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#fhjy meta
midnightfox450 · 4 months
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The fact that Riz Gukgak (the boy who doesn't know how to take a break, who is deeply afraid of drifting apart from his friends, who "has a hard time connecting to his dearest friends unless he can feel useful") was the one who manifested a creature that forced The Bad Kids to work together again and robbed them of having a proper summer break is so poetic.
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the-butter-churner · 2 months
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wrote this in the comments of another post but i just wanted to expand my thoughts on the rat grinders bc i actually know a lot of kids like them.
the problem is not that they just suck, and it’s also not that the bad kids get preferential treatment. the problem is that the rat grinders were taught at a young age that all that matters are grades and results (or xp in this case) and no matter what kind of environment arthur aguefort tries to foster, the educational system of solace (much like that of the us) rewards results on paper.
the rat grinders are doing whatever they can to get to their reward. and who can blame them? i mean, they do live in a world where even if you save the world 3 times you may not be able to go to college.
i do think the rat grinders are ultimately victims of the system as much as the bad kids are. it just sucks that they’ve taken this equality over equity approach to coping with it.
it’s like kids who get pissed when honors classes combine with regular classes, or when an ap class is removed from the roster. they don’t really want things to be fair for everyone or for everyone to shine. they want a system they can exploit to get the best results the fastest with zero passion for the learning they’re doing, and the worst part is— by the perception of colleges or other institutions— they aren’t doing anything wrong.
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skuttlesstrawberry · 4 days
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An observation: given D&D’s cosmology, asking “Are the Rat Grinders evil?” might not come out how you think it will.
In most campaigns, the Lower Planes are explicitly the Evil Planes, with fiends being intrinsically Lawful Evil. Now, Fantasy High’s Hell is definitely a nasty place, but it’s also where Gorthalax comes from. It’s also ALSO the place where Fig and Bill Seacaster have power as Archdevils.
The Rat Grinders are fighting the team with three Archdevil allies; in a standard D&D setting, they might be the good guys instead of the antagonists. Dimension 20, however, is a realm where befriending antagonists turns out pretty decently pretty frequently; just ask Ragh Barkrock!
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bonesfool · 2 months
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Something something about how (imo) Gorgug has the weakest internal arc in sophomore year, where the ultimate antagonistic force/challenge to overcome is FEAR. Gorgug is shy, nervous maybe, but he is not naturally inclined towards being afraid, not the way his friends are
And in this season his arc has been thrust forward when they are working to oppose/succeed against ANGER
In a fight or flight moment, at his core, Gorgug is FIGHT. He does not flinch from away from threats, especially when they are targeted at the things he loves, he stands steady, he swings- It’s Gorgug, KEEP GOING- he endures
When things are uncertain, unfair, unjust- Gorgug is the force that keeps you from giving in from giving up. I will try over and over again until I find the answer ARE YOU MY FREAKING DAD?? He is righteous fury, he is honorable indignation, and he is finally learning what rage can do as a just, motivating force, an agent of change, and symbol of resistance
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thisisnotthenerd · 9 days
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ok but all the bad kids were so strategic and effective in the last stand. i know gorgug's crits and fig's spells were huge but everyone really played to the best of their class. look here for the questions and killing blows.
adaine's spell usage was super effective--the mephits granting advantage and blinding opponents. the scatter to get the melee fighters where they're the most effective. using mirror image and her bonus action divination cantrips to not get hit. the use of the portents was excellent--keeping gorgug from taking huge damage from the purple worm and allowing fig to crit on the wyvern enhanced both of their strategy immensely. she split the difference between damage and utility very well.
kristen's bless let the melee attacks hit when they would have missed and she held that concentration the entire time, while intermittently healing and reducing the number of enemies they had to face (skeletons & manticore) and getting out of the way where she wouldn't be targeted. if she hadn't been moved to the side by buddy no one would have caught kipperlilly. absolutely critical support casting. ally really took a lot from playing margaret and applied it here.
fig, despite feeling insecure about her melee attacks, did a ton with her melee cantrip/smite combos (insane) and ambient spirit guardians. by moving around the battlefield strategically and drawing attention as the fake proctor she dealt with the smaller enemies (jellies, stirges, rust monsters, mimic) and actively took down the shrimp dragon, wyvern, and pentacorn.
riz went the other direction; hiding and using the extra action from haste to get sneak attack multiple times in the round. his sneak attacks really served to whittle away at high hp counts when the bad kids had to split focus. plus the clutch defeat of the roper and umber hulk was excellent.
fabian wasn't critting as often as gorgug, but he followed a similar strategy to fig; where she drew attention and killed enemies with AOE and melee, fabian drew attention from single combatants and dealt with them effectively: he practically soloed the hydra and roper with assistance from riz and kept the umber hulk and crab man off of his allies as the final wave converged.
gorgug thistlespring. the crit king. initially he was doing big damage in a similar strategy to riz; he got huge hits on the gorgon and shrimp dragon before taking on by far the most challenging enemy, the purple worm, with assistance from adaine's attack spells. two full turns as the only combatant taking damage from the worm, while knocking it prone every single turn.
this was the battle of the brands for the bad kids, scaled for level 13 combatants. they put everything into this fight.
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heliza24 · 4 months
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kind of obsessed with the decision to start so fully in media res that the bad kids were not only down spell slots and hit points but also deeply emotionally exhausted from a summer full of unrewarded heroism and fully committed to new npcs. like what a good way to fully suck your audience back in and also honor the lapse of time irl and in story time. truly no one does exposition like D20, Brennan is never not smart about perfectly balancing world building, character background and plot hook. and since we know the characters and the world we could start this campaign fully *in* the plot right from the word go. and then instead of an inciting incident leading to a battle, or a break from the character's normal reality causing them to fight for the first time (ie the first season), the end of this battle is the inciting incident for the rest of the season. being in combat and saving the world *is* the normal reality for the bad kids. and this sets up FHJY as a campaign that can be focused on something other than that, because the story starts at the end of that normality, or when something in that normality shifts. (is the inciting incident Fig's new powers? or how this battle resolves? TBD! but I have a good feeling about it regardless). SO smart. because if we went from sophomore year straight to a campaign that was focused more around school and the normal experience of being a teen? it would feel weird. but this is the perfect set up.
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ourstoatmeansdeath · 2 months
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I've seen a few posts from people who think Henry was being shitty to Gorgug or setting Gorgug up to fail by allowing him to do 3 years of the artificer track at once. But I have a lot of experience in STEM, and I think Henry was being incredibly kind in a very engineering-coded way.
I did an undergrad degree in engineering and have been in STEM spaces for more than 10 years. And the STEM way of being an asshole is much more like what Porter did. So many people who don't look like they fit the stereotype of who belongs in STEM have been explicitly told to leave. Like, I was at a conference last year where a presenter asked all the people in the room who had been told to change their major to raise their hands. And there were lots of us with raised hands. (This was in a diversity equity and inclusion session, so a lot of non-traditional looking people for engineering.) If Henry wanted to be an asshole he would tell Gorgug to leave, or that the curriculum was "rigorous" and half-orcs can't usually hack it, etc. But he didn't!
Henry did the classic STEM thing of laying out all of the options, even the ones that aren't desirable. Since Porter won't sign the MCAT, the reasonable options are all gone. Henry mentioned that Gorgug doesn't need to be in school for artificing to be an artificer ("If artificing is something that brings you joy and brings happiness to your life, you don't need school. You can do that on your own.") Which is NOT something that STEM people do. I've never heard an engineering professor say that someone who does STEM stuff as a hobby can call themselves engineers. Henry is being absurdly kind by saying this.
When Gorgug says that he wants to do artificing in school, Henry gives the option to do all three years of school at once. [Note that Henry did not suggest this at first. Henry didn't offer it until Gorgug basically asked for a loophole.] This reminds me so much of all the STEM people who know a system really well and give you advice on how to navigate it. They note that their path isn't what the system was designed to do, but if you really want to do it you could do it this way. Which is exactly what Henry does. This also gives Gorgug the agency to decide for himself.
Henry also goes out of his way to say that the people who work hard are the ones he would bet on. This is also so nice as a STEM person! I can't tell you the number of professors I had who said that a specific problem shouldn't take long, or "if you're efficient you should be fine." I also had a professor who said some people can code and some people can't, and he didn't know how to help the people who don't have a natural aptitude for coding. Henry saying he thinks Gorgug can achieve this through hard work is super enlightened for a STEM instructor.
tl;dr Henry is incredibly enlightened for a STEM instructor. He tells Gorgug that Gorgug can still be an artificer without formal schooling, and then when Gorgug expresses a desire for the formal education he tells Gorgug the path. If Henry does a heel turn I will be emotionally devastated lol
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thecryptidzenith · 4 months
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Alright. So this episode was great, but in terms of themes & setting the stage for the rest of the story, this line really stands out:
"You feel something. You look, the Night Yorb twinkling. You've spent your whole summer chasing this. You know all the things you've missed. Your whole summer vacation, all of your friends. Some of you had birthdays on the road this adventure, and yeah, there's lots of adventure, but all of you feel a tiredness in your bones knowing that the reward for saving the world yet again will be going back to school and having another year of working just this hard forever."
This monologue from Brennan is the most thematically/foreshadowy thing we get in the episode, and it does set quite the stage. This is a story about exhaustion and the price of adventure. It's a story about what the hells these six people are going to do with the rest of their lives.
Fig releases something at the end of the episode. Some piece of magic that will certainly mean something later. This is how it's described:
"You've been holding onto a piece of magic for a long time... If you take me, you know what you would save. And you smell something sour and curdled."
"There is a flash of light, a kind of lemony yellow creamy light that flashes out over the hangvan."
Pay attention to that word choice. The magic is "sour" and "curdled" and "lemony yellow creamy." Is it reminiscent of anything?
Gilear's connection with yogurt is established pretty early on in Fantasy High, and yogurt in general serves as a symbol for everything that Gilear is. A sad, pathetic adult and A Normal Guy. Brennan is very insistent when reading out Gilear's stats for the first time that he's just a guy! Some people have to be normal!
But our Bad Kids aren't normal. That's the whole point of them. They've saved the world. Falling to Gilear's level is terrifying. It's literally Fabian's nightmare.
From that part of Pirate Brawl:
"You hear a voice behind you" [Gilear!Fabian] "say: 'It's all going to be all right... I know it seems very far off, but there is a way for you to be happy.'"
And of course, the yogurt, the symbol of mediocrity, is here too. "The yogurt curdles in your stomach." Curdles. The same word used to describe the magic coming out of Fig. The yogurt that Fig gives to Fabian while he's having his breakdown in Leviathan is lemon flavored too.
Of course the primary conflict seen in the trailer is about difficulty graduating. That's a normal problem. That's a normal concern for normal people.
The fear of mediocrity can be strong. Especially for people as exceptional as the Bad Kids. But the fear that you'd be happier taking the easier path, that the road less traveled isn't inherently better, that your hardship is for nothing... that's even worse.
The reasonable thing for Fig to be releasing would be the red growth seen on the minis in the trailer. But no. She releases something lemony and creamy and sour and curdled.
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mccoyquialisms · 1 month
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my fantasy high red-string-conspiracy-theory-board-of-the-main-mystery lore tracker (a long ass post) (because I love both mysteries AND organization of inconsequential information):
rough chronology of events:
In ages past there is a wedding attended in the Chaos Mountains by Sol and Galicaea of their sister the Witch Goddess to an unnamed giantkin god. This god is a summer god, sibling of the giant winter goddess Ruvina
Over centuries, the unnamed god's domain changes from the sun and summer to fire
This unnamed god is killed and their name was wiped from history. The other gods remember who this being is, but due to obliviati mori, cannot reference them directly to mortals. Red shatter stars appear around this time
850 years before present day, the Witch Goddess's name is erased by her followers (encouraged by followers of Galicaea) and she is transformed into the Nightmare King. Before she does she performs the 4 trans-substantiations to resist being "unmade". Her familiar Kalina becomes a plague and begins to spread through the mortal populace. These events likely happen after the death of her spouse, as there is no reference to a spouse when the Witch Goddess was previously mentioned
Roughly 4-6 years before modern day, the pit fiend Bakur attempts to resurrect his god, whose name was lost "so they could not be worshiped." The return of this god is felt to be a significant threat to the world. Lydia Barkrock and her adventuring party stop him by sealing Bakur in a red gem in Lydia's chest, where she keeps him imprisoned with her rage
The Ratgrinders, then called the High 5 Heroes, meet in freshman year and consist of Kipperlilly, Oisin, Mary Anne, Ruben, Ivy and Lucy.
They xp level up by killing rats, twig gremlins and other small magical creatures in the woods behind Aguefort
The events of freshman year happen and Kalvaxus is released. During prom, Ragh spots Jace Stardiamond talking to Arianwen. He is later "barbarian healed" by Porter and after this can see Kalina. Kalina finds Ragh later and threatens Lydia if he talks about what he's seen
Sophomore year spring break happens and the Nightmare King is transformed into the goddess now named Cassandra
At some point Lucy began to return to the woods after party sessions to revive the rats they killed. She did this long enough and with enough regularity that the rats remember her name/face well and think of her fondly
Paperwork is submitted for Lucy to change her god from Ruvina to a god whose name cannot be read, just before her disappearance. A few days later a second request is submitted to withdraw this change. Neither form was ever seen by Lucy's teacher Yolanda Badgood
Lucy was killed near Lake Shimmerstone by multiple assailants with both weapon and magical damage towards the end of sophomore year, in the period of weeks after grades were complete, but before summer break. The area has multiple uprooted trees, some of which were used to hide her body. Unholy rites were performed over her body to force her soul to the beyond, so she cannot be revived.
Lucy is reported as dead but her body was never found. She was described as "not alive in this material plane" via divination
Because of the timing of her death, her party was not moved to pass/fail as all grades for that year had already been submitted
Night Yorb and the long dark summer happens
Buddy Dawn, a cleric of Sol, is specifically requested by the Ratgrinders to be their new cleric for junior year
Also over the long dark summer, the Loam farmers are accused of embezzlement and the Frostyfair festival is moved from there to the Thistlesprings tree at the recommendation of Lola Embers. Sklonda Gukgak is assigned as the Loam couple's public defender
Kipperlilly finds or is found by the rogue teacher and has passed the whole of junior year
Junior year begins. On her first day, Kipperlilly questions Jawbone on where YES! was created
Kipperlily announces she is running for student body president and her primary platform is for uniform equity under the rules without "favoritism"
In the mall of the Synod, the event that kicks off the battle is Cassandra becomes angry hearing Kristen isn't coming to help find followers. She says "This isn't fair!" as a razor-sharp flickering star of red light emerges from her chest. 24-point, red shatter stars infect nearby wizards and turns them into rage-filled, violent, giant versions of themselves. The people taken over by the shatter stars are instructed by an unknown voice to attack Cassandra
Cassandra is able to be calmed by a high persuasion and when she does, she expels multiple shatter stars. She seems to recognize them and says "I thought you were dead.”
Before Kalina is taken over by the shatter stars, she looks to Riz and says "Ragh Barkrock". She then slits Cassandra's throat, triggering a new round of rage in Cassandra
Cassandra suffers multiple attacks and begins to transform into a giant, red raging version of herself and attempts to kill the party. Before she's successful, the gang are swept away in a time loop back to Spyre. The Bad Kids see the Synod is destroyed, and Kristen finds she has shards of Cassandra in her pocket
Kristen attempts to commune with Cassandra and hears a voice say "She is at my side once more." The voice then mocks Kristen with YES!'s body and then tells Kristen it is coming for her, and it will break her irrevocably.
Ivy sees Fig disguised as Lucy at the party at Seacastor Manor, and has an inscrutable reaction to it, but did not seem surprised
The cloud rider engine in Fabian's basement is broken and a piece is found missing
Kipperlily does the food truck event with the subliminal OK messaging on the packaging
Ruben Hopclap performs at FrostFaire when he is attacked by Principal Grix. Grix is eventually killed by Fabian. The Bad Kids determine Ruben was doing some kind of ritual with a song about anger above an arcano-tech array in a 24 point star pattern, successfully releasing a large amount of some type of magical energy.
Simultaneously, Yolanda Badgood is killed at Lake Shimmerstone by immense concussive force damage, and afterwards her body is expertly hidden. She is subjected to the same unholy last rites that Lucy was.
The Bad Kids find Lucy and Yolanda's bodies, and Kristen releases their souls, who travel to the beyond on a "trail of moonlight"
Sklonda's clients are found murdered
Mazey reveals that the Vice Principal (i.e. Jace) does not become the Principal, and it would be the student body president who becomes the new principal of Aguefort
additional info we can reasonably infer or that don't fit neatly in the timeline:
Buddy's grandparents, and likely Buddy himself, have a vested interest in his grandfather becoming the cleric teacher. He went to Aguefort and is familiar with the school. Presumably he wants this to be able to preach about Sol and spread his influence
At some point before her death, Yolanda told Jace about her concerns regarding Lucy's deity-transfer paperwork
Cassandra is not dead, but is "beyond reach"
Lucy and Yolanda were noted to be in "realms beyond", which Brennan specifically noted they were taken from and "whatever was happening there"
The Ratgrinders are gunning for the bad kids and seem to be orchestrating situations to try to get them to take drugs
Porter's philosophical discussion with Fig regarding the concept of protection and how that is often inextricably tied with rage, that one can act as a fuel for the other
Porter is a paladin of the ancestors, and at some point was mentioned to be a goliath, though this seems to be debated in canon. If true, it's possible he's a descendant of giants
Kristen bring's up Sol's wrath and Buddy does not refute this, agreeing Sol's wrath is a well known aspect of him and he has been quite angry because of the dark summer/night yorb situation
As above so below. What the gods do affect their mortal followers, but conversely, what the mortals who follow them do also affect the gods
A god can only come back from death in a place a god had been born or created, meaning Bakur's decision to try to revive his fallen god in the Red Waste was what doomed it to failure
Bakur's documents are written in the language of giants, and his deity is said to be from the same region as Ruvina. Combining this with Adaine’s research, and the “mitochondrial magic print”, Bakur’s god is Cassandra’s former spouse
The cloud rider piece was likely stolen by the Ratgrinders as Kipperlily asked Aelwyn to research schematics of the device
Kipperlily seems to be keeping information from some of the other Ratgrinders, telling Aelwyn she needs to "protect Oisin" from their shady deals
Kipperlily's mother works for the city treasury and her father is in real estate. Neither are super wealthy, but Kipperlilly has been paying Aelwyn large amounts of money to obtain arcane components. Given the timing of this with the disappearance of a large sum of money from the Frostyfair accounts, the timing of the murder of the people who were blamed for it, and that the new chosen location happens to be the home of one of the Ratgrinders rivals, the Ratgrinders involvement is thought to be likely
Cassandra's whispered clue of "spies, tongue, curse"
Places outside Spyre, like the Synod, are easier for dead gods to reach
For whatever the Ratgrinders have planned, a student being the principal of Aguefort is essential for it. A lot of people have had to be conveniently absent or dead for this circumstance to occur.
This is all not even touching Aguefort's whole journey through time and possible time quangle issue and whatever the fuck Fig's Bad Luck Thing is. I'm not convinced that these are related to the god stuff and are likely their own separate issues. also, I am tired lmao. If you want to hear my rambling theories, I'll be making a separate post.
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artificergorgug · 30 days
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Been thinking a lot about how Fabian uses the word triggering. He uses it in reference to the sexy rat, to the term 'turncoat', and (i believe) about Chungledown Bim
And he says it like a joke, right? Like the point is that Lou is making a joke because haha a sexy rat and a mirror abandoning Fabian and a funny-named gnome that wants to shit in his mouth are all funny concepts so why shoudn't it be funny that they're traumatizing
Except, I think Fabian is using that term earnestly. I think he is genuinely upset by how a sexy rat wanted to violate him in the nightmare forest and that in order for him to progress he had to lay down and give coerced consent to it
I think he is deeply hurt by people he loves leaving him. Sure, this time it's a mirror being a 'turncoat', but it's also his mom going on vacation with Gilear. And thinking about how Fabian interacts with Cathilda, treats her like a parent and a caregiver, you have to think that his dad was at the very least emotionally unavailable (if not physically so) and we all know about his mom's sensory deprivation egg
I think Chungledown Bim terrifies him in ways he can't articulate. The representation of how he's fallen short of his father's legacy persuing him endlessly. Being given spells and wealth and access by his devil father. Tracking him down to degrade him in an extremely visceral way
Fabian says that things are triggering with a smile on his face and a laugh in his voice. He's learned that saying the uncomfortable thing means money being thrown at a problem. He's learned that you're supposed to distance yourself from your feelings, to self-medicate
He doesn't have the skills or the practice to tell his friends in all seriousness that the things they say bother him. Remind him of his hardest days - in Leviathan, the Nightmare Forest, the Red Waste
And the part that hurts the most is that if he had this earnest conversation, his friends would be there. They'd respect him. Maybe help him unlearn some of the lessons that have shaped this ineffective request for help in the first place
But he doesn't ask and he says it as a joke and they hear it as a joke and nobody heals
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underwaterbanshee · 23 days
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Like, Sol should be shitting his pants right now.
Ankarna's name being back in the world right now is a massive red flag because even though they are mostly dead, it's pretty clear someone has used their rune in multiple places to accomplish work in their deadname.
Ankarna already has believers.
I thought you were dead says Cassandra right before she shatters.
And already, Kristen is talking about trying to make sure Cassandra isn't corrupted, but more than that, she wants to save Ankarna the way she saved Cassandra.
Buddy Dawn, Kristen's parents, have all confirmed that Helio isn't doing well because he's lost his chosen. There is pressure for Kirsten to return to Helio.
I'm very curious what lie Galacaea will tell Tracker the next time they commune. What kind of pressure will she put on Tracker to convince Kristen to return to Sol Helio and give up on Cassandra?
Because if anyone can radically change the pantheon of her world, it is Saint Kristen Chilis Applebees and Sol fucking knows it.
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midnightfox450 · 4 months
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Y'know at first I was kinda bummed that this season started with a full combat episode because it set a weird opening tone for me that wasn't the comfort I was expecting. But then I realized that's likely entirely The Point.
Most Fantasy High seasons and oneshots start out with the Bad Kids at home. Brennan gives everyone a little time to introduce themselves, their families, and what they've been doing outside of adventuring. Typically it would make sense to start a new season with a bit of an "npc parade" reintroducing friendly faces to get everyone settled into the world again. It's been three and a half years since we've last seen them, after all. But there's no settling that needs to be done because in-universe there was no break at all.
There's literally no time for introductions. The Bad Kids have gone through so many changes over the summer but neither them nor we get any time to digest it. Besides essential battle companions, the episode is noticeably devoid of any friendly faces. No parents, no partners, no classmates. Instead there's all these new people so purposefully out of place. Who the hell is Balthazar? Who even cares? They have school in three days. It's the end of the world for the third time in two years and they have school in three days. And school just means the world will find a way to end itself all over again.
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bloodyshadow1 · 9 days
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I know the bad kids are weeping, especially gorgug, about how Arthur's hologram/illusion told them all their studying and hard work was pointless, but that doesn't mean it was. Look, the purpose of an education is to gain knowledge and grow. Sure modern education as a whole has corrupted the idea of school and education, but that doesn't mean it's pointless.
Despite how hard it is, the bad kids have flourished this year, it's terrible that they were put through that, but it doesn't mean their hard work was in vain. This isn't a post about how pain or adversity makes you strong, because fuck that. But life isn't easy, there are challenges that you have to endure to get what you want.
Sure, they could have taken the last stand early in the year and if they succeeded, they would have had an easy year, especially compared to the year they had. But if they had taken it, whose to say they would have succeeded. After the night yorb fight, they were level 8 or 9, they are currently 13 but I assume 14 after that last combat. that's 4 to 5 levels they gained since the start of junior year. And that's what levels are supposed to represent, experience. Exp is supposed to show what your character has been through as they go through life learning and growing, it's not a notch on your belt of all the things you've killed to gain power.
If the bad kids tried the last stand at the start of the year, they would have been creamed. Yes, they weren't as stressed, but they also hadn't grown as much and would have been slaughtered. Fig didn't have her paladin levels that did massive damage this fight, Adaine and Kristen wouldn't have access to 6th and 7th level spells, Fabian would only have 3 as opposed to his 7 levels in bard or the confidence to be maximum legend, Gorgug wouldn't have had his homebrewed subclass and pioneered at Aguefort, Riz wouldn't have his higher level spells and abilities that would have meant no haste which meant no double sneak attacks that helped them so much this fight.
This is what sets them apart from people like the Ratgrinders. Because as much as the Ratgrinders seem to hate them for being 'favored' by the school, the Bad kids have earned every scar and bruise, every stress token, every spell slot and point of HP to get to where they were today. They beat the deadly challenge in a way that no one has done before and they got a 100% on the questions, not a single one of them went down, the proctor was barely hurt. There will always be people who take the easy way out that doesn't mean the path you forded was wrong
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spookyfluffy · 27 days
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I just saw someone asking Emily to "try" because they assumed Fig's identity crisis is based on Emily not wanting to play anymore and I will NOT stand for this, therefore I must dump all my Fig Faeth related thoughts in the following:
In the words of Brennan Lee Mulligan, this is CHARACTER ASSASSINATION. Emily said she wanted to retire Fig to "give her her happy ending" NOT because she didn't want to do Junior Year.
Fig's identity issues have been a core facet of her character since DAY ONE. After finally learning that it's okay to be herself in Sophomore Year, she's now realising that she doesn't actually know who she is. A consequence strangling that 13 year old half-elven girl in the midst of familial strife.
Her behaviour is regressing back into the comfort of disguises, not because she wants to be someone else, but because she wants to be someone.
Emily wanted to retire Fig because it is the nature of storytelling that there needs to be stakes. There must be a potential for hurt to come to these characters. Her wish to retire Fig was out of love for the character, and even if that wish was not granted to her, I believe she will deliver a fulfilling arc for Fig.
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bounded-accuracy · 2 months
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Nemesis Alert does seem potentially useful, but are we going to ignore the possibility that other people use the same bank and could ALSO have Nemesis Alert turned on?
Like of all the people we’ve met so far, who seems the most likely to also have a KVX account? And would therefore know instantly the second the Bad Kids soured on her (like 2s after meeting)? Talk about a rough first impression.
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thisisnotthenerd · 10 days
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The Last Stand Exam
This file documents the questions administered to the adventuring party known as the Bad Kids during their Last Standard Exam, in their junior year at the Aguefort Adventuring Academy. This assessment was produced from a variety of class materials relevant to the curriculum of the Aguefort Adventuring Academy, as submitted to the principal Arthur Aguefort prior to the start of the school year. This list is accompanied by documentation of the creatures the party known as the Bad Kids was required to face as part of the exam.
The exam is graded out of 100 points; the scoring involves the students correctly answering the questions in the appropriate time interval as well as their heroic last stands. The students are expected to simultaneously fight off a horde of creatures and participate in the examination equally; each student in this party must answer two of the twelve questions.
Neither exam aids, nor outside interference are permitted during the examination period--this excludes clerical divine intervention, as appropriately performed by a member of the party in question. By standard, the proctor must be protected--death of the proctor results in a 30 point score reduction regardless of circumstance.
By Solisian School District Standards, this party reports excellent grades and a high level of competency with regard to independent adventuring.* They were allotted a grace period prior to exam initiation for preparatory spellcasting and review of the exam parameters. Based on prior academic achievement**, the students were allowed two chances to defer a question or utilize previous materials in their response. Questions where these materials were used will be marked with a **.
Exam Proctor: Gavin Pundle
Assisting Cleric: Buddy Dawn
Party Members:
Adaine Abernant | Wizard
Kristen Applebees | Cleric
Figueroth Faeth | Bard / Paladin / Warlock / "Barbarian"
Riz Gukgak | Rogue
Fabian Aramais Seacaster | Fighter / Bard
Gorgug Thistlespring | Barbarian / Artificer
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Exam Questions
These will be listed with the appropriate subject as well as the allotted time, and prospective solutions. This is ordered with respect to how the students answered the questions, with the primary respondent indicated.
Investigation: (2 min)
Question: BONY GIRTH
Solution: NIGHT YORB
Primary Respondent: Riz Gukgak
Athletics: (1 min)
Question: What rival Bloodrush team do our beloved Owlbears most often compete against?
A) Buccaneers
B) Hellions
C) Grapplers
D) Scoundrels
Solution: B) Hudol Hellions
Primary Respondent: Fabian Aramais Seacaster
Religion: (1 min)
Question: Which rad Dwarven deity holds dominion over the art of Shredding?
A) Orrie
B) Ollie
C) Ormry
D) Oggie
Solution: B) Ollie
Primary Respondent: Kristen Applebees
Performance: (3 min)
Question: Please compose a limerick, sonnet, or haiku expressing your feelings and emotions relating to the exam you are currently taking.
Solution:
There was an exam that was hard
But luckily, I am a bard
The demons are slayed
'Cause of how we played
They're hoisted by their own petard
Primary Respondent: Figueroth Faeth
Elven: (1 min)
Question: Please translate the following phrase into Common:
"Pedo Mellon a Minno"
Extra Credit: The word "Mellon" is the root word for which extremely weak form of magic?
Solution: "Speak friends and enter"
Extra Credit Solution: Friendship
Primary Respondent: Adaine Abernant
History: (2 min)
Question: 225 immaculate conceptions occurred on the same day in Solace in reaction to the first public performance of which instrument?
A) The octocord
B) The electric lute
C) The astral piano
D) The hurdy-gurdy
Extra Credit: Nine months later, the newborns were discovered to have been wearing vests in utero. What material were the vests made out of?
Solution: B) The electric lute
Extra Credit Solution: Denim
Primary Respondent: Riz Gukgak
Common: (5 min)
Question: Please write a 300 word essay arguing for a proposed improvement at the aguefort Adventuring Academy in the space provided below.
Solution: We believe a greater amount of our grade should come from the actual good we do in the world. Given the number of times our adventuring party have been put in a situation where the actual fate of our very existence has hung in the balance, it seems only fitting that the result of our efforts impact our academic study. Considering the ultimate goal is to become adventurers, it makes the most sense that actual application of our skills would be most important. If actual adventuring doesn't show our skills, what will? No matter how many class I take, it won't make me a better bard or fighter. I, Fabian Seacaster, son of the great Bill Seacaster, privateer, not pirate... (108)**
Primary Respondent: Fabian Aramais Seacaster
Driver's Ed: (1 min)
Question: What is the proper way to reverse a vehicle's orientation 180 degrees while driving at top speed?
A) Signal the turn correctly
B) Slowly decrease acceleration
C) Engage the emergency brake
D) Rebuild the car facing the other way while driving
Solution: C) Engage the emergency brake
Primary Respondent: Figueroth Faeth
Medicine: (1 min)
Question: What is the most certain way for a wounded adventurer to make a full recovery from even the most grievous injuries?
A) Be healed by a powerful cleric
B) Drink an artifact-level healing potion
C) Receive a greater restoration from a celestial
D) Lie down for eight hours
Solution: D) Lie down for eight hours
Primary Respondent: Kristen Applebees
Arcana: (1 min)
Question: What is the most powerful form of magic?
Extra Credit: What is the easiest object in which to magically trap an opponent?
Solution: Chronomancy
Extra Credit Solution: A Gem
Primary Respondent: Adaine Abernant
Mathematics: (2 min)
Question: Two trains are driving toward one another on the same track. The first train leaves Elmville at 5:05 AM traveling at 60 miles per hour. The second train leaves Bastion City, 135 miles away, at 5:30 AM traveling at 70 miles per hour. What is the exact time that the collision will occur?
Solution: 6:20:46 AM**
Primary Respondent: Gorgug Thistlespring
Biology: (45 sec)
Question: Of the following creatures, which cannot turn its prey into stone?
A) Basilisk
B) Cockatrice
C) Gorgon
D) Manticore
Solution: D) Manticore
Primary Respondent: Gorgug Thistlespring
Written Portion of Exam: Passed (100% + 2 points extra credit)
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Last Stand Monsters
This table documents the monsters faced by the party within the duration of the Last Standard Examination. Note the indicated modifiers for the quantity of enemy combatants and the exam questions.
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Format: Monster - Killing Blow
Otyugh - Fireball from Figueroth Faeth
Ochre Jellies - Fireball from Figueroth Faeth, Word of Radiance from Kristen Applebees
Gorgon - Sneak attack with arquebus from Riz Gukgak
Hydra - Attack with Fandrangor from Fabian Aramais Seacaster + Fire Breath from Hangman
Skeletons - Turn Undead from Kristen Applebees
Mimic - Green Flame Blade from Figueroth Faeth
Manticore - Banishment from Kristen Applebees
Shrimp Dragon - Hellish Rebuke from Figueroth Faeth
Roper - Sneak attack with arquebus from Riz Gukgak
Stirges - Spirit Guardians from Figueroth Faeth
Umber Hulk - Sneak attack with arquebus from Riz Gukgak
Wyvern - Spirit Guardians & Booming Blade from Figueroth Faeth
Crab Man - Attack with Fandrangor from Fabian Aramais Seacaster + Bite Attack from Hangman
Rust Monsters - Spirit Guardians from Figueroth Faeth, Erupting Earth from Adaine Abernant, Fire Breath from Hangman
Pentacorn - Green Flame Blade + Divine Smite from Figueroth Faeth
Purple Worm - Soloed by Gorgug Thistlespring
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Proctor Notes:
Party bard Figueroth Faeth used Disguise Self to assume form of proctor
Proctor attacked by Gorgon, not killed
Significant critical hits throughout combat from Gorgug Thistlespring.
Attendant Cleric Buddy Dawn was killed during the exam by unknown assailants; clarification on this event obtained post-exam and reported to the superintendent.
This party is on record as the first party to complete the Last Standard exam without perishing, thereby understanding Arthur Aguefort's intent for the assessment.
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*Reference files for evaluating adventuring party competency: AAA-BKQ-01-KVX, AAA-BKQ-02-CNK, AAA-BKQ-03-CNY
**This was awarded to Gorgug Thistlespring, for exemplary work as a triple-year artificer student, in addition to the junior year barbarian curriculum
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