#skills stats and spells

[timeclonemike]

Skill List Contradictions

Lost In Mistranslation: There is some confusion and ambiguity about what skills are acquired from what sources and what skills are restricted or prohibited based on different factors. These tend to come in three forms; conflicts between Lore Descriptions and Programmed Mechanics, translation errors, and straight up unpatched bugs that happen "behind the scenes" and don't produce any obvious graphic, texture, or animation anomalies. (Translation errors include both localization and in-house development notes.)

Class Restrictions Versus Class Focus: The most common examples of confusion stem from the handling of magic spells as skills and how spellcasters are divided into multiple classes mechanically. Both in and out of the setting, War Wizards are trained for combat magic and Occultists study support magic, while Alchemists specifically work with the Alchemy crafting tree. Different Lore entries alternatively treat each class as if it is locked to a specific category of spells, or treat all magic as interchangeable despite the class names and elemental distinctions. What actually happened was a major revamp of the class and skill system after early playtesting, with some changes making it into the Lore descriptions and others being left out due to lack of time or oversight. (This is why an extremely strong Alchemist who has completed the Great Work and can literally bench press a tank in one cutscene can't pull a single person back onto a catwalk in another cutscene.)

Too Narrow Or Too Broad: As a general rule, anyone can learn any skill or spell, but only somebody who has already been training with the appropriate background can make the most use of it. Hence Soldiers and Survivalists doing more damage with firearms class weapons and the Marksmanship skill, and spellcasters getting the best return-on-energy-points with the spells that align with their specific class and specialization. Unique skills are either prestige class rewards or specifically intended for a character as a part of the story and main plot. To a certain extent this mirrors real world education and training, but is so ambiguously handled and explained that it can lead players into blind allies where they spend too much time and energy either trying to make each member of the Party a jack-of-all-trades or overspecialize in whatever their stated class focus is. (While legitimate ways to play the game, they both require knowledge of a specific playstyle and depend on certain equipment sets for the relevant characters in order to keep from becoming a Challenge Run.)

Totally Meant To Do That: In order to get around the contradictions after the fact, many of the developers and writers adopted the same "unreliable in-universe narrator" modus that the Elder Scrolls developers did for all in-universe books and documents. This is at least partly supported by the in-universe history of multiple competing magical systems that was present in the earliest concept art and design documents for the setting, but still results in confusion when the user interface provides incomplete or inaccurate information. (Though this also leans into the reveal about the origins of the Hero's powers of leadership and persuasion by explaining why other people can't learn them, the writers can't take full credit because it happened by accident.)

[natjennie]

okay I'm sick of ignoring it I have to get this off my chest. nature should be wisdom based. if you think about every other class like. what checks are wizards gonna be making most often? arcana, investigation, history maybe? intelligence. their spell casting stat is intelligence. bards, what are bards doing? performance, persuasion probably. would you look at that, their spell casting stat is charisma. isn't that interesting. do you know what ability score druids use for their spell casting? for connecting to the spirits of the natural world? to speak with animals, to grow magical plants? it's fucking wisdom. it's wisdom. rangers? trackers and hunters of the wilds, so familiar with the terrain they stalk it's like the land is an extension of their bodies? guess what stat they use to cast spells. why is the skill called "nature" not. fucking. wisdom.

[vounoura]

the maister system and the new 'find vocations out in the world' system is...ok, but I prefer the old colour system

[strxnged]

something about writing results sections feels so little like writing. like this is not what i have been training for. what do you mean i have to write sentences that are actually just latin and numbers and the words large significant interaction effect

[waywardsalt]

finally got around to putting together elden ring builds for the post-ph crew, and tested them out briefly, so here are the builds i came up with and all that! (absolutely a very long post, i had fun explaining a lot of my reasoning)

i'm not going to give them exact stats, just some vague idea of what they'd likely lean towards, and i can't say much to what equip load they have. when i tested these builds out i had 72 endurance. this uses exclusively base-game equipment since i don’t have the dlc and wanted to test these out for myself.

i also don’t use many spells or any incantations so the spell and incantation choices are mostly based on wiki descriptions and whether or not i felt it would fit the character.

some context is that this is with the idea that somehow these four get zapped into the lands between as tarnished, and this is the equipment i think they’d use, disregarding what is needed to access most of this stuff.

i also didn't change my tarnished's appearance for these, not that i think i could accurately replicate these four in elden ring's character creator, anyways, so you get to see my tarnished's face with all of these :)

Link:

His armor is: the highwayman hood, the blue cloth vest, exile gauntlets, and Carian knight greaves.

There's practically no green armor in this game, and what is there isn't really armor and isn’t exactly good protection. I wanted a bit of a balance between just cloth, but also some armor, as well as a headpiece somewhat like the usual hero's cap. The highwayman's hood works well enough, honestly, and I think it fits in well with the blue cloth vest; plus, I can see it being helpful in keeping dust and whatnot out of his eyes. Blue works well enough with Link nowadays, and I do think the blue cloth vest actually fits Link well enough- I doubt he'd want to wear something like a plate breastplate, so a vest like this is good.

The exile gauntlets I feel work well, they're simple and slim with some decent coverage, and the Carian knight graves not only look great with the blue cloth vest, but are also something that I believe fits Link, and the tall boots are likely decently practical in the same vein as the hood.

His weapons I chose are: The Carian knight's sword, with the pulley bow as a secondary weapon, and the Carian knight's shield in his offhand, with the academy glintstone staff as a secondary.

He obviously had to be the good standard sword-and-shield combo fighter, but I went ahead and gave him with Carian sword and shield partially because they look decently similar to what weapons he normally uses, but also because I enjoy the idea of him dabbling in magic along with typical damage types. The Carian sword does a good bit of magic damage along with standard, and the shield guards again both of those types, and the sword's unique ash of war (Carian Grandeur) is a good mix between swordfighting and magic, and actually really good to use in-game. I feel like they suit him well.

For his secondaries, I had to give him a bow, and I feel like the pulley bow is just right, especially with it's special feature of having increased range. I could see him being the one tasked with deactivating faraway traps and hunting the animals of the Lands Between for materials, and even just luring enemies with some normal arrows.

The academy glintstone staff is a solid staff (and the one I personally use), and him using magic is a good way to translate his usual versatility, though I only limited him to five spells, those being:

Loretta's greatbow, giving him what is technically now a second bow, and a pretty good spell for luring and doing some decent magic damage,

Magma shot, a good, simple fire damage spell,

Glintstone Icecrag, a good ice spell, especially for causing frostbite buildup,

Great glintstone shard, a very basic but reliable spell, and is good when cast a few times in succession,

and Thops' barrier, for deflecting magic attacks, and though I've heard it's a mediocre spell, I could see Link getting the timing down and getting some good usage out of it. I tried giving him a decent range of spells, which is a little bit easier said then done considering the actual spell variety and wanting to pick spell that I think suit Link, but I think this is a good lineup.

For talismans, assuming that all four of them have all four talisman slots open, Link gets the silver scarab, the graven-mass talisman, the erdtree's favor +2, and the companion jar.

The silver scarab, raising item discovery is... perfect for Link. It only feels right that he gets a talisman that makes him more likely to get items off enemies. It definitely works, too, while testing, I got way more items out of the gatefront ruins group than I'd ever seen before.

The graven-mass talisman boosts sorcery power, which is certainly perfect for boosting Link's versatility and magic power, simple and useful.

The erdtree’s favor +2 is just an all-around great talisman to use for the hp, mp, and stamina boost, and it feels perfect as something for Link to use, especially to increase his effectiveness and endurance in battle.

And then the companion jar, which goes hand-in-hand with him also being a pot user to further his versatility, and it’s very easy to see him doing the Jar-Bairn side quest. My choices here disregard how the items are obtained, but I could absolutely see Link going out of his way to interact with Jarburg.

Link’s standard fighter, with a balance between offense and defense and physical and magical damage with a slight leaning towards magical, and the main archer who aims to do more damage with archery, and uses pots when needed. He’s probably the one ‘leading the charge’ in that he’s suited for most situations, but isn’t necessarily the most effective in all-out combat- he is the most defensively oriented, however. He’s likely in the mid-to-light equip range, and likely mostly levels Strength and Intelligence to keep his damage up, and focuses a lot on keeping his Vigor up for a good chunk of health.

Linebeck:

His armor is: the black knife armor, the gauntlets, and bandit boots.

The black knife armor is the most important part of the set, not just for it being a nice blue, but because it has the unique effect of completely silencing your movement sounds- perfect for steal and getting in a good number of sneak attacks. It’s light, too, and so are the generally standard gauntlets and bandit boots, all put together for a general… blue rogue kind of look? It’s practicality and some looks and all put around the idea that he’s going to be sneaking around and panic-rolling out of the enemy’s way- so his defenses are a bit lacking in favor of mobility. I do think it’s a good look overall.

His weapons are: A bloody antspur rapier with the poison mist ash of war, the redbranch shortbow as a secondary weapon, and the frozen needle in the offhand.

For Linebeck's build, it was either daggers or rapiers, and the extra damage, range, and great designs for the rapier won out- and I think rapiers suit him well. This specific pair of rapiers are oriented around inflicting ailments, with the frozen needle inflicting frostbite, and the antspur rapier- specifically with the poison mist ash of war and blood upgrade- can inflict scarlet rot, bloodloss, and poison with poison mist active. With the blood upgrade, the scarlet rot buildup suffers, but with the speed of rapiers and just how effective scarlet rot can be, it's a decent trade-off for the ability to do four ailments at once. His role in the Radahn fight is to inflict scarlet rot and then run off to snipe him with the redbranch shortbow, which is a simple ranged option, and helps with further ailment inflicting with ailment arrows.

His damage would probably be pretty decent, especially considering inflicting frostbite and his equipped talismans, but he's mostly going to be heading in with everyone and sticking around until proccing an ailment, and then backing off, especially if poison, rot, or frostbite are inflicted. Plus I think dual rapiers look great and it's very easy to see Linebeck using rapiers.

For talismans, he gets the gold scarab, the assassin's crimson dagger, the dagger talisman, and the blessed dew talisman.

The gold scarab boost rune acquisition by 20%. It's perfect. It's one of my favorite talismans. I can't make an Elden Ring build for Linebeck and NOT give him the money-boosting talisman.

The assassin's crimson dagger restores hp upon successful critical hits, and paired with the silencing effect of the black knife armor, is perfect for someone who's more used to sneaking around and taking down enemies from behind- and it's good for topping off your hp.

The dagger talisman boosts critical damage- so then making sneak attacks all the more effective, and even making any critical hits he manages in fights do much more damage.

And then the blessed dew talisman gives you a very minuscule constant hp regen, about 2 hp per second iirc. It’s incredibly slow, but it's hp regen all the same, good for saving flask uses and good for some health regeneration if you back out of the main fight.

Linebeck's got a big focus on stealth and ailments, with just a bit of health regen tossed in with the talismans to help with survivability. his weapons and offhand options are mainly based around ailments, and besides the bow, he tends to use darts and other throwable items, and is often the one to pick off enemies at the edge of a group while the others go in to the handle the main group. With bosses, he's in the front lines until an ailment is inflicted, and will jump back in either if he's really needed, or if ailments are needed again. For longer bosses, or bosses immune to a few ailments, he would probably find moments to jump in and get a bunch of quick hits in, then back out and wait for another opening. Rapiers are pretty good for quick hits considering that I believe you actually get three attacks from a dual-rapier sprint attack. He’d likely have a focus on Dexterity and Arcane, with some Endurance mixed in for that good running and rolling stamina.

Damien:

His armor is; the sacred crown helm, exile armor, crucible gauntlets, and drake knight greaves.

Picking armor for Damien was a bit of a challenge since he’s still a bit of a work in progress and I usually picture him in generally casual clothes, but I knew I wanted to stick with some red clothing and put together a bit more of a practical sort of outfit. Plus this end result kind of helps me further figure out Damien’s actual design and outfit variations.

I knew I wanted to give him one of the simple footsoldier helmets, and the sacred crown helm won out with the additional detail of the little vine-looking wreath, plus the minor faith boost. It’s a nice little helmet and I think it suits him. The exile armor was considered due to the red cloth around the shoulders, and was properly decided on when I found that the helmet got rid of the cloth covering the bottom half of the face. So it’s a good solid chest piece.

The crucible gauntlets and drake knight greaves work both with color and giving him some more armored extremities, the crucible gauntlets are pretty good heavy armor gauntlets, if the crucible knights themselves are anything to go by, and the drake knight graves seem to have a good bit of practicality with the high boots and armor. It’s all meant to end up somewhere in the medium equip load area, for a balance between defense and speed, and the lighter helmet and chest piece were primarily to even out with the heavier weapons.

The weapons he gets are: the axe of Godrick, the highland axe as a secondary, and the clawmark seal.

The axe of Godrick is a pretty good greataxe with what selection there is, some good damage and a really good ash of war skill with a really good area of effect. It’s fantastic for crowd control when two-handed, and worked pretty well for me when I tested it out without having upgraded it. It’s all in all a great standard axe. The highland axe as a secondary is used partially as a faster one-hand option, and partially for the boost given by its war cry ash of war. The axe of Godrick is almost always what he’d use, but the highland axe is probably better for some specific situations. Damien was always going to end up using axes, and I think these two are pretty good and fitting.

In his other hand is the clawmark seal- scaling with faith and strength and so working well with him relying on strength, and boosting bestial incantations, of which he has one- and he mostly uses support incantations with some minor attack incantations- but he is primarily support, usually backing out of the fight to switch to casting due to usually two-handing the axe of Godrick. He gets six incantations, those being:

Heal, as a very standard heal, mostly just for himself,

Erdtree heal, a heal more intended for group healing,

Golden vow, a group offense and defense buff for a time,

Protection of the erdtree, for increased non-physical defense, which is likely useful for many bosses,

Bestial sling, which is a pretty basic but effective attack incantation, and boosted by the seal he uses, and is probably great in tandem with his axes to break an enemy's poise,

and then Dragonclaw as his final spell, a stronger and closer-up attack spell, likely for individual bosses that are lower on hp.

His offenses are standard and meant to be pretty decent for crowd control and poise-breaking, so his attack spells follow suite, while his support options are based around healing and some basic buffs. I personally do not use buffs or incantations when I play, so I do not know the nuances of a lot of this stuff, but Damien's got a good set of incantations to use.

Damien's set of talismans are the green turtle talisman, the mottled necklace +1, the axe talisman, and the bull-goat's talisman.

The green turtle talisman is a great talisman, simply increasing the speed of stamina regeneration, and it's a fantastic talisman. Very useful with the stamina drained by axe attacks and backing off to cast spells.

The mottled necklace boosts immunity, robustness, and focus, an across-the-board status boost, and I imagine it's useful for being up close with enemies and then staying alive to help with support- even if he doesn't have much in the way of ailment-based support.

The axe talisman is a damage booster, and considering his decent poise, charged attacks are pretty viable for him to be using.

The bull-goat's talisman is standard but very effective in practice (or maybe that's me being used to low poise), as it raises poise, therefore making it harder for you to flinch or be knocked out of an attack. Very helpful with a slower main weapon like the axe of Godrick.

Damien's standard all around, with pretty good damage and likely very helpful with crowd control, usually two-handing the axe for maximum damage and will back off when using incantations. He primarily uses incantations for support, and the offensive incantations are usually saved for bosses or rougher encounters- or sometimes just if he wants to switch things up for fun. He's likely going to focus on Strength and Faith, with some Mind thrown in for most casts.

Bellum:

His armor is: the altered tree sentinel armor, and the malformed dragon gauntlets and greaves.

Chosen partially for the color and because they're all heavy plate armor; meant to emulate a lot of the phantom designs, and for that yellow color, and I wasn't even aware that the malformed dragon gauntlets had a darker color until I was initially putting this together. Heavy armor fits with a desire to survive in battle, plus I think decent mobility in heavy armor suits Bellum; when I tested this out, I was firmly in medium equip load territory, plus it made for a good bit of poise to go with slower weapons. It wasn't too hard to pick out armor for him.

The weapons I felt suit him are: the blasphemous blade, the Marais executioner's sword, with the gravel stone seal as a secondary.

The blasphemous blade was practically necessary, a greatsword with the bonus effect of hp restoration on enemy death, plus the Taker's Flames skill, which also heals hp when it hits an enemy. This is was made me decide on greatswords over colossal weapons, trying to stick a bit with some ideas from the phantoms, plus the hp-leeching effects, plus it’s a pretty good weapon and I think it originally belonging to Rykard also fits pretty well; it’s Bellum’s main weapon unless he switches to the Marais Executioner’s sword for it’s specific skill. That sword is mostly chosen for it’s skill, as well as it’s origins- those bell-bearing hunters are absolute nightmares to deal with- so the two swords are kind of also picked for a sort of intimidation effect. At least the wriggling flesh on the blasphemous blade does the job well enough if someone doesn’t know the origins (which don’t practically matter). He would likely switch to the executioner’s sword for some boss fights, and its skill can be highly damaging to lone enemies- the focus with these two is on heavy damage and hp regen.

The secondary left hand weapon he has is the gravel stone seal, which boost dragon incantations, and so he only uses offense incantations, with a lot of incantations that cover a wide area and some that inflict ailment buildup. Bellum gets five incantations, all attacks (and all maybe emulating the idea that he’s a monster forced to be human in the lands between lol);

Beast claw, a pretty standard but pretty effective ground-level attack,

Unendurable frenzy, a wide range, fiery madness-inflicting incantation that, while only inflicting madness on a select few enemies (and himself) is likely more than useful for crowds and large enemies,

Rotten breath, a dragon communion incantation that is about what it says on the tin, a dragon’s breath attack that inflicts scarlet rot,

Fortissax’s lightning spear, another dragon incantation that summons a pair of lightning spears, with the damage at it’s best up close,

and Aspects of the crucible: tail, a wide-range crucible incantation, and the most fitting of the crucible incantations, I feel.

He has no issue getting up close to bosses, since he can fall back on the honestly insane hp regen he’s afforded by both his main weapon and some of his talismans.

The talismans Bellum gets are; the taker’s cameo, the dragoncrest greatshield talisman, the pearldrake talisman +2, and the godskin swaddling cloth.

The taker’s token has the same passive effect as the blasphemous blade; hp restoration upon enemy death. The fun part is that the taker’s token and the blasphemous blade’s hp regen effects stack with each other.

The dragoncrest greatshield talisman reduces physical damage by 20%, and the pearldrake talisman +2 reduces non-physical damage by about 11%. Covering just about all defenses with these two talismans.

The godskin swaddling cloth allows for additional minor hp restoration upon landing a certain number of melee hits within a short timeframe. This could be harder with greatswords, but with dual greatswords and jumping right into the action, I don’t imagine it’s at all impossible for the talisman’s effect to never trigger. As always, it’s extra effective with a larger number of enemies.

Bellum’s the main damage-dealer with a focus on staying power and lots of hp regen, using the blasphemous blade for regular battles while switching to the executioner’s sword for bosses due to the more aggressive ash of war. His incantations are more often used for crowd control, but are absolutely effect for boss battles, especially when given time to charge them up. He’s all about staying power and straightforward damage-dealing, with some decent poise to back things up despite his checking piece being altered and his lack of a helmet, and all of his incantations are a bit more bestially-inclined. He'd probably focus on Vigor and Strength, with some Faith or Dexterity thrown in for damage-dealing.

Overall, the idea is that the four of them are in the lands between like this, working and running around together, probably fighting over what bosses to go after next and whether or not to head into the catacombs that one of them just spotted. I could see them taking the time to scour the lands between for every little trinket and discussing whether or not to bother with some character's quest. Not too different from actual post-ph stuff, but it's fun to put them in Elden Ring and think on what kinds of equipment to give them and what would suit them.

[commanderfreddy]

susie's story (esp in ch4) is so deftly realised. so often you see the "character who thinks little of themself is encouraged to pursue their True Value" storyline unfold in a way that has the character redirected away from "unfitting" desires, like a physically weak character who wants to be physically strong learning to value their personality instead or whatever but susie. susie who is - mechanically, in her stats in the game - best suited to hitting things with an axe, who "doesn't look like she should be playing the piano", is encouraged to pursue a skill she doesn't have because an educator took the time to get to know her and realise what she has genuine passion for. and she's not automatically great at it! she has objectively bad spelling and grammar in her letter to alvin, it's not like she unlocked some secret hidden talent - storytelling and communicating and creative expression in general is something she cares a lot about and genuinely enjoys, but it's something she has to work for. there's a reason why the gerson fight is so long and gruelling. but through this hard work and better understanding of herself we see susie learn how to reject imposed frameworks that occlude her actual personality - she literally shatters the tapestry that tells her the one and only way her story can end, and in doing so prevents Kris from ever having the chance to think of her in that position, whatever it is. it's her story, and she's learning how to tell it.

AND all of this is done without for even a second implying she needs to be even the tiniest bit more feminine than her rough and rude masculine self. hell, from the way she and gerson mirror each other in their loud and abrasive laughs, her unapologetic butchness is presented as a trait that aligns her closer with him and from there with her truest self

[racke7]

So, because of the setback to my "grand idea" that was me accidentally nerfing my own mod. I spent this morning trying to think of a way to make certain classes interesting.

Like, Necromancer can usually be interesting by using teleportation and smacking people with massively damaging AOEs.

(Which is why Spectre, where "physical damage" is almost a side-effect to your true goal of stacking up debuffs that do very little (without game-breaking mods) always comes across as frustrating to me.)

And Rogue can be fun, because there's stuff like positioning yourself for backstabs, and then also having access to lots and lots of CCs.

(Turning people into chickens who will run away, after giving them a debuff that makes them take massive damage if they try to run? Always hilarious.)

Comparatively, Knight is "run up and hit them with your sword", and Ranger is "go to a high-spot and then click-kill on the enemies".

So, trying to make those classes more interesting is... hmm...

In the end, I found something that sounded very promising for a Knight-build, where they basically boost themselves with every skill, until they get access to a very strong attack. It's still very much "hit them with the sword", but it feels like there could be a bit of a dynamic involved.

The same mod-author had also created a Ranger-mod and Rogue-mod, and those looked like they'd stack pretty well with each other (a lot of "cause Bleed" and "if enemy is Bleeding, then" type of skills).

But then I, of course, got distracted.

And created an entire new Necromancer-mod from scratch.

I have no idea if it's even remotely "balanced" or whatever, because I just grabbed a few Hydro-skills and said "you do physical damage now". Which was... a very long and involved process. Especially to switch the skill-animations for other skill-animations.

But the end result was me having a bunch of Necro-skills that are purely damaging, causes bleed/decay/cripple, and doesn't come attached with all of the unnecessary bells-and-whistles of Odinblade that always seems to annoy me.

I'm... probably going to publish it once I've done some actual vague play-testing, and maybe one day I'll even be able to figure out how to get the fuckers to actually sell the damn spells.

(For now, I just craft them by combining "random bits of junk" with "necromancer books", because that usually makes it compatible with everything else.)

[theladyvalkyrieskyeart]

Getting the sense D&D tiktok hates paladins so bad (except for Oathbreakers), and they're all wrong.

"Paladins are cops"

They don't have to be, and if the people you play with play paladins like that, they're boring.

"Paladins are too OP"

Buddy, if you're in a group where most are spell casters with low strength and charisma stats, you're gonna need that paladin to come through with their two-attack smiting power while the group benefits from their various different aura that provides buffs AS WELL AS PROVIDE MEDICAL HELP WITH THEIR LAY ON HANDS

"Paladins are boring"

Your group is boring. Like there are so many ways you can play a paladin that isn't "righteous god fearing cop" or "evil oathbreaker" so this is a skill issue and maybe the people in your groups who plays paladins need to get creative.

[v6quewrlds]

&.⠀⠀LOVESTONED i⠀⋆⠀SIDNEY CROSBY.

pairing⠀⁎⠀sidney crosby x banker!reader. word count⠀⁎⠀9.7k.

summary⠀⁎⠀after your younger brother is drafted to the penguins, the only things keeping you from giving in to his captain's intensely magnetic gravitational pull are a busy work schedule and the plexiglass barrier between you.

author's note⠀⁎⠀part one of a multi-part series i'll come back to from time to time. warnings⠀⁎⠀18+ mdni, smut, fingering, blowjob, there's an age gap, but it's not the main focus, reader is an investment banker in her late 20s (not an important detail in this part)

Las Vegas was blindingly bright, even at night, the neon lights casting a colorful glow on the faces of the passersby. Since you touched down in Sin City the previous morning, you felt a permanent headache embed itself behind your eyes. You weren't used to the flashing billboards, the perpetual stream of music, or the heavy perfume of cigarette smoke that lingered in the air. The only thing keeping you going was the excitement of the NHL Entry Draft.

Your brother Isaac, the baby of the family, was up for selection. At nineteen, he was already taller than most of the other players, with the same rich brown skin and piercing gaze as your father. The teenager had spent the day in a dizzying round of interviews, meet-and-greets, and endless handshakes. But now, as you sat in the packed arena, the moment of truth was upon you.

You clutched your phone, scrolling through messages from friends and family, offering a silent prayer for Isaac's success. When the announcement came, the room erupted. Your heart soared as you watched your brother's name flash across the screen: the 5th overall pick for the Pittsburgh Penguins. The crowd roared, and your parents leaped to their feet, cheering and hugging. Isaac, dressed in a sharp suit that made him look far beyond his years, took the stage, beaming with pride and disbelief. He embraced the Penguins GM, donned the team cap, and smiled for the cameras.

"The Penguins. Geno Malkin, Kris Letang, and Sidney Crosby," your mother gushed, her eyes wide with excitement.

"He's shitting himself," your father added, chuckling. "Imagine playing alongside Crosby, the kid might not make it through the season without a fainting spell."

Isaac had grown up idolizing Sidney Crosby. Posters of the legendary player adorned his childhood walls, his stats taking up a permanent residence in the younger son's brain. Despite having been born the year Crosby was drafted, Isaac had studied every move, every play, every interview, dreaming of the day he finally worked hard enough to share the ice with his hero.

That day came, quick and highly anticipated, in Isaac's first practice as a Penguin. You dutifully indulged Isaac in his second-by-second retelling of every split second shared with the legend on the ice.

His starry-eyed account did little justice to the man that Sidney Crosby truly was in person. You had to admit, watching the legend in action was nothing short of mesmerizing. Your first home game in attendance left you in awe of the team's dynamic, especially Sidney's unrivaled skill. You found yourself looking for him on the ice, your eyes tracing the path of the puck as he weaved through the opposing team's defense with an elegance that seemed almost supernatural.

It was at the Family Skate that you finally had the chance to meet him. The rink buzzed with excitement, the clang of skates and the echo of laughter reverberating through the cavernous space. You held onto the bar, your legs wobbly from nerves and inexperience. You hadn't been on the ice since you were a teenager. Isaac was more than critical of your form, offering unsolicited advice that you mostly ignored.

"You're embarrassing me," Isaac called out to you, a hint of amusement in his voice. You shot him a glare before your skate caught a rut in the ice.

"Shut up, give me a second to remember how to do this," you called back, trying to balance yourself. You finally found your center of gravity, huffing as you looped your arm in Isaac's. "If I go down, I'm taking you with me."

Isaac just grinned, his teeth flashing in the bright arena lights. "Careful, might trip on your ego," he teased before pushing off to increase your glide, laughing as you swatted at him.

It was during one of these wobbly attempts to keep up with your brother that you collided with a solid mass. Your skates scraped against the ice, kicking up a spray that momentarily panicked you. Strong hands caught you before you could face-plant into the frozen surface. You looked up into the surprised, yet amused eyes of Sidney Crosby. His grip was firm, his smile even more disarming in person than it was in the countless magazine covers and commercials you'd seen.

His eyes crinkled at the edges, gifting his sharp, angled edges a hint of softness that wasn't usually captured by the cameras. Your heart stuttered in your chest. "You okay?" he asked, his accent thick, comforting, utterly overwhelming as it filled the space between you.

"Yeah," you managed, your voice shakier than your legs had been a second ago. "Thanks. I'm so sorry, I haven't skated in forever."

Sidney chuckled, a sound that seemed to resonate in the very air around you. "It's alright, I've had worse spills on this ice." He seemed to hesitate before letting you go, his eyes lingering on you for a beat longer than necessary.

"You gonna introduce me to your sister, rook?" Authority leaked into his tone, coloring his words with a playful assertion that, admittedly, made your head spin.

"Oh, right," Isaac said. He looked from Sidney to you. "Sid, this is my sister, Y/N."

Sidney offered his hand, a gesture that seemed almost too formal amidst the casual setting. You took it, your palm fitting snugly into his much larger one. His grip was firm but gentle as he helped you regain your balance. A jolt shot through your limbs at the contact, further liquefying your already compromised resolve. You could feel your cheeks warm under the weight of his gaze, your eyes flickering to the logo emblazoned on his jersey.

"Nice to meet you, Y/N," Sidney said, his voice curling softly around the syllables as they left his mouth.

You managed a nod, the heat from his touch lingering. "It's an honor."

"I gotta go rescue Mom. Just keep it together, I'm trying to maintain a reputation," Isaac whispered to you before skating off towards your mother, who was clinging to your father's arm like a lifeline on the unsteady ice.

Sidney watched him go, a laugh erupting through his chest and shaking his shoulders. "He's a good kid. Got a nice head on his shoulders, eh?"

You poked your tongue at your cheek as you focused on not falling over again. "Yeah, he's a good kid. It's nice that we're living together again. I missed him when I went off to college."

Sidney nodded. "So, you're older, then?"

You smirked. "By a few years, yeah. I'm twenty-eight."

Sidney's gaze grew contemplative, the back of his hand gently brushing against yours as you swayed on the ice. "Twenty-eight, huh?" he murmured. "I'd never have guessed."

You raised an eyebrow. "In a good way or a bad way?"

Sidney smirked. "In a nice, neutral kinda way." His eyes swept over your side profile. There was a flirtatious air to the conversation that seemed to thicken the cold air around you.

He was magnetic. All broad shoulders and confidence, his movements on the ice so fluid it was like watching poetry in motion. There was a pull in his gaze, an ease to his questions as if he were made to charm the answers right out of you.

For all his magnetism, there was acute awareness of the eyes. Thousands of fans peered down at you from the stands, their conversations carrying like the rustle of leaves in a breeze. You weren't speaking about anything of particular importance, but you felt as if you were under a microscope. The thought was thrilling and terrifying in equal measure. You didn't dare linger too long, didn't dare to move any closer to him for fear of what it might imply. Sidney seemed unfazed by the scrutiny, his gaze focused squarely on you as you skated in slow, easy circles.

"You've got a good stride," he said, his voice a slow rumble. "You're a natural."

You laughed. "Hardly. I'm trying my best not to make a fool of myself out here."

Sidney's smile grew wider. "Well, compared to your mom, I'd say you're doing pretty well." He cast a glance over his shoulder where, sure enough, your mother was flailing about on the ice with a grace that suggested she'd been meant to keep her feet firmly on the ground. You couldn't help but laugh, the sound light and genuine.

"Still, I think I should try and get some more practice before you start calling me a natural," you said. You couldn't help the slow rise of warmth in your chest when your eyes met his again. You had to stop skating soon, you knew. The ice was crowded, and you were all too aware that any moment could be the one where someone decided you had been talking for too long to be an innocent conversation.

"Well, I'd love to see you again. It's nice to see fresh faces around here." It was simple and casual, but the way Sidney's eyes held yours made your stomach flip. You nodded, your smile feeling a bit too wide as you watched him skate away.

From that moment, you were hooked.

You found yourself attending every home game you could, your eyes drawn to Sidney's movements on the ice like a moth to a flame. In the crowded family section, you’d spot him, and you’d exchange glances here, a smile there. The air grew charged with a tension that made your pulse quicken. You flirted from afar, all smoldering looks and casual touches, leaving you breathless.

The Penguins' holiday party was in full swing, the guests buzzing with laughter and conversation. Isaac insisted on taking you after mentioning it was mildly upsetting to see his older sister with no plans. You relented, quite easily, with a pinch to his side. The party was a blur of faces, mostly teammates and their significant others, and the occasional awkward encounter with your brother's new teammates.

Sidney spotted you from across the room, his gaze lingering for a beat too long before he excused himself from his conversation with Rust. You felt his hand on your elbow, turning you to face him, the warmth of his touch seeping into your skin. "Hey, it's good to see you out of the stands."

The smile that bloomed on your face was almost involuntary. "Isaac dragged me with him, kicking and screaming," you teased, taking him in as he stood before you. Those familiar crinkles around his eyes had deepened with age, adding a depth to his handsome features that had only grown more appealing with time.

"I'm sure he did," Sidney said, his voice low and playful. The party was in full swing, the air thick with the smell of pine and spiced cider. Lights twinkled from the ceiling, casting a warm glow on the faces of the players and their families. The music played in the background, a mix of Christmas classics and modern hits that seemed to be on an endless loop. "I'm glad you came."

He began to move, feet shuffling slowly as if he expected you to follow. You found yourself doing just that, your nerves spiking for a moment before catching the softest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his pink lips. "Have you had something to drink?" he asked as you made your way to the bar.

"Oh, I'm not drinking tonight. I'll probably be driving Isaac home," you nodded toward your younger brother, who was busy charming a group of women nearby, a cup of watered-down eggnog in his hand.

Sidney nodded. "Fair enough. Water for you, then?"

"That’d be great, thanks," you replied, your eyes following Isaac as he regaled the group with some story you'd heard a hundred times before. You felt a warmth beside you, a comfort that was entirely unfamiliar yet somehow welcome. Sidney leaned against the bar, both elbows propping him up as he ordered drinks for you. He was dressed casually, a stark contrast to his usual game-day attire. The sight of him in a simple black sweater and jeans made him seem more approachable, less like a hockey god and more like a man you could actually get to know.

You talked about the game, the upcoming schedule, and your favorite holiday traditions. The conversation flowed naturally, a dance of words that kept the tension simmering just below the surface. You felt like you could listen to Sidney's voice all night, the way it wrapped around every word like a warm blanket.

By the time the drinks really started flowing, you found yourselves tucked away into a dimmer corner. You stood chest to chest, leaning a shoulder against the wallpapered wall of the private room reserved for the party. You felt the weight of his gaze, the way heat rolled off of Sidney’s body, the way he seemed to edge closer to you with every sip of his drink. His hand dangled close to yours, so close you were sure that if you just extended your fingers a smidge, they’d brush together.

But it was his words that had your pulse racing. They’d turned flirty, playful, and you found yourself matching his tone, playing along as if you were in a secret club of two. The conversation grew more intimate, more personal, until you were sharing whispers with an undertone of attraction that seemed too raw to be uttered in such a public space.

"I've noticed you at the games," Sidney said, his eyes scanning the room before returning to yours. "You get pretty into it. There's a lot of passion hidden under there." He motioned toward you, his words accentuated by a chuckle that made your knees wobble.

"I'm a pretty passionate person," you admitted, your voice a soft murmur against the background chatter. You took a sip of your non-alcoholic eggnog, the sweetness coating your tongue. You felt Sidney's hand brush against yours, a gesture so subtle you might’ve imagined it.

"I'd love to see more of that passion," Sidney said, his eyes darkening. "Maybe even get to know it better, up close? I could use more passion."

Your eyebrow quirked up, your bottom lip caught between your teeth. You were playing with fire, you knew, but you couldn't help yourself. He was just too tempting, too close, too everything you'd ever wanted. "I think that could be arranged," you replied.

A strong hand reached out, finding your hip, searing heat into your skin through the fabric of your red dress. His thumb drew lazy circles that made your stomach somersault. "I can work with that," Sidney murmured, his voice dropping lower in your ear. "We can talk more, just the two of us."

Every bit of you was straining to retain composure. The hand on your hip, the heat of his body, so close you could feel it through his clothes—it was too much. Your mind was racing, trying to grasp the reality of the moment. This wasn’t a distant crush anymore; it was a tangible invitation, a possibility laid out before you. "Where would we go?" you managed to ask, your voice breathier than you would have liked.

Sidney leaned in, his breath a warm whisper against your neck. "Somewhere quiet, where we can actually hear each other." His hand squeezed your hip gently, urging you closer. His eyes half-lidded, he searched your gaze, looking for any hint of hesitation. You felt the world around you fade away, the music and chatter of the party a distant echo in your ears. The only thing that mattered was the magnetic pull between you, the electric current that seemed to arc through the air.

You couldn't respond, your hand reaching up to travel over his forearm and curl over his bicep. Your pulse hammered in your throat. You were still in public, surrounded by his teammates and their families, yet it felt like you were the only two people in the room. "I'd like that," you murmured, your voice a mere breath.

There was a pull between you, like gravity had decided you were the only two stars in the sky. You felt your body leaning into Sidney’s touch, your hand tightening around his arm, drawing him closer. The air was thick with anticipation, and you could see in his eyes that he felt it too. He leaned in, your faces so close you could feel the warmth of his breath against your lips, and whispered, "Come back to my place."

As if sensing your internal struggle, Sidney’s hand tightened around your hip. "He won’t think too hard of it. Tell him you found a ride home." The tip of his nose nudged against the line of your jaw, sending a shiver down your spine. You swallowed hard, trying to process what was happening. It was difficult, almost impossible to think straight with Sidney’s body heat surrounding you, his hand caressing your skin, his breath tickling your ear.

You swallowed deeply, your eyes closing for a brief second. When you opened them, you saw the sincerity in Sidney’s gaze, the hopefulness that made your heart flutter. You nodded, the decision made before you could second-guess yourself. "Okay, I’ll go find him."

There was an authority to the curt nod Sidney gave you that sent a thrill down your spine. You took a deep breath and pushed away from the wall, smoothing your dress as you made your way over to where Isaac was still holding court with Rutger in tow, both of them laughing at something you hadn’t heard. "Isaac," you called out, tapping his shoulder blade, "I'm gonna head home. I’ve got a headache."

Your brother spared you a brief glance. "Are you taking the car?"

"No," you said, your voice steady despite the tremble in your hands. "I found a ride. I’ll see you at home." You didn’t dare look at Sidney, who was now watching you with a smoldering gaze from across the room. You knew if you did, you might just forget your words and drag him out of the party right then and there.

Just as Sidney had promised, Isaac didn’t think twice about the excuse. With a simple, "Text me when you get home. I’ll crash with Rut," he turned back to his conversation, leaving your heart racing and your mind reeling. You turned back to Sidney, who was watching you with a knowing smile, his eyes holding the slightest bit of I told you so in them. You took a deep breath and stepped closer to him, feeling his hand slip around your waist and pull you into his side.

You left the party with the same ease that you'd arrived, blending into the cool winter night like shadows. His car was sleek, with dark paint that reflected the lights of the city as you sped away from the arena. Inside, the leather seats were warm, and the music was low. His hand found your thigh, slowly creeping higher, making you squirm with anticipation.

"Sensitive," he murmured, his thumb moving in gentle circles on your thigh. "I like that." His voice was a warm caress, sending a shiver down your spine.

You bit your lip in an effort to suppress the whine that threatened to escape. You had never been one to handle teasing well, and Sidney seemed to have a keen sense for it. You leaned into him, your hand coming to rest over his hand. "You're terrible," you said with a shaky laugh.

Sidney smirked, his eyes staying glued to the road. "Oh, I'm just getting started," he assured you, his voice low and husky. The drive to his place was a blur of anticipation and excitement. Your heart felt like it might burst from your chest as you felt his hand move higher up your leg, his fingertips grazing the hem of your panties.

It was maddening, the way you could feel your pulse racing, your breath coming in shallow gasps, while Sidney remained so calm and composed, navigating the car through the quiet streets just outside of Pittsburgh. Your hand tightened on his, silently begging for more, but he was in control, master of the slow burn, and you knew it.

The moment they crossed the threshold of Sidney's home, the dam of your restrained desire burst. You were on each other, kisses deep and hungry, his hands mapping the curves of your body as you clawed at his clothes. Your breaths came out in pants as Sidney's strong hands cupped your ass, lifting you against his body, your legs wrapping around his waist.

"God," you gasped as Sidney pressed you against a wall, his mouth moving to your neck, kissing and licking at the sensitive skin there. Your legs tightened around his waist, your black high heels glossy under the dim lights of his hallway, as you tried to get as close to him as you could. His hands roamed up your body, squeezing at your breasts over your dress and making your nipples peak.

"Perfect fuckin' tits," Sidney groaned into your neck, his voice thick with lust. His hands found the straps of your dress and with one deft move, he had it pooling around your waist. You gasped as his thumbs grazed the sensitive skin of your breasts, the coolness of the air contrasting with the heat of his touch. His head dipped to kiss the plush fat of your cleavage, making your hips rock against his growing erection.

He palmed one of your breasts, his thumb brushing over your nipple until it pebbled under his fingertips, making you whine with need. "Please," you whispered, your voice needy and desperate. Sidney chuckled darkly, his eyes meeting yours, filled with a fiery passion you hadn't seen before.

"Sensitive and eager," Sidney murmured against your skin, his teeth grazing your neck before he captured your mouth in a searing kiss that made your toes curl in your heels. His hands slid over your hips, holding you in place as he ground his clothed cock against you. Your moan was muffled by his mouth, your hands fisting in his hair as you tried to pull him even closer. The kiss grew wilder, his tongue delving deep, tasting you, claiming you in the most primal way.

Your entire body burned as if dipped in fire, your breaths grew erratic as Sidney's hand traveled up your side, slipping beneath your bra to cup your bare breast fully. He pinched the nipple, rolling it between his thumb and forefinger, and you gasped, arching into his touch. The pressure built inside you, coiling tighter with every stroke of his hand.

He broke the kiss to look at you, his eyes smoldering with desire. "You're so beautiful," he said, his voice a gravelly whisper. You felt a rush of arousal creep up your neck, your eyes fluttering shut as his mouth found yours again, his tongue demanding entry. You gave it eagerly, your kisses growing more frantic as Sidney's hand continued to torment your sensitive flesh.

His fingertips were incessant, playing with your nipple until it was a tight, aching peak. You could feel the wetness pooling between your legs, your panties damp with need. "Fuck, I'm so wet," you breathed against his mouth, the words barely audible. "Please, Sidney."

With a low growl, Sidney carried you to the bedroom, not bothering to break your kiss. He laid you down gently on the bed, his hands moving to your hips to remove your dress completely. The cool air hit your bare skin, making you shiver as he stepped back to admire you. You felt exposed, vulnerable, but the hunger in Sidney's gaze made you feel a certain security.

"This fuckin' body, my god," Sidney murmured, his eyes raking over you like a brand as you lay on his bed, your dress discarded on the floor. You watched him, your own eyes hooded with desire, as he stripped his own clothes away with an urgency that matched yours. His body was a masterpiece of muscle and sinew, a testament to the hours he dedicated to his sport, and you couldn't wait to feel it against your own.

A muscled knee pressed into the white sheets, and Sidney's body hovered over yours, the weight of his desire as palpable as the tension in the air. His hand slid up your thigh, the roughness of his calloused fingers making you quiver. You reached up, your fingers tracing the lines of his abs before moving to his shoulders, urging him closer. His eyes locked on yours, Sidney leaned in, capturing your mouth in a fiery kiss that sent waves of heat through your tummy.

Both of his hands found your hips, squeezing tightly, his thumbs digging into the flesh as he broke the kiss and moved lower. You watched, your breaths coming in fast pants, as Sidney kissed a trail down your neck, across your collarbones, down the center of your chest, until he reached your breasts. He took one nipple in his mouth, suckling it hard, making your back arch and a cry escape your throat. The sensation was intense, and you could feel the wetness between your legs growing.

With a wicked grin, Sidney reached for the edge of your panties, sliding them down your legs and tossing them aside. He hovered over you, his eyes dark with desire as he took in the sight of your spread before him. "You're fuckin' perfect," Sidney murmured, his voice thick with need. Tentatively, you reached down to touch yourself, your fingertips finding your slick folds.

"Let me," Sidney said, his voice a command you couldn't resist. He pushed your hand aside, his own hand taking over, his fingers sliding into your wetness with ease. Your eyes rolled back as he began to stroke your clit, your body arching off the bed. The tension grew tighter, the need more urgent as it crested; deep, sweet agony building in your pussy.

"Please," you sighed, your voice dipping into a desperate whisper, your hips rising to meet his hand. Sidney didn't relent, his touch unyielding as he pushed you closer to the edge. "Oh, fuck," you moaned, your legs trembling, toes curling into the sheets.

He watched you, his eyes dark with desire, as you grew wetter, your body begging for his touch. When he finally slid two fingers inside you, your eyes snapped open, the pleasure so intense it was almost painful. You bit your lip to keep from screaming, your nails digging into the bed as Sidney began to pump his fingers in and out of you in a slow, steady rhythm that had your body singing with need.

"You're so wet," Sidney murmured against your skin, the words sending a shiver down your spine as his fingers plunged deeper, hitting a spot that made your eyes roll back. He curled his fingers, stroking your G-spot, and you couldn't help but let out a guttural moan. Your hips bucked against his hand, your body demanding more.

"Talk to me, princess. Tell me what you want from me. You know I'll give it to you. Whatever you want, sweets," Sidney rasped, his voice a low, needy growl that made your skin tingle. You couldn't form coherent words, so you did the next best thing: you wrapped your legs around his waist, pulling him closer, silently begging for his cock to fill you up. The pressure of his fingers inside you was exquisite, but you needed more of him, all of him.

He took the hint, his eyes never leaving yours as he slid his fingers out, making you whimper at the sudden emptiness. His fingers were slick, coated in your desire, and he brought them to his mouth, tasting you. The sight of it had your walls clenching, your body begging for more. "So sweet," he murmured, before climbing over you. Your fingers dipped into the waistband of his underwear, tugging slightly as your hips rocked upward, urging him closer.

Sidney chuckled, his eyes dancing with amusement. "Fuckin' desperate, eh? Give me a second, princess." He leaned in, kissing you deeply, teasingly, until you were practically vibrating with need. His tongue pressed against yours, sucking your bottom lip, pulling it between his teeth, saliva and moans exchanged between you two. You couldn't be patient, not when he was driving you to the brink like this.

Your thighs were spread wide to accommodate his broad, muscular body, and when Sidney's cock finally nudged at your entrance, you couldn't help the whimper that escaped your lips. He was so hard, so thick, and you were beyond ready for him. The anticipation was agonizing, and you could feel your body clench around his length as he continued his movements, his cock pulsing against your walls, pushing inch by glorious inch. The stretch was heavenly, and you wrapped your arms around his neck, holding on tightly as he filled you completely.

Fingers clawed into his hair, you pulled Sidney down for another deep, needy kiss as he pushed into you. The sensation was overwhelming. He groaned against your mouth, the sound vibrating through you as he buried himself fully inside you. He paused, letting you adjust to the feeling of him inside you, before pulling back to look at your face.

"Tell me when," he murmured, his hand reaching out to cup your cheek as your eyes remained locked. You took a deep, shaky breath, feeling the tension coil inside you. "Now," you whispered, your voice thin and urgent. "Please."

Sidney didn't need any more encouragement. He began to move, his hips rocking in a steady rhythm that had your eyes fluttering shut. Each stroke was pure pleasure, a symphony of sensations that had you tightening your grip on him, your legs wrapping tighter around his waist. He was deep, so deep, filling you so fully, buried to the absolute hilt.

His nose nudged against yours, moans and grunts spilling out of your mouths. Sidney's strokes grew stronger, more demanding, as he claimed your body as his own. Your eyes remained squeezed shut, your body tightening around him, your nails digging into his shoulders as you felt the high begin to build.

"Look at me," Sidney growled, his voice thick with lust. Your eyes snapped open, meeting his intense gaze. If it wasn't already clear, in that moment, you would never be able to get enough of him. You watched as he thrust into you, the muscles in his neck straining with the effort of holding back. "Keep 'em on me, baby. Wanna hear your sweet moans, see your gorgeous eyes roll back when I fuck you just right."

Your breath hitched as he sped up, each thrust hitting that perfect spot, your walls clenching around him like a vise. You could feel the heat building, the pressure growing, and you knew you were close. "Sid," you panted, your voice breathless and desperate.

"Good, huh?" Sidney smirked. There was that edge in his voice, an intimate alternative to the chirps you had seen on the ice too many times to count. It was cocky. It was smug. It was intoxicating.

You nodded, your mouth too busy whimpering and panting to form words. You felt the orgasm approaching, a fiery heat that threatened to consume you, and you knew you weren't going to last much longer.

"So good... you're so good, fuck, Sid," you moaned out, your voice a mix of pleasure and desperation as the pressure inside you grew to an unbearable buzz.

Sidney's eyes stayed on you, the intensity in his gaze only increasing as he thrust into you, pushing you closer to the edge. "You're soaked, baby," he whispered, his voice filled with awe and desire. "Need me to lose my fucking mind, don't you?"

You giggled, breathless, pitched up into a whiny moan as Sidney's mouth found your neck, kissing and suckling, leaving a mark that you knew would be visible tomorrow. "That was the plan," you hummed, your nails digging into his shoulders. His hips rocked into you, and you could feel the heat of his breath against your skin, the warmth of his body pressing into yours.

You were pinned to the mattress, his fingers lacing through yours as the two of you moved together, your bodies a tangled mess of passion and need. Your breath grew shallower, your moans growing louder as Sidney's hips moved faster, each thrust hitting your sweet spot.

"Hold on, wanna see your face," you whispered gently, attempting to pull your hands from his. He tightened his grip for a moment, hesitating then releasing, allowing you to slide your palms up his side, feeling his obliques and shoulder blades, before finding his jaw, your thumb tracing the line of his strong jaw. You pulled him down, your eyes locking again, Sidney's hips stuttering as your mouths collided, tongues dancing together in a fiery tango of passion.

"Christ," Sidney huffed out when he pulled away, catching your heated gaze, your eyes filled with lust and love. The way you touched him, the way you watched him, it was dizzying. He leaned down, kissing you again, feeling you shiver underneath him as he picked up his pace.

"Sid, baby, your eyes, wanna see your eyes," you whined, pulling his bottom lip between your teeth. He groaned, his hips stuttering for a moment before he complied, his gaze locking with yours again. Your eyes were dark with passion, your pupils dilated with desire.

"Don't," he laughed, the sound full of air and strain as he kissed you again, his tongue flicking against your bottom lip before delving back in. "Don't whine like that. I'm trying not to cum before you do. Trying to be chivalrous."

That drew another laugh from you, the sound music to Sidney's ears, especially in the throes of passion. He leaned down, kissing you again, his hips moving in a steady rhythm that had you squirming beneath him. Your nails dug into his skin, your legs tightening around his waist as you grew closer to the edge. You were so beautiful like this, lost in pleasure, your body responding to his every touch.

"I really don't think that would be the worst thing in the world. Think it'd be kinda hot, honestly," you said with a giggle, your eyes filling with that earlier mischief. "But if that's what you need from me, I'll give you that."

"Yeah? You'll give me that?" Sidney chuckled, his strokes growing more deliberate, snapping into you with more force.

"I'll give you anything," you promised, your voice a breathy whisper that sent a shiver down Sidney's spine. "Swear," you added, your hips rising to meet his, urging him to go deeper, faster.

"Anything, huh," he hummed, thinking for a moment before his eyes lit up, pulling out slowly with a hiss. "Get on top, princess. Want to watch you ride me." Your cheeks flamed, but you didn't argue; instead, you shifted your body, sliding off the bed and straddling him. His cock stood tall, the length glistening with your combined arousal, his tip pulsing with need.

He gripped the base of his shaft, his chest, red and slick with sweat, rising and falling rapidly. You took a moment to appreciate the sight of him, his desire for you so evident. Salt and pepper hair was tousled, a singular curl falling over his forehead, also slick with sweat. You leaned forward, your breasts brushing against his chest, and just barely brushed his lips with yours. Your hand wrapped around his cock, guiding it to your entrance, and with a gasp, you sunk down onto him, slowly filling yourself up completely.

You braced yourself with one hand on his chest, the other gripping the headboard as you began to grind your hips cautiously. The feeling of his cock sliding in and out of you was exquisite, dragging against your walls so deliciously you couldn't help but let out a low moan. Sidney watched you, his eyes dark with need as he bit his lip, his hands on your hips, guiding your movements.

"Oh my god," Sidney groaned as you started to move, your hips rolling in a sensual dance that had him gritting his teeth. You were so fucking beautiful from this angle, your body moving above him, your tits bouncing slightly with each rock of your hips. He watched you, his eyes greedy, as you began to move faster, your breaths growing more erratic.

His hands were equally greedy, squeezing your hips, drifting up to your breasts, leaning forward to kiss your collarbone. You threw your head back, your eyes closing in bliss as Sidney's teeth grazed the sensitive skin there. "Oh fuck," you gasped, your movements becoming more erratic as you chased the orgasm you could feel building.

You bounced on top of him, a rhythmic clap of your ass against his thighs that had Sidney's eyes rolling back in his head. He could feel you tighten around him, your pussy squeezing his cock like a fist. "Fuck, baby," he groaned, his thumbs digging into your hips before he wrapped his arms around your midsection, pressing your chest to his.

"Is this good for you?" you panted, your eyes meeting his, your nose brushing against his as you just barely pressed your lips to his.

"You're doing perfect," Sidney murmured, his voice strained. He could feel the tension coiling in his balls, his orgasm just out of reach. "Just keep riding me like that," he encouraged. "Make yourself cum. Just like that."

You swallowed hard, your breathing growing increasingly more shallow as you picked up your pace. Your eyes remained locked with Sidney's, the passion in his gaze fueling your desire. You felt his hands slip from your hips to your thighs then your ass, squeezing and guiding your movements, pushing you down onto him as you bounced atop him with a desperate hunger.

"You were dreaming about this, weren't you?" Sidney pressed, still pulling you down onto his cock with a firm, demanding pressure that made you gasp. "Dreaming about me fucking you senseless," he whispered against your neck, his breath hot and heavy. You nodded, unable to form coherent words as the pleasure took over your body. "Dreaming about dripping all over me," he added, his hands sliding up your body to palm your tits.

Your eyes fluttered closed, your breath hitching as Sidney's thumbs found your nipples. "Yeah," you managed to moan out, your hips grinding against him. He groaned in response, his own desire for you reaching a boiling point. "Wanted you to do this so bad," you whispered, your voice shaky. "Every fucking night, I'd think about you like this," you admitted, your cheeks heating with embarrassment at the admission, but you didn't stop moving. "Feel so good."

"Look how easy it was to make you mine," Sidney murmured, his voice thick with satisfaction. "Couldn't resist, could you?"

You felt a thrill run through you at his words, your body responding with a shiver. "Could you blame me?" you replied, your voice low and filled with desire. You leaned in to kiss him deeply, your tongue tangling with his as you continued to rock your hips against his. "Fit so perfectly," you whispered against his mouth, your arms falling over his broad shoulders, pulling at the dark hair at the base of his neck.

"Take my cock so well, so goddamn pretty taking cock," Sidney murmured, his hands squeezing handfuls of your tits, sending waves of pleasure straight to your core. Your eyes rolled back in your head, your hips moving faster, your breaths coming in gasps and pants. The friction was building, the heat growing more intense with every stroke.

"Sid," you whined, feeling yourself teeter on the edge of a cliff, the orgasm threatening to break free. "Fuck, I'm gonna cum," you managed to get out, your teeth sinking into your bottom lip to stifle the scream that was threatening to escape.

"Don't get quiet on me now," Sidney urged, his voice a gruff, low hum in the quiet of the room. "I want to hear every fucking sound you make."

You bit your lip harder, your eyes staring into his. "Can't help it," you panted, your body tightening around his cock. "It's so good, you feel so good, Sid."

Sidney's grip on you tightened, his own pleasure spiking at your words. He watched you, the muscles in his arms flexing as he held you in place, allowing him to drive into you with more force. "You should tell me where you want me," he muttered, his back falling against the bed as he thrusted up into you.

You moaned, your eyes fluttering shut as you felt the first waves of pleasure wash over you. "Pull out," you suggested, your voice almost a plea. "I'll let you cum in my mouth." Sidney's eyes snapped open at your words, and he groaned, the image in his mind sending him closer to the edge.

"Fuck," Sidney growled as he felt the tightness of your pussy start to pulse around his cock.

When it finally hit you, your mind went blank, your chest falling forward, hands gripping the sheets tightly as you let out a long, keening cry of pure ecstasy. Your pussy clenched around Sidney's cock, your muscles pulsing in a way that had him groaning deeply, his own release just a heartbeat away. He watched you come undone, your body shuddering with pleasure, your face a picture of rapture.

"Okay?" he asked, his hips still moving, albeit much slower, his cock still buried deep inside you.

"Mmhmm," you murmured, your eyes fluttering open to meet his. You felt the aftershocks of your orgasm still pulsing through your body, making you tremble slightly. "Wanna taste you."

You slowly lifted yourself off him, your legs shaking slightly from the intensity of your climax. He watched you, his chest heaving, as you took him in your mouth, your lips sliding down his shaft with an ease that made him groan. "Fuck, there you go," Sidney murmured, his eyes rolling back in his head. "So good at that."

Your mouth was hot and wet, your tongue swirling around him as you bobbed up and down. Filthy slurps and moans filled the room, each sound making Sidney's jaw tick and his hands tighten in the sheets. He watched you, the way you took him in with such focus, your cheeks hollowing as you took him deeper, your throat tightening around his cock as you swallowed him down.

You stroked what couldn't fit in your mouth, your hand moving in time with your bobbing head. Your eyes flicked up to meet Sidney's, and you saw the unbridled need reflected in his gaze. You moaned around his cock, the vibrations sending jolts of pleasure through his body. "Shit, yes," he hissed, his hips jerking upward to meet your mouth.

Your eyes watered slightly from the effort, but you didn't care. All that mattered was the feel of him in your mouth, his taste, and the way he responded to your every move. You sucked harder, your cheeks hollowing, and Sidney's moans grew louder. "Keep going," he breathed, his hand finding its way to the back of your head, gently pushing you down further.

You could feel his cock pulse, his pre-cum coating your tongue as you swirled it around his mushroom-shaped tip. You could see it in the tension in his body, the way his abdomen clenched, and his chest heaved. You worked him harder, your hand moving in a firm, steady grip, matching the pace of your mouth.

Your eyes met his, the final strokes of your hand, and the suction of your mouth too much for Sidney to handle. With a long groan, he came, his hot, slightly bitter cum filling your mouth as you eagerly swallowed, not wanting to miss a drop. Your eyes watered, but you kept your gaze locked with Sidney's, watching the pleasure etched into his features as he rode out his climax. When he was done, you pulled off with a soft pop, licking your lips clean, your thumb catching remnants that had escaped to the corner of your mouth.

Sidney's chest heaved as he stared at you, his eyes glazed over with a mix of lust and admiration. "Jesus, princess," he murmured, his hand falling to the side of your face, stroking your cheek with his thumb. You grinned up at him, a smug satisfaction in your gaze. "You're something else."

You leaned over him, his arms reaching to bracket your waist, pulling you closer as your lips connected. The taste of him, his tongue, his cum still rested on your tongue, mingling with the faint taste of your on his. A warmth washed over you, tingling in your bones, settling over you like a warm blanket.

You felt something shift in you. That feeling of getting what you've wanted, what you've plotted on, and realizing the reality was a hundred times better than the fantasy. Sidney's arms were tight around you, holding you close as you kissed, his hands moving over your body, feeling your curves and exploring every inch of you as if it was the first time he had felt you.

You pulled away first, laughing under your breath when he chased your lips. His pupils were blown, his eyes hazed with satisfaction. "How was that?" you teased, licking your lips clean, wiping the corners of his mouth with the pads of your fingers.

He gently grasped your wrist, turning his head to press a kiss to the inside of your wrist. "Amazing," Sidney murmured, trailing his kisses up your arm, to your neck, and finally delivering the ghost of a peck to your parted lips. "Let me take care of you, yeah?" he whispered against your skin. "I'll get a washrag, something warm to wear, and then we'll talk."

You nodded, sighing into the kiss he pressed to your lips before he rose from his bed. His bare backside was a sight to behold as he walked into the bathroom, soft skin marked by tan lines and muscles flexing with every step. You couldn't help but watch him go, a small smile playing at your mouth. When he returned with a warm washrag, you took it from his hand and cleaned yourself up, feeling the tension in your body start to ease. He disappeared then reappeared, handing you a clean t-shirt and sweatpants that were definitely his, smelled like his, and draped over your body like his.

Sidney slid into the bed beside you, pulling you into his arms as you settled into the warmth of his embrace. He kissed the top of your head, and you felt his heart beating steadily under your ear. "I don't want to scare you," he began, his voice a soft rumble, "but I think we need to talk."

Your stomach twisted slightly. "We should," you agreed, biting your bottom lip as you sat up. You couldn't ignore the butterflies in your stomach that grew more frantic with every second that ticked by. "What are you thinking?" you asked.

Sidney took a deep breath, his arms tightening around you. He leaned back against the headboard, taking a moment to choose his words. "I'm thinking that I want us to be on the same page. This can't just be about sex. I don't… I'm not built for casual." He paused, letting the admission linger in the air. "I'm not that young anymore, and I've realized that I don't want to just kill my time with hookups. It doesn't have to be forever, but I want it to mean something."

You nodded, your voice earnest, your heart pounding. "I can understand that, but as much as I'd love to dive into something more, I have to think about Isaac. I don't want to mess up his career or his relationship with you." You chewed on your bottom lip before continuing, "He idolizes you, Sid. He's idolized you his whole life, literally." You laughed uneasily, trying to lighten the mood. "I'd hate to ruin his perception of you."

Sidney took your hand, threading his fingers through yours. "Isaac's an adult. And if he's as good a man as I think he is, he'll want his sister to be happy." His thumb stroked the back of your hand. "We'll take it slow. Keep it between us. Figure it out together." He nuzzled his nose into your neck, inhaling your sweet scent. "One date at a time, yeah?"

You felt a weight lift off your shoulders. "One date at a time," you echoed, shyly smiling into his embrace.

One date at a time seemed easy at the time, but the moment you stepped into that one date, it never seemed to end. Every free moment was stolen away, every glance turned into a touch, every whisper turned into a kiss. You were a secret wrapped in whispers and hidden glances, a love affair that burned hotter than the lights in the arena. You had agreed to keep it on the down-low, take things slow, but your hearts had other plans.

Your first official date was at a discreet little Italian restaurant that Sidney had picked out, a place where you could be yourselves without the prying eyes of fans or the media. You wore a simple but elegant black dress that hugged your curves, making Sidney's heart race the moment you walked in. He had chosen a tailored suit that made him look every bit the professional athlete that he was, but when he saw you, all he could think about was you peeling it off of him later.

And you did, peel the suit off him later. In the quiet sanctuary of his home, you shed your layers of clothing like armor, revealing the softness that lay beneath. The chemistry between you was palpable, a living force that seemed to have a mind of its own. You kissed as if you were starving for each other, as if each touch could somehow sustain you. Sidney's hands roamed over your body, memorizing every curve, every dip, and valley that made you uniquely you. You felt like you were coming alive under his touch, as if you had been a dormant volcano and he had sparked the fire within you.

He made a habit of picking you up for lunch—even if all you could afford was 45 minutes—waiting in his dark car with the tinted windows a block from your office. You would go inside, pick up the food he ordered, and you'd eat in the car between kisses. At your place, he'd sneak in when Isaac was out with friends, leaving in the morning before the sun could cast shadows that would give you away. You danced around the truth, whispering sweet nothings that held the weight of your future together.

But secrets are like soap in water, they spread wide and fast.

"And I think I'll have the Eggs Benedict with the blackberry lemonade," you told the waiter, handing over your menu to the young man who nodded with a light smile. Your family brunch was in full swing, it had become a monthly tradition since Isaac had been drafted to the Penguins and joined you in Pittsburgh.

Your parents, beaming with pride, talked about their recent vacation plans while Isaac scarfed down his breakfast, his focus on the mountain of food on his plate rather than the conversation. You felt a flutter of anxiety in your stomach, knowing that dreaded topic of conversation would come up eventually. Your mother was the first to ask that dread question, "And what about you, love bug? You've been so busy with work, you hardly have time to breathe, let alone date."

You took a sip of your lemonade, trying to play it cool, "I've been keeping pretty busy. Just enjoying life for what it is right now." You hoped your nonchalance would be enough to dodge the question. But your mother wasn't one to be easily swayed.

"You're twenty-eight," your father said, a knowing smile playing on his lips. "You don't have to pretend you've never had a date. We know you've had your share of boys in your life."

"Dad," you sighed, feeling the heat rise in your cheeks as you shot a look at Isaac, hoping for some kind of support. But your brother just sat there, chewing on his toast with a smug look on his face. You could almost hear him thinking, could practically see the wheels turning in his head.

"Well?" your father prompted, his curiosity piqued.

"Well, nothing," you said, playing it off, trying to keep your voice steady. "There's nothing going on right now."

Isaac looked up from his plate, his eyes meeting yours. He took a deep breath, a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth. "Liar," he accused, his voice teasing but his gaze unwavering. Your heart stopped for a second, your grip on your fork tightening. "You're dating someone," he said matter-of-factly, swallowing his bite of food. "You've been dating someone for a while."

Your parents looked between you, eyebrows raised in surprise and curiosity. Your mind raced, trying to come up with an explanation that wouldn't involve lying to your family, but also wouldn't reveal the truth you weren't ready to share. "Isaac," you hissed under your breath, your eyes wide with panic.

He leaned back in his chair, his smirk growing. "Dude, I'm fuckin’ ecstatic for you. You’ve been less of a hard ass, I’ll take my wins."

"Aw, love bug," your mother cooed, reaching to squeeze your hand. "Why haven't you told us?" You felt your face grow hotter as you tried to think of a way out of the situation.

"How do you even know that?" you demanded, your voice low enough so only your immediate family could hear.

Isaac's smirk grew into a full-blown grin as he shrugged. "'Cause I have eyes, and I pay attention. I'm not stupid, Scotch." The endearing nickname didn't ease the tension in your chest, but it did remind you of your bond. "Whoever he is, he makes you annoyingly happy."

"Close your mouth when you chew, Isaac," you muttered, trying to keep your composure. "You know I hate it when you do that." You hoped the change of subject would work, but you could see the twinkle in his eye, the same mischievous look he had when you were sixteen and he was seven and he'd discovered your secret crush on the neighbor's son.

"Okay, okay," he held up his hands in mock surrender. "Wanna tell me who he is?"

"None of your business," you replied immediately, flipping him off with both hands playfully.

Isaac chuckled, "So it's serious, then?"

Your heart skipped a beat, and you took a moment to collect yourself. "Maybe. We're taking it slow, seeing where it goes," you said, your voice a mix of excitement and nerves. The words hung in the air, and you watched your brother's expression shift from teasing to something more serious.

"Just be careful, okay?" Isaac said, his tone genuine. "You know how guys are…" He trailed off, his concern for you evident.

You had talked about it for years. What might happen if he did make it to the NHL. There was always that looming possibility of a man taking advantage of you because of your brother's fame, or the media spinning a simple relationship into a tabloid circus. You knew the risks, but you had never thought you'd be navigating that minefield so quickly.

The conversation at the brunch table had shifted to other topics, but you couldn't shake the feeling that your secret had been uncovered. You picked at your food, trying to act as if everything was normal, but your mind was racing with scenarios of how this could go wrong.

"What's got you so quiet?" Sidney's voice was low in your ear, his hand resting gently on your shoulder. You took a deep breath, letting the warmth of his touch soothe your nerves.

"Isaac knows that I'm dating," you whispered, turning to look at him. His expression grew serious, his thumb stroking your skin in a comforting gesture. "He said he's happy for me, but…"

Sidney kissed your forehead, his hand rubbing warmth into the skin of your shoulder. "Does that bother you?" he asked, his voice a soothing rumble in the quiet of his living room. You took a moment to consider your answer. The truth was, you weren't entirely sure how you felt about it. Part of you was relieved that the secret was partially out, if only to one person who you knew would keep it. But the other part was scared of how people would react when the whole truth came to light.

"I don't know," you admitted, your voice small and unsure. "It's just… I'm not bothered about Isaac knowing that I'm dating, it's…" you trailed off, uneasiness settling over your expression.

Sidney studied you, his thumb still caressing your shoulder. "It's me?" he asked gently. "You're bothered that Isaac will find out that you're dating me."

You nodded, your breathing a bit shaky. "I'm not ready for him to know," you confessed, your voice trembling. "Or for anyone to know. This is all happening so fast, and I… I just need a little more time."

He considered your words for a moment. That far-off, almost imperceptible look in his eyes suggesting he was weighing your situation carefully. "Why does it bother you?" His voice was low, soft as his accented drawl curled the ending syllables of each word. "Is it the age gap? The attention?"

You sighed, leaning into his embrace, your body fitting perfectly into the side of his. "Is it shitty of me to say it's all of it?" you mumbled against his chest. "I know people will judge, and I know it'll be a circus for a bit. But mostly, I just don't want to fuck up your reputation, or Isaac's for that matter."

Sidney's arms tightened around you. "We're both adults," he reminded you, his voice firm but understanding. "I swear I'll do whatever it takes to protect you. We can't expect that people won't have opinions." He tipped your chin up so you had to look at him. "But this is what I want. I'm all in, if you are."

You nodded, "I'm all in."

Sidney leaned in, brushing a soft kiss against your lips, "Good."

[lunnefisk]

everything wrong with elon musk's dogshit elden ring build

elon musk recently bought a blatantly boosted poe2 account and started trying to pretend he knew what he was talking about with it. while you could definitely in part put this down to... his general... everything... i think this was influenced by his elden ring build getting roasted a while back.

@luciferhimshelf has prompted me to go through his build and pick apart everything i see wrong, because while i think people get the general idea it's horrendous, i really want to go through it ALL

ALRIGHT. some of these are excusable first playthrough mistakes, and some of them are fucking baffling

he's in the mountaintops of the giants with 1009 hp. this is WAY less than you should have by this point. for anyone curious, i used a build calculator to check and he hasn't kept the debuff from hugging fia, which is a shame because it would have been very funny

he has 31 vigor, which governs your health. the general agreed end point for your build is 60 vigor, which bring you to 1900 hp. he also has a talisman equipped that gives you +5 vigor, endurance, strength and dex, MEANING HIS ACTUAL STAT IS 26 VIGOR. YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE 26 VIGOR AT THIS POINT

the spirit summons are... strange. having three equipped at all times is a really odd decision. two of them, Skeletal Militia (1) and Banished Knight Oleg (3) are reasonable choices, though by this point you really could have replaced them with something better - especially skeletal militia. the middle one, Marionette Soldiers (2), is more odd, but it's not a shit-tier choice. the odd thing here really is that he has three summons in his hotbar and no healing flasks - which i assume are in the quick access. i'd love to see his split of hp and fp heals too, because of the next one...

38 mind is a really strangely high amount to have. you don't need this much, ever. the only reason you might need this much is if your only spellcasting staff is lusat's glintstone staff (which is the one he is using), because it makes all your spells more expensive in exchange for dealing more damage. this should not be the only staff he is using.

and i know it's the only one he uses because for some reason he seems to be equipping all his weapons at once. i actually did this on my first playthrough of a souls game so i can't trash talk this one that much but it is still really fucking strange, ESPECIALLY WHEN HE IS HEAVY ROLLING IN THIS IMAGE. WHY IS HE HEAVY ROLLING WITH THE +5 ENDURANCE TALISMAN EQUIPPED

the more things i point out, the more inevitable i feel my descent into madness will become

why does he have two shields

i can understand multiple weapons. i don't like it but i understand it. two shields makes no sense. you should never have two shields

"oh but lunne maybe he has two shields because one parries" both of his shields are uninfused, and their base ash of war is weapon skill.

there is no reason to have two shields equipped.

i'm going to try and push past the fact he has two shields equipped, and move onto the weapons and spells

the weapons themselves are reasonable choices - rogier's rapier is a free weapon pre upgraded with a nice ash of war, and moonveil is a very powerful weapon and he has an intelligence build. this makes sense.

however, i would be an idiot if i did not point out that the reason elon musk is running an intelligence build, is absolutely 100% without a doubt because he thinks he is intelligent.

68 (62+6 from the helmet) is an odd choice - there is a spell that requires this amount, however i am not convinced he was smart enough to find it. if i had to guess, i would say he is probably just working toward 99

with this in mind, i looked at his spell choices. i can make out that he is running zamor ice storm, night comet, magic glintblade, comet, and loretta's greatbow. (i found out there is a wider crop of the image after scrutinising it, and it turns out i was right anyway)

these are extremely odd choices for your five spell slots.

the fact he has five spell slots really is the piece de resistance here. the funniest thing about this whole image. i'm sorry i put it off, but i really had to savour this.

you get two spell slots at the start of the game. one is bought at the roundtable hold. one drops from the red wolf of radagon, a mandatory boss on a casual playthrough taking on every legacy dungeon they find. a fifth one drops from demi-human queen maggie, in mt gelmir near where he would have been doing a quest to get that staff.

all the other memory stones are acquired through puzzles.

he is running an intelligence build because he thinks he's smart, but he could not solve a single puzzle.

he also took a photo of the screen instead of a screenshot.

[utilitycaster]

I was working on a significantly longer post, but I wanted to give a very high level summary of why I think the Mighty Nein are the mechanically best party and Bells Hells the weakest across the three main campaigns. I'm not sure the longer post will be helpful or effective, but if you are interested in seeing, let me know! I might also just post the first page or so which covers the three intro bullets here in much more depth.

Mechanically good is to an extent a subject measure but I believe that a good character build is either incredibly versatile (easily capable of most if not all of melee, ranged, and area of effect damage; healing capacity; buffing/debuffing; and tanking; as well as having significant prowess in at least one or two areas of out of combat utility, eg, transportation spells, highly valuable skills like charisma-based skills, navigation, or stealth, etc) OR a pinnacle of specialization (extraordinarily high damage output per turn/extremely high HP and AC tank). As you can see this is not limited to combat.

Party mechanics include composition; five very high damage output characters with no healing is not a good party, even they are individually good mechanically. A good party has a balance of the combat skills discussed above as well as the ability to find things out both magically (things like identify, scry, detect magic, legend lore, comprehend languages) and nonmagically (language proficiencies and skill proficiencies); ability to infiltrate both through stealth/small creatures and through social engineering/subterfuge; and ability to travel of their own power across long distances and planes).

Mechanics are situational: all rogues is good for a heist but not for open field combat against a horde of undead (hence my prioritization of versatility). In general, overlap/redundancy is good (two healers means you’re fine if one is down) but exact replication is not.

The Mighty Nein are able to do pretty much everything given that all characters but Yasha have at least one mental stat at or above 16 and they cover all three mental stats; the women of the party all have impressive physical stats; two clerics and a heavily support-based wizard plus a strong melee line plus a paladin multiclass plus a rogue covers all the combat skills. Caleb and both clerics have transportation spells (teleportation circle, teleport, word of recall, plane shift), Jester has Scry, and she and Caduceus both use Commune, covering forms of information gathering. Caleb has a familiar, both Veth and Beau are extremely good at stealth, and several party members have Polymorph should they need to infiltrate; nearly the entire party has Disguise Self as well. Given the heavy focus on versatility across the board, there are few if any D&D situations in which the Mighty Nein would not excel, despite having fewer magic items than either of the other parties for much if not all of their campaign. Ashley’s absences early on were noted, but Fjord and Beau held up the melee line and served as tanks (HP and dodge respectively) and Jester was able to handle strength-based tasks. Caleb also meant the party nearly always had a relatively safe place to stay.

Vox Machina, were slightly weaker due to an arcane caster being played by a dickhead and subsequently being asked to leave, and due to Ashley’s frequent absences were also down a cleric much of the time. I have frequently praised Sam and Marisha’s immense versatility in how they adapted Scanlan and Keyleth to fill as many gaps as they could. Vox Machina lacked a number of core arcane spells and did not have the redundancy that the Nein had, and because Keyleth often had to serve as melee/secondary tank in wildshape that meant they were often without AOE. However, they too had good representation across all mental stats and physical stats; two extremely strong ranged damagers plus a shorter ranged damager plus Grog on melee and as an impressive tank; and a heavily support-focused character in Scanlan. Keyleth was able to fill nearly any role in combat as needed. Out of combat, she also served as their primary ride, with Plane Shift, Wind Walk, and Transport Via Plants. Scanlan was able to handle a great deal of social infiltration scenarios, and Vax, Vex, and Percy all could as well. While they lacked someone who could cast Comprehend Languages, Vex’s polyglot ranger build covered a great deal. And, notably, Vox Machina’s build worked for their story - they did not need the same degree of arcane knowledge because they were able to outsource that organically to Allura and Gilmore, with whom they had built deep relationships, and instead focused on hunting down artifacts, tracking down dragons, and dungeon crawling, for which the twins especially were well-suited. While I think Vox Machina would have struggled through Aeor, I think they could have managed admirably if they’d been able to take Allura.

Bells Hells had similar problems to Vox Machina in combat, except with 8 people rather than 6. FCG and Fearne both could heal, but FCG’s subclass and Fearne’s temperament both worked against them, as FCG’s subclass naturally drove them towards tanking damage - however, there were three other tanks, and a full-time healer who did not need to stop healing to deal damage to avoid taking damage would have been more useful with this party comp. Imogen and Laudna both primarily focused on single-target damage with almost complete overlap of their skill area, and Laudna especially had a build heavily focused on keeping herself up; this is not inherently bad (Caleb also had Blur and Shield) but sorcerer is also the caster with the least versatility. FCG and Fearne rarely used AOE (somehow, despite two people having it, Bells Hells cast fireball less than Caleb, and FCG rarely used Spirit Guardians). The party was also, in a heavily lore-focused campaign, lacking in any high intelligence characters and frequently were unable to make basic history, religion, or arcana checks. Fearne’s choice to take levels in Arcane Trickster were good character beats and even added some useful basic skills (Identify, Disguise Self) but as a result of her never taking levels in Druid above 10, she did not gain access to Transport Via Plants nor Plane Shift. If Imogen or Dorian took Teleport they did not use it, and neither Imogen, Laudna, nor Dorian took/used Teleportation Circle. Bells Hells were entirely dependent on the Staff of Dark Odyssey, which could only cast Teleport once per day and which had both a physical penalty and, it was implied, a higher chance of malfunction. In short: almost all of the party focused on damage output, without much in the way of buffs or debuffs Ashton’s abilities were unreliable; Orym and Chetney, despite being primary tanks/melee damage in a party with 4-5 primary casters ended up doing most of the debuffing through battle maneuvers and blood curses. There is a reason why it feels like so much of Bells Hells’ story is them being lore-dumped upon and ferried around; it is because they did not have the means to discover information or travel on their own power.

[cavegirlpoems]

On Blorbability

I think one of the strengths of modern D&D is the ability to efficiently describe the blorbos you make with it using understandable components. Like the template of Alignment + Species + Background + Class lets you put together a quite evocative picture of who a character is quite efficiently, just by swapping in and out those components like those mix-and-match monster flipbooks.

Like, to take a character I played, when I say:

Lawful-Evil Drow Monk with the Inquisitor background.

you can immediately picture that character, right?

You can do this indefinitely. "Chaotic-Good Halfling Bard Criminal" or "Chaotic-Neutral Human Barbarian Outlander" or "Lawful-neutral Elf Wizard Accademic". It clicks.

There's a sweet spot of having the right amount of slots you pick from, 3-4. Less than that and the blorbo comes out flat, more and its too granular. An OSR character is probably one template (class), two if you're doing race+class AD&D style, and thats not quite enough detail to go full Blorb. Same with most PbtA games where you just pick a playbook. A gurps character is pretty darn granular, and is also not a particularly legible blorbo even if you can be very expressive with it.

The actual *stats* don't matter, what your attributes and spells and gear are don't matter much, the point is that you're madlibsing archetypes together in a legible way.

Like take vampire the masquerade as another good example of an extremely blorbable game. Here, the actual weight of your character is carried by attributes/skills/disciplines/backgrounds/merits, right? But you can still describe them with that same combination of archetypes. Here's a character I'm playing right now:

Ancilla Noiad Anarch on the Path of Harmony.

Age + Clan + Sect + Path. Simple. Four tags and you get a good picture of who this character is. And like, I bet you could take a good guess at what she's like mechanically, right? From that description, I bet you're picturing somebody with Survival and Stealth and decent combat and probably leaning hard into Protean, and that's accurate!

Here's some more VtM characters. "Camarilla Ventrue Elder on Humanity", "Camarilla Ventrue Elder on Honorable Accord", "Sabbat Tzimisce Elder on Path of Ecstasy", "Independent Giovanni Neonate on Humanity". If you're familiar with VtM, you can picture the shape of these characters.

+ + +

So I'm taking this idea and applying it to my Magical Girl project. You have two playbooks that slot together - one magical and one mundane - and then you pick whether you're heroic or villainous. And on top of that, in the late game you might become Something Else like a Spectre or a Princess. So that's 3-4 mix-and-match slots. A player character can be expressed as:

Villainous Ruffian Blaster

and you can picture who she is. The combinations work. "Heroic Recluse Spy", "Villainous Fangirl Summoner", "Heroic Weirdo Cheat becoming a Princess", these are legible just from the options picked.

Which I think is a good sign, it means its easy to picture and communicate the sorts of characters you can have in the game.

[quantummindclassicalheart]

I think Brennan did something interesting with the Porter and Gorgug scene in the last episode. Porter is by all appearances a competent Barbarian teacher. He understands the role of Rage and its mechanical combat benefits, and he even recognizes how Gorgug uses Rage to protect those he cares about. But he doesn't understand how multiclassing into a caster fits into that framework.

And it's true! In 5e you can't cast or concentrate on spells in a Rage. But-- Artificers work a little different than other casters! Alchemist Elixirs and Arcane Cannons aren't technically spells. Arcane Armor just works. And so does the Steel Defender.

Of any caster I think the Artificer is probably the best-suited to multiclass Barbarian because their key subclass features are largely not spells. But it also runs into the problem of requiring multiple high stats. Barbarians already want high STR and CON, and Artificers need INT for their spells and spell saves.

And so there's this narrative tension here. Brennan the DM obviously wants to let his player have fun with the character build-- embracing the creative artificer side of himself is a great character moment for Gorgug, bearer of the tin flower. Someone who has always channeled Rage to protect those he cares about but who has also been called to create and preserve beauty.

And yet mechanically, it's a difficult build. We didn't see Gorgug cast anything in the Night Yorb battle, as far as I recall? And in-universe, classes are a formally recognized thing that require approval. But Gorgug can't be the kind of Barbarian that Porter wants him to be. So he has to show that he can be a different kind of Barbarian-- one whose magic integrates and synergizes with his Rage rather than opposing it.

We see Gorgug still insecure about his homunculus and about the solar lasso, even though these are objectively impressive feats. So it's not a skill issue but an internal conflict-- it's only once Gorgug reconciles and synthesizes his magic with his Barbarian side that the in-world powers that be will recognize him for all of who he is.

[thydungeongal]

Neoclassical Geek Revival is a really weird game. While the name would make one think it's some crusty OSR game that is mostly just remixing old ideas that could not be further from the truth. It's a strange game that is in many ways very old school but is more than a simple heartbreaker (mostly because in contrast to the archetypal heartbreakers this game is clearly written with an awareness of movements and games within the hobby besides just D&D).

First of all, it's a game that is particularly interested in its own weird dice and number tricks. Dice can explode. Sometimes you're specifically looking for the maximum of a given die (for an example: if a character is out of combat for maximum of d6 rounds, marked as ?d6, it means it's checked every round by rolling a d6 and on a 6 they are no longer out). There is a dice chain where dice can "increase" or "decrease" in strength, like a d10 becoming a d12 or a d8 becoming a d6. You can INVERT dice, so a d4 becomes a d12 or a d10 becomes a d6. Besides a normal linear progression, some rules utilize a cumulative progression of 1, 3, 6, 10, 15, etc.

Then you start getting into the specifics and things are once again weird: there are classes but instead of picking one class and sticking to it you basically build your character by allocating pieces into the different classes. Level 1 characters start with three pieces of pie. You COULD allocate all three into Warrior, to make a pretty straightforward fighty type, or you might want to mix it up by adding a single piece of Bard into two pieces of Warrior for something not unlike a warlord, kinda. The number of pieces you allocate to a class also ends up affecting a specific modifier, used in a wide variety of conflicts. Warrior adds to Combat, Rogue affects Stealth, Mystic affects Occult, Bard affects Presence, and any pieces allocated to Fool (basically the class that represents someone who survives adventures based on pure luck instead of skill) affect Faith.

This is where you get one of the things that sets the game apart from most OSR games: many old school games are often based around the idea of singleton mechanics and procedures to cover specific situations. NGR rejects this in favor of a single conflict system that then gets applied to situations besides combat! It is literally what some people think of when they hear mechanics for social interaction, i.e. dealing 1d6 rhetorical damage to an opponent's argument to get them to relent, but applied to multiple different situations.

Interestingly, the game does not have hit points: all damage accrues against stats. In an argument "social damage" (called Influence) accrues against a character's Will, and once it exceeds it the character has lost the argument. But characters have a pool called Luck (which you can increase by allocating pieces to Fool) which can be used 1:1 to mitigate damage of all kinds. The game even has tricks for FORCING opponents to spend Luck, as a means to chip at their defences before targeting them with something that REALLY hurts (like insulting an opponent in a physical conflict).

The game also has no list of spells, instead just giving players the systems for making their own spells. Same with monsters in fact.

And sometimes you just get hit with a rule that makes you think "why has no other game ever done this." Like the rule for giving experience in dungeon crawl focused campaigns where each new room explored after the first is worth 10 cumulative XP. So if characters end up exploring five new rooms they get 100 XP (after the first one, 1+2+3+4 times 10).

Anyway it's a neat game, worth looking at and mining ideas from imo.

[x-i-l-verify]

Okay Linked Universe Fandom, we have to talk. I am extremely disappointed in all of us that out of all the myriad possible duos of the Chain, only one has an official name (Downfall Duo). This has got to change. We need more duo names stat. So, this is my proposed list! Hopefully at least some of them catch on. 👀 Many thanks to @kuraiarcoiris for assisting me with some of the uncooperative duos on the list. >.> Looking at you, Warriors and Wind.

Without further ado!

Sky

Sky+Four: Horizon Duo (because they are the first two Links chronologically in the timeline, charting new horizons for the young kingdom of Hyrule, and because I view the two as representing the sky and the world [e.g. Four’s element motif]. And where do the sky and world meet? The horizon.)

Sky+Time: Wife Duo (because they both canonically love their wives and miss them. Sky isn’t married to Sun yet, but he will be, so it counts. >:V)

Sky+Legend: Harp Duo (because they both canonically play magic harps and enjoy music)

Sky+Hyrule: Thunder Duo (because of their abilities to channel lightning and the fact that Hyrlule’s spell is called Thunder. Also two of the quietist Links having a duo named after a loud sound is amusing)

Sky+Twilight: Firmament Duo (because “firmament” another word for the physical sky, and also sounds like “firm,” and both characters are good grounding forces for the other Links.)

Sky+Warriors: Knight Duo (because they actually remember their training as knights and can apply that training. Plus, both are knights in shining armor for their Zeldas.)

Sky+Wind: Breeze Duo (because flying and sailing both use air currents, and breezes are heartening and encouraging, just like these two.)

Sky+Wild: Aeon Duo (because “aeon” means "a long or seemingly long period of time" and these two are the Links that had to wait the longest amount of time to complete their quests.)

-

Four

Four+Sky: Horizon Duo

Four+Time: Shade Duo (because they are possibly the only two Links that lingered after their deaths, Time with the Hero’s Shade in Twilight Princess and Four with the four Shadow Links that appear in the Palace of the Four Sword in A Link to the Past [though one could theorize that those are Dark Links unrelated to Four entirely, so this duo name could also refer to Shadow from the Four Swords manga])

Four+Legend: Forging Duo (because not only do they have blacksmithing skills, but both forge the way for the heroes who come after them to the best of their abilities.)

Four+Hyrule: Mousetrap Duo (because they can both shrink to the size of mice, Four with his Minish form and Hyrule with his Fairy spell)

Four+Twilight: Prism Duo (because light is very important to both of their games [Twilight’s light spirits and Four’s Light Force], but also their mechanics allow them to “split” and show another side of them like light through a prism, i.e. Four's ability to divide into four and Twilght’s crystal that lets him become a wolf)

Four+Warriors: Teamwork Duo (because their games center on teamwork more than any of the others')

Four+Wind: Shield Duo (because of their identical shields that signifies a possible blood connection between them)

Four+Wild: Shattered Duo (because they both break or "shatter" things in order to fight. Four breaks himself through his splitting mechanic, and Wild breaks his weapons. You could also interpret this as Wild's memories being broken, too.)

-

Time

Time+Sky: Wife Duo

Time+Four: Shade Duo

Time+Legend: Melodic Duo (because their games focus so much on music)

Time+Hyrule: Fairy Duo (because of their connection to fairies)

Time+Twilight: Legacy Duo (self-explanatory)

Time+Warriors: Command Duo (because leader and his unofficial second in command)

Time+Wind: Menace Duo (because these two absolutely will be menaces together once Time relaxes a bit.)

Time+Wild: Moon Duo (because of the focus on the moon in their games. “I Hate the Moon” Duo doesn’t have the same ring to it :p)

-

Legend

Legend+Sky: Harp Duo

Legend+Four: Forging Duo

Legend+Time: Melodic Duo

Legend+Hyrule: Downfall Duo (basically codified fanon at this point)

Legend+Twilight: Critter Duo (because they are currently the only two Links with animal forms)

Legend+Warriors: Worsties Duo (or just "the Worsties." Self-explanatory :3c)

Legend+Wind:Seagull Duo (because Aryll loves seagulls and Marin loved seagulls.)

Legend+Wild: Stockpile Duo (Because they’re obsessive about being prepared, so they stockpile things more than anyone else in the whole Chain.)

-

Hyrule

Hyrule+Sky: Thunder Duo

Hyrule+Four: Mousetrap Duo

Hyrule+Time: Fairy Duo

Hyrule+Legend: Downfall Duo

Hyrule+Twilight: Rustic Duo (because they both come from very humble origins. Most of the Links come from pretty humble origins, but I get the feeling those two are Country Boys if you know what I mean. ;))

Hyrule+Warriors:Firestorm Duo (because of Warriors' penchant for using fire in battle and Hyrule's thunder spell)

Hyrule+Wind: Salvage Duo (because both have had to salvage their kingdoms from their destroyed states and salvage important items from where they were scattered around their worlds)

Hyrule+Wild:Wander Duo (because they both are the most adventurous Links and tend to go off the beaten path more than any of the others)

-

Twilight

Twilight+Sky: Firmament Duo

Twilight+Four: Prism Duo

Twilight+Time: Legacy Duo

Twilight+Legend: Critter Duo

Twilight+Hyrule: Rustic Duo

Twilight+Warriors: Big Brother Duo (because they are the big brothers of the Chain)

Twilight+Wind: Successor Duo (because they are Time’s direct successors that are actually acknowledged as such in their games and in the comic)

Twilight+Wild: Protégé Duo (because Twilight is Time's protege and Wild is Twilight's)

-

Warriors

Warriors+Sky: Knight Duo

Warriors+Four: Teamwork Duo

Warriors+Time: Command Duo

Warriors+Legend: Worsties Duo

Warriors+Hyrule: Firestorm Duo

Warriors+Twilight: Big Brother Duo

Warriors+Wind: Scarf Duo (because there have been a few panels where Wind steals or hides under Warriors’ scarf)

Warriors+Wild: Arson Duo (because of that one sketch where the two are riding on a log burning everything down around them, and they clearly enjoy setting things on fire)

-

Wind

Wind+Sky: Breeze Duo

Wind+Four:Shield Duo

Wind+Time: Menace Duo

Wind+Legend:Seagull Duo

Wind+Hyrule: Salvage Duo

Wind+Twilight: Successor Duo

Wind+Warriors: Scarf Duo

Wind+Wild: Walkie Talkie Duo (because Wind's joy pendant allows him to talk to Wild through his Shiekah slate)

-

Wild

Wild+Sky: Aeon duo

Wild+Four:Shattered Duo

Wild+Time: Moon Duo

Wild+Legend: Stockpile Duo

Wild+Hyrule:Wander Duo

Wild+Twilight: Protégé Duo

Wild+Warriors: Arson Duo

Wild+Wind:Walkie Talkie Duo

-

A few trios for good measure!

Wind + Wars + Time = Eras Trio

Wars + Sky + Wild = Chivalry Trio

Wind + Wild + Hyrule = Apocalypse Trio

Hyrule + Legend + Wild = Triple Threat

Warriors + Twilight + Sky = Big Bro Trio

[sulkingheichou012]

Into the Dungeon with You

Pairing: Jinwoo x Reader

Genre: RomCom, Action, Future Smut

Warning: Description of violence and profanity.

Summary: Jinwoo frowned as a new system notification appeared before him.

[Special Reward Successfully Claimed.]

Author's note: I'm happy that some of you are enjoying my silly work! Yes, if you're asking to be tagged—sure! 😊

Chapter 6

Jinwoo took a step forward. The battered boss, still recovering from Y/N’ unexpected punch, growled low in its throat. But it was slow now. Sloppy. The perfect opening.

Jinwoo took charge again, moving with new focus. His shadows rallied under the boost from Y/N. Bellion sliced through the boss monster’s legs. Beru tore into its throat. Tank pounced, pinning it down, while Tusk finished with a barrage of spells.

With a swift motion, Jinwoo’s dagger cut through the air. “Perish”

Finally, the boss monster collapsed, shuddering, and dissolved into shadows.

The dungeon was silent.

Except for Y/N, still staring at her fist.

Jinwoo exhaled and turned his attention to the System Notifications floating in front of him. His eyes flicked from one glowing window to another, carefully analyzing the data.

⟪ SPECIAL REWARD UNLOCKED: Y/N ⟫ ⟪ ABILITY REVIEW - Shadow Resonance: Ability to amplify and evolve the Shadow Monarch's summoned forces through emotional command. Buffs and evolution can be triggered without direct contact.

(Current Trigger: Emotional intensity and focused attention on the shadow in question.) ⟫

⟪ ABILITY REVIEW - Combat Synchronization: Temporarily synchronizes the user’s entire physical, magical, and combat instincts with the Shadow Monarch. Grants access to abilities, combat reflexes, and stats at the Monarch’s current level.

(Current Trigger: Triggered by protective instincts or threat response. Control can be mastered over time.) ⟫

⟪ ABILITY REVIEW - Shadow Manifestation: Can manifest the will and combat essence of fallen warriors not yet turned into shadows. Summons display peak strength and combat mastery.

(Current Trigger: Pending… Skill locked.) ⟫

Jinwoo sighed, a smirk tugging at his lips. “She really is something.”

He remembered when he first claimed her as a reward, standing in that cave wondering if the system had scammed him. A clueless woman in shorts and a loose shirt was not what he expected from a ‘special reward’.

And yet— Now, here she was. Upgrading his army, punching monsters through dungeon walls, and accidentally unlocking skills he hadn’t even dreamed of.

Jinwoo shook his head, amused. “System, you sneaky bastard.”

Y/N, still marveling at the size of Beru’s claws nearby, was startled when Jinwoo called her over. “Y/N.” “Huh? Yes, boss—I mean, Jinwoo?” She scrambled over, wiping imaginary dust off her hands. “Sit.” He gestured to a rock. She plopped down without argument.

Jinwoo crossed his arms, staring at her like a teacher about to explain quantum physics to a student who just learned basic math.

Jinwoo pointed at Igris, who stood tall nearby, his newly upgraded form gleaming in the dim dungeon light. “When you cheered for Igris earlier, you evolved him. Made him stronger without touching him.” Y/N’ mouth fell open. “I did that?” Jinwoo nodded. “You also knocked out a high-tier monster back when we first met.” Her expression shifted from awe to disbelief. Y/N looked at her hands like they had secret nuclear codes embedded in the fingertips. “Oh my god…” “Yeah, I panicked!” she huffed, crossing her arms. “Exactly. That panic triggered Combat Synchronization.”

Y/N squinted. “So… if I get scared, I become strong?” Jinwoo shrugged. “Fear, instinct, emotions—maybe at will, it’s complicated. But yes, you sync with me. My stats become your stats.” Y/N sat there for a moment, then broke into a slow grin. Jinwoo laughed quietly under his breath. “I almost thought you were a scam.” “HEY!” Y/N smacked his arm. “But now,” he continued, smirking at her outrage, “you’re one of the best things to happen to my army.”

Y/N glowed at the praise but tried to play it cool. “Oh, you know… I aim to please.” Jinwoo stood, offering his hand to her. “Come on. Let’s see how much more we can unlock.” Y/N grabbed his hand, standing up with a grin. “Let’s go, boss!” Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. “You’re not getting paid.” She shrugged. “Fine, but I want snacks after this.” “Deal.”

Y/N wasn’t done. “And if I synchronize with you, I can totally copy your cool moves, right? I can, like, do those shadow teleports, and the dagger flips, and maybe even the brooding stare!” She immediately attempted the brooding stare. It looked more like she needed to sneeze.

Jinwoo watched in silence.

After clearing the dungeon, Jinwoo finally called it a day. Y/N was still buzzing with energy, practically skipping beside him as they exited the gate.

She was mid-ramble, waving her arms around. “—wait! Did you see me ran so fast to punch that terrifying boss? Olympic level! I deserve a medal! Or, like, I dunno, at least a chocolate bar.”

Jinwoo glanced sideways at her. “…Ice cream.”

Y/N froze mid-step. “What?”

He kept walking. “You want ice cream?” “Are you serious?!” She practically tripped over her own feet catching up to him. “Sung Jinwoo… is treating me… to ice cream?!”

Jinwoo’s expression didn’t change, but he tilted his head in that subtle way. “You’ve been… less useless today,” he said flatly. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.” She clutched her chest dramatically.

They found a small street vendor not far from the raid site. Jinwoo handed over some cash without much thought, and the vendor—clearly recognizing him—stared in awe as Korea’s strongest hunter bought two cones like it was totally normal.

Y/N picked the most colorful one. Rainbow sprinkles. Chocolate chips. Something that sparkled. Jinwoo took plain vanilla. Classic.

She looked at his cone, then hers. “Boring choice for a Monarch of Shadows.” Jinwoo raised an eyebrow. “I don’t need sprinkles to be strong.”

Y/N grinned and bumped her cone gently against his like a toast. “To surviving another day!” “…To surviving,” he agreed, taking a slow bite like it was a combat exercise.

That night, Jinwoo finally allowed himself some rest.

For once, Y/N wasn’t bribing his shadows to evolve in exchange for favors. Definitely not. Especially not Igris—he already evolved! No, Y/N was more like… collecting debts. And right now, she was cashing in by ordering Igris to sit still while she braided his hair antenna and tied a cute little ribbon at the end.

Jinwoo let out an exhausted sighed and went to his room.

He closed his eyes.

And he dreamed.

He stood in a vast, endless space of darkness. Not his shadow world—something older. Colder. He recognized it. The place where Ashborn once reigned. Where he had spoken to Jinwoo for the first time.

And there, ahead of him… Ashborn stood.

But this time, Jinwoo wasn’t alone. A figure appeared next to him. Small compared to the massive shadow monarch… but standing without fear. Y/N.

She was staring straight at Ashborn. And Ashborn… Ashborn was nodding at her. Like he had chosen her. Like he was pleased.

A voice echoed in Jinwoo’s head.

“The successor… must not stand alone.” “The monarch must have an anchor.” “She is the anchor.”

And then Jinwoo’s shadows appeared around them—an endless army—but they weren’t looking at Jinwoo.

They bowed to Y/N.

Jinwoo sat bolt upright in bed. He was sweating. He checked his system. Nothing. Checked his shadows. Still there. But there was… something.

He summoned Bellion.

Bellion appeared, kneeling immediately. “My Liege.”

“What did you find?” Jinwoo asked. His voice was tight. Bellion lowered his head. “The reward… the woman. She was chosen by Ashborn.” “…What?” Jinwoo’s pulse pounded in his ears. “Before his fall, our king chose her. As a safeguard. In case his successor failed… or stood alone.”

Jinwoo exhaled slowly, piecing it together. Ashborn had made preparations beyond just him.

Bellion’s next words were heavier still. “She holds potential not even you have yet unlocked. But she is… untrained. Untested.”

Jinwoo rubbed his face. Great. Perfect. His “special reward” wasn’t just a clueless fangirl —she was a living contingency plan. A wild card. And she had zero idea about it.

He found her in the kitchen the next morning. She was pouring cereal into a bowl, casually humming the Attack on Titan theme under her breath. But then—she couldn’t hold it back anymore. The hype hit her like a titan charging the wall. She dropped her spoon with a dramatic clatter, slammed her fist over her chest in a perfect Scout Regiment salute, and shouted at full volume, “Sasageyo! Sasageyo! Shinzou wo sasageyo!”

Jinwoo stared at her for a long moment. This was the person Ashborn had chosen. This was his… anchor?

Y/N looked up. “Morning! Want cereal?”

Jinwoo kept staring. Y/N tilted her head. “Uh… you okay?”

He finally sighed and turned away. “Fine. Cereal.”

She smiled brightly and handed him a bowl like they were two roommates, not a Monarch and a supposed cosmic contingency plan.

She doesn’t know. She has no idea. She thinks this is just some adventure or dream or… something. Ashborn picked her. As a safeguard. A partner? And she’s over there dunking Choco Pebbles into milk like it’s the best thing in the world.

Jinwoo ate his cereal in silence.

Beru materialized in the shadows behind him. “My Liege. Shall we inform the young lady of her destiny?”

Jinwoo took a long bite of cereal. Chewed. Swallowed. “No.”

Beru tilted his head.

“Not yet,” Jinwoo added. “She’s not ready. And neither am I.”

<< Chapter 5 | Chapter 7 >>

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