#beyond the astral plane | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

butterflyscribbles · 9 months

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I’ve been thinking so much lately about April’s ninpo powers because I love the idea that as part of the family, she has her own unique abilities just like the turtles do and they didn’t get the time to explore it in the series enough so have some headcanons that I’ve incorporated into my weird lil good future AU:

The biggest key in April’s ninpo is communication and projection. She’s the only one that can cross over to the astral plane and speak with the Hamato ancestors without outside help. However, she can help anyone else in the family cross over at the same time, but it takes a lot of focus and energy to maintain the link of two people so sometimes after long sessions, she’s exhausted.

Leo hates the feeling of his soul leaving his body so he only reaches out to his ancestors when he’s at the end of his rope as leader or feels lonely. He makes the most of every visit as a result. He loves his family to the ends of the earth and beyond, wishing he could bring himself to visit more…but the whole process makes him nervous (and nauseous). Sending Leo to the plane also wipes April out the most because his mystic energy is so weak in comparison to his brothers so she has to do the “heavy lifting” so to speak, but she doesn’t mind it one bit.

Raph takes comfort in reaching the astral plane. He’s been there before (during the season 2 finale) and seeking advice from his ancestors is something he loves and takes pride in. The process it takes to reach the astral plane is reminiscent of his own projection powers so it’s like second nature. It’s also a huge bonding experience for him and April. He even utilizes the time to practice speaking Japanese to his ancestors since he starts learning after the events of s2.

Don’s pursuit of strengthening his mystic powers is often neglected in favor of pursuing his tech and scientific discoveries. He’s an extremely powerful mystic that doesn’t believe he is because of his bias against magic. Makes it hard when your trying to reach out to your ancestors you definitely know are there…he’s seen them….and can almost feel them….he just can’t fully will his mystic energy to reach out that far beyond his control and without an exact “target”, no matter how many times April helps try to drive it down the right path, so the energy just spirals in all directions and never reaches far enough. He’s never made it to the astral plane…yet.

Mikey is a low-key show off. His mystic abilities are off the charts and he can very nearly reach the astral plane by himself on sheer energy alone. However, April is the one that has to provide the right pathway for him to follow to get there since he’s a little all over the place, especially in the beginning of him reigning in his powers. When Mikey is around, he lifts her up and their energy intertwines as they cross the barrier into the astral plane with ease. April barely has to lift a finger to get there too so she’s not as exhausted after guiding Mikey there.

#rise april #rise leo #rise raph #rise donnie #rise mikey #rise of the tmnt #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #rottmnt #sotau #some other time au #more to come I’ve just gotta draw it my brain is so full of turtles again lately aughghgggghh

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charmedreincarnation · 5 months

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I shifted using the void state!

I'm getting straight to the point because I know people don't like long success stories, but I used these two posts to finally shift to my desired reality and manifest my dream life.

Rotten’s Practical Guide to Shifting Realities

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zgrhCYyct7xV4j7d7qYFcoO8bAMx5Jqdb3NGoO81Oqs/edit

Reddit Post: The Power of the Void State

https://www.reddit.com/r/shiftingrealities/s/XMIo5TPYlM

Anyways, when I learned about the void state on Reddit, I was instantly captivated. I mean, who wouldn't be? The idea of not only using it for shifting but also manifesting my dream life for myself and my family felt like a dream come true. That's when I came across the second post I shared about the void state, and eventually, the first document I shared. They were incredibly informative and completely changed my perspective on shifting and the law of the universe.

I went on to stalk many of the recommended success stories on Reddit, exploring posts and comment sections that mentioned you. You seemed to be a common denominator in their journeys, helping them shift or guiding them with your posts. It made me happy to see your positive influence, even though your posts were from years ago and it seemed like you no longer have an account. Unfortunately, many other creators' posts were either inactive or banned due to Reddit's strict rules which is really annoying.

However, someone made a post about you, and one of your friends ended up commenting with your Tumblr account. So, I gathered a lot of valuable information from your account and a few others (like Fleur, Pink, Rem, Sexy Dream Girl, etc.) on Tumblr.

I must say, the Tumblr shifting and void community is miles ahead of Reddit and Amino. I was shocked that I hadn't come across this community before. Reddit is just starting to talk about the Law of assumption and the void, whereas you guys have been immersed in it for years. I even encountered some misconceptions on Reddit, where people still think the void can only be used for shifting and not for waking up in a whole new life. 🙄

Regardless, finding this app was the motivation I needed, and I discovered so much valuable information. I ended up using your theta wave method, combined with the first Reddit post I sent, to enter the void and shift to my dr. It's truly mind-blowing how easy it all was.

I can vouch for this process. All you need are the two Reddit posts I shared, as the guide is highly regarded within the shifting community, along with a few trustworthy Tumblr bloggers. I've been part of the shifting community since 2017, so I've seen it all, and I managed to shift within just two and a half weeks of finding these resources. Even though I was struggling with depression and suicidal thoughts, I realized it doesn't have to hinder your journey.

I wanted to share my experience here, and I might make a post on Reddit too. However, they have become stricter with success stories due to anti-troll measures, and it takes weeks to even months for anything to be processed. So, I wanted to share my journey here first.

I also recommend this: https://www.reddit.com/r/shiftingrealities/s/daFCQdyHim because it helped me understand what shifting really is. Manifesting too!

Lastly I'm 26 years old, and I've noticed that Reddit tends to have a more adult audience compared to Tumblr. At first, it felt nice to be surrounded by fellow adults discussing shifting. On the other hand, seeing Tumblr mostly filled with teens and younger adults made me wonder if it's easier for them, especially without the weight of responsibilities that often come with age.

But let me tell you, age is not a factor that determines our success in shifting. Whether you're 13 or 55, it doesn't matter. This is something we can all engage in, no matter our age.

Sure, there might be some challenges that come with getting older. As we accumulate more life experiences, doubts tend to creep in, and we become more logical. But guess what? Those doubts and logical thinking don't define our ability to shift realities. They are simply hurdles for us to overcome.

Hi love! I've spent some time going through all the resources you shared, and they've been incredibly helpful! Actually i have seen that guide in so many places, and it's truly enlightening. Thank you for sharing these amazing tools with us!

And yes, I wholeheartedly agree with what you said. age and doubt really do have no place in our journey they really don’t matter in the grand scheme of things.

I used to engage with @theastralplaneandbeyond5487 on Amino and Reddit too. He also has an informative YouTube channel and is in his 50s, I believe. His experiences and insights are rlly helpful and further show that age is just a number in this journey.

His journey showed me that we can do whatever we we want , regardless of our age. It's a beautiful reminder that we're all capable of creating and experiencing whatever we want 🩵

Also omg my Reddit era in 2021 was so fun. I’m glad it’s still helping people though my views have definitely evolved :D!

#law of assumption #manifesation #void state #reality shifting #shiftblr #void success

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chalice-of-legend · 2 years

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Okay I am doing all of this late at night so sorry if this is rambley lol

Okay so considering the main villain of the base game is literally the devil, then there is definitely a hell, and then presumably a heaven.

And the the dlc started talking about the got dang astral plane. Now according to wikipedia, the astral plane is"...the world of the celestial spheres, crossed by the soul in its astral body on the way to being born and after death, and is generally believed to be populated by angels, spirits or other immaterial beings."

Which is interesting, so is the Astral Plane considered an in between of sorts? Not either afterlife, and if then, and a main trope with ghosts is that they usually stay due to unfinished business.

And then there's the ghosts in the mausoleum and the ghost train peeps, whoa are straight up vibing in the mortal realm (and the ghost train technically selling their souls to the devil?) so ghosts can leave the astral plane definitely, but still seem mostly bound to it via just being dead?

Anyways, going back to Chalice. Clearly she is not interested in moving on, and instead moreso interested in getting back to life. And considering she seems very insistsnt on finding something to bring herself back to life (which we can see even with the mausoleum, since then she mentions searching for magic, just not mentioned what kind).

Either way it's kinda interesting, but also maybe I shouldn't question how the freaking afterlife works in a toon world lol

#cuphead #ms. chalice #thoughts of inkwell #beyond the astral plane #welcome to late night rambles with milky

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hyperfixat · 2 months

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part three wooowooo this is like. half rushed. urgh. i want to get to the good part already but that can’t happen until i establish a world that it can happen in. she is a bit short this time around, uh i don’t have an excuse, bcs this is probably my least fav location/character bunch ☹️ i still like them but its a bit flat whatever just read it if u want

shortest chap. yet… 2.5k> words… [melts] on the bright side this ‘book’ or ‘series of events’ ..whatever has over 10k words now!!

< prev .. next >

** Written

** Written PRE 1.6 – Any mentions of new characters is pure speculation and or headcanons.

“I guess we have to talk to Ms Herta now,” Caelus sighs.

Part of you wonders why Caelus is so intimidated by Herta’s puppets. Maybe he has Pediophobia or something? The other part of you is intimidated at the prospect of meeting the eighty-third member of the Genius Society.

“I’m sure Herta will provide us with valuable insight regarding,” Welt says your name, “situation.”

Dan Heng has his nose buried into his phone screen, the dim light from the screen lights his face up, highlighting the planes as his eyes flicker from side to side as he reads. March slides into the spot next to him and you, grabbing for the half full coffee pot at the table.

“Ugh, how long till the warp jump?” March’s voice is grouchy as she stirs in a pod of creamer to her cute Pompom mug. She sways in her spot a little and her hand pauses for a second before she comes back to herself.

Dan Heng doesn’t look up, “two hours.” March lets out a dramatically anguished moan.

You had spent the night in Himeko’s room, it’s cozy and elegant like a hotel room. It’s the best way you think to describe it; beautifully decorated and clean, yet lived in. She let you share the bed with her and borrow a night shirt – after the day on the Lofou your lack of clothes was quite distressing. You were stinky and smelly from a busy day, and in desperate need of a shower and Himeko was your saving grace.

The ship stopping at Herta’s Space Station is useful regarding your (lack of) clothes, seeing as there should be plenty of regulation uniforms for you to wear until you accumulate a wardrobe of your own. (Luckily Caelus being an androgynous inhuman, somewhat recently synthesized being had a clean pack of proper undergarments for you to have.)

You had taken your retreat from Himeko’s room when she started brewing her (in)famous coffee.

Caelus puts their head in their hands, fingertips grasping at the gray strands loosely.

“Why are you so… scared, intimidated by Herta?” you breach their stupor, making them offer you a weak smile.

“I’m not scared of her per say, but she can be so brash, and I never know if I’m talking to an active puppet,” they sigh, “seriously she has so many puppets all over the station that it’s creepy like one per room. She does not need that many. It’s just that she’s hard to deal with sometimes, all geniuses are I’m told.”

Taking a deep gulp from her mug, March smacks her lips, “with you with us, I’m sure Herta will give us the time of day.” She smiles at you, still sleepy.

You aren’t sure what to make of Herta Space Station when the Astral Express arrives, the tracks are almost deserted save for a few spare workers. March hooks her arm around yours as your group traverses the grand place. There are some nearly deserted hallways that echo your footsteps, where the lights flicker and the only sound is your collective’s walking; just as there are some that are beyond packed, making you shrink into the center of the group, away from all the new sounds, scents, and people.

Sometimes you come across a Herta doll, prompting one of you to walk up and attempt to initiate a conversation with her, before walking off when she doesn’t react, idly staring blankly. It gives you the time to appreciate the craftsmanship Ms Herta put into the puppets. Their eyes are unlike any dolleyes that you saw on Earth, the glassy sheen over them glowing faintly. The joints look sturdy, as in some of the crowded rooms you saw some staff bump into her with decent force, making no movement from the collision.

“I guess we go to the room for the Simulated Universe testing,” Caelus suggests.

“Sounds good,” Welt affirms.

You wonder why you aren’t using any waypoints, maybe it was simply a game mechanic? You did see a Space Anchor when you were getting off the train….

The guards see Caelus approaching and tap on their wristbands simultaneously and the door’s to the testing room open up.

Herta’s eyes track over you and the other passengers, “I take it you’re not here to test the Simulated Universe?”

“No, not right now. Actually we came here because we thought you might be able to provide some insight to our situation right now. Besides, it concerns you as well.”

“Oh, and your strange guest? I take it they’re the center of this situation.” Herta stares straight into your soul with those doll eyes, making you shift behind Welt a little further. “Get on with it, don’t waste my time.”

“Wait!” March jumps in, “we need to gather a few more people!”

Herta sighs and her doll does an almost eye roll. “I’ll be here, or just get whatever doll is closest.” She sounds exasperated.

Asta is the easiest to find, not too far from Herta’s testing room. She’s standing where you usually find her in-game, looking at her phone, texting someone. She looks up when your group approaches her, giving you all an inviting smile.

“Hey there, trailblazers! Anything I can help you with?”

Her hair is really pretty, you note, the braid is tight against her scalp and it looks like she puts a lot of care into maintaining her look. You decide to subtly move away from the back of the group to stand next to Dan Heng and Caelus as they talk to her, explaining that she should follow them for an important meeting.

“Oh, and who’s this? I don’t think we’ve met before. Hi, I’m Asta, lead researcher here at the Herta Space Station.” Asta thrusts her hand forward for you to take, you do, introducing yourself in turn. “It’s lovely to meet you. Will you be a part of this meeting as well?”

“They will.” Dan Heng nods, corralling Asta into your party to head off to search for the next and final person, Arlan. “Do you know where Arlan is right now Ms Asta, he’s the last one that will be joining us.”

“Hm, I think he was talking with Adler, something about a missing Wubbaboo?”

“That kid…,” Caelus mutters under his breath, though it sounds more fond than annoyed, like one would talk about an annoying little sibling.

It takes a while to catch Arlan, you all find him coming out of the elevator on the second layer of the storage zone, close to where you first arrived. You convince him to join you and set off to look for one of Herta’s puppets to talk to.

“Hello? Helloooo?” March 7th waves her hand back and forth in front of the doll’s face and huffs when it doesn't react. Just when she's about to give up the doll jolts and Herta’s voice comes out of the voice box.

“I’m here. I’m here, what is it?”

“Asta, Arlan, you might want to sit down,” Dan Heng suggests kindly. “It might be a bit shocking.”

“Hm?” Asta tilts her head, eyes carefully decoding the emotion on his face, before taking the initiative to lean against the wall.

“Don’t say we didn’t warn you~!” March laughs, before Welt and Himeko bring the proper air of authority to the situation and begin helping you explain that they’re video game characters, you don’t belong here, and may need their help to get back home. At some point Herta’s doll stops its idle motions, but the light behind the eyes shows she’s still there, listening.

Arlan desperately looks at Asta, then you, then Caelus, as if at any moment you’ll all start laughing about how he definitely believed you for a moment. When that moment doesn’t come he takes a place with his back against the wall next to his pink haired superior.

There’s a block of quiet as they all process the bomb you’ve dropped on them, before Herta cuts into it, saying your name. “I’d like to speak with you, in person. Not now, I’ll have Caelus schedule it, but I may be able to offer some… wisdom.”

“Oh, that’s much appreciated, Ms Herta. Thank you,” you nod at her.

“Don’t be thanking me yet,” and at the mildly ominous words she promptly goes offline.

Hm. That’s not exactly reassuring, but it could always have been worse.

With the whole conversation thing done and dusted for everyone on the spaceship, you take a lone walk, breathing in the somewhat stuffy air, searching for any inner wisdom that could come from time alone without distraction.

Your mind doesn’t provide much thought, though being alone with yourself after so many eventful moments – spanning so close together too, gosh – is therapeutic in of itself. Only when it begins to get to the point of eerily quiet in the part of the station you’d wandered into does a small ‘yip’ sound at the end of the hall from whence you came. Spinning on your heel you spot a small, white and awfully cute dog.

Peppy!

You gasp in elation, kneeling where you stand and holding out your hand hoping the dog will come trotting over to greet you, it does, to your excitement, letting out another woof before following through.

“Hello there, little guy,” you coo at the dog, smiling as it yips happily at your soft touch.

Distantly echoing you here what you think is Arlan’s voice echoing down the halls, he sounds far. You lift your gaze away from Peppy as another echoing call arrives.

“Peppy!” you lift your eyebrow at the dog, giving it a skeptical look, almost as if it knows what you’re attempting to portray it averts it’s gaze, eyes flicking to the side.

An out-of-breath Arlan comes speeding down the hall, only stopping upon seeing you and the target he was searching for.

“There you are, Peppy. Lady Asta was looking all over for you,” he scolds the dog gently. “Sorry about this…” Arlan talks to you, bending in front of you to pick up the fluffy dog. His hands almost disappear into Peppy’s coat when he picks the dog up. “I hope Peppy didn’t cause you any grief?”

“They’re a sweet thing,” you laugh, petting the dog in his arms. Arlan smiles at you, verbally expressing his agreement.

Herta Space Station was fun to explore, and by the time your body begins to feel the wear of the day you aren’t far from a Space Anchor… hmm, you wonder if you could utilize it to make the trip back to the express much easier.

You walk up to the geometric floating object and hesitate before placing a hand on the surprisingly cool ring of gold around it. There’s no one around to hear the sound of alarm you let out when your entire vision is taken over by a bird’s eye map of the station. Oh! It’s just like the game, relief fills you at that.

Now, all you need to do is: click on the Pompom waypoint that will take you to the express and… your vision then goes white and you feel your legs fall.

This time someone is around to hear the sound you make as you crash and tumble into the carpet of the Astral Express. That someone being Pompom. Well. At least you managed to teleport.

Speaking of Pompom they were watering some of the plants over by the passenger log, but when you came in they jump, falling to the ground themself, landing on their furry butt with a huff. “HEY! Don’t scare Pompom like that!”

“Sorry, sorry,” you clasp your hands into a steeple; as if praying for forgiveness. “I didn’t know what would happen:” a half truth, as you had your expectations.

They brush their clothes off and you help them to their feet. You yawn then, holding a hand over your mouth.

“Have any of the others returned yet?”

“No. Pompom has been waiting for the first arrival to start making lunch,” the shuffle their paws together in a way that is sure to look dignified and professional, but from your perspective looks adorable. “Speaking of, the first passenger to return sometimes offers to assist the conductor….”

You pick up what they are putting down, as the idiom goes. “I can help in that case!”

You assist Pompom in the train’s kitchen. For a creature like them they’re quite purposeful with their movements, not that you have any reference of how a creature like them would usually move. That is to say they’re good in the kitchen. The rabbit(thing?) wears the cutest little bonnet and gloves to avoid getting fur into the meal, and tasks you with some simple chores to prepare the meal.

Cooking with Pompom is overall a fun and positive experience, and luckily the rest of the crew arrive just in time to eat. You all sit down around the dining cart’s table to discuss the day’s events and your future plans.

“The station is very clean. I like it,” you start the small talk the best you can.

“Indeed, the staff are very diligent,” Dan Heng nods.

There’s the scrape of utensils against plates and March speaks up, “so Jarlio VI tomorrow?”

“That is the plan,” Welt affirms. “Unless,” his eyes glint under the overhead lighting as they meet yours, “there have been any last minute change of plans.”

“Nope, we should be set.” You nod, feeling warm under the older man’s gaze.

“Well then, that settles it, Jarlio VI is tomorrow’s destination. All this adventuring isn’t meant for someone my age…” his last sentence is quieter and followed by a heavy sigh.

Himeko covers up a giggle with a bite of food, and March looks at you with mirth in her eyes.

“Jarilo-VI, here we come!” She finally laughs, lifting her glass in a mimicry of a toast. The rest of the table joins in, lifting their cups as well.

Jarilo-VI, here we come.

tags (comment or leave an ask to join) : @leafanonsforest @c00kie-cat @andromeda-gay

#verified hyperfixat post #sahsrau #hsr x reader #hsr x you #hsr x y/n #hsr x gender neutral reader #isekai #honkai star rail isekai #hsr isekai #honkai star rail x reader #honkai star rail fanfiction #herta space station #urgh #i hate having to tag posts bro #hsr #honkai star rail

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frostbitebakery · 2 years

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“It’s a curse. The Kaminoans… synthesized it, spliced it into the CCs after a few successful trials. We fall.” Cody pauses, one shoulder bell lifting like in a shrug. “And then we rise again.”

Obi-Wan is quiet for a long moment. “You can’t die,” he asks softly. A cursed existence from birth. His chest clenches, so do his hands at his sides.

“Takes a bit more effort but we can. We’re supposed to be the last ones standing at your side.”

Their eyes catch on each other, meeting in grim understanding.

“The curse. It feels…”

“Dark?”

“Betrayed.” Now that he knows what to look for.

Cody winces. But a staticky skull, like a holo, rushes forward, out of him. Immediate and sudden, grinning jaws snapping at Obi-Wan’s face.

The moment is over before he can react, pulse beginning to race after the fact.

“It likes you,” Cody whispers, untroubled, hint of a smile tugging at his mouth. “It sees something in you.”

Flattering, if somewhat unnerving. “Must be the infinite sadness.”

Cody ducks his head but Obi-Wan can still see his smile taking strength on his face. “Must be,” he murmurs before looking up again, pinning Obi-Wan with his serious, amber eyes, one pupil glowing blue-teal-nether when the light breaks on surface. “Please don’t be afraid of us.”

Me, Obi-Wan hears in the undercurrent. “Never,” he replies, honesty anchoring itself on a vow he hadn’t - couldn’t have - foreseen before the last engagement. When he fought and fought and helplessly watched Cody get perforated by plasma shots. Watched as he, impossibly, stood up again, bleeding and raging through the droids surrounding him. “Never,” he says again, quieter.

Cody cocks his head to the side, shadow of a smirk growing as footsteps get louder beyond the door. The holo-projection-astral plane skull flares again, shaking and snapping, before it settles back into Cody. “Rex. Probably checking you’re not reading me the riot act—“ He starts, visibly remembering who he’s talking to. “Sir.”

Obi-Wan hides a smile.

Commander Wolffe

Commander Bly

Commander Fox

Commander Ponds

#commander cody #cc 2224 #the unlucky ones #star wars #the clone wars #the clone wars fanart #my art #happy halloween #that skeletal hand is indeed showing the middle finger #at me.#for breaking Cody’s antennas in the last couple drawings #frostbitebakery art

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dailyadventureprompts · 4 months

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Villain: Qor'ivel, Faulted Brilliance

An extradimensional mage who sought godhood only to have his ambition literally blow up in his face, the shrapnel of this calamitous act of hubris is now scattered across the planes, just waiting to be discovered.

Being born to rule an empire was not enough for this genius mage, who bent his talents and the strength of his nation to establishing dominion across the whole of his world, and then to other worlds beyond.

As the product of generations of careful mutagenic engineering and magical enhancement, the depths of Qor'ivel's intelligence seemed to truly be fathomless. Through reason alone he seemed to be able to divine the innermost thoughts of his enemies and the outcome of future events, to say nothing of his arcane abilities. It took him only a decade to establish his rule over multiple planes, and in another five years he'd calculated a path to cement that rule through godhood that'd take just under a century.

He was wrong of course, you don't need to be a genius to know that there's more to being a god than being the most right all the time. The brilliant mechanism of Qor'ivel's mind realized that truth a fraction of a second before it ruptured like a collapsing star, distroying the world that was the seat of his empire and scattering fragments of his consciousness across the multiverse. Now Frozen in the moment of his failed apotheosis he exists as a mad titan rampaging across the cosmos, fleeting moments of lucidity drowned out by amnesic empire building or senseless cataclysmic fury.

Adventure Hooks:

Qor'ivel makes a great archvillain for a spelljammer campaign or any adventure that's going to touch on the astral sea. The ruins of his empire are a great backdrop and his mindshards can end up anywhere, influencing anyone, acting as mcguffins when needed. His changeable nature means he can serve as both scheming mastermind and looming apocalyptic threat, and the factions that want to ensure he stays one or the other make for great secondary antagonists.

Though they might be mistaken for any run of the mill sort of glowing magical crystal, the shards of Qor'ivel have a power all their own, still somewhat alive possessing fragments of the great mage's consciousness and the power it commands. They can function like any sort of magic item, though usually wands or ioun stones, though creatures that attune to them tend to start thinking and acting a lot more like the sundered sovereign, indulging in pride, power and imperial ambition. The more powerful shards possess fragmented consciousnesses of their own, and may use proxies to set up petty dynasties of their own.

Once governors, aristocrats, and magistrates of a worlds spanning empire, the remnants of the Vaqol people and their decendants found themselves in a lurch when their god-king detonated and took their homeworld with him. Many were cast out by the peoples they had subjugated, while others hid themselves away or made themselves useful to the ascendant regimes. In the present day a fraction of these remnants still hold loyalty to the faulted brilliance, or follow his example in using their magical talent to set up their own dominions.

Fragments of the Vaqol homeworld drift through the multiverse, sometimes as reefs of rubble, sometimes as wordlets, sometimes as streaking projectiles that make calamitous impact on other planes. Adventurers of all kinds can be tasked with hiring , though whether its those wishing to recover/collect ancient artifacts, or lay their hands on Qor'ivel shards is up to you.

Artsource

#villain astral #villain mage #villain #astral #spelljammer #cursed item #dungeon astral #aberration

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passive-t-u-m-b-l-r-user · 6 months

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The Astral plane is a world connecting existance and non-existence

This is a city of Light and Darkness.

Unreality is not of light or Darkness.

Meaning, if the keyblade wielders of Scala ad Caelum found a way to connect their world to the world beyond, those secrets may lie in Scala ad Caelum now.

#kingdom hearts #khml #kingdom hearts MoM #melody of memory #Kingdom Hearts Missing Link #khux #khdr #Sora #This is how we save Sora #This may also be how characters from KHML connect to KHIV #Kh4 #KHIV #Riku #Vexen #Evan KH #Astral Plane Kingdom Hearts

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eastern-lights · 3 months

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Ok so we all know how amazing Baldur's Gate 3 is. I could talk for hours about everything it did perfectly.

But rn, I want to talk about what I think Dragon Age Inquisition did better. And this is not to judge which game is better overall, but what still makes DAI so special to me despite its flaws.

1. Voiced protagonist

Yeah, starting off controversial. I know some people prefer silent protagonists, but I just find myself wishing we could have a fully voiced Tav, even at the cost of fewer dialogue options. I'm sorry, but Tav's silent indifferent face just always breaks the immersion for me, especially when contrasted with the award-worthy acting and animation of the characters they're speaking with. In DAI (and DA2, although to a lesser degree) your character could be heavily customized, but they were always an actual person who fit in with the rest of the universe and flowed seamlessly with the story.

2. Mystery and dread.

BG3 is full of heavy, scary, traumatizing stuff hidden all over the place (or in plain sight). But it can always be explained in some way. There are dreadful things in Faerûn, but we always know what they are (mostly due to most of them having to have precisely given stats as the result of being based on DnD). We know what happens after death and what we can do to bring people back from it. The closest you get to truly dread-inducing mystery in BG3 is "Do Illithids have souls" and "where do illithids come from" and (at least in Act 1) "who is the Absolute".

In Dragon Age, the whole world is made of existential dread. What happens when you die? Dunno. Is God real? No idea and if He does, He hates you. What is the Blight? Are all darkspawn capable of independent thought? What is lyrium singing about? What happened to the titans? What happens when all of the Old Gods die? And this is just the Big Questions. There's a myriad of small things, small mysteries you encounter that just have no answers. Stuff that reminds me of those creepy Goldshire children forming a pentagram in World of Warcraft. While having an explanation for everything makes for deeper worldbuilding, a world full of mysteries without answers makes for a much scarier and, in some ways, exciting experience.

3. Group dynamic and party banter

I enjoyed the party banter in BG3. Hell, it had some of the funniest lines in game. But it didn't do enough to make the group dynamic feel any less Tav/Durge-centric. You hear the companions exchange banter, but you never get beyond stuff like "Karlach and Shadowheart both enjoy wine" and "Gale enjoys Lae'zel telling him about the Astral plane". The protagonist forms amazingly written relationships with each of the companions, but they never seem to have such a bond with one another. The closest we come to what I'd like to see is Karlach and Wyll's friendship, but even that's kind of shallow, I feel. The companions do comment on the others' personal quest, but it's always one sentence reaction, before going right back to being mostly indifferent. DA2 had the same issue, if to a greater extent (srsly, the companions had the same attitude about one another over the span of 10 years)

The banter in DAI was superb. It told a story. It had arcs. You could watch in real time as Solas and Dorian became friends over their shared magical nerd-dom. You could even take part in it, such as when telling Blackwall to stfu about jousting for a moment, or telling Sera that what you and Solas do in private is none of her business. You could see Dorian and Bull fall in love. You could watch Varric slowly chip away at Solas' worldview until he arguably came closer to changing his plans than Lavellan ever did. The relationships grow over the course of the story and by the time of Solas' betrayal, you're not just sad because he betrayed you, you're sad because he betrayed Varric, Dorian, Bull, Cassandra and everyone else. Because you saw how they cared about him, each in their own way.

There is nothing more heartbreaking than Varric's "Chuckles, what have you done?"

In BG3, the relationships are mostly left to your imagination, which has its perks, but still, the group dynamic feels more like a wheel with Tav at the centre rather than a web.

4. Having limits on the romance options

Let me start by stating what I am not saying: I am not saying that bi and pan people shouldn't be represented. Far from it. But I don't think making the whole group pan is the way to go about it. I can't help but feeling it is, in a way, pandering to players, making every single companion interested in them as long as they have a sufficiently high approval.

Making some companions explicitly bi, pan, gay or straight made for a more real experience. Getting rejected by Sera on the grounds of "We have a lot in common - we both like women" felt disappointing, yes, but also real. This also allowed the writers to make the characters' sexual/romantic preferences a part of their, well, character. We got Dorian's personal quest, which I think is great. Limiting Solas' options to just Lavellan allowed the writers to make it about him realizing that his people are not mere shadows. It allowed them to write the Vallaslin scene. None of this could have been done if he were romanceable to all races.

When you have diversity in romantic attraction among the companions, suddenly the pan and bi characters (in Bull and Josie respectively) feel like their orientation is part of who they are, rather than a game mechanic to prevent players from missing out on content.

#baldur's gate 3 #dragon age inquisition #this is all just my opinion #i am still salty that the devs didn't get more time to do DAI properly #imagine DAI made with the love care and time that BG3 had #we could have had another masterpiece

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