#were trying to do it more frequently but the character creation of it all is so fun and the story creating too is siiiiiick

[itsabouttimex2]

I was re-reading some of the Primal Moon stuff and I just kept thinking... If this is how badly everyone else gets affected, imagine how Chang'e gets during the Primal Moon!!!

Poor girl is probably losing her marbles up there, all by herself!!

Primal Moon Tier List

Actually… Chang’e is doing just about the same as canon! She’s a little lonely to be on her own, and a little worried for the world down below… but she’s managing!

For reference, here’s what I’ve workshopped for Primal Moon so far!

Humans and Celestials, if they have no animalistic features or demonic heritage, are unaffected by the creeping Viridescence, and are therefore free of any harmful effects of the lunar cycle. Which gives us a total of eleven characters (temporarily twelve with Seasons 1-3 MK) who are left the same in Primal Moon.

As for the others, with potential targets outside of Y/N listed in parentheses…

Sun Wukong is a monkey, c’mon. He; by the very nature of his species, needs company and affection. So what if he snatches up a darling cub (or two) from the streets and bundles them home as they kick and scream for help anticipate a week long stay with the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. He’ll dote and smother until you’re all worn out from begging for your freedom receiving his affection to tuck the both of you into bed, ready to spend a quarter of the month in a frenzy of familial love. (MK, Macaque, Ne Zha, Tang Sanzang, Ao Lie, Zhu Baije, Sha Wujing)

The Azure Lion has been burdened by primal want for family since his earliest days in the Celestial Realm, quite often being “given” a still-young Ne Zha to coddle, sitting for hours with the little deity in his lap, grooming his hair to perfection with a massive tongue. But that was centuries ago, and now he needs someone new to “parent”… most likely being Y/N. (Sun Wukong, Macaque, Peng, Yellowtusk, DBK, young Ne Zha, MK, Mei, Red Son)

Bereft of his lover, Kui Mulang devolves into a more merciful and someone brooding individual, sometimes refusing to devour souls even when the ones presented to him are choice selections. He mostly manages to compose himself, however- until a pup or kit is presented to him, at which point he slowly begins to mold them into the “perfect child” for him and his lovely Jade Maiden- and he’s sure that she’ll love Y/N as much as he does. (MK, Mei)

Arrogant as they may be, the Golden-Winged Peng is indeed still an avian, with powerful brooding instincts. They have some vested interest in little stragglers and chicks, souls who haven’t found their footing yet. If you have wings of some kind, expect lots of flying lessons and feather cleaning. For younger or smaller individuals, Peng will frequently perform brooding, though in a very gentle way- they’ll have you sit on their lap and then squish themselves all around you with feathery neck fluff and muscular arms and then their golden wings over all that to firmly ensnare you. (Macaque if he’s much younger than they are, Mei)

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The Spider Queen isn’t usually interested in making heirs- she wants the throne all to herself for as long as she can have it… but if a charming and powerful individual were to wander into her sewers, maybe the lady wouldn’t red be able to deny herself an attempt at courting them? After all, a child of your blood and hers would be a magnificent creation (and weapon) indeed- although the means of birth would be by magic. She doesn’t have any interest in nine months of pain or suffering, after all. (Sun Wukong, Macaque, Demon Bull King and Princess Iron Fan, Scorpion Queen)

As always, our lonely Scorpion Queen longs for companionship in any form, be it partner or paramour. Expect her to try and hook up with the friendliest face she can find, often in the form of the sweet little mortals who go hiking past her lair in an attempt to separate from the wildness of the city. After all, maybe a little darling child would help ease her loneliness! (Tang, Pigsy)

Huntsman is out on the streets looking for a suitable partner, not necessarily for want of a lover so much as he wants his pick of the “superior” stock showing off their strength to lure in mates- the thought of having a child to pass on all his knowledge to doesn’t exactly deter the arachnid. However, he’d be content with “just” getting a lifelong sparring partner out of it.

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After the death of his beloved son, Ao Guang goes from “almost unaffected” by the rising moon to borderline delusional. He usually stays locked up tight inside his chambers, away from anyone who he might “confuse” with his departed Ao Bing. If one seems to be young in either appearance or behavior, he’s not unlikely to snatch them up and spirit them away to his chambers for a week of grief-fueled doting. If one outright looks similar to the dragon prince, expect him to treat them as a reincarnation or descendant. (Mei, Ao Lie)

Ao Lie tries to step up and take care of those around him, but tends to stumble and fail along the way as his mind deteriorates. There’s some bass understanding of the world (eg: fire burns, raw meat sickens, clothes keep you warmth) but a lot of the finer details are lost on him. Still, he just wants to help! If his target/targets outright reject this behavior/try to run, Lie will assume draconic form and wrap them all up in his massive green coils. (Mei, Sun Wukong, Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, Sha Wujing)

If anyone is “losing it” mentally, Xiangliu probably shows it the clearest. There are moments of blatant hysteria as he screams about “monsters” and “chaos” and “caves”, pounding cracks into the tiles beneath his feet and etching his feelings across the walls of any residence- and then he’s horribly silent and withdrawn, each little snake on his head leering and limp. It’s hard to tell what he actually wants, given that he’ll never communicate outside of hysterical shrieking and wanton destruction. (Sun Wukong)

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Macaque’s most blatant changes are internal, the Viridescence stripping his inner inhibitions away- unlike Red Son below, this doesn’t manifest in tears or desperate pleas for love, but a wide spur of self-injurious behavior that displays itself in many forms- often trending towards stereotypies such as overeating, scratching away skin, and picking out clumps of hair. For “his own good”, Macaque tends to be the victim of other demons during the moon’s rising.

Twice a year Red Son makes himself a promise- “This time I won’t break,” he says to himself, working through a dozen new techniques and tactics to try and prevent himself from cracking and falling apart in a messy puddle of tears… all of which fail in a tidy little row, leaving poor Red Boy to weep into the lap of whoever his mother has kidnapped to tend to him… he’s actually mostly in his right mind, just incapable of biting back his tongue or tears, allowing potential romance to bloom as the verdant moon rises. (MK, Mei)

As for Mei, she’s… well, an entirely different person in Primal Moon. She’s spent so very long being taught to constantly repress herself in order to keep others from harm and agony, which the poor girl always has on her mind, no matter the day or circumstance. She’s quieter, clumsier, lonelier. She speeds on busy roads, plays with lighters, trauma-dumps to her followers… deep down, Mei believes that her inevitable fate is to be a monster. At some point this belief leads her true nature to unlock under the power of the Viridescence, causing Mei to transform into a dragon and start hoarding “treasure”… often in the form of her dearest friends/romantic interests. (MK, Red Son)

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Like I’ve gone over before, MK grows extremely unstable after spending years perfectly suppressing his demonic heritage- like a spring wound too tight, he just snaps. He’s one of the few that grows legitimately violent with any “darling” he might have, forcing them to become troop-mates. He willingly falls under the command of Sun Wukong, who has become equally delusional. It’s not impossible for them to build a “troop” made entirely out of kidnapped friends and family. (Mei, Red Son, Macaque)

Though the Demon Bull King’s behavior towards his wife alone would put him halfway in the “looking for a mate” category, his behavior towards everyone else (minus Red Son) is extremely violent to the point of essentially returning to his former warlord days- and unlike many others on this list, doesn’t even bother to fight his desires. He’s just... letting go. And everyone else is left to suffer for it. The only way he ends up with a new “family member” is if he either talks Iron Fan into a new child, or she kidnaps a mortal herself to take care of Red Son.

Sha Wujing just... regresses. Back to his bone pit, to constant fighting, to streams of blood flooding his lonely river. Back to before the monk and his dear brothers. Everything just... smears to a splash of bright red and he settles for grinding anything he finds “upsetting”. Most of this is born of blind fear and repressed sorrow, so Wukong (if he’s holding himself together) is usually sent to bear Wujing’s mighty swings one after the the other as he moves in for a hug. Once the big blue giant has cooled off and come to his senses, he’s utterly overwhelmed with guilt at the sight of all Wukong’s bruises and cuts, and spends the next week taking care of him like a little brother.

———————————————————————-

As a goddess from time immemorial, Nüwa is… a little “out of touch“ when it comes to interacting with mortals. You can’t spend a handful of forevers hiding away and come out of it with stunning social skills, after all. She’s not exactly skillfully soft, but doesn’t see the need to be horribly cruel or vicious with. When the lunar haze from above softens her inhibitions, Nüwa turns to undermining the agency of her ward, subtly working to convince them that she- and she alone- can tend to their needs. (MK)

In his current state, Sandy really is the most “harmless” a yandere can be, settling for only the very occasional drugging to keep you complacent and docile while the musclebound monster man pampers you through the settling haze. The only thing changed by the Primal Moon’s impact is that Sandy becomes much more willing to verbally strike down the notion of independence by guilt-tripping you into staying “to keep him calm” as he wraps your smaller form in thick fleece blankets and pours another cup of tea with a strange layer of film on the top. (Pigsy)

Goliath doesn’t mind the viridescence too much, all things considered- more than ever during the event so people want to fight, so he’s never too busy “thinking” or “planning”- he’ll just pummel down any threat to his Queen and drag the body off to be converted into a fellow spider demon. The only real difference is that he’s not afraid to drag you out to bear witness to the growing violence and danger bred under the verdant lunar light, and then force you to patch his wounds as a show of the “affection” he expects you to have.

Already something of a troublemaker, Zhu Bajie mostly remains his old self during the semi-annual event, knowing which cards to play to get the Great Monk to do as he pleases, often to either his own or Sun Wukong’s detriment. Now he’ll direct that worsening (and at times downright malicious) manipulative behavior to you, trying to second-handedly browbeat you into submission. It’s not even that Bajie understands why- the moon just fucks his brain up so bad that he doesn’t bother pushing back against the notion that you should suffer for his own amusement.

———————————————————————-

Throughout many centuries, Yellowtusk has trained long and hard to repress the worst of his instincts, to utterly astounding success. When not working with his sworn brothers, the pachyderm demon is traveling about to aid little mortals in need, though his brain is just fogged enough to disregard basic autonomy and personal boundaries. The big guy ends up pretty “hands-on” as a result, often holding and moving about mortals like dolls.

Given that he was an actual human to start with, Syntax works the opposite of MK- he’s not just “not repressing” the moon, it simply has no impact on him. Then upon his baleful transformation, Syntax just… isn’t all that different. You can change a body, but not the soul beneath it. He’s still a person, deep down.

Mr. and Mrs. Dragon have put themselves under the same rigorous training that they ensured Mei underwent, leaving them mostly untouched by any form of enthralling bestial behavior, both rather rational and composed. Still, they aren’t exactly above snatching up maybe a new worker -cook or maid or cleaner- from a lower class to “dote on” through the week- and if that individual is young enough they may well pursue adoption when the haze lifts.

[torchship-rpg]

Dev Diary 16 - Aquillians

Hello cosmonauts! I’ve been almost non-stop sick for three months which hasn’t been great for progress, but this can’t be delayed any further. We’re going to try to do more frequent dev diaries again; next week I’ll do a diary on Meta-Campaign mechanics and the current state of character creation, but for now, it’s time to do some lore.

So, let’s talk the biggest alien species in Torchship, our local Space Elves, the Aquillians!

Aquillian Basics

Aquillians are a diverse species of humanoids who superficially resemble, well, green-blooded elves, and they’re very much inspired by taking a few of the greatest hits of sci-fi space elves and shuffling it all up. Torchship might be a deconstruction of a lot of common sci-fi tropes, but it’s also a reconstruction embracing fun ones along the way and wearing inspiration on our sleeves.

Though pretty human-looking on the surface, like all humanoids in Torchship, they look like that because of a mysterious process of directed evolution from very different routes. Humanity’s first inkling of just how dominated Local Space is by the mysterious forces of Star Gods and K2 civilizations was discovering an alien that looked just like them, but had totally different biochemistry, internal anatomy, and evolutionary history. The ancestors of Aquillians were gliding arboreal bird-like pack hunters, sent along the path to sapience by their increasingly complex social dynamics and changing climates on their relatively small, low-gravity homeworld. Flight proved less useful in lean times than dexterous hands and the intelligence to shape the massive, tangled trees into built environments.

Evidence of this ancestry is still present in their constant-volume unidirectional respiration system and energy-conserving metabolism (and fluffy protofeather hair). This is reflected through the only universal Aquillian Trait, which is also part of our new category of Evolutionary Origins Traits; everyone gets to pick one representing the evolutionary lag of their ancestral environment. (Most) Humans now get the Persistence Predator Trait, letting humans take more Strain before experiencing Fatigue penalties.

In contrast, the Efficient Metabolism Trait of the Aquillians allows them to avoid taking Strain on dice rolls if they succeed by a large enough margin; this encourages you to double-down on your specialities and lets you perform low-stress work more or less indefinitely. This was very handy for a species whose path to sapience involved becoming the galaxy’s best tree-pruners.

Aquillians are also generally encouraged to take the various Psychic traits. The thing about psychic powers in Torchship is that while they’re not genetic, they are heritable, in that people raised by or around psychics tend to become psychics themselves. The widespread emergence of psychics is predicated on certain social conditions, but once it’s become widespread in a species it’s unlikely to fade. Thus, nearly all Aquillians possess some level of psychic potential simply because their species has been puttering around all the psychic weirdness of Local Space for so long.

Aquillians are the most widespread and populous species in Local Space by a considerable margin; they’re either the primary species or a sizeable minority in multiple states and are otherwise generally present everywhere. One could make the serious argument that Local Space is defined by being the part of the galaxy that’s Aquillian-majority, and when you come across an independent planet with faster-than-light travel and humanoid aliens, they’re probably Aquillians of some description.

The reason for this is that the Aquillians have been around a very long while, and one way or another have been in a dominant position that entire time. They’ve had FTL travel for forty thousand years, and for at least half the time an Aquillian political body has been either a great power or the undisputed regional superpower. The nature of this dominance has varied massively over time, but it most recently manifested as the Aquillian Empire.

In The Empire/Remnant

If you listen to their propaganda, the Aquillian Empire was/is Local Space’s rightful heirs, existing for forty thousand years of unbroken and absolute rule. Under the guidance of wise Emperors, they did more to preserve interstellar civilization than anyone else with their ruthless enforcement of the Exploration Taboo, their rigid hierarchy of specialised castes and subordinate species, and the wonders of a massive, high-speed web of FTL beacons. They crushed the dangerous Argent Empire, drove the upstart Zinovians from their homeworld, and brought Pax Aquillia to the stars.

In reality, the Empire only existed for about fifteen hundred years, and they just claimed the entirety of their species’ spacefaring history; with total control over the presentation of their own history, it was kind of hard to call them out. 1500 years is still really impressive, as empires go, but it wasn’t quite grand enough for the swelling egos of the ruling class. It’s a bit like saying, “As you can see, Sumer prevails!” while pointing at New York City.

The Aquillian Empire was well-known for their historic use of genetic engineering on both themselves and their enemies, which creates the setting’s taboo on genetic engineering that humans are in blatant violation of. For this reason, Aquillians in the Empire were changed considerably from the ancestral template, modified for life on heavier worlds; their capital isn’t their mineral-poor, low-gravity homeworld, which is instead a bit of a sad backwater now. This gives the Imperial Aquillians and those derived from them the Downweller Gravity Trait, which is in-between the Freefaller Trait used by human spacers and the Heavyworlder Trait of Terrans; it’s the ‘average’ trait with no real strengths or weaknesses.

It also resulted in a degree of artificial phenotypical convergence, as waves of engineering were used to aesthetically modify sections of the species in-line with current fashions. This isn’t universal, but the higher in the hierarchy you go, the more Aquillians tend to be tall, gaunt, and have desaturated skin and hair colours to match their self-reinforcing image of nobility.

The biggest consequence, however, is the clades. The Aquillian Empire’s power structure emerged from a caste structure inherited from one of their precursors, now entrenched with genetic engineering. Initially this was in the form of creating a large number of specialised subspecies for different tasks, but as the Empire grew in strength, automated more infrastructure, and acquired more and more vassals, the priority increasingly became engineering for control, outsourcing labour to client states and modifying their own population for compliance instead of productivity.

At the time the Empire fell, the many specialised groups had been condensed into three diverse Clades; the ruling Nobles, the ruthless Enforcers, and the mass of numbed Commoners, all with their own Traits.

The Clades

The Nobles, or High Aquillians, are the highest Clade, forming a kind of industrialised aristocracy inside the Empire, acting as administrators, military leaders, governors, lawmakers, and scientists. Functionally immortal, fabulously wealthy, and relatively rare, the nobility have an agreement within their own ranks to only produce new Nobles for specific purposes in order to avoid diluting power or creating succession crises. This worked out fairly well historically, but has resulted in every major faction of the currently-simmering civil war in the Divine Empire cloning their own Ideal Monarch(s) for when they overthrow the upstart Empress and seize power (after they win the actively-boiling-over civil wars against the other remnants and crush the humans, of course). Those other remnants are mostly ruled by planetary governors or admirals who have seized power, but a handful are also hard at work in Build-A-Tyrant Workshop.

Each noble is tailored to their role and raised to serve that particular purpose, so as Traits go they are pretty much completely freeform, save encouragement to take Augment and various psychic traits. There’s not a lot of them in the Union for obvious reasons, but that makes playing as one and casting aside your birthright to fight for a fairer world all the more meaningful.

(We’re also playing around with a funny Trait, whose working title is Class Traitor, to represent how even with your defection, there’s a lot of places who still respect the title… and a lot of others who really, really don’t. Renouncing your title doesn’t necessarily destroy your claim; there’s probably a lot of servants and functionaries back home wondering when you’ll get all this communism out of your system and come back to run the planet again.)

The Enforcer clade constitutes the law enforcement, colonial bureaucracy, and military officer class of the Empire, and are as much defined by their upbringing and social isolation as their genetic modification. The Enforcers are descendants of a specialised clade to create the ideal secret police, which unsurprisingly meant they soon infiltrated, dismantled, or took over every other lever of power they could get their hands on and firmly established themselves as the middle managers of society. The only reason they never successfully couped the Nobility is the fact they are categorically incapable of trusting one another.

Enforcers are biologically distinguished by a change in their neurology which rewires the way they experience empathy. While humans initially believed (to their horror) they’d encouraged a subspecies of engineered sociopaths, the truth is more complicated; Enforcers have had their mirror neurons modified to basically receive the alien equivalent of a dopamine hit from understanding the emotions and thoughts of others. Genuine empathy is very difficult when your neurochemistry rewards you for treating other people as fun little puzzles to take apart and put together; it makes them very good interrogators, investigators, and spies, but also means the closest thing to emotional attachment most of them feel is having favourite subjects. This means they historically spend the time they could have used seizing power scheming endlessly with one another instead.

To represent this, Enforcers are recommended the Reserved Trait, which modifies how you interact with Relationships and the Unity system, the Turncoat Trait (because playing as one almost inherently implies defection), and Narrow Socialisation, which lets you select two types of Relationships (in this case Rival and Nemesis) to get a target bonus in social interaction with, while hitting you with a target penalty for all others. You also typically are a Psychic Void; the deeply engrained secrecy and distrust of their artificial anti-society makes them largely invisible to psychic powers as well as making them very difficult to access.

Finally, there are the great masses of Commoners, the dispossessed masses of once-workers who increasingly existed to be ruled in the Empire, acting as an enormous reserve army of labour and potential conscripts to give bulk to the Empire and be selectively employed for economic or military violence. In between those times, the Commoners didn’t really have much to do, and to keep them manageable, they were gradually engineered to be more and more easily controlled and managed.

This involved, essentially, breaking their motivation system by genetically curtailing the natural production of neurotransmitters and replacing these systems with electromechanical implants. If the Empire didn’t need the Commoners for anything, they left them in a state of numb apathy and executive dysfunction; they could get away with just bread without circuses. If they needed labourers, soldiers, or to stop the population declining, they would just start pressing the feel stuff again button as needed to reward useful behaviour. Crude but tragically effective.

Though they believed this made their population a docile and cultureless stockpile of potential labour, the Commoners retain a complex internal culture built around their tactile telepathy, developing a sort of introspective philosophy of dualism, intellectualism, and fatalism. Unable to confront a system that had control over their own neurochemistry, common Aquillians instead developed a parallel culture which existed in their collective shared imaginations, sharing aspects of their thoughts and personalities with one another in a quiet network, with their philosophers living on in transmitted fragments alongside loved ones and comrades.

Commoners also get the Reserved Trait, for different reasons than the Enforcers but with similar effects. Plural System allows you represent transmitted personalities by essentially having Crew NPCs that fortunately don’t take up limited bunk space in your spacecraft, Stiff Upper Lip and Fearless reflects how the limits placed on them also mute strong reactions to pain and fear, and Prodigy simulates having cybernetic modifications which reward pursuing certain work.

This system survived a very long time in the Empire, and persists in its Remnants. Once you get outside them, though, it gets interesting.

In the Breakaways

The Aquillian Breakaway states are the Union-aligned or neutral bodies which broke away from the Empire during the civil conflicts which ended the Aquillian-Human War. Some of these still function more or less like the Remnant before them, but the majority are revolutionary states of some kind which have elevated Commoners to the top of the pack. You’re probably not playing an Enforcer or Noble; they, uh, aren’t too well liked there for obvious reasons.

If you play an Aquillian from one of these states, you’re probably playing a Commoner who still has the above modifications (as these states have very strong taboos against further genetic engineering they are still struggling with), but who now has their hands on the remote control for their emotions. 

This ties into one of the core principles of Torchship; you can always change your character’s Identity at any time you like, at no mechanical cost, provided you have a narrative reason. Your character’s external neurology interface is a special use of the Cultural Tool Trait which acts as that narrative reason to turn on and off many of the common Traits listed above whenever you like, as is advantageous to you. Of course, that also does mean there’s a remote control with your emotional state on speed-dial which is just lying around, taking up an equipment slot and just begging to be stolen for the sake of drama.

Regrettably, while the chances of experiencing Spock’s Brain are low, they are never zero.

In The Union

There are quite a few Aquillians in the Star Union, making up the largest alien minority by a significant margin (larger even than the Koath). These are a mixture of refugees taken on during and after the war, immigrants flocking to a place which might be able to undo the genetic modifications done to them, war orphans who wound up in the Union through various dubious humanitarian programs or ad-hoc adoption, and the former prisoners of war of Camp Aldrin on Earth’s moon. In fits and starts, they’ve largely undone or changed the way their various genetic modifications affect them to suit their needs better.

These groups live all over the Sol system now, and many of them have integrated into the various human cultures and, in so doing, have often taken on some of the genetic alterations used by those groups (seeing as they self-select for ‘cool with some level of genetic modification’). So one of the ways you can play an Aquillian, particularly a young one who has largely or entirely grown up in the Union, is by basically making a Terran, Martian, Spacer, etc, just swapping out Persistence Predator for Efficient Metabolism. It’s increasingly common to meet Aquillians in Star Patrol with the flag of their adoptive home country on their sleeve and no more connection to the Empire than peers of their age, for good or ill.

If you’re playing somebody from Camp Aldrin (first or second generation), then it gets a little more interesting, because these Aquillians aren’t being directly assimilated into human cultures, instead creating their own experimental one in their lunar enclave, with an abolition of the clades and an attempt to create a more egalitarian society. Any older Camp Aldrin Aquillian is going to be a Turncoat and War Veteran from the Imperial military, and traits like Augments or Prosthetics are quite appropriate.

This is also where you’d most likely find former members of the Enforcer or Noble clades, taken prisoner during the war. Though Solar Patrol developed a bad habit of pushing Enforcers they captured out of airlocks during the middle period of the war, they still captured an awful lot of them, and the process of many Aquillian Breakaways forming was made a lot smoother by the Union offering asylum to Nobles in exchange for laying down their arms. These groups, who don’t usually see their genetic modifications as burdens like the Commoners do, will have an interesting time figuring out where they fit in a more egalitarian world.

In the CNFT

Outside the Empire’s successors, the largest concentration of Aquillians are found in the multicultural capitalist empire of the CNFT, where they form a plurality of the population with a historical position of social and economic dominance. This is because the CNFT’s origins; about two and a half thousand years ago they were a colony of one of the Empire’s precursors. They took advantage of changing interstellar geography (astrography?) to declare independence, forming a network of political bodies which eventually solidified into an increasingly multicultural capitalist state.

This means that the Aquillians of the CNFT are, largely, pre-genetic modification Aquillians, predating the clades. They’re visually quite distinct, with vibrant multicoloured hair, much more diverse phenotypes, and a preference for low-gravity worlds that give them back their ancestral Freefallers Trait. A lot of them are even totally unmodified Baseliners, because their ancestors were displaced off the increasingly-irrelevant Aquillian homeworld and went looking for places that suited them. Being the dominant group in the Territories, they’re also recommended Foreign Connections with their former markets, and Driven, because being a workaholic is how you survive under Space Capitalism.

There’s also various Imperial Aquillians who ended up in the CNFT as refugees, in the recent war or earlier. They’re distinctly an underclass there, with little in the way of resources or help… well, except for the Nobles, who usually arrive with shiploads of antimatter and set themselves up nicely as investors.

Others

Being so common, so widespread, and having been around so long, you’ll stumble across Aquillians of one sort or another a lot across Local Space. They’re more or less the default, the alien you should reach for if you haven’t got anything else in mind.

Aquillians form a portion of the population on a lot of former Aquillian client worlds, which aren’t really breakaways in the traditional sense but where the Aquillian settlers still form powerful political blocs. Defusing tensions caused by these arrangements is a pretty common job for Star Patrol missions operating inside the Union’s de facto space.

There’s an awful lot of Aquillian pirates out in Local Space now, given they had the largest fleet in the region by a considerable margin and the fall of the Empire saw a lot of them cut off with nothing but a very powerful warship at their disposal. Many of these pirates are privateers who still mostly work for a Remnant power to keep up the wars against the Star Union and Universal Republic, but save their patron power money by also picking off civilian convoys for profit along the way. Others are now without allegiance, just hitting whoever they can and taking shelter around sympathetic planets. Some even side with Breakaways and prey on their former Imperial comrades. It’s equally likely you’ll be fighting them, scaring them off, or helping them.

Finally, the Aquillian presence in space is so old, and their history so distorted by successive waves of authoritarian censorship and purges, that there are many, many colonies that just slipped through the cracks. You’ll very often come across planets at just about any imaginable stage of technological and social development that were settled thousands or even tens of thousands of years prior by Aquillians, and were then cut off by some long-forgotten political cataclysm and left to develop or decay on their own. Sometimes it feels like you can’t turn over a rock without finding another weird space elf.

[stellarcat52]

Lazarus is a lie...?

Clickbaity title, yeah I know. But I don't know how else to summarize this. Especially because I don't know if this will ever even be mentioned in the show at all.

The best summary I can give is this; The Special Task Force supposedly created solely to locate Skinner after the announcement of Hapna being lethal, cannot possibly have always been for that purpose unless someone knew about the announcement before it happened.

Also, yes, I'm aware I'm almost definitely overthinking things. I do it a lot, it's fun for me. Like a hobby. I don't care if I'm right or not.

The biggest reason I think this is that Lazarus was formed way too quickly. Axel is the only member we see joining Lazarus and that happens within a day of the Announcement. Everyone else already has their bracelets when we first see them, and yes that is how I'm judging who's part of Lazarus or not.

My first time watching, I assumed Axel was being brought into an already formed group. But then it turned out nobody really knew who each other were beyond the level that coworkers might.

Specifically, on my first watch I assumed that Doug, Eleina, and Hersch had been working together for a while, and that Leland and Chris were siblings that also worked with them, just less close/frequently.

Why did I think this? Hersch and Doug both seemed like the leaders of the team in the earlier episodes. Hersch being the connection to governments and (I assumed) the one who formed the team in the first place. And Doug being the one out on missions and in the field more often. Two leaders to make sure both sides of any plan could work. Eleina doesn't fit that category, but both Hersch and Doug seemed familiar with her skills- a lot more familiar than anyone would be without having seen it first hand before.

Honestly Leland and Chris was mostly vibes. That scene with them walking together and bickering gave off massive sibling energy, and their appearances weren't different enough for me to immediately think otherwise. Obviously they're not blood siblings, but, the vibe's still there.

It then slowly revealed none of the characters really know each other very well, and that Hersch wasn't the one pulling the strings in the end, which should have disproved literally all of this but I still think something's fishy here.

Doug had his bracelet when he and Hersch try to get Axel. Chris' bracelet is visible when she and Leland meet up, Leland's is visible at the grave, and so forth. The only time we can be sure any of the characters don't have their bracelet/aren't part of Lazarus is in backstories and Axel before the end of ep 1.

In Skinner's announcement he says there's roughly 30 days left before people start dying. Axel is out cold for "almost a day" after being knocked out by Chris at the end of episode 1. Ep 1 ends with the warning of 29 days remaining. If the Lazarus Team was formed just to find Skinner, and thus all gathered and brought onto the team between the announcement and Axel joining, it would have all happened in less than 48 hours. Possibly closer to 24, actually. Which seems really impossible to me.

So Lazarus, at least in concept, probably existed beforehand, right? There's enough familiarity between all the members (minus Axel) by the events of episode 1 for them to all work together in tracking and capturing him. It might not have been Lazarus exactly, but somehow Doug, Chris, Leland, Eleina, and Hersch were able to understand and trust each other. And enough familiarity for scenes like Chris teasing Leland and Doug driving Leland to his father's grave to happen. Again, especially with this group of people, not something I'd expect to happen in less than 48 hours.

So. Either Lazarus was created for a different purpose, or the creation of it started before the announcement. Which would mean someone involved in Lazarus' creation would have known before. But I don't have a lot to back up who, how, or why in all honesty. Unless this is all some giant in-world coverup that nobody is allowed to know about but I'm not going into that, because frankly I wouldn't know where to start.

I know when watching fiction, people should suspend their disbelief. But in a show like this where any little detail could be important to solving the overall problem, I can't help but wonder if this was intentional. (Also, again, this is really fun for me.) Was Lazarus really just created to find one man?

I'll admit I have no idea what the team would have been for otherwise, maybe it was originally just a team of highly skilled criminals(?) that were being used to solve difficult and/or high-risk cases. But it hasn't been mentioned, and I'd go as far to say it's been hidden, from the viewer, from at least part of the government, and I believe from Axel as well, if not multiple people on the team. (I'd say Leland as well has no idea, but he ended up being a spy anyway so... I got nothing.)

...

The only reason I can think of for any of this would be that Lazarus has two objectives. Find Skinner, and keep Axel safe. Likely because he's somehow connected to a cure for Hapna, or maybe being part of the trial made him some kind of superhuman (it would explain his physical abilities.) Which would also explain why the bracelets won't kill their wearer for removing them, but it will melt their hand off which is still enough to deter any rebellion attempts. As for the three day no contact issue, they don't want to lose control over Axel either. Too many people would abuse control over the cure.

I'm not very confident in that last bit, but at the very least it would lead to a funky betrayal scene if Axel was ever to find out all of this was to keep him contained, even if it was for his protection. After all, he admitted to being visited by hitmen in prison, clearly he wasn't safe there, and he would've been at the hand of whichever government controlled the prison.

If that doesn't happen (It probably won't) I kinda want that to be a fic. No promises I'd write it though.

[misc-obeyme]

I'm not sure if you're the right person to ask, but I want to hear your opinion on this.

So it's obvious that all the Demon brothers (+Dateables) have a crush on MC. Having said that, I think that even if some of the Demon brothers might get upset if MC decided to date one of them, they would still likely accept rejection and support whoever MC began a relationship with.

But here's something I've been wondering; Do you think Satan might get even more upset if MC chooses Lucifer over him? Satan already despises Lucifer, and he frequently draws comparisons between the two. He also finds it intolerable to think of himself as Lucifer's creation. I wonder if Satan's hatred for Lucifer might increase if that were to happen? Satan would never realise what Lucifer possessed that he did not. So I'm thinking he would merely let out his rage in his room, feeling somewhat betrayed by Mc's choice. This could be a good angsty story.

Well, anon, I'm certainly happy to give my opinion on just about anything OM related, so I'll do my best!

And yes, I do think Satan would be more upset if MC chooses Lucifer over him. In fact, I'm fairly certain this concept has been implied in canon? I can't remember anything specific, but for some reason that feels like something that's happened. If someone remembers, please let me know!

Anyway, from a writer's standpoint, considering Satan's character, I think it depends on the situation.

As it is in the game, all the brothers seem to be equally smitten with MC while MC doesn't ever choose one of them and tries to divide their attention among them. In this situation, if MC decided to choose Lucifer without any kind of evidence of their impending decision, I do think Satan would be upset about it more than he would be if MC chose one of his other brothers. It'd be like if it was anybody else, I see him being kind of like, okay weird choice, but I support you. Whereas if it was Lucifer, I see him being like OKAY. I support you, but WHY. Like he'd want to know what MC sees in Lucifer and he might even think MC is making a mistake. I could almost see him trying to talk them out of it.

But if you're writing a story about this and the MC has some build up that delves deeper into their relationships with both Lucifer and Satan, then you can kind of go a couple different ways with it.

For instance, if MC has a really close relationship with both of them and it kinda seems like they could go either way, I think Satan would be really upset. Like the other brothers aren't even in consideration and it's really just down to Satan and Lucifer? I think he'd be heartbroken, but also angry. And he'd demand to know why.

But if you had a situation where it was like more unrequited on Satan's side, like MC was likely going to choose Lucifer from the start, I think he'd be less angry about it. He'd have time to see it happening and probably would ask MC about it but in a more calm way because it'd be before MC actually made their choice.

Of course these are fictional characters and i really believe you can make them do whatever you want. If you wanted to write a story where MC chose Lucifer and Satan was cool with it, you could do that. It'd require an entire character arc that explains why Satan wouldn't be upset, though. But it's certainly possible. Anything is possible.

tl;dr yes I think Satan would be more upset if MC chose Lucifer. I hope that helps!

[tlbodine]

Overthinking: Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes

Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes is Goosebumps #34 and one I think may have been somewhat unfairly maligned. Even as a kid, I avoided this one because it just seemed too silly. But I was pleasantly surprised to find it...well, if not amazing, certainly solid and better than several other books we've read so far.

First, the Plot: It's the beginning of summer, and Joe is ready to have a good time with his older sister Mindy and rambunctious best friend, Moose. But their plans are complicated by the ongoing gardening feud between Joe's dad and Moose's dad (who lives next door). They are constantly trying to one-up each other's vegetables, and Moose's dad (Mr. McCall) has it out for Joe's dog, who is always getting out of the yard and messing up the garden.

Aside from his prize tomatoes, Joe's dad has another eccentricity in the form of a deep abiding love for lawn ornaments. He's got a whole zoo of 'em out front. And when he stops by the store, he can't help coming home with two new ornaments: a pair of lawn gnomes that get named Chip and Hap.

Right away, mischief is afoot. Joe is sure he sees their expressions change sometimes. And somebody went and vandalized Mr. McCall's melons. Joe takes the fall for it, but it wasn't him!

More things start getting messed up, and Joe keeps getting blamed for it, even getting grounded and forbidden from spending time with Moose. Eager to clear his name, he sets up a stakeout and sure enough, the lawn gnomes DO come to life....and then kidnap Mindy. Joe, Moose, and Mindy end up lured back to the store, where a whole army of hundreds of gnomes are scheming for the kids' demise.

It turns out that these particular gnomes are mischief gnomes, and they just can't help themselves from stirring up trouble. While the gnomes are debating how to best torment the kids, Joe uses his dog whistle to try to alert his dog's attention to come save them -- and discovers that the dog whistle can freeze the gnomes in place! score.

The kids head home and pretend the gnomes were stolen. But it's ok. Dad got a new lawn ornament. A giant gorilla. Wait...did it just wink?

Overthinking It: In many ways, Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes is just a Slappy book with a fresh coat of paint. It follows roughly the same beats as a Dummy story: inanimate objects come to life when nobody's looking, cause trouble, a kid gets blamed. It trades in the same elements of gaslighting and the unfairness of being a kid.

But the gardening angle was pretty fun on this one. I really enjoyed the escalating war between the dads and their eccentricities. It feels very "90s sitcom dad. And I like the idea of "mischief gnome" as a class of creature that simply cannot help but cause trouble.

Reading this, I was reminded of something I've often wondered with these books, which is Stine's character creation process. In every book, he makes a point of describing the physical features of all the main characters. He also seems to love giving them random hobbies or idiosyncrasies, weird little tics as a shortcut to personality.

Sometimes these personality details fit neatly into the plot. Elliot being competitive is vital to Camp Jellyjam, for example. Andy's vibrant wardrobe in the Monster Blood books reveals her brash, outgoing attitude, which frequently drives the plot. And sometimes they exist as an obvious joke, like the friend who collects rubber stamps in Attack of the Mutant as a foil to the narrator's comic collection.

But more often than not, these quirks seem to have no bearing on anything, and they can feel very random. Why does it matter that Margo is obsessed with the Beatles in Night of the Living Dummy II? Why does Cooper in The Barking Ghost collect snow globes, of all things? And why does it matter that Mindy is super organized and fussy with her food? It's a detail that gets lingered over for a while in Revenge of the Lawn Gnomes but it isn't paid off and nobody does anything with it.

I genuinely began to wonder if Stine has a wheel of weird hobbies he spins and just randomly assigns to each new character. Maybe he has a mad libs system for picking out hair and eye colors, too. And we could probably spend a while picking apart and overthinking every instance of a character who is described as looking nothing like the rest of their family.

There's nothing wrong with this, per se, I just think it's interesting. There is a bit of a writerly debate one might have over whether everything in a book needs to serve the plot or if some stuff can be thrown in just because, and I think there are compelling arguments on both sides.

Just something you think about after your 34th Goosebumps book...

If You Enjoyed This, THESE Will Really Give You Goosebumps

Ok, this isn't really a horror movie, but the entire time I could not stop thinking about Wallace & Gromit and the Curse of the Were-Rabbit. It's about garden sabotage and it's quite funny and charming and just...trust me on this.

I also thought more than once of There's Something in the Barn, which features gnome-like entities getting up to some mischief, albeit of the more murderous kind.

Pair that one off with Krampus, wherein (among other things) toys and gingerbread men attack with abandon.

....Look. I don't have a lot of super serious recommendations for this book. It's about lawn gnomes. You're gonna get some horror comedies and you're gonna like it.

Incidentally, in the process of researching recommendations, I discovered that there are horror-themed lawn gnomes and I suddenly have a mighty need

[williamkisser]

♡— Fake dating with the Cowboy

♡— my second fic on this acc!! Yippee!!! I should probably open requests… anyways, thank you to @fishermanshook for showing me the „fake dating” prompt, i IMMEDIATELY knew what character is going to be a great fit for this story! Hope you enjoy!

♡— Warnings: g/n reader, word count is 1100, slightly angst, sort of an unhealthy, manipulative relationship… but it’s all done for the greater good - isn’t it…?

♡— Kevin Ayuso was a man far from being subtle. Which is also the reason you connected the dots and very quickly found out the manor’s own cowboy has got his eyes on you.

♡— Kevin Ayuso, who under mysterious circumstances sailed here all the way from America, knew more than one or two things about how cruel, hypocritical and selfish the mankind could be. He experienced betrayal from his own parents, which resulted in his best friend getting murdered.

♡— Almost everyone in this cursed place had something serious hidden behind their ears. There were murderers, psychopats, outcasts… and yes, while you couldn’t exactly „die” outside of the games - still, being beaten up or violated maybe wasn’t the nicest way of spending your average Monday afternoon, though, does anyone in here even keep track of the time?

♡— Among everyone, he saw something special radiating from you. You weren’t like the others, he knew. There was no malicious intention behind your participation for the prize, right? Well, even if there was, it was now far too late. The cowboy’s mind already deep into delusion and desire to shield you from what’s evil.

♡— Kevin, upon his arrival to Oletus Manor, swiftly obtained the title of a huge flirt. He would try to flirt with almost everyone, men and women, he always got weird stares aimed at him, but he didn’t care. The cowboy was someone undisciplined, liberated, and who couldn’t be tamed. Surely, someone being disgusted by him wouldn’t be a big deal for the man. And besides that, despite all, he is someone extremely respected by the manor residents. All survivors could feel safe near him and his lasso. He was someone unexpectedly reliable. Little did everyone know, literally none of his romantic attempts were honest. Okay, maybe a few…

♡— Not a single person knew, because he refused to talk about his past. He didn’t even like thinking about it. The thought of losing someone close again sent shivers down Kevin’s spine. He promised, both to himself and his past friend, that he’s going to protect the person who accepts and trusts him until his final breath. That someone was you. Yes, maybe slightly manipulating someone into fake love wasn’t something a beloved cowboy should do, but is there any other way?

♡— So, when he began approaching you more frequently, you understood the intent very clear. You were next. You knew you’re not special and he’s did it with so many people, in fact, when you were the freshest blood of Oletus, you were specifically told to be vary of him by a certain perfumer woman. Seems like she went through a rough path because of him.

♡— But…. there was just something about Kevin Ayuso that rubbed you the right way. He was just so thoughtful, romantic, and on top of that handsome. The cowboy already had experience and exactly knew how to get through your shell. It was a classic court game, someone could say. Starting from the smallest simple signs and gestures: smiling to you more often, playfully winking… then, during the matches, he did all in his power to keep you safe from the hunter. You’re not getting hurt on his watch. It all ended with you receiving roses and trinkets under your door, even a poem - though, you were sure it wasn’t his creation. You knew he got you good when you constantly fidgeted with the beautiful pearl necklace he gave you. You fell into his trap.

♡— It was actually quite funny to him, how he’s being so dedicated to a fake act. He just hoped you won’t find out the truth any time soon.

♡— When you two got together, Kevin felt a little more at peace - knowing that you’re his lover, much less people would dare to hurt you, but there was still a lot of things to be done to ensure your safety. He had to make sure everyone knew that you both are now a thing. All hunters, all survivors, all staff. Which led to several moments of him initiating physical and verbal affection in front of the others, whether it made your uncomfortable or not. You were sure some, if not most, were absolutely sick of it, while others were relieved they won’t have to deal with his futile flirting, either way, you couldn’t care less if they like it or not, he made you feel so confident.

♡— The cowboy was a very convincing and caring lover. He’s even convinced the right people to let you sleep together in one dorm. You were head over heels for each other, or at least you thought so. Because you were not aware all he did, he’s done with not love, but worry in his mind. He had his watchful eyes on you all the time. He was paranoid and delusional, thinking even a minute of inattention could lead to you getting hurt. Meanwhile, you just assumed he’s possessive of you, after all, it took him some time to finally find someone.

♡— It has now been… a week? a month? half a year? since you were together, no one anymore could even tell, but to Kevin, each new day where he ensured you were safe was a step closer to saving you from doom. But not all went exactly with his plan. It happened late at night, on a cold autumn night. You were both laying in bed, you sleeping peacefully on his bare chest while you wore his poncho. Kevin was playing with your hair and caressing your face with his hands. He had many thoughts at that moment. All the hugs, all kisses and sweet nothings did something to him. He didn’t know what. But they definitely did. When observing you, he came to a conclusion that his heart is no longer filled with the sole need of defending the good, no. Pure love now took it’s place. That was no longer the cowboy who longed for justice and protection of his loved ones. There now was a Kevin Ayuso, a caring boyfriend.

♡— Kevin Ayuso realized very quickly that playing with someone’s true feelings could lead to the opposite of intentions. Instead of taking care of, he’s hurting his love, That’s why he promised to never tell you what exactly happened. It’s all for the greater good. What he did wanted to tell you, is that you both had to escape this hell to experience safety once and for all. He could show you the world, his world.

♡— He’s constantly having a certain scene in his mind. The cowboy imagines him and you in a deep, dark forest, leaving the Oletus Manor, your past lives, while riding a horse into the new world.

♡— He wishes he could do that. Somehow. Someday. He’ll do anything in his power to achieve this. He’s grateful you trusted him and he is going to make the most out of this love.

♡— And he hopes you never find out what has happened before that one night.

[wewerebornsextuplets]

@flowerakatsuka I actually LOVE getting excuses to talk about this kind of stuff so ill be happy to elaborate!! under the cut in case this gets too long (which it probably will)

so full disclosure, there was a pretty long gap between when proto-kiru (then called yoshimi) was initially Designed and when i started to flesh her out as an actual oc. i actually wasn't into ososan at the time and it was more a challenge of "how would I design an ososan oc Now now that im not 15 anymore", and i didn't pick her up again until february of this year when my BTAS hyperfixation started to fizzle out. the first drafts for keiko (then named hibari, which i changed since it was a bit too similar to one of my long-time ocs hikari) were drawn the same day i picked up yoshimi again. so she was both a day-one character and Not at the same time!

please ignore the poor lighting on these pictures.

i had a pretty strong Idea for what i wanted from keiko in terms of appearance at the start and a basic concept for her (a bit more bookish + "nerdy" than other ososan girls we've seen thus far), but I had a pretty hard time applying it to the design sensibilities of ososan. her first outfit was basically just uehara-san's outfit, and i struggled with rendering her curlier hair in the ososan style which made it look more goopy and awkward. i also wasn't quite sure what to do with her face yet.

still, i translated what i thought would be my final sketches for her and (then) yoshimi to digital, and from here I started to develop their designs at roughly the same time, sort of balancing them out and trying to make sure they look good together. i was proud of them for maybe 3 days before I decided i hated how they looked.

granted, there were a LOT of reasons for this; for one, I was color picking yanas skin tone for kiru, which didn't work well at ALL because he's way paler than it looks. but more than that I wasn't really referencing features that actual ososan characters had? so they looked more like strange fun house mirror imitations of ososan characters than anything else

see what i mean? they don't look right at all. but if you look closely you can sort of see me figuring out keikos hair!

a lot of the refining process when it came to getting to where we are now was just... referencing actual ososan characters. trying to make them feel more believable and like they could actually exist alongside the current ensemble. it was honestly more about them looking right in the style than anything else, since i like to stay pretty canon compliant in terms of design when it comes to fandom ocs-- I find that the limitations make me more creative!

for keiko specifically my main inspirations were nyaa and osoko, though i referenced dobusu's hair pretty frequently as well since they have roughly the same hair texture. she was honestly a lot harder than kiru to balance out in this sense, since i had to make sure she didn't look Too generic compared to the other pretty girls in the canon cast (i.e totoko, homura, etc). her more eccentric fashion sense is also an attempt to remedy this because plot twist! she's a weirdo!

ippei however I had down from day one. he's always looked the same and always will. my perfect creation <3

[zephyr-windss]

-Evocation of Air-

//Wanted to drop my Zephyr Summoning Lore just for fun and further character exploration for you all! Ghoul relations and summoning fascinates me and is one of my favorites to dwell on, so I hope you enjoy (Full under the cut)

(Cw for minor mention of a dead bird and troubles with breathing)

The summoning of an Air ghoul is one of great concentration. Being the Element of mind and memory, air ghouls cling to the freedom of their souls. The breath of life imbued in the flowing form, free from the binds of humanity- and thus, resistant to occupying a vessel. This was no clearer than the birth of Zephyr. 

With the retirement of the oldest ghoul from the pack, the band desperately needed a replacement. And Air would facilitate the creation of his predecessor. As a man of study and tradition, he was not phased when the flock of worshippers delivered a bleeding dove to the center of the altar. Upon summoning on a basic level, most will opt for a vessel to influence the spirit. Call it a desire for temperament or behavior. Human sacrifice had been frowned upon for some time, and thus the clergy had relied more on animals. A mourning dove was gentle. Loyal. Hopeful. Nothing like the imposing and quiet harpy eagle of Air himself. Birds were traditional for air ghouls, of course. It helped calm their desire for freedom. You could tame a bird, or at least get it to listen. To sing for you and sit politely in their enclosure, so long as you offer what they need. They will be as free as you let them. And what a perfect specimen that is for a manmade demon to be kept on a leash.

The candles were lit. Salt and dust sprinkled. Incense burning. Words recited. It only took the joint effort and calling of a stray spirit to serve them- an incessant prayer.

Zephyr did not crawl from Hell. To most, it was as if he had appeared from thin air just as swift as the dove had vanished to dust. A steady apparition, materializing before them. They floated for just an instant, before gravity took over and they had crashed to the ground, curled up and weeping like a newborn. The smoke of incense wrapped over their soft frame as if it were trying to comfort the poor thing. They hadn’t yet processed what had happened, focused now on the sting of air on their freshly formed lungs. But it did not seem right.

The cloaked crowd could see their troubled heaving, rejecting the new air around it. Though this did not deter the elder Air ghoul from crouching down to comfort the creature. Young feathered ears twitched at the sound of Air’s mask clattering to the stone floors. Finally, they opened their eyes, face to face with the one that resembled them most. Air had turned them onto their back with little resistance, placing his hands upon their bare chest. He closed his eyes to focus his breath before pressing his palms deep to their sternum, eliciting a yelp from the thing’s lips. Their lungs filled deeply, but they only cried louder. The two stayed like this for minutes, coaching through the process of breathing until they had stopped crying, trusted enough to breathe on their own. 

It took weeks for the ghoul to adjust to the earthly realm, where they quickly began their training and studies. It was helped that they had a muscle memory for the keys from a humanoid existence. A love of knowledge and practicality. Though it wasn’t without struggle. It became quickly apparent to the clergy that these weren’t the only remains of their time before. Breathing was always a struggle for them. Taking frequent visits to the infirmary following spills in the hall, it was decided that their lungs were riddled with scarring. It must have caused their death in the first place. But they were determined to do what they were made for. Now equipped with constant oxygen flowing to their nostrils, things seemed a bit easier. They would sit while playing, happily observing and bonding with their new pack. It was a relief on the behalf of Papa Emeritus III. Ghouls were not always an easy task for him, but this group was more than happy to be there. Even as their pain worsened, Zephyr performed with energy, hitting each key with enthusiasm. 

After the removal of Terzo, the ghoul pack faced a struggle. Zephyr’s symptoms worsened,  prompting an early retirement. While much of their pack continued on, they stuck behind, taking things slow at the ministry. You can find them playing organ on occasion for services in between their checkups at the infirmary and time resting. If not, they can be spotted in a quiet corner of the common room, knitting or reading. Soft, quiet hobbies to occupy their time. They are working on branching out once again, facing their fears of letting others close enough to see them fall short (Though it never keeps them from trying their hardest for those they consider their pack). The breeze symbolized a new beginning- Zephyr wasn’t named after the wind for nothing. 

[shewolfofvilnius]

New Story: Sisters' Redemption

Redeemed Dark Urge asks the gods to save her sister's soul.

For almost a year I've wanted to do something with my first character, a redeemed Dark Urge named Sofija who became a Paladin in service to Selune.

She'd always felt that Orin had, even if unintentionally, been the secret heroine of her story, as it had been her partially freeing Durge from Bhaal's control and influence that had given her a second chance on life, caused her to meet Shadowheart, helped Durge fix the problem she started, and eventually get free of Bhaal forever.

Orin died in a bloody pile, a victim of Bhaal's cruelty, having never gotten a chance at redemption, and she'd felt this BITTERLY unfair. So, she asks for a prayer stone / memorial stone built for her sister as her only reward for saving the city (besides wildlands near Rivington she and Shadowheart had already been granted) and decides to pray for her sister's redemption, too. (I go over this in my 'I Feel Sorry for Orin' post)

In the fic, Redeemed F!Durge and Selunite Shadowheart are married, but do not interact within the fic. Mostly.

It's a short and sweet little 2k word one-shot.

Read on AO3 Full story below the fold

A cool breeze drifted through a secluded meadow adjacent to a forest; as dusk gave way to a new morning, the lands were situated about a days’ walk outside of the village of Rivington, itself a short distance from the sprawling city of Baldur’s Gate.

In the year since the defeat of the Illithid monstrosity called the ‘Netherbrain,’ Rivington itself had prospered immensely, to the point that leaders of the village’s government and the ruling Grand Duke of Baldur’s Gate had even broached the subject of annexing Rivington and its holdings into Baldur’s Gate proper.

One such holding at the outermost edges of Rivington’s territory were the lands containing the forest and meadow, claimed as property by a couple serving in devoted service to the Moonmaiden, the goddess Selûne. The land had been gifted to two heroes in service of the realms.  

One, a cleric, had become known as an accomplished healer whose services frequently led her to travel as far away as a tenday’s journey to help those in need. 

She was joined by her wife, a paladin whose oath had originally been sworn as devotion but whom had felt an urgent calling to re-swear her oath as an Oath of Redemption Paladin instead, arriving on scene to deliver first and foremost forgiveness and mercy and atonement, to try to help those who could be helped, and to only ever harm or take life as a last result.  Sometimes justice must still be held, but it must always be in the hope that the one who had done wrong had hope to one day better themselves.

More commonly, the cleric and paladin were known as Shadowheart and Sofija, two of the decorated Heroes of Baldur’s Gate who had saved the whole of Faerûn from said Netherbrain, from the so-called “Absolute”, and from the peoples’ own fearful desire to hand power to tyrants in the name of safety. 

As gratitude for having saved the whole of creation, at least on this plane, the pair had been gifted a sprawling amount of land near Rivington, which had annexed the wildlands in order to ensure that Sofija and Shadowheart were always counted amongst their number and could call on the city when needed. In return, those seeking the services of the Lady of Silver were encouraged to visit the pair and to try to seek communion with the Moonmaiden from their retreat. 

As a bonus, for the area’s more druidic peoples, area rangers, etc., the mostly untamed wildlands meant far simpler communion with either the Oakfather, Silvanus, or to the goddess of the forest Mielikki.

Weeks earlier, those in the know had been shocked, even aghast. Orin the Red had been identified as one of the key masterminds of the conspiracy that had nearly destroyed the whole of Faerûn. She had been the chosen of Bhaal, the God of Murder. Why, in all of the heavens and all of the heavens, would the Saviour of Baldur’s Gate ask, nay, demand a stone of remembrance for one of the city’s greatest monsters. Even for a Redemption Paladin, this was considered a bold request.

As they had fussed and fought at Sofija’s lone request excluding the land which had been gifted, the heroic paladin’s request had been agreed upon with the sole condition: Explain the inscription that Sofija had requested. Wholly and fully.

Knowing that true redemption meant being forthright with the truth, she complied. The furor among the city’s surviving patriars and rulers upon hearing the explanation had been beyond aghast, beyond contempt. The Saviour of Baldur’s Gate had been the one who had doomed it in the first place. But they kept listening. She described how Bhaal’s compulsion really worked (affirmed by several including Ulder Ravengard who had received access to his son’s entire history of memories with Sofija before the battle). That even before Orin’s attack she had tried to fight but couldn’t. Bhaal had pushed Orin, manipulated her, to try to kill her sister in a fit of jealousy, for her to become the new chosen.

Except she had been put back together again. Had become the very FIRST person infected by the tadpoles, the first victim of her own plan.  Her memory had been utterly destroyed and she had been forced to start anew. She had, and with her life her own, had committed everything to stopping what she helped create. She’d met the woman who was now her wife. Led her away from the dark influences of the goddess Shar. Saved numerous people including the city’s presiding Archmage and its’ Grand Duke. Recovered Reithwin Town after a century of loss. Stopped a vampire from trying to ascend to just a step removed from godhood. Stopped the brain, and Gortash.

And then there had been Orin. She had tried everything to convince her sister to turn against Bhaal, but the influence of the God of Murder whispering in her head had been too strong. The compulsion too firm. An entire lifetime of brainwashing made manifest.

And in that moment, with Orin turned into an avatar of pure slaughter, Sofija had struck her sister down. So Bhaal struck her down. She had been saved only through divine intervention, she was sure of it, and from there, had let Selûne’s grace enter into her life. She also held a special reverence for Kelemvor, the reigning Lord of the Dead as well as Jergal, a former holder of the office who was said to still sometimes work in Kelemvor or Ao’s service but refused to elaborate further.

But whereas she had gotten a second chance, free of Bhaal’s lash and yoke, Orin never had.  Even though without Orin, Sofija never would have been freed from the God of Murder. Without Orin, Sofija would have never met her future wife; never would have saved Faerûn even after being the one to almost destroy it.  Sofija could live with them all thinking she was a monster, but her sister had been a victim – of Bhaal, of Sarevok, of her since the day she was born until the moment she died.  Even if it was just a prayer to Selûne and to Kelemvor and to whatever deities were in earshot, THAT was the only thing she wanted for her sister, the only thing she asked in exchange for a half-elf’s remaining lifetime of dedicated service and the deliverance of mercy.

Even when her friends had heard of Sofija’s involvement via Gortash, they’d stuck by her. Even if they had been furious. Irate. Ready to turn away, every single one stuck by her; hells, forgave her.  She had been granted two second chances Orin had not. One of escape, one of mercy. 

Orin was dead, escape in this life had not been an option. But that still left mercy, of forgiveness.

The Illithid Master Plan horrors and menace, and the Dead Three’s aims, had threatened the whole of cosmology.  Mystra had told her former Chosen, Gale Dekarios, as much herself.

So that’s what Sofija wanted. For saving the whole of everything that still was and ever could be within their domains.  For the people to acknowledge Orin had been a victim of Bhaal’s cruelty too. For forgiveness. Planted on her own land, where she could come and reflect and pray to the Moonmaiden or anyone else who might be listening. 

For others seeking redemption with the strengthened paladin to know exactly how far she was willing to extend that redemption. For one of the gods to take note that Orin had, even under a lifetime of the death grip of Bhaal, still somehow been the one who had truly saved them all, because she had saved Sofija and Sofija had finished the job.

So, the patriars relented. Nearly all of them had been forgiven of some injustice they had visited upon another at some time. Many had just been grateful not to currently be sporting tentacles and an intense craving for brains.  The monument stone was built. Sofija, whose strength and build now nearly rivalled even that of the daughter of Selûne herself, Dame Aylin, had left alone with the stone on the day it was completed. Her wife had been dispatched to Reithwin as one of the adult refugees they had aided was due to deliver a baby.  As the new life in Reithwin began to cry for the first time in Shadowheart’s arms, Sofija had placed the stone into the ground, having constructed a small frame around it to support its’ weight.

----

In Reithwin, with one final push, a new life had entered this world. Crying and screaming, Shadowheart had prepared a towel and began fussing over the infant while preparing to wash off the most immediate fluids. Another healthy delivery! Nothing gave the Cleric of Selûne greater joy than bringing new life into this world.

A short time later, the baby’s condition had been checked – “You have an incredible new daughter”, Shadowheart had told the parents.  The little girl, human like her parents (always be surprised for a surprise tiefling birth, a senior healer had once advised her), had her father's dark eyes and fair complexion, and a shock of light blonde hair atop her head. Curiously, both of her parents had dark hair, although for all she knew a grandparent or two had had lighter hair. Or sometimes the gods like a joke. Any further would be prying.

“Have you picked out a name for your daughter?” Shadowheart asked. Names were often personal, private things. It may be some time, but if parents already had an idea, it was always still easiest to get it recorded while the healers and clerics were present. As Shadowheart talked to the couple, a small idol to Selûne glowed with the faintest of silvery shimmering lights.

----

Days’ walk away, Sofija had begun the process of inserting Orin’s two weapons into the top of the stone. One, a shortsword, Crimson Mischief, had fit perfectly. Sofija quickly applied some of the sealing compound she had been instructed on how to make and use to permanently embed the weapon into the stone.  The second weapon, the dagger Bloodthirst, featured a curved blade design and a wide centre circle that had once housed one of the Netherstones, which Orin and her associates had used to control the brain. The second aperture in the stone had featured a wider opening. Tav once more placed the weapon into the rock, twisting and adjusting it’s fit to try to ensure it would stay secure while the sealant was place. Soon too the dagger became part of the rock.  Only the two weapons’ pommels would remain above the stone, her sister's cutting blades permanently blunted.

In the meadow, at the edge of the wild forest, Shadowheart’s wife worked diligently to apply a layer of polish and a coating to both clean and protect the stone, which had gotten slightly scuffed in transit, against the elements as well as time.  She then took to polishing the protrusions from the now-embedded weapons. Upon cleaning the polish, the Paladin began crying after being once more hit by a wave of grief, followed almost immediately by resolute prayer.

“Moonmaiden, hear me. Kelemvor, God of the Dead, I ask your favour too at the recommendation of your seneschal. Mystra, Lady of Magic, hear my request. Oakfather, may you take this to heart within nature’s bounty. Mielikki, goddess of the forest and of rangers, may you put this prayer to the winds and see that it is answered. As I was forgiven, I ask you now, hear me. Forgive my sister, she who was Orin the Red. Please, I beseech you.

----

The parents of the baby Shadowheart had handed to them had given it thought. The girl’s father had been present the day Sofija had made the request, having come to the city to make a final run for supplies and to fetch Shadowheart, who had already become a renowned healer.  The man had in fact been Zhentarim and had only avoided death at Sofija’s own hand due to his having gone out on a date the night before – with a refugee woman no less - and having decided that her company beat a raid of the Thieves’ Guild. He had quickly realized he loved her and had picked that moment as his new “Day 0”.  Never again would he be that violent mercenary. If the Gods allow it, never again to his dying breath.

To the point his last words out of town when he left to be with the mother of his child had been asking Sofija to help grant him redemption and to be the best patriarch of his new family he could be. She had rushed over to him and granted it, willingly, a white glow even briefly enveloping him as both Sofija and Shadowheart had then offered a spell for protection on the way out.

“Tell your wife, we’re going to name our girl after her sister.” The girl’s father had noted, Shadowheart’s eyes threatening to redden with tears.  “She’s right, every name deserves a second chance. Tell her we’ve named our daughter Orin. May THIS Orin know love, all her life.

Shadowheart could have almost sworn she had heard a book close with a start. The healer and cleric embraced them both, clearly moved profoundly at the gesture.

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

Sofija looked upon the completed monument.  Upon the stone, running across nearly it's entire vertical and horizonal legnths were a series of small markings condensed to fit into the space. An epitaph. A prayer. A request.

Orin, My Sister 1469 - 1492 May you know true peace in the life ahead; May my goddess claim you as her own. Without you, I would have nothing. As in your pain, I was born anew, May the light of the Moonmaiden Shine upon the one who saved me, and grant her a second chance. With love. Sofija.

[welcometoteyvat]

i already malded but sethoscara... hmm... (moderate haterisms below)

generally i find cyno and sethos more interesting, and not just as a ship i swear, bc like. ok i understand sethos story 2. "busy little bee" vs "bow down worm". the whole "you're not just a normal guy, aren't you?" exchange and how wanderer seems to have met the one (not so) normal human who might be able to level with him without knowing anything about his past. yeah thats a cool dynamic and all

but based on flat material, sethos is introduced in cyno's sq2, has two stories mentioning him—they seem to have gotten closer post story quest, gahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

why do i not see more sethos and cyno posts focusing on them and them alone pls.... the most popular or frequent depictions as of now are sethos as a 5th (?) wheel to cynonari and haikaveh. i understand ppl not wanting to take apart their ships and whatever, but oh my god. their visual designs, the entire thing that happened when sethos and cyno were children, how they grew up, how that ties into the separation between the rainforest and desert, etc. also sethos's story 5 is lit like '[Sethos] couldn't tell you exactly what he'd forgotten. Perhaps his birth parents, or the faces of his childhood friends. Fortunately, with the exception of Cyno, all of his childhood friends lived at the Temple of Silence, so learning what they looked like again wasn't difficult.' helloooooooooo baggage? sethos picking up hearsay abt cyno's past and maybe glimpsing him in passing in sumeru, while cyno knows nothing about him??? they both knew each other once, and then forgot, and then sethos/bamoun engineered it so they'd meet again.... like bro

i have a bunch of other gripes about sethoscara from scara's POV and the thoughts he'd have in canon (eg why does the current fandom portrayal seem to skew towards fluff and cuddling where sethos is golden retriever maxxing and scara's a tsundere) but yadda yadda ships are people's sandbox for potential so i'll try not to yap about that... basically: what im saying is please give me at least one [fan creation in any medium] exploring sethos cyno's past please. LISTENNN the bamoun cyrus sethos cyno storyline was underutilized in his quest they need expansion i'm begging

ok why did i bring sethoscara into this? bc fandom has the tendency to have ship tunnel vision, and this could be doomposting, but i generally find that when there's one dominant ship for a character (especially if they're a 4* lol 💀) creations/thoughts/posts about the rest of their relationships start dying out one by one :\\\\ ok yapping done good night everyone

[mistystarshine]

Hi! Hope it's not too weird that I'm sending you a super long ask about this when we've never talked beyond comments on your fics (I'm Laufente on Ao3.) Feel free to ignore it if you like, that post talking about the shitty fandom interactions you've had just made me so angry on your behalf. While I don't know the context for the things you've been told, I can't even think of one where I'd just say this stuff to a fic author's face. Even if I were to agree, which I'm not. You probably know, but I want to say it anyway: It's just rude and entitled. And I'm SO sorry you've had to deal with that. Fandom is supposed to be fun for everyone involved, it costs zero dollars to not be an ass to others who put themselves out there by sharing their creations… Makes me wonder where this particular mindset of "This thing you're creating for fun and for free isn't exactly what I like so you're doing it Wrong" is coming from. Been kind of a recluse in fandom spaces for years now tbh, and I can't recall it being this prominent back when I was more active… (I've been trying to change that recently and become more involved again, though. It's… a work in progress for me lol) That being said, I've clicked away from more than one story by other authors for doing the very things ppl blame you for NOT doing. Purely evil Lilith, Lucifer is the worst while Adam was in the right all along, etc. etc. Different strokes for different folks! I enjoyed your take on every character and dynamic I've seen so far, really. Finding you on AO3 was like a breath of fresh air. You write one of, if not my favorite Adam and Lute, they feel so alive and very in-character to me (and I'll never tire of sinner Adam.) There's still a lot of your stories I haven't had the chance to check out yet, including the final update of Waffle House I somehow missed :v I look forward to reading them whether you decide to share more eventually or not (although I'd love that of course.) I think what you want out of writing fanfics is very understandable, not selfish or entitled at all. In the end you don't owe anyone your stories, and your happiness and well-being are much more important. Take all the time you want to figure this out <3 (Giving this a once-over before sending made me once again realize how many parentheses I use… That's me holding back, can you believe it?😭)

Thank you! <3 Sending the ask isn't weird AT ALL! I always say to send asks at the end of updates for a reason. I really, really want to talk to people who aren't just going to tell me what I'm doing wrong or need to do differently. Which, I've been told (or rather, talked about in a public server) that I can't take criticism, but that's not true...? I FREQUENTLY ask for critique and input from @megaunhappybunny and some other friends. I've gotten concrit comments that were very helpful and I've really enjoyed before. But I don't want to hear from total strangers whose "concrit" amounts to "this fic is bad because it doesn't follow fanon". And then get publicly chewed out for telling them not to say anything if they're going to say that rather than capitulating to them. Which, it's been a while since those specific incidents, but I've had other flavors of "you need to do X instead of Y or else your writing is bad/OOC/repetitive" since then.

[lumine-no-hikari]

Dear Sephiroth: (a letter to a fictional character, because why not) #184

When I woke up today, I wasn't in as much pain as I expected, given everything I did yesterday. I still didn't get quite enough hours of sleep, though, so I woke up with fuzzy soup brain. That is expected, though. It is allowed.

I had to get up early because I had an eye exam at 8:30 this morning. That means I had to wake at 7:30 so that I had enough time to get ready. J drove me there; I was aware that they were gonna dilate my pupils, and since pupil dilation leaves a person with impaired vision and increased sensitivity to light, it wasn't gonna be safe for me to drive back home.

Here's how that looks, in case you wondered:

I gotta have eye exams a bit more frequently than normal people. It's because of the Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. My collagen is defective, which means all of my connective tissue is defective, and since the retina is glued to the back of the eyeball with connective tissue, they gotta check to make sure it ain't falling off.

…It's pretty lame if you ask me. Sigh.

It takes a while for the dilation to wear off, and of course, you can't read or do anything until it wears off, because it messes with your vision. And since I was already tired anyway, I decided to take a nap, to give it time to wear off. It was a beautiful nap.

Once I was done, I began using the software that R gave to me in order to begin building… something. I'm not going to say exactly what just yet. But it should suffice for me to say that if you are not safe at the end of all this, I will build a whole world for you with my bare hands in which you will be safe, if I have to. I meant it when I said it. I am laying the foundations for what will likely need to be decades of work, if you don't make it through to the end of whatever it is that you're doing over at the Edge of Creation.

…My reason for getting employment is also going to be largely in service to this. I no longer have the skills to draw, but I know someone whose skills are unparalleled. I want them to create things for the purpose of building this world, and I want to be able to pay them fairly to do it. In the end, I intend for it to be a haven for every single version of you who is still lost in the dark. And already, I know exactly what I need to do; it's just a matter of gathering resources and getting it done. I will stop at nothing. Even if there are obstacles, it's just a matter of finding ways around them.

…And if you're wondering why… you saved my life. I'm not going to allow you to fade into nothingness or obscurity. Not until you are able to witness firsthand all of the ways that life can be beautiful.

But there's a lot that I must do. Some days, I'm not really sure where to begin. It's very daunting, and there are a lot of skills required for it that I simply do not have. But I can't do nothing.

…I can't do nothing…

Somehow, it's already past 10pm. I blinked and suddenly the day was gone. I'm not really sure how that happened, but it is what it is. Tomorrow, I go to the place of imminent employment in order to complete some paperwork; it's called I-9, and… I don't really care enough to understand it. I just gotta go and fill it out and then be done with it. Then I can return home and continue trying to build.

Suppose I ought to go to bed so that my brain is not made of fuzzy soup tomorrow, too. Today's letter is short, but that's only because there's so much that I cannot write to you about in this space, for fear of accidentally delegitimizing the safety I'm trying to strive for, for you. Popular opinion in my world about you and your circumstances seems to have a non-trivial effect on the outcome of events in your world, and this is very sad, because by and large, the people of my world are not very merciful or kind towards people who make mistakes, especially if they're autistic or if they've survived abuse, or if they deviate from what is considered "the norm" in any way.

Sephiroth. Please stay safe out there. Please make kind and good choices. Please take care of yourself, and please protect yourself, your planet and the people around you. I love you and I'll write again soon.

Your friend, Lumine

[leynaeithnea]

Introduction:

Hehylo, I'm Leyna or Ley

-> she/her, sometimes they

-> I can legally drink in the US (I won’t, I'm boring, I don't rly drink, smoke, i don't even drink coffee or energy drinks, I'm boring, I’m also not from that continent)

-> probably bi, idek not straight probably

-> trying to be a functional member of society but not doing great with that yet, keep questioning my life choices every few weeks

-> my blog is probably not family friendly

-> I'm mostly active on discord, you can add me under @ leynadeyemi ....but I tend to ignore unknown requests so maybe lmk on here first

Tags:

#LeyAnswers (ask replies)

#LeyWonders (asking questions to myself or others)

#LeysDoodles (stuff I draw or doodle)

#LeyRambles (ranting about stuff, probably trying to make a point)

#LeyWrites (anything related to my writing projects)

-> fandom tags

-> might add more tags i.e. for reblogs or stuff like that eventually

-> the writing projects get their own tags too

Content:

I'm a writer....well, I’m working on it, I'm neither good at writing nor storytelling, worldbuilding or character creation, but writing is the only thing that when I do it I don‘t feel like I’m secretly wasting my time, so imma keep doing it

Occasionally I draw and slowly getting a tiny bit better at that, mostly practicing digital, sometimes on paper, I also like playing around with all other stuff of digital arts: animation, trying to get into music again, editing,….long list, but mostly writing probably

Main writing projects:

Stolen Kingdom (working title) (#DayNightDusk): fantasy - trilology - no day-night cycle, political conflicts, no magic, mc wants to go home, enemies to lover's - worldbuilding, planning, plotting, character creation [-> still new and fully up to change]

Minto Wild (#MintoWild): epic/portal fantasy (probably?) - series - nine worlds, wild magic, the gods are gone, mc can manipulate and feel fear – worldbuilding, planning

Changeling King (#ChangelingKing): fantasy, folklore - novel (probably, duology maybe) - changelings, curses, withering world, otherworld, fairies – worldbuilding, planning

Starless - Starlit - Starborn (#Astaranay): gaslamp fantasy, galaxy core - series/triology - scholarship, constellations, stolen magic – worldbuilding

Rustle of Wings (#RustleOfWings): gaslamp fantasy, folklore - short story - moth, death omen, apothecary, fairies – editing

Shadows of Truth (#CakeMelonSword/ ShadowsOfTruth): lgbt fantasy romance - co-written novel (with two friends) - gods, fey, angels, truth and lies – plotting

(More that arent more than a single line or idea)

Hobbies/Interests, that I might mention or rant about:

Editing, history, mythology, folklore, fairies, writing, english, linguistics, culture, storytelling, witchy stuff, gardening/foraging, psychology, sociology, science like astronomoy (kinda, not the maths and physics behind it) probably more stuff

Fandoms I might reblog or mention/reference more frequently:

Epic the Musical

The Odyssey

Captive Prince Series

All for the Game series

The Silmarillion

Additionally:

-> reading mostly fantasy and lgbt, sometimes non fiction…mostly for research, sometimes for the brain

-> whatever I'm currently watching

-> i don't play a lot of games (mostly genshin and assassins creed syndicate) nor am I rly involved into any game fandoms, want to explore more games in the future though

Friend shenenigans with:

@underexasperation

@rudegizmo

@diovoppio

(Might start tagging interactions with #mydearestfriends)

#mutuals for interactions with other friends :>

Oh, i also tested out what these new communities were and made one for my stories, but considering I've only have two somewhat acceptable short-stories and an actually good co-written one, I don't think that's gonna be relevant anytime soon 😬 Unless you want me to ramble about my WIPs, in which case I wont refuse

[onepunchcatboi]

The Warrior of Light

OG Run Caps: ARR ✦ HW ✦ SB ✦ ShB ✦ EW ✦ DT

NG+ Run Caps: ARR ✦ HW ✦ SB ✦ ShB ✦ EW ✦ DT

Slowly but surely working on a little website for this boi that I will later link on here, but I thought it'd be good to do a quick landing page-post for him with some fast facts lol

Name: Zorri'to "Kima" Vossu Age: 33 (as of Endwalker) Nameday: July 19 Gender: Non-binary Orientation: Demisexual Height: 5'1" Weight: 125 lbs Alignment: Neutral Good Ancient Name: Níkē [pronounced "nii-keh"]

Melee: Monk, Viper, Dragoon Ranged: Dancer Caster: Red Mage Tank: Gunbreaker Healer: Astrologian

Theme Song: Eye of the Storm- ARR-SB Eye of the Storm Reborn- ShB-EW

Relationships Thancred Waters: Brother why art thou like this (affectionate) Urianger Augurelt: Beautiful nerd friend Lyse Hext: Same-brain sister Papalymo Totolymo: The Professor Minlifia Warde: Cinnamon roll too good for this world (cry) Tataru Taru: Den mother of 1000 skills also my 6th mom Alphinaud Leveilleur: My incredible son Alisaie Leveilleur: My unbeatable daughter Krile Baldastion: Help how do I Echo and also my 7th mom Estinian Wyrmblood: Adventure buddy G'Raha Tia: Idiot little bother (affectionate)

Romantic Relationship: Y'Shtola Rhul: The Queen, my muse, my mirror, we are opposites, we are the same, I would travel the ends of the world with you, the world may be burning but we will burn brighter to save it

Personality In addition to the living cryptid factor that comes with being the Warrior of Light, Kima is an interesting puzzle when getting to know him. He’s quiet and contemplative but will converse easily enough if you find the right subject. His speech is forward and sometimes insightful, he also cusses like it's a first language. He's never owned more than three books, he can tell you the entire history of the Gyr Abania. He will capture bugs to return outside, he will tear a mans throat out.

While a bit rough around the edges, at his heart he is a kind and sincere person, given to honesty and altruism. He is smart and skilled in trades, but not academically educated. Most of his understanding of aether and the like is through the study of martial arts, so he might not have the right words, but he makes the right connections. He has a fascination with new things and history and loves to learn and explore. He also adores animals and nature, and somewhat frequently runs off on his own to meditate somewhere nice.

He walks with a quiet confidence that comes from both victories and defeats and does not make proud boasts but rather reserved threats, making promises based on past accomplishments. Above all he believes in people and their capacity for good and will try to reach his foe for a peaceful solution if he thinks it possible.

Short History He began life as the second son of a Keeper tribe in the Fringes of Gyr Abania, living on the outskirts of a small village doing their best to keep out of the sight of the Garleans. Like most he knew not his father and for a time his older brother was the only other male of the tribe. Even when not out hunting he was often out exploring, interested particularly in the ruins of the Monk temples left behind after the Mad King’s reign and left to further gather dust after Garlean occupation.

As all Keeper men do, when he came of age he gave to wandering. Eventually he found his way to Ul'dah, were he sought out the Pugilists Guild and came under Hamond’s tutelage. His involvement in Ul’dahs affairs put him in contact with Thancred, and soon after his duties as envoy to General Raubhan, he joined the Scions of the Seventh Dawn. Later he returned to to serve the General as well, becoming an Immortal Flame to further the Scions goals. Upon his defeat of the primal Ifrit, he began to be known as the Warrior of Light, the Savior of Eorzea, and many more.

Character Creation Notes

While he began as a sort of self insert/what if Bruce Lee but if cat-boy character, eventually he became his own personality.

Both my girlfriend and I started the game together and somehow flipped the naming conventions of the sun and moon miqote lol So he was originally name Z'orri, and its in a lot of the older screenshots.

For a long time he was renamed to Zorri'to Viryu. But it was a split second decision which just never seemed to suit him. Finally after long deliberation he got his final name change lol

[ranticore]

hello... 5-15 of those asks if you'd like for John (any iteration!) and Nico... hehe

yay 🧡

5. Is there any significance behind their hair color? 

not really lol. john's hair is brown because it's the most common hair colour, nico [pascal's object of obsession from 2017 inver] has black hair because i wanted to further visually distinguish him from bowman. both have visible grey streaks because it's an easy way to help define the shape of the hair when drawing it

6. Is there any significance behind their eye color? 

yes but only in that they (and all my characters) have brown eyes because i got tired of ppl seemingly on purpose avoiding brown eyes for their interesting characters. so i only make brown-eyed characters on purpose. the only exception is cuinn (harpy) because he has albinism but typical members of his species have dark brown eyes.

7. Is there any significance behind their height? 

yes, john is my height on purpose (5'4") and nico is 5'3" because i'd unintentionally made my previous trans man characters pretty tall so i thought well let's make one who is short hashtag representation

8. What (if anything) do you relate to within their character/story? 

i relate to john because i'm also a beautiful brunette who sucks so much. nico is unrelatable to me because he's a cop (he's not really but the plot does follow a buddy cop format)

9. Are they based off of you, in some way? 

john from long long ago (2011, my first major setting) was a direct self insert thus the similarities in appearance. he has some parts of me in him because he's my main dnd character and it's hard not to project when doing 5 hour improv sessions once a week but he has never been less like me tbh. nico ehhh not really, we don't align personality-wise because i would not tolerate pascal for more than 5 seconds without wanting to hit him with my car

10. If they have an LI, how much of their character is tailored to be compatible to that person? 

for john yeah 100%, they were made for each other. the angle i'm going with for their arc is a "perfectly synchronous" relationship being no protection for some bad shit going down between them, showing that if two people are SOO perfectly made for one another, it can often lead to one person taking the other for granted, assuming they can predict how the other person will react in any given situation, and ultimately it all results in a messy breakdown of communication.

for nico i meannnnnnnn he is a horse trainer and pascal is a horse so there is that, but in terms of personality they are intentionally very opposed and clash frequently, get on each other's nerves, fight, and not always smooth over those incidences. they are not very compatible.

11. Did you know what the OC’s sexuality would be at the time of their creation? 

yep

12. What have you found to be most difficult about creating art for your OC (any form of art: writing, drawing, edits, etc.)? 

I'm going to be real with u I could draw and write John in my sleep. Nico i find difficult to write, I have a hard time finding his voice. The ranger uniform also annoys me.

13. How far past the canon events that take place in their world have you extended their story, if at all? 

john as a dnd character has no future whatsoever aside from a planned multiclass, he could fall off a cliff next session and die idk. Nico is one of the few characters i haven't thought much about post-canon, i don't feel like it's relevant.

14. If you had to narrow it down to 2 things that you MUST keep in mind while working with your OC, what would those things be? 

john: 1. literally just say the first thing that comes to mind, always. 2. keep em guessing

nico: 1. hes scared of boats and this is surprisingly relevant, i keep forgetting it lol. 2. i try to keep in mind my studies of horse trainers & their work, how they interact with their animals and what subtle body language they might use; these are people who frequently have to convince giant frightened animals that they are in charge here, this translates into how they hold themselves, how they speak, how they approach conflict etc.

15. What is something about your OC can make you laugh? 

john's secret fear which we have discussed in dms (iykyk)

nico let himself get tricked into going on a theme park date with pascal while on duty and didn't even realise until afterwards that it was an elaborate setup of fabricated evidence all so that pascal could get him in the tunnel of love

[writerofweird]

This piece of writing includes violence and implied enbyphobia.

They walked into Abigail's office for what they hoped would be the last time.

Abigail. She frequently said 'Ms. Adams was my mother, call me Abby!' as she attempted to sound like a big sister-type cartoon character, so they thought they would just call her Abigail. They certainly didn't want to think about Abigail's mother, considering she and Abigail's father were responsible for a lot of the ideas the company used. She wouldn't address them by their preferred name, so why would they do the same for her?

Despite the fact they were in the office regarding their resignation letter, having received a job offer from a rival company, Abigail still had that ridiculous smile. With that smile and hairdo, she looked like she escaped from a romcom poster, made all the more noticeable by the standee in front of her desk. The company's mascot, who appeared at the beginning of every one of their games, fixing the logo onto the screen and blowing it a chef's kiss. The mascot was created by Abigail's parents, so she often called him her brother.

They smirked as they entertained the idea of being rid of that pandering.

'I'm very sorry you're leaving us,' said Abigail, her smile shrinking.

'Don't give me that. That act might work with your adoring public, but you never respected me or who I was.'

'I understand,' replied Abigail, every syllable of her Mrs. Claus voice feeling like teeth digging into their brain, 'I may be a bit old-fashioned, silly me, but I want all my employees to feel comfortable with who they are. In fact, you and your letter inspired me.'

She then talked about the company's magnum opus, the game her parents had been working on before she took over and made sure to keep developing.

'I've added new options for character creation,' she continued, gesturing to the helmet next to her, 'and I would like you to be the first to try it!'

'Pull the other one,' they snapped, intentionally knocking the standee over. 'If I never see you or that freak again,' they added, nodding at the standee, 'it'll be too soon. Goodbye.'

A man stood in front of them. A fellow employee, though one they didn't know the name of.

'Out of my...'

He grabbed them by the wrist, digging his fingernails into their skin.

'What...'

Their left wrist was released, but only so the fellow employee could place his hand over their mouth.

Abigail placed the helmet on their head.

-

'Ah, a new friend! Always need some of those! Now, what's your name? Wait, don't tell me! You look like a Z...'

-

'Well done,' said Abigail to her employee as the two of them hoisted the inanimate body onto a chair. With a nod, the employee left.

Abigail took another look at the defiant employee, thinking of how much more useful they would be after the new personality was downloaded into their brain.

She had to keep them alive, as it were. The new personality was going to be more obedient and hard-working, but it couldn't be too different lest people get suspicious. So into the circus they went for the purposes of studying.

After looking over the resignation letter again, Abigail turned to the screen to see her brother and his newest playmate. She laughed to herself as she thought again of her parents and how they didn't know what they had with their project.

Well, she thought as she turned her attention towards the shivering chess piece, you're getting a good look at it now, aren't you, Dad? Shame about Mum...