#they are all cinnamon rolls who could also kill you but would also die for you

[thecounterfeit-redhead]

I feel kinda bad that I’ve been waiting all season for the show to reveal that Luke is the traitor so that everyone who hasn’t read the books can finally experience just a piece of the heartbreak Rick Riordan continues to put us through in his stories

[totallyhextra]

People? In MY computer?? It's more likely than you think!

The following is a fanvertisment and is not connected to the show. ****Yet.*** *Also yes, this is the fourth time I'm posting this because TUMBLR WONT LET ME EDIT SPELLING MISTAKES!

ANYWAY,

Once upon a time, back in 1987, Dire Straits put out this music video for “Money for Nothing”, which, as you know, was a song about wanting my MTV. 

The video was made by two guys (Gavin Blair and Ian Pearson) on a very moody computer. After the video went out, these two guys went to a pub:

Ian: “Hey, we should make a whole show like this!”

Gavin: “Dude, making three minutes almost killed us.”

And so it was decided!🎉

The two guys were joined by two other guys (Phil Mitchell and John Grace) and created the Hub, which then became Mainframe Entertainment. They got even more people, and then they all holed up in this hotel.

They were mad lads with a dream: a whole cgi animated show, and they made it happen a whole year before Toy Story!

Behold! ReBoot!

(Yes that fever dream was real)

Now before I get any of this:

Let me lay this down. If you can’t with the animation of the first season because it was CUTTING EDGE IN 1994, you can close your eyes and listen to it. ReBoot wasn’t just a CGI gimmick. The characters are fully developed, the voice actors are peerless, the plot is sharp, and there’s so many easter eggs that you’ll never find them all.

Never

(And yes the episode "Bad Bob" was the actual catalyst for Fury Road. Look it up)

ReBoot is about what life is like in a computer (in the 90s, because it was the 90s) called Mainframe (because of course it is). People are sprites, the guys that look like 1s and 0s are binomes (which represent 1s and 0s). Bad guys are viruses, and the good guy is a Guardian named Bob, who is a certified cinnamon roll.

In the first season the eps are light and self-contained, mainly because there was constant friction between the Mainframe studios and the Board of Standards and Practices.

They still got away with some pretty dark stuff, like Megabyte (virus) making Enzo (the kid) watch his dog get sliced open (dog got away, obviously) , Dot (sprite) have a hallucinatory breakdown, and the fridge horror of realizing the thousands of worm things (nulls) that plunged off a bridge to their death were actually people.

And Hex's (virus

best girl) scary face single-handedly traumatized an entire generation. 🙂

But busting through a window was a no go, because WhAt If tHe cHiLdReN dID iT tOo?

Anyway, halfway through the second season, ABC cut them loose, so they were like, fuck it, we’re going to start going hard. The story shifted from episodic to arcs and things start to get serious.

Third season the show moved to YTV in Canada, which gave no fucks about shielding the innocent children.

So it got DARK

How dark?

The UK refused to show the entire season, so the audience there had to wait until pirated copies made it across the pond to see how it ended.

Also by 1997, the animation was gorgeous. (Best example of third season animation I could think of that didn't have spoilers)

The show was green-lit for a fourth season on Cartoon Network, but halfway through production Warner Bros took over and the same fucking thing happened.

Because Mainframe was halfway done, they decided not to scrap all of it, but knowing they wouldn't be able to finish it correctly, Mainframe stripped anything that would hint at Season Four's true ending, then left what remained on a cliff-hanger of angst.

FOR 22 YEARS

(It's also why the last four eps of season four seem to make no sense)

And so it was.

Other crap happened, the soul left Mainframe, and its animated corpse spat out “The Guardian Code” in 2018. 

But never say die! The year is (almost) 2024, 30 years later. ReBoot shall rise from the dead, because here come the documentary!!

Do you dare see what you’ve been missing?

What the (UK) government doesn’t want you to know?? 

Then come on down to ReBoot!

We got:

Magnificent bastards with sexy voices!

(Tony Jay at his best)

Kickass women who could probably crush your head with their thighs and you’d enjoy it!

Innuendos in a kid's show!

💗 This adorable cinnamon roll!! 💗

Insane third season glow-ups!

YOUR NEW GOD

These guys!

(Gay roller-skating binome is my boi. I named him Jerry)

Nonstop cultural refs (You'll never find them all. Never.)

(There are literally videos dedicated to trying)

So many computer puns!

Body Horror!

Existential Crisis!

HAVE I MENTIONED YOUR NEW GOD?

This is it, folks! The real thing, the gem hidden in the moose-filled forests of Canadia!🌲🌲🌲

Take a trip inside a mid-90’s computer!

See the World Wide Web! (omg):

Witness the original purple Gamecubes that randomly fall from the sky when the owner of the computer (OUR GOOD LORD THE USER) wants to play a game. If it lands on people and they lose, they dissolve into mindless energy leeches, fated to tormented by their former bretheren for all of eternity.

Just like in real life! 🙃

So watch the eps! They on YouTube!

I think they're on Pluto, Hulu, Sling, and Tubi too! Also DVDs for people who have the patience to wait for them!

WATCH! BELIEVE! SUFFER THE SOUL-CRUSHING RAGE OF THE SEASON 4 CLIFF-HANGER!* (come on, its fun!)*

HYPE THE DOC!

The more people hype, the better the chances of actually getting it finished.

NOW SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE!

And now I will leave you with this screenshot from the ep "Painted Windows", where dicks can clearly be seen drawn upon the wall behind the fleeing anthropomorphized television.

(PS: If you heard the clown pic at the top of the page in your head, you're welcome)

IMPORTANT UPDATE

This message is now approved by Gavin Blair! He's an awesome guy. Show him some love on TWITTER (fuck you musk) at @TheRealMrSweary Also, if you want to share this with non-tumblr friends, here is my attempt at a webpage version:

theseventhstarprojects.com/REBOOT.html

[fancyfeathers]

To Fancy (srry it's my first time making a request)

We seen Ballerina, Librarian, nobility, chess 'nd some other readers, but what about an teacher? Depending on the region in the world, women began to be teachers from 1810 onwards, so would it be possible for us to have a female teacher? Of literature if possible And if so, which of the characters do you think this teacher would best match?

I think I wrote something about a teacher darling with William but I would say William, Louis, Mycroft, or Sebastian.

William is the obvious answer as he himself is a mathematics professor and while the chances are of his darling teaching children since there were not many women professors way back when the idea is still cute to me. He probably meets her when visiting the school on a consulting job to take care of the headmaster of the school under the guise of giving guest lectures and she happens to be the sweet English teacher who volunteered to let him use her classroom. Then when she looses her job when the school looses its headmaster and parents withdraw their students, he is the kind university professor who offers her to live with him and his brothers.

Louis would probably meet her while out at the market on her days off. Being the gentleman he is and also being head over heels for her at first sight he offers to help her carry her things back to her house, and when she invites him inside he sees all the little gifts her students have given her along with her students’ work and lesson plans stacked up on her desk. I feel like Louis could just picture a future with here right then and there, sitting with her in the drawing room having tea with her while she reads over her student’s assignments, but of course it is never destined to end like that.

Now Sebastian Moran is an odd choice but he has had a hard and rough life and to fall for someone who is gentle and kind is almost natural. He would just happen to run into her when she is making her way back home is while she is carrying a heavy stack of books, oh let him help, it’s no problem. It is the cinnamon roll and would kill you trope. It is just so rare for Moran to be so gentle with someone that he is just sort of putty in her hands. Also you know her students love asking him about if he is going to marry their teacher or ask him stories about how he got some of his scars cause children are little shits and curious as hell.

Then I really cannot explain Mycroft, it just feels right, like just picturing this terrifying man who is literally called the government being down bad for this little children’s teacher. Like chances are she does not even know who he is, he is probably a sponsor of his old primary school which is probably how he met her. Then he becomes a sponsor specifically for her class, literally anything she needs it is there the next day and she has no idea how it got there because she did not even say anything yet. Then also picturing Sherlock seeing his brother walking and smiling with this teacher who has nothing special about her would probably send his head for a spin, Mycroft in love? What happened? Did someone die?

[timomoe]

Talking at y'all about Estonia again (sorry not sorry)

So, Estonia specifically is a character I see as a massive missed opportunity. Do y'all know what's super lacking in this series? Characters that look like cinnamon rolls but will kill you - we have one. Exactly one: Finland. Everyone else who would kill you looks like they would kill you. I think that the one thing that would improve Estonia's character about 1000x would be him looking like he does, this skinny, unassuming man, but being able to rip you in half with his bare hands. Same goes for Latvia, by the way.

I mean think about it for a sec. Estonians have been a fighting people since before Christianity sank its teeth into Europe, but after that, they had to fight even harder. Estonia as a country being chill and at peace is a pretty new development, and through no fault of their own; Livonia has always been a juicy part of land due to the trade opportunities it provided. It's why Sweden and Prussia and Russia (And Denmark and the Teutons, etc.) and all of those old empires and militias were so dead set on fighting for it. They knew how much it could benefit them, so carnage was a small price to pay.

So imagine it, baby faced little Estonia floats up out of a bog, gets handed a spear, and is told to go fight all the other toddler nations running about around him

And then it doesn't stop until the 21st FUCKING century 😭

Like even setting aside the fighting Estonia's had to do just to earn the right to exist aside, Estonians in ye olden days were quite a force to be reckoned with. They went on raids like the Vikings, for example, and burned down Sweden's original capital of Sigtuna (hc that Sweden's got some sick burn scars bc of this) and got involved with battles on behalf of their allies, too

And like we already know Estonia is kinda strong bc he's bragged openly about winning a wife carrying contest with Finland. How much does Finland weigh? No idea, but not any schmuck could do it (I couldn't, I'd die).

So Estonia having the capacity for great violence and having the ability to be exceedingly dangerous would be an excellent addition to his character. Like yeah, I'd like the idea of him trying to settle disputes like a regular person, with words, or with his wiles (like how he tricked Russia when he was creeping on him in those strips w/ the cardboard cutouts), but I also enjoy the idea of him knowing how to, and not being afraid to, fight if that's what it came down to. And the idea he's much more skilled in combat than anyone would guess is just a cherry on top. It would be so great

[mystiquedrops]

INCORRECT QUOTES FOR DT SINCE IT'S RETURNING! !!

SPOILER ALERT !!

(I have learnt you can make your texts look fancy, so I may as well give it a shot !)

"Min: I currently have 7 empty notebooks and I have no idea what to put in them. Any suggestions?

Arei: Put spaghetti in it.

Min: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you.

Whit: Put spaghetti in it.

Min: I am currently taking suggestions from everyone but you two.

Xander: Put spaghetti in it.

Min: I am no longer taking suggestions."

—

"Teruko: What’s the status up here?

Ace: Fucked up, about to die, Charles is a nerd. The usual."

_

"Hu: I’ve only Nico had for a day and a half but if anything happened to them I would kill everyone in this room and then myself."

_

"Eden: How do tall people people possibly sleep at night when the blanket can't possibly cover you?

Levi: Eden, it's four o'clock in the morning.

Eden: So, you can't sleep, huh? Is it because of the blanket?"

_

"Arei, passing their phone to Eden: I'm passing the phone to someone, who if I had to choose between hanging out with them, and having my organs removed one by one, I’d choose the organs.

Eden, passing the phone back to Arei: I'm passing the phone to my best friend!"

_

"Ace: Is it still visible? Where Hu slapped me?

Teruko: Your face looks like a don't walk signal.

Rose: Your face looks like a photo negative for the hamburger helper box.

Levi: A palm reader could tell Hu's future by looking at your face.

Arei: The phrase 'talk to the hand cause the face ain't listening' doesn't work for you, because the hand is your face.

Ace: ...A simple 'yes' would've sufficed."

_

"Hu: Arei, get that hidious thing out of the living room, would you?

Arei: Arturo, Hu wants you to get out of the house."

_

"Eden: I told Teruko that her ears turn red when she lies.

Levi: Do they?

Eden: No.

Levi: Then why did you tell her that?

Eden: Because I can do this.

Eden: Hey Teruko! Do you love us?

Teruko, with her hands over her ears: No."

_

"Nico: The only thing I'm guilty of is being adorable... ...and also assault with a deadly weapon."

_

"Eden: eating a cinnamon roll

Veronika: Cannibalism.

Eden: confused chewing noises"

_

"Rose: I wanna sleep for 40 hours.

Teruko: You know that's called a coma, right?

Rose: That sounds so refreshing, I could totally go for a light coma right now."

_

"Xander is speaking on the phone

Xander: Yeah, I'm with Teruko.

Teruko: Im fucking dying-

Xander: Yep, she's okay.

Teruko: I have a knife in my chest!

Xander: No, she can't talk right now. She's sleeping, sorry.

Teruko: IM BLEEDING OUT-"

_

"Eden: You use humor to deflect your trauma.

Whit: Awww, thanks-

Eden: That’s not a good thing!

Whit: All I’m hearing is that you think I’m funny."

_

"Xander: we could make a boys club!

Nico: Im non-binary.

Xander:

Xander: Anti-girls club."

_

"Arei, to someone that angered her: Holds two middle fingers

Teruko: Can’t say I’m surprised…

Whit: Yeah, flip em off, Arei!

Eden, confused: Holds one middle finger

The cast, very distressed: NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

_

[goodshipskypirate]

Garl's scar was foreshadowing, a harbinger to his eventual fate. It was the first sign that he wasn't Zale or Valere, the gifted chosen children of Solstice. Garl's entire background was that he was, by all account, ordinary. In most RPGs, he'd fill in the neutral slot with often middling gameplay and story functions, forever outshone by characters with flashier powers, appearances, and personalities.

But Garl didn't want that. He wanted to go be with his super special friends. He wanted to help them in their goals. And importantly, he wanted to prove he was capable and worthy of being in a grand adventure, that an average person could strive to be so much more when they have the drive and fortitude. And with flying colors, Garl did all that, as well as inspiring dozens of people all over the globe.

The world is poorer for having lost Garl.

And this had been something I had dreaded the more I played. His optimism, determination, and kindness meant he was always going to be the heart of the group. But it also meant he was without sin. There's not an ounce of envy, resentment, or betrayal in his bones; a perfect cinnamon roll whom everyone loved.

The type of character who was ripe for sacrifice and all the heart-wrenching emotion that came with it, right down to a red herring fake out where the game makes you think Garl is in danger when the Dweller of Woe nearly kills him (another demonstration of his vulnerability as The Ordinary One.)

I had to sit down and think about this for a bit. There was a part of me dreading that something like this was going to happen. That the one who was going to die, to be the catalyst for all the emotional woe and motivation to get our heroes to the final fight, would hinge on the passing of the purest soul in the game. It's almost comical how kindhearted he was that the only way he could continue was through death. Too good for this sinful Earth. Hell, even Aerith had a trollish spunk to her that purposely counteracted her supposedly "pure" aesthetic.

And I wondered how fair that was. That Garl, whose only fault was that he was too nice, gets to die. Out of all the playable characters, the one who perished was the normal one. And I thought, is that not counterintuitive to what Garl wanted to achieve: to be exceptional and have decades of adventure under his belt? To prove he's not some drag who cannot keep up? To rise above from any ol' village NPC and make a name for himself as someone greater than his humble origins? Why was he denied a long life in favor of the more fanciful characters? Why does a nice boy like him buy the harp farm? Why couldn't this ordinary guy survive till the end as a testimony to his inner strength, to show that someone who doesn't have special powers or extraordinary skills, can still see the sun rising after the final fight.

It feels cruel.

But the thing is, it's not how Garl feels. Because he so embraced life to its fullest from day one, even dying at such a young age did not feel wasteful to him because he set out to achieve everything he ever wanted: he got to help his friends, he got to have adventures and earn respect from everyone around him. His final act is what pushes Zale and Valere to give them the confidence to strive forth and take on Erlina and the Fleshmancer.

To Garl, not a single thing about his purpose was meaningless.

Yeah, I think the game did lack a bit for not diving into the injustice of his death. It's not that the game didn't acknowledge it: Zale and Valere were aghast that their buddy was dying because they know it's not goddamn fair. But there's never any internal dilemma or any vulnerabilities where Garl is allow to admit that he is scared of dying. The game doesn't allow him to sit down and cry.

Maybe Garl is just that cheerful that he readily accepts, but I wouldn't put it past him to maintain a united front for the sake of his friends. Maybe he kept his fears deep inside. It's shitty he has to sacrifice so much of his own emotions and physical well-being for his friends, but to Garl, he knows they are the only ones who can save the world. In-universe, Garl will do anything for the sake of his loved ones.

I've jokingly mentioned a few times how we don't deserve someone like Garl, but that's wrong. That implies humanity is unworthy to have someone so wonderful in their lives. Garl would never want you to feel that way. No, we deserve a Garl in our lives because he represents hope. He is a bright light in a constant wave of darkness, an unwavering being of active positivity. Countless times when people were either down or passive, Garl was the one who lifted them up and told them what they were capable of. He believes so much in everyone.

I can't really say the way his death was arranged and handled plot-wise sat well with me, but for Garl, he was always at peace because he lived.

And maybe that's enough.

[themiimagebehindfire]

Jake is not a hero. He is a person with flaws.

The finale isn’t ‘hero Vs villain’ it is a test of ‘who is willing to put in the effort to be the best version of themself’

It’s this reason I find issue with how fans of Disventure Camp treat him. On BOTH sides of the coin. The “Cinnamon Roll who did nothing wrong and his trauma excuses all his bad actions” AND the “Worst human being on the planet who deserves the worst and trauma means nothing”

It’s ALWAYS one or the other. At least it seems that way for most. And I think both do a massive disservice to what Jake actually is.

Jake is a VERY flawed character. He does a lot of irrational and bad choices. Many claim he’s straight up unlikeable. And they’re… right.

”But wait? How could he be the moral superior to Riya if he’s unlikeable?”

Because this show isn’t fantasy. It is a down to earth reality show. There’s no such thing as a perfect hero in a show setting like this.

And in regards to the trauma card. Here’s the thing: I personally am happy that Jakes trauma was never used as a ‘my past made me more heroic’ narrative. Because that isn’t how it works. Trauma doesn’t make you a hero. It makes you a pain in the ass to deal with.

Some characters sympathize with him. Some don’t. That’s just how it is, and they’re not wrong for not sympathizing.

It baffles me to see people brush off all of Jakes flaws and bad actions.

He is emotional. He is irrational. He is paranoid. He is impulsive. He is clingy. He is gullible. He is selfish. He has a temper problem and a trust problem. He annoys the other characters so much they hate him right back, some of these people not even doing anything to deserve it.

But also… why wouldn’t he be like this?

He’s a byproduct of reality TV that exploits him and the people around him to act in the name of drama and entertainment. That’s the case for most of Disventure Camps characters. But on top of that he came from a cold and distant household that didn’t accept him for who he was, the only family member that did show him love and care died while he was on the show, he’s been surrounded by the concept of loss, he was used and cheated on, by several people who betrayed him, he was given death threats in interviews and in person, by people exploiting him as this awful person, and the one dude who promised to stay in touch with him broke that promise and ghosted him for two years.

His backstory and the events of the show informs his character and why he acts the way he does. But it, in no way, makes his behavior okay. Nor does all of this ‘make him better’.

I imagine most of us would act like him if we were in the same shoes.

That’s why it ALSO baffles me regarding the hate that he gets.

Now let me make it clear: YOU ARE ALLOWED TO NOT LIKE JAKE AS A CHARACTER.

“I don’t like him cause he’s annoying” “I don't like him cause he’s not my cup of tea” “I don’t like him cause I have some issues with his story throughout the show” Are VALID. I totally understand that.

But I’ve seen some INSANE comments that take it a step further in saying things like “Jake is the most morally awful character” “Jake is unconditionally horrible” “Jake deserves all the suffering he gets” “Jake deserves to die” “Jake should’ve kys’ed” (That last one is DISGUSTING)

And that’s just flat out NOT TRUE.

He’s worse than Yul and deserves worse than Yul? A abusive racist/misogynist, attempted poisoner? Worse than Fiore? Who toys with people, abuses them, gaslights them, and also willingly killed people in VR even though she didn’t have to? Worse than Riya? Whose whole thing is she acts/becomes a sociopathic narcissist who attempts murder multiple times? Jake is WORSE than that? Come on now.

Jake DOES have redeemable qualities. Regardless if you want to see them or not. He is capable of being very kind and considerate, and bringing out the best in certain people, and also being a motivator for them. Regardless if you want to see that or not, that is there.

On top of that, AGAIN, his story explains why he acts the way he does. If there was no context, it’d be a different story. This is a guy so starved of love and care that he craves it from other people. This is a guy who was hurt and betrayed and dejected by so many people with negative intentions towards him that he DOES NOT FEEL SAFE trusting everyone and everything he sees. He feels like he himself is so broken that he can’t trust his own brain to think for him, because who he is will only make people want to hurt him.

And you’re expecting him to be friendly and considerate towards everyone right off the bat all the time? NO.

Just say you don’t like him, just say he annoys you, just say he’s not your cup of tea, just say you don’t like what the writers do with him, and move on.

You don’t have to go out of your way to try and prove he’s this danger to society that needs to be executed.

Cause um, news flash, YOU ARE ALLOWED TO LIKE CHARACTERS THAT HAVE THINGS WRONG WITH THEM. IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU A BAD PERSON.

The morality game is kinda tiring if you ask me. NONE of these characters are always going to make the right choices. They’re gonna do messy stuff for that million dollar prize. That’s the game.

Had Jake been set up by the show as this endlessly selfless noble hero that went through an incredible journey, then him LOSING to Riya would feel like a punch to the face. Especially if this was a black and white show.

But because he’s NOT a hero. Because he’s got stuff wrong with him, has made several mistakes, has made steps both forward and back. It is a more believable ending than if he did win.

It’s almost like this game isn’t as black and white as the group that named themselves the ‘Villains Alliance’ want you to believe. Didn’t Gabby and Ally go through that dilemma regarding their respective betrayals of the ‘heroes’? You’d think they’d turn into the Devil incarnate for these betrayals. But they don’t. They’re looking out for themselves for their own personal reasons and the villains alliance was the more convenient option for what they wanted. That doesn’t make them villains. That makes them flawed people siding with people who call themselves villains.

All Stars main theme is working towards being either the best or worst versions of themselves. And in that sense, then are you surprised Jake was the finalist over a more morally heroic character?

[blackfeatherdragon]

III/Micheal Arclight for the Yugioh ask game please!

...Well, that was the obvious one, huh?

Why I like them/why I don’t: Michael cares so, so much about his family and Yuma! He's so intensely loyal and genuinely kind to those he cares about, but at the same time is perfectly capable of sharp tongued smugness towards his opponents and even outright murder if he thinks that's how he needs to protect his family.

What I like about their appearance: Gonna be real, I love that he's the definition of 'Looks like a cinnamon roll, could kill you'. Michael looks like a fluffy little cinnamon roll who fits into the Obligatory Good Member of the Villain Squad trope, but then you get blindsided by all his endless loyalty and willingness to do what it takes to protect his family No Matter What and the fact that no, Michael is just as much an Arclight as the rest of his family! : )

Do I prefer their dub names or original names? I honestly prefer III over Trey, 'III' conveys that Tron was using him (and his brothers) as his personal pawns much better than Trey does. After all, pawns don't need true names, only numbers.

OTP: Aztecshipping, of course! Yuma/III is so sweet and I love the protector/protectee vibes it has going on with III's sheer protectiveness and knight vibes.

(Like. I wrote a ship manifesto about Aztecship. You know I'm all in on Aztecship if I wrote an entire manifesto about it-)

NOTP: Any ship involving III and his family. I am just not into incest.

OT3: Hmmm...perhaps Michael/Yuma/Alit? I think Michael and Alit should have met in canon, and I think they could all be cute together.

Favourite card they use: Gotta be Chronomaly Atlandis! It's a lava volcano giant that's also Atlantis and also possibly Pompeii, if what Chaos Atlandis did to Tachyon Dragon is any indication!

(Also the fact that it tends to overwhelm or hurt Michael on summon (see: Michael getting overwhelmed when he summoned it during his Yuma duel, Michael deliberately causing himself intense pain to pull off the Chaos Atlandis summon when taking on Mizael) is sooooo emblematic of his self sacrificing nature. Michael will do whatever it takes for those he cares about-)

Favourite moment they were in: Geez. Fuck. He had so many good moments. His big duel against Yuma and all his pent up stress and desperation and envy and rage coming to light in all the worst ways. Michael chucking a sword at Mr. Heartland to protect Yuma. Michael and Chris taking on Mizael despite knowing they would die in the process, all to help Yuma and Kaito get their head starts. (And also Michael getting in some jabs at Mizael in the process. He knew he was never going to win but he was going to go down fighting. He was going to go out as a proud Arclight family member ;-; )

Least favourite moment: Probably that time period where he was in a coma because his crest yanked his soul. I know, he woke up, but the fact that Tron was going to just leave him like that up until Yuma convinced him otherwise...

[thekingofwinterblog]

How Cole Became Human - Dragon Age

So in the Dragon Age Universe, amongst the countless, countless amounts of Abominations, demons, and spirits that end up on the physical side of the Veil, there are only two known cases where the beings that crossed turned, not into abominations, or a physical form of their fade self, but into actual people, with motivations, dreams, desires, fears, and all that comes with being a human being.

Cole, a spirit of compassion.

And Harren, a desire Demon.

Both of these are very, very interesting for a whole host of reasons, and the question of why these two turned out the way they are, are many.

The fact that this is not limited to either spirits or demons is interesting on it's own, but exactly what it was that made Harren so unique is hard to say when we dont know anything about his past other than the fact he presumably was pulled across the veil by the desires of his current lover Wade withouth needing a body to inhabit, and it all developed from there.

However, we can make some educated guesses from looking at Cole's past, and pinpoint the moment he turned from a spirit into a person.

Now anyone who has played inquisition knows Cole as a troubled, but well meaning cinnamon roll, who deserves the world. Knowing how he is now, it's easy to imagine his past as a serial killer murdering mages who wanted to die as a completely well meaning, but ultimately, terribly misguided soul

The truth however is much, much murkier than the image cole unitentionally presents in inquistion.

Cole during his days thinking he was a ghost in the White Spire and not knowing what he was, was a far, far darker creature than one might assume.

Now the actual, underlying motivation that Cole presents is true, his main reason for killing the mages was him believing that they really did want to die, and that he could help them by doing so... but that is not how Cole in the moment thought of it.

It's just how he in hindsight looks back at all of it, and has analyzed his own actions and the reasons behind them.

In the moment though, Cole didnt know anything. he didnt know why he was doing any of it, not truly. He felt that he was "Real" in those moment, that it was something he had to do in order to not cease existing basically.

He was terrified of ceasing to be, not knowing what he was, but killed the mages because he felt he had to do it, withouth really knowing why. When Cole speaks later of now knowing it was wrong, he isnt just talking about the fact that he stupidly missed that there were other, better ways to help people, but also just how misguided his complete lack of understanding and ability to affect his own impulses were, and the catastrophic results that lack of self control and knowledge led toi.

He was not withouth kindness and more noble trait, but Cole in Asunder, is a far, far more sinister, dark, cowardly and frankly disturbing individual.

even after his character development, the Cole at the end of Asunder, when he is confronted by Lord Seeker Lambert, and forced to confront what he is, seems a far, far cry from the Cole of inquisition, as the mocking of Lambert breaks him, breaks the belief that there was ever actually a cole, that he was anything but a stupid spirit that had convinced himself he was a person.

Which leads us to the moment that Cole actually becomes a person, in the time period between his banishment by Lambert, and the epilogue of Asunder, where he confronts, and kills the unarmored and unarmed Lambert.

The young man leaned close, his expression one of deadly intent.

"There was a Cole," he whispered.

"You forgot him in that cell, and I heard his cries when no one else would. I went to him, and held his hand in the darkness until it was over. When the templars found him, they erased everything to hide their shame . . . and I was helpless to act."

Sorrow, and perhaps even regret, crossed the young man's face, but only for a moment.

"I'm not helpless any longer." The words sent a chill through Lambert's heart.

"What do you want from me?"

The young man smiled coldly.

"I want you to look into my eyes."

Cole's actions here lines up perfectly with the later confrontation with the man who murdered the original Cole, a seething, burning rage, and making the choice to murder that son of a bitch with extreme prejudice.

And yet despite doing something that is completely, totally against everything that compassion is, Cole does not become a Demon.

at all. Despite all traditional knowledge about spirits becoming demons telling us that Cole should have become a demon here, he doesnt, despite his own fears.

And the original plans for his personal quest also adds to this, because there was going to be a choice to let him murder the piece of shit that left Cole in that cell... and he would not become a demon as a result, despite Varric and Solas fears during his quest.

Why?

Because it is his choice to do all of it. Spirits change when their original purpose is twisted by the direct actions and feelings of an outside force, usually a host, or a summoner... but there is no such here, either when Cole murdered Lambert, or in his personal quest.

Now you have the option of having Cole backtrack, become a spirit again by siding with Solas limited understanding of the situation, but im not here to talk about that route.

Im here to talk about the other route, where you reaffirm the path Cole Chose to go down when he killed Lambert for all his many, many sins.

He wanted Lambert to die, and he went through with it, all on his own choice. and by doing so he completely changed his very nature. We dont know how Cole learned about the details of the original cole, but it was the discovery of that path, and the resulting actions he took from that path, where he completely rejected the nature of what he embodied, that Cole became a true person, and changed his nature down to his bones.

That was the key.

With this in mind, it's not hard to see how Harren went down the same road.

Harren's entire dynamic with Wade, is that he is the businessman of the relationship, he is the one that has to reign in the genuis of his boyfriend in order to keep their business running, so Wade doesnt have to go back to "Living on Gruel".

In other words, he had to make a personal choice of his own free will, to act the complete opposite of a desire demon, just like Cole had to.

And the moment he did that, he became an actual person, with all the contradictions that involves... just like Cole did.

[cutepastelstarsalior]

Clone high season 3!!!!!! Let’s goooooo!!!!!

Episode 1

Joan is being exulted from the group :( also Jesus is here!!! I miss him..

Omg roll call song!!! Joan pls let them sing. Jackie the ripper….. Grell Sutcliff vibes. Ohg Vincent!!!!! The blorbo…

Oh yeah, the new teacher is definitely suspicious, and that new guy and Harriet are totally gonna be a thing. For some reason Abe and JFK feel a bit off? Also the husbands…I love them.

His I forgot what it’s like to laugh at jokes in a show…

😔 rip to jfgosh….maybe…

Honest to god I too would also try to pick a color before graffiti it…I now love the bench creatures

The eyeball scene….gross.

Random person in the hat, I love you.

Why do people think Joan try to kill them? Like yeah, she throw everyone in a pit, but then they were led to a room to be brainwashed??? I can understand them think the pit would kill them or something but???? Murder?????

Episode 2

Cinnamon being a rising star of snorkeling but flailing, Mr b a sex worker who ran away from home…….the elements for a hurt/comfort fanfic are here…..👀👀

Maybe it’s just me, but this painting reminds me of Saint Sebastian. It might be the arrows?….

Marie….NooOOOOOOOO. (I literally screamed seeing her knees) tho it make me wonder, marries can fully speak with her head off. Can clone just, not die? Is this just silly cartoon logic, or can clone can lose body parts and keep going? If that’s the case then thats a major reason why Joan’s mom want to clones to be leaders, they could be physically be un-killable.

Everyone wanting to get out of their small rural/supern town….Mood. Pls pls pls let there be an indie type coming of age romance or friendship episode!!! Pls pls.

Abe going a sport team!! Again!!! JFK doing more sports!!! It’s cool to see Abe, JFK, and Confusious as a trio. And to see Abe not being romance focused, JFK too.

Vince trying out for cheerleading, Genghis too <3

It’s kind of weird to see Harriet as the cheer leader captain? I thought it would be Cleo since that more of a mean girl/popular stereotype? Harriet taking the mean girl role feels weird? Like last season she was a nervous theater kid who wants friends? Now she the cheer captain??? But also snappy. She the mean smart girl??

Cleo charter moment!!!!!!! Her caring about Frieda’s art and respect it!!!!

I love this episode

Episode 3

:( did JFK not have an accent anymore? It goes and goes..

Catherine the great x Anna Boleyn 👀 👀 oh that a cute ship!!! Also LGBT background characters let’s gooo!!!!!!

“I’ll happy let you take my virginity” Abe…ABE.

JFK not like the label “slut” :(

Oh my god is bi/pan jfk going be canon??? Also hella Abe x jfk vibes, nice

Christian rock…..do you think Jesus clone would be weird out by this music or like it?

Side note, Vincent isn’t an active Blecher Creature. So if he’s not that, not popular, is he middle ground? Are all the background characters just….middle ground?? (I’m thinking to much of the logic here)

Abe x JFK…:..boyfriends/QPR real <3

The whole “jfk didn’t want to do sex/be seen as a slut/want to do more things in life” is like, a good premise but the execution on this episode???? :/ idk.

Clone Cleo x 2 and cloe Frida x 3. 👀 👀

Oh neat, my thoughts about how other schools/people outside of Exclamation Point don’t know that clones exist!!!!

Abe did you puke that ring out or something else???

Episode 4

Oh neato, that how Harriet texts!!! It’s always cool to find out how fictional characters text and talk to people!! (That and it makes chat fic more realistic if you cope the canon way characters text)

The husbands have sex dolls of each other….👀👀

HE IS NOT THAT BUFF I REFUSE to believe that’s canon

Confucius breaking up with Harriet. I mean, I don’t think looking at another man is cheating? But it’s nice to know that is isn’t in the wrong or did anything bad, well beside the whole bear thing.

Episode 5

Oh, so Confucius and Jain are fake dating…

Oh my god there doing a manic pixie dream girl…

JFK and Abe nothing seeing and hearing the shoulder angels and demons…..👀👀

Mr B acting more human <3

SKUNKY POO IS A GIRL?????

Harriet’s dance outfit is cute.

Ok, Joan and Confusious talking by the water, then then dancing was super cute. Also Abe and Mary? They seems like a cute couple. Also skinny poo and cinnamon dancing in the rain was nice (wish it was Mr b tho… :( )

Oh nice, Harriet and what’s his name ended on good terms! I was afraid they were going to fight.

Ennui = a feeling of weariness and dissatisfaction. 👀 JFK having these feelings because the shoulder angel and devil aren’t there, representing inner conflict. 👀 👀

I really like Confusious’s character growth, he’s not into technology to find praise and company. He’s friends with Abe and JFK and him and Joan dating seems….healthy? Tho I do wish Joan stay single, 2 out of 3 seasons she’s been dating someone and it would be cool to see her be herself and do things she likes to do.

[im-okay-but-i-wanna-sparkle]

hello,

if you've found this post, you may be asking yourself, who is this rabbit? well, i'm about to tell you, this is the Rabbit of Caerbannog ! also known as the Killer Rabbit (from the movie Monty Python and The Holy Grail)

IT HAS KILLED SO MANY. PEOPLE. MILLIONS. VAST AMOUNTS!!

IT HAS KILLED EVERY OTHER LIVING THING NEARBY, THE REST OF THE LAND SURROUNDING IT IS BARREN AND DEAD.

EXCEPT FOR A WIZARD (his name is... tim (the enchanter), he warns people about the rabbit... it doesn't do much they all die anyways)

IT EATS PEOPLE

ITS CUTE

IT'S FLUFFY

IT'S GONNA EAT YOUR FACE

VOTE KILLER RABBIT

ITS INTRODUCTORY SCENE LITERALLY IS THE DICTIONARY DEFINITION. OF A KILLER CINNAMON ROLL,

CUTE, FLUFFY, UNASSUMING, AND THEN VIOLENTLY MURDEROUS, THE KILLER RABBIT!!

THE ONLY THING THAT COULD KILL THIS DAMNED THING IS GOD. / HOLY HAND GRENADE

IT NEARLY KILLED SIR ARTHUR (it should've (it was too busy killing five other people), really would have ended the British monarchy Really Fast)

HERE'S IT IN ACTION!!!!!!

IT KILLS, IT'S ACTUALLY CUTE. IT DECAPITATES PEOPLE WITH GREAT EASE!

VOTE RABBIT!!

@killer-cinnamon-roll-summit

here's a link to the polls? i hope it works

[tobiasdrake]

The final camera. Tension continues to build. Who's going to die? How? Why?

Yup. Here we are. Setting up a secret spycam at the entrance to an all-girls' school for what Shachi assures me are definitely freedom-fighting reasons. Most certainly.

On the plus side, that camera is super visible, especially when you consider the stairs leading up offscreen to my right, giving people an easy vantage from which to see the poorly-concealed cam. Yuma didn't even bother to try and stick it in the bushes.

So there's a strong chance that, within a couple days, someone will stomp on it while screaming "FUCKING PERVERT." An assessment that I'm not entirely sure I disagree with.

None of these places seem to be bustling with police activity, which makes me really suspicious about why you sent me here, bruh.

Sure, I can call and let him know it's done. We'll see if he picks up. He has a pretty high chance of being either the killer, the victim, or the falsely-accused by Amaterasu in this case. For a man of his grand importance, who we've been told has one of two guns in play on his person, and who is the nicest cinnamon roll ever to lead a rebellion? Yeah, there's no way he's going to be a mere witness.

Plus he seems to know a lot about homunculi, which is either good or bad for his chances for survival. If he lives, he can tell us things like Kurumi did. But if he dies, he can take his knowledge with him and leave us fumbling around in the dark some more.

...oh, or maybe Serval is trying to kill us in order to tie up loose ends. That's also a possibility. I'll admit, I did not see that coming.

Wait, is Shachi's transceiver going to explode? I thought that meant ours was going to explode.

Well. Fuck. The game is afoot. That happened abruptly. Serval is immediately suspicious, but in that "too suspicious" sort of way. Like, the only person who could possibly be responsible for this is Serval, which makes Serval's culpability way too obvious to be true.

Yeah, I didn't think we were crossing two separate districts in five minutes' time. Okay, time to go find Shachi's smoldering corpse and begin asking the questions. Like. Why was he in the phone booth where we planted the first cam?

But there doesn't appear to be a body in it. So maybe the bomb wasn't Shachi's transceiver. Maybe the cameras are the bombs.

That would explain the bizarre placements, if the Resistance wants to do some shock-and-awe property damage bombings but without hitting any civilians in the process. These are all in locations that are remote enough that they could be detonated without hitting anyone but close enough that people would notice.

Like, if they wanted to kill people, we'd set the bomb inside the cafe. Not at a bus stop outside the cafe.

Y'know what? I support this. They're making a public spectacle and being disruptive without hurting anyone in the process. This is way better than anything they might have done with those cameras.

I assume they probably still have a camera built-in, so Serval can tell when there's no one in the blast radius.

...okay, so they just got lucky that there was no one in the blast radius. My bad.

My dude isn't wrong when he suggests that there will be casualties on the road to revolution. In a fascist dictatorship, there are few if any non-violent roads to change, and violent means lead to violent consequences.

But he's saying it with the Wicked Bad Guy tone and language, so he's obviously talking about the Resistance killing civilians rather than rallying soldiers to die for liberation. You know how media is. "Anti-fascists are JUST AS BAD as the fascists! Maybe worse!" Writers sure do love their aggressive centrism.

Which brings us right back around to "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." This is not a democracy. These people have no power over their government, and their government is cruel and corrupt enough to not care about collateral damage. There is nothing to be gained by targeting civilians for reprisal.

[angel-of-arson]

Incorrect quotes

William: What is it called when you kill a friend? Edith: Homicide. Sam: Murder. Rigel: Homiecide.

Sam, filling out legal paperwork: Were you guys born AMAB or AFAB? William: Bold of you to assume I was born at all. Edith: I personally was created in a lab. Rigel: I just straight up spawned lol.

*The gang responding to being stabbed by a sword* Sam: Rude. William: That's fair. Edith: Not again. Rigel: Are you gonna want this back or can I keep it?

Edith: Oh gosh I wish I got more sleep I only got six hours! Sam: Six? I only got three! William: You guys got sleep? Rigel, comes stumbling out of their room and grabs a jug of coffee before saying: What year is it??

William: Whose turn is it to give the pep-talk? Sam: *sighing* Rigel. Rigel: Fuck shit up out there, but don’t die. Edith: *wiping away a tear* So inspirational.

*Comments under an image of a really hot knife cutting bread* William: Imagine stabbing someone with this knife. Rigel: It would instantly cauterize the wound, so the person wouldn't bleed, so it's not very useful. Sam: if you want information it is Edith: why would you STAB a person when you can have TOAST?

William: We call that a traumatic experience. William, turning to Rigel: Not a "bruh moment". William, turning to Sam: Not "sadge". William, turning to Edith: And DEFINITELY not an "oof LMAO".

Edith: What’s it like being tall? Sam: Is it nice? Edith: Can you reach comfortably for the cupboards? William: We live in constant fear of the short ones who, in my experience, will climb four chairs, two boxes, a small coffee table, and six oddly placed stools to get what they want.

William: I haven't slept in seventy-three hours. Sam: Eighty. Democratically elected leader of insomnia. Rigel: Bitch, it's been ninety for me. I'm going for an even one hundred. Edith: You guys are fucking terrifying.

Edith: I told Sam to grab snacks for everyone. Rigel, looking through the options: Why did you grab fruit snacks? Are you five? Who even likes Fruit Snacks? * Edith, Sam, and William raise their hands*

William: So, everyone, what does a story NEED? Rigel: A character! Sam: A setting! Edith, a gleam in their eyes, in a near-whisper: REVENGE.

Edith: You deserve a reward for putting up with me. William: You are my reward. *also* Edith: You deserve a reward for putting up with me. Rigel: True, you can be really difficult at times.

Edith: I am darkness. I am an power. I am your worst nightmare. I could kill a man in more ways than you can imagine. I am the night. I am fury, I am a weapon, I am- Rigel: A doll. Sam: A cinnamon roll. William: A sweetheart. Edith: Edith: ...stop it.

Rigel, gesturing to William: Sam, look what you did! You made Dad upset! Edith: Dad, please don’t cry, we’re sorry! Sam: I’m sorry Dad... :( William, near tears: I DON’T REMEMBER GETTING TO ANY OF YOU!

[diabeticgirl4]

I was originally gonna do this after finishing campaign 2/ right before starting campaign 3, but then I remembered I'm going to a cr panel this Saturday and I'm bound to get spoiled AF so I want to get my thoughts out before then lol.

Aka- here's what I (maybe?) know about cr3 without actually knowing a single thing about it.

Player characters: FCG/Fresh Cut Grass??? (Sam's), Fearne (Ashley's, at some point?), imogen/laudra(?) (marisha's/laura's, don't ask me whose is whose, I have no idea lol), orym(sp?)/ashton(?) (Taliesin's and liam's- again idk which is which lol). ??????? (Aka does Travis even have a character this campaign?? I swear I haven't heard a single thing about his pc). I'm also p sure I heard about Ashley's pc dying early at one point, I know nothing about that character. Also I think (based off a pinterest comment I saw) either Taliesin's, Liam's or Laura's (??) pc also die possibly in the same episode? Big shrug i don't know anything about that.

(Onto what I know about each character:)

Sam's- a robot??? Literal robot?? (Hey Sam what dnd race is that just curious??) Named FCG which apparently stands for Fresh Cut Grass??? I think that was a secret for a good while. Also side note, I don't know anyone's class in this campaign. They are still playing dnd 5e yeah?? Anyways. Childlike robot. I guess. I think there's been some discourse on whether fcg is Sus or just weird or what, but also from what I've heard sam is just playing him completely genuinely childlike and innocent. idk what to make of this.

Liam's- oh!! This is the backup character he's talked about for ages!! The air ashari (race?? I think he's something small, halfling maybe?) guy who's husband died and he's on a grief mission or something. Is named either Ashton or orym, idk which is which. also iirc liam's character in the Dalen's Closet one-shot was his current pc's stepson? or something? idk fun fact I guess? idk I think he's just a sad boi. liam's fave lmao.

Taliesin's- his pc is the one liams isn't lmao. I think he's orym??? I know next to nothing. I keep seeing a character w like. Gem growth on his shoulders or something?? Or wait I think I remember hearing something about an earth genasi? If so that checks out I guess? Idk I couldn't tell you anything else about him lmao. I get punk vibes off his pc art tho.

Laura's/marisha's- they share a bullet point bc I legit don't know the difference. Laudra and Imogen? At least one of them is v goth and angsty and terrible past a la yasha lol. She's like an undead human the same way costco guy from c2 was? Legit don't know anything about the other. They're a canon couple at some point? Like I think somewhat recently they kissed and everyone went nuts over it? Let's go lesbians?

Ashley's- from my understanding she had a first character that died so then she brought in Fearne. I know absolutely nothing about this first character. In every art I've seen of fearne I would do anything for her, she looks so lovely omg. She's like. what's it called a satyr or something?? she looks at least part fae and like. part goat or something. they're rly going outside the normal dnd races this time huh. also she has very much "looks like a cinnamon roll but could kill you" vibes. I love her already. also I'm p sure she's a spellcaster of some kind, I wanna guess druid. this is purely based off one of ashley's podcast intros where she mentions scrying in a voice that's neither pike's nor yasha's so I'm gonna guess it's fearne lol.

Travis's- ???????? I legit don't know anything about his character. I'm trying to remember names I've seen on ao3 and I'm blanking. He's still in this campaign right???? idk what to tell u. I'm assuming he's playing a guy lol. idk man.

Other things I know??

Apparently they bring in a bunch of guests at some point (like the slayers take mini arc in c1 maybe? Where they split the party and bring guests?) And all I remember hearing about emily axford from naddpod. I'm v excited to see her w the cr crew.

Something about an orgy?? As a main plot point?? I'm mildly concerned.

I have no idea when/where this takes place, at least 20-30 years post-c1 and at least partially in taldorei?? I know they go to Whitestone and talk to Actual Percival de Rolo (and/or one of his kids?) And I'm beyond hyped for that lmao. don't know if any other c1 pc's make an appearance.

Although I guess at some point keyleth returns and/or nearly dies and vax comes to her rescue except he gets turned into a ball? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

idk if this was fandom joking or if it actually happened but I remember hearing talk about all 3 of marisha's characters being in the same room or something. I know about keyleth but beau makes a cameo??

Also something about the moon. Moon(s). Moon drama? Not to trust the moon idk.

I remember seeing a vague post about how caduceus would have fared better w the c3 crew as opposed to the c2 crew. I'm not completely done w c2 yet (just starting ep 120!) so idk what to make of this. from vague vibes and discussions c3 crew is basically chaos incarnate? their morals are hand-wavy at best? they're just Weird? heck if I know.

Yeah I have no idea of anything lol. Also I've kinda heard mixed reviews, but I'm still v intrigued and can't wait to start listening.

[zero-insignificance]

DND Recap: Who You Gonna Call?

Cast includes: Rose the DM, Bob (yours truly), Truk, Patrick, and Zara

The session opens with us getting kicked out of Texas Roadhouse for eating all the meat. Bob is like "why am I getting kicked out? I didn't do shit! I don't eat beef." And they're just like "We have to close down to reup on supplies"

Rose: You hear a moo come from the basement. Everyone: NOOOOOOOO- Bob: Like I don't like cows and they freak me out but- Should we do something about that? Truk: No. Bob: Oh. Okay. I guess.

Patrick ate all the rolls and cinnamon butter separately. He did it specifically to fuck with Zara.

We're going to go to Eastern State Penitentiary to do some ghost busting. We see a tour guide and Bob goes with. Everyone else follows.

We get the tragic tale of a woman that killed herself in the archway with a rope after finding out the fate of her lover. Truk is clearly having a flashback.

Truk: ... Bob: Truk. Are you okay? Truk: What? I'm fine Bob: *allergic to bullshit* Truk, I know PSTD flashback when I see one. I have a degree in Psychology. I'm a licensed psychiatrist. Truk: You saw nothing. Bob: Wanna do things that white people in horror movies do? Truk: Hell yeah!

Bob gets to fact check stuff and we separate from the tour.

Bob: *currently in pixie form hovering in a worm on a string jacket* Did you know that this place is the inspiration to the Saw Films. Also, famous gangster Al Capone himself stayed in the penitentiary. His cell is furnished the same way it was back in the day, and it's said that he was haunted by one of the men killed in the Valentine's Day massacre which is thought to be masterminded by him. It's said that sometimes you can hear his record player playing through the halls. Bragar: This is bullshit. Ghosts aren't real. Bob: Bragar. This a world with magic. Alfie has met ghosts. There's a talking cat person in the party. There are actual gods. Patrick? I don't even know what he is. But he exists. Is it really that hard to believe that ghosts could be real? Bragar: Well I can see those. I don't see ghosts.

We assign scooby doo roles to each person

Truk is Velma Zara is Scooby Bragar is Fred Bob is Daphne (duh. He's got a bunch of weirdly convinient skills of course he can pick a lock with a heel)  Patrick is Shaggy

Bragar is the token skeptic. He's probably going to die.

Bragar opens the door to the penitentiary breaking the seal. Everyone gets bad vibes. Bragar calls bullshit. We all do a vibe check. The vibes are confirmed to be bad. Bragar: *russian* Hey there demons. It's me, ya boy. Bob: This is definitely some white person in horror movie shit. Bragar goes in and is consumed by darkness. He is taken and we hear his scream in the distance. Bob is like "Should we just leave him behind? No we can't Truk would never." Bob knows that ghosts are real. He knows the protocols. He leaves an offering of rolls and cinnamon butter holding up a spray bottle to fend off Patrick and enters last going in backwards.

Of course the doors slam shut and we are trapped. And there is a figure at the end of the hall.

The ghost of an accurate T-rex. Zara gets the door open revealing more penitentiary. The T-rex is approaching. Patrick is sus. Bob has truesight confirming that this is not a illusion. Bob: Oh no. If only I had... a ham? Patrick: Like this? Bob: Perfect! Gimme. Me: Bob tosses it down the hall hoping the T-rex will go after it. Rose: It does not work Truk and Zara's Player: We're running. Bob: That DID NOT WORK. PATRICK RUN.

So we end up getting split up.

Zara and Patrick Bob and Truk

We are briefly split into two VCs

Truk and Bob are vibing in a room with a deactivate war forged that looks like Dr Doom and Bob is like "Do you want an ice-cream?" cuz he's gotten make a good impression on his future surrogate stepson. And Truk is like "Yes" and Truk's favorite ice cream flavor is mint. Alfie knows this and Bob requests for Alfie to give them some ice cream cones. Alfie gives them both a mint oreo ice cream cone cuz Bob can't give Truk food until he reaches full godhood.

Truk puts the entire ice cream cone in his mouth and CRONCH. Truk canonically have a gag reflex. When he was a baby, his parents dropped the bottle into his mouth, and it hit the back of his throat and nothing happened, and it was at that moment that bisexual disasters Samantha and David new that their kid was definitely queer.

Bob: ... That is a sought-after skill. Good job. Truk: Thank you. Rat ghost: hello? Bob: Hello? Who's there? Rat ghost: Down here! Bob: Oh! Hello there! You can call me Bob and this is Truk. Truk: *Russian* Hello. Rat Ghost: I'm Dee Dee.

So there are two options. We can put Dee Dee in the war forged or we can derail Truk's in game arc and find the spirit of Brick.

We go for Dee Dee who is unsure at first, but they agree and now we have a second war forged in the party. We already had one, Tinkerbox who looks like Hulk Hogan. They still don't have a character sheet, and we got them in February. It is after this that Bob is like "Oh no we could've done that- That'll break Truk's heart-" and Truk is like "What was that?" and Bob panics cuz he can't lie and go it's nothing and says "I might tell you later..."

With Patrick and Zara, they are locked in a room with a note and when they read it, it says "Did you know that Carbon Monoxide is odorless?" and then a bunch of vents open leaking carbon monoxide into the room. Patrick uses cartoon powers to slam all the vents closed. After doing a perception check it is revealed that the walls are just wallpaper so they break through and find Bob and Truk.

So the King of Spirits is evil.

Me: Plot twist. The King of Spirits is one of Bob's exes Rose: Yes. Me: In my notes from the Journey to Philidelphia I have that Bob said "I dated a guy named Phil. He was an asshole." Is this the Phil? Rose: Yes. He is the Phil. Phillip the Ghost King.

The Party reunites and introduces Dee. Dee does not like Zara.

And we go to look for Bragar when we are blinded by a flashlight. As our eyes adjust, we see that it's attached to a... vacuum cleaner? It's Luigi! And he has an engagement ring.

Luigi: WAH- ITSA TWINK- Bob: *eating an ice cream* Look who's talking.

Zara: Green shirt? Green hat? Blue overalls? Your outfit is horrible Luigi turns on the vacuum and Zara is sucked into the vacuum. Luigi: Don’t insult my drip ever again! Zara: *muffled noises* lemmeout- Bob: *sees the ring* Oh, you’re engaged? Who’s the lucky man Luigi: It'sa Bowser! Bob: *fist pumps* Bowugi supremacy. Luigi dips.

So, we'll have to fight ghosts. Bob: Definitely radiant damage Zara: Do we have radiant damage? Bob: *cocks shotgun in british* This is radiant damage.

Rose: Truk you hear a sound, do you investigate? Truk's play: Yes. I investigate. Rose: You see something dart under the rubble

It’s a spider. Truk gets bit. 20 poison damage. Truk kills the spider. 17 gold bars

1 gold bar is 2000 gold pieces. He needed the money after buying 5000 gold worth of raw meat last session*

We explore a bit and find a big door and a side door opens into a small room. This room has a chest and 7 fresh dead bodies. Immediately suspicious. Bob is like "That's definiely a mimic" Zara wants the chest cuz raised by dragons = hording tendencies. Truk enters to investigate the bodies Bob stops Zara is like "No don't you'll get killed. Let me do a vibe check" and internally is like "If Truk dies Alfie is going to kill me." Bob does an arcana check on the room, then the chest and it is revealed that something is kind of cloaking it with magic. So, he casts dispel magic. It's a regular chest.

Zara runs in, touches the chest and the door slams shut, and the bodies animate. They were the mimics the whole time. Bob and Patrick are locked outside

With every move the players make, the corpses take a step forward and it reminds me of the clockwork robots in the Girl in the Fireplace episode of doctor who. Zara ends up attacking one and kills it which pisses off the others. Truk shouts for them not to do anything.

Truk goes true form rage mode and grabs Zara trying to break through the wall. Truk got a 1 on his attempt to get through the wall.

Bob picks the lock with his heel a la Daphne Blake. Bodies are pouring through the ceiling, Truk body blocks the door, throws the closest ones back and gets through, Bob slams the door shut and locks it.

We consider leaving Bragar behind again, but we can't go back. There is a brick wall which makes Truk cry cuz he misses Brick.

We open the door and we could try to inspire a revolution cuz the ghosts do not willingly follow Ghost King Phillip. We'd need a 57 collectively on a persuasion check.

We finally get to see Phillip. He looks like evil Danny Phantom

Bob's gay awakening was James from Team Rocket. It makes sense that he dated Phillip. Phillip is convinced that Bob is the reason their relationship failed. That is not true. Bob was a good partner. Bragar is trying to get sum fuck.

Bragar: *tries to flirt* Your hair is very pretty. :3 Phillip: HOW DARE- Bragar: Lemme smash.

The reason Bob and Phillip broke up is cuz Phillip’s self-esteem is SO LOW- Bob couldn’t take it he needed SO MUCH REASSURANCE.

Phillip is convinced that Bragar insulted him. Bob is over Phillip's bullshit.

Bob: He's trying to hit on you. Phillip: No, he isn't. Bragar: Yes, I am! You're gorgeous :3 Phillip: No way. Bob: Is it that hard to believe that someone likes you? Phillip: YES. Bob: THIS IS WHY WE BROKE UP- *deep breath* I'm sorry I yelled. It's something I'm working on. Phillip: You're why we broke up! *lies* Bob: That may be what you think but I am not the reason we broke up. I'm working on myself. Our relationship was always going to fail. I'm still not ready for one and neither are you. Phillip: Fuck you. Face the people you killed. All of you. (except for Bob cuz he's killed a lot of people, and we don't know who. We're still figuring out his backstory other than mommy and daddy issues)

So, we gotta fight Starscourge Radahn again.

Fight snippets

Round one we do over 200 damage.

259 damage after Truk bites Rahdan

Zara likes Halo

Bob pvz and stardew valley boi

Truk likes minecraft

Radahn shoots a bunch of bs

Next round we’ve done 429 total

Bob teleports to avoid taking damage

Rose: Truk will not die from this. I do not think

Bob got to land the final blow.

He teleports in front of Radahn, tosses some pocket sparkles in his face to blind him with glitter, does a fabulous pirouette while wearing this little number but with purple heeled boots.

Spins and lobs the head off with his Axe of the Dwarvish Lords.

Bob: Can we have Bragar back now? We'll leave after! Phillip: No. Bob: WHY NOT? Phillip: He stepped into a fairy circle. You know the rules Bob: *groans* Bragar... YOU IDIOT-

End of session We're going to have to kill Phillip.

[amoebab22]

For Fenora, the feral (per Astarion), devastatingly handsome (also per Astarion is), functionally illiterate cinnamon roll

Lae'zel

1. Fen had never seen a Githyanki before, or heard of them, and was even less used to being snuck up on. But, once Lae'zel lowered her sword, they were grateful for her help. Fen had no clue what was going on and Lae'zel was clearly well informed.

2. Fen was having none of that. They're not a fan of bullies, and Lae'zel was being a bully. They told her to calm down, and just ask nicely. When she scoffed at the idea, Fen just turned to Zorru, apologized and said Lae'zel was new around here and didn't understand how things were done. They then asked Zorru where he'd seen the other Githyanki. He answered, and showed them on Lae'zel's map. Fen thanked him, gave him a few coins for his help, and the problem was resolved. Gale and Wyll approved. The rest of the team was like why are you like this, though Shadowheart was happy to see Lae'zel put in her place.

Shadowheart

1. Yes. Fen can't turn away from someone who's in trouble. Even if Shadowheart had escaped and immediately tried to kill them, Fen would see killing her in self-defense, quickly, as preferable to letting her die slowly in fear.

2. Fen knew that something was off, but chose not to push. They didn't think Shadowheart was going to harm them or anyone else in the group, and that's all they needed to know. Fen will pack bond with anything and anyone, as long as they return Fen's loyalty and aren't committing atrocities.

3. Yes, Fen summoned wolves sometimes, but noticed Shadowheart seemed off around them. When Shadowheart told them about the fear of wolves, Fen offered to summon bears instead.

4. When Shadowheart confessed about worshipping Shar, Fen had no idea what the big fuss was, because they had no idea who Shar was, and given their general distaste for the gods, didn't really care to learn.

But, when Shadowheart described what she'd done to please Shar, Fen was concerned about letting her return to the cult. It sounded bad.

Astarion

1. Fen knows a scared animal when they see one, so they were cautious approaching him. They noticed him pulling the dagger, and talked him down, but they weren't ever afraid. Astarion is a good 5 or 6 inches shorter than them, and looked sickly. They could probably have just sat on his arms and kept him down. Fen was much more worried about his own health and safety, being that clumsy pulling a dagger in the wilderness. They were reminded of when they first escaped the city, so they admitted they'd probably have done the same thing in his situation (scared, sick, in a new environment).

2. Of course. Astarion was hungry, and Fen knows what hunger feels like all too well. They also know what a starving person does when they're given food (the first time Fen found an apple tree after escaping the city, they ate apples until they hurled, they were so hungry. They still hate apples nearly 200 years later). So they were prepared to shove Astarion off of them. They were pleasantly surprised when all they had to do was ask him.

3. Lol Fen held a knife to Araj's throat at the mere suggestion they should force Astarion to do anything he didn't want to do. Fen's "childhood" in the city had been full of things they'd never wanted to do but had to just to survive. They would never, ever make someone else feel that way. When Araj suggested it, Fen was reminded of the man they killed to escape Baldur's Gate, forcing them to do things they never wanted to do.

Astarion confessed his feelings and his past to Fen that evening, and Fen finally told him the truth about theirs. (Fen's past is pretty triggering but you can read about it in more detail at my AO3 page if you're interested, keeping it vague here). Astarion accepted them, and they accepted him.

Gale

1. Fen didn't like that Gale wouldn't tell them everything, and didn't really understand the specifics or anything else about him needing to eat boots. But, Gale was kind to them and the others, and Fen didn't want him to suffer or die, so they gave him magical items without any real questions. This was partially because they were embarrassed to admit they had no idea what he was talking about.

2. Yes, and they imagined having a nice dinner with him. Gale was pleased by that, and the two of them quickly became friends, with Fen happy to listen to Gale talk about anything he liked.

3. Fen thought that sounded like a terrible idea. The only other "relationships" between gods and mortals they knew of resulted in the Bhaalspawn thing everyone had talked about for ages when they'd gone into little towns.

4. Fen was angry at Elminster for being so callous, just delivering a message like that, though they were glad the orb had been stabilized. They also asked him to bring Mystra down here so they could fight her. They thought maybe if they could get enough familiars to join them, they could put up a good fight. Both Gale and Astarion talked them down, preferring not to see someone they cared about murdered by an angry goddess.

Wyll

1. Fen hadn't been in a city or town in the last seven years, and as a result, hadn't heard about Wyll. They thought it was really impressive when he just jumped into the battle at the Grove's gate, though.

2. After having *yet another* companion confess that they'd tied themselves to a power hungry jerk, Fen was beginning to wonder if they were the insane one for never considering it. Also they were absolutely going to fight Mizora for hurting Wyll, but Wyll insisted they shouldn't. So, after that, they decided they were going to figure out a way to get Wyll out of his contract. They asked Gale and Astarion for help, because Gale seemed to know everything and Astarion said he used to be a magistrate.

3. Fen had Wyll break the pact after promising they'd save his father anyway. Fen didn't really like Duke Ravenguard (he didn't seem to value Wyll at all, which made them angry), but Wyll seemed to want his father around, and that was what mattered.

Karlach

1. Fen had never seen a devil but they had seen a bunch of tieflings at the Grove, and they thought Karlach just looked like a very big tiefling, but with lots of scars. And on fire. When they saw into Karlach's head, they knew for sure.

2. Fen sympathized, heavily. They'd been tricked by a man they thought was kind, too. They also made a mental note to fight Gortash and Zariel as soon as they could.

3. Of course they did!! Karlach was suffering, and Dammon offered to fix it. They weren't going to let someone on their team suffer if they could avoid it.

Fen gave Karlach a big hug.

Halsin

1. Rescuing Halsin was the right thing to do. Fen tried to give the goblins an out, tried to have them just let Halsin go, but they said no. They also tried to get Minthara to leave the Grove alone, but once they realized everyone was under the thrall of the Absolute, and there was no way to remove the tadpoles, they cleared the camp. They didn't enjoy it, but it was that or letting the refugees die, and they actually were innocent.

2. Fen really enjoys being in nature, if nothing else than because they've been let down by people so many times, but sometimes they think Halsin is almost being a bit too deferential to nature's "balance." People starve in the city and in the forest. They drown, they die of slashing wounds, they suffer. The forest smells better, but the city has better places to sleep.

Tav / Durge Relationship Questions

These questions can be used as an Ask Game or just answering them all for fun character development! They are all built on the assumption that the character was recruited. If they weren’t, obviously you can just skip them.

LAE’ZEL

What was your character’s first impression of Lae’zel, encountering her on the nautiloid?

How did your character handle Lae’zel’s interrogation of the tiefling scout at the druid grove?

How did your character react to Lae’zel putting a knife to their throat the night of almost-transformation?

If your character visited the Githyanki Crèche with Lae’zel, how did they respond to her crisis over being named Hshar'lak? If your character did not visit the Githyanki Crèche, how did this affect their relationship with her?

Did your character influence Lae’zel into staying loyal to or rejecting Vlaakith? How did this affect their relationship with her?

SHADOWHEART

Did your character attempt to save Shadowheart on the nautiloid? Why or why not, and were they successful?

Did your character ever suspect Shadowheart was hiding something, or were they entirely surprised to find out her Shar allegiance?

Did Shadowheart reveal her fear of wolves to your character? If so, how did your character respond?

What did your character think about Shadowheart’s devotion to Shar, including her memory sacrificing?

Did your character influence Shadowheart into staying loyal to or rejecting Shar? How did this affect their relationship with her?

ASTARION

How did your character react to Astarion’s little charade and dagger first encounter?

Did your character let Astarion drink their blood? Why or why not?

If your character encountered Araj Oblodra in Moonrise Towers, did they pressure Astarion into biting her, or support his desire not to? Why, and how did your character react to Astarion’s confession about his life’s lack of consent afterwards?

Did your character help Astarion uncover the nature of his scars through Raphael? Why or why not?

Did your character influence Astarion into staying a spawn or ascending? How did this affect their relationship with him?

GALE

How did your character feel about giving Gale magical objects to absorb?

Did your character experience a moment of magic with Gale? If so, did this change their relationship in any way?

What did your character think about Gale’s romance with Mystra?

How did your character react to Elminster’s first appearance, telling Gale to sacrifice himself?

Did your character influence Gale into staying mortal, becoming a god, or sacrificing himself? How did this affect their relationship with him, or how did they feel about his death?

WYLL

Did your character have any knowledge of Wyll’s reputation as the Blade of Frontiers prior to meeting him?

What did your character think about Wyll’s pact with Mizora? Did they help him out of it, or did he remain in her service?

What did your character think about Wyll’s relationship with his father? Did they help Wyll save his father and repair their bond, or did Duke Ravengard die?

“Courage. Insight. Strategy. Justice.” Did your character support Wyll’s taught tenets as a hero or not?

Did your character influence Wyll into becoming a Grand Duke or becoming the Blade of Avernus? How did this affect their relationship with him?

KARLACH

What convinced your character to believe Karlach wasn’t a devil?

What did your character think about Karlach’s backstory with Gortash and Zariel?

Did your character help Karlach improve her engine? If so, how did they react to her ability to touch again?

How did your character feel about Karlach using soul coins? Did they give her any?

Did your character influence Karlach into returning to Avernus, becoming a mind flayer, or did Karlach die? How did this affect their relationship with her, or how did they feel about her death?

HALSIN

What motivated your character to rescue Halsin from the goblin camp?

What did your character think of Halsin’s devotion to nature?

When Halsin asked your character to share something personal, what did they say?

MINTHARA

What motivated your character to initially spare or side with Minthara, then later rescue her from Moonrise Tower?

How did your character feel about Minthara’s opinions on the gods?

Did your character help Minthara get her revenge on Orin, or handle Orin alone?

JAHEIRA

Did your character have any knowledge of Jaheira’s reputation as a hero prior to meeting her?

How did your character react to Jaheira attempting to get your character to drink truth serum?

Did your character meet Jaheira’s family? If so, what was their impression?

(Minsc isn’t included because I’ve never recruited him, sorry.)