gingermister

[crossbackpoke-check]

find a blorbo (nhl tag game)

RULES: Go through the roster of each NHL team and find at least one player that you can root for.

tagged by @bondedpairs!! when i say too many teams to count and here for the narrative um. i may not have lied. this is not an extensive list of my blorbos but in order to make it not ten thousand years long i made up the rule that i had to do it straight from memory :)

anaheim ducks: as evidenced by recent events i DO like mason mctavish and trevor zegras but i have to honor laura and mention troy terry and beloved goalie gibbie*

boston bruins: oh for sure brad marchand… can i say patrice? one of the charlies got traded but i think mcavoy is still there because gryz is gone, brandon carlo is there still i think

buffalo sabres: cozens & thompson, owen power, rasmus dahlin, ukko pekka luukkonen

calgary flames: is chris tanev still here? is markstrom still here?? noah hanifin?? as a last resort i’ll say blasty

carolina hurricanes: aho & jarvy & teuvo teravainen & brent burns is still playing maybe? i know sepe got traded

chicago hockey: the bedsy narrative is compelling but ANDREAS ATHANASIOU MY BELOVED reunited with tyler bertuzzi… that’s the real story. also i like foligno

colorado avalanche: gabe landeskog, whatever ross colton & miles wood have going on, natemac + jo, mikko

columbus blue jackets: have long been on the merzlikins train, have been swayed to the darkside of umich boys (brindley, kent johnson, fantilli, blankenburg who is now on nsh)

dallas stars: seggy! mush! roope + miro and otter and robo and wyjo (rip ty dellandrea) and harls! etc.

detroit red wings: MOST players. dilly larks, moritz seider, jv, raymond, rasmussen, kitty, lyon, etc except for k*ne

edmonton oilers: mcdrai, ofc. nugent-hopkins, nursey, rip vinny & skinny

florida panthers: tkachuk, reinhardt, sasha barkov, verhaeghe (is there still?)

los angeles kings: adrian kempe… kevin fiala… danault… quinton byfield & alex turcotte

minnesota wild: kirill, marat, fleury, brodes, fabes, boldy, moose, middsy, spurge… god’s perfect idiots

montreal canadiens: going out on a limb here to say martin st. louis but also xhekaj (both), slafkovský, suzuki, my austrian reinbacher, yes fine cole caufield

nashville predators: MOST BEAUTIFUL D PAIR IN THE WORLD GRADY SKJEI AND ROMAN JOSI!! juuse, evangelista, isn’t stamkos there and also someone else who absolutely should not be

new jersey devils: nico… tuna (tatar), dawson mercer, siegenthaler, dougie hamilton, yes the hugheses whatever

new york islanders: barzy, zeeker & marty, anders lee, noah dobson lol

new york rangers: mika & chris, lafrenière & k’andre, shesterkin

philadelphia flyers: frosty & beezer and tk and sanny and the new baby michkov and coots and scooty loots and foerster etc etc. you know the Guys

pittsburgh penguins: the two headed monster but also compelled by rutger mcgroarty, and kevin hayes was there!!!

ottawa senators: timmy stü & brady! josh norris! the evolution of shane pinto! ullmark now and brännström and claude giroux and chabot

san jose sharks: ekky, thrun, mario, borde, logan couture, shakir, that other vaguely blond rookie

seattle kraken: brandon tanev, andre burakovsky! grubauer & d’accord also

st. louis blues: jordan kyrou, nathan walker (is still there?), rob thomas? is parayako still there?

tampa bay lightning: hedman, point, they dumped so many guys after the cup run… is kucherov still there or is he in nashville?? anthony cirelli (notable for being made out with by pat maroon)

toronto maple leafs: mitch, jt, willy, alex nylander, kniesy, dewar, et

utah hockey: crouse, keller, tuba

vancouver canucks: quinn, brock, petey, jt, garly, höggy, i want to say dakota johnson, elias lindholm?

vegas golden knights: brandon montour is here now… alex pietrangelo, so sorry to one i can’t remember who loves the lions it will come back to me

washington capitals: full of love and stupidity. oshie, nicke/ovi, pierre-luc dubois, dowd, vrána, milano

winnipeg jets: adam lowry!! josh morissey and kc and morgan barron, also vladdy my beloved

tagging @stillfertile + @colap1nto + @songsandswords + @moregraceful if they haven’t done it yet, i know they follow at least a couple teams. if anybody else wants to play i love adopting blorbos!!

[silversiren1101]

[Because I'm going through stuff, time to make my blorbos too. A flash of a scene: the immediate aftermath of Minovae using the aeon the restore the bulk of her memories in Act 3...]

Her mind burned.

She couldn't feel the stone beneath her knees. Couldn't hear the concerned voices around her. Couldn't see through the white flash gradually turning red. Couldn't feel the wet heat of the blood soaking her clothing from the mysterious chest wound that'd reopened, of the crimson streaming down her face from her nose and eyes and ears as the Aeon had torn off whatever magic had been suppressing her memories without gentleness or care.

All that existed to her then was that burning, of which two versions of her screamed in unison. The barrier keeping them separated gone, both suddenly occupied the same cramped, burning, bleeding mind. Both were the truth. Both made up her whole.

They should've blended, congealing into a solid singular her. Water meeting more water. Blood into blood.

But only one had stayed conscious through the agony, for agony was the only thing she knew.

All she, this Minovae, knew, was demons.

Distantly, she heard screaming. Distantly, she felt she was clothed. Distantly, she felt no pressure about her wrists and ankles.

No gag. No humiliation. No bindings.

Consciously, none of that mattered with the pain.

Her hands clutched at her head, trying to swat at the agony protected by the bone of her skull. Break it. Shatter it. Get it OUT! Panic and terror choked her from within at the feeling, all so sudden and new and familiar all at once. What was this?! What had they done to her now? Hadn't the demons found every way to have their fun with her by now?! Except—No. No. This pain like a smoldering briar had been dragged through her mind time and time again, like a poker left to turn white-hot in the fire had been driven into every crevice—she knew this pain.

"...Commander...?"

This was that pain. Memories flashed, each agonizing, of her chained in that dungeon in Egorian, of those false Hellknights, those pretenders calling themselves the Glyph...! Their clawed hands raked through her thoughts to find what she'd seen! To find her weaknesses, to find—! NO! They'd already found it: Him. And he was... was... The memories fractured and spiraled. Cold stone pressed against her brow as in reality she crumpled to her hands and knees but she wasn't in reality anymore. Two separate images overlapped in her mind's eye: skin warm as amber yet also grey as stone; molten gold irises turned pale as citrine in a single blink; all so much color and life bleeding out to lifeless grey and white.

"Arangeir! Can you hear me?"

She heard his voice then, too. She recognized it and didn't, because it was wrong. Too much gravel. Too much concern. He didn't feel for her like that to sound that way. She'd given up everything to keep him safe but he didn't know that. He'd never sound like that.

All of this was a trick, she realized. This was yet another cruelty from the demons in the only way they could know amusement and joy. It had to be.

"She's bleeding out! We need to—"

"Careful! Something is wrong. She's not... that's not her."

Different voices. Names welled in her subconscious like a plea to stay away as much as it is a plea for help. 'Seelah... Seelah don't let me hurt anyone... Keep Sosiel away... keep... everyone...'

But the half of her in control didn't know those voices. The half of her in control only heard around her the scheming of demons, watching eagerly to see how this new torment they've devised will play out.

"Minnow! It's okay! It must be so scary but you're not alone! We're here!"

Her heart squeezed in a vise at that high and bright voice. So encouraging. 'Ember, please, run—I can't—'. So clear through the pain, somehow, like...

"Focus, Arangeir! Pull yourself together. I know you can. You're better than this."

But then it was his again. The liar. The scheme. The trick. The torture—

She bolted upright in an instant. She needed to see what horrible creature awaited her in the direction of that voice, so wrong as much as something in her wept that it was the truth. The white flashing of agony had given way to smeared crimson—blood! Had they torn her eyes out and restored them yet again just before death claimed her? How they loved that one—and through them did she see the trick they'd planned for her.

How laughable. He didn't look like that: aged like decades had passed!? Bleached like he'd succumbed to despair?! Staring at her with that mote of concern in those wrongly pale eyes? Not him. Never. She realized the demons had found a way to read through her mind just like House Thrune had, but demons were clumsy and brutish beasts.

The illusion before her was not Regill Derenge. She knew it wasn't.

She knew it was.

Only then did the pain dull then, giving way to a rage she'd never thought herself capable of feeling ever again. All so much torture, everything she'd suffering from devil's hands to those of the Abyss had stolen from her such passion, she'd thought. But these horrid fiends had thought to wield against her the one being she'd never suffer dishonored in such a way. All that she'd given of herself to keep him safe, securing his safety with that infernal brand Thrune pressed upon her...

Her nails dragged across the stone so sharply she may have looked down to see they were still there had she been her other self. Blood filled her mouth from the clenching of her teeth into her snarl, and she realized the demons had also restored her fangs this time with her eyes. How long had she been without them? It didn't matter; time was meaningless in the dungeons beneath Drezen and she wasn't about to let their mistake go to waste.

She would remind them again why they'd torn them from her mouth in the first place.

Every muscle coiled as she pounced, far stronger than she should've been capable of. This body wasn't starved, wasn't weak from torture and despair and nothingness. But the rage kept her from seeing through that veil to the truth, so thin as to be nearly transparent. The rage only drove her forward, flaring even hotter as that face that was not his and yet so very much was briefly flashed in alarm before she made contact with him.

"Arange—!" His voice cut off with a grunt as she tackled him to the ground, as she knocked the wind out of him. He had yet barely breathed in more, barely shouted for her to "—what are you d—!"

Before it all choked into wet, gurgled, gasping.

And it struck her that the wet, crimson heat flowing around her fangs, now buried in his throat, didn't taste as it did the last time she'd wielded them against a demon. It tasted like the one and only other mortal they'd torn through before—of the Thrune whose throat she'd left a hollow ragged gape upon finding out what had become of her stolen Foundlings...

This wasn't demon blood. This wasn't demon flesh.

"Oh, gods! Get her off of him!" Someone yelled, coming to her in her haze as if through water.

She reared back. Everything was shaking. The blood filled her mouth. The blood was everywhere. Splattered across his face that was and wasn't—no, was. Something inside of her screamed, just screamed at her that it was. Arterial red gushed from the ragged gash she'd torn beneath him, covered now by his gauntleted hand applying pressure best he could. Even as blood spluttered from his lips, then streaming, his gaze never faltered. Pale, so wrongfully pale, those yellow irises glared up at her.

She could only shake, paralyzed by them.

"Y-you... fool..."

She wanted to scream. Wanted to disappear. Wanted to... to...

'Go to sleep, Minnow. It's okay. You're scared. You did something bad. But it's okay. Go to sleep and it will all be okay when you wake up.'

Sleep.

She wanted to sleep.

Ember's hex washed over her like a warm bath, taking his blood from her mouth along with it.

[vaultedthewall]

Chronicles of Amber Fancast

Prefacing this with what I actually want from a Chronicles of Amber series is that tweet about not actually wanting an all star cast but ten unknowns and a scriptwriter that is deeply unwell. But if I'm gonna pick and choose big name actors here is who I would like based mostly on vibes, attractiveness (to me), and the likelihood it would really upset certain subreddits. AKA everything important in life. Mainly just the children of Oberon in the first five books bc it's already long enough as is.

Corwin - Oscar Isaac

Charismatic enough to make me forget how much I fucking hate Corwin, also he can sing. Thanks to Moon Knight we know he can totally rock "Protag who is just as confused as the audience as to what is going on" which is v important for Nine Princes In Amber.

Benedict - Idris Elba

Tall, 100% Done With This Family's shit, can carry the vibes of someone who only doesn't have the throne because he doesn't want it and everyone agrees if that was different he'd just have it.

Eric - Taika Waititi

Can balance both absolute piece of trash bag of dicks while still being charismatic which is really what's important about Eric.

Deirdre - Kali Reis

You want a battle maiden you'll get a battle maiden. If anything the main problem here is there's no way on god's green earth you could convince me she'd need Corwin and/or Random to come to her rescue for anything, but hey adaptations are for changing things.

Fiona - Sophie Turner

For all the redheads I thought it'd be important to pick people who normally play affable everymen/heroes/people you're used to seeing as goodguys, even if the nature of adapting a book series that's older than most of the people you'd cast in it means the 'big twist' of who the traitors are is something everyone sees coming. So someone well practiced at ingenues would be perfect for the actual baddest bitch in charge.

Bleys - K. J. Apa

We're gonna give him a better dye job than Riverdale though okay I promise.

Brand - Jack Quaid

Absolutely 'just this guy you know' vibes. Easy to overlook. Would YOU believe he was the big bad? Come on.

Llewella - Halle Bailey

Yes I'm making a Little Mermaid joke, try and stop me. But also given how shafted she was in the books I think it's important to use someone who can do a lot with having few speaking lines (though hopefully again that would be fixed in an adaptation)

Caine - Vico Ortiz

Literally I just want to watch them doing all the scenery chewing bullshit you know Caine has to get up to while they are manipulating and spycrafting their way through shit. Can fully believe they'd pull a finding a copy of themself to kill and leave so people don't know they're still around behind the scenes. Especially in their Blackbeard fit, come on.

Julian - Conrad Ricamora

Did I just cast my absolute most favorite Mister Darcy as my number one blorbo Julian? Call the fucking cops on me idgaf. His resting bitch face and sarcasm are second to none. Also watch Fire Island (2022) on Hulu.

Gérard - Jason Momoa

Along with being the biggest canon kinda implies he's also the hottest of all of Oberon's sons so absolute massive dreamboat Jason Momoa it is. Also for the lolz of him and Vico being the navy people.

Florimel - Jamie Clayton

Did you ever see a woman so beautiful you started crying?

Random - Bex Taylor-Klaus

They can absolutely go through the journey of youngest sibling in the jester position/fuckup because who cares > most responsible one after all.

BONUS

Bill Roth - Wil Wheaton

Look I adore his narration of the last five Amber books!!! I want him somewhere so the reliable chillax lawyer from earth who somehow just rolls with becoming the family lawyer for what amounts to gods of reality. I know I said I actually want a bunch of unknowns for the actual series but I will cry at whoever I must to make this happen. Please.

[blusandbirds]

zanna made me watch national treasure and all i got was riley poole as my new blorbo

@zannolin, a riley ficlet, this is ur doing

-

it’s like a math problem. if riley poole has an event that starts at 3:00 PM EST and ends at 4:00 PM EST, and riley poole has two friends who are either “working, i’m so sorry, but have fun, okay?” or just “busy,” then how many people are expected to arrive at riley’s event by 3:30 PM EST? the answer, of course, is none. just riley himself. just him, hidden away at the back of the bookstore, tucked between the cookbook and magazine sections.

the only people he’s seen today were one harried mom in yoga pants looking for better homes and gardens and the store owner themself who came to inform riley that the bathroom on-site was out of order and if he needed to use it any time, he should go to the café across the street. it’s probably the best crowd riley’s drawn yet.

ben and abigail think it’s an ego thing. they’re not completely wrong, because he does like it. his name on the covers, the enthusiastic 3.35 by 4 inch newspaper reviews, the flourish of his signature across the front page. but most of all, it’s because he isn’t like them. he can’t do the genius never to be understood thing. he wants— he needs to be seen. riley poole, in ink, proof that he was here at all.

so riley, sitting in the back of a bookstore even quieter than the museums and mausoleums he’s adventured to, takes an extended course in perseverance.

no matter how many of these he’s had to suffer through—the “are you ben gates?” questions and the driving back home with his own cardboard smile in the backseat—he’s not ready to quit. he’s not willing to be the guy who helped find two lost caches of priceless treasure, but then gave up because nobody came to his book signing. he’s not the last kid alone on the playground anymore. he’s got a cool car and recognition from the white house and two friends who he loves almost as much as they love each other.

give it ten more minutes, he decides. ten more minutes and then he calls it a day. ten more minutes and then he goes home to chalk up another failure on the riley poole is a big loser board.

three of his allotted ten minutes pass by, the hands on his stupid fake rolex limping forward like he’s listening to one of ben’s colonial architecture tangents. he blows invisible dust from a cover. he taps his fingers across the table surface. he sits. 

he thinks about doing this for seven more minutes. he thinks about doing this for twenty more events. he thinks about doing this for the rest of his life. the future stretches out before him, an endless aisle of waiting at empty tables for people who never planned on coming.

oh, who is he kidding?

riley kicks his foot under the table, shoving out the empty cardboard boxes so he can sweep the unopened, unsold books back into storage. it’s gonna be a pain getting it all back into the ferrari, like the world’s saddest game of tetris, and even afterwards he’ll have to reconfigure all the boxes to fit into his living room. his living room, which has become somewhat of a monument to his oh-so-successful writing career. stacks and stacks of cardboard boxes, taking over the space, bursting to overflowing. well, it’s not like he has guests over anyways.

empty tables. full boxes. riley poole’s life.

somewhere in front, footsteps pad down the carpeted floor. he doesn’t look up. it’s not for him.

the steps come to a halt oddly close to the table. someone clears their throat.

a familiar voice, “am i in the right place?”

riley’s head jerks up, nearly clipping the edge of the table. from behind a pile of books appears the face of the fbi’s very own special agent sadusky.

“agent sadusky?” riley shakes his head. “sorry, the self-help section is over there.” he points aimlessly. it’s only then that he notices the item in sadusky’s hand. instantly recognizable, given the dozens he has spread around him right now. a copy of riley’s book, coffee cup ring on the cover and the jacket dented. sadusky grins when riley meets his eyes.

“sorry i was late.” the agent shrugs. “we got a tip about somebody trying to steal the constitution.”

it’s 3:41. something lifts in riley’s chest. he settles into his chair and matches sadusky’s smile. “guess originality really is dead,” he says.

[immortalarizona]

hi! i’m curious about how you’re characterizing buppido in your OotA game—in my experience playing and planning to DM, i’ve had trouble connecting with him and figuring out how to make his twist surprising and impactful.

also if you have any similar thoughts for shuushar, that’s another blorbo i don’t know how to make compelling lol

I'm soooooo flattered to have gotten this ask from you!!!! first off, I would like to apologize if this is largely incoherent; I have spent a solid seven (7) of the past 24 hours playing two different D&D sessions, both of them pretty brutal combats. this is gonna be a loooooong post, so my answer is under the cut :]

also, if anyone reading this post happens to be one of my players going snooping for my blog, STOP READING NOW.

okay cool

I'll start each character section with a quick description I wrote for myself on each of their personalities (or my interpretations of them, at least).

Buppido

Buppido Diirdeklin is surprisingly talkative and friendly given the situation everyone is in. In fact, he doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything, diving into even the thick of battle with his perpetual, almost uncanny cheer. He seems to be very devoted to some deity unknown to non-derro, as after every battle, he kneels over the bodies of any enemy he has slain and appears to pray in silence for a few seconds. Buppido’s faith is the only subject which he remains reticent about, but he will happily engage in discussions of almost anything else with anyone else. He claims a desire to return to his people in Gracklstugh in order to help liberate them from their lives as second-class citizens under the duergar.

basically, how I saved Buppido thus far was through a lot of guilt-tripping the player characters and using what I knew of them (only what I reasonably figured he would know at this point; he's not secretly omniscient like Jimjar so there's only so much meta knowledge I can apply) to manipulate them. the angle I'm taking is that he wants something objectively good (for the derro to not be treated like dogshit) but is going about it in The most fucked up way possible (ritual murder because he think it'll give him back his divine power, which he can then use to fucking obliterate the duergar and free his people). he is very polite and has this veneer of kindness with which he treats the people he's manipulating. he will say whatever it takes to get the person he's talking to on his side, regardless of whether he actually believes it (but I do think it's more interesting if he genuinely believes he's doing the right thing). as an example of this in action, here's a copy of the monologue he gave the rogue when she was like "hey dude, I'm getting Real Bad Vibes from you, what's up." keep in mind that she is a tiefling.

"I heard what Kzekarit said to you a few nights back--so I trust that you will understand what it means to be judged solely on the basis of your blood. The duergar"--he almost spits the name--"have given us many names, none of them fit for polite company. Even our name in Undercommon comes from their word for 'derelict.' The audacity, when it is them that have forced us to live in the streets--if they allow us to live at all!" Buppido's voice has steadily been raising in volume this entire time, and he has to take a moment to catch his breath after that. When he continues, his voice is quieter, but no less passionate. "I have lived a long time. But I am blessed beyond measure. I am the exception. I am what is known among my people as a savant--one who has manifested magical powers. We are respected, yes, but. . . magic changes you. I have seen. . . things. . . in the shadows that I can never unsee. Things much worse than intellect devourers." His grip on his staff, which he is currently using as a walking stick, trembles, and he closes his eyes. "I have to believe that it was worth it. If I don't deliver us. . . no one will." He looks up at Promise again. "Do you understand now, little thief?" he asks, but it's not a question. It's a plea.

(for context, Sarith called the rogue "demonspawn" before promising that he would not hesitate to stab her if he saw a reason to do so when she asked where his loyalties lay.)

similarly, Buppido appealed to the ranger's sense of sympathy/pity with an excuse about nightmares and not entirely being himself when he woke up from one, which is why he tried to stab the twins. this was a bit of metagaming on my part, but the ranger is haunted by nightmares despite not sleeping (drow moment). it worked, and when the ranger had a mini emotional breakdown, Buppido then appealed to his sympathies further by patting the ranger's hand and saying that he would hug him, but he is not very tall, and his poor back can only take so much strain. the ranger then kneeled down, cast cure wounds to help Buppido's back pain, and gave him a hug. Buppido thanked the ranger for giving him another chance (as he had similarly given Sarith another chance) and told the ranger that he has a "good heart" and to "never change." (what he really meant was "you're so fucking easy to manipulate and I would prefer for that to not change.")

so, y'know. a lot of Manipulate Mansplain Manslaughter, with a side of Moral Complexity. like, man's a fucking serial killer, but he also has an ultimate goal which my party at least seems to empathize with. as for the emotional impact, you really only get as much out of the reveal as your players put into the character during the lead-up. my party has a Massive found family dynamic going already (Topsy has already sarcastically called the ranger, who she accidentally bit by the way, "dad," to give you a sense of how things are going), and Buppido fits right in as a sort of grandpa figure. he will find the most emotionally vulnerable PCs, worm his nasty little way into their hearts through false displays of kindness, and try to drive a wedge between them and any other characters who see through him. (I suggest giving him expertise in Deception. it feels appropriate.)

Shuushar

Shuushar the Awakened claims to have spent a lifetime in contemplation and solitary meditation in order to overcome his people’s legacy of madness, and it shows in the aura of enlightened calm he exudes despite the horrors he has suffered during his imprisonment. Nothing seems to be able to drive him to anger, and he is utterly unafraid to die for his belief in peace and goodness. He is always happy to offer tidbits of wisdom to those who ask for them, and also to those who don’t. Shuushar hopes to return to his hometown of Sloobludop in order to share his enlightenment with his fellow kuo-toa, as well as anyone else he encounters along the way.

Shuushar,,, drives my players a little bit insane, and I definitely haven't been utilizing his full potential (the players have been mostly fixated on Sarith, the twins, and the cleric NPC I brewed up to replace Eldeth). I've mostly been using him as a vehicle for foreshadowing through what I call Shuushar Stories. he's just. the Worst Fucking Storyteller and it's delightful to write, actually. here are two of the ones I feel contribute most to his characterization:

#1: Darklake Hag

“Yeah, so when they threw me out of Sloobludop, they didn’t even give me a boat, so I had to steal one. Or I was planning to, but then my friend Bloppdagadil snuck out after me to give me her spare boat and also a bag of crawlers. They weren’t fresh, but it was still a great gesture. What a gal. . . Shame the merrows got her. Nasty surprise when the fishermen I was traveling with pulled bits of her out of the Lake in their nets. . . Anyways, yeah, so I was traveling in Bloppdagadil’s boat when suddenly, I’m stuck on a sandbar! So I get out and try to push the boat back into the water when this weird green lady appears out of nowhere and asks me if I want to make a deal with her—I think it was for infinite wisdom or something. I told her, ‘No thanks, I’m good,’ and I push the boat back into the water. Enlightenment is more about the journey than the destination, really, and it wouldn’t mean anything if I didn’t earn it. . . The boat got caught in a whirlpool a few days later. I think it was the green lady’s fault. She said goodbye very ominously.” 

the key takeaways from this one are these:

the Darklake is dangerous, and Shuushar exists in a world where it's just Normal for people to die. you accept it. you move on. it is what it is.

he believes in the journey over the destination. the end does not justify the means.

he has a strong moral code and refuses temptation at every turn (you could play with this in your own campaign depending on how well your players take to him).

he is just a Weird-Ass Guy (affectionate).

foreshadowing for the green hag in the Darklake which I'm gonna present as an option to save Sarith (but at a COST, mwahahahaha).

#2: Funny Story, I Was Exiled

“I will warn you that I didn’t leave Sloobludop on the best of terms, really. Everyone was always moving, moving, moving with the land currents, but I just wanted to stand still for a minute. Ploopploopeen didn’t like that. He didn’t like that at all. . . Oh, Ploopploopeen? He was the archpriest of the Sea Mother—had just been promoted, and his first act was to tell me to never come back. Said I was a ‘bad influence’ or something, and that his daughter would get the wrong idea, watching me. . . I’m not mad about it. Love and fear, together, are a strange thing, and either one alone can drive people to do things they know in their hearts are wrong. Tost about by unseen currents. . . I wonder if he remembers me. I want him to know that I forgave him a long time ago.”

what this monologue was meant to convey:

foreshadowing, mostly. tryna set up Ploopploopeen's motives a bit better than in the module.

Shuushar has hidden depths! he's not some dumbass stoner (though I do try to portray him like he's constantly high, because I think it's funny), he has philosophy! and compassion! and an incredible ability to forgive those who have wronged him! he's a genuinely good dude!

the delivery of these really helped his character come across, tbh. (these ones were given during the session proper, not between via text chatting.) he's just spacey and--not monotone, exactly, but very level in his tone. he's calm. he's unshakeable. maybe your players will appreciate that, or maybe they'll find him annoying and want to stuff a rag into his mouth to get him to Shut Up. (and even that in itself can become compelling; I think we've got a bit of an in-joke developing that We Don't Let Shuushar Tell Stories.)

thanks for the ask, and I really hope this helped!! it was delightful getting to ramble about my own devious machinations, and I would be happy to chat further about my takes on each of the NPCs if you so desire :D

[transgaledekarios]

2, 16, 17 and 39 for ever from the fifty oops list pls 😍

Thank youuuuuu 🧡🧡🧡 I love thinking about my favorite blorbo

2. What is the public’s opinion/awareness of Ever?

So Ever’s family is very well known. Their last name anyway. Think Jeff Bezos. Universally hated. That’s Ever’s family. Growing up, their parents (and to a lesser extent) their eldest siblings when old enough had more of the limelight. Ever was not well known. Mars society knew about the existence of the youngest child, but none of the wealthy socialites their family mingles with got to meet Ever (or even see a picture of them) until they were about 15. They attend some social events, but disappear entirely from “high society” when they’re 18. When they become Spectre, it’s kinda a big deal in certain circles. I think the average person doesn’t give a shit. They’re like first human Spectre? Okay? And? But for those who do keep track of that kind of thing, it’s like woah. One of those Shepard-Maté’s? Some people are cynical about it when they find out from which family Ever’s from. Seeing it as further proof of the deep rot and corruption in politics.

I wonder if there would be a bit of a media blackout in the sense that no media approaches them during active war. Just for security reasons idk. I think Udina would get the interviews during wartime. The military refuses to answer journalist calls.

After the war ends, they’re free game. And public opinion of Ever grows a little as the “hero of the galaxy”, but fades away again as peace reigns. Ever retires happy and mostly unknown except in the upper echelons of society, which they dislike.

They restart their tutoring youtube, and some dedicated fans manage to make the connection between them and The Commander. That causes a little bit of a buzz given their several million followers, but most people don’t care lol

17. Have they done any interviews? How did the first one go? And the most recent?

Yes! And it went very well. They’re very charming when they want to be, and know how to appear favorably to a crowd. They also know how to be careful with their words that someone with malicious intentions could twist. Their first interview was probably a small thing, very little fanfare, after becoming the first Spectre and everyone wants to know all about them. They came outta nowhere given that most of the military history is redacted.

Their most recent is probably their last. It’s after the war ends, and they have a bit of fun with it. They’re a little silly and weird, they no longer give a shit about their public image. They’re happy and don’t care who knows it.

39. What would Ever say are their flaws?

I asked them and they straight up said: “flaws? What flaws? 🙂 oh, well if I must…. I cannot cook 😔”

But in a soft, hushed conversation with someone they love, they’d admit that they struggle with knowing how to be a good person. As for the struggles with opening up to people, that’s something they’ve been working on.

[fluffypotatey]

Do you have any OCs or fics?

YES!!! yes i do :D you can find my fics here (and i do have a link in my bio if you happen to lost this one) i've written a lot for lmk and bbc merlin with some other fandom fics like teen wolf

with my OCs idk how many i have in total, but i'll list them in order fo creation :)

Malifer - president and leader of the Operation Merthur organization that the Camelot servants came up with as a joke which later spiraled out of their hands (we also have Charlie, and honorable mention but i don't have much to say about him). i would like to include cameos of Malifer with my other bbc merlin wips bc he was so much fun to write all those years ago

Nessa - my bbc merlin OC who is my excuse to give Merlin a sorcerer friend in the show and maybe shake up the plot as she tries to fulfill her own private agenda. maybe even have something gay with morgana idk i considered it. i am currently writing a fic for her (it's going slow ;-; my fault tho bc i keep getting new wip ideas)

Lucy & Nikolas (aka, Lucky) - my beloved oc blorbos, they are so messy and codependent, they have so many issues but none of it will ever hinder their relationship. they met when Nick was trying to pickpocket Lucy and she caught him. they are originally OCs for a batfamily fic i wrote, but i love them too much that i keep recycling them in different stories and scenarios (they're in a teen wolf au, a pirate au, a lockwood & co au, they're mobsters.....i also included them in my lmk tournament au bc i can). i just can't let them go

Kairi & Rachel - they are companion characters to Lucky but more on the side. sometimes i include them in the recycling. sometimes not, but they're fun :D actually they heavily influence the next OCs lol (especially Kairi bc she's the 1st grim reaper i wrote)

Tiffany, Adalaide, Xion, Nathaniel - this lovely quartet are a part of an original story i am in the works of creating (it's very slow tho lmao i started writing them in 2021) which is a historical fantasy with magic and paladins and grim reapers. it's a story about sisters, wars, duty, and free will-- i'm writing some of it for my creative writing class, so it's been fun fleshing them out!

Squires of the Round Table (SotRT) - basically what their title says, these are OC who are the squires of the Arthurian Round Table knights (more specifically, the Round Table knights of bbc merlin). these lovely guys were birthed through an ask i received and it spiraled from there. they are also who i'm referencing in my askbox lol

Húang Júhua (黄菊花)- my lmk OC of whom has a tag here on my blog with all things related to her. she was created as a means to explore swk's character in the show and his attitude towards her longevity (hence, reaper) i also thought it would be ironic if one of his closest friends was the personification of Death given how much he tried to escape it in his youth.

Xié Líng (谢灵) - the companion character to Júhua bc they are two halves of a whole, 2 sides of the same coin, a pair that represent the total concept of death. they are the White Reaper, carrier of the good and neutral souls who lived their lives as peaceful as they could.

Hamlin - he's a companion character for my quartet. he is, to put it simply, one of the most brushed off characters. he's a blacksmith who owns his forge on the skirt of a citadel i haven't named yet and is a total sweetheart with a heart of gold. i originally created him as a plot device to illustrate how homesick Adelaide was, but then i grew attached to the guy

and....i think that covers most of them? at least the ones that have names. so yeah *jazz hands*

[bleachbleachbleach]

This week I drove out to the house I’ll be moving into later this summer so I could pick up the keys, measure things, clean, etc. This entailed 11 straight hours listening to the same one CD and having blorbo time in my head and then 10 hours on the way home utterly incapable of doing that. (Big sigh.) But since I didn’t have Wifi and tried to limit my hotspotting/data usage to actual work projects, I finally had nothing better to do than transcribe all that handwritten fanfic I deluged at the end of last year.

This took way longer than I thought it would, because apparently it was 10,000 words of handwritten fanfic!! Who knew??? Not me! Half of which is not good but half of which is decent--and, thankfully, almost none of which was a surprise to me. There are little things the story has grown out of or moved beyond (I’ve just been writing shit straight into the outline in my Notes app), and one brief scene of Rukia getting called to Captain Kyouraku’s office and not knowing why and instantly thinking: What if they’ve found a replacement for Ukitake -> Shit what if it’s Renji -> Not that there’s anything wrong with Renji -> There are negative things wrong with Renji -> oh that would be terrible though -> but we’re good at working together -> even though Byakuya has noted that our “proportions of ribaldry to strategy” seemed uneven -> that was more of an observation than a critique though -> Renji would be the best option. Also the worst option -> I don’t want anything to change -> Ukitake is already dead. it already has. -- that I had definitely forgotten about.

Between the handwritten pages and my “this used to be an outline and now it’s a mutant” Note, I am somehow 20,000 words into this, so I’ve taken the liberty of graduating it to a Google Doc. Because wow, there is absolutely no reason I should be entrusting Apple’s Notes app with all of that. So I guess I’ve officially started writing this thing!!

I’m hoping to put some real time into this this summer, but given that it took me A MONTH AND A HALF to write Hitsugaya and Orihime *going to the store* I feel like it could be 2028 before I actually finish, particularly re: the move (new house, new state, new job... same overstimulated overwhelm).

Also, as an outgrowth of the “no Wifi” situation, I started a new Fire Emblem game. Well, it’s an old Fire Emblem game, LOL. It’s new to me. As my birthday gift, my sister lent me her 3DS. I have not owned a gaming system in like 15 years, and I am pleased/appalled to announce that I got IMMEDIATELY sucked in with little to no hope of ever being spit back out. IF IT’S NOT A TURN-BASED STRATEGY RPG THEN I DON’T CARE ABOUT IT. 

On the other hand, when I turned the game on, this was the first thing I saw:

MY SISTER????? NAMED HER TACTICIAN. 

AIZEN.

(Unfortunately, she hasn’t played this game in many years, and has no memory of having done this, and so could not explain. But in fairness, in the opening cutscene he does stab someone and leave them on the floor, so there is that similarity.)

[totodiletears]

Why you should read The Serpent Gates duology by A. K. Larkwood

Or: if I'm going to complain about how people haven't read this enough to create a fanfic scene, I should at least explain why it's worth reading

This duology consists of The Unspoken Name and its sequel The Thousand Eyes. It's a fantasy taking place in a world composed of several worlds, connected by gates which take you to a place called "the Maze" where you can travel between worlds. You can even risk visiting dead worlds, worlds devoid of life and slowly being reclaimed by the Maze. And that's not going into the history of this place. The basic gist without spoiling important plot details: there used to be a race of giant snakes running a multiple world empire, but they, their world, and their goddess are dead now.

But who cares about the setting and lore and shit? We've got CHARACTERS! There's a decent-sized cast here, but there are three characters in particular who across the duology get plenty of POV time and good proper character arcs.

Also none of these three characters are straight. I feel like this is worth emphasizing: these characters are queer as all hell.

Csorwe: most important in book one, where she gets the privilege of being the protagonist. Her character arc is pretty well completed by the end of that book. Her background is pretty well described in The Unspoken Name's tagline, "Priestess. Assassin. Traitor." She grew up in what was effectively a death cult, where she was given the role as the Chosen Bride who would be sacrificed to a death god when she was 14. When the time for her sacrifice came, she instead turns against her faith and runs away with a visiting mage named Sethennai and grows into his right hand. Oh, did I mention she's an awesome butch orc? She is. Total blorbo material too. By the end of The Unspoken Name I was so proud of her. You GO, girl!

Talasseres Charossa: usually referred to as Tal. Your first impression of this guy is he kind of sucks. Much of this is because you're seeing him through Csorwe's eyes. Her first impression of him was pretty terrible, and after that they spent years both working for Sethennai and competing for his praise. This setup does not lead to a good working relationship. But let's be fair, we can't blame entirely blame Csorwe for this impression. Tal's a mess. He doesn't care about a darn thing besides pleasing Sethennai, and he's an ass to everybody else. But it's okay, because he undergoes CHARACTER GROWTH!!! Even just finishing the first book is enough to make you way more positive toward him, and the second book? Hoo boy. Did I say I was proud of Csorwe? Fuck that. As of The Thousand Eyes, Tal's the one I'm proud of.

Qanwa Shuthmili: a mage with a passion for historical research. She comes from Qarsazh, a place where magic is seen as evil. Magic comes from patron gods, which god depending on where the mage came from, and in Qarsazh this god is a feared god indeed. For this reason, those born with the ability to use magic are either killed or forced to live very strict lives. Their lives aren't considered their own at all: they may only live to serve Qarsazh in the way Qarsazh demands. Shuthmili insists the future set in front of her is fine and exactly what she wants, but is it really? Talking about Shuthmili is kind of hard because, while she sure is an important part of the first book, she moves to a protagonist role in The Thousand Eyes so a lot of development is saved until then.

Look I really adore these characters and I think everybody should give them a chance. Also a warning: there are times things look very, very bad for them. Bad enough it might seem hopeless. When that happens, keep going. Just keep fuckin reading. The characters aren't giving up, so why should you?