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group-oc-tournament · 5 months

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Round 1 - Match 19

Cursed Crew

(@redwineflowers)

Consisting of Alchemy Matheus Iritolva, Frenchie Lurette Delvado, Elanor Verna Alindis, Jack Wilfred Brevin and Callum Runar Mornicavi.

Who are They?

In a fantasy/steampunk esque world, 5 various flavors of criminals are forced to work together as a team, because they were all hired for an impossible heist. The heist goes horribly wrong, they realize the person who hired them is screwy and then they all decide to overthrow the government :) and despite being very different and untrusting of eachother, they grow very close and become best friends. They are also very messed up in one way or another. Now it's time to meet the crew ! Frenchie - 23 - she/they : A very good seamstress who works for nobles, incredibly sneaky. She is always listening in on conversation and is able to spy extremely well. She's seen way to much. A girlboss and probably the most level headed of the bunch. She used to date Alchemy, but they broke up due to the fact they had literally no romantic tension. The best thief, she can pickpocket almost anything, gathers info, tells everyone to shut up, and she makes sure they don't fall apart. Alchemy - 23 - she/he/they : A wizard, but not really, she just scammed her way into being apart of a council of magic by doing illusions and literally putting on "magic" shows. he can't actually do magic. He however can shoot guns and is also very good at working with magic and building things. They make their own guns and also bombs. Sharpshooter, demolitions expert, and professional charmer. Elanor - 22 - they/them : A very skilled fighter, especially with battleaxes. They were kicked out of their academy due to many accidental violent incidents. They don't blink much. They have a head in the clouds look to them and always sorta look like they're up to something, even if they aren't, it's just their face, I promise they're nice. The muscle, also is very good at scheming, even if their plans backfire sometimes, specifically they are good at coming up with combat plans. Jack - 19 - he/him : A student who got into a prestigious academy on a scholarship, but himself and his ideas weren't very well received and he ended up dropping out because of constant mockery. He's perceived as very timid and soft spoken. He has social anixety, but he's actually one of the most unhinged and enjoyable people to be around. He's very good at picking locks and breaking into places, aswell as disarming things. He also is very good with chemicals and poisons and has killed a room full of people with toxic gas... Callum - 24 - he/they/it : An ex agent of light, which is basically a secret service that works for the council that oversees the kingdom. He deserted because the council sucked and he disagreed with almost everything they did. Can kill you, but probably won't because it's very tired. They have an office job now, but left it to join this impossible heist. Office jobs are boring, heists are fun. The mastermind, knows how to have get each members strength to work with the others, he gets mad easily, but it's that calm terrifying rage. He's very protective of his crew, but he wont tell them that.

The Owl Gang

(@cliban, @radioactive-dragonlover, @wiz4rdtower, @citruslllad)

Consisting of Morise, Superbia, Somnus and Illuvies.

Who are They?

Imagine a sinister alien oligarchy but they're also the most toxic gay friend group you've ever met! Morise (they/them) is a ruthless dictator more interested in evil science than overseeing their outpost. They're a closeted theatre kid dragged into the friend group by virtue of everyone else being a theatre kid - They feel severely annoyed by interacting with the Owl Gang (But secretly will Always commit to the bit). Superbia's malewife (genderneutral). Superbia (she/her) is a bombastic and egotistical woman who does whatever she pleases with little to no regards for others. The kind of woman who calls you "darling" with a tone so sweet it feels like honey dripping from her mouth, but in a bad way. She adores messing with people and manipulating them with her charm and wits. She's surprisingly a tender, kind, and passionate lover, especially when it comes to her partner Morise, who she loves very much. Somnus (she/it) is a drowsy has-been who can only be dragged out of her lair by the promise of novelty. She's motivated solely by boredom, malice, or hunger, and hangs out with her friend Illuvies because of their shared love for doing bits. Depending on the day, her energy levels generally hover somewhere between "cat taking a nap in a sunbeam" and "sloth on half a Valium" Illuvies (he/him) is gay but in a misogynistic way. Tormented a toddler, severed numerous limbs and betrayed both sides of a war multiple times. A mole, a rat and a bitch all in one.

#poll #round 1 #match 19 #The Owl Gang #Cursed Crew

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blackestnight · 2 years

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ttrpg directory

since it’s been over two years since i last did one of these, below the cut you will find all my current (regular) tabletop characters (for those who find such things interesting):

starfinder

starmistress britta makee (NG human solarian), the sometimes-captain of the outland ranger, flagship of the dreaded space pirates known as the reapers. she’s actually an npc i took over after my soldier died (praise be, playing a melee-only soldier in starfinder is so fucking boring) so i didn’t make britta myself. she’s the crown princess from a planet that, due to some fucky radiation shit, produces a lot of insanely high-level witchwarpers, but she didn’t want to be one herself so she sat in a magic chair that made her a jedi. then she was kidnapped and trafficked to be sold as a slave, at which point the intrepid party rescued her (and my poor brave soldier perished while defending her, rest in pieces). because she comes from a low-tech, high-magic planet she...actually doesn’t know what a starship is. or a computer. which is not ideal for this setting. but she makes do, especially because she has a really fancy magic knife.

currently, britta and the reapers have been commissioned as privateers by a deposed emperor to overthrow his sister, the empress, by terrorizing the colony planets and telling them that the former emperor is the only one who can offer protection from the Big Scary Pirates; in the process we’ve also taken bounties from his sister the empress, the presidents of two colony planets, and the pirate king to bring in these other pirates who were terrorizing the colony planets, but we’re planning to fake their deaths and hire them as part of our crew instead. we’re double-crossing like six people. if this works we’ll be gods.

pathfinder 2e

electra godstongue (NG half-elf oracle of flames): she’s still around and kickin’! the circus is going strong, although at the moment they’re on a performing hiatus because some pterodactyls ate part of our tent, which was incredibly rude of them, honestly. in the meantime we’re helping to defend a small town that’s under siege by some big lizard dudes who ride dinosaurs. as a part of that we went spelunking in some sea caves, where we might end up going toe-to-toe with a great old one. so. that’s fine. also, if the campaign ends up where i think it’s going, we might literally become gods.

electra also holds the current record at our table for the highest damage number from a single turn of combat: seven zombies, a seventh-level sunburst spell, and some especially generous dice resulted in a whopping 959 damage. our two healers also had the same spell (16d10 against undead!) and we cleared out the entire room in three turns.

gwenllian (NG human witch), and her raven familiar, sir richard campbell gansey iii. yes i did steal their names from the raven cycle. she’s a new character, created for a mini-campaign, and she’s in charge of party healing despite being...not a healer. if you come to her asking to get your wounds patched up, she’ll rub some dirt on it—literally. but it’s magic dirt, so it works.

she’s a little bit feral, keeps sticking random twigs in her pockets, and no one can figure out if she’s actually just a druid who thinks she’s a witch, but she brews good potions and she’s brave and/or stupid enough to volunteer to sneak into an orc stronghold and assassinate their king, so she’ll work! (even if she does talk to her raven a lot. but also, the raven talks back, or so says the actual druid, who claims to be able to understand him. she and the druid are the only party members who speak sylvan.)

álmos szarka (CN half-elf thaumaturge): another new character, this time for society play! they’ll be debuting this weekend. they’re definitely a traveling wizard* who’s selling 100% authentic talismans** and who you should definitely give your money to***. also, álmos is their government name, but if that’s too hard to remember they’ll happily answer to dream. (not actually related to sandman.) they’re a member of the vigilant seal faction of the pathfinders, so they’re mostly dedicated to tracking down and sealing away or destroying dangerous magical artifacts and creatures; being from irrisen, which has been ruled by winter witches for the last fourteen centuries, they’re appropriately wary of anything magic. despite that, it seems like no matter what they come across, they have the perfect piece of cold iron or saint’s knucklebone or spell scroll to counter it tucked away somewhere in their voluminous coat.

also they’re the Lore Guy, despite having an intelligence of +0. they roll charisma for their lore. they’re full of shit, basically, but really good at convincing you they know what they’re talking about.

*not a wizard **not authentic ***don’t.

#cyan's ttrpg adventures #journal

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jingerhead · 2 years

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original story you say 👀👀

(aka pls give us an info dump)

Omg uhh, well there is a LOT to this thing, so hopefully this isn't that confusing PF.

This whole thing is a bit difficult to explain because there is a LOT of history that leads up to current events. There are also a lot of characters sjsjs but basically, current events of the story is that some magical creatures have joined forces to overthrow the human government, but the whole thing is very messy because there is more than two sides. The main characters have to choose one of many sides or create their own in response to this, as well as figure out where their loyalties lie.

So, the basic premise of my original story is an urban fantasy with an original world comprising of many kingdoms/countries. I originally got the idea to make this because I don't believe it's possible that a world of magic could exist without regular people noticing it, so I wanted to kind of explore what an urban fantasy world would be like if the magical world was mixed with the human world. There's obviously a lot of tension that goes with that, because there comes a point when humans suddenly go, "oh shit, these people could wipe us out 'cause they have MAGIC. We gotta do something about that!"

To solve this problem, humans attempt to rule over magical creatures, which obviously doesn't go over very well. There's a lot of fights and constant tension between the two groups, and the biggest conflict between them is when the actual story takes place.

Another thing I wanted to do with this was write it from the POV of someone who, in any other story, would've been a side character. Someone who has no relation to the antagonist other than the antagonist did something horrible to them in the past. I also didn't want to make my main character likable at first, leaving lots of room for character development.

This whole thing is a bit difficult to explain because there is a LOT of history that leads up to current events. There are also a lot of characters sjsjs but basically, current events of the story is that some magical creatures have joined forces to overthrow the human government, but the whole thing is very messy because there are more than two sides. The main characters have to choose one of many sides or create their own in response to this, as well as figure out where their loyalties lie.

There are humans, dragons, wizards/witches/mages, unicorns, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, Mothman, demons, centaurs, and a LOT more! The main character is part of a group called 'The Guardians', those meant to be peace keepers between humans and magical creatures that ended up becoming a secret police force working for the humans. He has the biggest development, most significant choices to make, a tragic backstory and more. If you want to know about some of my OCs, you can check them out in this post and this post!

I have the entire thing plotted out and I know exactly what I want to do, but now I have to actually WRITE it which is honestly the hardest part PF. I've been working on this thing for about 5 years now? It's changed A LOT but I really like how it's turned out so far. Who doesn't want to read about a queer found family overthrowing the government and kicking ass PF.

#jinger answers #jinger's ocs #jinger's works

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dramioneasks · 2 years

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Hi, really love this page. I enjoy scrolling through all your tags, really love how organized it is. 🤍 also, I was wondering if you guys know any fics where Draco defeats or is prophesied to defeat Voldemort? I've read The Iron Sky and wanted to know if there are other fics like it. Thanks! 💚

Shattered Trust - Victory By: cleotheo - M, 18 chapters - With the truth about Hermione’s fake death out in the open, her captors are languishing in Azkaban and The Dark Lord is taking control of Wizarding Britain. But Hermione and Draco aren’t done fighting, and they will do whatever it takes to have their happy ever after. Fourth and final part of a four part story.

From the Other Sideby Shananigans10 - M, 34 chapters - Hermione’s safe at Grimmauld Place until a changing Order makes her question everything she’s ever been told about the, so called, darkest wizard of their time. Dark!Hermione(somewhat), OOC Characters, Non-con, Anti!Harry(somewhat), Anti!Ron, Anti!Order, EWE?, Only compatible up to GoF. Powerful!Hermione, Powerful!Draco, Torture, Angst, Dramione

Draconian - hepburnettes - not rated, 54 chapters - Draco Malfoy is Voldemort’s head Death-Eater, and Hermione Granger holds the key to his redemption. Together, they have to find a way to end the war in a world governed by draconian laws.

The Ring by Trinkisme - T, 4 chapters - A ring. A gift from the heavens. For such a time as this.

The Last, Lost Hope by Delancey654 - M, 62 chapters - When all hope is lost, what would you do to survive? Neville Longbottom becomes a Death Eater. Hermione Granger accepts Draco Malfoy’s protection and he accepts her help. Theo Nott joins the remnants of the Order of the Phoenix. Ginny Weasley fills Bellatrix’s shoes, while her brother Percy toils as a bureaucrat. And all of them have a role to play in overthrowing Voldemort.

-Lisa

#anonymous #prophecies #draco: powerful #au

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theoriginalcarnivorousmuffin · 4 years

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How do you think the wizarding world would turn out with Hermione as Minister for Magic?

I mean, the Wizarding World’s already a horrifying dystopia so I’m not really sure it’d get any worse, but I also don’t think it’d really get any better. Just... different.

So, first off, my thoughts on the end of the last book.

The gang hasn’t solved shit.

Voldemort’s gone, sure, but all the underlying causes that made Voldemort are most definitely not. Things may calm down for a while because everyone’s a little shell-shocked by what happened but the attitude towards muggleborns isn’t any better, the rights for muggleborns aren’t any better, all the old families still hold all the power in the country via the Wizengamot, the ministry’s still lousy with both incompetence and corruption, and there’s still rampant racism everywhere you look.

Part of Dumbledore’s trouble is he’s an extreme believer in the great men theory of history. History is pushed forward by exceptional individuals who are able to turn the wheels of fate and pull thousands along with them. War erupted for Dumbledore because of Gellert’s ambitions, not because of rampant racism in Wizarding Europe and the increasing consequences of isolationism. Voldemort’s guerilla warfare was spurred on only by Voldemort himself rather than Tom Riddle taking advantage of deep societal issues in Britain.

To Dumbledore, Gellert and Voldemort have little to do with each other besides being Dark Lords. To him the first war ended and decades later for completely unrelated reasons trouble with Voldemort begin. He does not see that it’s the same fight, the same exact underlying causes, and that nothing has been solved. To Dumbledore, all they have to do is murder Tom Riddle and we shall finally have world peace.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and a large proportion of the fandom easily accept this view.

Meanwhile, I’m laughing.

So, with that, Hermione gets elected minister.

First, I do think in some regards she’d do a very good job. She’s a control freak who thinks she knows better than everyone, but she can’t be bought and she’d do very well at reforming the ministry itself to make things run smoothly.

However, I imagine she’d immediately give into rank nepotism. She’d fire those she dislikes immediately and fill key positions with old friends, relatives of old friends, people who remind her of herself, etc. and see absolutely nothing wrong with this.

That said, I imagine the wizarding world has always been filled with rank nepotism, so this isn’t exactly news. However, it’s a little bad that Hermione the reformist would do it immediately without a second thought because who would let Draco Malfoy work in the government?

I imagine she’d also get... worryingly ambitious and essentially overthrow the government.

I can easily see Hermione getting rid of the Wizengamot. The entire thing represents a very non-democratic, traditionalist, outdated system of government to her in which old men from old families decide all their laws. Now, if Hermione tried to get rid of it in one fell swoop she’d probably immediately be voted out of office so I imagine she’d be very clever.

First, Hermione would make herself indispensable and basically make it unthinkable to vote for anyone but Minister Granger. And yes, I can see Hermione eventually enacting a Minister for Life bill because ain’t nobody better at the job than Hermione so why should anyone else ever have the job?

Slowly, she’d get rid of the lords holding the Wizengamot seats. She’d use real crimes for a lot of them, as we have those who did fund the Death Eater terrorist organization, but some of them would have crimes that are more... that they happen to have been born wealthy lords.

If troubles start up again in the meantime then I imagine Hermione would use that to bolster her hold on her power even more so and make arrests left and right. Trials would still happen, but the outcomes would be clear and brutal, and Hermione would do everything in her righteous power to eliminate what she sees as the dregs of British society.

Not to say she wouldn’t do good things. I imagine creature rights would make a huge improvement with her. She’d probably finally find a way to free the house elves and probably make the wizarding families pay reparations. I imagine there’d be laws to prevent child abuse and to make wizard orphans wards of the state with official wizarding orphanages or else foster homes.

Hermione would do a lot of good things that should have been done ages ago.

However, her enemies would suddenly find themselves without voice or recourse and then would disappear altogether. Then, anyone who dares speak out against her, racist traditionalist or not would also become her enemy. Pureblood children would be encouraged to snitch on their parents and neighbors, the adults then sent to wizard gulags (because Azkaban is so out dated, we can have the prisoners work and benefit society while the dementors also stand guard).

Well... I guess on Hermione’s quest to dictator for life/Wizard Stalin things do get worse. But hey, we did free the house elves.

#ask #anon #harry potter #head canons #hermione granger #epilogue #hermione granger as president for life

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sitp-recs · 3 years

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Do you have any Drarry fics where a house elf is involved? Like Mitzi knows Best? Thank you.

Hi anon! I’m sorry this took me so long to reply. I’ve read a few but couldn’t remember all titles, so here’s just a few that came to mind. I hope you enjoy them!

The Trial by @parkkate (2020, Teen and Up, 4k)

In which Harry speaks at Draco's trial, they have an awkward tea party and a pushy house-elf is Draco's wingman.

But no Man moved Me – till the Tide by @aibidil (2017, Explicit, 7k)

Harry bursts into Draco's office one morning and drags him away for an impromptu beach holiday. Draco knows something's happened, and wonders if Harry will open up to him. Featuring a Muggle bed and breakfast, wizards at the beach, Draco's house-elf who loves Harry, Muggle paperbacks, and the scary and exhilarating feeling of complete freedom and possibility.

Dancing the Mooncalf Quadrille by khalulu (2019, General, 8k)

Harry wanders and is not lost, Draco becomes both healer and healed, as the Manor is turned into a sanctuary for animals injured or left homeless by the war. Also, a house-elf choreographs water ballet. And the immortal question: was that the sting of a Billywig, or was it Cupid’s arrow?

Statues Crumble by @xanthippe74 and @fictional (2022, T, 13.6k)

Between one war and the next, Draco has lost his parents, his home, and his menial Ministry job. All he has left is the secret (and anonymous) work he does to help Harry Potter overthrow another government—oh, and that statue he stole from the Ministry Atrium.

Sex and the Art of Castle Maintenance by birdsofshore (2018, Explicit, 15k)

“Come on, boys," Zabini drawled. "You’re only delaying the inevitable."

Trouble always had a way of finding Harry, and eighth year was obviously going to be no exception.

Fata Morgana by @icmezzo (2014, Mature, 16k)

“It’s only a mirage,” they tell Draco (and Pepper). “You must be imagining,” they dismiss him in turn. But Draco Malfoy is certain that something is out there, and, come hell or Harry Potter, he’ll find out. He will. Contains: Dragons, mirages, and Arthurian legends. Also a recalcitrant crup and a house-elf on a tricycle. (I honestly don’t know how these things happen.)

Draco Malfoy, King of the House Elves by Dolimir (2011, General, 17k)

After the war, Draco finds his own path toward redemption, with a little help from his major domo.

The Courting by the Pureblood Who Only Has Five Milligrams of Romantic Intelligence and Thinks He’s Real Smooth by @cibeewastaken (2020, Teen and Up, 19k)

Draco could grab Potter and shove him into a stall before proceeding to suck his soul out of his dick, but secretly, deep down, in the part of Draco that he will never admit to anyone, he is (everyone pauses to shudder) a romantic. Potter is not someone Draco wants a one-off with. Potter is — Draco’s beloved! So Draco decides to boldly go where no one has gone before: to put himself through scrutiny; their friends’ teasing and pranks; unsound romantic advice from a house-elf; wearing pretty clothes; all to try and win Potter’s heart through courtship.

House Proud by astolat (2016, Mature, 23k)

His house liked Draco Malfoy more than him.

Tell Me the End at the Beginning by @harryromper (2018, Teen and Up, 36k)

St Mungo’s is the last place anyone wants to spend the festive season. Harry finds himself there anyway. Or: Harry's an Auror suspended from duty, Malfoy's wearing the hell out of three-piece suits, Hermione is entirely over everything, and Kreacher just wants to be left alone to decorate for Christmas. A 25 Days of Draco and Harry story.

Nero su bianco by @zuzallove (2018, Explicit, 40k)

September 1997. Hogwarts is under the regime of Voldemort and the Carrows. Finding himself alienated by both his friends and his supposed enemies, Draco puts quill to parchment, and writes letters. He addresses them to the only person he can think of, as Hogwarts rapidly falls into chaos and ruin: Harry Potter. He goes to great lengths to ensure the letters are never discovered, and he’s pretty certain he’s done a great job. Until the day of his trial.

Adventures of a Suicidal Gentleman by GallaPlacidia (2020, Not Rated, 47k)

Draco wants to kill himself, but he's trying not to be dramatic about it. Harry wants to sleep with Draco, but he's trying not to be obvious about it. Misunderstandings! Pining! Grief! Self-loathing but in a kind of charming way? Feat. Misty the house elf who takes shit from no one, an Astoria who has her own mysterious aims, a Draco who is determined to use humour to get through things, and a Harry doesn't know what he wants, except maybe to touch Draco's pretty face.

That Old Black Magic by @bixgirl1 (2019, Explicit, 77k)

Centuries ago, marriage contracts were the norm — ready-made alliances between families, expected and complied with, without complaint. But norms have a way of changing, and when a long-dormant contract flares to life, Harry has to navigate an unexpected splintering of the path he'd thought would be easy after the war... with Draco Malfoy.

Burn The Witch by @lettersbyelise (2019, Explicit, 95k)

When Harry Potter is sent in to investigate Draco Malfoy’s successful potions company, posing as Draco’s bodyguard, he doesn’t know the case will launch a series of events that will change his life — and Draco’s. A story about choices, scars, Chopin piano pieces, and finding all kinds of love in the most unexpected places.

Can't Afford to Fall by @p1013 (2020, Explicit, 100k)

Draco's been the potions master at Hogwarts for four years. At the beginning of his fifth year, everything looks like it'll be smooth sailing. That is, until the new Defense against the Dark Arts teacher arrives and throws all of Draco's well-considered plans out the window.

The Liars Department by @dorthyanndrarry (2020, T, 103k)

This is a story about Harry meeting up with Draco Malfoy four years after the war. And a story about Harry, well, not hating his job per say, but it's not like he has much to compare it to and it seemed fine. His whole life seemed fine. Then Malfoy came along with and his flashy suits and fast car making everything seem dull in comparison, and Harry... Harry couldn't just leave well enough alone.

Soup-pocalypse and The Great Curry Cataclysm by SquadOfCats (2018, Explicit, 104k)

Eleven years after the war, Draco Malfoy leads a quiet, boring, and perfectly respectable life, thanks very much. Or, at least he does, until a sudden and very unexpected veela awakening causes him to throw soup all over Harry Potter in the middle of the Ministry cafeteria.

What We Pretend We Can't See by @gyzym (2017, M, 131k)

Seven years out from the war, Harry learns the hard truth of old history: it’s never quite as far behind you as you thought.

#anon #asks #drarry reclist #house elves

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thecarnivorousmuffinmeta · 3 years

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October and the Alternate History of Europe

I recently got into a fascinating PM thread on FFnet with Njchrispatrick about the alternate history of Europe given the events in “October”. It is, in fact, so interesting to me that I asked permission to rephrase their discussion and post it here.

While I know my history better than most, I will be the first to admit I’m hardly an expert, and explained part of why an in depth focus on history was missing from “October” is that a) Tom lives in a very insular society and does not realize this about himself and is in for a very rude awakening now that he and Lily are off to Ubik b) because I am not ambitious enough to pretend I can rewrite the history of Europe (let alone the world) given the monstrously strange events in “October”.

While fascinating, it’s also not really the point of “October”, which deals more readily with the societal issues facing the wizarding world vs. this alternate world history.

Njchrispatrick gave a very nice, very in depth, look at Europe given the events of “October” and what be going on in the outside world (even consulting a history professor). Below is rephrased, paraphrased, and reordered a bit for cleanliness and cohesiveness (as this was over several PMs).

If the war ended in early Summer 1942 (based on when Azrael seemed to have intervened) then it was shortly after a string of victories that made it look like Germany would come out in front. This was over a year before Normandy and many believed WWII would have dragged into a war of attrition.

This was also after the Soviets offered a peace treaty signing off much of Ukraine and Belarus to Germany due to Stalin being very uncertain of Soviet victory, plus Vichy France (the puppet French government) had been well-established and the German stronghold in the West was powerful.

The Nazis hadn't accepted the treaty, but since that time Russia had been pushed even further back so they'd offer even more, So, although the war ended, certain events would still be heavily in Germany's favor and the post-war treaty would be more favorably pro-German (and although the Nazis are gone, many of the legitimate grievances of the German people, including several territorial claims, would remain).

Germany would definitely keep its pre-WW2 borders including Austria and the Sudetenland. With the might of Germany still present, and now led by conservative Prussia, there would be certain demands made

Given Germany's well-entrenched hold on France, Germany would likely only release them in exchange for keeping Alsace-Lorraine, the region it had held pre-WW1 since taking it from France in 1871. Poland would be forced to cede Danzig--or at least hold a referendum vote which would undoubtedly return them to Germany--and possible the other ex-German regions like Posen. Stalin would be forced to relinquish some territory in the Baltic, both due to Russia's losing at that point in time plus Britain and America not trusting him. Perhaps this would be requested by Germany as a trade for releasing Posen to Poland. The Netherlands and Belgium would go free but, again, I expect Germany to either keep Luxemburg or at least turn it into a "protectorate". Bohemia and Moravia, which were taken from Czechoslovakia, is trickier. Apparently, to be frank, Britain and France didn't care much about the smaller nations and were of the mind that smaller countries belonged under the control of stronger ones, and Germany had a vague claim on the region due to it being part of the Holy Roman Empire, the original German Empire (in case you don't know, the HRE was the First Reich, the German Empire was the Second Reich, and the Nazis named themselves the Third Reich as a result).

If the Nazis just vanish, I don't think a West-German democracy would emerge, at least not for a while.

There was actually a substantial part of the German government which disapproved of Hitler--more his foolish tactics than the antisemitism, sadly--and in the early 40's they attempted to overthrow him.

Had the Nazis vanished, Germany would've likely ended up with a Prussian military government--better than the Nazis but still not ideal.

A Prussian-led Germany would likely become a constitutional monarchy a bit like Britain. The Junkers (Prussian aristocracy) were deeply monarchic and favored a weak democracy, if any, and Germans weren't fans of democracy after the abysmal prior attempt.

Britain would allow it in order to bring stability in hopes of Germany standing against the Soviets, as well as the Kaiser's role being distinctly anti-Nazi. The only obstacle would be Churchill, who was unwilling to accept any surrender, but it’s unclear what he’d do. He would definitely oppose the growth of any German territory. The Kaiser would have some wartime power, but otherwise be not much stronger than the British royal family. This would come with the stipulation of Germany becoming at least mostly democratic.

The Nazis would likely be blamed on the southern Catholic mindset (since Hitler was Austrian and began his power grab in Bavaria) and there would have been a massive cultural crack-down on Southern Catholic and French ideals, similar to how Jews and Communists were scapegoated for the loss in WWI.

That said, with the war only being 3 years long and with the Nazis being purged, I imagine Hitler would be viewed as a strong leader who went too far and who united Germany but was a big racist. Somewhat like a worse Churchill.

He definitely shattered the German economy but they'd be able to stabilize faster than their neighbors.

The knowledge of the Final Solution would horrify people, but without it actually happening the sympathy would be lessened, plus many pro-Nazi people would see it as Allied propaganda. Germany in the 60's and 70's would likely be a conservative-leaning but highly advanced nation with one of the strongest economies on Earth, if not THE strongest.

Without the war to expand its influence, America would be a wealthy but culturally minor power similar to Japan in real-life.

I imagine post-WWII Germany would also be tolerated because there was still a lot of Soviet fear and a dominant, militaristic Germany was still better than the Soviets in the eyes of many, especially since pre-WWII France (the only other major continental player) was weak and post-WWII France was in tatters.

The Nazis would be gone, but fascism would probably remain as a legitimate government structure, since fascism was a French-created concept that was popular in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Belgium, and the US, to name a few. So while the Nazi branch of it would be gone, it wouldn't have been near-eradicated like today. And we'd definitely see a less liberal, still Euro-dominated world in the aftermath.

The Soviet Union would be much more brittle.

The USSR's success was highly attributed to its role in WWII, and a perceived loss (as this would be, since a peace treaty in 1942 would make everyone certain that Russia was about to lose) would tank Soviet support. This would make it much harder to spread into Eastern Europe--the Baltics, Poland, and the Balkans would be German-dominated and Russia would have a hard time breaking through. Either the Soviets would collapse, become a large but stagnant state that would eventually turn non-Communist, or would declare war on the post-war Germany and likely trigger a European coalition. Italy's only real request would've been north African colonial holdings and perhaps keeping Albania. They were a much less important Axis member but also hadn't faced any serious losses.

The funny thing is, I realized, is that the post-war world in your story is actually very much like what would have happened if Germany won WW1 - German domination of the European economy, a weakened Russia, an Eastern Europe basically puppets of Germany, and the return of the German Empire. The only difference is that the European colonial empire still probably would've collapsed.

Njchrispatrick also asked about the Japanese and Italian fronts and how much/when/how Azrael intervened there.

To be honest, it’s been so long since I’ve read it that I can’t honestly remember. It would be just like him to forget Japan though. Azrael is a good, but often shocking short sighted and flawed, man.

#world history #meta #headcanon #opinion #njchrispatrick #october

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 4 years

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Psycho Analysis: Dolores Umbridge

(WARNING! This analysis contains SPOILERS!)

Sometimes it’s not enough to have a villain. Sometimes, you have to have a character who is thoroughly, unrepentantly awful, someone so despicable the audience will root against them, guaranteed. These are hate sinks, characters that you sink your hate into. When executed well, these characters can be truly great, because they are just so horrendously evil that their ultimate comeuppance is overwhelmingly satisfying. And while she’s certainly no Huey Emmerich, Dolores Umbridge at least gets to take home the silver medal in characters you love to hate. And you will, without a doubt, hate her, for more reasons than you might realize.

Motivation/Goals: Umbridge is seemingly only motivated by her desire to keep whatever power she has. Whoever is in power, she serves unquestioningly, going above and beyond what anyone should. Her tenure as the Ministry-appointed Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher was filled with horrific violations of human rights, including her brutally torturing students, and keep in mind this was all done in an attempt to monitor the school because they thought Dumbledore was training an army of child soldiers to stage a coup and overthrow the Ministry by claiming Voldemort was back.

Later, when Death Eaters took over the Ministry, she would put her same cheerful energy into desecrating the dead body of Mad-Eye Moody and sentencing Muggleborns to have their souls sucked out. So, yes, she’s just the pinnacle of the unpleasant government drone who goes on a power trip and abuses those beneath her with impunity

Performance: While she certainly didn’t fit the description of the ugly, toadlike woman from the books, Imelda Staunton definitely showed that sometimes changes from the book are better than the original. By making Umbridge look like a kind, maternal figure she manages to project an outward air of sweetness and kindness; who exactly could think such a sweet-looking lady would be capable of such malice? It just makes the fact that she invented a blood pen torture device for use on students and that she can wear a piece of the soul of the most evil wizard to ever live around her neck with no ill effects all the more horrifying. Staunton absolutely kills it in the role, and even manages to make Umbridge a bit more cunning and competent than her book version in small ways while still keeping the smug, sickeningly sweet condescension that we all love to hate.

Final Fate: Umbridge, like any good hate sink, gets only the most brutal of comeuppances her way. In Order of the Phoenix, Hermione leads her into the Forbidden Forest; in the books, Harry explicitly mentally notes Hermione is unknowingly bumbling her way into Aragog’s den, but in both versions they are accosted by centaurs, and when Umbridge tries to assert her authority over them, they drag her off kicking and screaming. If you know anything about centaurs in mythology, you can probably imagine what they did to her, but mercifully neither book nor film spells it out. The sad thing is, she not only survives this, but she gets to retain her position in the Ministry, which pisses Harry off to no end when he finds out.

Fortunately, her good luck runs out in the final book and film. While in the book she’s merely knocked out of the story when the gang goes to retrieve Voldemort’s locket, and she would only be revealed after the story concluded to have been sentenced to life in Azkaban for her role in sentencing Muggleborns to death, in the movie it’s heavily implied that the Dementors she had been holding off sucked her soul out when Harry broke her concentration. I hate to imagine how her soul must have tasted, but really, it’s what she deserved.

Best Scene: I don’t think her best scene is even necessarily HER scene, but a scene in which she gets some sweet, sweet karma: Fred and George’s glorious escape from her nightmarish Hogwarts, a moment so awesome even Professor Flitwick pumps his fist from the sheer righteousness of the Weasley twin’s magnificent getaway.

Best Quote: Looking through her quotes, during one of her exchanges with McGonagall she drops this line: “I am sorry dear, but to question my practices is to question the Ministry and, by extension, the Minister himself. I am a tolerant woman, but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty.” Now this line is already chilling on its own, but taking into account some recent developments, in which Umbridge’s creator, a woman who has a skewed idea of ‘tolerance,’ has been quick to label anyone who dare criticize her toxic views as a misogynist… the line has become disturbingly relevant.

Final Thoughts & Score: Dolores Umbridge is such a very real, very chilling kind of evil, and ultimately this is what makes her so effective. I think most of us have been in a position where a seemingly kind person in a position of power abuses their authority with a smile, and most of us have likely had an extremely rotten, unpleasant teacher. There is just something infinitely relatable to the experiences the students go through in the books.

But I think what truly cements Umbridge as one of the most disgusting and evil characters in a franchise which includes Sniveling Backstabbing Rat Man, Literally Insane Fascist Torture Fetishist, Pedophile Cannibal Werewolf, and at least two wizards who are Literally Hitler, and what ultimately helps her stand out is that she projects this air of kindness and sweetness, that she puts on this mask of being kind, agreeable, and friendly… and then she goes and uses her power to sentence innocent people to death. She has the demeanor of an angel with the heart of a devil, and while this alone makes her such an enjoyably detestable character, what helps her stand the test of time is that she really also holds up well as a criticism of J.K. Rowling herself.

Rowling put forth this sweet, motherly identity for years, this kind older woman who cared about the plight of the LGBT+ community, strived for diversity and inclusiveness, and donated so much of her fortune to charity… and then, on Twitter, she began slowly but surely showing cracks in the sweet facade. A tweet here, a comment there… and soon enough, Rowling had outed herself as one of the most disgusting things a person can be: a trans-exclusionary radical feminist. It certainly was not intentional on her part, but there is some sick humor in the fact that the woman who identified so heavily with Hermione, the girl who fought for the freedom of the oppressed with every fiber of her being, ultimately ended up being more like the oppressive, fascist monster with a sweet face.

Umbridge is an easy 10/10. She’s not nearly as fantastical as the other enemies in the series despite being a witch like they are, but her evil is so much more down to earth and relatable… even more so because she disturbingly reflects the attitudes and personality of her creator. Combine that with Imelda Stauntons incredible performance and, well, what other score could I possibly give her? She’s second only to Huey Emmerich in the hate sink department. I think Stepehn King put it best:

“The gently smiling Dolores Umbridge, with her girlish voice, toadlike face, and clutching, stubby fingers, is the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter. One needn’t be a child to remember The Really Scary Teacher, the one who terrified us so badly that we dreaded the walk to school in the morning, and we turn the pages partly in fervent hopes that she will get her comeuppance… but also in growing fear of what she will get up to next. For surely a teacher capable of banning Harry Potter from playing Quidditch is capable of anything.”

Oh, and one more thing: fuck Huey.

#Psycho Analysis #Dolores Umbridge #Harry Potter #Order of the Phoenix #j.k. rowling

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littlemisssquiggles · 5 years

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RWBY Musings #71: Golden Boy. Imagine if…Oscar gains the power to control the Winged Beringels created by Salem?

Since folks are enjoying my Dark Domain Arc musing ideas, let’s keep the ball rolling with this third instalment in my series. I was doing a bit of research on the Wizard of Oz tale in terms of its plot. Those of you who are more familiar with the classic story might remember an artifact called the Golden Cap. Those of you unfamiliar with the Wizard of Oz might ask what this is. Allow me to tell you the story:

According to the Wikipedia, the winged monkeys originally started out as free creatures not living in the jungles within the Land of Oz. They were a rather carefree bunch and were also quite mischievous by nature. One day, the King of the winged monkeys pulled a prank and tossed a richly dressed man into a deep river, ruining his handsome costume of velvet. The man, whose name was Quelala was good-natured and did not mind the prank. However, his fiancée, Princess Gayelette was infuriated by the prank because the day the monkeys played the prank just so happened to be the same day of Quelala and Gayelette’s royal wedding. In Oz, Gayelette had ruled Oz’s northern quadrant, called the Gillikin Country and lived in a small palace made of rubes. Princess Gayelette had also practiced real magic and was sorceress in her own right. As punishment for their prank, Gayelette cursed the winged monkeys by making them all the eternal salves to the Golden Gap---a wedding presented she had originally prepared for her beloved husband to be.

The Golden Cap, as described, is studded with real sparkling diamonds and precious blood red rubies that ran entirely around the caps 24 karat solid gold brim. The curse of the cap allows its possessor to command the winged monkeys exactly three times whenever they speak the cap’s magic incantation aloud. When the words were spoken, the winged monkey had to immediately stop whatever they were doing at the time and assist their master at once.

Quelala used the Golden Cap only once, commanding the winged monkeys to stay away from Gayelette and her kingdom. The winged monkeys did as they were instructed and disappeared for a very long time. Eventually the cap was discovered by the Wicked Witch of the West who then used the cap’s power to compel the winged monkeys to help her conquer Oz’s western quadrant, the Winkie Country and enslave the native Winkies. Next the Wicked Witch used the cap to drive the Wizard of Oz out of her territory when he attempted to overthrow her. The final time the Witch used the cap is to capture Dorothy Gale and the Cowardly Lion, ordering the winged monkeys to dismember and destroy the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman in the process.

The third user of the Cap was Dorothy herself during her adventures in Oz. Eventually Dorothy gave the Cap to Glinda the Good Witch of the South who ruled Oz’s southern quadrant, the Quading Country. In the end, Glinda gave the monkeys the Cap as their own, finally breaking the curse and setting them free.

I bring this up because there is a theory that’s been buzzing in my head for a while ever since the reveal of the winged Beringels in the V6 finale after credit teaser.

We know that in the RWBY universe, Salem represents the Wicked Witch of the West just as how Ozpin is technically the Wizard of Oz. Now we have the winged Beringel Grimm as the flying monkeys.

As I explained, the Golden Cap was important to the winged monkeys’ part of the story in the Wizard of Oz. It’s what condemned them to be the minions of the Wicked Witch of the West. I’m not saying that the CRWBY Writers have to follow everything from the Wizard of Oz. After all, in the RWBY-verse, Salem created her version of the winged monkeys. Nevertheless, I don’t want to assume that the Writers would leave out an intricate detail to the winged monkeys.

So then I started pondering. Without being too literal, how can the Writers incorporate the Golden Cap into the series? That’s when it hit me.

What if...Oscar will be RWBY’s equivalent of the Golden Cap? What if…Oscar will gain the ability to somehow tame the winged Beringels, relinquishing Salem’s influence over than and bringing him to his side so that these particular Grimm obey Oscar’s command?

The Golden Cap is made of 24 karat gold. Oscar’s named is an allusion to the colour, oscar gold.

The Golden Cap was an artifact crafted from magic. Oscar is technically magical himself or at least has the potential to use magic being an incarnate of Ozma and as seen by Professor Ozpin before, all Wizards of Light ultimately inherit Ozma’s magic. Therefore Oscar is destined to become a wizard and magic user.

Rubies and diamonds were part of the design of the Golden Cap. Ruby Rose is being eluded to be an important character in Oscar’s story. Not to mention that Ruby’s own name and signature colour is ruby red. She also has silver eyes that shine like diamonds. Perhaps it is with Ruby’s help that Oscar either awakens this unusual ability or at learns to master his magic.

I know all three of these details seen minor but I think Oscar being the personification of the Golden Cap could be excellent for his story. While I doubt this will be his semblance, I’m more leaning towards taming the Beringels being an ability Oscar gains after he awakens his magical abilities.

Maybe that’s part of Oscar’s destiny. Maybe he’ll ultimately become such a powerful wizard that he’ll become capable of taking control from Salem when it comes to her handle on the Grimm under her subjection, starting with the winged Beringels. Throughout RWBY’s plot, it has been mentioned that Salem is the Grimm’s leader. She is the one currently controlling the Grimm. It has additionally been noted that she creates her own Grimm as we saw with her creating the winged Beringels.

It is never explained exactly how Salem controls the Grimm. However given what was revealed in her origins from the Lost Fable, perhaps the Grimm saw her as an equal since she was technically reborn from the same toxic Grimm pools that spawn the Grimm.

The easiest hypothesis to state is that Salem probably controls the Grimm through magic. The Grimm Pools spawn the Grimm and Salem then uses her magic to shape them to fit her chaotic design

I’d like to think that what Salem uses to control the Grimm would be considered dark magic: the power of destruction. My theory is that I believe magic in the RWBY verse is a mix of everything---both the elements of nature (basically all the elements we’ve seen in dust form like fire, water, earth, lightning, gravity, etc.) in addition to the power of light which symbolizes creation and darkness which symbolized destruction.

Magic was the God’s gift to humanity along with the Four Relics as a reminder of the ideals the Brothers shaped the Remnant under and it was those same ideals they governed their greatest creature---Man---under. It was through the element of darkness that the God of Darkness first created the Grimm. The Grimm are creations of darkness yet the element of light---the power of creation--- destroys them. Creation can be bred from darkness just as destruction can come from light. I dunno I just found this minor titbit oddly fascinating. Light has been depicted as the power of creation and preservation while its counterpart has been described as the opposite.

Yet the point of destruction in light and creation in darkness hasn’t really been delved into or at least it wasn’t highlighted as much. Not sure if folks may agree or disagree.

Yes, the Grimm are monsters of destruction but…they are creations as well. They are the creations of the God of Darkness just as much as the all the things that the God of Light created to populate Remnant with life.

The light creates but it also destroys. It destroys darkness. It destroys the Grimm.

Back in V1, Pyrhha told Jaune that the huntsmen are the light training to fight the Grimm who are the darkness. According to Pyrhha, the Grimm aren’t capable of producing an aura like the huntsmen or any living human being because they lack a soul.

‘Aura is the manifestation of the soul. It carries our burdens and shields our hearts. Have you ever felt like you were being watched without knowing someone was there?

…Uh…yeah?

With practice, our aura can be our shield. Everyone has it, even animals.

What about monsters?

No. The monsters we fight lack a soul. They are creatures of Grimm. The manifestation of anonymity. They are the darkness and we are the light.

Right and that's why we fight them.

It's not about 'why'. It's about knowing. Understanding both dark and light helps us manifest our aura. Everyone has some of both. By baring your soul outward as a force, you can deflect harm. All of our tools and equipment are conduits for aura. You project yourself and your soul with fighting...'

This is what Pyrhha explained to Jaune. However looking back at this season, especially volumes later, I am left with these lingering questions. How was it determined that the Grimm lack no soul? What determines something has a soul or not? What determines something is a living being? What makes a soul? How is a soul created?

'... Aura is a manifestation of the soul---a life-force that runs through every living creature on Remnant…’

Again, I have questions. The Grimm are alive, hypothetically speaking. They move. They breathe. They do not bleed but they do feel some semblance of pain and anguish. They have some degree of intelligence with enables them to adapt to their given surroundings and environs. They may not share the same genetic makeup to classify them as humans or even animals.

Yet, the Grimm are creatures. They are alive and by my understanding, if something moves and acts like it’s alive then doesn’t that qualify it to have a soul or some impression of it? Something that drives them. That gives them a purpose. A not so good purpose but a purpose nonetheless.

You can also make the same argument about the robots and other forms of artificially intelligent machines in Remnant. This is why I’m super excited for the Atlas Arc. In RWBY V3 C6, General Ironwood informed Pyrhha that Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific standpoint for years. How it works, what it’s made of and how it can be used.

According the General, Atlas has made significant strides in their aura experiments, discovering a way to capture it. Personally I am most looking forward to this part of the Atlas Arc. Not only will it most definitely involve the Man with Two Souls with Oscar’s shared part of the story with Ozpin, but through learning more about aura, it can help provide answers to the points I brought up in this post.

Penny Polendina was the first artificial being capable of producing an aura. But how was this even possible? Aura is a projection of the soul and has been described as a life-force that runs through every living creature on Remnant. How did Penny, a theoretically non-living being gain a soul to produce an aura?

Did Atlesian scientists design methods to extract the soul of a previously living person and implant them into synthetic body? Or…did they figure out a way to artificially preserve and/ or clone the soul of another person? Or, in the rare cast of Penny Polendina, was she just a computer who became so intelligent that she practically developed a soul on her own?

I mean, in the fairy-tale of Pinocchio, Pinocchio was just an ordinary puppet made by a woodcarver who wanted a son and it was through the power of the Blue Fairy that Pinocchio was brought to life. Perhaps that’s Penny’s story as her character was inspired by Pinocchio. What if…Penny’s father was a scientist who recently lost his daughter and unable to come to terms with his grief, he made robot replicas of his precious baby girl. But no matter of how many times he tried, he could never bring back his daughter---not even artificially. I mean, he could make a robot to look like her but it could never be her. The robot didn’t have what made the daughter her. It never had her soul or a soul to begin with.

Imagine if…one day General Ironwood entrusted the scientist with the Relic of Creation so that he may run tests on the mysterious artifact to figure out how it ticks and it is through the scientist testing the Relic that he discovered the Blue Fairy---the being of the Relic who used her powers to bring Penny to life. My hunch is that Penny was animated through the power of the Relic of Creation.

I once shared a theory in a RWBY Quote about the Blue Fairy possibly being the personification of the Relic of Creation. After all, since Jinn was the being of the Relic of Knowledge created to aid humanity in their pursuit of knowledge; who’s to say they’re aren’t other beings within each relic.

While I’m unsure who the beings of the Relic of Destruction and Choice might be, I’m going to bet and say that the Blue Fairy is the being of the Relic of Creation created to aid humanity in their pursuit of creation. This would also peg the question of, is Atlas using the power of the Relic to make all their technological advances?

If so, then I don’t think Oz would be too happy with that if discovered true. After all, Ironwood is supposed to be safeguarding the Relic and keeping it a secret from others who might wish to abuse its power yet…he’s doing it himself? I actually quite like the idea of Ironwood abusing the Relic’s power to advance Atlas. Could provide some good salt and pepper for more tension between the General and Ozpin since, when hasn’t Ironwood backstabbed Ozpin and done things behind his back? Hmmm?

Because quite frankly, what are robots? The creations of man designed purely to serve out objectives they were initially programmed to perform. They’re technically not considered to be lifeforms since their bodies are purely synthetic and therefore only exist to perform the tasks their creators designed them to do.

Now why does that sound familiar? Oh right, because it’s the same for Grimm. The Grimm were creations of the God of Darkness designed to destroy the God of Light’s creations. They are not considered lifeforms even though they share the same origins as Man. According to humanity, the Grimm only exist to perform the task they were made to do---destruction of all life.

Destruction is all the Grimm know to do. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to be some kind of advocate for the Creatures of Grimm who are basically RWBY’s version of monster fodder.

However, I’m starting to develop an interest in learning more about the Grimm and how they function, y’know what I mean? The Grimm exist to destroy, yet they are creations themselves. They’re not considered precious lifeforms worth preserving like humanity but they are indeed alive.

It is said they have no soul but…again, if Atlesian scientists still have questions about the soul then how can it be derived that the Grimm have no soul? I mean, they’re more alive than machines, that’s for sure.

Group that together with the fact that it has been almost impossible for the Grimm to be studied since according to World of Remnant, Grimm in captivity don’t last very long. This in turn leaves questions left to be answered about the Grimm.

All we know is that the Grimm are basically made of pure darkness, born from the Grimm pools in the Land of Darkness. In spite of this, they are still creations. Creations of destruction.

They are also not entirely brainless either since some Grimm have been noted to have some degree of intelligence when you consider how some of them have managed to adapt and evolve to outlive others.

When you really start to think about it, Grimm are basically no different from machines. They were made to destroy and that’s the only instinct that lives in their coding.

But…what if…someone were to, let’s say, change that about the Grimm?

Robots are created to perform specific tasks but even robots can learn and evolve beyond what they were originally designed to do. I mean how many times has the whole artificially intelligent android becoming far superior/rising up against its creators been overdone in sci-fi?

Machines can also be rewired from their original programming to follow new commands and instructions. I mean, just look how easily Arthur Watts’ virus easily took over the Atlesian soldiers and Paladins back in V3. Watts changed the programming of the machines and turned them against the very people who made them.

So…why not do something like that with the Grimm? The God of Darkness created the Grimm however Salem took control of the Grimm following the Gods’ departure from Remnant.

I’m not sure how she did this but I have a sinking feeling it has something to do with magic. After all, Salem is one of the two known magical people who survived the Fall of First Remnant. The Grimm probably serve Salem because she is the closest entity in strength to their original master. Either that or Salem uses her magic to control the Grimm.

I mean, we did see her create the winged Beringels. Salem used the Grimm pools to spawn Beringels and then used her magic to grant them wings. All in all, magic is what Salem is using to tame these monstrous creatures.

So…again, who is to say another person with magical capabilities can’t control the Grimm as well? Rewire their original programming? Change them from creations of destruction to, not necessarily creatures of preservation but just creatures who exist freely in Remnant but not seek to destroy it and its inhabitants.

Perhaps…Oscar Pine will become that person. Maybe the Winged Beringels will have a King---an alpha who leads the pack and acts as conduit through which Salem can command the others. In the Wizard of Oz, it was the king of the winged monkeys who caused it and its fellow monkeys to be cursed to the Golden Cap in the first place.

Maybe it will be the Alpha of the Winged Beringels who Oscar first tames it even and it’s through this creature that Oscar learns more about the Grimm and magic itself.

Plus I really love the idea of Oscar gaining a winged Beringel that he treats like a pet. My boy needs an animal companion, dagnabbit. I don’t care if it’s a Grimm that was sent to kidnap him. As a matter of fact, Oscar befriending a flying monkey would be the cutest thing ever. I would actually adore if Oscar befriends the Winged Monkey Alpha and even names it ‘Al’ short for Alpha. Plus I really just wanna hear Aaron Dismuke call something ‘Al’ for obvious important reasons.

Magic was the gift of the Gods. It’s was a tremendous power that they shared with humanity. The same power that Darkness used to create the Grimm. The same power that Salem is using the control the Grimm.

A power that Oscar now has the chance of obtaining. I like the idea of Oscar awakening his magical potential and using his power to change the Grimm.

I do think Oscar will become the Golden Cap. Even if Oscar doesn’t gain control of all the Grimm, I do love the idea of him taming the winged Beringels at least since it matches the source material.

Perhaps Oscar along with Ruby will be captured and forced to have their own solo adventure surviving the Dark Domain and it will be Oscar taming the winged Beringels with his newly awakened magical powers that takes the two home, returning them to their friends.

And once the winged Beringels help Oscar and Ruby reunite with their comrades, Oscar will set the Beringels free. Or…even better, what if the heroes end up returning to Vale following Atlas Trilogy (and the standalone Dark Domain) and Oscar leaves the winged Beringels in the servitude of Glynda Goodwitch.

I mean, in the Wizard of Oz, the Golden Cap was given to Glinda the Good Witch last and it’s Glinda who set the monkeys free. So perhaps in RWBY, it’ll have that reference where Oscar tames the winged Beringels with magic and leaves them in Glynda’s care so that the monkeys would serve Glynda and be used to help her repair Beacon Academy. Or…something like that, I’m not sure.

I’m not a writer for RWBY but I think this could be pretty cool. I’d love to see Oscar become the Golden Cap of RWBY and become more adept in the use of his magical powers. Even if Oscar never awakens his semblance, I’m definitely looking forward to when he realizes he has magic.

Who knows? Maybe Oscar will be a more powerful wizard that his predecessors. Though Ozpin mentioned his powers dwindling, I have a feeling that with Oscar, he will be stronger. The strongest of them all. Great and powerful with a Silver Eyed huntress as his closest confidant (and love interest) and an army of winged Beringels now tamed to follow only his command.

I also love the idea of Oscar’s magic becoming superior to Salem’s. I mean…Ozma did succeed against Salem the first time. If it weren’t for the God’s immortality, Ozma would’ve defeated Salem centuries ago. Ozma’s magic bested Salem’s. So this gives me hope for Oscar being just as strong in his magic. Even if Oscar never uses his magic to tame Grimm again, I’d be more than satisfied if he just ends up taming the Winged Beringels; bringing them to his side.

As we saw, Salem’s got a full army of these creatures. This is why I can’t wait for Oscar to grow stronger enough magically to pull that entire army right from under Salem’s crooked nose. It is a day this squiggly proud Pinehead will be waiting for. Make my precious freckled farm boy the Golden Cap…or Golden Boy. Either works for me.

More Squiggles’ RWBY Content

~LittleMissSquiggles (2019)

#rwby #oscar pine #ruby rose #rwby salem #glynda goodwitch #general ironwood #rwby theories #rwby musings

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lionheartslowstart · 6 years

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The Obscurial

(ETA: This post was written before it was public knowledge that JK. Rowling is a massive TERF. I am not in support of her or her views.)

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with the Potterverse. I know way too much about the universe and backstories of the characters, and I’m not afraid to punish anyone in my life by talking about all of these minute details as well as my own theories in great depth for hours on end. So, you can imagine that I was beyond thrilled when it was revealed that there was to be a new franchise taking place in this universe. I can say with confidence that I have watched Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them about twenty times. It is a fantastic (see what I did there?) film in and of itself, and a wonderful addition to the Potterverse. However, there is something else about this film I find intriguing and deeply relatable, and it takes shape in the form of the character Credence Barebone. WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD For those who have not seen the film, or who need a refresher, Credence Barebone is the adopted son of Mary Lou Barebone, the leader of the “New Salem Philanthropic Society,” also known as “The Second Salemers.” This organization fervently believed in the continued existence of witches and magic, and looked to eradicate those “evil” and “unnatural” people from the world.

Some backstory: When wizards first came to the United States, there was no wizard government as there was back in England (the Ministry of Magic). Because of this anarchy, some wizards became corrupt, capturing and turning in witches and wizards for profit, mostly during the Salem Witch trials. It got so bad that it essentially became wizard trafficking. Many of these magical mercenaries even turned in no-maj’s (muggles) claiming they were witches or wizards. Pretty messed up stuff. These mercenaries became known as Scourers. When MACUSA (Magical Congress of the United States of America) was formed, many Scourers were arrested, tried, and executed for their various, heinous crimes. Unfortunately, many escaped capture by integrating into no-maj society. They swore revenge upon the magical community and so hid their powers, married no-maj’s, and ensured the death of the magical bloodline in their families. They also taught their descendants that magic is definitely real and evil. Talk about salty. Those descendants eventually became The Second Salemers. So, even though she doesn’t know it, Mary Lou Barebone is actually descended from wizards. But I digress. Mary Lou Barebone has three adopted children - Credence, the oldest, probably somewhere between 18 and 20, Chastity, the middle child, and Modesty, the youngest. She was cruel and vindictive to all of them, as well as the other children she cared for who came in and out of her church, but according to Porpentina Goldstein, she seemed to hate Credence the most. This is probably in part because she adopted Credence from a known witch (Clarisse Tremblay) while she was on her deathbed. This is all relevant, I promise. Back to the film. Percival Graves, the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement (spoiler alert, he’s actually Grindelwald), is looking for an “obscurial” for the majority of the film. It seems he wants to use this obscurial in his quest to overthrow no-maj’s, though we’re unsure what his plan is to control the obscurial. So, what is an obscurial exactly? An obscurial is a child who has tried to suppress their magic, either due to persecution or trauma, so the magic inside them basically turns on itself and becomes an uncontrollable mass that bursts out randomly, which is called an obscurus. The obscurus eventually turns on its host, the child, and the child dies, as does the obscurus, which can’t survive without a host. According to numerous characters in the film, there has never been a documented case of an obscurial living past the age of ten. (There is some debate about whether or not Ariana Dumbledore was an obscurial, but she died when she was 14. Since Grindelwald knew her, that would mean he’d know an obscurial could live past the age of 10, but in the movie he seems obsessed with the idea that the obscurial can’t be older than 10. This serves as a large debate among the fandom.) So of course, it came as a big shock when it turns out that Credence Barebone, an adolescent, is the obscurial. But when we put the pieces together, it isn’t all that surprising. Here we have a pureblood wizard (his real name is Corvus LeStrange), raised by the head of a witch-hunting church, who beats him and emotionally abuses him. What is surprising, however, is that he has managed to survive his own obscurus. At another point in the film, we see that Newt Scamander has an obscurus in his briefcase. The obscurus is harmless, as he managed to separate it from its host as she died. The obscurus is from an 8 year old girl, a common age for an obscurial. The obscurus is quite small, which makes sense since it came from a child. When we see Credence’s obscurus in full form, it is humongous, and incredibly powerful. As Grindelwald himself said, to have lived with that obscurus inside him his whole life is nothing short of a miracle. So, why do I find this so relatable? Why do I watch this movie over and over and over? An obscurus is the wizard version of a mental health illness. I am not sure if this is what J.K. Rowling intended, but I know I am not alone in this theory. It takes a darker twist when you compare the death of an obscurial to suicide - their obscurus (illness) takes over to the point where they have no control at all anymore and it “takes them.” Anyone who has mental health problems knows what it feels like when you lose control. I have a fair share of diagnoses, but the three that best match feeling like there’s an obscurus inside me are my bipolar disorder, anxiety, and PTSD, particularly when I dissociate. When I dissociate, I am no longer in control of my own body. It feels like I’m watching myself, but from the inside, not the outside. My brain checks out, like “whelp I can’t deal with this reality I’m in so byeeeeee.” Personally, I can dissociate quietly or violently. When I quietly dissociate, I essentially go catatonic. I can’t move, I can’t speak. When I dissociate violently, well, that’s much more similar to how an obscurus is depicted. I’ve never physically hurt anyone else (I know not everyone can say that and I’m not trying to shame anyone who has hurt someone else), but I’ve hurt myself and thrown things, screamed, raged, etc. Another mental health symptom that feels like an obscurus is when I have a panic attack, and I have seen other people talk about this as well. When my anxiety gets so bad to the point where I can’t function, I call it “the clutchies,” because it feels like my stomach is squeezing itself rapidly. I told my boyfriend the other night while we were watching the movie (again), “That’s what it feels like when I have the clutchies.” Everyone experiences mental illness differently. Everyone has different disorders, different symptoms, different perspectives. But I think we can all agree that feeling control slip from your grasp is...distressing. And I must say that, writing aside, I think the production team of Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them got it spot on. Their depiction of an obscurus bursting out was so relatable, so familiar, and it made me feel like maybe some people do understand. And if they don’t, maybe they can watch this movie and it will give them an idea. When we think about Credence, the fact that his obscurus has become so gargantuan, as well as the fact that he has managed to survive with this gargantuan obscurus, point to him being incredibly powerful. While this is sad, because it means that he probably would have been a very powerful wizard, it also gives us hope. (“Us” being the mentally ill.) We have all managed to survive with obscurus inside us. Maybe instead of cursing it and hating it, we should realize that we all have powerful magic. Ergo: we’re stronger than we think we are. My mother once suggested that an obscurial might be cured with therapy. I immediately wrote her off and corrected her that an obscurial cannot be cured. But when I sat and thought about it, I realized that I did not know that for sure. If obscurials have primarily existed in circumstances where they were being persecuted for one reason or another, then of course there has never been a cure. If obscurials have primarily died young, before they could be helped or taken out of their toxic environment, then of course there has never been a cure. I mean, we used to cure illnesses with blood letting. Just because there is no known cure doesn’t mean there is no cure. (I use the term cure loosely, I know most mental illnesses can’t be “cured.” Perhaps the term treatment is more apt.) Credence is not dead. We know this in part because Newt Scamander saw one of his “shreds” disappear out of the subway, and in part because the producers of The Crimes of Grindelwald have told us that Credence will be playing a major part in the next movie. Since he’s still kicking, maybe we will have the opportunity to see Credence grow, harness his powers, find a more warm, loving environment. Maybe obscurials can be helped. Maybe there is a way for an obscurial to regain control of their powers. In the last few years, I have managed to gain greater stability in terms of my PTSD, and more awareness of my bipolar and anxiety, panic attacks and dissociations. I can usually see episodes coming, know when I’m in one, and know how to effectively communicate my needs to those around me. I owe this to my two wonderful therapists, medication, and my loving network of close friends, supportive family, and a partner who honestly wows me with his level of commitment to helping me. But more than all that, I owe it to myself. I made the positive choices, I started loving myself, I grew and developed, until I got here. I still have a long way to go, but I am in a much better place than I was even a year ago. I’m not saying all this to brag, or to rub anything in. What I’m trying to say is that we all need to learn to harness our magic, we can all find the help we need to regain some form of control so we can live with our mental illness, instead of fighting with it. Everyone should watch this movie. If you are neurodivergent, you will undoubtedly get something out of it, even if it’s just not feeling alone. If you are neurotypical, this film may help you better understand your neurodivergent friends, family, and loved ones. At the end of the film, Tina is talking to Credence in his obscurus form in a loving, soothing tone. He has stopped and is listening to her. He trusts her. Suddenly, the MACUSA busts in and attacks him, (seemingly) destroying him. Why do they do this? Because they see him as a threat, a monster. All they can see is the destruction he’s caused. Tina sees him as a scared, hurt, and traumatized young man, and spoke to him like a human being. It seemed like he was ready to stop his destruction, but the MACUSA didn’t give him that chance. Hopefully, the wizarding community will learn to view obscurials as traumatized people who need help, instead of violent, uncontrollable “problems” that need to be destroyed. Who knows? Maybe us no-maj’s could learn something too.

#harry potter #fantastic beasts and where to find them #magic #mental health #mental illness #bipolor #anxiety #ptsd #dissociation #dissociate #obscurial #obscurus #potterverse

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plotlinehotline · 7 years

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Heya! In my story, I have an average person who takes advantage of old fairytale, claims it is a prophecy about them, and uses it to start a revolution on an island nation. The technology in this time is like 1800ish, so do you have any ideas on how they could convince people they are a "saint" associated with light? And do you have any advice on details I could add to the fairytale/myth to develop it, or any inspirations for it? Thanks in advance!

Hey anon!

If this character is going to convince an entire island of their importance, they’re going to need to work within the framework of what the island already believes [and even then, there should be skeptics, no matter how quiet their voices end up being].

Let’s start with an example. A man dressed as Santa Claus walks into a room full of kids, and most of these kids will think this man can travel the world in one night, knows if you’ve been naughty or nice, and will give you presents. If a man dressed as Santa Claus walks into a room full of adults, the adults may play along in a joking manner, but eventually they’d acknowledge the man behind the fake beard because they don’t believe in Santa Claus.

My point is, you need to look at what the islanders in your story already believe in. If they don’t believe in prophecies, or saints, or even fairy tales, then they will be slow to believe that your character is anything more than what they actually are. Notice I said “slow.” It’s not impossible, but if the focus of your story is the revolution (and not the process of convincing the people), then you’d want to move quicker. And quicker means taking something the people already know and believe in and giving them reason to believe in it even more.

In Oz the Great and Powerful, Oscar Diggs came to Oz, where a prophecy already existed that involved a wizard overthrowing the wicked witch and becoming king. He didn’t bring this prophecy - they already believed it, and he simply fooled them into thinking he was the one to fill it.

So that’s tip #1. Tip #2? Consider the evidence. What is your character using as evidence of their importance? You mention that the role they’re trying to portray is based off of a fairy tale, so what attributes would your character need to possess that they do not? Power? Omniscience? What is it they need to fake? And how then do they fake it?

Back to Oz, he convinces everyone he’s a wizard by using technology they’re not familiar with. Why would they think his giant head is a projection if they don’t know how projections work?

If your character is coming from the modern world, then they’ll have a giant bag of tricks they may be able to use to provide evidence of their claims. You also have to consider of course that they may need allies to pull off some of these tricks, and depending how close your character allows the islanders to get to them, you have to consider how often the character needs to stay “ON.” How long would someone need to spend with your character outside of these grand tricks before they realize they’re a liar?

If you have not seen this movie, watch it, and if you feel so inclined, explore some of the original Baum novels.

And remember those skeptics I mentioned above? There should be some. The characters on this island, while they may be united over a core system of values and beliefs, I expect that they would still think independently in many respects (I assume; you don’t go into too much detail about these characters). There will be people that believe this lie because they want to, others may be unable to detect the deceit, and others still may only believe it because everyone else does. And then you’ll have the opposite: People who refuse to believe it because they don’t want to, others who are sharp enough to see through the tricks, and others still may not believe it because those they’re closest to don’t believe it.

Even if the conviction of this lie is not the sole focus of the story, you can’t gloss over the potential conflict of possible nonbelievers. So think about this too, and the role these nonbelievers may or may not have. What could you do to change their minds, or should their minds even be changed?

As to the second part of your question, I would personally look to your islanders. Since I suggested you tie in this “saint of light” to the islanders existing belief system, I think you should start there and build around it. I’m making a huge assumption that this island is fictional, which means you have room to develop its history and traditions on your own. Here are some sources (including a couple from our very own Cilla and Mia), that should help you get started with this process.

Differentiating Setting Locations

Fictional Governments

The Cultural Iceberg

World-Building: Social Conduct

Polygon Map Generator

...and from Pear: Let’s Talk About Religion and Let’s Talk About Culture

Good luck!

-Rebekah

#ask r #world-building #world building #culture building

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lichlairs · 4 years

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Checkout our new post over at http://lichlair.com/how-to-run-green-dragons

How to Run Green Dragons

Welcome back adventurers and DMs (Dungeon Masters) Wizard Charlie here! Last time on “How to Run:” we covered a general layout of Chromatic Dragons and how you can make them feel more alive and memorable. Today we are going to be focusing specifically on Green Dragons. This will be more of a helpful guide, hopefully, to DMs but all are always welcome.

Last time we focused on how to make your chromatic dragons stand out more by giving them personality in the form of 4 methods; voice, speech patterns/cadence, actions/mannerisms, and tactics. Let’s put our money where our mouth is and use this to design our very own green dragon! But first let’s brush up a little on green dragons and their behaviors.

Green dragons are the most cunning of the dragons. They use deceit and trickery above all other things in order to move forward in life, they love to corrupt and corrode good hearted people and communities from the inside. They very much like to wait, assess, scheme, and then spring into action when you least expect it. They are forest dwellers first but it isn’t uncommon for them to insert themselves in civilizations in order to poison and corrupt them. These creatures are one of the most intelligent of the chromatic dragons and they will use that to beat you at a game of dragon chess that you didn’t even realize you were playing.

Now that’s a villain!! I will admit that green dragons are probably one of my favorite enemy types in D&D. Making an enemy with a green dragon means you will spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder or better yet, you never see it coming until the blade is at your ribs. I can very easily see an ancient green dragon running a syndicate organization. These creatures are cunning and it can be fun to design multiple plans that they have happening at once; the team may have foiled its plot to overthrow the government by killing the king but they didn’t stop its plan to poison all the water sources in the city and therefore hold the city ransom. Your green dragon can have schemes within schemes and will almost always avoid a fair fight, in fact the only time your green dragon should be fighting your players one on one (group) should be if it is cornered or already weakened.

Enough talk! Lets make our tricky green dragon. We shall break it down as before. But first let’s choose an age and region in which it resides. The idea of an ancient green dragon that runs a city is fun but let’s go even simpler than that. Let us start with a young green dragon who is cocky and still young enough to make mistakes, your party deserves a chance against them. Next let us choose a character weakness. My particular favorite for young and adult dragons are the curse of the silver tongue, even more so with a young dragon who is young enough to make such a foolish mistake. And let’s place him in an abandoned tower surrounded by a lush forest.

Voice You can imagine that most dragons have a naturally deeper voice because of their bigger frames and draconic traits but a young green dragon could get away with a more lithe and thinner voice, like a snake. Oooo why don’t we focus on snake like features for this young green dragon. Instead of overly pronounced S’s why don’t we give it a random little growl at the end of sentences. Anything else extra that you would like to do is completely up to you, but for now we will keep it simple.

Speech Patterns/Cadence An ancient dragon might cover up any signs that would give it away as an evil creature, but a young one might not have developed such skills yet. So maybe we can give this one a bit of menace that it just can’t cover up as it threads its web of lies. Why don’t we give it a constant grin, like the cheshire cat, as if he is always knows something that the party doesn’t (most likely that they are lunch). To give this feel you can speak, chuckle, and growl through gritted teeth on occasion; it also helps if you smile while playing them. And as a final touch make it so he never raises his voice so as not to scare off the party before he is ready, once/if the battle commences let loose.

Actions/Mannerisms For a young green dragon such as this I would give them the old chin rub when thinking, classic villainy. Also, why don’t we use one of my examples from the previous “How to Run: Chromatic Dragons” since we are giving him snake like traits. We can describe him as he moves with a “low hanging head, close to the ground with a toothy grin” giving him that sneaky and conniving feeling. Green dragons have a longer neck so this works perfectly with that trait.

Tactics Let us envision the party walking in on the dragon, he hides in a corner and slowly creeps up while carrying on a conversation, they have a decent range from him. So now the tactic for this young boy is to get as close as he can so that if trickery doesn’t work, he can be close enough to deliver a poison breath. Now, don’t be unfair to your party and say the attack just happens, they will die that way. Just describe as it inhales air, roll for initiative, and when it’s turn comes up then let it go even if everyone else has had a turn and moved away in time! This gives your party the chance to feel like they reacted fast enough to avoid it if they moved far away. In the battle, keep your dragon moving, if it gets surrounded it will go down quick and he knows that. So keep it constantly moving, flying, clawing, and biting until it gets its breath back. Make your dragon feel like it is fast and dangerous. Role play it’s reactions to attacks and the attacks it deals, mock them (in character). Then when your dragon is too hurt, maybe like at half health, it might do one of two things; 1. It begins to fly and escape very very quickly or 2. If a team member is weakened or unconscious have it hold its action on that character. Suddenly, the action shifts to tension again. Your dragon might now try to make a deal, let him go and their party member can live. He can offer up his hoard as an extra prize. Your dragon wants to live and a green dragon does not mind retreating to fight another day. Then if a deal is made it goes to leave, keeping up its end of the bargain (only because it’s “hoard” isn’t very big and it doesn’t want to take the chance of being killed). It’s up to your party to decide if they want to let him go, and it can make for some good rp if one of them goes back on the deal.

Now all we need is a name, hmmm how about, Venomclaw. Now that we have it down lets make our dragon.

Venomclaw is a young green dragon looking for a new place to make his liar. He is subjugating all the creatures in the forest he lives in. Venomclaw can spin tales like webs that you won’t believe. He relies less on fighting and more on poisoning slowly and overtime. He has taken a tower in a nearby and abandoned town. He is king of his little throne, but lately adventures have been coming to try and slay him and take his hoard. An old pesky druid keeps tabs on him and tells adventures to come slay him. So when a group of unsuspecting adventures comes by he waits in a dark corner and slowly walks into the opening to speak with them, no sudden movements because that might alarm them. He smiles calmly and begins a dialogue. He refers to them as “friends” or “allies” as he grins and growls, all the while explaining that he is not an evil green dragon but instead a very very rare emerald dragon. He explains that the old druid that sent them up there is in fact his brother in disguise and he is the actual evil dragon trapped in human form. He pleads with them to help him rid of this evil being once and for all so that he can live a normal life of peace, attempting to appeal to their sense of justice and empathy. All the while he gets closer and closer as they talk. The lie is that, just a lie. If they believe it then stupendous. But if they do not then he is close enough to exhale a spray of poison that would leave them all gasping for air. Either way, he has them right where he wants them. In his speech he gives lie after lie as they ask questions and continue the dialogue. The players roll insight checks but they just can’t seem to read this dragon’s intentions as lying is second nature to him. But he finishes with “Do we have a deal my friends? You can trust in my word as a Green dragon”. One of the players/characters might catch this and call him out on it “I thought you said you were an emerald dragon”. Venomclaw smiles a big toothy grin and inhales a cloud of air…roll for initiative!

And there we have it adventures and DMs alike, we have created our very own young green dragon. Keep in mind that as it gets older your dragon will become smarter and make less of these kinds of mistakes. Maybe for an ancient dragon it can have a flaw where it just cant help but give this big villainy speeches, or maybe it just has to stop what it’s doing in order to watch someone suffer in its poison breath. It is completely up to you! Now go out there and have fun adventures! Slay your evil dragons and rage loot their hoards of treasure. And as always remember DMs it isn’t just your world, and it isn’t just the player’s world, it’s all of yours.

If you enjoyed this article don’t forget to follow us on our social media. Got any comments about this or any of our articles? Drop us a message on in our newly added forums!

#Behind the Screen #dnd #dnd5e #green dragons #how to run green dragons #How to Run Series

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geekalogian · 5 years

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Hello friends, and welcome to another self-indulgent D&D character playlist!! This has been a rough few months for Sandry Vilamil. In an effort to find out more about the mysterious race known as the Alzilu (Tieflings in 5e speak), she and her beloved Viktor (who is an Alzilu, the only one of his kind that he has ever known) set sail for the continent of Hexica--a mysterious land to the south where Viktor’s people were said to hail from. Somehow, they are now in charge of overthrowing the entire government? A government that is run by 3 devils (one of whom sired Viktor’s half-siblings with his mother) and 3 efreeti???? THIS IS FINE????????? Narrator voice: It was, in fact, not fine.

This turn of events has been an emotional rollercoaster for Sandry. As she has fought to help Viktor, save Hexica, keep herself and her friends sane, and return home to her land and her father, there have been. . . losses. There have been lots of failures. There have probably been fewer failures than Sandry imagines, but failures nonetheless. So this chapter in Sandry’s story is about how she faces that failure--and where that will take her next. Song titles, key lyrics, and what those songs mean to Sandry are below the cut!

1. How to Save A Life--The Fray

“Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life”

Sandry’s list of companions has changed several times since arriving in Hexica. She swore to protect Jervais, a wizard who had traveled with her for a long time but was spiraling deeper and deeper into aggression, paranoia, and powerful magic. He left in the dead of night after an argument, and she fears that he will become something much darker now that he has no one to look after him. Ferghus remains with herself and Viktor, but his ideological differences with Viktor are frequent and divisive, and make progress slow and difficult. Their first contact in Hexica, a dragonborn named Zaybaq, was arrested and taken to parts unknown. Now they travel with Kybrin, a half-elven youth with powerful druidic magic and a chip on her shoulder. Sandry feels that the party division and conflict is her own fault, and each conflict between herself and Kybrin cements this truth further into her mind. If only she knew how to keep them all safe.

2. Sometimes You Can Forget Who You Are--FM Static

“I’m tired of trying to make it I spent so many nights trying to get it all right I’m sick and tired of waiting For someone to see and start believing in me”

In the midst of party difficulties, Sandry has also felt like a personal failure. She and Viktor were turned to stone in a chance encounter with a Gorgon, and a month of her life was eaten away as her companions sought the means to restore the two of them. Her bravado at finding the tragic circumstances of Viktor’s birth and abandonment caused her name to be written on a devil’s contract, marking her for death at the hands of Viktor’s half-brother, Alx. She sought to get answers about the people that they are tasked with destroying, only to cause the death of an innocent victim of a geas spell by forcing him to tell the truth. There have been many high points and successes, too, but those failures haunt her. Worse, they seem to haunt her friends. They urge her to rest and take a break, as though she were about to break into a thousand pieces. They don’t believe in her anymore. She just wants a win--not a qualified win, not a victory with an asterisk attached--a win on her terms.

3. Therapy--Relient K

“This is just therapy, let’s call it what it is With a death grip on this life always transitioning This is just therapy, ‘cause you won’t take my calls And that makes God the only one who’s left here listening to me”

Sandry has had few constants in the hectic journey across Hexica, but one of them has been her goddess, Zentina. Far from Zentina’s source of power and unable to receive the aid she craves in an uncertain land, Sandry has relied on the Herald of Peace’s infrequent messages for encouragement and renewal of purpose. In one particularly low moment, she retreated from her party and spent some time meditating in the mountains--only to be reminded that her purpose is to bring peace and hope to people who have none. Yet her drive to do just this, to finish their quest and return home, seems to fall on deaf ears. Ferghus often reassures her that they have plenty of time to accomplish everything. Sandry wants to go home. These days, the goddess seems to be the only one who hears her cries.

4. Thunderstruck--Owl City

“To tell you the truth, I’m so afraid that I’m out of luck I love how you take my breath away--I’m thunderstruck”

The other constant in Sandry’s life has been Viktor. In the midst of all else falling apart around her, their relationship has grown and strengthened. In a quiet moment, amidst the chaos, he revealed that before they left Soshikha, he had asked her father for her hand. They now wear rings of promise to one another, and Sandry’s resolve to go home is only strengthened by the hope of exchanging vows with Viktor in full view of their entire hometown. She often doesn’t feel that she deserves someone as kind and clever as Viktor, but she will fight to make their dreams a reality.

5. Move Along--All-American Rejects

“Even when your hope is gone, move along, move along just to make it through When everything is wrong, we move along”

There is no time for hopelessness or sentiment anymore. There are five more beings from other planes to defeat. There is a nation to liberate. There is hope to restore to the parched land of Hexica. Most days, Sandry swallows her despair and buries herself in frenetic activity, scribbling plans in her journal and trying to come up with ways to defeat the villains in the capitol city, Falcifor, without losing anyone else. She has to keep going. She has to.

6. One Girl Revolution--Superchic[k]

“I am a voice yet waiting to be heard I’ll shoot the shot--BANG!--that you hear ‘round the world”

In the end, maybe it was always going to come to this. It was always going to be Sandry Vilamil, Four feet and seven inches of concentrated fight me, taking on the world. Maybe her companions will be beside her--maybe they won’t. She isn’t sure anymore. What she is sure of is Zentina’s directive, Viktor’s love, and the urgency of their mission. No more waiting for others to believe in her. Sandry has to do that herself now.

It’s time to start a revolution.

#sandry vilamil #character playlist #soshikha #viktory #sandry x viktor #dnd #my characters

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