#but that one requires a VM

[escargon]

trying to install disks to a vm is annoying but unfortunately i do not have the money or space needed to be running a full retro machine

#this is how junior (my childhood pc) can still win... #maybe one day I'll futz around with it but it would require a proper monitor and maybe some new-old upgrades #chatter #also i never appreciated how nice it was to be handed down a preused machine until now bc with the vm i have to install all sorts of things #that i just expect to be on a pc. like a dvd decoder. what the fuck is a dvd decoder (rhetorical question i looked it up an hour ago)

[saucylittlesmile]

I only started watching ice dance after the move to the +5 GOE system - can you share what you mean (I know it was tongue in cheek!) by tech used to mean something?

Oh boy, let’s see if I’ve got it in me to give the kind of long and in-depth answer that I used to without getting too sidetracked lol.

To start off, let me say I think that the ISU is very happy with this turn of events - it’s a return to the shady dealings of the 6.0 with the aura of legitimacy of CoP.

Naturally, my expertise mostly comes from the VM era, which was entirely before the +5/-5 era. While the current shenanigans in ice dance cannot be completely attributed to the change in GOE, it is probably the most obvious and egregious component.

The ISU started the process of dumbing down the tech with slowly removing the compulsory dance, lessening the number of difficult steps and turns in some step sequences, reducing the number of lifts, and increasing the number of ‘choreographic’ elements (which have some basic rules and requirements but overall are based on the judge’s decisions as to what they like).

They also reduced the worth of earning a level - not the literal value, as that can change from season to season and does not matter when comparing across competitions, but between teams at the same competition, whose results could be determined by small increments. For example, a level 4 step sequence used to have a base value of 8.00, and a level 3 was a base value of 6.50 - 1.50 points difference. Now (using Worlds 2023), a base value level 4 step sequence is 8.96 and a true level 3 is 8.20 - only 0.76 points!

Not only has that important earned level been reduced in points, it used to be that both members of the team had to achieve a level 4 to get rewarded a level 4. Now, with each skater being evaluated individually, the point differential can be lessened even more if one of them achieves a higher level.

A 1.5 point base value difference between teams used to be a death knell, if they were considered to be teams fairly equal otherwise in a competition. There was simply no way to make up that deficit, and so it was crucial to be achieving the highest level on every element, to be technically impeccable.

Watching the slow motion fall of the technical side of ice dance was difficult. Watching the ISU create the +5/-5 GOE for the sport on the whole, with no regard for how it would affect ice dance, was downright painful.

In theory, singles and pairs can increase their difficulty to achieve a higher score. Of course, they are still at the mercy of what points their element is worth, but they still have the option. Ice dance, on the other hand is limited by levels - no matter how difficult an element is, they cannot increase their scores beyond a level 4. The GOE descriptions do not give extra for ‘hey that was so hard!’. Teams can get the same, or even more points for elements that just barely fulfill the requirements but are pretty and smooth and fast, as teams that stretch the imagination of what can happen while still following the rules, with great feats of strength or balance or flexibility or edges. It really does not make any difference in the points earned. Twizzles do not earn more points if they do a different edge or more revolutions - they simply fulfill level 4 requirements, or they don’t.

Being hemmed in by technical point restrictions and in which even the difference between levels is minimal, means that the judges’ GOE and PCS is almost the sole deciding factor in any event. The judges may have bullet points for the categories as to what is acceptable, but they also have an incredible amount of leeway and face little to no repercussions to hiking up their points for whatever team or country they want, and the +5/-5 GOE makes it achievable.

One of the reasons I answered this now was the results of the GPF 2023. With the understanding that I have not watched the competition and can’t speak to the details, the points speak for themselves. In particular, the top two teams were deemed to have the same technical content in the free dance. But, the sixth place team was also said to have that same technical content. The base value was the same. And yet, on the basis of GOE and PCS, all from the judges, rather than being in contention for a medal, the sixth place team was deemed to be more than 11 points behind silver. Even taking out PCS (which here was significant) there was still 6.34 points between silver and sixth place - that is over six points in GOE alone and rendered their technical accomplishments moot

To give some comparison, look at Skate Canada 2016. VM lost the FD to Chock/Bates, and almost entirely on lost levels. They had identical levels except for one step sequence and their twizzles. Overall, the judges gave the GOE edge to VM - they beat CB in every element for GOE except for one choreographic element in which they tied, and in the twizzles. (They even had higher GOE on their lower level step sequence, though factoring the level and GOE together gave them fewer points.) VM beat CB soundly in PCS (+2 points!). The overall GOE was simply not enough to make up for amount of points they lost by losing those levels.

VM had the advantage in almost every way. And they still lost the FD, because they had a twizzle error, and a single missed edge or turn in one step sequence.

And that is what I mean by tech used to mean something.

tl;dr - the ISU has created an ice dance world in which the Chosen Team will do very well and it doesn’t matter if they can’t skate.

#sorry it was such a late response #it’s not a lack of interest exactly but my busy busy schedule of late makes a choice for me as to how interested I can be #but clearly if I was watching it would be for entertainment because the idea of it being a sport #let alone objective even slightly is just not a thing anymore #edited for typos and a couple of spots for clarity

[tutuandscoot]

hi! i am a new ice dance fan and was wondering if you could explain why everyone is saying the sport is going downhill?? just trying to learn!!!

Oh boy…. That’s a long story.

The quick version, as pertains to ice dance:

There used to be 3 segments of competition: compulsory dance, original (then short, then rhythm) dance, and the free dance

In the 70’s,80’s,90’s (and earlier?) teams would compete at least 2 compulsory dancers, then OD and FD. It was cut back to one CD around 2000- so eg the 2002 Olympics was one CD, OD, FD. After many scandals relating to judging and corruption, the ISU got rid of the 6.0 scoring system and brought in what is used now known as the Code of points.

Through 2000-2010, teams competed the CD, OD and FD. After the 2010 season (where VM won olys and worlds) the ISU abandoned the CD from senior competition bc ‘it was boring’ and ‘took up too much time at competitions’

As a compromise they rejigged the 2nd portion of competition- renaming it the ‘short dance’ which was very strict and technical- each year there was a chosen rhythm and set pattern dance within their own choreography every team had to perform- so it at least had a compulsory portion where every team was compared directly against each other. After 2018 (when vm won again) they renamed it the ‘Rhythm dance’ and since then have slowly been loosening to rules and requirements to make it less objective- so essentially judges didn’t have to justify their scoring and could just award what they liked. There is also a scoring component called GOE- grade of execution which was increased from 3 to 5 (plus or minus- a score which is added or deducted from each element base value)- this part of the score was given much more weight and priority so essentially a team could perform a fairly easy lift which isn’t worth many points, but the judge decides they really like the lift and can make up that teams points with a high GOE mark if they choose to. And vise versa- give a team low GOE to knock them down even if they are technically strong.

After 2022 olys the set/compulsory pattern was removed all together- so there is no part of ice dance competition now that offers direct comparison. Judges don’t have to reward the actual best team‼️This is where you get fans complaining about teams that are not technically strong scoring well/winning bc the judges “like” them or there is some other (bribe/political) incentive to reward that team.

It is impossible I think to get rid of all corruption in skating, but the 2007-2018 era/s at least had *some accountability (don’t get me started on VM vs DW)

The announcement yesterday that there is not even a solid set ‘theme’ or rhythm going forward (aLeDgEdLy) is infuriating. Add to that that there is no traditional, classical dance left in ice dance- no ballroom, latin, classical ballet. Die hard fans love compulsory dances like the golden waltz and tango romantica bc when a team ( VM) does it well it is ice dance at its purist.

The isu is essentially telling us what is good when we all damn know it’s not good. They are taking us for fools, they are pandering to tik tok audiences bc they know people don’t have the patience or interest to watch actual skating competitions and think they will get audiences back by “modernising” the sport bc people these days can’t relate to tangos and waltz.. which is BS bc back in the 80’s people weren’t getting around waltzing and tangoing at clubs and parties- this is classic dance and art that actually works on ice bc it is adapted from ballroom dance. Not sliding on the ice breakdancing to Party Rock Anthem!🤮

I’ll stop there bc this is getting long and blogs like @macaroni-rascal @anewbeginningagain etc can explain the technical stuff much better than me

#if you have anymore specific questing feel free to send them through #idk everything but can try to answer xx #ask #and when u say ‘new fan’ I hope yo I go back to the start of VM’s career and live in that era of ID

[sembers]

I made another masterdoc this time for🌶 masc on masc things.

Making a butch 4 butch master doc resource is a lot harder than you'd think and no I have not added any specific blogs except Leo, the pro writer. So no one worry about exposure I'd be curtious enough to message you first. It's mostly just artist who make nsf work, comics both free and paid, writers, sw performers and/or their studios. There's a separate encryp datalist linked within the MD to those performers non social media locations. Figured I'd add the extra level of safety as an added precaution.

That being said. If anyone does want to be added and makes often masc 4 masc content of that spicy variety on other platforms feel free to message me. I can add you most likely.

Anywho its actually been a bit of work to pull it together so I put my cash app in the doc. Not as a requirement just like tip if you want, is that a bad idea? I'm vm not hired or well off, just enjoy making lists of resources for others.

I will make a post for it later but the server is 18 preferably 21 plus ONLY.

~ vampbutch/sapphosembers

*p.s. I kinda like calling these datalist

#butch art #butch nsft #butch 4 butch #butch4butch #masc4masc #stud4stud #queer #lesbian #bisexual #gay #trans

[y2klostandfound]

Professional special "attack" team - Jet Set Radio on Game Players magazine Vol.132 (Video game magazine)(Hong Kong)(29/07/2000)

Translation in English:

DC Manufacturer: SEGA Price: 5800 Capacity: GD-ROM X 1 Memory: 4 BLOCKS Release date: on sale 1P/ETC/MODEM, VMS, vibration PACK, VGA BOX correspondence

JET SET RADIO

Raiders of the first phase of explosive machine

In the last issue, I introduced the strategy method of the first level of the game, and this issue will continue the rest of the strategy for you (I didn’t lie to you!), and now I won’t say more, let’s start the strategy immediately!

New companions join (1)

There are ten characters that can be used in the game. In addition to the three characters in the player’s hand, there are seven characters that will appear in the game. The method of using them is very simple, as long as you keep passing the level, because every one or two levels of the game, there will be challengers to challenge the player. In the speed race, players must defeat them with strength to become companions; after completing the first level, there will be a challenger EVENT, this challenger is called コ ン ボ (COMBO), he, like Gum and Corn, requires the player to successfully perform three specified actions to become a companion. The three actions that COMBO gives the players are very simple, and it should not be difficult to complete.

First encounter with the Red Heart Party (Love trap)(Stage 2)

After successfully recruiting new companions, you can proceed to the second level, in fact, the second level players can choose on their own, because at this time there are already two logos appearing on the map, the editor's strategy is to first choose the red heart logo of the level, this area with the red heart logo is one of the game groups "Red Heart Party (Love Shockers)" and the other is the Mechanical Corps(Noise Tanks); this Red Heart Party's version of the map is divided into the park, the road and the broken flyover in three parts and the protagonist's starting point is the place where he just competed with COMBO; The editor's strategy is that it is best to complete the six graffiti targets in the park first, and then go to the rear to break the three targets of the bridge, pay attention to the broken bridge that is separated on both sides, one side is easy to reach behind the park, and the other side should use the crane arm or sliding wall on the side of the bridge to fly over the opposite side, when the three targets on the bridge are completed, the remaining four targets on the road can be left, Because when dealing with the two targets beside the road first, there will be traffic police to stop it, The editor thinks that it is not a good idea to use this method of deducting a little physical strength to complete the targets, but if the targets on the park and the broken bridge is processed first, there will inevitably be a group of riot police to cast tear gas on the player, but as long as the park and the rear are processed before dealing with the target on the road, because there is riot police and the target on both sides of the road will not have any obstruction, but a small number of riot police will appear in the two targets under the tunnel to obstruct, as long as the last two graffiti targets in the tunnel will be completed.

Strange Group (The monster of Kogane)(Stage 3)

When you choose the number of levels, you will find that there is an additional skull logo on the map. This is actually the third group in the game, the "Strange group(Poison Jam)", in fact, the strategy at this time is the Mechanical Corps(Noise Tanks), because the editor presses the button more and chooses this action map, so now take this as the second strategy target, the player will start on a wooden bridge, first walk forward to remove the spray paint along the way, and then turn into the house in front and walk all the way forward (help people tear down houses…) Go to the other side, and then walk up the stairs to the concentration of graffiti targets, in fact, this level is easy to pass, Just pay attention that when three to four targets are completed, the Captain Onishima will come out with a group of police dogs, but this is not important, the most important thing is that when the graffiti reaches about six targets, the military helicopter appears, it will launch tracking missiles to attack the player, although the tracking power of the missile is not very strong, but it is best to shoot it down, everyone just need to jump on the railing where you came up the stairs and jump up to spray paint on the helicopter, everyone just need to jump on the bar where you came up the stairs and jump up to spray paint on the helicopter, when the helicopter is sprayed paint, it will no longer attack the player, so that you can continue to complete the remaining objectives, and then you can pass the level.

New companions join (2)

After passing two levels, a challenger will appear on the stage. This person's name is GARAM, The condition for him to join as a companion is still to repeat it once according to his three finger movements, The first one or two movements will not be too difficult, but the third will be a little difficult , in the third move, the player must see the position of the third and fourth jumps, as long as the position is clearly seen, it should not be a problem to attract him.

Fighting the Strange Group (No.540)(Stage 4)

This time, the editor chooses another base of the Strange group, This time, the map is based on a site. The terrain of this site is like a construction site moving down layer by layer, The player will be at the top at the beginning, but there is no spray paint nearby to take, the only place where spray paint is taken is in the workshop at the lowest part of the hillside, all the way down to the workshop to get spray paint should be the same layer of graffiti targets first, after processing, a group of parachute gunners will appear, after replenishing the spray paint, go up to the first floor to process the four targets, at this time there should be a small number of machine gunners attacking the player, but don’t worry about it, as long as you don't stop, you won't be hit at all, when you finish the second layer of four targets, the gunner will disappear and then three helicopters will appear, continue to go to the top of the first appearance to deal with the three targets and then move to the last target, now there should be a lot of time, it is best to solve the three helicopters, because the terrain here is hillside, so as long as you jump up, you can level with the helicopter. It is not a problem to solve them, and finally the level will be over after painting the target on the top of the workshop.

Dueling the Strange Group (Kogane Circus)(Stage 5)

Before you know it, it is the third time to fight with the strange group, and it is also the last time. this time, the player is fighting the boss of the group, but the method is still spray paint as the combat method, the gameplay of this level is that the player has to spray the backs of three strange bosses with spray paint, but not once but spray into a pattern, about six to seven times, the map will be in a sewer that separates the two sides; Many players who play for the first time will just follow one of the bosses until they solve him and then chase the second one, which is a very time-consuming method, in fact, as long as everyone pays attention to it, you will see that the three bosses have a certain walking route, and the three people's walking route will stand still in several places, as long as they clearly know each person's walking route, they can stand near their stopping position in advance and attack (spray paint) to solve the three people. The most important thing to pay attention to is the character's stamina, because there is only one item to replenish stamina in the entire map, so don't often collide with the head or fall into the water and consume stamina.

New companions join (3)

After clearing the level, another challenger will appear when you choose the location of the raid, this time the challenge is a woman named BIS, who also needs to do it again according to the three actions she made, the first and second moves are easy for players who already have some skills, especially the first one who doesn't have to follow her left and right at all, Jump on the right two sides and then spray paint, but the third one is more troublesome. You have to see clearly the position of BIS when it landed at the end, and you must land according to this position, otherwise the action will be judged to be a failure.

First encounter with the Mechanical Corps (Benten Boogie)(Stage 6)

The map of this level is composed of various buildings and a small number of streets, although this level seems to be very complicated, in fact, it is very, very simple, The player will start on the top of a large building. Now the first thing to do is to deal with all the targets on the ground , because there will be police on the ground to obstruct the work, so first solve the targets on the ground, when all four targets on the ground are solved, you can find a way back to the roof, first swallow the four corners of the target and then go to a corner to doodle the last target to complete the level.

New companions join (4)

Another challenger appears, this timem the challenger is also a woman, her name is KIYUGO(CUBE), she still only requires the player to follow her action once again to recruit her, this time in addition to the first specified move is easier, the second one is also starting to have some difficulty, the second is to let the player go through two very thin sliding passages from the top of a large building to the top of another building, because the weather of the map at night so the picture will be darker, the player must see clearly before jumping to another passage; the third action to pay attention to is the problem of sliding up the ramp to the top and then sliding to that foothold, and the player must be very consistent to pass.

Fighting the Mechanical Corps (Graffiti high)(Stage 7)

The map of this operation is the place where the previous competition with KIYUGO(CUBE), at the beginning the player will be on a train (it will not move, please rest assured), jump off the right side to take all the spray paint, and then move forward to the dome square, when you reach the dome square, you see that there are a total of ten graffiti targets here, and the first thing to deal with is the two objectives that can only be completed through the dome, because if these two more troublesome targets are not dealt with first, then it will be difficult to complete when the tank comes out, when the upper two objectives are completed, you can deal with the eight very simple targets below, and a group of machine gunners will appear in the third space-time, don't bother with them and complete the eight objectives as soon as possible, then you can leave the area through a truck and go towards the store area; after reaching the store area, complete two more targets and the opponent's tank car will appear, but you don't need to bother, just complete the remaining objectives and you can pass the version.

The end of the Mechanical Corps (Noise Reduction)(Stage 8)

This is the last battle with the Mechanical corps (Noise Tanks). this time, the mission is also to spray paint the backs of the three bosses of the Corps, This time, the map is there are multiple pedestrian bridges above, and there are cars on the road below, this time, the bosses are much easier to deal with than the bosses of the previous Strange Group (Poison Jam), they will only jump around on the various attack bridges, the player only has to wait a little quietly in front of the bridge ladder for a day, and when there is a boss next to him and start chasing, he slides down the stairs with the player slides down the stairs with him, and at this point, he will be opened wide to let them be killed, and it's not difficult to defeat them in this way.

New companions join (5)

After defeating the mechanical corps (Noise Tanks), there will be a new challenger to challenge the player, this time the editor does not know whether he is male or female, only know his name is YOYO, this time the competition is no longer redone according to the specified action, but a speed race with YOYO, and the player only needs to go faster than YOYO to the doodle point to paint the target to win; At first, both of them are on the train tracks, go straight to the dome square, and then use the truck to go through the passage to the shop area , and then go to another shop area from the sky bridge above the train, pass through the tunnel and then pass a large building and slide along the wooden board to the top of a large building to get the spray paint and complete the goal to win.

The final battle with the Red Heart Party (Love attack)(Stage 9)

Now that only the Red Hearts Party(Love Shockers) have not been solved by the three major gangs, this is the time for them to solve everything, this time it is a head-to-head battle with the Red Hearts, and the backs of the three are also spray-sprayed to pass the level; this time, this is the third head-to-head battle, and I thought they would be more interested than the first two gangs, who didn't know that they turned out to be the weakest! , because they will get together most of the time, only to see the player come and start to leave, and then it is not difficult to catch up with them if they start to leave, but sometimes they run on the hillside at an amazing speed, such a sloping hillside can be so fast and strong, but the player doesn't need to run with them, The player just needs to keep jumping to follow them easily, and after a round of chasing, the three bosses are finally eliminated.

Bomb maniac (Explosion)(Stage 10)

The game is coming to an end, and this is the first meeting with the final boss, this time it is not too difficult, but the territory is huge! Because this time, the territory of the three strongholds of the Red Heart Party (Love Shockers) was merged, so when the player completes the graffiti targets in one area, he has to go to the other area, and the tip is to deal with the graffiti target on the ground before dealing with the target above, because as long as the player completes a certain number of targets, a group of bomb maniacs will appear to block the player, they will not be afraid to sacrifice to rush up and die with the player, the player should be careful of their lifeless combat method, and the editor gives you a hint, that is, each graffiti target is equipped with a bomb, as long as the player gets close will hear a BB sound, at this time everyone should go away as soon as possible, wait for the bomb to explode before going to the graffiti, it is a sure thing, as long as the graffiti targets in the three zones are all completed and you can pass the level.

New companions join (6)

After two battles, another challenger will appear, this time the challenger is a woman, named SIYUGA (SUGAR), and the last woman in his companions, his competition method is also speed race, this time the road should be familiar to everyone, it should not be difficult to complete, the only thing to note is that the operation position will be messed up when passing through the tunnel from the bus stop area at the beginning, so it is best to jump through this blind spot when passing, as long as you spray paint the graffiti target one step faster than SIYUGA(SUGAR) to make her a companion.

Battle of the Flying Forces(Fight or Flight)(Stage 11)

This time the battle map is composed of three bases of the Monster Army (Golden Rhinos), which is also very large, and all the passages are very narrow and complicated, and there are often sudden broken roads, so this level is very testing the player's vigilance; This level starts in a place full of houses, the player is standing on a roof, there are five graffiti points in this roof, four on the roof and one on the ground, first deal with four targets on the roof, and finally deal with one target on the ground, but be careful that the target on the ground is guarded by someone with a gun, so be careful, After solving the target on the ground, you will rush to the back of the house, After rushing, you will go to the second area, this is the first time that there is a helicopter level, all the graffiti targets in this level are on the roof below, and there is only one at the white oil depot, when the six or so targets are completed, a group of gunmen wearing flying equipment will appear, they will continue to shoot at the player, the player has to avoid their bullets while completing the graffiti, when even the objective at the oil depot is completed, you can go to the last area of the construction site through the underground waterway, After entering the sewer, you will go to the place where you fight with the leader of the Monster group(Golden Rhinos), there are also graffiti targets to deal with here, I don't have much trouble here, but the previous flying gunners will follow the same, and they will continue to hinder the player's progress, after processing all the targets in the sewer and then you can jump to the other side through another sewer entrance to leave the construction site, there are not too many tragets on the construction site, there are only four, as long as the last four targets are completed, then this level will be over.

New companions join (7)

The last challenger, named SODO(SLATE), this time the test method is also a speed race, as long as the track is the longest of all the characters, the fastest walk and then the goal can be painted, the editor gives you some tips, you can let the computer start first, and when entering the sewer just use the oblique positions on both sides to throw him away.

The last level of the map for joint supply(Benten Burning)(Stage 12)

This is the last time to combine the three zone maps for the game, and this time I won't introduce it much, because this time is the same as the previous strategy in the same area, except that there will be some enemies with high attack power at the last flyover, but their alertness is very low, as long as they slowly approach the graffiti point they guard, they can complete the goal without anyone noticing.

Flying over the corner (Behind the mask)(Stage 13)

The mission of this level is to fight the three bosses, just by spraying their backs with paint to pass the level, and like the waterway battle, they seem to be walking around, but in fact there are several places where they will stop for a while, and the player only needs to stop at some points to solve them.

The last battle (Final Groove)(Stage 14)

Finally came to the decisive battle site of the final battle, this place can not see the map, but it does not matter if you can't see it, because the whole terrain is clear at a glance, the combat method of this battle is to surround with the four graffiti points around the final boss, as long as the four graffiti points are dealt with, the protective device in the middle will be destroyed, and then the player can use the rails that the protective device flies out to slide up, as long as the successfull slide up and then the last hit (spray paint), the game is officially over, after which the explosion screen is completed. But the last twilight will certainly not be so easy to break, players should pay attention to the following points: the rotation speed of the four discs will be faster every time the middle disc is destroyed, when the player goes to the graffiti point, a big hippopotamus will jump out from a distance to spit fire at the player, but since its attack power is not high, you can ignore it,and finally leave immediately after completing a graffiti point, because the foothold will start to disappear after the graffiti point is completed.

To this end, I have finally completed the simple strategy introduction of the game, but the editor has not yet shown you the location of all 90 JET SET logos in the game. If there is a chance, I will definitely send you the final data set in the next issue.

#jet grind radio #jet set radio #sega #jsr

[essayofthoughts]

If Percy spent one year on a fishing boat, what do you think he did for the other four prior to being sprung from jail? How long do you think he spent in certain areas for odd jobs; how long do you think it took him to construct the pepperbox? How long do you think it took him to track down Ripley?

I also forgot to add to the previous ask that I am trying to work out a timeline in my head, as the art book states that almost nothing is known to the public about those five years of Percy’s life.

I already semi-answered this in the first Arc of Ghost Cass, for which I cross-referenced as many canon sources as I could. There's a lot of snippets given throughout the Campaign - hells, we get some specifics in Percy's recounting of events to VM at the start of the Briarwood Arc, and from Taliesin in the Campaign Wrap-Up Talks Machina, and even in a few Q&A's! I know not everyone is as insane as I am about hunting down canon details and cross referencing it all but...

You can do your own research Nonny. Just because "the art book states that almost nothing is known to the public" doesn't mean there's nothing to go on - it means that in the world of Exandria people have little to go on. We have quite a bit!

General thoughts on timeline below the cut.

The Briarwoods attacked five years before the Briarwood Arc. Roughly one year before that, Vox Machina formed, and at some point within the first few months after forming, they found and rescued Percy from a cell. So we have four years to work with, roughly.

From Percy recounting his story to VM in the Briarwood Arc it seems he spent the first two years in a dissociated state because, y'know trauma and grief and shock, and didn't emerge from it until he had the dream of Orthax, at which point he was inspired to make the Pepperbox. It is recounted... somewhere on tumblr, I do not have the link handy right now - that Percy spent some time, as well as on a fishing boat, working as a saddler, which makes sense given he made a leather plague doctor mask, which would require leatherworking skill.

So that fills two years of time, plus however long it took him to accumulate the funds for and properly make the Pepperbox. We know how easy it is for Percy's inventions to go awry and the kind of tinkering checks Matt has Taliesin make, so it may well have taken him six months to a year to draw up plans, get the materials to make it, get the enchantments on the metal, rent time at a forge, make it correctly without fucking up any part of the mechanism, and obtain or make the black powder required, and make the shot himself. He apparently worked on it in kind of a fugue state, so lets go with about three years in before he gets all that done.

I personally think he stalled a bit there, given if I recall correctly, he was hoping to find people associated with the Briarwoods but, notably, was too afraid to go back to Whitestone himself. I imagine him running across Ripley as he did was pure chance. Consequently, I imagine that while he searched and kept an eye and ear out for information, he spent most of a year keeping himself occupied - he needs to pay for food and board after all - until he encountered Ripley again, at which point he went after her.

He tried to attack her, had no luck, didn't even see her face, and was hauled off to Jorenn jail where he was left to rot and die. Given the response of Vex specifically to seeing the prisoner on the pirate boat on the way to Vesrah, comparing him to how they found Percy this causes me to utterly dismiss the comics' version of events here - Vex was there for finding Percy, and Percy was in an extremely bad state by the time they found him. Taliesin himself has said that Percy was near death and thought Vox Machina was a near-death induced fever dream. Given that, he may well have been starving for some time and on minimal water rations.

These are the few anchor points we have. You can work around this to plot events as plausibly as you see fit. Because of the vagueness there's a lot of space to fudge specific dates and that is great for fic - see also me writing Ghost Cass of which a good chunk of the first Arc is all about Percy's time on his own!

#percy de rolo #vox machina #ask #anonymous

[milkweedman]

Hi! I saw you were working with babydoll a while back; were you working from a fleece? I was gifted a pair of fleeces this week. Honestly, any tips on babydoll wool in general would be lovely! Thank you!

I was working from a fleece, yeah ! Mine was on the longer end of staple length for the breed (1.5-4 in or 3.8-10 cm, according to the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook), mostly around 3 inches, which I think might be what made it impossible to prep on hand cards, because they barely touched the lock structure and removed almost no grit or vm--my fleece had lots of grit, not much vm, but it absolutely needed to be removed before spinning because otherwise it just stayed in.

If your fleeces have short staples though, and especially if they aren't gritty and don't have much vm, you could probably card them quite well ! The shorter the staple the better when it comes to carding down fleeces, at least in my experience.

The locks have a very strong structure--they're harder to separate and open than something like shetland or jacob, so if they are longer you really do need to comb them, because hand cards won't do it well (or in my case, won't do it at all. It just matted and tangled the fibers). Combed SDB top is really really nice to spin though, highly recommend at least trying it !

In terms of usage it depends on the individual fleeces, on the age of the sheep, that sort of thing. Mine was definitely not next-to-skin quality (fine for socks I think but wouldn't want a sweater of that yarn). If the fleeces are similar in terms of vm and staple length it could be worth it to sort both at the same time--there were a few spots of really nice soft locks on mine, so between the two you might get enough for a smaller piece like a hat or some gloves.

And I don't know if yours are raw or not but if they are raw, you might need to wash them more thoroughly than usual. Mine required 3 washes to get to the same standard of cleanness that I usually get after 1 wash. Again, I think that's just the strength of the lock structure and the density of the fiber--it's hard to actually get the lanolin and dirt out.

A few more facts from the Fleece and Fiber Sourcebook, in case you don't have it (which are just for Southdown broadly--unfortunately they don't really differentiate between the meat sheep breed, the babydolls, or the miniature or toys):

Average micron count: 23-27 for white fleece, 27-31 for black (actually have never seen it distinguish by color in this book, that's interesting)

Natural colors: typically just white, although mine was gray and I've seen one or two black fleeces on the market. White is by far the most common color though.

Yield: between 40-55% of raw fleece weight, apparently. I'm not sure if I believe that--or maybe that's for the meat sheep breed and they just didn't say. Mine had so little lanolin that I actually contacted the seller to make sure it was still raw. Or maybe they're counting the grit xD.

And (this part straight from the book rather than paraphrased) Fiber preparation and spinning tips: These are nice, versatile, medium-handling wools. Shorter fleeces can be carded, longer ones want to be flicked or combed. Spin to maintain the loft and springy character, keeping the drafting on the light side and the twist at moderate levels.

I will say that I spun my sock yarn high twist, and its still very nice, elastic, and not overly rough. But it definitely has a nicer hand when spun medium twist, as they recommend.

#southdown babydoll #hope thats helpful ! i was gonna take a picture of the page in the sourcebook but it's honestly one of the less informative entries #especially since as far as i can tell the statistics are for the meat sheep breed and not the other strains #but yeah SDB is pretty similar to the other downs in terms of prep and usage

[theimperiumchronicles]

Happy STS! Today I have a riddle: what comes first? The title or the story? 🤭 To expand, I'd love to hear the creation order of one (or several) of your stories. Did you think of characters first? Plot? World? What was the final piece?

Hi sweetheart!!

I can tell you that title ALWAYS comes last. Characters ALWAYS show up first and they tell me the plot...their names sometimes are known when they show up, and sometimes not.

Now for a few of how they showed up....

@theimperiumchronicles

The name has changed...uh...ummm...five times on this one...

This one has a LOOOOOOOOONG history....

Way back in 2001 my friends and I were roleplayers. We did multi-paragraph roleplay in storyform. It would read like a story, not just actions of the characters. Brie was born then. She was a lot different back then. Then in 2014, "Sanctuary - The Society" was formed. Brie, Cruz, Talon, Dez, and Talia were part of that group along with a few others who I don't write. Except for Brie, the others were written by my friends. I continue their characters w/their permission. This is when they started morphing into their current form.

In 2018, they left roleplaying...I continued. I changed the name of the story. I changed it again in 2019. In 2022 when I came here, I changed it for the final time to The Imperium Chronicles based on the name of the realm where most of the stories are based. The stories you are reading now can be traced alllll the way back to those started back in 2014. Those stories are the canon backstory of today's stories.

*****

@the-andromeda-effect

I watch a lot of crime family dramas. The idea for the plot came with the characters. The characters even showed up with their face claims. When it came to their names, they knew what they wanted them to mean, we just had to go find them. I love mythology and symbolism. As I was thinking about the story and the plot, it reminded me some of the story of Andromeda and Persius.

@devil-in-the-details-ay

This one started with a prompt

Now, the quotes here will never be used, but it got me thinking...."what if Death was in a relationship?" Then all of a sudden POOF...I had Death and his wife....and they came with the whole scenario of how they got together. Then came the symbolism in all of it. The name is also a play on words. The old saying "The Devil Is In The Details", and that is true for the story. While the literal Devil/Lucifer includes details in the contract of their forced marriage, there are details of Yara's life that will not only indict Lucifer and those who helped him...and also who indicate who she truly is. @battlegroundofdreams

For this one the name is pretty straightforward and game straight out of the plot. Once again the characters showed up for this one with their plot in hand and it came from mythology and from working on some other things and researching. And a "what if" that I started thinking on. The characters even came with their names this time, so all 3 happened at the same time.

@magical-mistakes-vm

This one was pretty easy. Again this one started with a prompt.

I did rephrase this in the first chapter of the story. As soon as I read the prompt, Vollrath and Mahala appeared in my head...again, their names would come later. The whole story started playing out...and the name of the WIP came at almost the same time because they make a serious of mistakes....

@behindthesemasks

This wasn't the first name of this WIP. The chapters I'm posting now were written a few years ago and I made changes much later in the story that require me to fix earlier chapters, which is why it's taking longer to post them. The characters, FC, and names came back in 2018. The name came recently and is because they repeatedly reference the reality of who people are behind the figurative masks they wear to hide who they truly are.

@princess-of-thieves-id

Obviously this one kind of got turned on it its head. She hates Diyan, and loves the knight that helped her escape. Although the pirates on Diyan's ship eventually fall in love with her. There is still the possibility of a thrupple, but Arik growls whenever I consider this and Inara rolls her eyes. So, at the moment that is a hard NO... Inara is a Princess and the pirates are thieves...so the name was pretty obvious.

@tapperhet-em

Meeri and her boys showed up with their story just randomly as I was working on something for Imperium. I originally considered incorporating them into Imperium but they did not like that idea. They are too human and did not want to be paranormal/supernatural. Meeri and Einar had seen their names in my Pinterest and knew them, the others I had to find. Lorcan knew his FC and Melba knew her name.

Tapperhet in English means Valor. It is Finish, which is the same language that all of their names are from. Since all of the guys were knights it just seemed to fit and I felt it was perfect

@whileyouwait-dm

This one came out of a screw up in automation of something at my work. It was nothing serious, but with all of the talk of AI and the "rise of the machines"...and for some reason my OC's happening to deal w/the afterlife and magic...my brain went to "what would happen if there was an algorithm that sorted souls when they died". Then "what if it fucked up". Then "what would happen to a pure soul in hell". And...here we are! LOL The name obviously is a reference to Djall finding something for Miriana to do while she waits for him to find out where she was supposed to go...or at least how she ended up there really.

@mystsoftime

This was part of Anna's backstory from Imperium that got dropped when I brought her to Imperium. It was part of her story as a roleplay character with my previous partner. However, most of those elements have been changed other than Anna (now Renata) being the reincarnated wife of the male head of a supernatural group. Everything else I have revamped into something new. Names, the location, the pantheon, what the group does, the relationships of everyone, everything else changed. But this was an idea I was in love with exploring. I originally had not intended for Renata and Dante to be a thing, but as I started writing, they decided they were...and I'm just the one with actual fingers. Since nothing else resembles that original story now, it only makes sense. The first and last names all have meaning in the story. As I was putting it all together, the name just kind of fell into place.

#ask answered #answered ask #my stories

[blorbologist]

OKAYOKAYOKAYOKAY

With One for sorrow, Two for joy now complete, I do feel the need to address the obvious alternative ending that could have happened (and was indeed actually my original idea before I plotted things out more carefully).

Mostly because it's fun, partially because I? Think it's important to know why I chose this ending despite how bittersweet it is, and to encourage other fic authors to consider *why* they're making certain narrative choices and what they mean about their relationship to canon and their readers.

Under the cut to avoid spoilers for my fic and late/post Campaign 1:

The original plan was for Scanlan to use his Wish during the Vecna fight - not a 9th level Counterspell, circumstances would have been dire enough to require a whole Wish - which, given how his Dalen's Closet Wish goes, would have been his last. Or he would have just waited for spell slots to regen (see why below), Wish'd, and not actually fixed anything, which would have been harder to justify.

As a result:

Given the timeline, Vex was pregnant in canon come the final battle (given she's experiencing morning sickness in Search for Bob, which occurs at most two weeks later, despite only a few long rests passing between Grog pulling the card n them coming back. So likely before then).

The Raven Queen is reluctant to take another life and as such lets Vex stay until Vesper is born.

It Sucks. Shitty good handful of months before Vesper is born, Vex poofs into feathers, and Percy raises their baby as a single dad with VM's help. (Vesper being a magpie-looking aasimar is extra bittersweet, because the dark hair makes her look even more like Vex.)

Given Vex isn’t nearly as accepting of this fate as Vax is, it’s likely that Scanlan, Vax and Percy especially devote the next few decades for trying to figure out a way to fix this. Percy especially would be at high risk of Briarwoods behavior if not for Vesper.

Speaking of. Vesper probably would have had a near-death experience or two where she got to see her mom, even if she has no attachment to a woman she can’t remember.

My original planned epilogue was Percy dying and confiding to the Champion that he knows she no longer has her name, but her titles are forever hers so Whitestone will always bare her name. There will never be another Baroness of the Third House of Whitestone or Grand Mistress of the Grey Hunt (though titles fulfilling similar roles are made, those are devoted to her).

Vex likely would have visited Laudna while she was dead and helped fuck up Delilah with the Hells, because she's Death's Champion and knows she's why Laudna died in the first place :c

And, of course, a more recent development/change would have been making Percy or Vesper the bait so Ludinus could still get his Vorb.

So. Why didn't I do that?

A) It’s just. Ludicrously angsty. Sure Vax gets a sunshine ending, raising the aasimars n living with his loves, but... idk if he or Percy could truly find happiness again without Vex, while Vex and Keyleth can find joys in the world again due to their dispositions.

A.1) This is a fic centered around Vex, Perc'ahlia and the relationship between the twins. Knocking two of those out in one go is far more likely to leave a bad taste in readers' mouths than just one. I love a good tragedy, but there's a point where it crosses over into just being pointlessly mean to readers and myself without any catharsis.

B) The Raven Queen making judgements on death and destiny for a pregnancy that's at best a month, month and a half along is stupid. It's incredibly stupid and denies Vex any agency in favor of a clump of cells. I'm a biologist, I know if I read a fic where that happened it'd lose my shit. We have enough sexist, 'oh what of the baaaaby' media, I have no desire to contribute to it.

C) Speaking of agency! From the word go I incorporated the table dynamics/logic into this fic, so not only am I juggling in-universe implications, but the context of the game as well. Matt would not fucking do that to Laura. It's gross, especially given she is expecting a child not too long after the end of Campaign 1. Matt wouldn't do that to her character, just like Artagan strangling her would cross a line. I never want to imply Matt would do that.

C.1) Vax's arc and sacrifice is incredibly important to Liam, and he clearly tries to maintain the weight of it in the oneshots and going forward. I felt a bit like I'd robbed him of some of the catharsis Vax's RQ arc brought him, but on a meta level I have a deep respect for his devotion to tragedy and did not want to make light of it.

D) Why not just... save both twins? Well, I still felt there had to be a cost for this happy ending to matter. The imperfect ending to Campaign 1 is what gives it so much weight, the love between siblings, and I make a point in my AUs of trying to avoid them neatly being better than canon, because it feels cheap to neatly solve most of their problems. And nothing quite compares to losing your twin, your other half. I wanted everything to matter, I wanted the joy to mean something, and it’s so much more precious if it's at a cost. If someone else had gone in his place (say things messed up n took Scanlan instead), it'd still feel cheap compared to the agony of canon. It had to be one of the twins... and this destiny suited Vax best. I also made a point of involving faith and nodding to Vax having Some odd connection to the Raven Queen, so it felt like good payoff.

Do I think there are versions of this story where Vex remains Champion into death, or a perfect happy ending happen? Sure! But they’re not ones I wanted to write, or that supported the tale I wanted to tell.

The point of this, I think, is that there's always another story you could create, another path to take. And as authors, fic writers, creators, it’s in our best interest to examine what our choices at these forks mean - what they symbolize, what they say about the world and the characters - and what we want them to mean to us and our readers.

(I also seriously cannot recommend finding people to talk to about your fic if you're conflicted - @essayofthoughts, @katia-dreamer, @rightpastnowhere and @burr-ell were instrumental in helping me untangle where I wanted to go with this and why and what pros/cons there were to each!)

#vex is the raven queen's champion au #my writing #cr meta #i guess? #cr fanfic #critical role fanfiction

[vethbrenatto]

i feel like all of the appearances by pcs have made sense so far plot-wise; it’s not like they stopped being incredibly powerful actors with their own goals and missions after their campaigns ended, after all. and i do love seeing how the hells interact with them. but any more cameos at this point have a high risk of just being pointless and blatantly fanservicey and taking away from the hells story so hopefully matt continues to show restraint (and gives them an endgame encounter that doesn’t require them to rely on much stronger characters to have any chance of success) 🙏

no you're for sure correct and i don't think matt has any plans for caleb and beau to save the day in place of bells hells,

i've mentioned it previously and actually wrote why (i'm not gonna be able to find the post but something about needing cameos to have purpose for existing) but i'm extremely picky about cameos. i am not gonna be the person cheering just because i see a character i already know and in fact, i'll probably be unfairly immediately in the opposite direction.

even last night watching live, after giving it a think, i completely understood caleb and beau being there. it made perfect sense and wasn't shoehorned in. ludinus is intertwined with the hells and beau and caleb's canonical epilogue sees them taking years together to dismantle the assembly. (also having marisha and liam secretly roll (badly) for their adventures is so cool!)

i think it all comes back to vox machina and how i wasn't really fond of their cameo(s) and probably won't be fond of them in the future. again, i've gone into detail on that in the past and i'm not gonna rehash. but because vox machina has had those moments, i think that's why i was immediately down on caleb & beau. i lumped them in with VM's cameos, when in fact this feels much closer to one of the best callbacks in C2- the nein meeting allura!

unlike the hells seeking out VM, they naturally stumble upon two members of the nein operating in a way that seems completely compatible with what we know of their story previously.

so, yeah. tldr, i am much higher on caleb and beau showing up now than i was last night. still probably less high than most because as i said, i'm picky on callback cameos.

#ask #cr spoilers #anonymous

[macaroni-rascal]

Ok I just watched Hubbell/Donohue’s 2021 RD at worlds to Burlesque and I’m obsessed with this music for the Finnstep having really only watched VM’s Finnstep. Have you seen the performance? Do you like it? And if you’re so inclined to do this, how would you compare their technique to VM in Dream a Little Dream (which I love so much)? Thanks!

Hello! Thanks for the ask!

I have seen that performance. I love the finnstep, it's probably one of my favourite ice dance patterns, along with the golden waltz and the tango romantica.

I enjoyed it a lot that season because I thought Hubbell and Donohue had one of the better finnsteps. I'm sad to say you could really see a decline in quality in the level of steps since 2014, and most team really struggled with the quick, detailed, and intricate movements required for that pattern.

Everyone, Madi included really struggled with the twizzle at the beginning of the pattern, the women were putting their foot down, they were falling out of it, not actually doing a twizzle at all, it was rough out here. Tessa's twizzle was wonderful, she was sure, quick and her and Scott stayed in character. I also think Tessa and Scott skated closer together, which they were known for and experts at. By the time the finnstep came back around, the open hold trend had been en vogue for more than 6 years, and you could tell. H/B had solid speed and kept up their speed, but they could get a little messy in their feet/legs and didn't have quick snap that I think V/M excelled at.

To quote the iconic Tracy Wilson: "They say a finnstep should be like sparkling champagne. Bubbly, light, and crisp."

She compared Tessa and Scott to Dom Perignon, and I think Madi and Zack were just didn't have the level of effervescence and ease that was required for the steps to really flourish, but they did a solid job.

#welcome to konner cleans out her inbox #this is SO old #nonny im so sorry #konner talks skating #went back and watched both back to back a couple times #you can see madi and zack thinking #tessa and scott looked effortless

[romeoandjulietyouwish]

I know you haven’t posted anything for your teacher au in a bit, but it is giving me major brainworms.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned Caleb and Trent’s whole deal, because that feels like prime angst material in an au all about teachers. In this au, I don’t think Caleb would’ve been forced to murder his parents or anything that intense, but he certainly still faced abuse from Trent when he was a student under him.

Like VM notice that Caleb is displaying some very concerning behaviours when he first starts attending their classes (ex: flinching, panicking when gets a question wrong or doesn’t do good on a test) and do their best to make him feel safe and let him know they can be trusted.

Perhaps, once he feels comfortable enough around them, he tells them about Trent and what he did to Caleb, and VM is appalled by such a blatant abuse of authority.

(Extra angst points if Trent, who hasn’t had enough evidence pinned against him to get his teaching license revoked, is invited as a guest speaker to the school and Caleb has a complete emotional melt down)

(Also, I feel Percy would be the type to let his class use Trent as target practice lol)

HI! Yes I love this

Like imagine he's a transfer student to the school where the VM teachers are. And there's a note in his profile that he might require extra care or attention. And they figure out pretty quickly what that means. He doesn't talk to any of the other students, he never is anything less than perfect, he seems to be terrified of all of them, especially Grog, Vax, and Percy.

Keyleth and Vex are the ones who help him the most. He usually eats lunch in Keyleth's classroom, reading his textbooks and doing homework. Vex gives him other books to read, fiction and materials not related to class.

Pike invites him to a club where he meets the rest of the M9 and the change after that is just...incredible. He slowly becomes less scared of his teachers and of doing things wrong.

And when Trent comes to speak, Percy is the one who notices Caleb's panic. He knows that kind of fear. So he takes Caleb into a quiet classroom and helps him calm down and lets him stay there until Trent is fully off of campus.

#teacher au #critical role #vox machina #lis makes hcs #mighty nein

[tutuandscoot]

When VM skated they literally shared their souls with each other. It required absolute vulnerability and trust. For them it was the gut-wrenching thrill of baring the very essence of their souls and trusting each other to accept every aspect of their being with respect, care, love and no judgement. Together, they related with authenticity and no pretense. That kind of safe space and acceptance allowed VM to relate without inhibitions and present pure emotions to one another. All of that allowed VM to share a soaring intimacy when they skated together that is seldom found in most sexual relationships. They had an intense bond the likes of which most people will never experience.

ANON WHY DID YOU HAVE TO COME FOR MY TEAR DUCTS LIKE THAT??? 🥺😣😭😫😫😫😫

Ok can I just say it and you all won’t attack me for being weird??

✨ICE DANCING WAS THEIR VERSION OF LOVE MAKING- IT WAS THEIR SOULS MAKING LOVE EVERY TIME THEY DANCED. ✨

Scott freaking said so yesterday when he said the fire that lit up inside them when their eyes met on the ice was like nothing anyone one else could understand- that’s bc they have the ability to connect their souls as one.

I rest my case.

#are you kidding me with this!!! this freaking poetry!!!!! #OMG 😫😫😫😫😫 #anon who are you drop in my dms and talk to me like this as I fall asleep!!

[mirqmarq428]

So. I have

Unicron, a large and spacious desktop with an ancient motherboard and aging i/o that works

Primus, a tight server-adjacent beast of an air purifier the computer shop gave me for free cause it doesn't work

My sata power adapter finally came in the mail. It's not doing anything. I believe it's possible to get Primus working, i really do. But probably not by me.

Now here's the other part of the problem:

Unicron is currently hosting all my files and i want it to also drive the 4k tv. It's running Linux of course. The graphics card is from before AMD bought ATI, the only way I can get video from it is a DVI-to-VGA adapter plugged DIRECTLY into a VGA cable going DIRECTLY into a 1080p monitor. Adapting to hdmi doesn't work, even tho the active adapter itself definitely does. The only graphics cards in town that go in old school PCI slots are worse than mine, and the pci-to-pcie adapters I'm seeing online look sketchy af. (are they? If you've used them please tell me if they work). I spent $200 on an rx6600 and at this point I'm almost ready to build a whole pc around it, just to have something with room to grow. Also transcoding maybe.

Now, I have several usb-C to hdmi adapters which require windows drivers. Unicron does not have usb-C ports. Unicron barely has USB 3 ports. I have exactly one (1) USB A to C high speed data adapter of the proper sexuality - which came with and is currently in use for the nvme enclosure I'm using for my cache drive. Because, to loop back around, Unicron doesn't have anywhere else to put an nvme ssd and i got sooo tired of using my sata ssds for this stuff also they might be too slow idk it doesn't matter.

Point is, I have these options:

do nothing and return nil

Put the extra ram + storage in Unicron and install Windows on it to make the USB display drivers work, then slap a linux vm on top and do everything in that. This is a lot of overhead especially for an older system, and introduceth lots of annoyances thruout the stack ex. networking

Unicron overhaul! Keep the case but upgrade everything else. Mostly straightforward but expensive but money is not a concern. We could even also do the windows thing too on top of it, wouldn't that be horrible.

Pick all the good bits off of Unicron and Primus and give them both to the repair shop, then just buy a new computer. Same as previous option but could be simpler depending on case compatibility.

Either way they're closed on sundays so i gotta wait to do stuff.

Hmm, maybe part of this post should have been a poll...

#mir rants #project beodogg #hardware troubles

[captainofthetidesbreath]

I have a speculative mechanics question for fic writing purposes if you feel up to answering it. It's a post-canon fic idea with the Mighty Nein at level 18. As the resident Fjord expert, which do you think would be his most likely spell picks for a 7th level Mystic Arcanum and an additional known spell of 5th level or lower? (It would be a 13 warlock, 5 paladin split in this scenario). Additionally, since paladins get Extra Attack at 5th level I can see him swapping out the Thirsting Blade invocation for something else, but what would be the most in-character replacement for his personality and build?

I took a hot second to think about it. And I apologize for how long this post is, but since you're writing a fic, I thought I'd explain my thought process to help you decide if you want to make the same choices or make different ones. Since you're writing a fic, I'm generally thinking more narratively oriented rather than necessarily mechanical.

The 7th level Mystic Arcanum for Fjord has always been an interesting choice for me since a lot of the available choices are just so much meaner than Fjord, in my opinion. It's either Forcecage (spatial control, which Fjord tends toward), Crown of Stars (works great with his action economy, very pretty, thematically vibes with the Star Razor), or Etherealness (super fun spell, lets him be nosy, weird). Possibly Plane Shift (teleport). Those feel like the most likely choices and provide a good spread to choose from, depending on what you narratively need him to do.

As for spells, little tough since it first requires knowing what he already has. As far as I can gather, these were the last 10 warlock spells Fjord cast, in reverse chronological order:

Counterspell (141, warlock 12)

Far Step (139, warlock 12)

Thunder Step (134, warlock 11)

Hex (134, warlock 11)

Armor of Agathys (134, warlock 11)

Major Image (127, warlock 11)

Enervation (VM x M9, filmed between 125 and 136, warlock 11)

Summon Greater Demon (mentioned in 113, warlock 10, last cast 86, warlock 9)

Banishing Smite (102, warlock 10)

Charm Monster (79, warlock 9)

However, he is also mentioned in 134 (warlock 11) to have Cone of Cold, though he never cast it, so one of those last three spells he no longer has. Which one, I don't know, but I would say either Charm Monster or Summon Greater Demon.

So, based on that, I love to joke that he should take Teleportation Circle (5th, available to him via TCOE additional spells) or Dimension Door (4th) for more teleportation spell hoarding (especially since he regains access to Misty Step at paladin 5). Teleportation Circle allows him long-range teleportation capability he doesn't already have and lets him and Jester to be very annoying. Mirror Image (2nd) is also a great choice for him as someone often in melee range, and it actually echoes a little bit Jester's Duplicity. Suggestion (2nd) is a classic and vibes well with his silver-tongue.

Also, Fjord can learn two spells going from level 12 to 13 since he gains an additional known spell and can replace one spell he already knows. So, if you're stuck between two choices, you can simply replace one he knows that you aren't using in your fic.

Invocations is a hard one. I agree that Thirsting Blade should be swapped out after Extra Attack at Paladin 5. My suggestions are Ghostly Gaze (weird, nosy), Whispers of the Grave (weird, nosy, he keeps asking the clerics to talk to the dead people so why not learn to do it himself), or Otherworldly Leap (mobility, which Travis loves, fun as hell). One with the Shadows has great vibes.

Those are some suggestions I have, mostly oriented toward what both feels right for him but also is useful for him to have in a fic.

#Critical Role things #CR #long post for ts

[pyonyonmomo]

hi hi naomi~ as you're beloved fan, may i request a going out on picnic dates with midori <33

thank you vm, i hope u dont kill me when we saw each other MWEHEH

“Would you join me on a picnic date ?”

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↠ A picnic date with midori is a rare occurrence. He's not really into these things, but he's decided to take it easy for a while, and when he asked Tetora for advice, the first thing he suggested was to get outside and be one with nature! Which prompted him to plan a picnic with none other than you.

[ Because you're one of his closest pals, he proposed a picnic date with you. You were one of the first people to believe in Midori's abilities in becoming an idol, despite not believing in himself. And besides maybe you could use some fresh air too ]

↠ Because of his height insecurities, you already knew he avoided consuming proteins and veggies. It concerns you since he requires sufficient nutrition to sing, dance, and grow healthily. So you spent some time researching meat and vegetable recipes that are both healthful and appealing for both of your appetites

↠ When the time came for your picnic date, you both agreed to meet at a newly made park. You spent the entire morning preparing your meals, hoping that he would enjoy them. Midori appears shortly after, carrying a little picnic basket and an umbrella.

“A-ah y/n- did you wait for too long ? I’m sorry I rushed back to grab an umbrella since the sun was shining down real hard earlier and I thought it would be hot ”

↠ You both lay out the picnic blanket and sit back. Midori brings out a few fruit slices and a platter of adorable little cakes, one of which was your favorite flavor. It was thoughtful of him to know your favorite cake flavor, and it appeared to be well-made. You can't miss out on the chance to taste such a delicious dessert.

“I thought that it’d be more nice if I baked it on my own. The recipe I used was recommended by Tomoya , and I’m glad it turned out well” , He exclaims proudly and shyly.

HE EVEN BAKED THE CAKES HIMSELF //SCREAMING

↠ You presented a Tupperware that was steaming a little after he finished presenting his meals. You revealed what was inside the Tupperware, and it turned out to be pizza rolls! Midori is perplexed as to what it was and why it smelled like pizza

“These are pizza rolls , Pizza rolls are breaded pizza pockets that are small enough to eat with your hands” , You cut the pizza roll in half and revealed the filling inside. Popping the half in your mouth and joyfully eating it. It's made out of cheese, sauce , pepperoni, and a few vegetables such as mushrooms, bell peppers, and tomatoes.

↠ He was a little hesitant to eat the pizza rolls because they featured a lot of vegetables he didn't realize could be used in foods like pizza. Despite his misgivings, he carefully removed half of the pizza roll you had and ate it, not wanting your efforts to go to waste. He was soon feasting on the pizza rolls, his face beaming with delight ! You patted yourself on the back and congratulated yourself on your culinary skills. Even though you nearly burnt down your cook place.

↠ You and midori eat the dishes you prepared together. Talking about a lot of stuff and even doing activities to pass time. With a beautiful view of the park and each other's company, this day was memorable. Nothing could go wrong

NOT UNTIL IT STARTED TO RAIN-

↠ You curse the clouds and the weather in ruining your picnic date. With wanting to stay away from being sick you and midori quickly pack up. The one umbrella that was present opened up and you found yourself and midori sharing it. You congratulated him and praised his foresight in bringing an umbrella. He blushed slightly and averted his gaze to cover his expression.

↠ The umbrella's cover generally shifts towards you, shielding you from the rain. You notice this and tell Midori that you don't mind getting a bit wet, and that he should do the same.

“S-sorry- I don't want you to become ill as a result of the rain. Please allow me to hold it in this position” His generosity was evident. You're concerned that he might become ill. You tell him the umbrella is big enough for both of you with a smile. “ There's no need to take up all of its shelter”

↠ With your encouraging words, he repositions the umbrella back in the middle, protecting you both equally from the rain.

↠ Moments like these, when it's raining and you're both together, provided midori a beautiful sense of calm. Even if you're both taking shelter from the rain, he values your presence. It was silent, but not in an uncomfortable way; it was peaceful.

↠ He glances at you. Your hard work , support and love all come to him like a flash . He resolved to work harder now that he had made the decision to pursue his dream of being an idol more seriously. The motivation he has is all thanks to his friends , the people who have supported Him , and you.

↠ He can't wait to get on stage and devote his performance to you, he remarks with a little smile. By reading the sound of thunder, his mind moved swiftly. He jolts a little, making you laugh and him laugh in embarrassment.

BONUS:

↠ The next day, you both resumed your picnic date, but this time with the rest of Ryusetai. It was a great day because you had the entire unit with you !

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AUTHOR’S NOTE: Haha hello eurie! Worked on this today , enjoy reading it ♡

#ensemble stars x reader #picnic #midori takamine #enstars #happy elements #request #pizza rolls