#and one comparing characters from each different game/category

[chaosintheavenue]

Going to have sporadic internet access over the next few days, so I'm planning to absolutely crack on with survey data crunching >:)

[anim-ttrpgs]

Fairy Player Character Rules in Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy

Eureka has six playable "monster" types, and about ten total supernatural character options all together. Each supernatural trait is taken basically as if it is a normal trait like the ones you have been seeing us post. You cannot give a character more than one supernatural trait--and from what you are about to read, you probably wouldn't want to. Playing monsters is recommended for "advanced" players only, people who like a lot of "crunch" in their games, as require you to keep track of a lot more mechanics than playing a normal human.

Here is the Fairy Trait as it appears in its overhauled state which will be coming in the next release. The August itchio beta does not currently have these overhauled monster traits(though, you could just use this post as reference if you wanted to play with the overhauled fairy rules, we don't mind! They're much better rules and we want people to have the most fun possible!)

If you are reading this past about October 24th, then there is a good chance that the itchio beta actually has been updated to include these improved rules, fingers crossed!

Anyway here we go. This is going under a Read More because it's long as hell but we really hope that you will check it out and comment. This is, like, the whole entire ruleset for playing a fairy in Eureka.

Stay tuned for the overhauled Wolfman rules next week!

Fairy (Monster Trait) 

“Fairy” is a bit of a nebulous term, and has been used to describe all sorts of things which, thanks to modern fantasy literature, are now strictly sorted into all sorts of distinct categories such as elf, goblin, dwarf, fairy, pixie, etc. in our culture, when in the past when such legends were told, many of these words were just different regional names for the same or similar phenomenon in Northern Europe and the British Isles. Mysterious beings outside of normal society—and who may have an entirely separate society of their own—who live by a bizarre set of rules and are as likely to grant a boon as steal one’s child.

What a fairy can actually do is similarly often nebulous, though there are a small handful of through-lines which we extrapolate from. The modern categorization that most people would probably use for the fairy being described by these rules is “elf.” Pointed ears, magic powers, and a sense of superiority.

A fairy investigator could be born and raised as a fairy by fairies, or they may have been raised by humans as a changeling.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Unlike with the Changeling Trait, a character with the Fairy Trait is a respectable, fully capable fairy regardless of their origin. That does not mean, however, that they cannot fall into disgrace by means other than the circumstances of their birth.

The Fairy rules tackle some very different themes compared to most of the other supernatural character options, but, mechanically, certainly don’t fit anywhere but the Monster category.

A lot of a fairy’s powers hinge on them knowing someone’s “full true name.” What exactly is meant by a person’s “full true name” is a matter of discussion between player and Narrator, but as a general guideline, if a person is named Jeremy Matthew Jones IV, then “Jeremy Matthew Jones IV” is needed, and just “Jeremy Jones” or “Jeremy M. Jones” won’t be enough. Nicknames also do not generally count. A fairy cannot make their magic work by just guessing a person’s true name, they have to know the name with certainty. 

Spiriting Away

Sometimes, a fairy wants someone to just go away forever, and they do.

So long as the fairy is not debilitated by a weakness, can see and is within 5 feet of the target, and knows the target’s full true name[1], at the fairy’s whim the target appears to simply pop out of existence, or at least out of this existence. If done while time is being measured in Turns, this takes one Movement. This can be done without the fairy knowing the full true name of the target, but under these circumstances, the fairy must make voluntary skin-to-skin contact with the target.[3] There are a number of explanations and possibilities as to what happens to them or where they go,[2] but for the purposes of gameplay, it does not matter, because the ‘camera’ of the story will never follow them there. They are out of the Scene, and potentially out of the adventure entirely. There will be no Scenes exploring the fate of a spirited away character. 

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] What exactly is meant by a person’s “full true name” is a matter of discussion between player and Narrator.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] They may be transported to a sort of “pocket dimension,” transported to the “fairy world” if such a thing even exists, still technically present but unable to interact with the rest of reality, or perhaps all or none of the above. It depends on the whim of the fairy - and they may not even know!

[2.1. Off to the side in the final formatting] A thorough explanation of fairy society and where they come from would be far beyond the scope of an investigative TTRPG, any fairy’ll tell you that. 

[3 off to the side in the final formatting] “Voluntary” means that the target knowingly accepts the physical contact and does not do anything to resist it, or initiates physical contact themselves voluntarily. They do not have to be aware that the fairy is a fairy or that the fairy intends to spirit them away.

Spiriting Back

It is much easier to send someone away than to bring them back.[1] To return someone they have spirited away, when not debilitated by a weakness, the fairy must make a full Success on a Nature, Paperwork, Blacked Out, or Senses roll. Each Skill can only be used to attempt this once per fairy per victim, and each attempt costs the fairy 1 point of Composure. If another fairy knows both the full true name of the victim and the full true name of the fairy which spirited them away, they may do the same, but with a -2 modifier.[2] 

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] It’s possible that the fairy’s household may have changed the servant’s name to thwart efforts to retrieve them.

[2 off to the side in the final formatting] The return of a spirited away person does not need to happen at the same location where they were first spirited away.

Taking Names

When not debilitated by a weakness, a fairy can be “given” a mortal’s name voluntarily, though the mortal need not fully understand the situation coming to pass.[1][this sentence sucks help me rewrite it]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This could be anything from a formal signed contract detailing the transfer, to giving one’s full name in response to the simple request of “Can I have your name?” It is up to the fairy if they actually want to take the name or not. Voluntarily handing over a physical nametag could potentially count as well, if the nametag has the full true name.

A person whose name has been taken by a fairy will perpetually forget their own name, and will not respond to it when called by it. The fairy must take the full name of the victim for this to work, and a fairy will quickly become aware if they do not have the full name.[1] 

[1     off to the side in the final formatting] A fairy does not have to take possession of someone’s name to use name-based magic such as curses or spiriting away on them, they just have to know the name.

Write the person’s full true name in the fairy’s inventory. 

A fairy can relinquish a person’s name and return it to them at any time, from any place.

A fairy can also take possession of a person’s voice in the same way. If a voice has been taken, the person missing their voice will be unable to speak, and the fairy in possession of it will be able to speak in the taken voice at will.

Using Names

So long as a person is missing their name, no name-related magics, such as curses or a fairy’s spiriting away, will be able to affect them. These magics will instead affect the fairy in possession of the name.

Spiriting away has no effect on a fairy regardless of the name.

If a curse is put on a fairy through any of the names in their possession, they may instantly transfer the curse to any name they possess, and send that name back to the original owner, along with the curse.

A fairy can *truthfully* answer with any name in their possession when asked their name.

The Gentry

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies have a +3 Base bonus to Wealth. Their Wealth Skill Rating and any Wealth bonus they get from any other Traits will also always be considered Base. While this means that Composure will cap their Wealth Skill checks during the adventure, it will not cap their Wealth Skill during the Wealth Point Roll in character creation.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Some kind of joke about exchange rates. 

Fairies also seem to be able to pull things out of the most unlikely of locations sometimes. Add +2 to the Property Modifier of any home or vehicle owned by the fairy.

A backpack, purse, duffle bag, or similar personal storage device given to a fairy at character creation at a WP cost of 2 will be a little bit bigger on the inside than it looks like on the outside, and can be used to roll Wealth for items just as a home or vehicle could, with a Property Modifier of -3.[1][2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This already accounts for their +2 Property Modifier bonus. It would be -5 otherwise.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] Maybe they could even cram a person in there with a bit of effort. If the fairy does try to cram an unwilling person into their purse or whatever, consider this to require a successful Hold. Regardless of compliance, this will deal 2 Superficial Damage.

Glamor

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies appear supernaturally attractive and supernaturally well-groomed at just about all times. They have a +2 Base bonus to all Interpersonal Skills except Social Cues and Threaten.

A Keen Interest

Fairies gain +1 Investigation Point for any Investigative Roll that involves asking or otherwise inquiring about someone’s family history or personal identity.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] “Personal identity as in how a person would identify and think of themselves. This would not apply to a fairy asking “Who is the killer?”

Weather Affect

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies can exert very minor influence over the weather in a localized region of about a mile radius around them for the duration of a Scene. They could not turn a hurricane into a sunny day, but they could turn a storm into a drizzle, a drizzle into a cloudy day (or vice versa). They could raise or lower the temperature by about ten degrees Fahrenheit, cause the fog to thicken or dissipate, part the clouds to allow sunlight or moonlight through, or help block it out, etc. 

With use of a Eureka! Point, the fairy can change the weather much more drastically, such as summoning a violent rainstorm out of nowhere, initiating a snap freeze or sudden thaw, or parting the clouds during a hurricane. 

With use of a Eureka! Point,[1] a fairy can extend the duration of the weather change to last for the whole day, and one day per Eureka! Point after. 

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] This is a separate Eureka! Point usage from the above option of making the weather change more drastically, though they can be combined to make the drastically changed weather last longer. 

Poltergeist Activity

When not debilitated by a weakness, fairies have the ability to exert “poltergeist activity” in their general vicinity, such as within their line of sight or the building[1] they are in. This ability essentially causes chaos and unexplainable accidents. Equipment malfunctions, food mysteriously spoils, objects fall over or off shelves, people trip and drop things, unidentifiable banging may be heard, etc.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] The wing or floor of the building they are in, if it is an exceptionally large building.

For each use of this ability, the Narrator rolls 3 hidden D6s. For each 4 or above, something advantageous to the fairy will happen, and for each 3 or below, something disadvantageous or at best unhelpful to the fairy will happen. When deciding what happens, use the same logic as Woo Rolls. Whatever is the most obvious thing to happen happens.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Beware, use of this ability can have catastrophic consequences in places where people’s lives rely on the proper functioning of sensitive equipment or strict safety regulations, such as hospitals or construction sites.

Curses

So long as they are not debilitated by a weakness, by speaking the intended target’s full true name,[1][2] a fairy can place a terrible curse on an unsuspecting victim from anywhere in the world.

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] This must be done with intent to curse, it doesn’t just happen every time the fairy says someone’s name.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] What exactly is meant by a person’s “full true name” is a matter of discussion between player and Narrator.

Casting a curse requires a supernatural ability Composure roll.

Casting a curse takes one Movement. The curse takes effect immediately, and will last for 14 days by default before wearing off completely. As the curse is cast, roll 1D12+1+[Relevant Skill]. Which Skill is used will vary depending on the curse. The result is the number of days by which the fairy may extend or reduce the curse's duration. If the result is a negative number, reduce the fairy’s Composure by the same amount. A fairy may use the Focus Eureka! Point ability to add an additional 1D12 to this roll and drop the lowest die.

If a curse is reduced to a duration of “0 days,” it will only take effect for the duration of a single Scene. 

Fairies may place curses upon themselves if they so desire. 

A second curse placed upon the same target will extend its duration, but only the effect of one type of curse can apply at once.

Effects of Fairy Curses

Each curse has a different Skill associated with it. 

Curse of Transformation

This curse uses the Nature Skill. The target will be spontaneously transformed into an animal of the fairy’s preference.[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Their clothes don’t transform with them.

The fairy must make a Full Success on a Nature roll to choose an animal that is not on the following list.

Cat

Frog

Mouse

Newt

Pig

Rat

Toad

Wolf[1]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] For the stats of a wolf, see p.xx “Werewolf”. The rest of these do not have official stats, but we expect you to be able to figure out what they would be good and bad at.

The target will maintain a functional degree of human intelligence while in this form, at least for some time. Once their human mind is lost, the curse cannot be removed, and will never revert after any amount of time. The curse will also never revert if the target dies while transformed.

For an NPC, the Narrator rolls a hidden 1D6+3. This is how many days the target will retain their humanity.

For an investigator, the Narrator rolls a hidden 1D6. After this number of days, if the transformed investigator ever reaches 0 Composure, their humanity will be lost.

Curse of Reduction

This curse uses the Visual Calculus Skill. The target will be spontaneously reduced to between 5% and 10% of their original size.[1][2]

[1 off to the side in the final formatting] Their clothes and items may or may not shrink with them, at the caster’s preference.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] For a 72” person, that would be between 3.6” and 7.2”.

If the target dies while shrunken, the curse will never revert.

Curse of Petrification

This curse uses the Chemistry Skill. The target, including their clothes, will be spontaneously turned to stone. At the preference of the caster, they may or may not retain awareness of their surroundings. If kept aware, they will lose 2 Composure per day, and if unaware, 1 Composure per day, until they are effectively dead, at which point the curse cannot be reverted.[1] If the curse is reverted, either by it wearing off before the point of no return, or being broken, any damage the target sustained as a statue will immediately take effect. For example, chips in their stone body become lacerations in their living body. If an arm was broken off of the statue, their arm is now severed. If the statue suffers fatal damage, the curse will not be able to be reverted. If unaware, then reverting the curse will feel like waking up from a long and restless sleep. The target does not need to eat or sleep so long as they are petrified.

[1 off to the ads in the final formatting] For NPCs, consider them to have 1D6+1 Composure to lose before it starts to eat into their Superficial HP.

Curse of Slumber

This curse uses the Medicine Skill. The next time they fall asleep, the victim will fall into a coma-like state for the duration of the curse. The target will lose 1 Composure per day until the curse either reverts or they die.[1] Unlike with petrification, the body must breathe and be fed during this time.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] For NPCs, consider them to have 1D6+1 Composure to lose before it starts to eat into their Superficial HP.

Curse of Death

This curse uses the Blacked Out Skill. The target begins to take 2 Superficial Damage each day for the duration of the curse or until they die, and will be unable to regain HP or Composure through sleep. In addition, apply a -3 modifier to all their rolls.

Breaking a Curse

There are a number of ways for a fairy to break a curse. If the ailment is not immediately identifiable as a curse, a Full Success on any Knowledge Skill check by a fairy will positively identify whether it is or not. 

The death of the curse’s caster will not remove the curse, and fairies cannot simply lift their own curses at will. 

To lift any curse, the fairy must know the full true name of the victim, and must make a Full Success on a Nature, Paperwork, Blacked Out, or Senses roll with a -2 modifier. Each Skill can only be used to attempt this once per fairy per curse, and each attempt costs the fairy 1 point of Composure.

True Love’s Kiss

A kiss can sometimes be all it takes to lift a curse, and it doesn’t even have to be a kiss from a fairy. The Narrator rolls a hidden D6 once the victim has been kissed. On a 7, the curse will be broken by the kiss. If it fails, another kiss from the same person will not work either.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting.] Morgie’s kisses always lift curses.

Add +1 to the roll if the kisser truly loves the victim.

Add +1 to the roll if the kisser is female.

Add +1 to the roll if the kisser is of noble or royal lineage, or is a fairy.

Mage Power

Every fairy has one Mage Power by default. A fairy may have any number of additional Mage Powers, but for each additional Mage Power, increase the number of Investigation Points required for the fairy to gain a Eureka! Point by one.

Fairies can only make use of these powers when not debilitated by a weakness.

Misc. Fairy Features

Every fairy character must have one or more of the following features.[1][2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] The expectations placed upon a fairy has affected them, whether directly or through rebellion.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] In many cases “what happens to fairies who aren’t cut out for the thing they’re prescribed at birth” and “why is this fairy hanging out with a bunch of humans” have the same answer. Other times, fairies just might want to unwind in a world where the stakes are lower and their riches higher.

[2.1. Off to the side in the final formatting] It’s only humans.

Pointed Ears

It is said that fairies with pointed ears are always eavesdropping on others’ conversations and internalizing their secrets, but who isn’t? This is the most common feature among all fairies.+2 Contextual bonus to Senses rolls involving hearing.[1]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] These ears are articulate, and their position will often betray a fairy’s mood.

Antlers/Horns

It is said that fairies with antlers or horns are stubborn to a fault and should never be trusted with nuanced decision making, but are very fit for positions of authority.

The fairy is considered to be wearing a helmet when struck with bludgeoning weapons.

Irregularly Shaped Pupils

Some say that fairies with eyes like these eyes can gain very brief glimpses into the immediate future. That’s not how it works, but there is something going on. The fairy has a +1 Contextual bonus to Reflexes and Visual Calculus.

Tapetum Lucidum

The fairy’s eyes will reflect light and appear to shine in darkness. They are not affected by low-light conditions, unless the environment is completely lightless.

Unusual Number of Teeth

Fairies with unusual rows of teeth are thought to be liars.

Glowing Skin

At all times, the fairy’s skin emits a very faint glow and may even sparkle.[1] Apply a -2 penalty to Stealth in any darkened area. At will, the fairy may intensify this glow enough to dimly light a dark room.[2]

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] This may be colored or white light.

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] It’s said that these fairies always want to be the center of attention, but what fairy doesn’t?

Furry Legs and Hooves

The fairy’s legs are more like those of a goat or deer than a human’s. Any sort of kick from these hooves can deal Penetrative Damage. Fairies born with these qualities are thought to grow up to be sexual deviants.

Wings

The fairy has large insect-like wings on their back, such as resembling a butterfly or dragonfly. So long as these wings are uncovered, the fairy may fly and hover freely, in such a way that does not seem to actually be directly related to the intensity by of the wing beats, as long as they are able to spread out and flap.[1] When flying, the fairy has +5 Acceleration. 

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] Fairies with wings such as these are thought to be flaky and noncommittal.

Marked Skin

The fairy has elaborate markings across at least a third of the surface area of their entire body, which could be passed off as regular tattoos to the untrained eye. Add +1 to all Composure rolls made by the fairy for non-skill supernatural ability usage. 

Short Temper, Long Grudges (Fairy True Nature)

Fairies are able to regain Composure Points from restful sleep, and will take Flat Composure Damage if they do not sleep. Fairies will take Flat Composure Damage as normal for skipping meals, but do not regain Composure Points for eating three meals a day. 

Fairies are known for their short tempers, long grudges, and difficulty letting things slide. Fairies must have “Disrespect” at some rank on their Tiers of Fear.[2] This Composure roll is made when the fairy is slighted, insulted, intruded upon, ignored, or otherwise disrespected by others, whether disrespect was the intent or not.[1] If the one disrespecting the fairy is a changeling, always consider this an exacerbating factor.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] A fairy might even consider accidental disrespect to be worse. To think that they weren’t even thinking about how rude that would come off…

[2. Off to the side in the final formatting] Lying to a fairy, expecting them to lie, or accusing them of lying, is considered disrespectful. In this case, make it a Lying Composure Roll (see below), but all the same rules regarding Composure loss and restoration apply.

Keep track of how much Composure was lost as a result of a Disrespect Composure roll. If at any point the fairy enacts disproportionate revenge upon the person who slighted them, then this revenge will restore the amount of Composure that was lost +1. If the act of revenge results in permanent or otherwise life-altering consequences for the victim, then the revenge will restore double the amount of Composure that was lost.

Trickster 

Pranking, humiliating, or otherwise “whimsically” exerting power over mortals will also restore a fairy’s Composure.[1] If the effects are temporary, this restores 1 Composure. If the effects are permanent or otherwise life-altering, this restores 2 Composure. Double these values if the target is a changeling.

[1. Off to the side in the final formatting] How well can a fairy establish a relationship with someone they have been raised to look down on so pointedly?

Exchange

Where fairies come from, nothing is given freely, and if no one else is going to name the price, they will. Fairies must have “Debt Discrepancy” somewhere on their Tiers of Fear.

If a fairy accepts aid, or accepts something given, they must provide something in exchange, or else they must make this Composure roll. If the other party does not name a price, then anything will do, even a smile.

If the fairy’s aid or possessions are accepted or taken by another person, and the other party does not name a price, the fairy must decide upon something that they are owed, and do everything in their power to ensure that this price is paid, or else they must make this Composure roll. The fairy also has a +1 Contextual bonus to any Skill check which will directly result in collecting on this debt. The price they name may be anywhere from something as inconsequential as a single penny, to eternal servitude.

Honest to a Fault (Fairy Weakness)

Segue? 

Lived Under a Rock, or Maybe a Mushroom

Whether the “fairy world” is actually real or not, fairies certainly seem to come from a different world. Fairies have a -1 penalty to all Investigative Rolls using Knowledge Skills.

Cannot Lie

Fairies must have “Lying” somewhere on their Tiers of Fear. If a fairy tells a lie, they must make this Composure roll, but lies of omission or statements that are technically true but phrased in a misleading way do not count. Additionally, if a fairy learns that they have been lied to, or otherwise does not believe what they are told, they make this Composure roll.

Fairies have a -2 penalty to Social Cues.

Iron

Iron, and alloys of iron, will irritate a fairy’s skin on contact, often causing an itchy rash.

Iron, but not steel or other alloys, will also render a fairy powerless so long as it is in physical contact with their body, giving them a -2 to all rolls, and debilitating them. This will not undo any curses or spiriting aways that have already been enacted.

Their Own Name

A fairy’s full true name is perhaps their greatest weakness. If a fairy’s full true name is spoken to them with intent, the fairy will be debilitated for the remainder of the Scene. This must be the fairy’s own name, not one they have taken from someone else. This will break any ongoing curses by the fairy that have not already become permanent, but will not return any spirited away people.

[capitalisticveins]

Lots of Headcanons #4

FOOOOOOR the loooovely @vind3miat0r :3

sorry if it's taking a while to pump these out, the hardest ones to do are the ones where they ask for character's I've already done, BUT I' still doing each character yall ask for!!!

Nevy you might get urs next I'm not sure yet

Azmidi

He tends to keep a more “fearful” and creepy human form so it’s easier for him to feed passively, but when he’s alone with Sweetie he uses the form he’s more comfortable with…which is only slightly less creepy.

He finds creepypastas boring and unoriginal

Can’t bake nor cook but he also doesn’t like the taste of food made from magic, so he’s been learning to cook while Sweetie teaches him.

Sweetie’s an author who’s very into the 18+ category.

Azmidi doesn’t spend a lot of time on Elegy, when he’s on it he’s either feeding or spending time with Sweetie, rarely is he on it for a different reason.

Is in deep shit with the Department because Sweetie’s unempowered, hasn’t been through the classes teaching them about the Magical World, and because DUMP doesn’t approve of his ways of feeding.

DUMP doesn’t know Sweetie’s identity, they just know Azmidi revealed the empowered world to an unempowered person illegally and they can’t find who. He’s evaded arrest so many times at this point it’s insane.

Vincent

There’s a lottt of conspiracies, podcast episodes, and horror stories about his disappearance on The Surge. Some have gotten close to what happened to him but his favorite theory is when someone said the FBI probably orchestrated the incident as a way to put him into witness protection, and everyone who died were criminals on Death Row who were used as collateral damage.

If someone's close to figuring out what happened to him at The Surge incident, he'll make a comment saying "We're gonna have to take you out for this."

Sucks ass at Mario games it’s so sad watching him play.

Not an astronomy geek like Elliott but one of his favorite past times when he lived in New Mexico was looking at the constellations. He can’t name a single one but he thought they looked pretty.

They’re still slightly visible in Dahlia but not nearly as much as in New Mexico.

He only went to Wonderworld as a part of the trip he and his friends went on, so he was never really used to the huge population of California compared to New Mexico until a WHILE after he was turned.

Is weirdly good at most aspects of math and loves showing off whenever he can. Lovely finds it cute and purposefully asks him questions regarding math because of it.

[jade-gemstone]

Danganronpa Ultimate Categorization

Welcome back to another episode of: Jade is a nerd about something absolutely useless! Today's topic: Talent classification in Danganronpa/Fangans.

In the process of making my own fangan/s, I've created a classification system for the types of talents you can give characters. These classifications are...

Arts: Talents that are involved in the visual arts, performing arts, or fashion. Encompasses performers of all types, any type of visual artist, or anyone involved in fashion. (Ex. Actor, Abstract Artist, Model)

Practical: Talents that focus on a specialized skill or work with your hands. Also includes any talents that are religious or spiritual in nature. (Ex. Mechanical Engineer, Detective, Shrine Maiden)

Academic: Talents that are recognized by how much knowledge or experience a character has in an academic field. Covers most science, literature, math, and research based talents. (Ex. Chemist, Theologian, Archaeologist)

Sports: Talents relating to athletic skill. (Ex. Footballer, Kickboxer, Bowler)

Novelty: Talents given to a person who is special simply by existing. Can also be given to characters who win a contest for their talent. Includes Lucky/Unlucky Students, royalty, and non-human characters. (Ex. Lucky Student, Student, Princess)

This system of classification was based on my experience in the community over about three or four years, seeing many other people's original characters as well as creating my own. I found many fell into these categories. My "perfect" ratio, which my friends and I used as a guideline for making our fangan casts, is 4 arts : 4 practical : 4 academic : 2 sports: 2 novelty. I felt this ratio kept things even and grounded.

A few months ago, I began to wonder if my "perfect" ratio was more of my own creation than an actual pattern I saw. I thought, in the event it was, that I would come up with a mathematically accurate ratio that better represented the talent distribution of Danganronpa and its fan projects. This was my attempt at doing just that.

Data Collection

For this, I tried to collect as varied of a sample as possible. I included the three mainline Danganronpa games and sixteen fangans, ranging from very popular ones to very obscure ones. The fangans sampled for this analysis were...

Danganronpa Another

Super Danganronpa Another 2

Danganronpa Despair Time

Brave Danganronpa Coward's Paradise

Project Eden's Garden

Danganronpa He(art)less Deceit

Danganronpa Hushed Whispers

Danganronpa Muave

Danganronpa Despair's Revival

Danganronpa Re:Birth

Danganronpa Twisted Truths

Danganronpa Survivor's Guilt

Danganronpa Despair's Flame (my fangan! also the one where the talent ratio originated)

Danganronpa Cyberspace

Danganronpa Akeda Amusements

Danganronpa Lost Paradise (my other fangan that isn't released anywhere but I'm counting anyway)

I figured out the talent ratio for each individual game by looking through their casts and sorting them with my classification system. Ultimate ???'s were thrown out if possible (such as in the case of Akeda Amusements, where Hanari was thrown out due to the fangan having seventeen participants) and if not, they were counted as novelty.

Also, shout out to Yuki Maeda and Teruya Ōtori for managing to count for two different data sets despite my best efforts at finagling a way to keep them confined to one.

Observations

The first thing I noticed in looking at the ratios for canon Danganronpa was that Academic ultimates are underrepresented compared to what I initially remembered. It had been a while since I revisited the mainline games, and it was a shock to be reminded of that. I was also reminded, but not quite as shocked by the greater emphasis on practical ultimates.

In fangans, the focus on practical ultimates continues to be heavy, with none having less than two. There was also less focus on sports ultimates, with the majority having only one or two compared to the three that the mainline games had a majority of the time. They also tend to have more academic ultimates.

I think that this could be explained by looking at the types of people who make fangans. The majority of people I know who make fangans have very particular knowledge about certain fields due to experience or heavy research, and more often than not these fields do not include sports. They are more likely to make characters based on their experiences and knowledge that they can then insert into the story to make it seem more authentic.

I also, unsurprisingly, found that my "perfect" ratio was not reflected in many of the fangans I looked at. There was only one besides my own that followed that ratio.

Now, if my "perfect" ratio is not the mathematically perfect ratio, then what is?

According to the data collected for the canon games, this is.

This just so happens to also be the ratio for Trigger Happy Havoc.

According to the data collected from the fangans, this is the perfect ratio.

The only fangan that followed this ratio exactly was Akeda Amusements. V3 also had this distribution.

When considering both mainline and fan made games, the perfect ratio was this.

Ironically, not a single mainline game or fan game followed this ratio.

Out of curiosity, I also calculated the standard deviation for each data set.

Canon Danganronpa has little to no variation, conveying that talent ratios are quite consistent between games. The biggest variation would be in the novelty category, making sense as V3 scaled down the amount of novelty ultimates compared to the other two games.

The fangans are shown to have a much larger variation. Though I can't be surprised by this, as perhaps it is an unfair comparison. The mainline Danganronpa games were written by mostly the same team and had less to sample from, while the fangans have not only a larger sample size in which to deviate, but many different writers that think differently about talent distribution.

Final Thoughts

In putting this all together, I found that my classification system, while not perfect in any sense of the word, has some validity to it. If I wanted to, I could definitely make some improvements to it (especially in distinguishing between certain academic and practical fields from novelty), but as of now it works perfectly fine as an aide in cast creation for me.

My ratio is also not perfect, which was an expected outcome. Really none of the ratios I found are perfect, with none of them representing more than one or two of any mainline or fan made game. While ratios like the ones I found can be good for making sure you have a balanced distribution of talents, they aren't required to make a good cast. Personally, I'll continue using my personal "perfect" ratio as a baseline for any cast I make in the future.

I also had a lot of fun making this, and hope I can find a way to make more posts like this in the future. Thank you for reading this.

[semi-imaginary-place]

Taash's story is fine it's gamers that are the problem

Taash's mom is one of the best things in the game. Shathann is very immigrant parent in how hardworking no-nonsense she is because she knows she has to hold things together even at personal sacrifice which ironically also makes her a mildly dysfunctional parent unable to connect with Taash's struggles who by comparison seems to have it easy from her perspective. Extremely hardworking tough love tries to take care of her kid but also doesn't quite get it. I am reminded of chef Priya Krishna's reflections on her on her own childhood and immigrant parents. Her picking up preorders from an under the table bakery operating out of someone's average suburban house, to her wanting to go to summer camp like all the other kids but her parents didn't quite get it and sent her to debate camp. They are all trying very hard and it's very real.

My only real complaint with Taash's story is that they had to choose between Qunari and Rivani culture in a story that is otherwise about defying boundaries and binaries. I get that it's a formula and all the companions get a 2 fork choice but it's just thematically inconsistent for taash. (Griffons to forest or wardens, harding normal or titan, emmrich lich or manfred, neve kingpin or detective agency). Immigrant culture is totally a thing, we wouldn't have cioppino without Italian immigrants in San Francisco. We could have had bomb Qunari-Rivani fusion food is Bioware weren't cowards.

You'll have to go digging in old forums but compare the fan reactions of Morrigan, Sera, and Taash who all arguably fall into the category of "baby of the party" at about 20 years old. All 3 are offensive, immature, blunt, and rude. Which is why I personally dislike all 3 (they are well written characters but we would not get along). Morrigan is 18-20 in origins despite sounding and looking 35 but she sure does act like a surly teenager. And huh who else acts like a surly teenager? Taash. And it's very telling that one is a fan favorite, and one is reviled by the fandom for doing the same thing minus the personal attraction. (Morrigan was always insufferable, blunt, rude, condescending and immature. But she was attractive to a lot of players so suddenly all those things were excusable.) The hate for Taash really does sound like paper thin excuses, the few who talk about legitimate reasons get drowned out by the most pustulous outrage I have ever seen.

So much outrage at Taash being nonbinary, wow we do live in the transphobia age. Tassh's story is a very direct and straightforward queer narrative so I can understand why people might find it too in your face. However I was rewatching all of Dragon Age, and Dragon Age was always like this. People didn't nearly have this many problems with Krem and his transness is just as direct as Taash's. There's several dialogue options the Inquisitor has with him and Bull asking what Krem's deal is and each time the game reaffirms Krem is a real man. So Dragon Age hasn't changed it's that gamers have somehow gotten even more transphobic and vile. Dorian's story was in large part about the stigma of being openly gay and the pain of his father trying to change him with blood magic conversion therapy. You don't get more overtly in your face stories about being queer than that.

If you want incidental background transness, Marveris is right there or even Rook and neither of their story arcs are about being transgender. Dragon Age is filled with characters that are incidenally queer. Zevran's story isn't about how he's had sex with men and women alike, it's about trust and love and betrayal, and he's also had sex with men and women alike. Leiliana, Josephine, The Iron Bull and like every other queer character in Dragon Age has stories that do not center around their queerness, Dorian and Taash are the exceptions. Dragon Age is a story with multiple trans characters presenting different aspects of the trans experience from questioning and defining identity to just living it, and I love to see it. People need to get over themselves, your life experiences are not universal, people different from you exist and their stories are just as worthy of being told.

it's really just that anti-woke anti-dei culture has infected (long infected) gamers. That the subject has become so sensitive and politicized that even touching it is setting off a powder keg. it's like their activation code to be as angry and hateful as possible. All this used to be a non issue or less a rage/hate button. And on the left everyone is so touchy about it that everyone has a perfect version in their heads that caters to their preferences and so everyone else's version is false and wrong and a personal attack somehow. This is a known and common problem for any (usually small indie projects) that have minority characters. And everything queer is demonized for being imperfect (yeah yeah this is coming from the person constantly complaining). I don't even like Taash as a person but they aren't the problem here. (I dont like most characters in general in any series, Taash aint special. I don't like Sera or Vivianne or *shudders* Oghren or Cullen or Blackwell or Morrigan or most of the DA2 cast I dont even like fan favorite Alistair im like a neutral on him)

Edit: the Isabela push up scene was awkward, Taash's storyline is far from perfect. My point isn't that their story is good (it's not), it's that the companion quests are mediocre but disproportionately hated (people really treat it like the worst thing ever made and it isn't) because of transphobia. The purpose of the push-up scene is to show that people mess up and that's ok as long as you tried. Changes are difficult and sometimes you mess up. But putting in a tiny bit of effort for the things that are important to other people (not just you) is worth it. You make a mistake, you try to do right by the person and try again next time. It's real simple and yet people still don't get it even when the message is spoon fed to them. The writers made this the simplest easiest to follow message in the series and people are doing olympic gymnastic routines to avoid the message. Let me be clear that this isn't innocent naivete, it's malice. Today I watched a youtube video (sadly pretty good otherwise) that was mad of woke gender nonsense getting in the way of him gooning over a big qunari woman. Maliciously and deliberately ignoring that one of the points to Taash's character is that they aren't a women. Weak ass mfs can't accept that being attracted to Taash means they aren't straight. When people use the wrong pronouns for Taash after their story arc or erasure their nonbinary identity, it's deliberate malice and blatant transphobia. Refusing to acknowledge when people aren't women (transmen, nb) because they "look woman enough" (wild for very masc folk). But a transwoman is not a woman no matter how feminine she looks. It's just transphobia, the excuses change to whatever is needed to continue being transphobic.

[redrage71890]

TWST Cards: Who's the strongest and weakest first year? (Nov 2024)

Lets not talk about the lore for a bit, I'm gonna go on a tangent on the states of the cards because why not. I don't see anyone else doing it.

For the record I'm gonna calculate the minimum level and the maximum level separately and I'll put the ranks of all the characters in different categories based on the states.

Is this necessary?

No.

Unless it makes people build better teams (especially with book 6 bc good fuck why is this so hard)

Also I will do the same thing with the second and third years, and I won't involve the special SSR cards with Crewel, Crowley, Rollo, Fellow and Gidel and Grim.

If you need a refresher on the types of cards in the game, we have three types which are pretty easy to remember: - Attack = Higher power states - Defence = Higher HP states - Balanced = Around similar numbers for power and HP

So here is the graph I did on how many types each of the first years have concerning their SSR cards.

Weirdly looking at this, the card types are quite in character in my opinion. Seeing that Sebek is a more offensive character compared to the others. Jack and Ace have more balanced cards which I think says how these two handle magic. All the while Deuce and Epel have the most defensive cards which I headcanon that Trey and Cater and Vil helped the two with their magic.

By the way I really did look at all the states of all of the first year's SSR cards cause I'M HERE TO TELL YOU WHICH ONES ARE THE BEST OBJECTIVELY FROM THEIR ATTACK AND HEALTH NUMBERS.

Just to prove I did look at all the cards (so far), here's my excel sheet tables!

WHOS GOT THE MOST HEALTH IN EACH CARD KIND HERE? (P.S these are based on the base states at level 1)

Dorm Uniform = Epel Birthday Boy = Ace Birthday Jacket = Jack Birthday Bloom = Jack Platinum Jacket = Ace Unique SSR = Sebek (New Year's Attire) Club Wear = Deuce

WHOS GOT THE MOST ATTACK POWER IN EACH CARD HERE?

Dorm Uniform = Jack Birthday Boy = Deuce Birthday Jacket = Sebek Birthday Bloom = Ace Platinum Jacket = Sebek Unique SSR = Ace (Suitor Suit) and Sebek (Armor of Eternal Night) Club Wear = Ace

By the way I didn't include the new Cozy Lounge cards bc literally only Jamil, Ace, Jack, Trey, Floyd and Jade have gotten the cards so far.

Also the most powerful cards for each character:

Ace = Basketball Jersey Deuce = Rabbit Costume Jack = Dorm Uniform Epel = Applepom Sebek = Platinum Jacket

The cards with the most health for each character:

Ace = Platinum Jacket Deuce = Birthday Bloom Jack = Birthday Bloom Epel = Birthday Jacket Sebek = New Year's Attire

So if anyone was curious about this, then here you go! This was just interesting to me but hey there's still the second and third years to do and I might do the SR cards.

[bucketofindigo]

i treat my art like a science. in my research, i find you can classify rubberhose rather simply. unlike puppets, which have their own six-tiered classification system, you can generally classify rubberhose in three categories: colorscale, type, and studio.

colorscale: the overall presentation of the toon. they generally are either monoscale (often black-and-white) or technicolor, though some are considered to be "repainted" cartoons, meaning they gained color later on. examples of such toons include Mickey Mouse and to some extent the original Looney Tunes.

type: how much of their world is meant to reflect society at the time?

natural creates its own world to thrive in, usually has a clear class order and borrows references to culture mostly for jokes or puns, whether they're verbally written or visually displayed. (ex. Silly Symphonies)

synthetic borrows more from reality and applies plenty of elements of modern society in order to parody it while simultaneously treating its characters more as equals in given scenarios. (Looney Tunes)

studio: the specific animation production company that represents the toon

as you can imagine, the most effective element in their categorization is in their type. when narrative is applied to one specific type or the other, they take on distinctive characteristics. some rubberologists claim that rubberhose toons need to have their own classification system based on narratives, while others argue that some have become too dynamic for that sort of distinction. curiously, there has been a noticeable correlation between a toon's colorscaling and their dynamicism within narratives, namely in repainted toons. as they're the ones that have been through the most change in their portrayal, it stands to assume that they would adapt to narratives better than most.

the easiest way to figure out a toon's type is by looking at how they and their narratives operate. a natural rubberhose toon typically has its own distinct worldbuilding with a fable-based narrative that serves a lesson. meanwhile, a synthetic toon aims more to build on reality while also having an emotional-based narrative that serves parody and satire.

this is not to say toons cannot interact with other rubberhose types depending on their classifications, or even borrow small elements from each other. although they're definitely limited in what they do and what they can borrow depending on their types, all rubberhose toons have a tendency to adapt well to any portrayal. in theory, this is because synthetic characters will break character and overall reality "only when it's funny", and natural characters are just full of enough whimsy to get along with anybody. this element has been successfully achieved before, with the most famous example being the collision of worlds between Warner Brothers and Disney in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

interestingly enough, a more direct way of gaging the rubber type is by "updating" them, which basically means taking the character and giving them genuine real-world nuance. this, however, can lead to a drastic shift in the overall tone. synthetic rubberhose often goes rather dry compared to their original portrayals, as seen in shows like Tom&Jerry; there's often not that much music and scenes are portrayed more mundanely. it can even get noticeably cynical, as it removes any real cushioning of their narratives. natural rubberhose, on the contrary, develops a rather different personality. rather than dry, it gets self-referential and in plenty of cases morbid, as rubberhose physics are suddenly interpreted as actual violence. for example, in cases like the Mickey shorts and especially the Cuphead Show, there are moments of implied cannibalism made to look over-the-top and "cartoony", however with the way it's often handled, it comes off as disturbing overall in some element. (side note: this is one reason why Chef Saltbaker has yet to be adapted into the Cuphead Show, as his initial goal in the game is to consume your soul, so when placed next to certain moments in the show, you can quickly see how much care needs to be put into his portrayal first.) this also includes when you attempt to reapply rubberhose physics to synthetic cartoons, which for good reason tend to remove those physics. the most egregious example of this has been infamously featured in "Looney Tunes Cartoon"*, where in one instance, Elmer Fudd attempts to shoot Bugs like he did in past portrayals, but this ultimately leads to the character becoming rather gross and twisted. yes, this is unfortunately not the only disturbing thing featured in that show.

it is rather sad to see that this has affected their overall appearances, however not all hope is lost, as the recent film "The Day the Earth Blew Up" proves that rubberhose, when treated with the proper nuance while also taking on modern elements, can and will prevail in modern times to many adoring fans, even in the face of adversity.

*note: the original except said this scene was featured in "Wabbit!" however this is a misidentification and this was actually in "Looney Tunes Cartoon". with modern Looney Tunes., it is easy to mistake one portrayal for another, and it wouldn't be surprising if there was anything i had missed.

[piracysacrime]

|| heatwaves & heartaches: tropical oc ask game ||

“ 8 categories. 5 questions each. 40 prompts total. let your oc be asked a cocktail of questions: from bright and exciting like the sun to deep and mysterious like the sea. ”

|| tideborn roots — childhood ||

[🌎] : what did they believe the world would be like when they were younger? does their life compare to that fantasy now?

[🌺] : what memory do they romanticize more than it deserves? is the situation realistically as good as they remember (was the memory warped over time)?

[🌋] : was there a moment when they realized the people raising them were deeply flawed? how did they respond?

[🍃] : whats a sound, smell, or phrase that instantly pulls them back to childhood? is it a good pull back? how about a bad one?

[🌦️] : how was their childhood overall? was it healthy? did they like their caregivers?

|| washed-up wounds — emotions ||

[🌵] : how do they express anger? are they loud and vocal, or is there a quiet simmer beneath their skin?

[🐙] : is there something theyre afraid of becoming? do they know when something goes too far? are they able to easily come back?

[🎋] : is there something they regret doing to this day? how would they go about it if they had a second chance?

[🐍] : whats the worst thing or trait about them? what would they say vs. what others say?

[📿] : if they died right now, is there something they want to be known for? how about something they hope nobody remembers?

|| driftwood habits — quirks ||

[🎐] : whats a routine theyd fight someone over if it got disrupted? how long have they been doing said routine?

[🌬️] : whats a habit they picked up from someone else? do they do it purposefully or subconsciously?

[🍯] : do they have a weird food combo they secretly enjoy? if not, do they eat anything people think is strange?

[🦥] : is there an obsession or interest theyre into and can rant for hours about? do they talk to people about it?

[🦜] : is there a quirk or habit that mod reflects onto the character? what are some that didnt make the cut?

|| tangled vines — relationships ||

[🌸] : what do they crave from a lover but would never say out loud? is it a phrase? an action? why wouldnt they say it?

[🦩] : what kind of people do they naturally gravitate to? is it based on personality, looks, or how they speak?

[🐬] : do they make friends easily? if not, what does it take to become friends with someone?

[🛟] : is there someone in their life that they miss? if not, how about someone theyre glad is gone?

[🗿] : which relative do they resemble most (behavior, looks, personality)? is it a blessing or a curse?

|| seasalt skin — personality ||

[🥥] : whats the first impression they give off? do they care about first impressions?

[🧃] : how would a younger version of them view their current self? as a hero, a monster, a disappointment?

[🐒] : do they perform differently around authority, strangers, enemies, friends?

[🐚] : do they see themselves as a “good” person? why or why not? did they decide this themselves or with influence?

[🐡] : are they passive-aggressive, brutally honest, or conflict avoidant?

|| riptide echoes — beliefs ||

[🌊] : do they rationalize things with their head, their heart, or their gut? are they quick to react or need to pause first?

[🏄] : what is more important to them: the outcome of a situation, or the intent behind it?

[🪷] : whats their religion or belief? if theyre not spiritual, is there something they follow with deep devotion?

[🌪️] : is there anything that would make them betray their beliefs? what would it be? how quick would they drop the belief?

[🥝] : do they think people can change? is there someone in their life that influenced this opinion?

|| coral bloom — comfort ||

[🌼] : who do they trust to see them unguarded? how deep does it go, little vents or full mental breakdowns?

[🦋] : how do they behave when theyre sick or exhausted? do they allow themselves to be taken care of?

[🌈] : what kind of weather feels like “them"? do they feel most like themself in it, or do they just wish they did?

[🏝️] : how do they treat themselves? do they make it a whole day activity? where would they go?

[🫧] : what calms them in moments of panic? breathing, pacing, cold water, rituals? who taught them how to do it?

|| foamy waves — wildcard ||

[🍸] : they wake up to realize theyve forgotten their name. what name do they choose instead?

[🍓] : what flavor are they, metaphorically? something sweet, bitter, dirty? any specific foods they would taste like?

[🛟] : if they were put into any au right now, which one would mod choose for them?

[☀️] : what are they proudest of themselves about? something they said, how they once handled a situation?

[🦎] : is there an animal that best describes them? do they look similar or is it entirely based on their actions?

[a-chuffed-floating-panda]

wait, tell us abt ur lore?? anon just found out abt it

Thank you for asking me!:) … since you’re not specific about anything I will just use it as an excuse to ramble and try to be as comprehensive as I can 😅

Note before hand: I’ve written a footnote about this in Aliteoth and in the series notes for ‘Stories from people at ordinary temples’ and that is that I was originally writing on something in a completely different fandom (that being the Naruto fandom) I got an idea that almost tore the entire thing apart, but then I got the idea for this and I’ve been trying to bridge and glue everything. So there are ‘links’ in Aliteoth, people, places and certain skills, and other works to try to bridge over to that other work. Just to keep this in mind.

And: comparing it to the Yangchen novels, this is aggressively semi-canon.

The main storyline I’ve written, A love in the eye of the hurricane, is centered around Jamyang, Yangchen’s aunt. But it includes many other characters as well, Jaya and Gawa would be familiar names if you’ve read any of my stories featuring Yangchen. This fic is set in Avatar Szeto’s era.

‘That one time a pretty woman saved the day’ is a side story that accompanies, A love in the eye of the hurricane, and centers around Tsering, Jamyang’s caretaker. It’s set in the earlier years of Avatar Szeto’s era.

‘The stories of Elder Sonam,’ and all the works in that series are set in the aftermath of the previous Avatar’s death and the early, early Szeto period.

The idea of there existing multiple other temples, hidden from the world that practises different things is a strong head canon of mine that can be seen through all of my works.

There are three sub categories to these hidden temples: Mountain temples, ocean temples and illusion/temples that hide with the help of illusions

Gawa is from one of these ‘hidden’ temples. She’s from Taktsang, a temple at the Druk’s nest, one of four big islands that can be reached after flying a specific flight path for about two days. If deviated from the flight path, you won’t be able to reach the islands. The names of those islands are The Druk’s nest, The Red badgermole mountain, Ryeong’s caves and Lóngguī (Lóngguī has many names, that’s just one of them)

A traditional way of proposing around Taktsang is to find an orb in the colour of your lovers eyes. This follows the legend of Dorjee and Kunsang, where he professed his love to her by finding the a pearl in the exact colour of her eyes. That led to the creation of the lovers pass, which became a rite for lovers to go through and it’s essentially a trust fall off a cliff and you have to catch them before they reach the water below. This rite is marriage, in simple terms. It is believed that anyone who goes through with this will experience eternal love with that person.

Red pandas are seen as special creatures there

They speak Dzongkha at these temples and other various dialects of it, say Gawa, she speaks Dzongkha and Tshangla(dialect)

- - Idon’t know where else to put this, but I headcanon the Western temple to speak in the Amdo dialect and the Eastern on to speak in the Kham dialect. If one who speak Dzongkha and an air nomad meet they can understand each other to varying degrees; it depends if the person is well traveled or not- - added later: I almost completely forgot!! ‘The mysteries of the air nomads’ also add some worldbuilding and lore there, regarding language, names etc- -

Another strong headcanon is warrior monks and warrior nuns. They hide from the world to not make the others look bad, but in an air nomads pov, they’re quite common to see.

The southern and Western temples are more open and friendlier to them while the Eastern and Northern temples aren’t. They tend to look quite down on them and some believe them to be dangerous. (Just examples at the top of my head: I don’t remember the chapter of Aliteoth, but there was a monk at the Northern temple, a referee of a game of bison polo, who believed that Opame, a girl from another temple, somehow cheated at the game. The elusive wings of love ch1-2; the language and how they talk about them)

I guess a kinda fun thing about the Northern and Eastern temples is that they’re Gelug dominated and Je Tsongkhapa, the one who founded it, in this universe is from one of these hidden temples. Like the person they revere so highly is from a temple they look down on

And even then, not everyone one who is from a ‘warrior’ temple chooses to fight. They will learn how to use their weapons and condition their bodies and carry the obligatory katana in the bison saddle, but they will rarely use it.

The first examples that came to mind are Dronma and Sogen from Kushi temple, a mountain temple based in the fire nation mountains not that far from the Western temple. Dronma can wield the katana, but she rarely used it up until ‘Wrath of a mother.’ Sogen is an anomaly at Kushi, becoming a head priest as someone who doesn’t fight. He was gifted a tanto from his teacher and never had much use for it until the end of ‘the regrets of a monk’

On the topic of the mountain temples, those in the fire nation specifically, they are immensely distrustful to any nun or monk from the four big temples because of an incident that happened 600 years prior to the Aliteoth era. (Don’t quote me on that number just yet, I have many lists to look through and my brain is filled with smut ideas, but I’m very sure it is 600)

The Kushi temple was going to be experiencing a very special rebirth that the oracles declared to be the Buddha himself. This child was so spiritual and had such a strong connection to his past lives that he ended up being corrupted and lost his entire identity after Sogen unknowingly let a white lotus member into the temple, a monk from the Northern temple. This monk prodded at the child over the years, asked leading questions so the child would slip into a different life so he could to speak the child’s past lives, information he later fed back to the order.

When it was revealed, they left the temple believing that nothing in their entire life was theirs and it ended with almost the complete destruction of Kushi temple. After this, all the mountain temples shut their gates to anyone from the outside world, minor exceptions being injuries. Some will open their gates, but they will constantly surveillance the visitors and that usually scares them into not coming back.

Elder Sonam is from Kushi temple. She only relocated to the Western temple in later years

Gyaltsen, often mentioned in my fics about Yangchen, is also from this temple

It’s in that period as they rebuild, that they get a close relationship with the spirit guides from Jiming Linggu, a temple in the Earth kingdom surrounded by red mountains. This close relationship mostly stemmed from Jiming Linggu having experienced a very similar thing themselves. There was a time the mountains surrounding the temple weren’t red. (Aka, so much blood it literally dyed the mountains a different colour)

I guess if you want the lore lore, like what Gawa researchers in Aliteoth type lore, it involves an ancient civilisation based on Ancient Greece, Ancient India/ Nepal and the pre air nomads. It introduces a new idea of reincarnation, where instead of someone’s soul reincarnating, it’s pieces of that soul joining together with the new one and that the person who’s soul fragments joined in the new soul could essentially reach out to the new person through those fragments in their soul via dreams.

‘A life through someone else’s dreams’ shows a more Ancient Greek pov of this idea; the two main characters were deemed heretical in their time, but it’s more accepted by Jamyang’s era. The nuns just don’t voice their support of the idea fearing humiliation

The extra extra chapter of Aliteoth and ‘Tē tē tē’ show a more pre air nomad/ancient Indian view of it

This civilisation had frequent contact with the Western temple and other temples. Gawa and Jamyang find proof of this through old runes and ancient documents.

‘The spirit children only children can see’ go more into the effect of this contact the civilisation had with the Western temple

There is also ‘fragments of those who came before’ which is Wan era lore about this civilisation and the idea of someone the avatar knows reincarnating and then trying to find them in the next life. ‘Five times the avatar met someone they remembered’ goes more into that reincarnation thing

There is also the concept of ‘dual’ bending. But you can’t master that second element like the first element. The most you could do would be something extremely minor, like snapping your fingers and maybe getting a tiny flame. Freezing water or only being able to control a certain amount of it. Juggle pebbles etc.

Those at Taktsang who can do this has a character drawn on the inside of their palm

It’s explained in more detail in the Mikoto chapter of the ‘Five pillars in Elder Sonam’s life…’ and ch5 (I think?) of ‘that one time a pretty woman saved the day.’ It boils down to leaking chakras and abnormally high activity in the chakras.

There are also dual bending animals; this is also within what Gawa is researching and mentioned a bit more in ‘Fragments of those who came before,’ but from Wan’s pov and he doesn’t know what they are so he refers to them as ‘beasts’

My wrists are beginning to hurt.

Um… what else?

I guess with the mention of ‘aunt’ it implies a sibling and it’s flat out stated who Jamyang’s sibling is in Aliteoth. I will not say more on this:)

Jamyang ends up purging the Western temple/threatening them into silence (‘The fog thins’ ch2)

If it’s Amala and Youta you’re curious about and how Yangchen came to know them, I’m gonna have to be lame and say I haven’t gotten there yet:) The closest I’ll have is ch1 of the Persistence fic where it’s very lightly implied between the lines that Amala has a baby crush on Yangchen, my Yangvik submissions from last year where they’re mentioned and one submission I have for this year. (They’re mentioned in ch2 of the fog thins, but it’s just a mention.)

If you’re wondering why I haven’t gotten there with Amala and Youta quite yet, blame Mal, dearest yangvik mother @creampuffqueen :) I gave in once and it derailed almost everything and I have been trying to reign in control ever since. Like Jamyang is supposed to have a training arc, too, and I haven’t gotten to that either.

My wrists are really starting to hurt now and I can’t come up with anything else so😅 yeah, hope that was interesting. It was fun to ramble about this, though, you’re free to ask me more about this:)

[minz-za-moo]

Ace Attorney Hotness (1/?)

(Spoilers for all mainline Ace Attorney games!)

I was looking through Ace Attorney content on youtube, as one does, when I came across a video titled “I Ranked Apollo Justice Characters on How Hot They Are (plus investigations)”, by Superduperbro. It immediately caught my interest, and I started to watch it. It was only a few minutes in, however, that I had realized what a mistake this was. Olga Orly, Plum Kitaki...this person had all the wrong opinions on who is and isn’t hot! So, I’ve decided to (w)right this tremendous wrong, and rank all the Ace Attorney characters based on who is and isn’t hot. 

A quick couple of side notes; Of course, I’m joking when I say the creator’s opinions are ‘wrong’, you can think whoever and whatever is hot! It’s simply for the sillies, no hate to them <3 Also, I’m demisexual+demiromantic. Not entirely relevant, but I thought it was a funny detail. My definition of ‘hot’ could be entirely different than the norm and I’d have no clue.

Final side note; Since I haven’t finished Investigations 1 or 2, I won’t be ranking any characters from there, nor will I be doing TGAA :(( 

There are 7 main categories, from S Tier to F tier, with S Tier being the best (or in this case, hottest), and F tier being the worst, having C tier as a middle ground. In addition to those seven, I added two more categories; The first one is titled “that is a child”, and it’s exactly what you think. We will not be ranking any children based on how hot they are, and if you do, you will be put in my second custom category; “hell”! It’s also exactly what you think, being reserved for all the creeps in Ace Attorney >:( 

We’ll be going in order of appearance, from the first game allllllll the way to the sixth! We’ll also only be ranking official redesigns; DLC clothing wouldn’t count in this case. But who knows, maybe I’ll make a followup judging everyone’s DLC outfits? Now, speaking of characters with multiple designs, here we have our first character...

Phoenix Wright!

The man, the myth, the legend, the unkillable protagonist! The way I want this to work is that we’ll rank the appearance each character has when we first meet them, and then move in chronological order. Using Phoenix as an example, first we’ll talk about his normal Trilogy suit, then move on to his Feenie outfit, then his disbarment, etc, etc.

And, in my (correct) opinion, it is a fact that Phoenix Wright is incredibly attractive. Another opinion I have is that if you disagree, you are just inherently wrong. Sure he’s got both the broadest shoulders and the weirdest hair (that’s somehow natural?) known to man, but he rocks it. He’s the only one who can rock a look like that and still be attractive. Though...compared to his other designs, his debut one is...not as good. His suit is VERY loud, and he would not know what a tailor was if it hit him in the back of the head with a fire extinguisher. Also, considering who his mentor is, it’s a crime how little of his chest he’s showing. So, for Phoenix Wright’s Trilogy outfit, I’m going to have to put him in B tier.

Since we’re moving along timeline-wise, the next outfit we’re ranking is his Feenie outfit! First off, what are the shoes?? I never noticed this before, but he’s got blue shoes with light blue stripey designs on them, and it’s not vibing with the rest of his outfit. Maybe those were the only shoes he had? Other than that, the outfit is...something. The colors are giving ‘dollar store paint kit that only has bright primary colors which turn to brown when you mix them’, honestly. And, what does the P stand for, if not for Phoenix, like Mia suggested? Do we even want to find out? I have a bad feeling about this... I’m sorry Feenie, but you’re going to have to go in D tier.

Don’t worry though, because he can and does get hotter...during disbarment! In a twist of fate, perhaps the only good thing to happen to Phoenix during the 7 year gap (besides adopting Trucy) was that his looks got an UPGRADE. And I can’t possibly be the only one who thinks so. The jacket? The stupid half-smug half-chill expression? The hat? The locket? Come on. One downside; he’s not wearing socks. If you hadn’t noticed before...sorry. Normally I’m against socks with sandals, but I think they’d do him some good. Beanix is an S Tier, I love him very much (I even cosplayed as him for halloween!)

And man, even after he gets his badge back, Phoenix Wright stays hot! I adore his new outfit, he looks amazing. He keeps Trucy’s locket on him always, adorable. He’s got that one strand of hair that hangs down, it’s wonderful. Does so much for him. And he finally learned what a tailor is, presumably from his husband! Good for him! The light blue waistcoat is everything; I’ve seen mixed reactions on it, and me personally, I think it looks stunning. Phoenix Wright’s updated court outfit is an A tier! And now, we’re moving on, to...

Mia Fey!

Mia Fey is my everything; S tier right off the bat. If you think she’s anything less, there’s an issue with your brain. I’m incredibly concerned for you, and adamantly suggest you go see a doctor, as your head needs to be checked out. Everything about her is stunning, and I LOVE her accessories. The black and white color pallet mixed with the beige scarf, and her purple magatama? The two splashes of color? I didn’t think beige could ever slay as hard as it does. And her shoes? Don’t even. Don’t even get me started on her shoes, her shoes are the best thing to grace this planet. They aren’t a want, they’re a need. They’re a basic necessity. S tier, all day, every day, without a shred of hesitation.

Now, her debut/flashback outfit! First off, S tier again, I love her. She’s still got the same style of shoes, kept the purple magatama and beige scarf, stunning. I just realized this recently, but younger Mia looks like Maya? Like, her bangs are the same type of cut, except she only has them to one side, and when I realized this it broke me. On a side note...her outfit...I love it, but it’s incredibly confusing to me. What is it? A dress? A suit? A suit jacket that was too big, that she then tailored to be a dress because Fuck The Rules? What’s with the strange Not Belt around her waist? I would say only God knows, but I’m not entirely convinced he does, either.

I did think about ranking her channeling appearances, but it isn’t really a new outfit, it’s just her in various other characters’ outfits. Not to mention that both of them are children. So, it’s time to move on to...

Larry Butz!

If you thought Phoenix’s hair was odd...you haven’t seen anything. There is more to come, and the Butz is an element of foreshadowing. Though, I don’t hate it? I think it’s fun! Like Phoenix though, he’s the *only* one who could ever pull it off. And surprisingly enough, I actually...really like his design? He’s giving delinquent vibes, both with his hair and his overall outfit. Especially the bright orange, jail type jacket. And I LOVE his shirt, it seems like a hand-me-down I’d get from my older siblings that I’d absolutely cherish, and I unironically would love to have it in real life. Now, his shoes are...a choice. Do they match with his outfit? Yes, actually. Is it incredibly odd and unsettling that he managed to find shoes that had the exact colors of his outfit? Yes. I would say that the pants are too short for his outfit, but honestly, I feel like they’re very him, so it works. 

Putting actual personality aside for all of these characters, Larry Butz is a B. I like his design, I'll say it now! The boys’ got style, to make up for his abhorrent luck! Now, we can move on to...

...wait. I have to do all of his other outfits, too?

...Shit. Well, guess I’ll get started, then.

His next outfit is the KB Security one, if memory serves me right. I feel like there isn’t much I can say about it, considering it’s not an outfit that’s character specific; I vaguely recall Wendy Oldbag wearing the same uniform, but I could be wrong. Guess we’ll see when I have to rank her outfits down the line. I do think light blue looks good on him, it vibes with his hair. Now I’m wondering what he’d look like in Phoenix’s Post-Disbarment outfit... he obviously couldn’t pull it off like Phoenix could. But I’d give him a pass for trying anyway. His KB Security outfit is a C, it’s not bad, but then again...it isn’t giving much at all, either.

Now, his painter’s outfit! ...Hm. He’s channeling Feenie energy. Get it, like how there are spirit mediums who can channel in this game...forget it. His...palette (is that what you call it? I’m not a painter) has no paint? Maybe he has paint on it in the game, but the sprite I’m looking at has none. Maybe he’s being considerate, carrying around an empty palette so as to not accidentally spill paint, but that begs the question...if there’s no paint, why carry it at all? The ribbons are odd, the color of the monkey(?) and the paint pallet are too similar, especially since they’re right beside each other, and overall this is...odd. Larry, I’m sorry, your painter’s outfit is going in D tier.

Now, his...what is this. What is this, is this his outfit? The outfit he thinks won Ellen Wyatt over? What happened to the boy with style from the first game, where did he go? Who is this imposter he’s been replaced with? Honestly, considering how the butchered and massacred his personality from what it was/should’ve been in the first game, he very well may be an imposter...but that’s a tangent for another post. And honestly? The outfit was setting up to be pretty good! The pants, the shoes, the silly beret...and then he put on a jacket. Did he design it himself? He’s proven that he’s a good artist, but apparently realism is all he can do well. ‘Graphic design is my passion’. That’s all I have to say. E Tier. We’re moving to the next character.

Cindy Stone!

Not much to say about her, honestly. How can I, she’s shown for a total of maybe ten seconds. But I said I’m ranking every character, and I stick to my word, damn it. Based on her mugshot and Sawhit's flashback scenes, her outfit doesn’t appear to be that bad. Off-white (or perhaps a very light blue) capri pants, flats, and...some kind of weird top. Is it a white tube top with a blue, business-like suit jacket? Oh, that’s not right, her mugshot shows some kind of white straps. A white tank top, then? Incredibly confusing. Her hair is...it certainly is hair. And she certainly has it. The outfit alone would have been a C tier, but the hair drags it down to a D.

Frank Sahwit!

...Eh. His outfit really isn’t doing or giving us anything; it looks like a recolor of Phoenix’s Trilogy suit, to be honest. Even down to the sleek, black shoes. He’s got brown buttons on his sleeves and jacket, and they help slightly. Only slightly, though. His hair is...fine? Not fine as in attractive, just fine as in. It’s there. It’s half-decent, I suppose. And he throws it at Phoenix, that was funny. I really can’t think of anything else to say about him. He’s a D tier. It would be C, as that’s the perfect middle, but he’s giving us so little it feels wrong to put him any higher.

The Judge!

I’m...slightly regretting the decision to use exclamation marks for every character...but I’m going with it, apparently. The judge is WIDE. He’s a BRICK. And I’m not trying to be rude either, look at his full body image and you’ll see what I mean. He’s dressed in all black, and what is that shirt?? His Honor has no style. And the lack of a spine, but that’s unrelated. His beard is lucious, I’ll give him that. His gavel is iconic, but that’s about it. He could have benefitted from some funky, cool shoes. Maybe some slightly form sitting clothing. Actually, he could really just benefit from a trip to a clothing store. Maybe Old Navy. Or maybe it would be worse, I’ve never been to an Old Navy. I mean no disrespect to His Honor, but my verdict declares he be sentenced to a life residing in E tier.

Winston Payne!

...The exclamation-mark centered regret has increased tenfold. But I stay resilient. Now, Winston’s first debut outfit doesn’t actually have a full body sprite, so perhaps I’m underestimating the rest of his outfit when I say, again, there’s nothing going on. Grey suit, red tie, square glasses, hair. Or, for the last one, a lack thereof. I think he could benefit from a change of tie color especially, as I feel the grey suit fits him. Maybe a darker grey, or perhaps navy? Red ties feel like the standard, and if Winston wants to win points with me, he’s going to have to break the mold. Unfortunately for him, he isn’t doing that. Winston’s first outfit is a D tier for me.

Unfortunately for us, we’re not through with him yet. Winston has two more designs, so let’s get started with them. I will say, I like his young outfit! Again, the red tie? Really? Other than that, and intentionally ignoring his hair for now, I think it fits what he used to be; cocky and arrogant, the ‘Rookie Killer’, as it were. Again with the same black shoes, do men really not have any other options? You’d have thought that brand would’ve sold out by now. Now, we must address the hair. It is bad. Some outlandish hair works, like Phoenix and Larry’s. His does not. It suits his character though, I’ll give him that, at least...and if that isn’t a backhanded compliment, I don’t know what is. Winston Payne's younger design is an E; a payne to look at.

Oh, but don’t worry, it gets worse! We’ve been slowly declining, and we’ll end the Payne segment with our first F tier! Hooray! Somehow, the red tie phenomenon has gotten worse; it’s now a muted reddish-brown. How did he even manage that? His suit, is a color that, can only be described best using a quote from the video “Two Asexuals Play Smash or Pass 2 | APOLLO JUSTICE BOOGALOO” by KittenWhiskers 227; piss-puke. I’m sorry, but it’s true. There is no one to be blamed but him. The one good thing is that he’s changed his shoes from one brand to another; they’re brown now. Good job, you’ve done the bare minimum. 

And...that’s it for the first part! The plan from here on out is to do 1-2 cases per post, I think. This is already six pages long, and I have no idea if Tumblr has a word count limit on posts. The bright side? There’s seven characters, which is my favorite number! And the next case will have seven as well! As well as the ranking of two very important people...

A final parting note; please go check out both videos I mentioned, as well as the channels that published them. I can’t recommend The ‘Two Asexuals Play Smash Or Pass With Ace Attorney Characters’ trilogy enough; they’re hilarious! 

End Links: https://youtu.be/lN4F72Yp_6M?si=RZSNL-Yf-SGHWYoc (Link to Superduperbro’s video)

https://youtu.be/MmOhjF1tXX0?si=eIMKCQ760q9JOMuO (Link to the unreferenced trilogy video that came before the one I watched)

https://youtu.be/CwmuIhpRYNY?si=ujjCWPoE0kYWZUR5 (Link to Asexuals Play Smash or Pass; Apollo Justice)

https://youtu.be/yK_i_g4DScU?si=kdMcEEzuaiczey2x (Link to the unreferenced trilogy video; the beginning of the Asexuals Play Smash or Pass series)

[knitjumpergames]

“Bossy” - a Dark Souls 2 journal - Chapter 3

The castle in The Forest of whatever (these names are a bit confusing!) I believe gives me my first taste of what the real level design of this game is about. Multi-layered locations with multiple routes, hidden sections, and viewpoints that show or tease different sections. Given how low levelled and inexperienced I am, I keep my excursions from the bonfire short, hurrying back to Mejula every time I have enough souls to level something up or purchase something. I buy the key from the old lady which unlocks the blacksmiths shop, confirming to me that elements of Majula will unlock over time, if I explore thoroughly.

One element I love is how you can mix and match the armor sets, as there are no bonuses to having a matching set. This is a real contrast to games I’ve played like Skyrim, which effectively shoehorn you into just getting the highest complete set in your category. Weight in particular is a real consideration, and although initially I was leaning towards a heavy knight build, I am finding through experimenting that I prefer a lighter faster build, even at the expense of suvivabilty. Being able to upgrade armour to such an extent really encourages choices influenced not just by the level of the armour, but also the aesthetic.

In other words, I want that drip.

The other thing I love is how different a heavy and light load out feels to play, and the move sets associated with each weapon really changes your play style. Finding the fire long sword really opened my eyes in particular to the wonders of thrusting attacks, the range and speed are just fantastic, but it still retains slashing moves which are good for crowd control. There are just so many combat/stat/armour options that there must be a bunch of different ways to approach this game (instead of one optimal way that everyone builds towards).

I’ve been waxing poetic about this game so far, and I already think it’s an excellent game, but let’s highlight some things that I’m not so keen on: the UI design is pretty clunky to operate, and the stats page is a logistical nightmare. I can understand why, to a degree, that the inventory system works the way it does, I suspect that the designers didn’t want players making major equipment changes on the fly, but wanted to encourage players to solve problems with the tools they had to hand, a concept I like as it avoids the tendency to “packhorse” (looking at you, Skyrim!). But when trying to, say, compare items in your inventory to items in a shop, there’s no quick way to do that. There’s also no way that I can find to discard or decide not to pick up certain objects (I have like five foot soldier helmets I have no use for that I can’t discard). They’re by no means deal breakers, but some simple additions/changes would streamline these processes a bit.

Back to the game, I slowly uncover each part of the castle, dying with regularity, but enjoying the process. I find the elevator. I know the inevitable boss must be down there. It’s time.

Turns out I can summon that fella with the weird voice guy (Pate?). Figure it can’t hurt, and in I go. The presentation is fantastic, the opening cutscene and character design have such presence. The fight is a hot mess, I run in and out like a scared child, hitting the giants ankles whilst Pate takes most of the agro (until he croaks), then it’s just me and the giant. I manage to stumble through and finish it on the first go. My first Dark Souls boss.

But not the level exit. I get the key, and I already remember the doors that I couldn’t previously open, and guess that the exit must be through one of those doors. After running around I find the another smoke wall. Another boss.

The Pursuer.

If you’re wondering, yes, I did run into him earlier on when a GIANT EAGLE dropped him on my head. I was wondering if he’d show up again. But this time there’s an intro, so I have to go through him.

But instead he goes through me. I die again and again. It’s frustrating at first, but I begin to recognise how he fights, the rhythm and patterns of the fight. I make plans, adjust my build, and try again, each time getting a little further. And I learn the following truth; he can kill me as many times as he likes, but I only have to kill him once.

This guy kills me in a few hits, so I don the light armour (but with a Knight helm because it looks dope) because I might as well be able to move quickly, and I dump everything but my sword. And we fight, again and again. A real duel.

My heart is beating fast and my palms a little sticky. And on my seventh attempt, I white knuckle it and beat him.

Now that was a boss fight.

[damsels-n-dice]

'til it kills us: the creeping vine

a while ago, i made a post explaining the design process for the bogeyman, the first of the nine playbooks in my game. the playbooks in 'til it kills us are my favourite part, so i wanted to talk more about each of them as i work on playtesting :) some stuff has changed since that last post, so you might notice a few changes to the playbook format compared to last time, but the general post will be the same!

under the cut (for length), i'll go over every part of the creeping vine playbook -- a class of plant mages whose self-doubt grows like ivy inside them -- and what makes it special compared to the rest.

the name

this playbook is actually unique, in that its the only one where i'm not happy with the name i've chosen for it! calling it the creeping vine was meant to evoke both the plant powers it wields, and the way that self-doubt can creep into every decision you make. i compare it in the playbook description to the way ivy can damage a building as it grows, but it's also intended to reference vines that steal nutrients and resources from the plants on which they grow. i'm not happy with how i've achieved that intention, but that's for future revision!

the abilities

the equivalent of another game's statistics, some abilities are unique to a playbook, while others are shared between them. they're not quite as standardized as other games, and players have the opportunity to create their own in various ways. the constant, however, is that every playbook has two kinds of magic: their core defining magic, in this case flora, and a secondary type that the player gets to choose.

now all that explanation is out of the way, though, lets talk about the creeping vine's abilities. their most powerful abilities are control and either leadership or fear -- representations of the ways they try to hide their "failings" by pushing away others and taking charge. control of the situation (and battlefield control using their vines) lets them steer others away from their weakness, while leadership and fear are two different approaches for maintaining that social control.

after that, we have air and lightning, the two secondary magic choices. these are the magic types fueled by anxiety and paranoia, respectively, which are both emotions that sometimes blur with self-doubt. we round things out with spying, to gather information without having to share your own in return, and repair or destruction as responses to the loss of control. do they respond by taking it in stride and trying to fix things, or do they lash out in fear? that's up for the player to decide.

the power

the creeping vine's power is called chokehold, which allows them to grab an object or creature and hang it, immobile, in the air. creatures grabbed are held by the throat, but never strangled -- just as the self-doubt is ever present for these characters, a constant weight on their mind and their choices. you could even say it has a chokehold on them.

the presentations

unique to each playbook, the presentations are how you show yourself to the world. they can be anything from personality to style to a particular category of interest. for the creeping vine, they are also a source of confidence. a carefully maintained image, in whatever form that takes, is what they use as "proof" they're put together themselves.

in the sexy and you know it and social butterfly options, you can see the way a creeping vine might choose to make their life look "perfect". these are the kind of people you can't believe have ever struggled with their confidence, even as their magic is the most powerful of all. they pride themselves on being someone that other people want to be.

by contrast, a creeping vine might choose the more relaxed and humble options of the specialist or the manager. while they're not flashy or enviable in the same way, they project that same aura of confidence and bravery in a different fashion -- these presentations appear very, very good at what they do. what it is they do, and whether they're actually as good as they appear, depends on the character! my favourite detail about these, though, is the fact that the manager is encouraged to use colour-coded spreadsheets. a detail that definitely wasn't stolen from any real life influences...

the motivations

these are similar to presentations, in that every playbook comes with four options, but they are drawn from a shared pool instead of unique to that playbook. they are also, of course, what motivates a character. and for the creeping vine, that means proving yourself. sometimes to other people, and sometimes to yourself. i wanted this character's journey to be about overcoming self-doubt, and often the way that begins is through tangible achievements or outside encouragement.

one is different from the rest, though, as they might decide to look for a safety blanket instead. this is meant to be for those who've completely given up on themselves. instead of trying to prove they can do things right, they just want a way to protect themselves when they mess up.

the touchstone

as the npc companion to the creeping vine, the touchstone is even more customizable than most traits. it's also the most closely tied to the core emotion of the playbook: self-doubt. for this playbook, your touchstone is the npc who makes the decisions you don't trust yourself to make. your journey with them is about learning to become less reliant on external guidance -- particularly since they might not have your best interests at heart in every situation.

the end

that's it for the creeping vine! the base feature element that was mentioned in the bogeyman breakdown was removed in editing (i needed that space for something else), so it's a slightly shorter post this time. "next week", or more accurately when i next remember, i'll be talking about the drowned, a water-themed playbook!

[hollowsart]

can you explain mites a bit to me? i get the vague idea but ya know

Oh boy, oh boy, I get to info dump!!

The Hollowverse AU Mites:

Mxyzptlk and Bat-Mite are of the same species, they're both Mites, but they can also be called 'imps' due to their appearance. They're from the same 5th dimension and world. Some may call it Zrrrf while others with call it the more aptly referred "Mite World".

Not everyone from Mite World will have a favorite character they idolize and not everyone will dress up as them. Mxy is a good example of this cuz while he has an obsession with Superman, he's not a Super-Mite.. which does also exist.

Mites are cartoonishly proportioned and function on cartoon logic, so they can handle a lot of hardcore slapstick and be just fine.. Well. In our world of the 3rd dimension, at least. It is their own kind that they can be truly damaged by.. or from anyone beyond their 5th dimension. They aren't by nature a species that will fight, but there are exceptions to that as they are all very mischievous.

Mites are quite small, only a couple of inches tall with large heads, large feet, and large hands. They all have tails and wings and some have horns, these can all vary in size and shape depending on the mite. Some mites can be bigger or smaller than others much like humans.

While they may dress up like their faves or even try to imitate them, their own personalities may not line up with that of their idol. And multiple Mites may idolize the same category of character (ie: Green Lantern) but each one idolizes a different person who took up that mantle and will be referred to as the name of the character to differentiate between each other within their designated group (Guy-Mite, Hal-Mite / Bat-Mite, Lady Bat-Mite).

Mites all have a real name and they can vary between nearly incomprehensible like Mxyzptlk or rather mundane and simple like in the case of Elvem the Mysterio-Mite who just prefers his real name as he is too cowardly to impose himself upon the image of his idol, Mysterio.

There are mites for any type of character along the spectrum of hero and villain and all that lies in between. They can be summoned at will if you know the words and "spell" (as is the case with my Mysterio summoning Elvem by a happy accident), or they will willingly choose to pop into the 3rd dimension to interact with their idols on occasion. Not all of them do, however, some just like to sit back in their home world of Mite World and watch their idols on their television-like viewing screens to keep up with their stories and lives.

Mites have their own sort of economy and society that is nearly reminiscent of human civilization.. just.. with some wacky cartoony differences, of course. They meet, they prank, they marry, they have kids-- via hatching!

Baby mites are even smaller than the fully grown ones which certainly is saying something! Only being about an inch in size give or take a few millimeters.

Fun Fact: Mites, compared to their 3rd dimensional counterparts which they idolize, are quite exaggerated in varying directions and aspects and their costumes are handmade by themselves!

Mites are confined by the law of rules and games. They make a rule? They are punished by the laws of the universe to follow their own rules: aka, Mxy gets tricked into saying his own name backwards somehow? bye bye Mxy :>

Mxy is doomed by his own hubris in this regard. While others like Bat-Mite don't have that hubris to create such a game, especially since they're so dedicated to their idol and want to stick around as long as they can.. until Batman goes "Dad Mode" and sternly asks Bat-Mite to please go back home.

[axolator]

Script-A-Day #5: Clockwork Cyborg by vaticidalprophet

Step into a world where the line between Townsfolk and Outsider is blurred

Featured characters: Kazali, General, Savant

Jinxes:

Widow/Damsel: If the Widow is (or has been) in play, the Damsel is poisoned.

Plague Doctor/Scarlet Woman: If the Plague Doctor dies, a living Minion gains the Scarlet Woman ability in addition to their own ability, and learns this.

Complexity: Advanced. Recommended for players who aren't afraid of crazy game states and those willing to explore every possibility, no matter what their social reads are telling them.

Database link (find the PDF and JSON for running it there!)

Writeup under the cut!

Clockwork Cyborg is a solo-Kazali script that explores the good teams and socials that stem from the Kazali as a Demon. Since the Outsider count is arbitrary in a Kazali game, the concept of an "outsider slot" goes out the window - characters like the Moonchild can shine as Townsfolky Outsiders that are susceptible to Minions like the Godfather, but can provide some valuable information to the good team despite the category they find themself located in on the script.

When running Clockwork Cyborg, it's extremely important to curate the bag, since the Kazali choosing its minions introduces a ton of swing to the setup. Different sets of Kazali choices can result in a more evil- or good-sided game even with identical bags, depending on whether the Kazali turns the Damsel and Politician or the Savant and Fortune Teller. Characters like the General are well-placed to pick up on this setup swing, as are more discretionary ones like the Savant.

The on-script Minions all tailor to different playstyles, and end up all being relatively balanced choices compared to each other. A Kazali who wants a quick game might choose the Witch or Godfather to rack up kills, while one who wants a safety net might choose a Scarlet Woman. The Cerenovus allows evil to encourage good to spread misinformation or risk wasting an execution, while the Widow might be the most interestingly-positioned Minion on the script: it allows evil to bluff characters like Dreamer and dodge a lurking Banshee, but it loses them the potential for a Damsel win due to the jinx poisoning the Damsel!

Some notes:

Consider running the General on a 5-star scale (introducing thumb slightly up/down ratings for good/evil slightly winning) to more comprehensively capture the state of the game. The General can pick up on what other characters cannot: for instance, it's the only thing that can help identify if a Recluse really is the Recluse or a Kazali-picked Minion!

Think of the Moonchild as a Townsfolk that registers as an Outsider. It still procs a Godfather kill, but being able to alignment-check someone on death is deceptively powerful. When building a bag, make sure to keep its strength in mind (and maybe consider puzzledrunking it once in a while!)

Ooh, on that note - be delicate with the Puzzlemaster. PM is incredibly Outsidery on this script - puzzledrunk the player that makes the game most interesting and fair, and be ready for them to get their guess right sometimes!

Know how many Outsiders to add with the Kazali. In general, a decent balance point is the Kazali adding +1 Outsider to the bag. You might be tempted to add more Outsiders with a stronger town, but this can introduce some swing - if the Kazali picks multiple Outsiders to turn into Minions, the evil team can wind up facing down a very powerful good team without the misinformation they need to last all the way through!

I think that's about it from me today. See you tomorrow with another script!

[personadripshowdown]

Hello and welcome to the Persona Drip Showdown!

In this tournament we will determine which outfits are the best in the persona franchise!

Currently only casual outfits from party members from 3-5 are competing, but if it’s well received I might do a second tournament were the school outfits can be compared.

Mod: Ney (she/her)

Asks : open!

Polls go out at 3 pm EST time!

Things to note and tags I will use are under read more!

Things to note:

I am currently only running casual outfits from party members in the three latest games. Winter, summer and 3rd semester outfits are included. Outfits that didn’t fit this category or were treading the line were not included. I may make a second tournament with school, dancing and other outfits after the first polls are finished!

No social link outfits were included since it was already a lot of “contestants” and not only would it make it a lot harder to keep track of all the polls it would be a pain to try to find images. I hope you all understand and arent too disappointed!

Sorry for bad pictures! All images were taken from google as I am not replaying all these games just to take screenshots of their outfits (also as I currently only have access to the switch versions of the games they wouldn’t exactly be of great quality either). I tried to find as good images as possible, this lead to most of p3 and p4s outfit being taken from the dancing game. I know that reload has slight differences in outfits compared to dancing, but finding images of them was a pain. Sorry for potentially low quality images (I had to use the megami tensei wiki to get them, and i am NOT going back there if I need to).

If I missed any outfits I am so sorry! I am only one person so I am doing all the work behind these polls, sadly that means I make mistakes every once in a while. If its cought in the early rounds I might be able to squeeze it in if we ever need something to even out the polls.

English is not my first language, sorry for potentially weird wording or grammar issues

Tags I use:

Polls: for polls!

I will tag the game and character that use the outfit in each poll

Round (x): will show what round the polls are currently on

Ask: for asks

Propaganda: any propaganda that people reblog or put in asks will be tagged with this!

Not a poll: any post that is not a poll!

Round results: after all the polls of a round are finished I will make a post detailing who makes it to the next round.

Persona showdown: i will be tagging all my posts with this

[superthatguy62]

Things Final Fantasy III does not tell you about Final Fantasy III.

When it comes to RPGs, information that the player has is far from a guarantee. Some games will tell players practically everything about their systems and leave it to the player to use that information. Others will leave some mechanics in the background, quietly applying them without the player's knowledge. The Final Fantasy III remake falls into the latter category, as there are some mechanics that the player may not realize even exist unless they look outside of the game. Here are seven of them.

This is based on the Future Press Official Strategy Guide. As far as SGs go, it seems pretty close to the Japanese SE guide (baring at least one case).

Party Member Levels (Life of the Party)

While temporary party aren't directly controllable, they seem to have their own levels and stats. Interestingly the Future Press strategy guide states that they also have stats. Though I should clarify: At this time, I have yet to find these in the Japanese strategy guide, so I am not entirely sure that these are accurate. However, the FP guide in general is close to the Japanese guide in terms of technical information, so I am willing to accept that risk.

These are:

Sara: Lv 5 (Str/Vit/Agi/Min: 6, Int: 7)

Cid: Lv 3 (Str/Agi: 5, Vit/Int/Min: 8)

Desch: Lv 10 (Str: 15, Vit: 10, Agi: 14, Int: 7, Min: 6

Aria: Lv 25 (All: 25)

Alus: Lv 30 (All: 35)

Doga/Unei: Lv 50 (All: 45)

Some observations:

The guide notes that the characters stats are usually significantly higher than the main characters' at the same levels. This is especially noticeable with Alus (The party's base stats, by compare, will be: Str/Agi: 24, Vit/Min/Int: 20)

Cid is the only party member to be weaker than the character before him (Sara), presumably due to how little time the party spends with him. He does have an impressively strong hammer, though.

Despite being portrayed as a White Mage, Sara's Int (7) is slightly higher than her Min (6).

It seems that after Desch, the devs kinda gave up with making varied stats, so Aria, Alus, Doga and Unei have the same number for all their stats.

Coincidence or otherwise, Aria's stat number also matches her level.

Doga and Unei share the same levels and stats as each other, a distinction no other party member has. For extra fun, Xande is also level 50, although his actual stats are unfortunately but understandably different.

Alus, a 10 year old boy is somehow twice as strong as Desch, a grown man.

Mognet Details (Stampin' N Stompin')

Most of Mognet's discussion usually begins and ends with it being connected to the sidequests. Because of this, there are a few features of Mognet that go undernoticed.

One particular aspect is the cards: For meeting the Legendary Smith with a mastered job and defeating the Iron Giant, the party can get cards signifying their mastery.

(I have yet to defeat the Iron Giant. I apologize for being a fraud).

In the PSP and Steam versions, these cards are mostly just rewards. In the DS version, however, they can be used as stamps for Mognet. And while the Iron Giant is purely to flaunt your superiority over the beast, the job mastery cards actually allow players to help out other players: If a player holding a signed letter runs into the Legendary Smith, she will give the player the respective job mastery item without having a level 99 job. While it doesn't break the game, due to how late it is before you can encounter the Smith, it does cut down on the grind you'd need if you wanted those items.

Encounter Frequency (Fights in the A.M. P.M. F.M.)

In Octopath Traveler, a later game by Team Asano, entering a new location will usually show you a danger level, giving you a general idea of how strong the enemies in that area are. While the mechanic is visible in OT, it was actually deployed discreetly in Final Fantasy III: Each area has a level that the guides recommend the player be at. However, the game itself uses a more subtle method: If your party is below the recommended level, the encounter rate will be higher than usual. By contrast, the further above the recommended level that the party is (up to six levels), the lower the encounter rate will be.

For example: The Nepto Shrine has a Danger Level of 10. If the party made it to the Shrine at level 7, then they will likely encounter more enemies than they would at level 10. By contrast, at level 16, they will have a chance at encountering the least amount of enemies.

Attack Types (SMASH! SLASH! STAB!)

In Final Fantasy III, elemental weaknesses are clear and easily implied by the fact that Mages have themed spells. However, the game also has a second, subtle weakness system: Attack Types, the physical counterpart.

The four attack types are

Unhanded: Despite the name, Claws are also included

Blow: Weapons that focus on slamming or bludgeoning the foe

Cut: Weapons that actually cut the foe, like Swords

Stab: Weapons that stab or have a stab-like effect, like Arrows

Interestingly, some weapons aren't mutually exclusive: Axes count for both blows and cuts, Knives count for both stabs and cuts and Unarmed counts for both Unhanded and Blow.

Hands (The Hands of Fate)

The Hand stat is a secret stat that the game silently keeps track of for each character. The hand stat represents how many times a physical attack has been made with a particular hand, the hand getting 3 XP for each use. Much like job levels only one hand level can be gained per battle, regardless of how many points are racked up. Theoretically, if you can have hands of different levels, although given how much III encourages dual-wielding, it's unlikely.

The FP guide recommends using the Ranger's barrage if you want to build up the hand stat, as that is a multi-hit attack that nonetheless counts each hit for the hand.

Weight (The Weight of the World)

Weight is not a new mechanic to Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy V, in particular has the stat help to determine who quickly a character acts (i.e. how fast the ATB bar fills up). However, V is the rare game where the game will actively inform the player of its existence. Other games in the series have it, including III (at least, in the remake).

Weight, along with Agility, determines how soon a character will act during the turn, as well as how many hits a character does (alongside the aforementioned Hand stat). This is why a Warrior with an axe will generally hit less than a Warrior with a sword, despite having higher attack. Interestingly magic also has weight to it with spells having a specific weight/cast time to it.

Boss Scripts (Script Write)

Bosses changing strategy mid-fight has been a Final Fantasy staple since at least Final Fantasy IV (Zeromus, for example, only starts to spam Meteo when he's close to dying), so the FF3 remake isn't particularly new or original for using this. Still, it's something to be aware of in case you make a particular fight harder than it needs to be.

A likely candidate for this is actually the final boss: While the Cloud of Darkness uses Particle Beam (and spams it during the last phase), it actually doesn't use the move until it's down to 80% of its HP, using the less threatening standard attack instead. This means that a player willing to take some turns to lower the danger can focus on the tentacles, which are the more immediate threat.