#tol users

[bingus-bing-bong]

Reminder with new tumblr shit updates that the best way to be heard is to tank their app reviews

[lis-zhuk]

TDL & TCO - fusion

a comic-collaboration with @vulami-wantz-t0-sleep

So... yeah. They can merge for they are very simple organisms (plasmoids).

And while for Internet sticks merging can be dangerous - if they spend too much time merged, their innards and magic (even if they have little to no magical potential) meld into one, making two separated sticks into a creature with two cores; for Animated stickmen (or Hollowheads) it is hard. They mostly consist of magic and are active users of it (staring at you, Second) so they have a greater control over it and are more natural. Also, Hollowheads don't have cores - their cytoplasm is much thicker and membranes are almost impenetrable.

Note: fusions can happen between more than two sticks, but they are difficult to both perform and sustain, they lack stability and the new self is in constant pain.

So for Animated sticks merging is the question of syncing their flows and entering the state of mutual acceptance. Their mind stays two, but they enter a slow dance of balance that creates the third self - "us" of the two. It has consciousness and understanding of itself as two combined. It exists only in the fusion and proactively reacts to whatever its parts are doing.

In a way, fusion is a long magic exchange between two.

Note: Merging with someone can be seen in many ways, from weakness (too weak on one's own) to a making out session

In calm state it's collected and whole, either being a rough merge of the components' personalities and/or reflexes or a whole new person, having only the childish wonder and some critical memories of both of the sticks. When the parts become unstable the fusion feels pain, as their body becomes to split back into two forcefully.

(an old ref for TCL, previously - TOL)

(new TCL concept)

TCL likes being, just being in general. They presumably formed their personality from little bits of both TDL's and TCO's minds. They don't belong to Alan but aren't that different from a usual hollowhead. TCL has high stability and can endure the pain of Dark getting fascinated over a sunset from bird flight's height or enraged by some rando. They can channel all the excessive emotions of the parts into their own. For a short while after the first TCO's and TDL's merge they had halves of their hair swapped, exchanging some powers too. After that they had to force a mana exchange (Dark almost caused a local cataclysm while trying to go on a flight)

Note: TCL most likely uses a different name, like Cataclysm or Hazard. TCL is just a placeholder.

Usually, after the sticks divide, for a short while (while there is mana that didn't divide properly) they can hear their combined self in half-conscious space or have bits of other's memories. As hollowheads keep all the info throughout their whole body (okay im voting for the primitive colony structure, lis can't continue stating that they are unicellular with this stuff going on)

[sacherali]

25th Art Fight attack goes to user Viary of the most precious tol girl ever Araenor 🐉

My Profile

[quinloki]

Oh what's that? 👀

*drops off another OC with infos and runs away* >.>

Name: Sarina

Nickname(s): Princess

Height: 15'9" / 4,80m

Age: 40 (after time-skip)

Infos:

- loves shrimps, prawns and grilled fish

- doesn't like other meat

- easily irritated when hungry

- likes to nap in warm and sunny places

- likes the warmth in general

Devil fruit (yes?/no?): yes

-> Devil fruit type: Ancient Zoan, Ryu Ryu no Mi, Model: Purussaurus brasiliensis (ancient crocodile)

-> extra infos about devil powers:

- can turn into a 12-meter-long crocodile

- can hold her breath for two hours while diving

- teeth grow back

- got the powers due to an experiment

- due to a failure in manipulating the Lineage Factor the powers are always partly active, which resulted in Sarina's height, her sharp teeth and some kind of blood lust

- due to this failure also the disadvantages of devil power users are non-existent for Sarina, she is immune against sea-stone and a great swimmer, especially in her (human-)beast-form, which makes her even more dangerous for her enemies.

Occupation: first Beast Pirates, then [redacted]

Bounty (yes?/no?): yes

Bounty amount: 808 million berry

Fighting: she loves to fight, either with twin pistols or just ripping her enemies apart in her (human-)beast-form

Shipping (yes? /no?): yes

-> Shipping with whom: King and [redacted]

-> kind of ship: [redacted]

Backstory (bullet points):

- born in captivity of the World Government on Punk Hazard

- "failed" experiment of Dr. Vegapunk

- got saved by Kaido at the same time as King

- Kaido gave her her name, before she was only called "a mistake" / "a failure"

aaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I LOVE HER

What a great backstory too!

TALL QUEEN

My gods, I was like "oh, 5'9" that's-- wait, 4+ meters?! FIFTEN FEET TOL!"

\o/ I love her so much already. I think I have an inkling of who that [redacted] is too >.> but I shan't say.

[somethingsomeart]

"This one is mostly leather if you're generally quick in close quarters. It's dark, thigh-high boots, the carvings are delicate, and it's exquisite. There's plating on the shoulders and forearms." A few scribbles based on the interactive fiction work of Within Your Eyes @within-your-eyes-if by Alahria!

Been meaning to post these for aaaaaages but then I got busy and then I got sick, so I got busier, then I got sick again, so-- ANYWAY! Did y'all know that Zweihänder could be as tall, tip to pommel, as their users?? Tol bois!

The doodles of Ly, Gabby, Hestia and Lee I'm dropping under the cut o7

[silvernyxchariot]

My Anisona in different universes (info dump)

Appearance (Most recent drawing)

Starting with what's being depicted. Yes. I know I want to fuck the tol trash Mingo man, but I will always be a Punk at heart.

Name: Myrina, Nyx (inspired by the primordial goddess and an Amazon queen, the name is essentially the same throughout)

Sex: Female

Gender: NB/genderfluid

Pronouns: they/them

One Piece

Epithet: Demon Dog

Black Market Alias: Sloth

Crew: Kiddo Pirates

Romantic/Business Partner: Doflamingo

Occupation: Sniper, Commander in Kiddo's fleet and lead gunman (letting my imagination run wild, End of Series)

Bounty: 600,600,600 B (post-Wano)

Devil Fruit: Inu Inu no mi: model Hell Hound, allows the user to turn into a black dog made of ecto plasm that makes it easy to dodge attacks and "poses" a single target by entering their body

Haki: Kenbunshoku & Busōshoku

Background: A pirate hailing from the South Blue, Myrina Nyx is the Kid Pirate's sniper. They grew up with a single parent who would toss them into the forest to fend for themself. Before Nyx became a pirate, they were a popular bartender who was eventually recruited by Eustass Kiddo.

JoJo's Bizarre Adventure (pt. 3, 5, & 6)

Occupation: Art dealer (pt 3), Private investigator for Passione and tortoise caretaker (pt 5 & 6)

Stand: "Lilac Chalice," represents the Queen of Cups, a healing Stand with needles for arms for combat and requires blood from the patient to heal them

Romantic Partner: Jean Pierre Polnareff

Relatives: Charlotte M. Polnareff (daughter)

Friends: Noriaki Kakyoin, Avdol, The Joestars, Giorno Giovanna, Risotto Nero

Background: Nyx Myrina was an art dealer from New York working for the MoMA and a natural Stand user. They visited Egypt under the guise of buying rare relics for a local museum from a rich collector but was brainwashed by DIO's parasite to fight the Crusaders. Replace Chaka who was controlled by Anubis with Nyx, Polnareff defeats Anubis and frees Nyx from the parasite. Afterward, Nyx leads the Crusaders to DIO's mansion. (Pt 3)

Nyx later becomes a private investigator with Jean and helps him find more Stand arrows. Nyx and Polnareff conceived a child during their time together. They were separated in Italy by Diavolo, where a wounded Nyx was found by a teenage Risotto Nero and his Nonna, and cared for until Nyx went into hiding; Nyx raised their daughter alone until post-Vento Aureo. Nyx reunites with Jean, who is a ghost inside a turtle's Stand, and works for Passione with him.

Genshin Impact

Vision & Weapon class: Hydro & Claymore

Rating: ★★★★★

Region: Inazuma (origin), Sumeru (home)

Occupation: Vahumana literature teacher and mentor, Adventurer's Guild when bored

Romantic Relationships: Al Haitham + Kaveh (poly)

Friends: Cyno, Deyha, Setaria, Nilou, Candace, Collei

Background: Born as "Jiruga Manda," they were raised in a lesser noble family that served the Tenryō Commission. As opposed to their family, Manda wanted to be a writer and adventurer and escaped Inazuma. After working odd jobs and cram studying, Jiruga Manda changed their name to Myrina Nyx, attended the Sumeru Akademiya, and graduated from the Vahumana Darshan. They now live with the Akademiya's Scribe and his roommate and works as a literature teacher/mentor to Vahumana students.

Honkai: Star Rail

Path: Destruction

Rating: ★★★★★

Occupation: wanderer, Emanator of the Voracity

Species: Phoenix

Romantic Partner: Sunday

Affiliation: Self, Ouroboros the Voracity

Allies: Astral Express, Galaxy Rangers

Enemies: IPC

Obey Me! as MC

Occupation: Student at Royal Academy of Diavolo, Hell's Kitchen, Solomon's apprentice (after the exchange program)

Best Subject: Art, Mathematics

Worst Subject: Devildom Law, Seductive Spellcraft

Fav Subject: Curses and Hexes, Magic Potions

Romantic Interest: Satan

Naruto

The eldest and last visited in 2015. I'll probably change this one to be more up to date when I get the time.

Name: Misora, Suigintou (実空 、水銀燈)

Village: Kirigakure (former)

Affiliation: Akatsuki subordinate

Rank: Jōnin/S-rank missing ninja

Chakra Nature: Water, can use Wind

Signature Jutsu: "Tengu Twins" allows the user and their bonded owl to transform with "wings" for arms and talons for combat

Weapon: wakizashi, kunai, and shuriken

Romantic Interest: Hoshigaki, Kisame

In Boruto: Imprisoned

If you have any questions, you may ask them, but my rule still stands. Be civil and respectful towards me and others in the comment section.

If I had any advice for anyone who wants to start making OCs like it is your very first one, specifically a sona/self-insert, it would be "Make That Mary Sue/Gary Stu." I'm deadass (meaning serious). Everyone starts somewhere and as you collect and dump everything you love onto that ONE character, you'll eventually start refining it and chiseling away at what you don't need or adding&subtracting things when you plug them into whatever universe you choose. . . As you've probably figured out from this entire blog. It doesn't need to be PERFECT from the start. And if anything, you can use the remnants of what you took away from that character to make other OCs. I don't post much OC stuff to Tumblr, at least I don't remember doing so, but I do have more OCs somewhere in my storage.

[janzoo]

The Ironworks Gang Hands Out Starlight Gifts

Read it on AO3 above (registered users only) or under the readmore below -

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Final Fantasy XIV Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Cid nan Garlond/Nero tol Scaeva, Maelie/Ronantain Characters: Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV), Named Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV) - Character, Male Warrior of Light (Final Fantasy XIV) - Character, Cid nan Garlond, Nero tol Scaeva, Biggs (Final Fantasy XIV), Wedge (Final Fantasy XIV), Maelie (Final Fantasy XIV), Ronantain (Final Fantasy XIV) Additional Tags: Oneshot, Original Male Character(s) - Freeform, Christmas, Starlight Celebration (Final Fantasy XIV), Nero tol Scaeva being Nero tol Scaeva, Fluff, Funny Summary:

It's Starlight in the Firmament, and the Ironworks Gang is joined by WoL Kyler Drake in handing out gifts!

Oh wait, what's this? NERO TOL SCAEVA WITH THE STEEL CHAIR?!

                Kyler smirked as he watched Cid fiddle with his Starlight hat again. “You know, it would probably sit better if you removed your goggles.”

                Cid shrugged. “It���ll stay long enough as it is. We’re nearly out of toys, anyway.”

                A fair point. Kyler’s toy sack was considerably lighter, and from the looks of it, Cid’s, Biggs’, and Wedge’s were, too. Wedge waved farewell to two children as they departed with new toys in tow. His toys had been particularly well-received, being a new invention: a toy airship that could shift and click until it transformed into a warrior. He called them Changers, though he could’ve called them anything and the children still would’ve been clamouring for them. Kyler’s toy toolsets came in at a close second in popularity. He took a particular note of pride and hope in inspiring the next generation of craftspeople and engineers, especially in the Firmament. After one thousand years of destruction, Ishgardians seemed ready and eager to see what they could create.

                “Thank you for joinin’ us, Kyler,” Biggs said as he placed a hand on Kyler’s shoulder. “Means a lot to the wee ones, getting’ a gift from the Warrior of Light and all.”

                Kyler nodded with a small, sincere smile.

                Biggs continued with his other hand raised in a pointed finger. “And that’s what this whole kerfuffle’s about, ain’t it? Much as Jessie says that this’ll help promote the business as well, it’s worth doin’ even if there weren’t no business to promote in the first place.”

                “Oh, I’m not so sure about that.”

                Biggs’ eyes widened beneath his goggles. “Nero?”

                Their gazes turned to Nero as he approached. Two mammets carrying a large sack followed in his wake. Judging from the corners jutting against the heavy fabric, and the uniform shape, it contained several boxes.

                Nero smirked and removed his sunglasses as he came to a stop. “Come now, genius and generosity are not mutually exclusive. There’s no reason why we can’t show off while being charitable at the same time. Especially when we’ve so much to show off in the first place. Well, I do, at least.”

                “Happy Starlight to you too, Nero,” Cid replied, deadpan.

                “What’s that you’ve got with you?” asked Wedge, one hand to his chin in curiosity.

                “Why, Starlight gifts, of course. Made by me.” Nero paused to look around. “Where can I find more children? This would be far more convenient and economical if they gathered someplace where we could find them instead of the other way around, but I suppose I can only expect so much from Eorzeans.”

                “There’s two over yonder, by that statue,” said Wedge, pointed to them.

                “’By that statue’ in Ishgard could be anywhere,” Nero remarked and put his sunglasses back on. “Come along, then. All of you, not just the mammets.”

                As fate had it, they weren’t just any children – at least, not to Kyler. As they approached, they overheard Ronantain pleading with Maelie.

                “You will be welcome in our house, Maelie, I promise.”

                “Are you sure? I don’t know nothin’ ‘bout fine dinin’, and I ain’t got anything fancy to wear.”

                “My uncle could teach you the basics of proper dining etiquette. And we could buy you a dress. Consider it a Starlight present.”

                Kyler’s smile widened as they reached the children. “Hello Maelie, Ronantain.”

                The children looked to him. Maelie gasped. “Kyler!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms in the air. “Happy Starlight!”

                “Happy Starlight,” Ronantain added with a smile and a bow of his head.

                “Happy Starlight,” returned Kyler with gentle laughter in his voice. “Can we have a moment of your time?”

                The children nodded with Maelie’s “uh-huh” and Ronantain’s “very well”.

                “Judgin’ from those Saint hats most of you are wearin’, are you all Helpers?” asked Maelie.

                Kyler nodded.

                Nero stepped in with a flourish of his arms. “I hope you children are ready for the greatest Starlight gift you’ve ever received. Everything before will pale in comparison, and everything to follow will be rendered underwhelming. Kyler, if you wouldn’t mind…” He indicated to the sack the mammets were carrying.

                Wedge nudged Nero’s leg and hissed under his breath, “You’ve got some nerve asking him of all people to be your bag boy!”

                Nero glanced down. “We’re Helpers today, aren’t we? Why wouldn’t Kyler want to help me bestow these children with gifts?”

                “It’s fine, Wedge,” said Kyler. “Today, at least.” He gave a pointed look at Nero, who shrugged with a victorious grin. Kyler retrieved two of the boxes from within the sack. He handed them to Nero, who handed them to the children.

                Ronantain read the text printed on the top of the boxes: “’Nero tol Scaeva Presents The Simple-Serve Oven’.” He arched an eyebrow. “Do you mean to say that there is an entire oven in this box?”

                “I do. Well, a miniature one, inspired by the cooking sets used by those of the Culinarians’ Guild but designed to be so simple that even tykes such as yourselves can use them.”

                “’Tykes’? With all do respect, ser, we may be children, but we are not infants,” Ronantain countered, his brows furrowed.

                Nero shrugged. “Children these days, my goodness. So ungrateful.”

                Maelie finished prying open the top of her gift box and cooed. “Ronantain, I think this really is a wee little oven.” She looked to him, excitement brightening her features. “We can bake treats for the patients at Ser Vaindreau’s!”

                Ronantain blinked at her. “Oh, I-I don’t know how to bake.”

                “I can show you! I remember baking with my mum when I was little…I think. It’s not so hard – you just put the ingredients together, mix ‘em up, and put ‘em in the oven.”

                “I can share a few easy recipes with you next time I come to Ser Vaindreau’s,” added Kyler. “I’m sure the patients will love them.”

                Maelie smiled at Kyler before turning to Nero. “Thank you so much for the gift, Mister Helper! We’ll put it to good use. Won’t we, Ronantain?”

                Ronantain cleared his throat, composing himself. “Aye, that we shall. Thank you very much for these gifts.”

                “Much better,” said Nero. “You’re welcome. Run along, now. You’ve got treats to bake and, uh, more of whatever it is you children do.”

                Both Maelie and Ronantain looked at Nero with a confusion-pinched brows for a moment. Then Maelie shrugged.

    ��           “Let’s take these to Ser Vaindreau’s and set them up. Charlemend is there already, I’m sure he can help us if he’s not too busy already,” she said. “Bye Kyler! And Kyler’s friends! Thanks again!”

                “Farewell for now,” added Ronantain. As the children walked away, Kyler and company heard him say to Maelie, “Speaking of my uncle, he and I really would love to have you over for our family’s Starlight dinner. It wouldn’t be any trouble at all.”

                “It does sound nice. And…you’d really be willin’ to buy me a fancy dress for it?”

                “As fancy as you please. Like a sentinel tree ornament.”

                The last they heard of Ronantain and Maelie’s conversation was Maelie giggling.

                Biggs, Wedge, and Kyler fell into a conversation about what to do with the dregs of their toy bags – if they should combine them all into one, where to go next to finish them off, where to go afterwards for a good drink to celebrate. Cid stood next to Nero as their discussion began.

                “I’m impressed,” Cid commented as he put a hand on the back of Nero’s arm. “Even if I’m also waiting for the other shoe to drop.”

                “There’s no other shoe. I suppose you could say that the Saviour of Eorzea is rubbing off on me. Fighting alongside him instead of against him in Garlemald had me thinking. This is my gift to him, in a sense.”

                “That and showing off your genius is something of a gift in its own right, isn’t it?”

                “Oh, very much so. And speaking of gifts…” Nero reached into his coat and withdrew a once-folded piece of paper, which he handed to Cid.

                Cid eyed the paper for a moment before taking it. “Nero, if this is another invoice…”

                Nero smiled.

                Cid unfolded the paper. His brows furrowed. “This is a…a reservation confirmation for The Bismark?”

                “For two. In two day’s time.”

                Cid looked to Nero. “I don’t know what to say…and I haven’t gotten a gift for you yet.”

                “Just be there. And remember to wipe the grease and dirt from your face this time.”

                Cid chuckled sheepishly. “Right. That much I can do.”

                “I know.” Nero lowered his glasses, winked at Cid, and put them back into place. “Ah, ‘twould seem that Kyler’s spotted some more rugrats.” The two of them – and Nero’s mammets – began following Kyler. Nero looked to Cid as he noticed him fiddling with his hat. “That would likely sit better if you remove your goggles.”

                Cid removed his hat and offered it to Nero. “Perhaps you’d rather wear it instead.”

                “I’m not feeling that generous.”

[xivu-arath]

do Tol Barga

shenrihn's opinion on tol braga is... complicated!!they honestly really respected him. he is so steadfast and undaunted (and yes, proud) that he felt very much like a reassuring, anchoring point for much of their time as a new jedi. notably he didn't scorn or doubt them for coming to the order as a user of the dark side. rather, he welcomed and supported them, even arguing their case to be brought into the order, and as someone who always felt unsure if they'd ever be good enough... that was extremely meaningful. tol braga seemed to believe more in shen than they were capable of doing so themselves

but that belief blinded him, too. he was so confident and self-righteous about his great victories over sith lords and even a member of the dark council that he ignored every warning sign that confronting the emperor wouldn't go so smoothly. shenrihn's own doubts were swept aside, and they trusted him over their fears and misgivings, to disastrous effect

they resent him now, of course. being the sole reason they went through one of their worst experiences since the infinite empire will do that!

but it's a complicated resentment - not for being so confident, because that confidence had been so reassuring. maybe if they had grown up trained in the light and had as many uncomplicated victories, they would have that same undaunted faith in their efforts. but not having the strength to back it up? not being able to keep all of the strike force from falling under the emperor's thrall? that they do blame him for. and most galling, they hate that he was so broken by his failure

for someone they respected so much to actually be so brittle! to have never experienced being utterly beaten and broken down before, and to lack the strength to keep going... it's a well of bitter rage and loathing in them, to see him undone through something they endured and survived

it really shook their respect and faith in the order as a result, But It's Fine

[tabswrites]

Follow up question: What makes Mara's magic different from her friends?

There are two types of magic users in ToL, and I talk about it here!

The physical manifestations of magic are:

Auras that change color to reflect the person (like a mood ring but more reliable).

Shadows that are a constant, shimmering outline around your body and move with you. Mara is a Shadow.

Mara is just jealous that she doesn’t have pretty lights.

[karinonsan]

My secret santa gift for twitter user @ whaleinrainpot for Moshang Secret Santa 2022 @moshangevents ~

Christmas kisses bets on modern!AU moshang~ There was a post about a tol and smol CP about a bet like this and I instantly wanted to do it 😆 (tho I could be wrong abt the detail of the actual condition for the bet)

[blonderedwhiteshirt]

ALRIGHT BITCHES IM (🟥) HERE. i have an important question that i did not discuss with the other users of this blog.

In no particular order...

Very serious question. definitely. (vote me and post tom 🟥 propoganda. red squARE FOR THE WIN BABYYYY)

[awellboiledicicle]

Larian confirmed Astarion is 5'9", and i hc Anders as 6'4" [as he is tol] and i need you all to know that 7" difference is giving me brain static.

Largely because Anders tends to lean forward when he talks, kinda bending down a little to be closer to other people's height. Not on purpose or anything, he just does it as a habit after all the elves and dwarves that came through his clinic.

Now, why does this give me brain static?

Because Astarion is very much posturing most of the time post-ship, pre-trusting you fully. A lot of this posturing is him standing with back straight as possible, slightly leaned back so he looks down at you. He does this to any player character outside the large body types, which naturally make the angle not work as well. In universe it makes for less effective posturing, out of universe the model would look weird doing it the same way for both and so he doesn't lean the same way or at least so i've noticed. Enter, Anders. Anders is a very intense man when he's just existing and he's not already fond of you. He's not intimidating per se, he's a healer-- it's very much a to business sort of air about him when he's not in a social setting. He moves a whole lot quieter than his size would imply. He stares intensely when he's waiting for a reaction to something he's said, and the follow up expression could very well be 'am deeply displeased', which tends to be intimidating. He has a spirit in his body that can and will come out and leave a swath of bloody destruction in his wake. He's a powerful magic user. He frowns a lot. His reaction to someone acting like they're better than him is to stare a hole in their skull and deadpan until the interaction is over, if he has to be polite.

What i'm saying is posturing at Anders does not work. Seduction does not get into his good graces, because it's met with a look of pity and Astarion does not do pity. Chatting about magic is marginally better, and wins him some favor-- but he picked up the magic as a way to improve his skills, not from love of study. So there's a gap.

Meanwhile Anders sees in Astarion every noble born mage ever to be escorted into the tower under their own power vs being dragged in screaming, very convinced that that made them better than everyone else. Until reality set in and they realized their lives meant as little to the Templars as any others. Until they were broken. Anders sees Astarion as a man that was broken by... something, at first he doesn't know what it is. The passes being made give him some hint of how he responded to it, though, and thus the pity. He's seen more than a fair share of mages turn to using their flesh as currency to escape the worst of the knights' misdeeds, and he's treated the aftermath of those transactions as well. It won't be for a while that he really understands why Astarion reads to him like that-- outside his passes at himself and Hawke--but whenever that convo happens with Hawke it's going to be... unsettlingly clear why he is the way he is. The total control of a vampire over its spawn would call to mind both Tranquility and blood magic, in turns. The physical inability to disobey, the person underneath it all forced to watch as they have no choice but to do as they are told. Again, pity. Again, something Astarion would hate.

The height thing is just a gateway to the interactions because it STARTS as 'ugh i cant look down at him' and is going to end out with Anders trying very hard to remember that sympathy and empathy don't need to carry pity in the message, even if you feel it.

Hawke meanwhile is over here at 5'7" just living his life. Not great with working out feelings talks because he just.. was not raised to be that open with his feelings unless it was a joke or indirect. But he always helps his friends, even if it's morally dubious. Which, given most of his friends are criminals it works out to be more dubious than strictly necessary but that's life. But loves a good banter, which is partially why Astarion likes him so much. Another part is the casual ruthless efficiency inherent in how Hawke operates. Like, sure, he'll go out of his way to help some kids, but if the objective set to him is "kill goblin leaders" the only reason every goblin between him and the leaders didn't die was because Gale suggested they might all die if he didn't take a step back and go stealthy. And, sure, they then killed all the goblins they could find. Like, hunted them down killed them all. But Astarion didn't get why until Wyll asked, and Hawke just blinked and said they were a problem. He solved the problem. Ruthless in the most clear sense of the word: point a was the problem of there being goblins in the forest. Point b, no goblins to threaten tieflings and druids. The clear, burning bright line between them? Solution: kill all goblins.

He just sort of started assuming Hawke did goody-goody stuff for some big plan, until the realization hit that no. no hawke is just very good at killing things and the good news is that helping people tends to involve killing things. By that point, though, he's warmed up to the good guy act. Somewhat. It's a process.

[novaharpersworld]

In my magic system everyone has magical abilities that can be trained, but due to limited access, most never do.

Magic is known as the Weave, and it is both an art and a craft. Magic users are called Spell-weavers by most and are viewed with fascinated suspicion by outsiders. Because of this, they mostly stick to themselves.

Trained magic users join the Collective, a non-hiererchical organization of spell-weavers whose minds are connected in a meta-consciousness (rather like a shared "mind palace") known as the Mindlink. They have intimate knowledge of each other, an empathetic connection to each other's emotions, and have access to the vast, multi-generational collective knowledge of spell-weavers. It allows them to be masters at whatever they put themselves to, and can see every problem from multiple angles, allowing them to solve problems rapidly.

The Mindlink also allows them to communicate with one another instantly, making them instrumental for the functioning of governments, heads of state, merchants, and more. They are typically employed on airships in case of emergencies, and every governmental agency has one so they can cross-communicate. The River King of the Fae employs four on duty at a times, and the same goes for the Soljoran Premier. The High Bank of Rel uses them to scry economic forecasts and ward coins to prevent countetfeiting. For this reason they are politically neutral, but work with and toward their own unknown agendas.

For most of Corsovan history, spell-weavers were referred to as Magi and then Mages. They were scattered with no standardized training. When a mage found a suitable acolyte, they worked alone, one mage and one acolyte. It was Methuseld, a powerful mage who helped Tol Aranon defeat the Fellwraith, who built the first training house on Mount Karath, called the Paideia. After Methuseld's death the Paideia became standardized. When Tol Aranon gave the land grant of half the continent to the Fae to rebuild Instruri during the Illian Accords, it included Mount Karath and the site of the Paideia, so the training house remained and became the Aetherium. They opened another in the Soljoran capitol of Aldervale.

The Collective has always welcomed members of both Fae and human, resisting efforts to pit the two species against each other in times of crisis or xenophobic frenzy, acting always as a ballast for peace.

During the magical rennaisance, mages learned to harness magical energies and assign them to inanimate objects, developing Majtech. Majtech is of immense practical use, as it doesn't require extensive training in weaving spells or the use of a staff, and can be used by anyone.

The sap of the Amaranths were harnessed and many processes of distillation discovered, and these experiments revealed that different processes of distillation in combination with various alchemical spells yielded very different effects. Each process results in a different color of liquid, each of which grants different properties to the one ingesting it. These liquids are called Potents.

The list of Potents are as follows:

Blue: explosive or high energy Potent, used most often in bullets, where a few drops are put into the ignition cap. Majlocks as a result discharge blue flame instead of red. If ingested directly, it gives the user explosive or concussive force, allowing them to perform feats of strength like scaling buildings or sprinting impossible distances at breakneck speeds until it flares out and you must ingest more.

Gold: enhances vision and perception, including night vision. It can dispell darkness or shadows, and can be employed by the sufficiently skilled to generate light based magic such as heat or protective barriers.

Grey: enhances shadow based magic, allowing you to cloak yourself in shadows or blend into dark corners, and grants stealth abilities and can create illusions and disguises. For this reason Grey potents is highly regulated and is only legally possessed by a member of the Collective, but when has that ever stopped a black market?

Copper: electric magic, harnesses storms and lightning, air based magic, including flying (well, falling with style) and harnessing weather events.

Opal: fosters calm, peace, tranquility, harmony, and balance. Often used for conflict resolution or deescalation, diplomancy, and promoted unity, cooperation and feelings of solidarity. It also enhances the intimacy of love making.

Silver: facilitates dreamwalking, used most often for rites and rituals due to its profound visions from the dreamscape.

Red: enhances fire based magic, including the production of fire and resistance to fire.

Green: earth or natural magic, good for healing and rejuvenation, accelerates plant growth, and boosts endurance and vitality.

Orange: enhances cognition, allowing for intense creativity and flares of genius, problem-solving, better absorbsion of ideas, data, and argument.

The basic principle with each is that the more you ingest, the more powerful you are, but the more you ingest the harder it is on your body. For this reason most people only use a drop or two at a time. The complexity of the spell or the greater the power needed to accomplish something, the faster it flares out and must be replenished. This is why magic is best a collaborative project, since spreading the weave between a large group of Weavers reduces the total impact on each. In the Aetherium the Collective distributes all weaving between the whole since they are all Linked.

[z12140102]

ARTSTUDIO PRO - ERASE ALONG THE EDGES

Here’s a tutorial for ASP. “Erase Along the Edges” was such a powerful tol back in my Clip Studio Paint days, but I’ve long since switched to ipad. I really tried to give procreate a go but it’s just not my vibe. So I tried ASP because people said that CSP / Photoshop users might find it better. It is loads better. It’s a damn shame that not a lot of people use it, though.

To transcribe the photo tutorial:

1. Have two layers separate: (1) for line art, and (2) for colors (multiple colors are fine)

2. Toggle the “reference” switch in the line art layer settings.

3. Tap or switch back to your colors layer.

4. Change your fill tool settings (not in the photo, but the icon underneath the brush sliders is where you can find the settings)

Bucket fill (NOT Lasso fill)

Blending: Clear

Edges: Smart

Sample: Reference

5. Tap outside the circle to keep the colors within / Tap inside the circle to keep the colors outside

[kittystargen3]

Summary: A time traveling Grandmaster, to the Prequel Era, trying to fix the mistakes the Jedi made, and get rid of a certain Sith too. Only Time Travel is not that easy, as Yoda will soon learn.

A second update today. This one for Time Travel: To the Past Yoda Goes. Below is a small selection. Please use the links above to read more.

Chapter 58 - Contingency

Obi-Wan helped Mace lock the red lightsabers in a compartment on his ship. If they were going after a darkside user, they didn’t want to have such a tainted weapon nearby. It could upset the balance of a fight. So they had to leave them behind. But the same, they were leaving their Padawans alone with suspects who allegedly had darkside leanings. They did not want Dooku or either of his trainees to find a weapon.  

“Ah-ha! Found it.” Qui-Gon pulled a folded flimsy sheet out of a bench he was looking through. “I knew I had this somewhere. Look. It’s a map.”

Mace sighed. “I doubt the ancient Sith Temple is on your map.”

“No. But other things are. Look, Dooku said we have to go west of the city. That’s this way.” He pointed to the map.  

“Brilliant. I could not have found that without such a tool.” Mace’s voice was flat.  

Obi-Wan picked up their tools as they went to board the other ship. The one Mace and Plo arrived in. As he walked away, he felt a strong push on his bond with Anakin. He knew the boy was worried for him. This was turning out to be a harder mission than he had expected. But that is a Jedi’s life: Going on missions prepared for one thing, and finding a whole different set of challenges. It’s the best lesson he could give the Padawan.  

***

“Why are we playing nice? You know I could…” Tol protested in a hushed voice.

Dooku smacked the back of Tol’s head and he shut up instantly. “They are my grand-padawans, and you will do no such thing.”

“They’re kids,” said, fourteen going on forty, Asajj. Dooku was very proud of himself for not rolling his eyes. “We don’t have to hurt them. Just lock them in the hold.”

“No. I have decided we are going to play along for now. And that’s what we are going to do.”

“Yes, Master,” Asajj did roll her eyes.

Tol sighed. “I want words with the Jedi Grandmaster.”

“You can have that.” Dooku consented. Whatever went on with the boy’s former Master, Dooku had heard Tol’s tale, his own former master will have to answer for it.  

“Okay, Master. I’ll play nice. For now.” Tol promised.  

...