanation for idunn but i have my version which is (imo) more meaningful and in character. i think for eir technically it makes more sense with the lore given, as besides askr, which treats her like a pet or a trophy, ymir is the first person in her life whose treated her decently, and in a parental way at that. so yea, not really w the design but definitely with the fans jokes. shut the fuck up.

-the writing. like as a sort of tragedy of people not fucking communicating a la spi derman 1 (2002) or an episode of conan its fine, in fact its pretty good. like for those reasons (+ the sort of medieval drama aspects) i like it or rather dont have a problem. its that those aspects are basically just glossed over for a generic and not really morally substantial “good wins evil loses” angle that this series likes to take. its not as bad as b2 where “sure this person basically kept your life as a carrot on a string to get you to fight your mutual respected former dead enemy who that person dehumanizes, and also they constantly belittle and threaten you but hey they had a crush on your ancestor so that makes them a good person uwu in the end”, but its still not great. like i said ganglot is a really cool character and very multi faceted and sympathetic, but the series just treats her like “hels evil successor who hates eir for no reason” and the fandom calls her incompetent so im just like. i will bite you but im also too tired. idk. i like ganglot. she seems like kind of a workaholic young lady who both is the “i serve someone and am super faithful but they really dont deserve me” trope i unfortunately like (i say unfortunately bc its fucking annoying bc i always end up hating the person theyre faithful to unless its beet and schooby and in that case beet is just too lovable to hate, and also he never asked to be idolized also so him being greedy is something you cant blame him for).

-i think if the story was done better? or like a version id actually like? theres not much id want to change. i think to make eir actually sympathetic she should actually try to communicate what she learned abt hel/what hel did to her to ganglot, and ganglot either ignores her or shuts down eir, or ganglot still cant forgive her even knowing the truth. something like that. a quick fix and that makes everything better. have a flashback to when they were younger and ganglot being kind to eir, and make it more of a moral conflict eir has against fighting and killing her former friend. kinda like the scene in spi derman 3 (2007). ok enough spiderman references id also address what happens to hel after the story. either eir kills ganglot and resumes the responsibility for both the realm of life and the realm of death. or she is able to defeat but not kill ganglot, while recognizing her as an enemy also has the strength of character to recognize she’d be a good ruler of the dead, and gives her blessing/relinquishes her claim to the throne while leaving, never to see her again or something. idk.

id also personally just eradicate all mention of (u b w characters) from the story and make the ending not that eir goes back to her “friends in askr” but that she goes back to set things right, not as their tool and pawn but as the leader her people in the realm of life (and depending on which the realm of death) need, acknowledging her responsibility to her people and her independence. but nooooOOOoo she goes back to the people who treat her as a toy like all happy to be that way. this years story and the protagonists happily sacrificing others for their schemes and then having the gall to act sad abt it afterwards as if tehy werent the one who twisted the damn knife istg

[mercurytail]

Waster World AU a Mchanzo fanfic brainstorm

A gift for @metmarfil 

A thanks for being awesome and getting my creativity flowing <3

Here’s a fic idea, that Metmar implied to me and I just took off with it! Feel free to comment or add in any idea’s you may have too!

Waster World Au - Mchanzo fanfiction brainstorm!

Inspired by :D motorcycle post and Water World/borderlands

dystopian/ post-apocalyptic world ridden with war, slavery, death and famine. 

“ain’t fit for livin’ but i’m already here so imma make the best of it” - McCree

The only way to survive is to sign yourself away to Gangs. Gang wars run the hierarchy or the world!

Overwatch is a group of organized gangs that have decided to follow a truce, in order to keep some semblance of peace/order.

Main Bigshots

Hanzo: is an ex-gang leader, exiled from his waste land. He refused to battle his brother (to the death) for the head spot and the gang wasn't having it. So after making a fake show he left under the cover of night fall. Made his own bike. Has mad ninja skills yo

Jesse: ex-member of the Deadlockers gang, was picked up after they tried to kill him by Gabe while he was leader of  Blackwatchers gang. (a allied gang of the Overwatch troop) In current time; he’s the leader of a allied gang: The Tumbleweeds (short, sweet, and swift) :D all of them wear serapes! Cause why the fuck now.

> Jesse, Torb, Rein, Brig all like to build bikes together….when they have the free time :3

Supporting Characters v

The Trio

Trob, Brig, Rein: have their own mini-gang D.va visits :P to spend time with her gf

The Solo’s

D.va: :D leader of a foreign gang new to the area. They actually drive hybrid mech bikes.

Lucio: Rare, does not use bikes! His gang uses Skates! Friends with D.va

Pharah: Leader of Helix gang

Gabe: Thought dead after incident with his previous gang….(do i want magic? idk) went “bad”

(possible redemption arch? Purified gabe?)

The Duo’s

Widow: no gang, just her and sombra (gf) has past business with overwatch and Gabriel.

Sombra: in it for the fun :3 loves to mess with other gangs.

Genji: After being betrayed by his gang/clan and his own brother he set out alone for many years, till he met Gabriel. Took him under his wing,  met Jesse. After Gabriel’s gang….(idk blew up? Something happened) He set out alone again. Where he later met  Zenyatta a traveling monk, still holding onto the lost art of religion. He learned a new sense of peace and now partners with Zen.

Zenyatta: A traveling monk :D (more detail needed)

‘Overwatch’ poster member gang

Jack: leader of gang

Members: Mercy, Winston, Tracer, Ana

~~~~~~~~~~~

Weapons :D

Weaponized War Bikes! Everyone has specialized weapons/bikes/skills

Hanzo - use a futuristic bow while riding. Bike has sonic locators and dual plasma rocket launchers (dragon strike) and he’s a ninja :P

Jesse - uses Peacekeeper, a 6 shot pistol. Bike has flashbang a blast that temporarily causes malfunctions in other bikes/mobiles, bike can also roll >u< idk fuck physics

(also, if anyone asks: no his hat doesn't come off while he rides. Cause yes, fuck physics)

Lucio - his skates double as blades, also uses sounds wave disruptors/repairers “sound barrier”

D.va - Mechs. Duh.

Rein - uses a massive claymore/ battle axe while riding...in one hand..cause ya know he's badass. His bikes name is Hammerdown, it uses electricity sent through the group to knock enemies off their bikes (earth shatter)

Widow - sniper? Bike uses grapples to immobilize enemies

Sombra - :3 hacks of course, bike can cloak and :3 is clear and purple like plexiglass

Jack - guns mounted on bike, automatics. Glass wind guard doubles as “visor” for heavy accuracy.

Ana - rifle, bike has sleeper darts equipped and grenades.

Gabe - double heavy duties shot guns mounted on bike. Smoke bomb launchers (he plays dirty) Very efficient as dodging with back arms that allow for bike sliding. (slippery fella)

Genji - Wears a dragon blade (sword) on his back, wields while riding, nitro fuel =dash :D He’s a ninja too. Bike sends out shurikens.

Any ideas for Zen? Or others?

~~~~~~~~~~~

PLOT?

Genji seeks Hanzo out to join up with him and overwatch to find the SPARK! woooo Let’s go save the world~

What's this world like? Food/water is scarce. Overwatch truce gangs convene at a worn down, rusty abandoned theme park. Complete with Ferris wheel and old baseball throwing booth. Jesse quite likes the place.

Revitalize a dying world trope? Genji finds Hanzo, convincing him to Help him and Overwatch locate the “SPARK”. - “Ain’t that a fool's tale? Told to calm kids at night and fester mischief?”

> SPARK - turns out to be a Vast lust underground cave system, complete with farm-able land and fresh water.

Symmetra: possible villain > turn ally? Crafty bitch that as knowledge of the “SPARK”.  They seek her out. She uses Teleportals to travel :D making her a bitch to find. Is a villain til Hanzo befriends her….and she takes quite the shining to Pharah.

The Junk Slayers: Junkrat, RoadHog, Wreckingball (Hammond), And Queen; our hero’s meet this troublesome group and Hanzo, Jesse, and Ana get taken as hostage of War. Til, Ana, befriends Hammond and he helps them escape. Hammond joins Overwatch gang with Winston :D

Any idea’s for other obsticals? villains?

Please comment your ideas! <3 keep the creative train going! Idk if i plan to write anything on this story since i already have so much on my plate, but maybe, and maybe if lots of ppl like it.

[rpgsandbox]

Our goal with CATaclysm is to create an easy-to-learn action-packed tabletop role-playing game that places the fate of the world in the capable claws of furious feline fighters. In CATaclysm you play a Cat, not a Cat person. You think like a Cat. You act like a Cat. Because you are a Cat! The only difference between the Cats you play and your Cat at home is that the Cats of CATaclysm stand on two feet, wear clothes and armour, and swing axes into Rats, Toads, and Frogs. The Cats are aided by Meowgic, a mystic force that they have learned to harness and use to defend Cat civilization.

CATaclysm is a game created by Brent Logan and Shiraz Sheikh, and beautifully illustrated by Toma Feizo-Gas. Together they form Akinji Entertainment, and this is their very first RPG.

Da humanz iz ded. No moar fud for us. No moar scratchez for us. No moar protecshun frum teh outsides for us. We haz taken teh earth…

Catain Galileo Furrwhisker.

No Cat knows exactly how long it has been since the humans left, but one thing’s for sure, they left in a real hurry. The Cats can still see the majestic Human cities of glass and steel on the horizon on a clear day, but they dare not approach, not without protection. These places have become forbidden zones because they are filled with a mysterious and sinister evil: Miasma.

Miasma is a horrible, evil substance that eventually corrupts and destroys everything it touches… well almost everything. The despicable Rats, Toads, and Frogs feed off of Miasma, and it is even rumored that they can control it for their own nefarious ends. The Cats believe that Miasma is what chased the humans away in the first place, and now it is their responsibility to defend the world, and Mommy Nurtur, against it.

Although most animals have evolved into sophisticated, intelligent beings, Cats have been given a very special gift from Mommy Nurtur that singles them out from all the other creatures: Meowgic. This mystical force is where the Cats draw their power - the source of their nine lives. As their birthright, all Cats can use Meowgic, however some breeds are more attuned to its power than others.

Feline society is quite complex. Cats are tribal, living in large societies known as clowders which are based on their breed. As a player you choose to play a breed, of which 9 are the most common, each having their own special talents and gifts. The Maine Coons are a large warrior and seafaring breed who are at home both on land and in water; The slippery and sneaky Egyptian Mau have the fastest of cat-like reflexes, making them effective rogues and assassins; the bookish Persians have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge which sends them to the furthest corners of world in search for lore, and; the mysterious Manx are powerful Meowgicians that can manipulate Meowgic better than any other breed.

In recent years, Cats have become extremely curious of their origins and the fate of their ancient masters: the humans. The Cats do not worship humans (did they ever?) and were in fact quite indifferent to things human, however they now know that the key to understanding their place in the world is to uncover what happened to them. Cats now scour the world searching for ancient human lore and artifacts, going to great lengths to acquire them. The ancient Catains (the founders of the original 9 breeds) have left clues for later generations throughout the land of Cats and it is up to you, the Cat Hero, to find them!

This fantasy-based role-playing game brings a fast-paced combat module and a rich Cat-like role-playing experience that creates a theatrical game that moves with agility and grace. Akinji Entertainment has designed CATaclysm with the intention of making it easy-to-learn for those who have never before tried RPGs but at the same time giving it enough bite to keep seasoned players asking for more. We feel that we have accomplished this in two ways: Firstly, by designing a new RPG engine that does not intimidate the new player but at the same time is faithful to the way most RPGs are played, and secondly; by creating an immersive story that is compelling and conducive to a rich role playing experience.

Ph4se Lite (“Phase 4 Lite”) is Akinji’s premiere game mechanic that keeps play quick and intuitive. Whenever a Hero wants to attempt an action that has a chance of failure, they roll a ten-sided die (or ‘d10’). To determine success of the task (for a Talent, Skill, or Attack):

Roll a d10

Add any relevant scores and modifiers

Compare the result to the required result If the required result is met or exceeded, the Hero performs the action or task. If the result is lower, the Hero fails.

Ph4se Lite also introduces a unique life management system that does away with crunchy hit points and replaces them with colour-coded conditions called Phases. These phases represent a Hero’s physical and mental condition as they interact with their environment. Each phase represents a different state of being whether it be cool and collected (green), stressed and winded (yellow), injured (red), or dead or incapacitated (black). Moving into each phase may lock up or unlock certain abilities and talents. Tracking your Hero’s phase is easy with a Life-Force Dial (included with the base game) and the dials are large enough so that everybody at the table is aware of the group’s health at a quick glance.

CATaclysm debuted at Gen Con 49 two years ago. Originally intended as a oneshot, it was an instant hit with players who wanted more. Since then we have tried to incorporate more, fleshing out the game world and the Cats that make it their home. Since then, we have created a deep and mythical lore-based fantasy realm that will allow players to immerse themselves fully into a rich tapestry of Cat-like role play. We love storytelling and vivid role-playing scenarios and this is another aspect that we have tried to incorporate into CATaclysm. We want to arm both gamemasters and players with lore that can delve deep into the heart of Cat culture, legends, and mythos.

At Akinji Entertainment we believe that every great story needs great art, and we have tried to spare no expense to make that a reality for CATaclysm. We are very fortunate to have Toma Feizo-Gas as our lead artist on this project. Toma comes with years of experience in Fantasy/Sci-Fi illustrations, having worked on many RPG titles such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, Mutant Chronicles, Magic: The Gathering, and the new Star Trek RPG. The illustrations you see here are all done by Toma’s gifted hand and you can see how each Cat is beaming with a unique personality.

But good art doesn’t come cheap. We want to make sure that Toma is appropriately compensated for the great work he’s done so we have come up with an idea that we hope will facilitate that, and at the same time give you a unique opportunity to take advantage of. During the production process, if you back us at specific pledge levels, we will add your cat to the game! Just imagine your furry feline gracing one of the pages of the Core Rulebook, the GM screen or supplement - or even the book cover! There are four pledge levels that you can pledge to get your cat’s likeness in the game:

Copied Cat (CAN$250): Pledge at this level and we will put your heroic cat in either the Core Rulebook, or one of our other products or supplements from the Kickstarter. Your cat will be credited on a special page in the Core Rulebook. Limit 20 spots.

Copied Cat Hero (CAN$350): Pledge at this level and your cat will be featured on Chapter plate. Each chapter will have a lead-in illustration one of which will depict your cat in a heroic scene! Limit 15 spots.

Catain (CAN$750): At this pledge your cat’s likeness will be used as an archetype for one of the main breeds or paradigms in the game. If your cat’s breed is not already in the game we will create one to fit your cat. If the breed already exists and has an illustration, we will create a paradigm hero (see Stretch Level 2 below) for your cat instead. Limit 25 spots.

Legendary Catain (CAN$1000): At this pledge level your cat will grace the Core Rulebook cover! Up to three cats can be added to the cover scene, so make sure you pledge fast!

For kindly supporting us in our project, everyone who pledges from the base pledge (Kitty Citizen) and up, will receive the Cat Package, which is essentially the CATaclysm Game Box. The game box comes with:

Full-Colour Illustrated Core Rulebook: The book is planned to be about 6x8 (A5) with gloss finish high-quality paper. The current page count is approximately 110 pages, and sections dealing with Character Creation, Breeds, Feats, Skills and Talents, Combat, Meowgic, Items, as well as a GM section, which fleshes out the CATaclysm world and also includes an introductory adventure.

A Pair of 10-Sided Dice: The box will also include 2 beautifully customized d10s, which is the only set of dice you need to play the game. Remember, the highest number you can role is 9 - a 0 is exactly that, a zero!

A Set of High-Quality Dials: These fully assembled dials are made from a durable 800gsm board, full-colour illustrated with matt varnish with linen finish. They are held together with a plastic button that makes turning the dials smooth and easy. You get:

3 Player Hero Dials

3 Lives Dials to track your 9 Lives

4 Enemy Dials

1 Enemy Leader (Chief) Dial

1 Boss Dial

As a very special thank-you to those who support us on Kickstarter, everyone who pledges the base pledge (Kitty Citizen) and up will receive a Kickstarter Exclusive Dice Bag (CAN$15 value) filled with 5 custom d10s!! The Dice Bag will feature the Black Cat Paradigm archetype Pawzzt Do’Purrden leaping through the air, duel-wielding a pair of curved daggers. Yep, it’s pretty epic.

We are pleased to include a full adventure in the Core Rulebook entitled: The Palace of Ss'inar Hiss. In this adventure, the players are recruited by a mysterious noblecat, Sir Whiskers Shadow, to search for an ancient tome that holds information about the legendary Catains, the heroic founders of the Cat race. However the tome is said to lie within the Palace of Ss'inar Hiss, the long dead Adder Lord, and is guarded by a foul tribe of rats led by a pair of crazed feral cat brothers. The heroes must storm the palace, retrieve the tome, and make off with any human artifacts they can find... sounds easy enough. But there is something waiting for them in the dark...

Kickstarter campaign ends: Mon, November 13 2017 4:16 PM UTC +00:00

Website: [CATaclysm RPG] [facebook] [twitter]

[shiftingpath]

xxxdragonfucker69xxx: we need a roster of all manus' love interests

xxxdragonfucker69xxx: or like a relationship chart

okay so like

””Ledaal””” (Iselsi) Savoy, Water Aspect lithe, dark, handsome, daring, outrageous

Except for being Manus’ own something-something-great uncle once or twice removed, Savoy was already exactly what Manus would list if he had to put together a dream man and seeing him show up was uhhhhhh... Manus had some problems talking to him without making an idiot of himself. Savoy super seduced him when Manus’ dad was out and Manus has been stupid about him ever since. Manus keeps over-explaining to his friends how common it is for an elder of a Great House to take an inexperienced younger Dynast and “tutor” them (we have no idea if that’s true in the slightest given Savoy himself told Manus that); Manus does not actually feel very comfortable about how close their familial relationship is but absolutely will not allow any non-Realm Thresholder to judge that for him. he does not trust Savoy at all but consistently forgets this whenever Savoy is actually in the room. he’s starting to realize he doesn’t even like Savoy, but goddamn if he doesn’t still look just like Manus’ dream boyfriend. the players are all operating off the assumption that Savoy and Manus’ dad Volan were together for years a long time ago, and Savoy is probably getting a huge kick out of being the guy who seduces every generation in a family. actually starting to think he’s slept with every Iselsi. what a creep

Yamagata Hisoki, the “Keen-Edge”, mortal nobleman slim, greying, courtly, gentle, proud, poetic

Manus’ tutor from when he was younger. He taught Manus and Pavo duelling and poetry and probably some other stuff, and probably made a graceful exit from the position when Manus got old enough to start mimicking his dress style and stammering whenever Hisoki spoke to him directly. Embarrassingly, Manus is still wearing that Romantic Thorns style and the two of them look a little over-matched when they’re out together (Keen-Edge in rose and Manus in violet, god). He got his nickname by being the first (of two, Manus is the second) noble to defend his own honour in the fighting arena. He’s a really excellent swordsman who dreams of returning to his generational home of Thorns and wielding a magic sword called Chainbreaker against the Mask of Winters, but he’s also practical enough not to run off and do that. The two of them got together after the Solars retook Towersong and Manus found out Keen-Edge had been imprisoned for vocally opposing the Realm’s occupancy and for supporting (even smuggling things!) to Manus’ imprisoned dad. Being good to Manus’ dad is a really quick way to Manus’ heart. Anyhow, now they have a gentlemanly arrangement and refer to each other as “my companion” in polite company. Hisoki is also a Horologist and has seen a significant boost in popularity and power since Manus now basically leads them. this is the second pal of his dad’s that Manus is sleeping with and I just want to say that Manus makes a lot of mistakes, but of them, Keen-Edge is among the least. at least he’s upstanding and nice and likable, if still like 25 years older than Manus

Carver Rain, mortal butler/seneschal pleasant, mild, charming, thoughtful, resourceful

Carver was originally Manus’ brother Pavo’s butler but once Pavo married, Carver stayed in the house and served Manus, finding the younger brother infinitely quieter and more boring until all the Anathema business. When that came out for good, Carver showed up in the circle’s magic chariot drawn by a giant elemental bird, wielding an axe, to drag the group away from the Wyld Hunt. thanks to him, they all lived (he even retrieved the arm they chopped off Lark). he accompanied them in exile to distant Karn, and accompanied them back when they took the city back from the Hunt. Now he works for Manus as his personal seneschal, confidante, and fellow student in Spy Ways. He and Manus have had adorable idiotic crushes on each other for years. I think Carver might also have had a more intense relationship with Pavo; at the very least they’ve gone through a lot together and slept together at least once. Manus and Carver are will-they-won’t-they at best, but there’s always a chance. I love him and am rooting for him 

Hondo the Krantiri, mortal gladiator tall, lean, transgender, quiet, awkward

A gladiator in Towersong’s arena, Hondo came to it as a slave and now works there as a permanent fighter. He was originally of the Krantiri people, and has memories of diving for oysters in his native Harborhead. He still uses several of his tools for that in the ring, fighting with net, trident, and his signature oyster-shucking knife, which he used to slit throats with to end matches. Manus was watching an arena fight when this guy took the stage; Manus was immediately like oh no and had a severe crush on him ever since. at the time, Hondo was enslaved to a noblewoman (who soon after wielded Hondo as a weapon to try to ensnare Manus), but even after he was freed, Hondo seemed to be pretty interested in Manus himself. Recently he invited Manus out to a private gladiator event thing and had wine and a private booth ready and everything. They had a cute night, though it was cut short by the event not exactly being what Hondo had planned. Manus is probably going to see him again, though, he finds him very interesting and is dead attracted to him

Honorable Mention:

Niall/Bloodaxe, Night Caste Solar the group’s rival in Karn, Bloodaxe was a charismatic figure setting up a chain of events to make Karn go running into the Bull’s arms. Manus snuck into his room to do a dramatic reveal and instead got dramatically reveal-ed on; Bloodaxe was just sneakier, faster, and sharper than Manus. Manus nearly died but instead they ended up bonding over how hard it is being the Secrets Guy of a group. they slept together once, and then the next day Lark duelled him and the group and Niall were enemies for the next couple months, until the Towersong group scraped together a victory over him and killed him. Manus still feels this was a mistake and something went wrong somewhere, and has kept a locket Niall had been wearing- the only thing on him that wasn’t a disguise.

Basira, Exigent of the Clock/the Goddess of Running Clockwork originally sort of a dangerous rival for Manus, Manus managed to turn this filthy, paranoid, suspicious man who lived in the hostile clock into a friend, i think on virtue of consistently referring to him as such. Manus found him utterly fascinating but every time he pried at all into the man’s life, Basira would grow more afraid and drift away to protect himself again. in the end, he was lead astray by the circle’s enemies, but after they were defeated, the group managed to convince him back into spending his last efforts working alongside them to avert the disaster he’d nearly brought on their heads. there was never any overt romantic or sexual tension between them, just two people realizing over months how similar they were and how much they valued each other. out of this list, Basira is the only one I can speculate that Manus might have been in love with- or close to it, anyhow. he died before anything came of it, and Manus now has a deepening relationship with the goddess Basira’s soul was transmuted into on death. she’s not the man he knew, but she remembers a lot of what he did, and Manus has a hard time giving that up when he grieves his friend so deeply still.

if you might have gotten the idea from this list that Manus has a really difficult time having normal relationships you are dead on the money

[classpect-crew]

Ooh, how about a Page of Doom! 💀

Gods help the poor soul who receives the title of Page of Doom. Not because they're going to fail tremendously--that depends on the individual Page--but because the journey of a Page is the most difficult of any Class. Heavy is the promise of incredible power at the cost of the journey it requires. Similar to a Maid, the Page will start out at the mercy of their Aspect, but at an even greater disadvantage. A Page of Doom will be naturally predisposed to understand the rules and systems governing something like SBURB, but they'll be so utterly bad at actually implimenting that knowledge at first that they'll just seem like the world's most annoying trivia fan who can't actually do anything productive for the team. Doom is a particularly dreary Aspect on the surface as well, making the upward climb even more difficult for the Page. The thing is, Pages thrive on the support of their allies, but they're very unlikely to get it when they begin their arc, since they seem more like the sniveling runt of the group rather than any sort of hero. Especially when compared to the rest of the team's flashy powers and general competence, the Page will be thought of as dead weight by a less-than-sympathetic team. Give them time to grow, however, and they'll one day be able to accomplish great feats that would put any other Class to shame.Being a Page of Doom in particular means they're not likely to have a very positive outlook on their own progress, much less the world at large. Doom's more negative traits include apathy and passive acceptance of certain devastating events, coupled with the inability to motivate oneself to affect change. This is in sharp contrast to Life, which is precisely about affecting change, breaking rules, and supporting energy and growth. They will likely have the lowest self-esteem and confidence of any Classpect, perhaps save for an immature Page of Void, and thus they'll need a whole lot of support in order to complete their arc. Pages are also known to be quite dense at times, though this could simply be a personality trait of Pages in canon rather than part of the Class itself. Your Page of Doom is likely to be at the mercy of depression at some point, given the nature of their Aspect and the sheer difficulty of their upward ascension.Should they reach their peak, however, the Page of Doom will wield an incredible amount of power over the rules of SBURB and the universe itself, as well as death, decay, and everything else the Aspect holds. While a Knight exploits their Aspect for themself, a Page opens their Aspect up for exploitation from all of their allies. Exploiting loopholes in the very structures of the game could open an infinite number of possibilities. Something I must add here is that the game seems very organic in the sense that it's not perfect--it has loopholes in rules, glitches that can occur, and all manner of unintentional events are possible. The very coding itself can likely be exploited, just like any game. The game is of an organic origin, with its various constructs being "seeded" in each incarnation, and because it's basically a way for a universe to go through a cycle of rebirth, there are plenty of "mutations" that can occur. Karkat literally gave the Beta kids' universe cancer by failing to take the proper time needed to breed the best possible Genesis Frog. Also, Space is an Aspect that literally represents organic creation, biological life, and thus opens up the possibility of imperfection. Aaaand there goes my tangent. My point is that the organic nature of the game opens up the possibility for a Page of Doom to wreak havoc through utilizing such loopholes to make utterly earth-shattering events take place. The team who nurtures a Page of Doom and properly supports their growth is going to end up with an incredibly powerful ally.Their abilities will be within the realm of exploiting loopholes, as well as death and decay. Imagine sending your Page of Doom to the battlefield, only to have them create a massive chain-reaction of explosions that shakes the entire battlefield and utterly destroys the enemy forces. Or, if you have a particularly sadistic Page, you could have them focus on the "decay" portion of their Aspect and watch as the masses begin to slowly decompose while still remaining alive until the moment their brain turns to mush. It leaves a lot of room for a particularly powerful imagination to take over, and if your Page is anything like those we've seen in canon, they'll likely have a million different fantasies they've been dying to turn into realities in combat.It all boils down to how well you support your Page. If you cut them off and allow them to simply wither away, then you've wasted an incredible opportunity to gain immense power. If you take the time to nurture them, however, you'll find yourself on the receiving end of the gift that keeps on giving."I put a bomb inside every bad guy!" - Abe Lincoln: Explosion God; "Axe Cop"

[firecage]

Khallendra's Official File

Khallendra sas Khaine; VIIth Legion Race: Garlean Pureblood Age: 34 Nicknames: White Tigress Eorzean Alias: Kallie Kane Daughter of Kassandra nan Severus, an instructor at the Magitek Academy, and Tiberius het Khaine Khallendra entered the academy, excelling in physical combat and stratagem. It was learned shortly after her arrival that her father had conditioned her in these subject from a young age, conscripting foreigners as well as other highly skilled members of the military to tutor her along with his own teachings. At the age of 16, Khallendra made her way to active duty breezing through officer training and was offered a position as a Centurio. An offer in which she declined and was assigned to van Darnus of the VIIth, stationed in Eorzea. Report by Centurio Riobus quo Crastor; VIIth Legion “During a routine patrol we were ambushed by locals. I called for a retreat, not realizing until our arrival at our rendezvous point that the surprise attack had divided our unit; only half of our soldiers reporting. Duplicarius Khaine stepped forward with a proposal to double back, using the flank of our enemy to shield our advance. I instructed her that I could not risk what was left of my centuriae. Her response? ‘Then, risk only one.’ Khaine provided me with a rather well thought out plan in a short time and I could not refuse her request as she explained the details. I gave her one bell and the supplies she requested. Not but half a bell later, we witnessed explosions going on where the ambush had initially occurred. I was later told by the members of my centuriae that Khaine had lit off explosives to create the illusion that the enemy were being flanked, forcing them to split their forces. With a majority of them heading towards the blast, the larger half of my centurae rose up to fight back, overtaking the enemy. I can confirm that Duplicarius Khaine took out well over a dozen men as they split off to advance her location, striking when it was most opportune. Her bravery saved many lives, her tactics were sound and she did it all risking only one for the reward of many.” Reports from her centuriae under her command as Centurio; “Khallendra is firm but fair; She is not afraid to tell you how it is.” “She does not give false hope. She proves to us with her actions and her strength that victory is always within our grasp. I have witnessed few leading with the unwavering confidence she has, so much so it is inspiring.” “I leave her pep talks so excited that I can barely sleep. I just could not wait for our operations to begin.” “So many times, soldiers are given a false sense of security or somehow develop unrealistic levels of confidence causing them to believe they are invincible. I've seen many a man lose their lives by being reckless because of this. Khallendra has never allowed her unit to go into battle without being well aware of the consequences one faces while one is fighting and she has also never led us astray with her strategies. She knows how to make a unit become a true cohesive machine, making us all the better for it.” “I'd follow her to my end without a second thought.” The report is of the following mission launched Khallendra from Duplicarius to Centurion doing so in half a cycle. Report from Primus pilus Qusaria rem Liqurdus; “I was giving out the orders and assignments among the manipulus. Centurio Khaine, without hesitation, called into question my plan. Her arrogance led nearly a third of our force to agree, so I told them they would act as our support to keep our encampment warm as a punishment for questioning a superior officer.” Follow up report by Centurio Motosai quo Kasahagi; “There was a rumble from the mouth of the valley as our forces all entered; The enemy had blocked off our only means for retreat, which was similar to what quo Khaine warned us of and suggested to have plan in place should such happen. Primus Liqurdus had argued that the valley was a tactical advantage, punishing those that questioned her strategy. The enemy came at us from nearly all sides, forcing Primus Liqurdus to surrender. There we were dead of night all bound and being watched over. An eerie silence was all that could be heard, when it was suddenly broken by a commotion shortly followed by our captors fleeing for their lives. There we saw Khallendra quo Khaine leading the charge that had our enemies retreating. She had left behind a few soldiers to cut us all free while her unit caught up to the enemy, dispensing them. Qusaria made the choice to reprimand Khallendra when she returned, her tone furious and her body entirely too close. She had claimed that every was going according to her plan. Khaine laid her out.” Reports showed that the Primus Pilus’ plan would have likely cost several lives and risked the mission entirely. Khallendra did what was necessary of her to ensure victory and the survival of the unit with as few losses as possible. Instead of being reprimanded for her actions, she was promoted to Primus Pilus. Reports from her centuriae while she was Primus Pilus; “My first encounter with rem Khaine, she was giving an inspirational speech before an operation, just as any before her. It was to my surprise that I saw her fighting alongside us. Not off at the rear, directing us, but at the front lines. Her words were not only words, but a promise. I was inspired by her presence.” “After returning from an unsuccessful mission, rem Khaine went over all the things we did wrong, then suddenly followed up with how, despite our overall failure, we did do some things right. Not only did she tell us what we were successful with, she took a portion of the blame as our commanding officer, explaining how she too failed us, but it was a lesson learned for all. I felt valued and encouraged even though we lost.” As project meteor became a known focus of the the VIIth, Khallendra along with others were sought out by to covertly aid the Eorzean Alliance against Van Darnus, so that we the empire would have an intact Eorzea to conquer. After years spent with Nael van Darnus, Khallendra noticed he was subtly acting strangely. This encouraged her to do as was requested. In exchange for her aid, she was promised rewards upon success. Official report shows this was not what drove her, but the fact that her legion was acting out of the interests of Garlemald was enough for her. Khallendra submitted a proposal to build a covert facility in the soon to be residential district called the Mists. She suggested this location due to its ability for ideal receival of shipments. Her proposal was for a house that would act as a decoy with a fully functional Castrum beneath. Darnus approved the facility, providing funds and resources needed to make it happen. Khallendra requisitioned Katherina mal Khaine to have a heavy hand in the design and security. Khallendra’s report; “The day is upon us that van Darnus plans to unleash Dalamud upon Eorzea. I have caught wind that the requested assistance from the XIVth did not go well. I hope all my efforts to afford Eorzea the chance to thwart this were not for nothing.” Khallendra’s official report after returning to Garlemald following her survival at the battle of Carteneau was as follows. This battle saw many of those who looked to her for guidance slain; many of whom were friends and trusted cohorts. Proving she would do what needed to be done no matter the cost. “The grand companies held strong as the moon came down. It unleashed the dreaded Bahamut and I saw allies burnt to ash… I consider myself lucky to be alive, but I know it is because my fight is far from over. Van Darnus had lost her mind to the powers at work, using her whole legion as pawns for this great power… The corruption ran deep into our ranks it would seem. Not everyone is meant to wield the power they are given.” Her report and loyalty to the Empire from aiding in preventing more chaos and destruction than there could have been, Khallendra rem Khaine was promoted to Praefectus Castrum, assigned to the VIIIth Legion in Othard. There, she was responsible for training conscripts, aiding the imperial shadow program, defense of Castrums, ensuring facilities ran at high capacity, even overseeing a few experiments and even managed to learn some of Othard’s specific arts of combat, such was her dedication to her assignments. Khallendra sas Khaine had, and still has, a keen eye for potential, seeing countryman and conscript alike promoted as well as skill potential unlocked. With this keen eye she was also able to route out weakness and pluck it from the ranks. Sas Khaine came forth with a request of a special unit that she would personally command where this unit would be hand picked to undergo the most dangerous of operations. She set forth rigorous trials to determine who was worthy. It became known as the Garlean death squad, a group that was as fearless as it was formidable. They left piles of bodies and carnage in their wake. Completing dozens of operations with no casualties but extensive collateral damage. They became a fear factor among the residents of Othard. Her chosen are as follows: Octavia Severus A magitek engineer with a keen eye for archery, known for her specialty magitek arrows. She engineered her own bow, quiver and nearly a dozen special arrow types. She is also infamous for her over the top personality and thirst for combat. Dexius Octavius A known marksman. His combat specialty was wielding his personally crafted sniper blade. He was also responsible for crafting an armor piercing bullet. By hollowing out the tip of a pointed bullet, he was able to make a devastating, light weight weapon. These bullets took time to craft but he had production down to a science. He is known for being a coward in close range combat or so he liked to make people believe and is also quite the womanizer. Sleeping Smile An axe wielding hellsguard that was a spy for the Garlean Empire until she was discovered and had her tongue cut out for her actions. She turned from a life of a spy to a conscript out for vengeance. She uses a master crafted spiked axe that can launch its spikes as projectiles. Ulnant Vuinier An Ishgardian conscript, one that is quite pompous. Having grown up in high houses of Ishgard, he had a fascination with shiny, extravagant things. He was excommunicated after partaking in dragon's blood. He eventually came upon a Garlean patrol where he was asked to join or die. Being a great lancer prior to the Empire, he took to a gun-halberd all too well, feeling right at home with the new weapon. Tsuda Katsuhiko An imperial shadow and a resident of Doma that chose to fight with the strong instead of defending the weak. Tsuda would use his skills in unique ways, proving to be as sadistic as he was deadly. Refer to file on Doman Death Squad for further detail in operations. Reports from her Legion while she was Praefectus Castrum; Castrum Sentry “I was sent to face the Praefectus after allowing an intruder to break into the Castrum... I went half expecting to be demoted or, at worse, killed. I got there, gave my salute, and was immediately circled menacingly, as if I were sized up for my worth. I was told that this mistake was as far as I could fall and that I could only hope to go up from here; to learn from what was done. She went on to tell me the ramifications of what the break in could mean… while not outright saying so, she made it clear I had only one more chance.” Centurio Grastelius “Having to report my failure to the Praefectus after losing half my platoon was more than just swallowing my pride, as the Empire was not known to reward failure, especially for those of high rank. The Praefectus ordered I write letter to the families of each of the soldiers that died, admitting my failure and explaining how their son or daughter, husband or wife had fought valiantly. I was also commanded to admit failure to those that lived and hand my next mission to be lead by my Optio. I later learned that she also used to write letters to the families of the fallen. I was beholden to ask, but one sun I gathered the courage; Why did you have me write them? Her response was,’While yes they were just another soldier and perhaps nothing special or valuable at all, their family did not see them as such. If we wish to rule over these people, let them know, or at least let them perceive, that we cared about their loved one's sacrifice. It could very well prevent someone from rising up. Ruling requires fear but also some semblance of respect.’” Duplicarius “Praefectus sought to reward success and punish failure. Once a season, she would host a victory feast for the two highest performing Cohorts. The least successful were made to defend the Castrum while we would have the feast. Speeches were given, recognition was given and sometimes even promotions. One of the things known for during these feasts became was what we called the Praefectus Challenge; a drinking contest or test of fighting skill. The winner would get anything they desired, which inspired many. At the feast I attended, you could hear the silence fill the room for a moment as everyone thought of what they might want and then excited murmurs and chatter. Word spread of these feasts and inspired other Cohorts to perform at their best. I heard one feast had three recognized Cohorts because they performed that well.” Khallendra spent five and a half cycles in Doma, turning down a promotion in the process. Her leadership came to an abrupt end after a failed assassination attempt by a shinobi. Having survived, but not being medically cleared to carry out her duties, she was sent back to Garlemald where she proposed to finish the facility she requisitioned Darnus for. She explained that she would run a covert operation and once it was fully operational the facility could act as an additional resource for the XIVth. With the fall of the XIVth and the successful amount of intel and data gathered, her operation continues; Khallendra operates currently under no direct legion. Receiving her orders from her former Legatus, Jovian Zingus, but is allowed to be acquired by a legion who operates within Eorzea. Jovian van Zingus, recommendation for his former Praefectus. “To any who might acquire Praefectus Khaine; her loyalty is tried and true. Above and beyond she serves in everything she does. She has the incredible ability of turning weakness into strength and her attention to detail and keen mind for stratagem are among her strongest qualities. Her methods for training are unorthodox but effective. Khaine is a leader who stands with and not behind her unit, with a record to show she can bring out the best in her legion or unit. She is a valuable asset to any team.” Individuals who report to Khallendra sas Khaine, Talon quo Khaine Katherina mal Khaine Lucrezia eir Valenzetti Crescentia pyr Ligarius Octavia oen Severus L’nela aan Varya Lists names of at least a dozen more, standard ranking soldiers as well as a few spies, having a spy in each grand company as well as Ishgard. Note from Praefectus Architectorum “Khaine medically cleared for field combat.”