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and-there-were-words · 3 years

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A Spider Life: You don't belong here (Chapter 03)

Taking place after “Sleep Bug” but before “Dumpling Destruction”.

After a successful mission, there was no time for a long rest. Though, Syntax decided that a little bit of a break didn’t hurt anyone. He was foolish to think that Huntsman would let him be at peace. (Wordcount: around 1300)

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Blue filled the entire main hall of the Silk Web Cave. The looming forms and shades of their new project towering over all. It was certainly odd to watch these new plans of a mech he hadn't designed himself. Something about it struck the scientist as odd, but he wasn't well versed enough in sorcery and ancient artifacts to really know which item was supposed to do what. It didn't help that basically nobody but the little Miss Mystery knew exactly how any of this was going to work.

But they finally did have a more tangible goal. And one more good thing came out of this whole treasure hunt – Syntax had not to do any research where to find said items, since the girl seemed to already know where they were.

As questionable as this was, his Queen did not raise any concerns about this knowledge, so why should he? Instead, he took the opportunity of free time to work on his own projects. He had to overhaul their Spider Base blueprints, repair some of the Spiderbots and… actually. On second thought, after his successful heist into the Cloud, he deserved an evening of rest. Just leaning back a little, kicking up the feet, maybe coding some new games and programs. When he wasn’t working on machines, he still could experiment with them. It was a blessing when one's job was also their hobby.

Walking deeper into the tunnel system of the lair, Syntax found the little niche that he had claimed for himself. Mostly to sleep and keep a few of his more important items safe. Not that he had many, but it still was a comfort to have a little bit of autonomy, away from all those watchful spider eyes. The scientist hummed, and with the lab coat off, he was officially clocked out for the day.

Sleeves were neatly folded up to the elbows, his utility goggles snapped away. Magic was so handy! He lingered for a moment, holding bright green glasses in hands. Syntax wasn’t entirely sure how or why, but he found himself oddly sentimental over them. Even though one of the lenses had a crack. His eyes were perfectly fine too, so anything looked blurry trough them, rendering them practically useless. With a shrug, he put them back into his little box of trinkets, turning around to his personal computer.

…..

There was not really any sense of time within the Silk Web Cave, not that it mattered much. Hours could’ve pass by and the only indicator that the world was still turning, was that his coffee always grew cold way too fast. Running another test for his current code, Syntax frowned as errors popped up where none had been before. He reached for his cup without looking, first confused about something not being right. It took him a few seconds to notice that he was grabbing into thin air. His cup was not at the spot where he placed it anymore.

“What’cha doing?”, a raspy voice required from his other side, making the scientist jerk violently, nearly falling off his chair. A groan escaped Syntax, slightly turning his head to confirm his apprehension. And indeed, it was Huntsman. With his coffee mug in hands. It was bothersome how he always managed to sneak up unnoticed and seemingly appear out of nowhere. The other spider was not even looking at him directly, just watching the screen displaying an endless amounts of lines with mock interest. It was clear that the hunter had no idea what he was looking at, and Syntax knew that trying to explain any of this to him would be wasted breath. Still, he thought himself better than that.

“Optimizing the behavioral pattern of the Spiderbots. So next time we can spread the Queen’s venom faster.”, he left it at that, starting to tip away on the keyboard again.

“Uh-hu.”, the spider demon mused, but it was clear that this wasn't the focus of his attention at the moment. Instead, he just sniffed at the drink in his hand, nose curling up a little. “...I have no idea how you’re capable of drinking this stuff. Gross.” And with that, the cup was back on the table within Syntax’s reach, but the scientist didn’t dare to touch it. This was obviously a trap, both of them knew. Huntsman never had been subtle about waiting for the other to make a misstep. Syntax wasn't sure what the taller man hoped to achieve, but there was a bitter taste at the back of his throat with how he was watched by this particular spider demon.

Tension filled the room, making the air as thick as butter, as both men were just analyzing each other carefully. It almost felt like a game of chess, one that Syntax didn’t like at all, being forced to play so damn defensively. He still wasn’t sure what he did to upset the hunter, but he clearly was out for his neck in some way or another. It was Huntsman who broke the silence, and to no one's surprise, he just unceremoniously kicked down the metaphorical door.

"You don't belong here.", the spider rasped, stalking awfully close, only to loom over the sitting scientist. Green eyes glimmering in the twilight of the cave, mostly illuminated by just the cold light of the computer screen. Syntax could only swallow, feeling caged like a prey animal under this intense glare.

"You're a disgrace to the clan, human.", the hunter continued his venomous words, "Do you really think you're important to the Queen? Nothing but just a tool, once you've done your purpose, you will be nothing but dinner." The demon cackled, and Syntax could feel his body going into a panic mode. Yet, his mind was still clear, rational. The buzzing crawling up his spine keeping him grounded.

Syntax simply clicked his tongue in a (what he hoped to come off as) unimpressed tsk. "Is that all? I am busy, Huntsman.", he was not going to give in that easily, even though the words were cutting deep, slicing into something that the scientist hadn't even been aware of himself yet.

The hunting spider frowned, letting out a soft growl. Only to grab the coffee mug again, giving it another glance. Apparently, he came to a conclusion in this moment. "You'll never be one of us, freak.", the second that followed felt like an eternity, before ceramic shattered into hundreds of pieces, cold coffee splattering all over the floor. A pang of some emotion shot through Syntax's chest, watching the mess on the ground. Somehow managing to not show a glimpse of this storm of feelings on the outside.

Huntsman almost seemed disappointed, but a breath later, he was showing off fangs in his ugly grin again. A hand reaching for the communicator in his ear as he was surely contacted by the Miss. "Now, this was fun and all.", he mused, crossing arms behind his back as he twirled towards the exit. "It seems that my special skills are needed once again. So long, cyberbug." With that, the hunter was gone, leaving the scientist finally alone.

So much for that rest, Syntax thought bitterly to himself, still staring at the floor. This evening or night had been ruined in every way possible. Now trying to make sense of why his limbs felt so cold and stiff, why his heart was beating in the rhythm of a scared animal while also screaming in anger. His hands clenched into fists, short nails digging into soft palms. Syntax knew all of this already. Knew that this wasn't his place, that he wasn't like the other spider demons. But he was part of this clan, and by the Queen's pride… he will prove that he was a better henchman than Huntsman could ever dream to be.

#next chapter will be from goliaths pov #spider queen did try to cook pigsy and tang im sorry everybody #look at me learning how to use tumblr #lego monkie kid #lmk syntax #lmk huntsman #monkie kid

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thedinanshiral · 3 years

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My personal DA4 wishlist + thoughts

I’ve been teasing this post for a couple of weeks over at Twitter, i’m the worst! But anyway, since game journalism has decided to confirm, once again, that the next Dragon Age game will be set in Tevinter like that’s breaking news, now’s as good a time as ever to write all this down.

Locations: Tevinter, clearly. It’s been pretty much a given since the end of Trespasser in 2015, with that scene where the Inquisitor stabs a map on a table directly on Tevinter as they promise to go after Solas to stop him. But also concept art and several stories from Tevinter Nights heavily imply Antiva, Nevarra, the Anderfells, and maybe Rivain. For those of you who don’t know your Thedosian Geography 101, that’s basically Northern Thedas. And it makes sense, since so far for three games straight we’ve been first stuck in Ferelden, then the coast of the Free Marches, and later the rest of Southern Thedas. We’ve never been North, only heard of it. So in DA4 i’m sure we will finally be able to visit.

Characters: If we’re going to Tevinter, we must meet Dorian again, maybe meet Maevaris Tilani as well (previously only seen in comics), judging from the latest comics series, i’m hoping for Fenris too. And going by the latest teaser trailer, we might see Varric again. As for characters that so far we have no news of, i’d like to see Cole, the Iron Bull, and if by any chance BioWare feels like blessing us with a Hawke/Fenris reunion i might just die happy. I’d also very much like to see the Inquisitor, but more on that later.

Companions: considering concept art and the latest teaser trailer, plus Tevinter Nights stories and new characters, we have an interesting repertoire of new potential companions. A Tevinter mage, an ancient elf (like a temple guardian) or a dalish elf (like Strife), a Nevarran mortalitasi or spirit, Antivan Crows, Lords of Fortune (new faction, kind of like treasure hunters), Qunari lady, maybe an alchemist or shapeshifter, Grey Wardens (possibly a dwarf), a liberated or escaped slave, a Siccari (Tevinter spies/assassins)..even past agents of the Inquisition could return.

Plot: We know Solas wants to take down the Veil. We know there’s two archdemons left, and Grey Wardens are regaining some spotlight in concept art lately. We might have to fight on multiple fronts simultaneously and be strategic about it. Solas might even unleash a double Blight just to keep us distracted while he focus on his own goal, who knows. But many other things are happenig in the margins and all over the place. The Qunari Antaam is having a crisis with some of its members supposedly going rogue, the order they’re so proud of is breaking up, and the whole of Northern Thedas is facing an imminent threat of invasion. Tevinter is still dealing with remnants of the Venatori and might soon be dealing with a slaves rebellion and/or a political and social reform (Magisters Dorian and Maeveris have been working wirh the Lucerni, a group aiming to restore and redeem Tevinter). The Antivan Crows -the de facto rulers of Antiva - may be dealing with a succession crisis, as their First Talon, a powerful feared and respected but old lady, might not be around for much longer and seems her chosen heir has died before his time. Meanwhile in the Anderfells nobody’s heard anything from the Grey Wardens’ HQ at Weisshaupt since the end of Inquisition, and as told in the novel Last Flight, the sudden reappearance of griffons may have had something to do with that radio silence. So you see, get ready for another +100 hours long game because BW has plenty of stuff to keep us busy with. But in short, DA4 seems will be about primarily searching, finding, and dealing with Solas. Regardless of what you decided at the Exalted Council in Trespasser, the Inquisition or what’s left of it is most likely the group orchestrating that mission. As it was so clearly stated then, they need new people Solas doesn’t know so he can’t foresee their actions, so it’s possible the DA4 protagonist is a new agent or a third party hired to do what the Inner circle can’t due to their familiarity with Solas in the past. But at the same time -and this is assuming we get to find Solas in this game - i definitely think the Inquisitor could easily show up again. No, losing an arm doens’t mean they��ve retired forever, prosthetics do exist in Thedas, a world where you can combine dwarven craftmanship with enchantments, seriously, i don’t ever want to hear “but they lost an arm” ever again as an excuse to write them out. And no, marrying Cullen or joining the Red Jennys is no impediment to join the “Stop Solas” Squad; the end of Trespasser means something, mainly that this is personal. Be it they loved them as lovers, as friends or ended up hating his guts for using and betraying them, the Inquisitor’s relationship with Solas makes this very personal, and so having any other character do that face off would cheapen all of it, all that bittersweet angsty development and expectations of either revenge or closure. That moment should happen between those two. It adds a ton of motivation due to their past historyas well, something a new protagonist would lack entirely. My personal best hope is for a sort of dual protagonist thing, say we play new protagonist for most of the game but a selected missions or scenes where we play as the Inquisitor once again and take over for key and heart-wrenching dialogue options. My second best hope is for the Inquisitor to show up as playable for the moment we catch up with Solas. My third and final best hope is for the inquisitor to be a sort of advisor but more like new protagonist’s boss/employer to whom they report back to and get new missions from. The Inquisitor can be stuck in meetings for the most part of it, i just want to know they’re there, behind a door, super busy but there. A cameo like Hawke’s in Inquisition is the bare miminum i can take, anyhting less than that like a mention in a sidequest description or a footnote in a codex entry would be a total injustice.

Romances: I’m open for pretty much anything, as any good BW fan would be. But i’d like romances to feel more alive in the sense that they don’t abruptly get stuck once you exhaust all related quests and dialogue options. As much as my Adaar liked that spank from the Iron Bull, that it was the only thing they could share after their romance was locked was a bit..meh. I liked Dorian’s tho, because his gave one the option to talk a bit, go for a walk, gossip, and sure, it all happened off-screen, and there were limited possibilities, but it was nice and made their relationship feel a bit more real, like they had more to it than kissing and stuff. It happens in most games, once you secure a romanceable companion suddenly you run out of things to do and share with them, and you get stuck with the same 3 lines of dialogue over and over again. There should be a way of solving that.

Side quests: i’m ok with fetch quests initially as it is a good way of forcing the player to go out and explore huge maps, but i’d also like the fetching to have some meaning other than checking things off a list. I want to explore many ruins, and -can’t believe i’m actually saying this- i want a Fade quest. Wait! I know what you’re thinking but don’t kill me just yet, here’s my idea: what if we could visit the Fade at certain locations to witness memories or meet with spirits and recollect information on Solas, his past, his present? Both to understand him better (keep in mind we’ll most likely get a new protagonist who isn’t familiar with him like we are as players) and try to locate him or predict his next move. It would be i think i great way of having visions of Arlathan in its golden age, maybe seeing some of the other Evanuris, how they interacted with each other and with the elves in their service, what really happened ...i just want that sweet, sweet lore, i need it.

Technical stuff: ok, graphics will be amazing for sure, but i also would really really like: better, more varied and longer hairstyles, PLEASE. Body sliders, it’s damn time we get them. Mounts that actually make a difference! Let staves blades make damage in combat, I’M BEGGING HERE. Combined classes, MAGICAL ROGUES! A homebase we can fix up/build on/redecorate as fully as possible (Skyhold was great and i love it to pieces but why were those walls NEVER repaired????) . More casual outfit options, idk i love to dress up my characters, maybe some transmog? A day/night cycle and please i would love to see Thedas’ second moon, also weather variations depending on the region. Yes, i’m ambitious.

Gameplay: i’d like more AI options for companions, but not quite like in DAO, that was too much and i rarely used it. I’m curious how they’ll do combat this time but i know for sure i don’t want the kind of combat that has me going almost frame by frame pausing at every second, it’s annoying for me. I want large areas like in DAI but with a bit more stuff to see and do although one of my favourite maps is the Hissing Wastes so i won’t complain if we get a literal desert but i’d also like it to have secrets hidden around, make me work to find and solve them, i love exploring, i jump and click on EVERYTHING like i’m still a kid playing Monkey Island. A companion in concept art seems to be holding what looks like some form of rifle, so i’m curious how they’d incorporate that in the game. I know Tevinter has the magics and dwarves have the skill, a firearm is totally within the possibilities in-game without breaking any lore; also super curious what sort of skill trees Crows or Lords of Fortune could have, are they rogues, or warriors, or both??

So far, that’s what i got in my head.Well, most of it anyways, i may have missed something but this post has to end somewhere lol

What’s in your head? Feel free to share! Have you been thinking on how you’ll create your next protagonist? All i can think of is magical rogues and that glowing bow was all the hype i needed.

#Dragon Age #Dragon Age 4 #Tevinter #da4 wishlist #DA4

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thetypedwriter · 3 years

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The Captive Prince Trilogy

The Captive Prince Trilogy Book Review by C.S. Pacat

Now, one of my absolute favorite things to do is to re-read.

Many people find this strange.

How do you enjoy a book you’ve already read? They say. You already know what happens, isn’t it boring?

In short, the very simple, very concise answer is: no.

I adore re-reading my favorite books for several reasons.

One, it’s comfortable. I love slipping back into a world flush full of characters I cherish. It’s like slipping back into a warm bed on a cold morning. Re-reading the Harry Potter series for me, for example, is the same sort of reasoning people watch Friends over and over again or whatever amenable show of their choice.

It’s easy, it's familiar, and it’s beloved.

Second, often with re-reads you are able to pick up on things that you missed the first time you read through, or even the second. There is symbolism, foreshadowing, and minute details that become glaringly obvious in retrospect and whenever I discover one of these tidbits I become overwhelmingly jubilant.

Third, sometimes nothing else sounds good. If I’m having a book lull and nothing seems to catch my attention, I know I can return to a treasured novel or series and that it’ll satiate whatever reading needs I have at the time.

This happened to me very recently. As my to-read pile dwindled down to books given to me by others that I held trivial interest in, I resorted to re-reading a book series that I love to death: All for the Game trilogy. You can find my review of this series here.

More commonly known as the first book in the series, The Foxhole Court, these books have continually given me merriment and joy every time I’ve read them, including this time. I read all three novels in about four days and I enjoyed every single second of it, even though this is the third time I’ve read the series start to finish.

After finishing The King’s Men, I was once again bereft of reading material and woefully bored. Hence, as any normal person does, I resorted to fanfiction and to looking up books that people found were similar to The Foxhole Court.

To my surprise, on every list was a trilogy I had never heard of called The Captive Prince. Scoffing in skepticism-how could something even compare to my beloved foxes? I decided with circumspect that I would “try” out this series.

I was very much right. The Captive Prince trilogy almost had nothing in common with Nora Sakavics’s The Foxhole Court other than the hate-to-love trope (but it’s not like Nora invented that by any means) and slow-burn romance.

That being said, I very much enjoyed the series.

The trilogy was first self-published by author C.S. Pacat in 2013, the same year that Nora Sakavic self-published The Foxhole Court. What a good year for literature. In all candor, the authors and their backgrounds seem to have more in common then their series do.

The Captive Prince revolves around Damen, the true and rightful heir to the throne of Akielos, being sold as a slave to the prince of Vere, Laurent, by his own brother who has usurped the throne after the untimely death of their father.

Thus unfolds a truly complex and intriguing series involving intricate world-building, political machinations, Damen’s lofty goal of trying to go back home and take his rightful place on the throne, Laurent’s ongoing war with his uncle, the current Regent of Vere until Laurent comes of age, and some truly surprising twists and turns.

This trilogy took me blissfully by surprise.

Is this trilogy a romance? Yes, it is. Very slow burn and with the aforementioned enemies-to friends-to lovers trope that we’re all enamored with (don’t even pretend otherwise). I saw the synopsis, caught wind of the word “slave” and almost gave in and tossed this book away permanently.

I don’t like relationships with unbalanced hierarchies of power. In truth, it makes me uncomfortable because I truly think the relationship can’t be mutual, equal, or consensual when one person in the relationship inherently has more influence and control over the other.

I thought Captive Prince was going to be another smutty, cheesy, poorly written rendition of a “slave” being given to a prince and low and behold, they fall in love anyway despite the numerous and lengthy immoral implications within that framework.

Much to my surprise, the Captive Prince took its own turn.

Number one, while Damen is sold as a slave to Laurent, there is nothing explicitly sexual in nature that occurs between them (much) until further later on in the series. This is mostly because of Laurent himself, who loathes Damen for reasons that I won’t get into.

The society they live in, however, does not have the same chaste control that the Prince of Vere does, but instead of coming across as lascivious and self-serving, the gratuitous display of sex and sex slaves in the novel actually serves more of a commentary of being toxic and something that Laurent wants to change once he is properly king. I appreciated this commentary.

Secondly, Damen and Laurent’s relationship was genuinely good to me. Often with books of this romantic and superfluous nature, the relationship seems fake, forced, or like I said before, inherently unbalanced and therefore coerced.

However, Pacat does a very good job of insisting that while Damen is technically Laurent’s slave in status, he is never actually Laurent’s slave in action, belief, or treatment. It was very refreshing to see how much power Damen amassed, even with his slave status, and the control he was able to wield and hone.

Laurent and Damen also authentically compliment each other. Where Laurent is cold and calculating, Damen is warm and trusting. Where one is manipulative with mind games another is strategic on the battlefield. They meshed well together. A fact that Pacat showed time and time again. They made each other better. And in the end, they both realized this as well.

Thirdly, this series was truly well written and didn’t focus solely on the romance. For a trilogy found under the romance section at Barnes & Noble, I was chagrined to find that for the most part, politics, war, scheming, and an overall plot heavy series dominated most of the pages.

While Laurent and Damen’s relationship does have focus, it wasn’t the only focus, and if anything, their relationship played well and clearly into the events that were going on around them.

That being said, similar to The Foxhole Court, please be warned that there are triggering aspects of this book. Namely rape, slavery, prostitution, drugs, violence, torture, etc. If this is something that is concerning to you, please research the warnings and risks attributed to this novel before diving head first.

Lastly, people, the sheer vocabulary of this series was astonishing. I had to look up so many words that I didn’t know. Instead of being annoying, I loved this. I love learning new words.

However, reading YA most of the time does not stretch my vocabulary limits. This book certainly did and I wholeheartedly appreciated it. Some words included: chamois, dishabille, chicanery, sobriquet, nascent and damascened. I will be very impressed if you know all these words without having to google them like I did.

I know I should have probably written separate reviews for all three books in the trilogy, but because I read them one after another and in such a short amount of time, the whole series kind of blended together for me in one gargantuan novel.

I can’t say that I hated that. Lengthy books are an absolute prize when you’re enjoying them. In addition, Pacat released short stories with differing material, one is an epilogue type of deal and most of the others show insights into side characters from throughout the series. They’re all very fun to read if you needed something more like I did once I was finished.

Recommendation: The trilogy as a whole was really fun and surprisingly well-written. Damen, Laurent and other characters were continuously fleshed out and the writing itself was nuanced, symbolic, and just fun to read. The world-building, while not the most incredibly original thing that’s ever surfaced, was still gripping and entertaining.

It was almost like a fantasy take on Ancient Rome or Greece, which is very much up my alley anyway. The romance wasn’t cheesy, but was instead fluid, dynamic, and situated well within the plot as a whole. It wasn’t the Foxhole Court, but that’s okay, because what can be? Better off to be something new and distinct than trying to copy something or someone else.

As Oscar Wilde once said, “Be yourself, everyone else is already taken.”

Indeed, Mr. Wilde.

Score: 8/10

#the captive prince #princes gambit #kings rising #cs pacat #laurent and damen #the foxhole court #all for the game #nora sakavic #book blog #books #book review #book rec #Book Recommendations #booknerd #book reccs #YA Book Review #romance fiction #mm romance #LGBTQ fiction

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sonicfrontiers · 4 years

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OOUGGH IM SO GLAD IM NOT THE ONLY ONE THINKING ABOUT SEA OF THIEVES HLVRAI AU... PLEASE !!!! PLEASE PLEASE SHARE UR IDEAS I WANNA HEAR THEM SO BAD

OHHH ANON YOU HAVE SAVED MY FUCKING LIFE WITH THIS ASK THANK YOU SO MUCH

SO !! i barely have anything yet bc i just had this fucking brain blast like an hour ago but. here are my Thoughts so far:

so the very first thing i tried to think of was like. what everyone is? i did my best w this but i am so fuckin open to ideas..... i don’t know shit!

the easiest answer right off the bat was who the humans are (or at least the pirates who appear to be human) in this. we got the science team as the pirate crew—gordon, tommy, bubby, and coomer! they are sailing the seas and maybe they are not doing a very good job of it but it’s fine. it’s Fine

the second easiest answer was benrey’s situation. we got skeletons fuck yeah. benrey got some of that curse uh oh! however w benrey’s situation that’s more like... sometimes being a skeleton rather than just steadily turning into one, i thought maybe the curse fucked up on him? maybe it’s like. he’s only half cursed to just sometimes be a skeleton but he can also look human again too. i don’t fucking know. also OH SHIT BENREY HAS TO BE NOT HUMAN UHJHHHHHHHH fuck it guess he’s part ancient now too. i guess. shit i’ll have to spend more time on him but this is.. the gist

next we got uhh forzen babey. i’ll be honest i’m not too confident on this one. i had the vague idea that maybe he’s a mermaid? although whether he’s one of the mermaids that steals sunken pirates and turns them into mermaids or one of the mermaids who was turned into a pirate i can’t really decide. i mean the pirates-turned-mermaids are always helpful in game, and forzen. well. Isn’t, but the mermaid-mermaids live so far deep that they’re never seen? so i don’t know. but he’s out there.... in the ocean....... somewhere....... waiting for me to have more brain power to answer this

it’s darnold time! i’ll be honest i also don’t have many ideas for this guy. i thought maybe he’s got something to do with the order of souls? that’s vaguely related to potions right? sage darnold with the oos eyes curse and he reads the fuckin skull juices to help out the crew with their voyages..... i think? there are other options too but this is the one that jumped out at me the most!

GREGORY MAN. the man himself. SO I GOT TWO POSSIBILITIES HERE FOR THIS GUY. what i can’t decide on is how much of canon sot i want to be canon in this au... mainly, the stuff abt the pirate lord. i got two options here, one of which is that ramsey still exists as the pirate lord and he hangs out doing mostly the same shit he does in canon, and gman is like. an ancient who stuck around the sea of thieves for whatever reason? which would make tommy a descendant of the ancients too, hence why i specified earlier that all the pirates in the crew might not be human..... EITHER THAT OR gman is the pirate lord and ramsey fuckin uh doesn’t exist in the au. and i CANNOT for the life of me decide which i like better. ANY HELP APPRECIATE HERE PLS

OH ALSO I FORGOT SUNKIST HE’S A MONKEY THAT TOMMY HAS AND HE CAN DO COOL TRICKS AND EVERYONE LOVES HIM. HE’S IMMORTAL SOMEHOW. DON’T WORRY ABOUT IT

THEN. it’s tim,e for “how the fuck did everyone get past the shroud into the sot”

i think no matter who the pirate lord is in this au they’d have no problems letting pretty much anyone in honestly. ramsey just kinda says “oh you washed up unconscious on the shores of old sailor’s isle? cool let me just not ask any questions and part the shroud for you real quick ok bye” and honestly i can’t imagine gman would be much different—although he’d probably be more cryptic abt it than ramsey is

SO. GORDOS. i feel like him coming to the sot was a last resort of sorts. he feels lost in life, unsure what his goal is or where he’s going, and he hears of this mystical sea that nobody who enters ever leaves but apparently there’s adventure and treasure and wonder there so he’s like fuck it, i’ve got nothing else to do and goes there hoping to find some sort of purpose. and find it he does :)

tommy time! i feel like whatever brought him here had to be partially related to his dad? either he’s just There bc. well. his dad’s the fuckin pirate lord, or gman’s all cryptid abt being an ancient and left tommy to sort of grow up in the sot on his own while gman kept a distant eye on him, just so tommy wouldn’t find out too much abt being an ancient or whatever. uh. so he’s pretty familiar w the world of sot and all its wacky magic shit!

(actual sot lore question here bc this is smth i don’t know—does all the magic that happens in sea of thieves happen beyond the shroud? i wonder if the rest of the world also has skeletons and giant sea monsters and magic and shit or if it’s just inside the sea of thieves...... hmmm for this au i’m gonna assume that all magic is something unique to the sea of thieves and doesn’t happen beyond the shroud)

The Bubby. honestly i like the idea that bubby came to the sot just to like... get away from the outside world? like maybe he’s on the run from something............ this is very very vague in my mind and is extremely subject to change but i like the whole “I’M LEAVING THIS WORLD!” thing as bubby being like fuck the regular world i’m going into the flesh eating devil shroud and nobody can stop me. and then he did

coomer. the man himself. i think coomer came to the sot searching for adventure! and more to learn! he’s always looking to broaden his horizons and where else to go but to the mystical sea of thieves when looking for new experiences? coomer is just here to have a good time :)

UH i think darnold already existed in the sot... he just sorta Lives There... there are npcs who just fucking were born and raised there right. like tasha was in the sot at age 4 so it makes sense right?? darnold just live here and he helps get the crew from the outside world familiar with the sot!

FORZEN has been in the sot for ages—either he’s always been here as a mermaid or he got turned into one so long ago and he’s just been getting angrier and angrier w it every year he’s trapped here. he barely remember why he came anymore but god does he regret it. :(

gman either way just kind of Is There huh..... as the pirate lord i honestly can’t imagine his origin being much different than ramsey’s? like he just makes friends w the ancients like hey what’s up i like this sea. my sea now. or he Is an ancient and just fucking chills there. whatever

OK THAT’S MOSTLY IT FOR WHAT I HAVE FOR TECHNICAL STUFF WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO IT..... HERE ARE SOME OTHER FUN BITS I THOUGHT OF:

bubby discovers firebombs and Uh Oh. Uh Oh Everyone Watch Out Bubby’s Got Fire Powers Now. he only accidentally sets the ship on fire SOMETIMES it’s FINE. (also his favorite region is the devil’s roar. unsurprisingly. he likes the chaos it brings)

bubby and tommy + coomer as well are agents of chaos in general. they don’t follow the fuckin Rules and it makes gordon’s life a living hell.

bubby: look gordon i dug up some grubs! gordon: cool man, put those in the barrel and we can use them to fish late- bubby: (shoving the grubs in his mouth) gordon: BUBBY NO WHAT THE FUCK DON’T EAT TH coomer: oh, what a good idea, bubby! i am feeling quite hungry myself! (also starts eating worms) gordon: I’M COOKING DINNER AT THE CAMPFIRE RIGHT NOW PLEASE DON’T tommy: oh are the worms okay to eat? i wonder what they taste like gordon: NO STOP benrey, shoving worms in gordon’s face: eat worms? eat worms now please?

coomer finds out how to launch himself out of a cannon and he becomes unstoppable. the crew is attacked by an enemy ship and everyone’s like “oh fuck everyone get to the cannons!” and they go there to find coomer fucking launching himself directly onto the enemy ship, and he kills their entire crew in seconds. by the time he mermaids back to his ship everyone is fucking stunned silent and coomer is just like “well, that takes care of that! let’s get back on course, gentlemen!” and since then they just fucking fire coomer at people like a weapon whenever they get attacked by other pirates or skeletons. It Always Works

UH AND I THINK THAT’S KIND OF WHAT I HAVE SO FAR? i might be forgetting something but this post is long enough as is......

IF ANYONE HAS ANYTHING TO ADD FEEL FREE!!! i love sea of thieves so fuckin much man... and i didn’t even TOUCH on anything like any of the reaper’s bones shit which i would be interested in looking at getting involved in this au somehow...... i will probably come back to this if anyone else is interested !! otherwise that’s all i got for now!!!! thank you so much for asking anon!!!!!

#hlvrai #sot #UM. I GUESS I'M PUTTING THIS IN THE MAIN TAGS?#half live vr but the ai is self aware #sea of thieves #hlvrai + sot fans..... all three of you...... come get your juice #SORRY FOR THE LONG POST TO EVERYONE ELSE HGHNFDNJHG FD #anyway thank you anon..... thank you so much.................. i lvoe you #I'M SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG TO WRITE I GOT SO MUCH... ON THE BRAIN....... but i love you !! THANK YOU FOR THE ASK

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zippdementia · 4 years

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Part 85 Alignment May Vary: An End to Demons

At the end of last session, the PCs managed to put together the pieces of Alyss’ memory to discover she was not the queen of some ancient Satanic city, but rather a noble’s daughter, kidnapped and turned to the worship of Asmodeus. Furthermore, she bore Asmodeus’ child, Karina, who was a major Player Character in our campaign before she reached the hallowed halls of NPCdom.

Now the PCs are whisked back to the present, where they find themselves in the stone hallway again, the “behind the scenes” area of this layer of the Abyss and Esheballa’s game. And indeed, they have a game to finish.

(The artwork below is by Ryan Durney, from his Mirrors of the Abyss module. It’s one of my favorite of his pieces! For the full module, go here.)

Breaking the Rules

With the PCs at this point is Hecate, pulled from her destruction at the hands of the pit fiend moments before she could be crushed by its baleful wrath, and also Alyss. Puck is gone, but Alyss explains that he is “with her now,” the last bit of Asmodeus contained within her, safe in her restored mind until she can bring it to where it needs to go: Esheballa’s inner sanctum, where she keeps the “trophies” of the defeated Demon Lords and Devil invaders, who died during the Blood War’s destructive finale.

Alyss tells the PCs she will reach the sanctum and open a portal so they can join her there but that she needs two things: First, Daymos needs to go with her, as she needs his power to open the portal and also to travel the Abyss unnoticed, as he is now a demon. Second, she needs the PCs to keep playing Esheballa’s game for a little longer, so she doesn’t get suspicious and discover Alyss’ plan.

What is Alyss’ plan? To revive Asmodeus within Esheballa’s sanctum, bringing back her "husband” and the true lord of the devils.

The only other thing Alyss gives the players is a card from Abbraxus, meant for Imoaza. It has a curious riddle on it, telling her that in order to forge a weapon capable of defeating a god or goddess like Esheballa. It reads:

To the Snake Lady:

You will not be able to defeat Esheballa without the power of the realms combined. Solve my riddle and forge the greatest weapon in creation. It was meant for the one whose life you cut. Now its power will be yours to claim. Four realms will come together to craft this blade:

The Eternal Fire of Hell

The Cutting Darkness of the Abyss

The Power of an Elemental God

The Forbidden Knowledge of the Far Realms

Without this weapon, you shall perish and Esheballa shall make a trophy of your skins and a prisoner of your souls. Even with the weapon, your chances may be slight, but darkness flees from even the slightest light.

The PCs jump back into the game after this, doing one more room of Esheballa’s “Mirrors of the Abyss.” Esheballa herself is overjoyed to have her playthings back.

“Ah, there you are!” Esheballa’s girlish voice emanates from mirrors all around the group. Then her voice darkens and lowers: “I thought you had tried to cheat your way out of my game.” Then a high pitched giggle again. “Or that you’d died, hee hee! Well, I’m glad you are back. There’s so much more fun to show you.”

The next room is a favorite room of mine from Ryan Durney’s crazed campaign, a room where the PCs are forced to split up and each tackle a different puzzle or challenge in a hallway of mirrors. Imoaza and Hecate end up in one hall, Milosh in another, and Ruz in a third.

Ruz has played Esheballa’s game and survived it before and he remembers this mirror puzzle. It was here that he and a fellow traveler met the horrible “Bloody Mary.” Mary was the architect of many of Esheballa’s magical mirrors, but when she tried to escape the realm, Esheballa took offense and punished her horribly, by putting her through the “grater” and then keeping her alive, suffering eternally from her wounds while trapped in the very mirrors she helped construct. Now Esheballa uses her as a monster against those who cannot solve her riddles.

For Ruz, this means solving the steps of a complicated ritual. Fortunately, he has the experience of past failure on his side and is able to avoid the mistakes his old companion made and complete the puzzle. As he exits the mirror hallway, he turns and sees Bloody Mary in one of the mirrors. Something about the look the horrendous apparition gives him makes him think that she knows what he and his companions are about to do. She nods solemnly as if in support, and disappears.

Presently Imoaza, Hecate, and Milosh join him. Milosh looks the worse for wear, but Imoaza and Hecate seem alrite, except for a trickle of blood running down her shoulder. The group doesn’t share their experiences, but I will, briefly.

Imoaza and Hecate end up facing a puzzle involving a sphere of annihilation which requires the proper sacrifice to pass. This is actually a pretty fun little mechanic, where sacrifices let Imoaza roll a d20 to change the effects of the sphere, supposedly turning it eventually into a portal that will let her and Hecate leave this hall. But the trick is that the sphere is never good, and really the goal is have it disappear and reveal the true exit. But this still requires sacrifice.

Milosh, meanwhile, is given a choice in his hallway: face a horrendous monster or set it on one of his fellows. Milosh has been changing ever since entering the abyss and especially since losing Carrick. He is losing his amicable, naive nature and reverting to something more primal inside of him. An old personality is emerging. And that personality wants to live. It sics the monster on Imoaza and Hecate.

This ends up being a boon for the snake relatives, as when they are attacked by the huge, deformed fox creature that Milosh sends at them, Imoaza uses powerful magic to blast it backwards into the sphere of annihilation. The sacrifice is accepted and the sphere disappears!

An End to Demons

Passing through the mirror trap buys Alyss and Daymos enough time to open a way to Esheballa’s inner sanctum. The PCs leap through the portal that appears for them at the end of the mirror hallway and end up somewhere completely different, a great emptiness that is spanned by a massive bridge leading to the hollowed out corpse of the mighty Demogorgon, defeated during the Blood War and left here to house Esheballa’s most sacred treasures: the conquests of the Blood War.

Note, for this section, I’ve left the module Ryan Durney designed behind, but I want to say that it was a really unique dungeon, and one of the only ones I’ve ever read that really felt like an abyssal adventure. Ryan’s attention to detail really brought Esheballa and her realm to life. It is a deathtrap of a dungeon in the vein of Tomb of Horrors, maybe even deadlier, but also an experience lined with melancholy and moral dilemma. Very interesting stuff! Overall, the Planes in Dungeons & Dragons don’t get enough attention. They have been left as sandbox arenas for innovative DMs to play around in and let their imaginations run wild. But that’s also a lot of pressure on a DM. You have to create a compelling story, pick from myriads of monster lists and obstacles what the players are going to encounter, and somehow make the whole experience feel different enough from a standard game as to make it memorably part of a planar experience. Mirrors of the Abyss is one of the only modules released for 5th Edition that I feel does that, and the only one that does it for the Abyss.

That said, Mirrors could take up many more sessions if I play it straight through, and it is time for us to return to our main storyline. The players enter Demogorgon and make their way into one of his skulls, where Esheballa has built a museum of sorts. Here are paintings all over the walls, each containing the soul of a dead Demon Lord. One painting contains the soul of Asmodeus.

Basically, my head canon here is that in the final days of the Blood War, Asmodeus took some of his highest ranking devils and a huge army and invaded the Abyss. Every single Demon Lord died that day and the power of the Abyss was sealed away by Asmodeus’ power. But using this power drained Asmodeus of his life force and while he could not truly die, the Devils that accompanied him were killed and Asmodeus’ body destroyed. Damaged, his soul fled back to Hell, where one of his disciples, Alyss, found it and nurtured it into a semblance of health. It became Puck. Not strong enough to reveal who he truly was, and with his power only sustained by Alyss’ fervent belief in him, Puck could do naught but watch as Hell was left to the squabbling of those Devil Kings and Queens who had stayed behind from the front lines, turning hell into a capitalistic mecca in the process and more corrupt than ever before.

Meanwhile, The Blood War ended, but the Abyss survived. Dreadfully wounded, its ability to touch the world and open portals to draw poor souls into it was lost. The Demon Lords, from Lolth to Demogorgon, were destroyed. And into this vacuum of power stepped Esheballa. She was a very old goddess of fertility, whose worship had long ago corrupted into lust and blood and then eventually into dust and forgotten rituals. Now she claimed the Abyss for her own playground, feeding on what soul stuff of the dead Demon Lords she could siphon, trapping the rest in paintings to adorn her new sanctum, the hollowed out shell of Demogorgon. She kept a piece of Hellfire, kept alive here in a magical furnace.

Into this furnace Milosh now places his broken gun arm and the spider mechanical creature that Abbraxus gave him, which is actually one of the old mechas of hell, designed to be able to forge using Hellfire. Milosh also feeds the fire a few special items he’s picked up around Esheballa’s realm, most notably the crown taken from the battle with the Lich. Flames flare up and the spider bot begins working at blinding speed, until it forges a new gun arm for Milosh, a gunarm filled with the powers of the Abyss but also the ability to turn those powers against demons: the Abyss Breaker.

The Abyss Breaker (requires Attunement)

As a bonus action, can transform from a hand into a drill or into a cannon.

As a hand, has no special stats (but it sure looks cool!)

As a drill, it cannot be used to wield a weapon or manipulate objects like a hand could. It can act as a +1 adamantine spear (user has proficiency) and can be used to help break through rocks and other materials. It can also be fired like a grappling hook as an attack action, with a range of 20/60 feet and can deal damage in this manner or be used to grip surfaces or objects (attack roll versus the object's AC to hit and grip an object). If it strikes, an immediate bonus action can be used to pull the user to the object or creature, after which point the target is no longer considered hooked.

As a cannon, it acts like a +3 heavy crossbow, dealing force damage instead of piercing. It can also cast the following spells, once per day per spell as an action:

Cloud of Daggers (PHB 222), Delayed Blast Fireball (PHB 231), Destructive Wave (PHB 231), Vitae Devourandem (a spell created by Ryan Durney which drains a target of their life and feeds it to the user)

The following spell can be used twice a day:

Modified Magic Missile (PHB 257): casts five darts for 1d4+1 force damage each. When a dart hits a target, that target is pushed 1d4-1 squares away in a direction determined by the roll of another d4. 1 - away to the left, 2 - away to the right, 3 - straight back, 4 - knocked prone in place.

Also, the wielder of the cannon can approach the body of a recently slain spellcaster (must have died within the last five minutes) and can store one spell that the spellcaster knew inside of it, to be used at any time. Once this spell is used once, it is gone. Multiple spells can be stored in this manner, up to 6. To store more than 6, one of the other spells must be discarded. The same spell can be stored multiple times, if taken from different spellcasters. This ability cannot be used on the same spellcaster multiple times.

Once per day, when the wielder of the cannon is a target of a spell, they may make an Arcana (Int) check equal to the spellcaster's DC. If successful, the spell is stored inside the cannon as per the ability above. On failure, nothing happens. This has no effect on the spell currently being cast.

And our fun with this weapon-maker isn’t over yet!

Imoaza thinks back to Abbraxus’ riddle and puts the following items in the fire:

The Necronomicon

The Rod of Storms

Her Drosselgreymeyer Scythe

There is a terrific flare of heat and light and when the spider bot finished its work this time, the Eternal flame of Hell that feeds this furnace does the impossible: it goes out. Emerging from the flame is a shockingly familiar sword. It announces itself as “Blackrazor.” Only this is Blackrazor before it became the sword they all know. It is the original source of Blackrazor and the power of all of the Abyssal weapons that Imoaza and her Yuan Ti tribe have wielded for ages, including Drosselgreyer. We name it Blackrazor “Alpha.” How the sword’s origins begin here, aeons after the sword has already had a history, is a mystery yet to be solved.

“It’s gonna be timey-wimey stuff,” one of the players said. They probably aren’t wrong. “We are gonna go back and give birth to ourselves or something, aren’t we?” another asks. I’m not so sure about that.

The scene wraps up with a big battle. Alyss, Daymos, and Puck arrive and head to the painting of Asmodeus, and begin to form a new body for him, pulling his essence out of the painting where Esheballa had trapped him after the Blood War. But Esheballa also arrives and takes on the form of one of the demon lords she had previously defeated, the Demon Queen of Witches, named Rangda. The stats are taken from a Kobold Press publication (their Tome of Beasts and Creature Codex have gotten mention before, but they deserve mention again as the best third-party monster manuals for fifth edition).

The fight against Esheballa in Rangda’s form is a pretty fantastic one. Imoaza is immediately polymorphed into a serpent by Rangda but that doesn’t stop her from latching on to Rangda’s leg and dealing... well... about 3 damage a turn. But it’s something.

This leaves Hecate, Milosh, and Ruze to deal damage to Esheballa. Milosh has his Abyss Breaker, and Hecate has her gun arm, and Ruze has powerful magics, but it is a very close fight nonetheless. Hecate is nearly killed, and Milosh is about to face a deadly barrage when Ruze’s chaotic wild magic unintentionally turns the tide. Ruze is a Wild Magic sorcerer, and every once in a while he unleashes a random burst of magic. It can be dangerous, turning his powers on his allies... it can be pointless, like giving him a feathery beard or turning his skin blue... but it can also be powerful, like in this case, when it boosts the power of his magic and deals a devastating final blow to Rangda’s form. Esheballa is ejected... but the goddess is far from done with the group. Destroying Rangda’s form was simply like removing a bit of armor from Esheballa. Her true essence stands tall, ready to smite these poor mortals who dared to challenge her.

Only, this whole battle was just a distraction, meant to buy Daymos and Alyss time to channel Asmodeus back into Puck. That process completes now and Asmodeus returns to life. As he does, the power that was keeping the Abyss at bay is sucked back into him and the Demon Lords also are reborn, emerging from the paintings around Esheballa and pulling her, whom they consider a traitor and a rival, into their midst to tear her apart.

Asmodeus says the Blood War is about to begin again, and it is time for everyone to return to their homes, he with his new queen. Then, as Asmodeus draws Alyss in close for a passionate kiss., the PCs are sucked into a portal he creates and the world swirls into color around them.

They next open their eyes to see a canopy of leaf studded trees stretching above them. And that is for next time: Back to the Future.

#AMV #Alignment May Vary #Dungeons & Dragons #5e #DND 5e #Esheballa #Mirrors of then Abyss #Rangda #Asmodeus #Kobold Press

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germanfulbrighteta · 6 years

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End of the 2017/2018 Fulbright year - Wimbledon and home at last!

It’s over! My Fulbright year has officially come to an end. I cannot believe how many amazing people I met during the past 10 and a half months abroad, and how many places I was fortunate enough to have traveled to and to have experienced as well. It’s been an incredible ride, and though I’m sad it’s over, I’m already excited about and looking forward to whatever adventures may lie ahead.

Before leaving Europe for good, however, my Dad and I teamed up to squeeze in one more fun excursion in London, England. Below is my account of attending the first three days of the most famous tennis tournament in the world: Wimbledon!

The trip from Germany to England to meet my Dad began with - you guessed it - a delayed flight. This turned out to be a blessing in disguise, however, as France was playing Argentina in a thrilling World Cup game, and many of the people in the Düsseldorf airport had crowded around T.V. sets to watch. Even when in transit, Europeans apparently take the sport of soccer very seriously. (Though that wouldn’t compare to the England vs. Columbia game I would later bear witness to - more on that further down.)

I eventually arrived in England that Saturday evening, and as Wimbledon didn’t start until two days later, our first day together was simply spent sightseeing around London. We first checked out the London Science Museum (note to all future attendees: although interesting, it’s mostly a children's museum) before managing to complete my favorite walk in London. Here’s how it goes:

Start at Westminster, admire Westminster Abbey and Big Ben Walk up Downing Street Stop for lunch at The Old Shades Cross Trafalgar Square Finish by walking down to Buckingham Palace and potentially taking a selfie with the Queen

At last, Monday morning finally arrived, and my Dad and I embarked on the famous tennis pilgrimage to the lawns of Wimbledon at the All England Club. It’s something every tennis player, whether professional or amateur, hopes to see at least once, and we were both thrilled to walk around the prestigious grounds and hop from match to match, knowing that we would be surrounded by world-class tennis no matter where we looked. Excitement levels: off the charts.

We started by orienting ourselves with the Wimbledon complex. One of the first things you see when you walk in is Centre Court, the most famous tennis court in the world and where only the best matches are played. Nearby are the bigger courts of 1, 2, 3, 12, and 18 (where the world’s longest match ever, at just over 11 hours spanned over two days, was played in 2010), and finally, the myriad of shops and restaurants where you can spend your money on amazingly overpriced (but still pretty cool) merchandise and snacks. Basically, the main question facing any newcomers is simple: where on Earth do you begin?

We decided to check out the outer courts for a few hours before proceeding to Court 1, the second biggest stadium at Wimbledon. There, we saw Sloane Stephens, one of the top ranked American women, lose handily to Donna Vekic (ranked 55th in the world), as well as Milos Raonic and Serena Williams win their matches with no trouble. We also managed to secure the famous strawberries and cream dish, a classic staple of the Wimbledon experience, and see Caroline Wozniacki, the #2 female player in the world, on a practice court. It was an amazing day, and only had us hungry for more once we left nearly 9 hours later.

If I had to describe day two of our Wimbledon extravaganza, it would look something like this: Centre Court. That’s right, we actually had tickets all day for Centre Court at Wimbledon, and on schedule to play were Rafael Nadal (men’s world number one), Garbine Muguruza (Wimbledon defending champion), and Simona Halep (women’s world number one). I’ve posted pictures and videos of each match below if anyone is interested in seeing a behind-the-scenes Centre Court perspective. Otherwise, take my word for it: seeing that many top players spar on the greatest tennis court in the world is nothing short of a dream come true, and my Dad and I loved every minute of it.

That evening, England played Columbia in the World Cup round of 16. We went to a pub to get the full experience, standing among at least a hundred other people (many of whom, ironically, were Americans) to watch England come within minutes of winning the game, then be stunned by a last-minute goal from Columbia, and finally see the game be taken to a sudden-death penalty shootout. The tension in the pub was palpable, and it was an amazing experience being there when England scored the final goal and the whole pub basically erupted (video posted below!).

Our final day at Wimbledon involved a little strategy, as we arrived extra early to escape the somewhat voluminous crowds. Our reward was a court level view of three great matches (featuring Gael Monfils and Stan Wawrinka) on Court 3, where we spent the first 6 hours of the day. We also managed to see some of Marin Cilic’s match on Court 1 before rain caused a premature end to the day, and to our Wimbledon experience as well. Our luck with the great weather had finally run dry, so we bought a couple of small souvenirs, sent a postcard back home, and left the gates of Wimbledon for the last time.

We had one more day in London to spend, however, so the next morning we went to the British Library, home of, among other treasures, the Magna Carta and ancient Biblical texts. In between train delays and cancelations, we also managed to see the Harry Potter store at King’s Cross and visit the House of Parliament. We ended the day by watching a few Wimbledon matches at the local sport’s bar before turning in and flying home (really) early the next day. It was a great last day in Europe, and was a suitable ending to one of the most surreal and memorable years one could ask for.

Writing this last article back home, surrounded by my 2 dogs and 3 cats, I find it hard to believe that the last year really happened. It feels great to be back, but I know I’m going to miss the traveling and late-night Döner runs. Most of all, however, I’m going to miss the amazing people I met in Germany, as well as in the other countries I traveled to during my months teaching abroad. However, I’m also excited to see how the Fulbright program will continue to develop, and what kinds of stories future participants will return with. I’d highly encourage anyone who counts among their interests living abroad, traveling, and languages to apply - you can visit their website (https://us.fulbrightonline.org) or talk to your campus representative for more information.

With that, I hope you enjoy the pictures and videos I’ve posted below of London and Wimbledon! Thank you for reading this blog of my 2017-2018 Fulbright year in Germany - I hope you’ve had as much fun reading it as I have had writing it. Safe travels!

Das Ende

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gayredmage · 7 years

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Pay Rise - FFVII Fanfic

I had this story idea collecting dust in my folders. Finally got around to finishing it. Took so damn long because it is uh…interesting…and very difficult to write.

Pairings: President Shinra/Genesis, Genesis/Sephiroth Rating: Explicit Word count: 5519 Summary: President Shinra is bored, lonely and horny. And he wants a new second class soldier to deal with it. Little does he know that Commander Rhapsodos will be giving him more soldier than he asked for.

External Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11636493

Some days President Shinra hated his wife. It wasn’t because she was getting old and needed more botox than she did ten years ago, or that her libido was gone now that she had menopause. No…nothing like that. On the inside she was still the beautiful, young, caring woman Shinra married for money, influence and to get the media off his ass. No, he wasn’t pissed off that the hag had to get old and become sexually unresponsive – not that he would want to touch the ancient treasure in such a way. Because damn it! He was President Shinra! He should have models and whores and dozens of ethnic mistresses, more than what money can buy!

Today he hated his wife because she flared up at him. Angry about Tiffany and Ruby and Stefanie and…Alejandro. She said something about wanting a divorce. Something that Shinra did not want because then the hordes of women would come running and shove their illegitimate child under his nose. And the media would start and AVALANCHE would begin their defamation campaign. No…so long as he’s married he can pretend he’s the loving husband who puts his family first and wouldn’t dare to touch a Honey Bee girl.

So for the moment, the president was confined to his office until his wife finally calmed down and got those new breast implants she (he) always wanted. But that wasn’t a problem. See this was all a game to the president and one that he knew damn well how to play. Pressing a button on his desk phone he called straight to his illegitimate son’s office.

“ Yes, Mr President? ”

Shinra cleared his throat, “I heard you just recently got some new recruits. How are they doing?”

“ …ahh…well those who passed the initial tests are still in training. They’re being supervised by Commander Rhapsodos for now.”

“I see, I see…” Shinra really didn’t give a gil toss, “Say…son…” Shinra smiled, “Could you deliver me their class file? I’d…like to check on some things. You know, being president I’d love to familiarise myself with the strong men of the future protecting this company.”

On the other end, Lazard did his best not to facepalm too loudly, “ A 3rd should be there with the file in 5 minutes. ”

“Good.”

“ Anything else I could help you with, sir? ” preferably unrelated to your wayward manhood.

“No, no. You’re doing well, my son .” he beamed, “You should be expecting quite the pay rise.”

“ Very well. Have a good day, sir.”

While he waited for his menu to arrive, Shinra noticed an obstacle in his way. It’s a bit…bizarre for the head of the company to request meeting a fresh recruit in his penthouse office right off the bat. Not to mention it would be weirder for a recruit having to explain to their superior that they were to be the president’s audience for…a while. No, Shinra has to request permission to see a recruit like some lowly boot licking grunt to keep face, keep things discrete and actually get the damn thing to work.

Groaning, he called his secretary, “Bring me Commander Rhapsodos. I need him here in no less than 20 minutes.”

“ Of course Mr. President. There is a soldier here with a file, would you like me to deliver it to you? ”

Shinra grinned, “That would be delightful, Vivian.”

The minute she left the room after dumping the folder on his desk, the president had his cock out, “Now let’s see which one of you makes me hard…” he said, licking his lips while drooling all over the cadets’ pictures.

After a quick thumb through and some whistling and a good ogling of their stern faced portraits, Shinra picked his few. He needed to keep a selection of course, in case some weren’t available. Also, it was Rhapsodos. The president shivered as he picked up the phone and glared at the direct call number on the top of file. That redhead was one heck of a sour puss. He hated to deal with him – loud, arrogant, always disapproving, always acting like he had a sword shoved up his ass. Good soldier, but damn was he…difficult. And if it weren’t for his bastard son’s infatuation with the faggot, plus blackmail from both the Rhapsodos family AND Lazard, he would have had Sephiroth ‘accidentally’ get him killed in the wastelands. But then Sephiroth himself had a bit of an ‘interest’ in him. What men saw in the flamer, Shinra had no idea! He was a complete big-headed lunatic for all he knew!

Shinra rolled his eyes. The damn bitch sure does love to take his time to answer the phone. How is he even in 1 st Class if he can’t be prompt? Is it because he’s bent over getting fucked by Sephiroth? Wait, was Sephiroth even taught any of that? He had to have a word with Hojo…

“ Commander Rhapsodos speaking, how may I help you? ”

He cleared his throat, “Ah, there’s my favourite commander in all of SOLDIER! It’s good you answered, very good.” Oh damn he really hated the sound of his irritating voice, “I have a file of the new recruits assigned to you. I was hoping we could…discuss the…well-being of them. You know, being the CEO of such a large company leads to great responsibility and I do love keeping informed of our newer members. It helps me feel progress. Like the greater good is right by our doorstep. I’m proud of SOLDIER and proud of all the new men coming in. Now…what good is a father without knowing his sons?”

Holy Minerva, did he really just-? Shinra facepalmed. His. Sons? Now this was going to be wrong on two levels…first abusing his power, now getting in the mood for some serious daddy/son roleplaying. It wasn’t beneath him, but the fact that it slipped out like that. Damn it! Even over the phone Shinra felt like he was being put on the spot by the bitchy 1 st .

“ Right…Okay…When do you need me by ?”

“Now would be great.”

“ I’m in a meeting with the general. I’ll be at your office shortly after, say, half an hour?”

Well Shinra just pictured the most awkward and painful looking orgy between Sephiroth, Lazard and Genesis in the director’s office with some SOLDIER guard filming the action. As an aside, half an hour really was too long to wait, but better getting the stupid commander rather than the general to bring a recruit over.

“That’ll be fine.” The president hung up. He was too damn horny to give a fuck what the redhead thought. Instead he turned to the pictures in front of him. William Kunsel, oh he had a cute face. Mako blue eyes and soft brown hair with freckles over his nose. He was so damn sweet looking. If the stupid ditz didn’t arrive on time he might have to bust a nut before he winds up with a blood clot or a hematoma or ruptured testicle or something! Then it would be a wasted erection.

DAMMIT! What was taking that bitch so long? He thought as he drummed his fingers on the desk, trying to distract himself with work, work that he basically paid other people to do for him while he sat in his office screwing escorts and interns, promising a good-paying job in return before he kicks them out, forgets their name and has them replaced with a new intern. Checking his watch, only 5 minutes went by, so he decided to watch some lacklustre amateur porn involving babysitters and a horny dad.

He had to admit. He did enjoy that daddy roleplaying. Because he was a man of power and men of power like to always be on top of the world – to be kings! Just as it was getting to the good part where the girls feed ‘daddy’ some cream pie, the president’s office doors burst open and a rather annoyed looking commander sat opposite him.

Quickly closing the window the porn was on, the president turned to the monster in front of him and smiled his big, fatherly smile. Genesis gave him snake eyes and crossed his arms.

“You called me, sir.” He deadpanned. He was in the middle of an important meeting with the general and the director about their upcoming stint in Wutai. Angeal was captured by their forces, his life threatened in exchange for peace and money. And while they were discussing very important life or death strategies, this nimrod who doesn’t even know what a battlefield is calls him to his office.

Said nimrod was sweating.

He cleared his throat, “Ahhh, yes Genesis…” damn this whore was venomous, “I was hoping you could bring me this boy.” He hands him the file and Genesis flicks through it, “He looks like a promising young hopeful. Could maybe be our next first class prodigy, what do you say?”

The commander raised a brow, “He’s a child. It would be at least another 3 or so years.”

The president swallowed. So? And? What’s the point Rhapsodos?! “Well yes…but I’d like to meet him.”

“What for? He’s good, but he’s not far from average.”

Shinra’s eye twitched, “I like to meet them. Just in case. You know, it’s good to meet a future first class soldier while they’re young. Gives them that extra boost in confidence to excel and reach their goal of becoming first!”

If Genesis wasn’t talking to his boss right now, he would have rolled his eyes and maybe hit him over the head with the folder. “Right…”

Well this was going nowhere! The president was getting more and more annoyed with the commander’s bitchy attitude and pushed the whole stack of files towards him.

“Here.” He said, “Why don’t you find me a hopeful then, commander? Expect a pay rise for this.”

Ahh the old pay rise trick. Gen-Gen knew all about that scam. Crossing his legs he started to ponder. What was it that the president wanted so badly with his new soldier? He knew he was wasting his time, time he could spend on actual work and saving his friend. He knew they wouldn’t kill Angeal, Angeal was too nice, but still. The work was important. Gingerly he took the stack of folders and flicked through to find a poor victim.

While the redheaded foe was shopping for the president, he turned back to his porn only to have an advertisement play over the muted video. He would have groaned if he didn’t have company, but still he watched it with half-minded attention…at first.

His eyes went wide. An advertisement for a gay BDSM porn site. Oh hell yeah! Clicking the link he was transported into a world, the good world, of submissive ‘sons’ and dominant ‘daddies’ doing all sorts of fun things. Like having them walk around humiliated in latex dresses and thigh high boots. Of CBT and whips, and leather harnesses and bitchy men turned into desperate, moaning submissives in pain begging for pleasure.

Looking up from his porn he watched the redhead and smirked. Hah, handsome and experienced rascal like him could turn that whining brat into a begging submissive sex doll. His cock went harder and he kept thinking about whipping him with his belt and him in stiletto leather boots, crying, his make up all over the place. He shook his head. That was fucked up. Or was it? He could only imagine how lucky Sephiroth must be for being able to turn that hot-headed whore into a sobbing, desperate mess.

Woah, what? Really? This bitch? And for some reason he was hard as diamond over that thought. But that was never going to happen. He hated him, he could do so much better. Like that sweet boy Kunsel. And maybe Cloud from the cadets. Oh man, was his dick oozing to cum or what?

Genesis’ nose twitched. There was something in the air, something aside from middle-aged man sweat.

“Have you chosen one?” Shinra asked, and Genesis turned to him.

He knew it!

The redhead smirked, “Yes. I have.”

YES! The president’s balls felt like they were on fire, he was practically jumping for joy…on the inside, “Oh? And who would that be?”

Genesis’ grin got wider, “You’ll have to wait, sir , and you’d need to have a discussion first, in private.”

The president’s heart sank, “In private?” are you kidding me? “Why?”

“Hmm…well he’s on a mission now, but he will be back tonight. He’s also very shy and very nervous, you’d have to…calm him down. He could pass out from shock, you know, from getting to meet such an esteemed individual as you.”

Even though the president was horny now and wanted to fuck something now, he had to admit…that sounded very, VERY appealing. If this kid was going to be so shy he needed to speak with him in private, oh and to make it better, he could invite him to his own penthouse…you know. To have him calm and at ease and all, for the honour of being told he’s a hopeful for first class, of course.

He smiled, “I like that, Genesis.” This was going to be good, he’d definitely see to Genesis getting a pay rise or promotion or something! He was his new favourite for sure, “Tell him to meet me in my quarters then. The penthouse.”

The commander nodded, “Certainly, sir…he should be there by 9pm.”

He showered, exfoliated, shaved his privates like the young ones liked, spritzed himself with Gucci cologne, got dressed in a black silk thong and put on his leopard skin bath robe. Damn, he was one sexy devil, he thought to himself as he combed over his thinning blonde hair humming a tune.

The doorbell rang and he quickly headed for the door. Palms sweaty as he opened the door, in his mind seeing a cute little play thing. Bam. Red hair, buttoned up trench coat with bitch all over.

The commander smiled, “Good evening, President Shinra.” He shoved his way inside, carrying a black duffel bag.

“What are you doing here?!” he yelled, bounding towards him, “Get out of my house! You were told to bring me a soldier, which you haven’t done!”

Genesis nodded, opening the large double doors that lead straight into the bedroom.

The president was furious and shook with rage, “I’ll call security!”

“Such a lovely room.”

He was the president of Shinra for crying out loud! The most powerful corporation known to man! But this redheaded bitch couldn’t care any less. What with the way he surveyed the room, heels clicking as he paced about before dumping his bag by the bed. Balling up his fists, Shinra was ready to pull out his phone and call the guards. That was until he had a soft, warm mouth against his.

“Really, sir? You asked for the best and here I am.” Genesis whispered in his ear.

President Shinra’s phone clattered to the ground. A hand was rubbing his viagra laden crotch as the most irritating, though admittedly very attractive, soldier tickled his golden moustache with a tongue heavy kiss. His knees almost gave out - a whirlwind of emotions spiralling around him between wanting to send this man off to a firing squad to wanting to fuck him senseless on his silk-sheeted bed. But he purred , he purred into the president’s mouth and so the old man tossed all preconceptions about the whore out the window. He wanted him. Oh yes, this filthy hoe wanted a piece of the most powerful man in the world in him.

Without a second thought, he had his hairy, oily hands on the firm, round globe of Genesis’ leather clad ass. The young man gasped, gazing back at him with flirtatious mako blue eyes. Shinra smirked - the bitch wasn’t half-bad. If he kept this up, hell he was getting paid leave. Like a nymphomaniac the redhead moaned and rubbed their groins together. Shinra shivered.

“Yeah, bitch. That’s right.” he groaned, drooling heavily as he rutted his tiny prick against the soldier’s thigh.

“FUCK!” A souped up super soldier crushing the family jewels was like a sledgehammer through the groin. That bitch kneed him right in the balls and the president was on his knees shouting in pain with tears in his eyes.

Shocked, he looked over his fat hairy stomach at him kissing and petting his hurting balls. What happened next was too fast and volatile for Shinra to even register it. The soldier had the president’s dick in his lush, wet mouth and then those eyes – those goddamned mako eyes flashed and the old man’s fat face was smothered by a pillow. He was stunned, he flailed. Tried to call security, but in a heartbeat he was spread like an X, cuffed and tied to the four posters of his bed.

“MPHF!” he cried, only to have the pillow be replaced by a ball-gag which forced its way into his mouth.

The bitch was fucking strong. One hand holding his head still, making the president, HIS BOSS , afraid to move his head least his neck would snap, while the other hand pried his mouth open and secured the gag.

The redhead dusted off his hands, “Silly old man. Thought you could cry for help when I had barely even begun my work.”

The commander pulled away his coat revealing an all-black form-fitting BDSM extravaganza. Boots laced up and buckled that came to mid-thigh, tight latex shorts, clear vinyl shirt with a shiny black corset around his itty bitty waist, D-ring collar and a body harness. The president gulped – Genesis snapped on a pair of black latex gloves, with a smug grin on his face. Donning a leather officer’s cap he straddled the President.

“Love the look, sir?” he asked, pulling open the old man’s robe to reveal his hideously overweight and hairy figure before ripping off his underwear. Small erection and loose fitting balls dribbling out of the torn fabric.

The president struggled against his bonds, hoping his guards would do their rounds and check on him. The commander tutted at him, before slapping his moustached face sending his combed over tresses aflight.

Genesis struck a match and extracted two red candles from his bag. Shinra could only stare up at him - eyes wide with fear as Genesis straddled him and lit the candles. The bitch sighed, rocking his ass against the small erection beneath him. The president’s hairy gut heaving with every breath as he feared every move the commander was to make.

Those plump red lips pulled into a sadistic grin as those burning red, hot candles tilted. Searing wax dripped onto his golden, furry chest - patches of skin and hair burning and sizzling as they dribbled down his fat torso. Shinra tried to shout in pain, but he could only chew on the ball in his mouth and watch as Genesis chuckled and continued his assault.

“Don’t fight it, Mr President. You’ll only make me want to do more to you.”

He would have whimpered if he could. Caught between fear and crippling sexual satisfaction as the wax dripped onto his hard nipples. Genesis blew, cooling the wax so it hardened before trailing the candles down the big, gluttonous belly. Swirling them about like he was casting a spell to the underworld as he ground his ass into the thin prick standing at attention between his thick cheeks.

CUM SLUT. Genesis smirked at his handiwork on his large canvas as Shinra twitched; his skin, pink like the pig he is, was going to be branded the next day since the ass couldn’t heal like a soldier. The president, despite the agony, was oozing from his cock head, slicking up the covered asshole of the bitch who rode him. Blowing out a candle, Genesis stood the other on the bedside table.

“Tell me, sir. Are you going to behave?” he asked.

The president glared at him. There was no way in hell Shinra was going to give this bitch whatever he wanted. That was, until he saw a hard leather belt wrapped around the redhead’s hand. He stood his ground - like a fool. The whore wouldn’t kill him, and once Shinra was free of these bonds, he was going to-

His eyes rolled into the back of his skull as his cock was enveloped in hot, wet warmth. It was easy for the slut to take that tiny cock into his mouth and swallow him whole. He sucked - drinking down his vile fluids as he palmed his boss’s sweaty balls. Shinra thrust up involuntarily and Genesis grinned thinking it cute that the old bastard thought he could make him choke with his small friend.

He pulled away, “I’ll ask you again, sir. Will you behave?” His strong hands gripped Shinra’s throbbing cock. Tighter and tighter. The head turned purple, those piercing blue eyes stared into his soul. He was afraid again. But so unmistakably aroused as his mind begged for that face to be in his crotch again. Shinra hated him, his blood was boiling - this man knew every way to crawl under someone’s skin and exploit them. And he knew it so well. The president could not wait to wipe that wretched smirk off his ugly face.

Genesis untied his bonds, though made sure those hands remained tied together, and flipped the old man over. Shinra’s face was smothered by a pillow - he struggled, turned his head to watch the sadist behind him. In a beat, the commander deep-throated the end of the lit candle stick. It was a sickening, sinful display - Genesis’ face splashed by drops of red wax, his swift tongue curling around the end of the red candle as if he were pleasuring it. He removed the candlestick and looked so full of himself. Raising his hand, he brought the belt down.

Shinra screamed in the back of his throat as welts dented into his ass cheeks - his fat rippling as Genesis struck him again. He was cackling, unrelenting as he whipped his boss. Shinra tried to cry out against the gag in his mouth - hoping someone would save him from the commander. But his little prick was enjoying it - slicking up his heavy, round stomach with fluid as the redhead flogged him. Tears welled up in his eyes and the old man sobbed into his pillows as the loud sounds of leather slashing him across the bottom resonated in his room. His skin was cut, bleeding.

Genesis threw the belt down, satisfied at the red seeping from his boss’s wounds. The man’s hairy asshole was beckoning - wincing with every blow and that only fueled his desire. Without any care, Genesis forced the end of the lit candle into Shinra’s loose, haemorrhoid laden ass. The president froze - feeling violated, dirty, wrong, only to then find himself yanked up by the few strands of gelled hair he had left. A proud cock stood by his face, released from their entrapment of tight latex.

“If you play nice, Mr President…I’ll make sure that candle doesn’t set fire to your rear.”

Shinra could not wait to see the day Genesis would finally stop being so cocksure and smiley. The day when he orders the Turks hunt him down and torture him. Maybe have a woman force him to pleasure her with that deft tongue of his in her cunt. He couldn’t wait to jack off onto his tear covered face and watch him break.

The gag came off and the commander fucked his cock into the president’s mouth. He gagged instantly, only making the bitch moan louder at the old man’s obvious distress.

“Mmm. Suck my cock, sir.” he demanded, grabbing Shinra’s fat face and slamming it up and down his dick.

Shinra moaned at the rough treatment, wanting to rub his little prick so badly, but too stubborn to give this bitch the satisfaction of seeing him break at the seams. The candle wicked away, hot wax dripping onto his balls, his hairs singing from the hot wax. He backed up, trying to spread his ass cheeks to stop the fire from burning his skin. His golden moustache covered in spit as he chocked on soldier cock.

It was burning now and he was growing desperate. Whimpering around the dick in his mouth, hoping the sadist had a glimmer of humanity. Genesis pulled away and puffed out the candle.

“That wasn’t so bad, now was it?” he asked, flipping the president onto his back, before pulling out the nub of wax and discarding it onto the floor.

Now was his opportunity whilst he caught his breath. But before he could bellow for his guards, he had a perfect mouth to his and the gentlest of kisses.

“Want to meet a good friend of mine?” sparks went off in those mako eyes and Shinra almost had a heart attack.

Ten inches with a six inch circumference - a giant, black cock waved in his face before disappearing down the commander’s throat. He moaned so deliciously, before extracting it. Shinra shook his head.

“N-no.” he whimpered only to then have the fat head of the dildo sink into his ass.

He groaned and grit his teeth as pain and sick pleasure shot up his spine. He was mad at himself now as he ground against the giant cock ramming its way into his ass as Genesis none too gently fucked him. “Take it, sir! Come on and take it like a real man!” he shouted before shoving all ten inches into the old man’s ass.

Genesis pushed him upright, Shinra too dazed to do or say anything as he strapped the cock down. Circling the bed, the commander was so pleased with himself. The old, fat man bound, defeated, sitting on a fat cock. He deserved a treat he thought.

Getting onto all fours, Genesis pulled Shinra’s head into between his cheeks. “Eat me out, sir. I beg of you.”

The president was happy to comply. Burying his round face into his warm, sexy ass, he licked that tight asshole. His cock was crying, as his lips and tongue pleasured the commander’s fuckhole.

“Fuck yourself on that cock.” Genesis commanded. And Shinra complied as his balls begged for release. His useless prick waved around as he fucked himself and tonguefucked the commander.

The commander turned around, feeding Shinra his cock as he reached down and jerked the old man’s dick. In seconds, the president pulled back and jerked about - eyes to the sky as his whole body convulsed hideously. His cock spat a pitiful amount into Genesis’ hands leaving the poor man unimpressed. Shinra bucked into his palm before slumping forward onto the redhead feeling like he was on the cusp of having a heart attack at the tender age of 59.

Grabbing Shinra by the chin, Genesis shoved his soiled hand into his face. “Clean this pitiful mess up, sir. What a shame…and here you were hoping you could fuck me senseless. All you’ve left me with is a soft cock and pity for your mistresses.”

The president was ashamed. Tears fell from his eyes as he licked the cold, slimey cum off the commander’s hand until it was clean.

Genesis laughed, “So pathetic, you are. There is no way in hell you’d be able to make me cum.”

Pushing president Shinra onto his back, Genesis straddled the old man’s chest as he jerked himself off. A slender hand gliding up and down his pretty dick as the other pinched and teased a pierced nipple through his translucent PVC shirt. Without a sound, Genesis came - thick, white streams spraying onto Shinra’s panting face, soiling his golden moustache.

It took seconds for the commander to catch his breath. And when he did, he put himself away - swung his coat back on, packed his items away and left.

The following week, President Shinra was late to the board meeting. He walked with a limp and cold coffee into the meeting room only to lock eyes with the smirking commander standing with arms crossed by Sephiroth’s side. The old man coughed before taking the head of the table. His cock swelled. Red hair flicked out of a smug face as he rose and saluted the President with the rest of the high ranking members of Shinra. They sat, Shinra moving his seat further than necessary to hide his ‘growing’ problem.

Genesis whispered to Sephiroth. Made a motion with his pinky finger and they laughed.

Sephiroth smiled. “If I may, I wish to start…President Shinra.” his deep voice boomed through the meeting room. Everyone else looking ordinary - bored and tired as they were for every other meeting, whilst Shinra felt too warm. Sweat rolled down his forehead, his knuckles white as he gripped the edge of the table tightly - a mixture of fear and desire welling in his chest.

“Y-yes, Sephiroth?”

The general grinned and looked to his commander before commencing, “How goes that request for additional funding for SOLDIER…and of course, our inevitable pay rise? 13% as we agreed or…?” he trailed off, a murderous glint to his eyes that no one else but Shinra saw.

He shook slightly, stammering a little as he tried to find the words. Those goddamned blue eyes were glowing at him again and he couldn’t look away, even when his bastard son frowned at him with mild curiosity. A lovely, pink tongue darted out of those plush red lips and licked them ever so subtly, but with all the sinful, crass intent mustering up images of a night that Shinra could not stop remembering.

“H-how about say…25%? Yeah? I…I believe you boys earned it.”

The redhead’s face softened ironically, “Oh President Shinra…how generous of you for recognising our efforts.”

Lazard nodded, “Yes. I am sure the soldiers would be delighted to hear this. And what of the funding? We are in need of training equipment, a new VR room, renovations to the entire SOLDIER floors…and a handsome relief fund.”

Scarlet scoffed, “Pah! Dream on, sweetie! That money’s for me…isn’t that right, honey?” she turned to the president, pulling her arms together so her tits spilled over her low neckline.

But Shinra had his eyes on the commander toying him, his hand gliding up and down his general’s back before not so subtly whispering to him as if the pair were lovers. The president was green - if money was what this bitch wanted, so be it.

“Write me an invoice, Deusericus and I’ll fill it. What do you need, 5 billion gil?”

Lazard readjusted his glasses, unfazed by the high offer as the rest of the directors gawked. Hojo spilt his coffee down his front and Heidegger was pulling out his beard. “That would be a good start.” he said, writing out an invoice and having a soldier present it.

The president signed it. Immediately, the funds were digitally moved once it was scanned into the system. The rest of the meeting moved along rapidly as Shinra’s hands were tied having dropped a quarter’s worth of profit into SOLDIER because his dick told him to.

Reeve had watched the meeting with scrutiny and post-meeting he hurried after the soldiers.

“Commander Rhapsodos!” he called, catching the man midway from sipping his tea in the SOLDIER break room.

“Tuesti, lovely seeing you.” he smiled, “Have a macaron. I made them this morning.“

“Oh thank you.” he said, taking two brightly coloured desserts.

“Have you met my newest soldier, Kunsel? He’s my ‘eyes in the sky’.”

A young man saluted Reeve, “Pleasure meeting you, sir!”

Reeve nodded in reply, face full of ganache and crunchy biscuit. “Genesis, I had been meaning to ask about that funding in the board meeting. You see, my department is in desperate need of development and I was wondering if you had any advice on broaching the topic with the president.”

Genesis laughed, “And you’re asking me?”

“You do have a silver tongue.”

��Reeve, I like you and I believe you have a noble task in your hands. But I’m not sure you really know what you’re asking.”

Reeve sighed, “I’ll wine and dine you if it comes to it. Just let me know how you did it. You can deflect as much as you like, but I have a strong suspicion you were behind this.”

The commander smirked. “Seeing as you’re so persistent…just let me have a word with the general first.”

Shinra never knew that the cameras in his home were hacked. Or that the moment Genesis got home he was bent over the dining table and fucked by a real man whose long, thick cock was dripping in excitement from having watched his ruthless commander order the pig around. Genesis needed to also have a private chat with Kunsel…see if Reeve had any cameras whose feed could be streamed straight to Sephiroth’s computer.

#grmfanfic #sephesis #Genesis Rhapsodos #President Shinra

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ionlydatesassyelves · 7 years

Text

Inkling Origins

So here's a maybe not so quick drabble on the Inklings.

I’ll put it under a read more if you’re interested, but it touches on Dimentio’s past, his and Abscuro’s race, and what that has to do with various mario characters / events / artifacts / lore.

The Inklings are a race I invented with the intent of giving Dimentio a source that he came from, a culture and upbringing and history that would offer us a further insight into his behavior and actions. I wanted him to belong to a group, but I also liked the idea of him standing out as unique and alone like the other minions of Bleck tend to. There aren't any other Dimentios out there.

So the story of the Inklings begins several thousand years before the events we see in Super Paper Mario. They originated as a part of the Ancients, who are credited with the creation of the Purity Heart and Light Prognosticus, further down the road. They were ruled by a monarchy, for most of the known history this ruler was The Shadow Queen. She and her advisers worked tirelessly through alliances with other kingdoms and dabbling in dangerous and experimental magic in order to strengthen the kingdom and grow it stronger. Publicly, the Shadow Queen was praised for her innovation as she sought to use dying souls as a fuel for stronger magical machines. More quietly, an underground rebellion began to stir among the Ancients, doubting the Shadow Queen's method and fearful that no good could come of this magic. They weren't wrong--several thousand years later, it would lead to the Pixl War.

Dimentio and his sister Miinyx were two of several leaders of this rebellion, following in the footsteps of their parents who had been executed long ago for conspiring against the crown. They grew up obsessed with the idea of freedom, a world unlike their current kingdom that would allow them to be more at peace, or perhaps end up in charge, and they became more and more willing to do outrageous things to achieve that goal. Dimentio and Miinyx served as performers in the royal court to act as a inside spies for the rebellion. He didn't realize how many lucky breaks and narrow escapes of his were due to the Queen's only son, Abscuro, growing a crush on Dimentio from a distance.

A large group of the rebellions leaders, Dimentio included, were discovered and imprisoned, set to be executed for threatening the crown and to be made an example of in hopes of squashing out the rest of the rebellion. Before that night arrived, Abscuro snuck down to Dimentio in the dungeons and offered to spare Dimentio's life. He could pose as Abscuro's loyal and trusted servant, and secretly rebuild the rebellion right under the Shadow Queen's nose.

See, the Shadow Queen's methods had recently come under such attack because she had begun to seek a greater and greater power source. A treaty has been discussed with the smaller and weaker human kingdom. The intermingling of cultures could be advantageous, both to the humans struggle for survival and the Queen's ambition for a greater source of power. But some Ancients feared the humans could take their secrets and turn on them. They began looking to solidify the treaty with a marriage, and Abscuro had been hoping that the rebellion might succeed in getting his mother off the throne so that he could weasel out of his engagement to the human princess.

Backed into a corner with his life on the line, Dimentio didn't have much of a choice besides accepting.

Surprisingly, he and Abscuro got along rather well together, and they quickly became closer than initially intended. The two were joined at the hip, but no one dared to question the dangerous prince and his odd taste in company.

Dimentio rethought his strategy, realized that emptying the throne was pointless, if he could put a loyal companion on the throne instead. He kept the rebellion stirred against the queen, but aimed to play Abscuro as naive and innocent in his mother's demise. To do this, he had to paint the upcoming marriage as a happy event and a willing couple.

Princess Penelope was difficult to reason with. She had become less and less concerned with her kingdom, hate and bitterness brewing in her heart as she was selected from her many siblings and forced into a marriage she didn't want to a man she could not stand. Dimentio sympathized with her, but convinced Penelope that he could get her the power to take over and do as she pleased if she'd only play along. She was wary to accept, but once she and Abscuro began scheming for the same cause instead of wasting breath fighting with each other, they discovered they had much more in common than they thought. They became a terrifying power couple, effortlessly winning the Queen's approval in their sudden compliance, and also winning the approval of the rebellion as suitable replacements for her majesty.

As they carefully played their dangerous political game, Dimentio, Abscuro, and Penelope developed an awkward three-way relationship. They didn't discuss it among themselves any more than they made it publicly known. But people became quietly aware of the power couple's dynamic, and Dimentio silently earned an immunity to practically everything. No one was sure why Dimentio was with them so often or spoke to them so closely, but the prince and princess encouraged it where they'd murdered for a lesser offense. Everyone was afraid to question his presence. For some time, their situation was odd, but it worked, and they each couldn't have been more happy with it.

It doesn't last. It's Penelope that discovers Abscuro isn't capable of as deep and sincere a love as she and Dimentio are. They've been going on as if they've moved on from head games and politics, and once all this trouble is put behind them they could relax and be happy together. To Abscuro, Penelope and Dimentio are just more pieces in his game of chess. Treasured, lovely, and unique pieces, but nothing more than idle toys for him to play with. Penelope finds her old anger again, furious at Abscuro for failing to listen to her reason, and furious at herself for lowering her defenses and being deceived.

Penelope fights with Abscuro often afterwards, angry and bitter and grieving that she fell for him and believed for an instant he had returned it. She vents her frustrations often to Dimentio when they find time alone, but he doesn't ever seem to fully grasp how horrifyingly detached Abscuro is from everything, and it only ends up making her more upset. When Dimentio won't listen, she throws a tantrum and fights with Abscuro again, trying to convince him to feel the same as them. To feel ANYTHING to indicate he's capable of it. But the idea is totally lost on him, Penelope has fallen for a lie, for an elaborate story Dimentio has woven for the rest of the kingdom. He crushes her hopes again and again until eventually, Penelope's heart breaks.

Literally, it breaks.

In the middle of a fight, Penelope falls to the floor, clutching her chest and coughing up blackness. Desperate and confused, she begs Abscuro to help her, but if Abscuro inherited anything from his mother, it was her morbid curiosity. He grows fixated with the darkness he can feel pooling in her chest, her grief and anger, the strength of a desperately unrequited love overwhelming her.

He tears the heart out of her chest. The Chaos Heart. Black and bleeding and beating still.

Penelope is quiet after that, in a very haunting sort of way. In a way that makes her seem more like a moving doll than a person, in a way that makes those close to her risk her wrath to ask if she's feeling alright. She always claims that she's fine, but her voice has gone dull and empty. Abscuro doesn't seem to notice the change. If anything, he's more affectionate with Penelope than he's previously been, doting on her constantly and hardly leaving her side. Dimentio, for the first time worries, obviously knowing that something is wrong, and growing more stressed when Penelope pushes him into the group of people she brushes off with no explanation when asked what's troubling her.

Abscuro reveals the heart to Dimentio one night, separated from Penelope and magically hidden from prying eyes. It bleeds her grief still, and it swallows up the anger and grief and chaos of a kingdom quietly at war with itself under a tyrant like the Shadow Queen. It's a marvelous breakthrough, it's everything the Queen and her advisers have been seeking so far. Dimentio feels like he wants to be sick. He had never imagined, after years of their elaborate theatrics and scheming together, that Abscuro would turn on Penelope in such a horrendous way.

He wonders quietly if he's going to be next.

So after what happens to Penny, her parents put a stop to the whole wedding thing. They send Penny off to several kingdoms and then several dimensions, to powerful sorcerers, to new homes of different cultures, to anything that might stir her heart and put her back the way she was. They're aware that she isn't herself, but refer to it consistently as a sort of sickness she took on. They don't know that she's empty, walking around without her heart. No one knows what's actually wrong with Penelope.

No one but Abscuro and Dimentio. When the human kingdom backs out of both the marriage and the alliance, their goals are met, but the Shadow Queen is still on the throne and now she's angry at the loss of power she had been counting on. She turns her rage to her own kingdom, getting innocents hurt and slaughtered by the thousands as she sends her armies to weed out the rebellion and any sympathizers they might find.

Grief and chaos flood the kingdom, and Abscuro figures out how to let Penelope's heart feed on it. It grows stronger, darker, more dangerous with every passing day. He begins to learn the intricacies behind it, what exactly it could one day be capable of. He couldn't be more thrilled, but Dimentio is horrified. He knows the origins of that heart, and as sweet and loving as Abscuro is to him, Dimentio can't help but feel like he's being lured into a trap.

Abscuro can't get away with this forever, though, and he's found out. Queen Jaydes discovers the kingdom's long history meddling with souls that should have passed peacefully on to the afterlife, and were instead used in black magic and the building of insane machines. She uproots and destroys most of their research, hiding away what else is left. The Shadow Queen and all her followers, she wipes from existence -- using the small and growing Chaos Heart she has discovered Abscuro hiding. The Queen, Abscuro, and all their loyalists, are split from the original Tribe of the Ancients, and tucked away in a pocket dimension that is cut off from the rest of reality. By all accounts of history and laws of physics, they do not exist. They become withered in their forms, until they are nothing but names and hazy memories of who they once were, if even that much is left, and come to call themselves as they are now Inklings.

The Inklings, in their new forms, can't hold up in the other dimensions. It is possible, via long and widespread studies of dimensional magic, to slip from their world into others, and to more beyond that. However, it isn't possible to stay. Without anyone who knows their name and their story and acknowledges them as real, it isn't possible for them to maintain their own independent physical form. They end up withering away and not just dying, but vanishing completely, no trace of them in any world, even the Inklings kingdom. Some Inklings, over time, find two workarounds to this. It is possible to CONVINCE other worlds that they exist, spread their own name and their own story enough that people believe in them as something that is real, and that memory and belief in them will be enough to tether them to reality. This method can be unreliable, as it renders them helpless and quickly fading if they ever find their stories forgotten, but this is the method that the Shadow Sirens and the Shadow Queen herself will eventually use in an attempt to cross over. After the events of thousand year door, the Shadow Sirens are safe to dwell in the world and not stress being forgotten.

The other method involves overtaking someone else's form and using it as a vessel to carry your body. This is a safer and more long-term solution, as it is basically taking someone else's existence for your own, rather than having to build up the image of existence from scratch when you have almost nothing to work with. However, it comes with it's own risks. Choosing something like a still object as a vessel will not allow the Inkling any free movement or thought, and greatly restricts their influence on the world around them--not much of a life more than they've had. Choosing something more akin to the form they used to have as an Ancient, however, will require them to possess another sentient being. This typically leads to the Inkling's soul merging with whatever soul originally inhabited their vessel. This makes a mess of a person, usually causing monstrous splinters in personality that can manifest physically. Dimentio's older sister, Miinyx, attempted this method when she merged with the slain Pixl Queen in a desperate grab for power in this dimension. Eventually, their minds warped together and they manged to settle on a stable enough form that we now know as Mimi.

Dimentio tried a bit more clever way to cheat the system entirely. Abscuro sent him across dimensions with instruction to inhabit a vessel and build Abscuro's name again, the same way the Shadow Sirens fool an entire army into resurrecting their Queen. He sends Dimentio with an enchanted book that will allow them to send messages back and forth across the dimensional barrier.

We will later know this book as the Dark Prognosticus. Dimentio knows it's Abscuro writing out these cryptic instructions and persuading fools to gather up armies and summon his Chaos Heart to end everything like Jaydes ended his kingdom, but to anyone who picks it up, the book reads like an ancient prophecy. It will lead to the Pixl building, uprising, and war, the Tribe of Darkness splitting from the Tribe of Ancients, and the eventual events of Super Paper Mario, each following Abscuro's instruction blindly as he tries to find the Chaos Heart.

So Dimentio had no hand in writing any of those prophecies, which is why he's confused or surprised sometimes when the Count quotes a new passage in the book. (also, Abscuro writing in real time accounts for the Count continuously "turning to a new page of dark prophecy" and waiting for a new passage to reveal itself) But, if historians were to trace back the passing of the book to find its author, Dimentio is as far back as we are able to trace, because beyond him is Abscuro, who does not exist according to present timeline, which leads to the rumor that Dimentio was the book's author.

Dimentio doesn't want any hand in the book whatsoever, though. The moment he gets safely across dimensional borders, he works his way straight down to Queen Jaydes and hands over the book. He reveals what Abscuro's scheme is to get the Chaos Heart back, and convinces Jaydes to hide the book and seal the Heart somewhere safe (since Abscuro has enchanted them to hell and back so neither can be efficiently destroyed). Jaydes agrees, and in return, she grants Dimentio's request for a vessel that will allow him to freely retain his own form and live quietly in these worlds -- which is how he gets his mask. He's the only Inkling that can exist fully as himself, even if no one on any world knew anything about him.

It doesn't take long for Abscuro to catch on via sending spies or even eavesdropping somehow through the book that Dimentio has abandoned him, and he is NOT HAPPY. There's a reason Bleck finds such insanely specific passages that persuade him to trust Dimentio even when he very explicitly does not want to. Dimentio is eager to get his hands on the book when he finds it in the Count's possession because he knows Abscuro is up to bad shit if some rogue villain has it, and sure enough it doesn't take Bleck long to uncover Abscuro's heart at last -- summoning it with the wedding of a fair princess and a furious monster, a mimicry of what Penelope's own wedding would have been.

Dimentio knows Abscuro is baiting him, but he plays along, hoping he can somehow take Penelope's heart and restore her. He works with Abscuro to find the heart a suitable vessel -- Luigi -- and Dimentio micromanages both sides of the "prophecy" so that Abscuro's plan plays out exactly as they hoped it would. Dimentio is hoping to betray not only the Count, but Abscuro as well. Abscuro wants Dimentio to bring the heart back home to him, so he can reverse what Jaydes did to the Inklings, or at least drag everyone else down with them. Dimentio has watched countless Inklings wither in reality, and he knows now it's possible for them to be ended once and for all, not even appearing in any sort of afterlife. He wants to push things a step further than Jaydes did and get rid of everything -- especially the Inklings -- and create for himself a safe haven where Abscuro can no longer reach him, where he doesn't have to pretend and bow to unworthy masters for his own survival anymore.

Obviously, it doesn't work. The Heart is quieted once more, but we can safely assume that if the Pure Hearts were re-summoned in the middle of battle, and still appear post-game in all the pillars in Flipside, they don't just vanish or stop existing. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction. If the Pure Hearts exist post-game, so does the Chaos Heart. It's just been sealed away again, tucked somewhere safe and out of reach.

#headcanons #super paper mario #dimentio #abscuro #penelope #inklings #stupid shit just ignore me #shadow queen #mimi #shadow sirens #jaydes

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theonyxpath · 4 years

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First, it’s They Came From Beyond the Grave! and the Kickstarter that would not die. Or died and came back, if that’s more appropriate to the genre.

We’ve a little more than two weeks to go and it is shambling along having passed another Stretch Goal last week! You can gather more details in the Kickstarter section below!

Then there’s They Came from Beneath the Sea! whose PDF and PoD versions go on sale this Wednesday on DTRPG. Now this isn’t the traditionally printed version that was the main reward for its Kickstarter – that’s getting shipped over to the KS fulfillment gang at Studio2.

We need the other parts of that KS, like the Screen, to get there before Studio2 can start fulfilling the KS, but everything is being worked on at this point, so not too long now!

Finally, just wanted to throw out a little thought exercise to everyone. We’ve chatted in panels and such online about what could be next for They Came From…!, and I think we even have a thread about that topic on our Onyx Path forums, with such titles as They Came from Boot Hill! or They Came From Over Yonder! (Western genre), They Came From Under the Bed! (kid’s scary shows), and They Came From Past the Moon! (spaceship sci-fi).

But what would you be interested in? They Came From Monster Island!, maybe? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below!

From The Monday Meeting-

We reviewed our panel at Gen Con Online today in the Monday Meeting, and here are some interesting thoughts about that and more from Eddy Webb:

Our attendance at the What’s Up panel definitely seemed better than usual for Gen Con, but (understandably) lower than when we did it at Onyx Path Con a couple months back. The chat seemed well behaved, too. I think it’s worth doing again.

Related, one of the panels I did was in Second Life on Saturday. I admit I was skeptical, but the people running it were some old friends of mine, so I gave it a try, and honestly it really scratched an itch that Twitch streams don’t. They built out a large chunk of the Indianapolis convention center, down to the Grand Ballroom and the food trucks, as well as more fantastical settings like a fantasy forest and a post-apocalypse landscape. Many of the people I talked to were very new to tabletop RPGs and just excited to hear about things like Pugmire. And, to be honest, not having a camera on my face all the time made me feel a lot more comfortable, and the chats I was having before and after the event felt more like coming and going to an in-person panel. Yes, it also suffered from some disjointed messaging and the like, but we had a talk about dealing with things like the learning curve, and they have some good ideas for other conventions going forward. The group is called VRazethebar, and it’s something I’m definitely keeping an eye on.

Which is actually pretty cool. A VR space to gather in rather than the stacked head-shots sounds really interesting and immersive. The future of LARPing?

The Dog Days of Summer Sale on our Deluxe X20 books and Screens and even dice is going gangbusters over at IPR. I’m told we are completely out of the very last Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th Anniversary Editions!

We added Changeling: The Dreaming 20th to the sale as well, so that includes the Deluxe book, the Screen, and C20 Dice!

Finally, we realized today that a bunch of us were going to be out all next week, and rather than having folks hang around as a skeleton crew, I just declared next week as a holiday for the whole company!

Frankly, we are beat every way somebody could be. Mentally, psychologically, physically, psychically, emotionally, creatively: BEAT. Our crew needs and deserves a break!

So, no MMN Blog next week, although we’ll probably put up a KS reminder or something like that late Monday.

No Onyx Pathcast next week, although I understand that this Friday the Trio will suggest their favorite ones to listen to while they’re gone.

We will have a project for sale that Weds, the 12th, as we can set that up ahead of time. More details below, but I’m thrilled to say it’s Mysteries of the World: The Scion Companion. I know a lot of folks have been waiting for more official Scion material – so here it is!

After a break to recharge, we’re hoping to come bouncing back all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (and fanged and caped) and get right back into taking you to our:

Many Worlds, One Path!

Blurbs!

Kickstarter!

The They Came From Beyond the Grave! Kickstarter continues to claw its way free, and in the process it reveals treasures hidden in the grave dirt: the Screen and the first section of Monsters from the Crypt: a book containing More Monsters, and also an exclusive KS t-shirt coupon! Next up in Stretch Goals are even More Monsters and electronic Wallpaper!

Thanks to all of you who have pledged to enable this fantastic project and its Stretch Goals!

Here’s a specially-made special trailer by the brilliant Larry Blamire:

And keep your eyes open for:

Onyx Path Media!

This week: They Came From Beyond the Grave! actual play!

As always, this Friday’s Onyx Pathcast will be on Podbean or your favorite podcast venue! https://onyxpathcast.podbean.com/

First, let’s start with some amazing news: our amazing creators, players, and audiences worked together last week to produce some fantastic content for our Twitch channel, and not only that, they raise a grand total of $2,734.69 for charity! This is a wonderful accomplishment, and our hats go off to Travis Legge and the rest of the team who contributed to the running of this campaign.

If you missed the special streams we ran, do not despair: they are still available over on twitch.tv/theonyxpath. Give us a follow, and you can find a huge number of videos of all kinds of games, PLUS, our What’s Up with Onyx Path? livestream conducted for Gen Con weekend! This week on Twitch, expect to see these games and streams running:

Scarred Lands

Mage 20: Technocracy Reloaded

Scion – Behind the Screen

They Came from Beyond the Grave!

Mage: The Awakening – Occultists Anonymous

Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds

Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition

Even more Technocracy Reloaded!

Get watching for some fantastic insight into how to run these wonderful games and subscribe to us on Twitch, over at twitch.tv/theonyxpath

Over on YouTube, our friends at Red Moon Roleplaying have concluded their They Came from Beyond the Grave! story, with their usual excellent editing, quality, and in this case, a lovely cast of players led by Director, Matthew Dawkins! Come join in and listen to the Cult of Abaddon at play: https://youtu.be/RDYzNbk7VkQ

Come take a look at our YouTube channel, youtube.com/user/theonyxpath, where you can find a whole load of videos of actual plays, dissections of our games, and more, including:

Storytellers with Coffee – The Games of Onyx Path – https://youtu.be/QxRRq-WQytg

Changeling: The Lost – Littlebrook Reunion Episode 24 – https://youtu.be/huEkMrUcR2Q

Blood City: Chicago by Night Episode 22 – https://youtu.be/eYkgKmDY9-o

(Matthew’s favourite) Scarred Lands – Purge of the Serpentholds Episode 9 – https://youtu.be/3_mdkDrSezY

Deviant: The Renegades – A Cautionary Tale – Episode One – https://youtu.be/b394NFi0gnU

Realms of Pugmire: Paws & Claws – S2E9 – https://youtu.be/UAGU27vkJ54

Subscribe to our channel and click the bell icon if you want to be notified whenever new news videos and uploads come online!

Systematic Understanding of Everything is a new Exalted Explainer Podcast by Exalted Dev Monica Speca and Exalted Writer Chazz Kellner that is breaking down Creation in 45 minute chunks in preparation for Exalted Essence.

Their most recent episode in on Creation and its history – https://anchor.fm/exaltcast/episodes…reation-eg2g9d

Get past episodes at http://www.exaltcast.com/

The Story Told Podcast have just started a new chapter in their Fall of Jiara Exalted chronicle, and we’d love it if you gave them some support. Here’s episode one!

https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/fall-of-jiara-act-1-summary-recounting-of-the-past

And here’s their character introductions:

https://thestorytold.libsyn.com/fall-of-jiara-character-intros

Please check these out and let us know if you find or produce any actual plays of our games! We’d love to feature you!

Electronic Gaming!

As we find ways to enable our community to more easily play our games, the Onyx Dice Rolling App is live! Our dev team has been doing updates since we launched based on the excellent use-case comments by our community, and this thing is awesome! (Seriously, you need to roll 100 dice for Exalted? This app has you covered.)

We’re told that the App Dev is currently creating an updated version for the latest devices, so keep an eye open for those!

Virtual TableTop!

Introducing a Virtual Tabletop encounter pack for the Trinity Continuum Core: Hunt for the Red Widow on DTRPG!

Hunt for the Red Widow is a short encounter designed starting Talents in the Trinity Continuum Core setting. When a renowned but mysterious thief known as The Red Widow steals an ancient artifact from the Æon Society’s vaults, it is up to the party to track her down and recover the device. She is heading to an old ruin said to unlock the artifact’s true power. Can the heroes reach her in time?

Inside you’ll find:

A short encounter for use with the Trinity Continuum Corebook

Two new antagonists: The Red Widow, and her minions, known simply as “Ghosts.” Virtual tabletop tokens are included to represent the antagonists

Two maps, ready to be uploaded into your virtual tabletop platform of choice

New Anomaly Powers.

On Amazon and Barnes & Noble!

You can now read our fiction from the comfort and convenience of your Kindle (from Amazon) and Nook (from Barnes & Noble).

If you enjoy these or any other of our books, please help us by writing reviews on the site of the sales venue from which you bought it. Reviews really, really help us get folks interested in our amazing fiction!

Our selection includes these latest fiction books:

Our Sales Partners!

We’re working with Studio2 to get Pugmire and Monarchies of Mau out into stores, as well as to individuals through their online store. You can pick up the traditionally printed main book, the screen, and the official Pugmire dice through our friends there! https://studio2publishing.com/search?q=pugmire

We’ve added Prince’s Gambit to our Studio2 catalog: https://studio2publishing.com/products/prince-s-gambit-card-game

Now, we’ve added Changeling: The Lost Second Edition products to Studio2‘s store! See them here: https://studio2publishing.com/collections/all-products/changeling-the-lost

Scion 2e books and other products are available now at Studio2: https://studio2publishing.com/blogs/new-releases/scion-second-edition-book-one-origin-now-available-at-your-local-retailer-or-online

Looking for our Deluxe or Prestige Edition books? Try this link! http://www.indiepressrevolution.com/xcart/Onyx-Path-Publishing/

And you can order Pugmire, Monarchies of Mau, Cavaliers of Mars, and Changeling: The Lost 2e at the same link! And now Scion Origin and Scion Hero and Trinity Continuum Core and Trinity Continuum: Aeon are available to order

It’s the return of the DOG DAYS OF SUMMER SALE!

As always, you can find Onyx Path’s titles at DriveThruRPG.com!

On Sale This Week!

This Wednesday, the PDF and PoD versions of They Came From Beneath the Sea! arise from the depths and go on sale on DTRPG!

They Came from Beneath the Sea! is a dramatic and farcical tabletop roleplaying game encompassing the wonder, horror, thrills, and humor of 1950s and 1960s science fiction. This game allows you to play with all the great content from the B-movies of decades ago, and promises a dynamic, fun time for all involved!

In They Came from Beneath the Sea! you play humans in a world under attack. The attackers? Aliens from beneath the sea (obviously). Adventures range from the one-shot defense of a small coastal town, to the lengthier liberation of a cruise ship infested with gill-folk, all the way to the story in which characters seize an alien submarine and ride it all the way down to the sea bed to take the fight to the invaders. In this game, your protagonists are strong-jawed war veterans, cunning and resourceful explorers, utterly insane scientists, and blue-collar heroes, just looking to defend their patches of land.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! contains a mix of serious threat and unbridled farce. While the book plays it straight with no winking at the camera, your game will include ludicrous statements and events taken with all the gravitas of your boat being set on fire. While this game provides rules for funny quips and amusing cinematics for incorporation in a scenario, we leave it to the players and Director to discover the correct level of humor for your game.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! uses the Storypath System, provided in full in the pages of this book!

They Came from Beneath the Sea! includes:

• Five playable Archetypes — the Everyman, the G-Man, the Mouth, the Scientist, and the Survivor!

• Rules for character creation and play, using the Storypath System fully detailed in this book!

• Cinematic powers such as the ability to insert deleted scenes in your game, cut to black when everything is looking a bit too grim, and redirect shots to kill the extras!

• Quips to throw in at appropriate (and sometimes inappropriate) moments, giving your characters the chance at an award-winning scene!

• The history and setting of the 1950s world presented in this book!

• Scores of aliens promising the fall of the human race, presenting a broad array of dangers and objectives for repeat play!

• Two ready-to-play scenarios, straight out of the book!

And on Wednesday the 12th, we are delving into the Mysteries of the World: The Scion Companion, in PDF and PoD versions on DTRPG!

Though knowledge, wisdom, and the ability to see the unseen are many Scions’ birthrights, the World holds infinite secrets. Gaze deep into Tezcatlipoca’s mirror or the eyes of an avian bringer of omens, and no matter how sagacious you imagine yourself to be, you’ll learn something new — or something older than time.

Scion: Mysteries of the World presents optional rules and new pantheons, expands upon setting elements and systems, and gives Storyguides and players both a leg up in not only understanding Scion’s particular brand of the Storypath system, but fine-tuning it to meet their table’s needs. You don’t need this book to play a game of Scion, but if you want to explore the World and its many mysteries in more depth, it’s got you covered.

This book includes:

A system and advice for dialing elements of the game setting up and down to uniquely suit your game;

An expansion of cults, crafting, and relics;

Three new pantheons — the Loa of Haiti, the Nemetondevos of Gaul, and the Yazata of Persia — as well as the optional Atlantean pantheon, as an example that comes with advice and rules for how to create your own custom Purviews and pantheons;

A guide for converting Scion First Edition characters and stories to Second Edition.

Conventions!

Though dates for physical conventions are subject to change due to the current COVID-19 outbreak, here’s what’s left of our current list of upcoming conventions (and really, we’re just waiting for this last one to be cancelled even though it’s Nov/Dec). Instead, keep an eye out here for more virtual conventions we’re going to be involved with:

PAX Unplugged: https://unplugged.paxsite.com/

And now, the new project status updates!

Development Status from Eddy Webb! (Projects in bold have changed status since last week.):

First Draft (The first phase of a project that is about the work being done by writers, not dev prep.)

Exalted Essay Collection (Exalted)

The Devoted Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

M20 Technocracy Operative’s Dossier (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Prometheus Unbound (was Psi Orders) (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

No Gods, No Masters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Redlines

Dragon-Blooded Novella #2 (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Wild Hunt (Scion 2nd Edition)

CtL 2e Novella Collection: Hollow Courts (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

Adversaries of the Righteous (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Squeaks In The Deep (Realms of Pugmire)

Trinity Continuum: Anima

Second Draft

Many-Faced Strangers – Lunars Companion (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle Ready-Made Characters (Chronicles of Darkness)

Dead Man’s Rust (Scarred Lands)

The Clades Companion (Deviant: The Renegades)

M20 Rich Bastard’s Guide To Magick (Mage: The Ascension 20th Anniversary)

Dystopia Rising: Evolution Fiction Anthology (Dystopia Rising: Evolution)

Hundred Devil’s Night Parade (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Novas Worldwide (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Exalted Essence Edition (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Saints and Monsters (Scion 2nd Edition)

Development

TC: Aberrant Reference Screen (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Across the Eight Directions (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Contagion Chronicle: Global Outbreaks (Chronicles of Darkness)

Exigents (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Assassins (Trinity Continuum Core)

Kith and Kin (Changeling: The Lost 2e)

V5 Forbidden Religions (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

V5 Children of the Blood (was The Faithful Undead) (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Adventure! core (Trinity Continuum: Adventure!)

Manuscript Approval

Crucible of Legends (Exalted 3rd Edition)

M20 Victorian Mage (Mage: the Ascension 20th Anniversary Edition)

V5 Trails of Ash and Bone (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Mission Statements (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Post-Approval Development

Editing

Lunars Novella (Rosenberg) (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition core rulebook (Mummy: The Curse 2nd Edition)

Player’s Guide to the Contagion Chronicle (Chronicles of Darkness)

Contagion Chronicle Jumpstart (Chronicles of Darkness)

TC: Aberrant Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

LARP Rules (Scion 2nd Edition)

Heirs to the Shogunate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

The Book of Lasting Death (Mummy: The Curse 2e)

Scion: Dragon (Scion 2nd Edition)

Scion: Demigod (Scion 2nd Edition)

Dearly Bleak – Novella (Deviant: The Renegades)

N!ternational Wrestling Entertainment (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Under Alien Skies (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

Post-Editing Development

City of the Towered Tombs (Cavaliers of Mars)

W20 Shattered Dreams Gift Cards (Werewolf: The Apocalypse 20th)

Cults of the Blood Gods (Vampire: The Masquerade 5th Edition)

Hunter: The Vigil 2e core (Hunter: The Vigil 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum: Aberrant core (Trinity Continuum: Aberrant)

Deviant: The Renegades (Deviant: The Renegades)

Monsters of the Deep (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Legendlore core book (Legendlore)

Pirates of Pugmire KS-Added Adventure (Realms of Pugmire)

Tales of Aquatic Terror (They Came From Beneath the Sea!)

Terra Firma (Trinity Continuum: Aeon)

One Foot in the Grave Jumpstart (Geist: The Sin-Eaters 2e)

Masks of the Mythos (Scion 2nd Edition)

Trinity Continuum Jumpstart (Trinity Continuum)

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (They Came From!)

Indexing

Lunars: Fangs At The Gate (Exalted 3rd Edition)

Art Direction from Mike Chaney!

In Art Direction

Tales of Aquatic Terror

WoD Ghost Hunters (KS)

Aberrant

Hunter: The Vigil 2e

Mummy 2

Deviant – Sam doing fulls for this next. Contracting out all the rest.

Legendlore

Technocracy Reloaded

Cults of the Blood God – Rolling along.

Scion: Dragon (KS) – Splats contracted.

Masks of the Mythos (KS) – KS art contracted, a couple of finals already in.

Scion: Demigod (KS) – Fulls are almost done… other stuff progressing.

They Came From Beyond the Grave! (KS) – KS running.

TC: Adventure! (KS) – Cover is in.

Geist: One Foot In the Grave

In Layout

Yugman’s Guide to Ghelspad

Vigil Watch

V5 Let the Streets Run Red – Almost wrapped up, still working on Loresheets.

Pugmire Adventure

Scion Titanomachy

Trinity Core Jumpstart

Proofing

Trinity Aeon Jumpstart – PoD files updated.

Lunars: Fangs at the Gate – Indexing.

Cavaliers of Mars: City of the Towered Tombs

Magic Item Decks (Scarred Lands)

Yugman’s Guide Support Decks (Scarred Lands)

TC Aeon Terra Firma

At Press

TCFBTS Heroic Land Dwellers – PoD proof on the way.

TCFBTS Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

They Came from Beneath the Sea! – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller, PDF and PoD versions on sale this Weds.

Pirates of Pugmire – Shipping from printer to KS fulfiller.

Pirates of Pugmire Screen – Files at press.

Dark Eras 2 – Files printing.

Dark Eras 2 Screen and booklet – Files at press.

Changeling: The Lost 2nd Edition Dark Eras Compilation – PoD proof on the way.

Contagion Chronicle – Press prep.

Contagion Chronicle Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

Lunars Wall Scroll Map – Files at press.

Lunars Screen and Booklet – Files at press.

Scarred Lands Creature Collection – Printing.

Scion Companion – One PoD proof in, other expected this week. PDF and PoD versions on sales next Weds, not this Weds!

Today’s Reason to Celebrate!

One happy and one sad today. Today is the 49th birthday of our Kickstarter Concierge James Bell! James has been a ray of blinding golden light or a veritable Grond of Kickstarter-running for us and we’re sure glad to have him! Have a great day, eh!

Mike Chaney let us know today of the passing of his mother last night. None of us ever met her, but she managed to raise one of the nicest people, and talented art direction and layout maestro, that Mike is, so we feel like we have in a way. Thank you so much for that, ma’am. RIP.

#Onyx Path Publishing

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hopingforbabyblog · 4 years

Text

The beginning of this week was really difficult for me. I had my surgery to remove some scar tissue from my uterus. Both my local doctor and my doctor in Seattle require my uterus be clear of all scar tissue before I can proceed with my FET in April. I’m hoping this will be the last surgery I need until then. I felt some really low lows this week, but I’m happy to say at least this week ended well.

Catch-up on Previous FET Prep Posts

FET Prep Week 1: 3.5 months until FET

FET Prep Week 2: Supplements, WTF Email, & Increased AMH Level

FET Prep Week 3: You say Future Tripping, I say Future Planning

FET Prep Week 4: Bad News from SIS Test

Countdown Until FET: 81 days (as of 02-03-2020)

Hysteroscopy Surgery

Bored Julie takes selfies before surgery. That teal hairnet though!

On Monday I had my hysteroscopy surgery, to clear the scar tissue from my uterus. My most recent miscarriage in September resulted in this third surgery. Three subsequent surgeries for only one miscarriage, and that doesn’t even count all the other surgeries I had before those three. When I woke up from surgery I remember saying to the nurse how painful it was, and it was more painful than the other ones. They gave me some oral pain medicine after the surgery but it didn’t kick in until I got home. Normally with my other surgeries I request hydrocodone, but this one I chose not to. My doctor said Ibuprofen should be good enough.

Waiting for surgery in my snazzy surgery socks.

I went to work the next day and did some physical work cleaning. But after one hour of cleaning I started to feel really wiped out and was hurting, I think I overdid it. Normally after my surgeries I take time off work, but I decided not to this time because with my SIS procedure and now this hysteroscopy, among other bills I just could not justify not working. I absolutely had to continue working to pay all the bills coming my way. I also had to clean up the house a bit before we left on vacation, and pack. I did a whole lot of bitching and crying this week from the intermittent pain.

Kitty watches The Bachelor with me while I rest after surgery.

Kitty cuddles post-surgery.

I called my doctor’s office Thursday to ask for some hydrocodone but my doctor was out for the weekend. I could not get the medicine at all due to me needing to leave on Friday. I learned that narcotics can’t be called in to a pharmacy due to needing the paper copy to be brought in-person. So right now I only have ibuprofen to help with the occasional pain.

Kitty cheering me up after my surgery.

Depression

I’ve been dealing with a low-grade depression since September, when I had my most recent miscarriage. But with this surgery I had this week and all of the stress that comes with this process, my depression really reared its ugly head. I haven’t felt that deep of a depression in almost a decade. I think it was just an accumulation of all the miscarriages, fertility treatments, and the large amount of debt that accumulated so quickly this previous week.

I was stressed, angry, and not getting enough sleep. I was working every day of the week after my surgery, despite the pain. I was feeling so incredibly overwhelmed and really feeling like there was very little hope of pulling myself out of it. As much as I wanted to lie in bed for the next month, I decided to do the exact opposite of how I was feeling. I pulled myself out of bed and slowly got started cleaning. I cleaned the house during the hours that my ibuprofen was working the most. I made some progress and took a step back to look at the progress. It felt pretty good to get at least something accomplished even though I felt like garbage. That was the first little glimmer of hope I had.

My to-do list was still long but I was determined to knock out one thing at a time. One-by-one I completed most of the things on my list that I wanted to do before my trip. Instead of forcing myself to get everything done, I chose to put off certain things that could wait until later. I think for anyone that is feeling overwhelmed or depressed, start with one simple task. Then prioritize just a few other tasks. Don’t worry about doing it all, because if you don’t set realistic expectations you’re just setting yourself up for failure. In the end I was able to do about 90% of what I needed to before the trip, not too shabby.

I also got the call back from my doctors office and my nurse explained to me that they found out it was simply scar tissue and not uterine cancer. I immediately felt a huge wave of relief. This is the second time they were concerned about me developing uterine cancer and I have gotten the all clear. I’m feeling very lucky and grateful right now.

Trip to Nevada

I had a true turnaround with how my week was going. I went from feeling so depressed at the beginning of the week, to feeling so happy and centered by the end of the week. The timing of my trip could not have been any better. As soon as my butt was in the seat of that plane I breathed a sigh of relief. My only regret with planning this trip is I wish I would have planned it for about two or three weeks earlier, due to the weather we were experiencing in Alaska.

January is notorious for being the worst month to live in Alaska. It’s one of the darkest and coldest times of year. We had a cold snap where it was -10 to -18 at times. Although December is the darkest month, with winter solstice having about 5.5 hours of sunlight, at least there are the holiday festivities and it is not quite as cold. In addition to my good old fashioned depression, I might have some Seasonal Affective Disorder as well. As soon as I felt the Nevada sun warming my pale arms from the window of my plane, I felt like I was starting to come back to life.

During our hike in Tecopa, California I found these stacked rocks.

We are visiting Kurtis’ mom and step-dad in Pahrump, just outside of Las Vegas. We’ll be staying in Las Vegas near the end of our trip. Saturday we drove out to Tecopa, California, which is not that long of a drive from Pahrump. We visited a farm where they grow dates out in the middle of the desert. Kurtis and I hiked a trail right next to the date farm. It was out in the desert, surrounded by mountains and ancient riverbeds. I have always loved the desert. I feel like I am on Mars, it’s so drastically different from Alaska. I don’t think I’d last a second out here though if it was in the middle of the summer. But it was a comfortable 70 degrees on our hike, the perfect temperature I think.

On our hike in the desert of California, near the Nevada border.

We finished up the week with Super Bowl Sunday. Kurtis & I are fans of the 49ers so it was a big deal that our team made it to the Super Bowl. Even though our team lost, it was still fun to watch. We wore our 49ers shirts and watched the game with his mom and her friends. Kurtis is a die-hard fan. He will yell and scream with excitement for every touchdown, field goal, and any gain of yardage. When his mom’s friends left a little before the end of the game Kurtis said to me, “I hope I didn’t scare them away with my yelling,” I just laughed and said “You probably did.” Back home he would watch the games every Sunday, Monday and Thursday and be yelling at his players, the other team, and the ref’s. Even when I wear my noise-cancelling headphones I can still hear him whooping and hollering. I’m not sure if they actually make noise-cancelling headphones that truly block out all the noises of a superfan. A week or so before the Superbowl I showed Kurtis some YouTube videos of sports fans losing their s**t. I told him, “I’m happy you aren’t like those crazy guys.” We thought those videos were hilarious and we had full-on belly laughs with tears watching these. Amazingly there is a treasure trove of many videos of fans going ballistic, I highly recommend checking those out if you need a good laugh.

Kurtis & I before the big game.

Mini Victories for the Week

I did not take any time off from work after my surgery. Gotta pay those bills!

I went from being emotionally overwhelmed, to feeling a lot better by the end of the week.

Got out hiking in the sun.

Chose not to have alcohol at all this week so I can stay on track with my FET prep.

Keeping up with most of my supplements.

Work in Progress

I’ve been a little lax with how I’ve been eating this week. I’ll allow some wiggle room with how I’m eating, so as not to stress myself out while I’m on vacation.

Opt for veggies as much as possible while on vacation, including salads, and veggie side dishes.

This post may contain affiliate links. You can read the disclosure here.

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FET Prep Week 5: Surgery, Depression & Trip to Nevada The beginning of this week was really difficult for me. I had my surgery to remove some scar tissue from my uterus.

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nomanicsdak · 5 years

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New Post has been published on http://manicdak.com/?p=2341

TO ATHENS BY WAY OF PANDORA'S COVE

Let’s Get A Party Started!

How Do I Recruit Bears?

Sure, I’ll go to Athens, but I’m going to take the round about way doing it, so I can clear some more areas! A quiet shipwreck, bandit camp, cool. Nothing exciting or too challenging. Hah! I do come upon a fishing village, which I think is going to be a chill place, but it is filled with huntresses that attack me as soon as I step foot on their beach. Like, serious, I wasn’t intending on fighting you guys, but here we go I guess. I want to make peace with the huntresses, they are bad ass and are one with the bears! There is literally nothing to be gained aside from XPs by fighting them, but alas, they are attacking me anyway. Later on there are more huntresses that I don’t want to fight, but I have treasure chest to raid and ancient tablets to find, so I can unlock the secrets of this damn spear for my future relative? Is that even necessary for the memory machine to work these days? I mean, it’s portable now. I don’t know. TBH I barely pay attention to the current times portion of the game. The Pirate one was the first version of Assassin’s Creed I ever played, so you can imagine my great confusion with having to deal with the hacking computers and the reading boring emails portion of the game.

Anyway, I find another gruesome scene at some different cult’s HQ on top of a mountain. The God of War worshipers. I free a dude, and learn nothing about the cult that wants to kill me. I’m getting bored with grinding now, so I guess I will do a quest. I pick one about the Daughter’s of Artemis, head towards it, and discover it is the one where I have to kill legendary animals. Apparently I did initiate that quest, but I still haven’t killed the pig so Daphnae hasn’t given me further instructions to hunt for the rest of the creatures yet even though I already snagged the stag.

Loving the idea of bacon more and more every passing moment

Several levels later and I still can’t kill the thing, but I do get to the part where it summons five regular sized boars to attack me at the same time. There are boars flying, and I’m dying, so it’s time to run away again.

Seriously, forget it, I’m going to Athens. Let’s go to the ship, back to Herotodus, who is my guide on this journey. Apparently we are not docking in Athens, we’re going in the back way because my ship is directed to this cove where there is no dock.

Welcome to Athens, home of the fighting Llama Birds

Actually, there seems to be no purpose to avoiding the docks, because we just walk right up to the leadership who are out and about orating to the masses. Perikles is giving a speech and some dude named Kleon is rousing the people against Sparta. Oh, Ok, they’re word fighting now. Perikles is the sensible one, or at least the one that doesn’t want to fight everybody?? I know he’s an historical figure and possibly terrible though, so I’m going to proceed with caution. He might help me by giving me an invite to his Symposium pretending to be a servant. First, he gives me side quests to prove myself, as you do. I am reminded that my entire goal in this Odyssey is to find my mom and learn about my dubious ancestry. I must admit, I was so intent on raiding camps and collecting shark bounties that I forgot what I was even looking for.

Oh, well. To the quests!

First Metiochos is late for a very important date. Obvious, he is dead or in a cage somewhere.

Second, Phidias the famous sculptor awaiting trial for impiety. I’m fairly sure I saw this guy is on my culty list though.

And a vote on Ostracism. I’m supposed to help decide who stays and who goes apparently? But I’m too much of an outsider to just go to the symposium, yet this I can decide? Sure thing, Pickles.

Oh, No!

OK, To Metiochos. His quest is called a venomous encounter, so he’s dead by snakes, cornered by snakes, or caged by a group of bandits called the serpents. Onward!

Well, two out of three; he is corned by snakes and tied up by thugs! I save him from the vipers, but obviously, I will have to go on a quest for the thugs now. They are apparently poor fishermen and followers of Kleon. I inspect their house and find more snakes and a note. Metiochos is a corrupt politician who is oppressing the poor and they are working on the plans of a higher up. I let them go and give an inspiring speech about improving their neighborhood and ignoring politicians as if it’s that easy, but whatever. I’m off to see what the snake dealer has to say. Is there another higher up baddie? Is it Kleon? Are the politicians the real bad guys after all? Maybe, Maybe, and Yes. Let’s go!

The Snake Dealer has no option for diplomacy, so I guess we’re just going to end him right here, and as it turns out he is the top guy. Huh. I was fulling expecting this to lead back to the big K himself.

Now for the sculptor. Perikles want’s me to help him escape. He’s not a culty guy that I have to kill after all. He’s just the key to finding them! They are trying to kill him too. I mean…hopefully he’s not lying. I get to ask about his specific relationship with Perikles, and he says they are the bestest of friends. Okay. Also, Kleon is trying to set him up for theft along with the impiety he’s already on trial for. We are heading to another island to meet sculptor’s friend who I 100% do not trust. When we get there, it turns out that indeed, he is trustworthy as advertised and he gives me some deets on the cultist who wants sculptor dude dead. Alright! Sculptor man wasn’t the bad guy after all. Nice. I didn’t want to kill him.

~Pause for sleep!~

Okay, now we get to decide who’s getting exiled. I have to go to another island to do this. WHY??? Oh, wait, no, it is not on another island. I am on another island. I forgot I was dropping that dude off to hide out from those culty douches. I’m back in Athens now, and it turns out Perikles wants me to rig the ostracism. I’m not deciding anything, I’m just stuffing the ballot box. That makes a whole lot more sense. Let’s hear it for the cradle of democracy! We’ll see if I get a choice in this.

I don’t. Let’s see who I’ve doomed.

Dust in the wind, Dude.

I’m not quite sure what happened, but the guy I meet back at the ostracism isn’t the same guy that instructed me to rig the vote? Or is it?? I don’t even remember. In any case, the guy I meet is none other than So-Crates himself, best known for helping Bill and Ted on their Excellent Adventure.

Well, the vote’s are in, and we get reassured that they have all been counted despite evidence of vote tampering. Now, this close personal friend of Sokrates and Perikles has to go. Wait, wait…so, the vote was or wasn’t fixed? I’m so confused. Sokrates is giving me a guilt trip though. Ugh. Go philosophize somewhere else, my dude. I’m going back to Pickles to see what the deal is.

But first I help a townsfolk deliver a flower to a doctor, who is not nearly as cute as my country doctor. At least I get some easy drachmae, and Whooosh. Level Up! Good detour, self. Should I head to Perikles, or should I see what mayhem Kleon is up to?

Kleon it is!

OK, he’s just trying to overthrow the government.

…or not.

He wants me to hassle some Spartans to bump up morale. I guess I can take him up on it since I’m probably going to be doing that anyway. I mean, on the one hand, I don’t trust his squinty ass, but on the other he’s not hiring me to straight up murder Pickles, sooo…

Ok, manual save. Let’s put hassling the Spartans on the menu.

But first, I have a symposium to attend to!

Whaaaat?

OMG, PHOIBE is there???? What? Not dead of the plague? Yes, it is Phoibe, and not a case of reusing the same model for all children in the game. Turns out she saved her money, stowed away, and came to Athens before she could perish. Alexios can’t believe she’s here either. She’s working for someone named Aspasia, who I feel like I should know, but I don’t.

Phoibe is clearly done with me.

Anyways, Pheoibe is here to make sure I’m in the proper fancy robes and check my weapons at the door. I have options here to not change, but I’ll do it. Even though such things are always suspicious. I will probably need a dagger at some point. Alexios is 100% echoing my feelings about this as soon as I’m typing them! I feel vindicated.

Anyway, Herodotus is here and giving me the deets about this schmooze fest. I guess this new squishy non-armor was a good choice for rubbing elbows. He tells me about all the dudes here. I won’t tell you all about these argumentative playwrights now though. I learn that Alexios doesn’t like Sokrates at all, and Perikles isn’t even at his own shin-dig. UGH.

Before I can get any more introductions, I am accosted by a shirtless drunk dude, who is kind of shameless and amazing. Like, everybody else is chatting and drinking and this fella just rolls on up in his undies like it’s nothing. Haha, what is happening? He’s reciting some love poem or something at me before he wanders away.

Now Herodotus goes to find Pickles, and I’m left alone to my own devices. My first side quest is to find and talk to shirtless drunk guy. I’m not sure how much information I’m going to get out of him.

Oh, great. Turns out he’s behind a closed door. With moaning and goat noises. This guy’s name is Alkibiades, I’m pretty sure it’s exactly what it sounds like and he is not attempting to lift heavy furniture for comedic effect back there, but I pound on the door and demand to be let in anyway. Yep. Indeed, this is some kind of orgy situation happening (the goat likes to watch???) He asks if I’m here to join them. He’s also super into Sokrates for some reason. (Sokrates is not there for the record)

Stop Flirting with me, Ace, I’m Trying to Find my Mom!

Well, I have agreed to get him some oil in exchange for info, but in the kitchen I’ve bumped into this playwright guy who was arguing with some other playwright named Euripides earlier and I’m supposed to care about this? No. I am just getting oil for the horny dude. Time is of the essence! I think this guy’s drunk too. Sophokles is his name. He want’s me to get Eurpides drunk, so he too can become a public embarrassment. Everybody at this party is drunk! Except for me. Alas. What has Pickles gotten me into? Symposium does sound far more elegant than this drunken frat party I am at.

Okay, well, now that Alkibiades has his oil and is pumped up about his orgy (that he still is trying to convince Alexios to join. I do have the option to say yes, but I’m going to stick with the find mom plan. I mean, not gonna lie, I like his style. He seems way more fun that those bickering playwrights, but I am on a quest!) Anyway, Alkibiades, does seem less drunk somehow and thinks my mom might be on Korinth with the hetarae. He is surprisingly helpful even though Alexios isn’t particularly pleased by this info.

Now we’re off to get some playwrights drunk and see if they’re as helpful as shirtless guy. I have already fucked up this quest and got the wrong wine from the kitchen staff. Let’s see how it goes.

I propose a drinking competition. I really don’t like these dudes. They’re kind of A-holes, treating me like a nameless servant here to pour them wine. I am pouring them wine and possibly posing a servant, though not much has been made of that since I first met Perikles. I realize this special robe may in fact be servants attire. That’s not the point. Eurpides gives me some info to track down. I wasn’t paying attention, so I will check it out in the quest menu later. I wonder what would have happened if I’d picked the right wine? Perhaps Sophokles would have given me the info instead?

Ok, back to Sokrates for some philosophical discussions.

We’re discussing the art of war. Lol, Alexios is not getting it. We should have stuck with the orgy dude. Just in time to save me from this conversation, the mythical Aspasia who I feel like I should know makes her appearance. Turns out, I don’t know her after all. She gives me some contacts to talk to in the places the other guys told me to go, and also another contact—a woman called Xenia!

Now let’s see what Perikles has to say.

He’s just up on the second floor moping and doesn’t want to join his own party for a speech. Like, he’s very sober. I’m not sure anybody down there is going to remember anything he has to say anyway. While we’re up here, we’re going to find out what the heck was up with all those errands:

I saved the sculptor because he’s a bro. That’s it. Perikles thinks he was delusional, but a good pal that deserved a hand.

And the Ostracized guy? He got sent away because Perikles wanted to protect him.

And Metiochos just got snaked through no machinations of Perikles. That was all on some rando dudes who were into Kleon.

Well, Perikles himself was less than helpful, but at least I have some leads.

On the way out Pheoibe tells me some rumors about the plague back home, so now I have a quest to go check that out. I tell her it’s not our fault that we’ve doomed our whole island, but yeah. Totally my fault!

I tell her I’m going off to Korinth. Since Alkibiades is the first person I talked to, that shall be the first place I’ll go! I’m going to put off handling this plague situation for as long as possible, that’s for sure!

A Horse Sculpture

Phobos Takes A Dip

Fight, Fight, Fight!

Why is this merchant in a cave?

Bull Man

Cows!

This Little Piggy went to Market

Enjoys Long Rides on the Beach

Ship Graveyard

In Athens, Eagle Bears You

Look At This Guy’s Snake

Crane

Sailing

Billowing

Sea Goat

Even the Statues have Had Enough

Studious Children

#Miscellaneous

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tortuga-aak · 6 years

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Chinese billionaires can't get enough of polo, the 'sport of kings'

Kevin Frayer/Stringer

Polo is becoming the new luxury sport in China, gaining popularity among billionaires and their families.

The Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club, the largest polo club in China, advertises itself as a place to become "the new nobility."

Some wealthy players even bring their own horses and indulge in the luxury hotel connected to the club.

The sport is known as the "sport of kings," and its popularity has implications about the international superpower the country is becoming.

The art of polo is distinctly Persian. The word "polo," meaning "ball," is derived from Balti, spoken in the region of Baltistan in Pakistan. But, today, the game of polo is finding a shiny, new vitality among the billionaires in China. For them, the elite allure of the game, and the skill involved in playing it, make it perfectly suited to a luxury lifestyle.

In China's Tang dynasty (617 - 908AD) emperors played with the finest horses they could breed. The sport was enjoyed in one of the country's ancient capitals, Chang'an, and centuries ago was also played by women in male dress.

The modern game was created in India, with the first polo club opening in 1833, in Assam. The colonial British are credited for spreading the game worldwide, and the first polo club, the Calcutta Polo Club, was established in 1862 by two British soldiers, Lieutenant Joseph Sherer and Captain Robert Stewart.

British settlers expanded the game in Argentina, which for the next century produced some of the world's top players, such as Nacho Figueras. In 1876 James Gordon Bennett Jnr, the publisher of the now-defunct New York Herald newspaper, organized the first polo match in the United States, at Dickle's Riding Academy on Fifth Avenue.

America's finest club is now in South Carolina — a sterling example of how the sport has excelled and found a whole new audience in just over a century. "Aiken has been a presence on the polo scene since 1882," says Barb Uskup, treasurer on Aiken Polo Club's board of directors.

"Aiken Polo Club's historic Whitney Field is the place to sip a cocktail while watching the 'sport of kings' each spring and autumn. Polo has grown in Aiken due to the tremendous amount of polo fields that each feature incredible sand footing, allowing play not only during the two seasons of tournament polo but also allowing for practice chukkas 12 months a year. For players and socialites, the southern hospitality in Aiken is welcoming and embracing, making it a truly rewarding and fully entertaining experience."

In China today, the sport has been developing for the past 10 years, and has been discovered by the new rich, who are keen to learn the fine art.

China Photos / Stringer

One of the best facilities, the Tianjin Goldin Metropolitan Polo Club,which is owned by Goldin Properties Holdings, describes itself as being the largest polo club in the country and prides itself on being a retreat for China's "new nobility" — with the best equestrian facilities. There are three polo fields with 300 stables; its sumptuous hotel has 12 restaurants whose wine cellars have only the finest vintages; and plenty of real estate to acquire.

Opened in November 2010 with 890,000 square metres, the club was established to "promote a new lifestyle and create a polo community," according to its general manager, Domenico Palumbo.

It is also an opportunity "to introduce a new and exclusive type of luxury to the region", the company explains. Its facilities could draw the world's rich and "add to Tianjin's status as a landmark destination and contribute to its overall city status."

The club also sponsors other major tournaments throughout the year, and draws teams from global polo centers, including Hong Kong. It also hosts the international Snow Polo World Cup, which is organised by the Federation of International Polo (FIP). The club is also building an indoor stadium with a retractable roof for 5,000 people, including special boxes for VIPs. The club's marketing materials invite potential residents to "become a part of the new nobility" and "take your place among the elite," while the company's motto for the development is the Chinese phrase "qian jin mai wu, wan jin mai li" — which translates as "a quality house is worth a thousand pounds of gold, but quality neighbors are worth ten thousand."

Reserved primarily for the wealthy, the sport requires some serious commitment, according to Palumbo: "Polo is an expensive sport because it gets to be very involved with a horse, the polo field, all kinds of equipment, a professional coach and so on. Our target market consists of private entrepreneurs who first of all, enjoy as well as can afford the lifestyle. There are a growing number of businessmen and their children who are starting to take the sport seriously in China by joining polo clubs like ours in Tianjin." In fact, at the Metropolitan Club, most of the members are also property owners — encouraging an active role in the sport. With more than 200 horses in the stables, some of the members even own their own animals.

The commitment to the game may involve hours and hours of time, and a lot of finesse, however. "Actually, it might take a lifetime to master the sport," Palumbo says. "It depends on a lot of factors — which level you start at, how ambitious you are. To master a skill such as a foreign language or polo ... is a lifetime project. You need to keep learning, practicing as much as you can."

However, it really isn't just about the art of the sport — there are deeper implications at play here.

"Polo is not just a luxury thing," Palumbo says. "It is a game that historically connects with Chinese people. China is an especially important market for the ‘sport of kings' as it aligns itself with a new world order. I think the Chinese are going to be the most influential superpower and polo represents the best passport they can have, wherever they go, they will always feel welcome. The horse is an international language. It doesn't matter if you speak Arabic, Russian, or Mandarin. If you understand the horse, you have a bridging point with anyone, anywhere in the world."

For this new class of Chinese, this is one more way for the truly wealthy to make sure their fortune grows year after year, generation by generation.

Kevin Frayer / Stringer

But the growth is slow and steady. As with golf, which entered the Chinese market in the 1980s, polo is the next elite sport.The Chinese Equestrian Association, which was formed in 1983, now has 280 registered athletes and 336 registered horses. Other clubs include the Beijing Sunny Time Polo Club, founded by Xia Yang in 2004, and the Nine Dragons Hill Polo Club, which was founded in Shanghai in the following year.

Meanwhile, there are 66 clubs in Britain and all host their own tournaments, mostly at the lower level. The key tournaments of the English season are the Queen's and Gold Cup played at 22 goals at Guards Polo Club and Cowdray Park Polo Club.

The Hurlingham Polo Association (HPA) used to be a club in London and now acts as the sport's governing body – looking after rules and regulations as well as handicapping and the national team.

Britain has traditionally promoted the sport as a wealthy pastime, as China does, but HPA chief executive David Woodd says it is "much more accessible than it used to be". There are more clubs around the country and more ponies that can be hired, he says. "To fund a team, you have to be wealthy – but to play as an amateur is open to many more," Woodd says, citing how the sport is also growing in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

The sport's appeal is its social aspect as well as the speed and exhilaration involved in watching horses running at each other.

"It is tougher than it looks, but it is clever as you can team up to play with and against the best players in the world, like pro-am golf," Woodd says.

"You do not have to be an outstanding player, but rather worth your handicap. It is a fast game which does not take all day, [and] is generally played in good weather at attractive locations.

"It is exciting to play, even at the lower levels, more so than to watch; you play with and meet interesting people, and you can play all over the world."

Nothing like speed, some travel and the beauty of horses to fall in love with.

NOW WATCH: 6 airline industry secrets that will help you fly like a pro

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vetafraire722-blog · 7 years

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Nintendo Switch Model Of FIFA 18 Won't Function "The Journey" Story Mode

In fifa 18, players want to collect loads of fifa 18 coins. In the case of FIFA 18, this is finished by way of the EA Sports FIFA 18 Assist. FIFA 18 BETA codes had been released earlier this week for PS4 and Xbox One players, however if you did not get one, don't worry, here is when you may play the demo. FIFA 18 on Nintendo Change tends to turn into obtainable somewhat later than the web App, but nonetheless early enough that players may have time to get to grips with it earlier than the total recreation is launched. In order that actually retains the Indian followers actually fascinated and the revelation can be made as soon as the sport will get launched later on this year. Nevertheless EA is understood not to sit down silently on their errors, and FIFA 18 will definitely be an enormous enchancment with regards to where FIFA 17 has misplaced a few of its followers. Yet, the problem is compounded by the return of enter lag and participant change issues that plagued matches in current entries in the collection, notably FIFA 17. Alas, it seems as if these points aren’t going anyplace.

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Anybody have IF Rowe? If you have any issues pertaining to the place and how to use totw 18 predictions fifa 16, you can get in touch with us at the page. Many people may need been considering of what to do and what to not do as the anticipated new FIFA 18 features and the season 2 of the journey. Significantly less people might be playing FIFA 18 by means of EA Early Accessibility, which entitles one to ten hours ancient sport time. Anyone received Nvidia control panel to override the game settings? Please verify again at a later date for more recreation saves to be added. Eat a meal containing whole grains the night time earlier than a soccer sport or huge practice and once more two to a few hours before the game or apply. So with all that keenness and fuss following this 90-minute stunning sport, what do you assume is the lot of the company seating on top of the entire thing? It was not until the Apertura 2009 when the "Chicharito" started to excel for Chivas, ending because the third prime scorer, having scored 11 objectives in 17 games, becoming a permanent starter.

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blue-scorpion-king · 7 years

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The 1st Monster Slayer?? -Silly Self-Insert-

Me/The Bat, if I am an self-insert mage in the universe of Fairy Tail:

-Name:

Cody Michael Hand.

-Nickname:

The First Monster Slayer, the Fiery Calcium Slayer, and nothing else at the moment.

-Age:

22-23 years old.

-Birthday (if known):

September 12th, X761

-Gender:

(Bearded) Male.

-Species:

Monster Slayer Human

-Sexual Orientation:

Straight.

-Birthplace:

The small city of Sterling, Fiore, Earthland.

-Living place:

An apartment, with me as the only person in it, five buildings away from the right of Lucy Heartfilia's apartment, with rent to pay of course.

-Likes:

Music, movies, magic computer time (Which exists in, but not as large of an use in Earthland than in real life), good female asses, since I am an ass man for female asses around my age group, thought breasts are good too, and some more.

-Family:

My mother, my father, Christopher and Michael, 2 younger brothers, Mikaleigh, my younger sister, Bob, the family friend, Sloviaka, the lion-sized orange bat monster that was an part of the family since my dad's younger days, until his death by old age (RIP), Pepper and Pumpkin, the 2 family cats, Glory, the family dog, and an expanded family beyond.

-Weapons:

-An Dane ax from Erza, an falchion sword sidearm, an (Viking) round shield, and throwing stakes.

-This alternate persona of myself is in an "Fant-Earth", with an circumference of 1,600,000,000 kilometers, which is smaller than Bagklock Earth, which has an circumference of 6,400,000,000 kilometers, where many, many continents, alongside the 7 real world continents, has countries from fantasy stories, like Game of Thrones, Lord of the Rings, He-Man, & Warhammer (Not 40K), certain Shonen, Seinen, Shoujo, light novel, and visual novel stories, like Fairy Tail, Berserk, Toriko, One Piece, Naruto, GATE, Hunter X Hunter, Akatsuki No Yoma, Fate Stay Night, and Soul Eater, JRPG stories, like Valkyria Chronicles, Final Fantasy 1 to XV to Type-0, Dark Souls, Dragon’s Dogma, Demon’s Souls, Pokemon, Dragon Quest, & Fire Emblem, and several other graphic novels and anime/manga that happened in the past, happening right now in the present, and could happen in the future.

-- And I could be like the Reimu of Fairy Tail, who settles 'incidents' that the main cast don't settle, like actually defeat an actual God, not an God Slayer, for causing the problem in the first place.

Learned to awaken the Fiery Calcium Monster Slayer Magic Art, which is limited to an degree compared to Fire Dragon Slayer magic, from an sentient, lion-size orange bat, made out of black bone and orange fire, named Sloviaka, that has been an part of my family of 7, including me, since my dad's youth, has been an former Chieftian until he hit 8,000 years old, and has drawn inspiration from old accounts of ‘Stand Users’ from his youth and middle age, expect it goes to all kinds of monsters that I might fight in my future. Then, he died of old age, leaving me with the info that his bat kin, along with several other monster/henry species, mainly lives in caverns in the mountains & in other natural environments, kind of like being neighbors to the dwarves, elves, and men, and has been similar to them since his ancestors first observe them, along with the so called ‘living plants’, called Pents, before drawing his last breath and made me laugh with a joke, even when dying of old age and I was crying. It might have been heart-breaking, but at least Sloviaka lived a long life and died happy. Also, thanks to getting this magick made me near-sighted, which got me to wear glasses ever since.

-Also, ‘Bat Monsters’/Henries have a rocky relationship with Dragons, like the dwarves are to elves, and with Demons, which are like orcs to the Monsters, or Henries. Also, several special monsters/Henries have lived to even 5 million years, but never beyond that, and unlike dragons, there is a still a big population of monsters/Henries around, with many wins at wars against enemies who shoved them down, Dragons and Demons included.

=The Henries are also known to be extremely sturdy, despite their big cat-like sizes (Puma to Liger range), with most of the population having an hefty amount of facial and head hair, just like dwarves, could be made out of any non-overpowered element, have 16 tribes that are like the Knights, the Samurai, the Vikings, the Old West, the Spartans, the Warring States Era Chinese, the Zulu, the Roman Legionaries, Pirates, Ancient Egyptians, the Highlanders, the Huns, the Irish, the Hawaiians, the Aztecs, and the Sioux tribe of the Native Americans.

-Type of Abilities:

Fiery Calcium (Fire + Calcium fusion), in an black and orange color, can only be manipulated to an limited degree, even from within m,y own body, has to eat three whole meals to fully have an backup energy source, I should be careful around flammable objects, I can’t resist fire or thermal heat, lack of oxygen may prevent this ability to activate, not immune to the side effects, or byproducts, of fire, like smoke, weak against explosive negation, affected by my emotions, like anger or rage, which would make the fire stronger, but more dangerous around the area I am in, can be overpowered by ice, water, and/or cold, and I need oxygen, heat, and fuel for my fire generation, which would lead to fire manipulation.

Also, I have been trying to effectively use what martial art that Sloviaka taught me in combat, if needed, which is called ‘CQC’, with its meaning not told to me (Street fighting + Muay Thai).

--An Monster Slayer form ability, that I already had, but rarely got used in my youth, and trained with it in secret; Up until the Tenrou Island arc, up against Hades--

"Ainz Henry!!": An advanced Monster Slayer form, that is different from the Dragon Force, for someone like Cody, and shockingly, an permanent change in appearance, unlike Dragon Force.

Their eye sockets sunken a bit and colored black, the hair becomes wild, grows to become an mane, like an lion, and fire-like, while colored orange, makes the calcium part of the fiery calcium element vulcanized & elastic, makes the user gain more muscle mass, but still be lean, even to making the torso wide, and the teeth get really sharp, with 2 different tooth shapes; Lion teeth and bat teeth.

Also gets an coat of white colored thin paint-like calcium to make an skull design, expect for the blackened nose, coat the rest of the body with orange thin calcium 'paint', gain large, retractable into under the flesh, shoulder to hand fiery calcium armor, with black Henry tribal markings, along with retractable hip to feet fiery calcium armor, with lion hand paws/claws and bat feet & claws.

Lastly, there are three organic-bone methane using jet pods on each ankle, and three organic-bone methane using jet pods, with 2 on the shoulder bones and one below the in between of the 2.

(First unveiled partially at the Laxus fight, for a little bit, and in full at the Tenrou Island Arc’s Hades fight.)

-======-

Injuries I received from the Tartaros Arc to the (alternate) aftermath, with no 1 year timeskip:

Right side of my eye socket slashed slightly, top of my left ear cut open, a couple of broken back teeth had to be pulled out, an horizontal slash on my forehead, bludgeoned left elbow, partially gashed off left hand skin, jacked up left knee, gashed top of my right foot, slashed right side of my collar, projectile to my right shoulder, three slashes at my left shoulder, 3 cracked right ribs, large bruises on my torso sides, and abdomen, broken ulna of my right forearm, to where the bone poked out of my skin, an bleeding gash on my head, bruised toes, knuckles, and fingers, bruised left side of my neck, and bludgeoned right side of my back.

-======-

Moved out of my family's house and joined Fairy Tail at Magnolia as my first guild after taking my dream goals to become an writer and be an better Mage than I was in my youth and towards the future.

Became an Mage of Fairy Tail a bit before the time of the Thunder Tribe Sabotage arc and was not going to become S-Class just yet, unlike many of my friends. But, after the Tenrou Island arc, I have made it to S-Class, despite my honestly modest view on it.

-Started as an guild member a bit before the Thunder Tribe Sabotage arc all the way through the aftermath of the Tartaros VS Fairy Tail Guild War.-

<=Job experience from slaying monsters like Demons, various monsters, fighting the battles of Fairy Tail, even to Edolas, training myself and with others, and at very dangerous locations that not even Natsu nor Gajeel would step foot into, like going through an journey to get to several treasures from an long 'dead' land in Sweden, next to Norway, which (Bagklock) Earthland is ridge-connected to it, named Lordran (Dark Souls kingdom), while finding the lore through my findings and through texts, like tomes, scrolls, and books. That was my latest job that I took as an legal S-class mage.

-Guild mark location:

Left shoulder, orange in color.

-One of many outfits:

Glasses, small black skull bead necklace, with an golden skull pendant piece with an Native American chieftain headpiece, an orange hoodie jacket, with an t-shirt underneath, one of various sweatpants, and combat boots/Light armor for mobility and an tunic over my jacket. (Main outfit, with an light, casual version, and an full-on version) An dull black and orange Viking attire, with red details, with gambeson, chain-mail, non-horned historical looking helmet, and all, from head to top. But, it is also with Swedish medieval shoulder armor, bicep armor, forearm armor, gauntlets, thigh armor, foreleg armor, and greaves; Along with the oranged colored Fairy Tail symbol on the left shoulder and an owl head belt buckle design.

So, this is just an basic scramble of what I would be as an member of Fairy Tail. As an self-insert Monster Slayer mage on Earthland. owo

But hey. At least I state it out there instead of making an bad 'original character' and even as an self-insert Earthland-born Monster Slayer/Stand User, I would still be human and make mistakes and fail at times.

I hope you like this scramble of something silly. XD

~The Bat~whitew

#The Bat speaks #fairy tail #self-insert #monster slayer #mage #random post #ooc #ooc post #blue-scorpion-king #self-insert character #scramble #silly post

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