#umbra staff

[hansdampfinallengassen]

"I am but a simple idiot Wizard."

The Adventure Zone's Taako.

[the-conspiracy-board]

Umbra Staff!!!

One of my goals for this year was to upgrade my Taako cosplay, and a goal within that was to do a new Umbra Staff! My old one got so battered and damaged over years and lots of flights and trains until it fell apart so getting to make a new staff for Taako was much needed! I've been working so hard on this over the last couple of months and I am very happy with the results!!!

The base is a red pagoda umbrella. I sewed a beaded trim around the whole thing, added some dangling charms, and added some stars to some of the points. I embroidered constellations on the body with sequins for the stars, added some star beads (some are handmade!), and then sewed celestial themed patches onto each of the panels. And then I went ahead and glued on lots of mini-stars, swapped the fastening for a ribbon, wrapped the tip in ribbon, and added a handmade button to the tip. I wrapped the handle in ribbon too, added some bows, and made a Void Fish! Lots of work, lots of glue, and lots of sewing, but well worth the effort to upgrade my Taako cosplay!!

[vero-valzer]

I have emotions! It’s not all abraca-fuck-you and what have you. I have a beating heart! I’m multi-dimensional! I’m a fully-realized creation! FUCK!

@vero-valzer as Taako the Wizard from The Adventure Zone

Realized Tumblr and its smol but rad and dedicated TAZ Fandom might be the right place to share my Taako cosplay that I'm proud of and really enjoy wearing. 🌂✨️💖

These pics span multiple years and multiple outings, featuring a few different iterations on this cosplay at this point—from conventions to Ren Faires.

It has filled my heart with glee every time I heard someone gasp and go, "Is that Taako? From T.V.?!" which gave me the opportunity to spin around and say, "Why, yeeeeeees~! ✨️" in my best Taako impression or give a tip-o'-the-hat and wave and get to see people's eyes light up and smiles spread across their faces. 💖

[anistarrose]

Don't think enough credit is given to the Announcer for being literally the first character to speak in TAZ and the character who starts the "fantasy x" gag of Fantasy Costco fame with their very first line. "Strap on your fantasy seatbelts and brace your asses," indeed. Their influence is unmatched.

[elfish-echoprax]

NYAAA!!! ^_^ *blasts u with magic missile*

i usually shade but i would literally eat shit before shading this.

Scene taako. this stemmed from a conversation i had with a friend where we absolutely agreed that taako would be a scene king in highschool.

also gen question, what would be the best way to describe this in alt? There's just. a lot going on.

[anistarrose]

Fascinating canonical answer to this one, actually!

[ID: transcript excerpt of Taako telling Lup: "You know you didn’t… mean… to make something like that. I understood the rationale you came up with. I mean… It was just damage, it was just… damage. The other ones that we made, they can be twisted and perverted in so many different ways. And I think… At least the way you explained it to me, that by making something that was just damage, you would limit it. You didn't mean for any of this to happen." End ID.]

And IMO, it paints a really interesting picture. Where most characters were entertaining the belief — whether consciously or subconsciously, whether subtly under the thrall or not — that their Relics could be used for good. But unlike everyone else, Lup wasn't.

Davenport, Merle, and Taako made Relics that could've brought about resources and abundance, something voidfished-Magnus even alludes to before agreeing to destroy the Oculus. Magnus himself and Lucretia made Relics that could be used to save and protect people — to say nothing of Lucretia still secretly clinging to her plan to defeat the Hunger, of which the Bulwark Staff was a part of (and in a way, she was eventually vindicated in her plan, though not in its original form and not by trying to do it alone). Then Barry is fascinating because the Animus Bell is so, so useful for a lich in his position — one of two immortal beings, on a plane where their bodies will suddenly start aging, and eventually fail to serve them.

But there's nothing like this that applies to the Gauntlet! There's no hint of a temptation we see Lup express, to create a Relic that could be used for any good — and according to Taako, this was something Lup was so deliberate about!

That's such a striking contrast with the rest of her characterization, over those last few cycles — because Lup herself invented and even spearheaded the plan to create the Relics altogether. That was all alongside Barry, of course — but after a point, Lup and Barry start to differ. Like Barry, Lup was fully, single-mindedly committed to the Relics plan — tunnel-visioning so hard on it as the way to stop the Hunger, that they both outwardly rejected Lucretia's criticisms and never thought through Lucretia's plan as much as they should've, even though it clearly could've been perfected once the whole crew put their heads together. But unlike Barry — who created one of the most complex and mysterious and jarringly specifically useful Relics — Lup did nothing of the sort. Lup was evidently terrified of not just what harm her Relic could do, but how it could do that harm.

Lup was terrified in a way that no one else in the IPRE was — because no one else made a Relic that was "just damage." Everyone else made a Relic with some potential appeal, subtle or obvious, to people who wanted to do good. But Lup just... didn't.

Lup herself, champion of the necessity to create the Relics, champion of the belief that they were the only way to save the world...

...was simultaneously terrified, as the nature of her own creation shows, of the Relics' thrall corrupting the intent of "greater good."

And that's what makes me lose my mind about her character! What makes the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet just as compelling as the Animus Bell to me, even though they seem like opposites! Lup is saying the Relics need to exist, for the greater good, all while she's designing her own Relic with the philosophy that if people think they can use it for good, the harm they do will turn out worse! That good intentions will lead to more pain, more suffering!

Lup has a hundred years of experience with the Light's thrall, and what it can do — what intentions it can prey off of! And as she crafts the Gauntlet in such a way to do damage control, we can tell Lup has already subconsciously admitted that the Grand Relics will do damage! That if crafted irresponsibly, they could do things even worse than leveling an entire town! So on some level, no matter how much she's arguing for the Relics' creation, Lup fears and maybe even knows that they'll be devastating!

Lup doesn't trust a Relic-wielder's intent for "greater good." Not through any fault of their own, but not while they're under the thrall. And it's because she already doesn't trust her own ability to do "greater good," either.

So this is how Lup replies, to Taako reminding her why she made the Gauntlet how she did:

[ID: continued transcript excerpt, of Lup replying to Taako: "I know that, Taako. I know. I… And I know it’s good. Like… The Hunger’s not here. And The Hunger’s worse than anything we've done. I get all that. I just… I can’t help but ask… Did we make the right decision?" End ID.]

She calls into question whether the decision that causes less harm than the Hunger — the decision she made despite knowing what it would lead to — was ever the right decision at all. Because it's antithetical to her own morals, and she knows it. It's antithetical to the promise she made the crew swear on the robot cycle, to never even think of destroying a civilization just to fight the Hunger.

Altogether, it's such fucking fascinating characterization for her. It's such a compelling web of both contradictions and resonances, in her morals and her choices. Going into the Stolen Century, knowing it's ultimately a retcon to explain the beginning of the podcast, it seems like the contradiction will be that Lup created the most brutal Relic — because why would Lup do it, as the moral compass as the team? As the compassionate woman we're getting to know, who's forever been the most dedicated to preventing collateral damage?

It sure seems like a contradiction, before Taako gives us this information. But from there, we see — the real contradiction lies not between Lup and the Gauntlet itself, but Lup and the Relic plan at large. Lup breaks her own promise from the robot cycle — by committing to creating the Relics, and with it, consigning a world to destruction in the name of stopping the Hunger. She does this out of desperation, out of a hundred years of exhaustion, and in the name of the greater good. But as if she can tell that a tiny, tiny sliver of the thrall is still embedded in her brain, urging her to let the Light be used — she silently realizes what a mistake she's making. And she loses faith in her own ability to bring about the greater good as a result.

The Relic plan contradicts Lup's own morals. But the design of the Gauntlet contradicts Lup's own faith in the Relic plan. The Gauntlet is her ugly disillusionment. It's her admission of having betrayed herself, betrayed what she held important, and failed a whole civilization as a result. It's her admission of resignment, to acceptance of one of the most recurring declarations in the story: that "the Grand Relics cannot be used for good."

Which isn't even true, as Lucretia proves with her staff in the end, despite the fact that that declaration comes out of her mouth the most. But it's what Lup believes — because when Lup doesn't yet see the way the shield plan could actually work, all she sees with the Grand Relics are a way to doom one world, no matter how many more worlds will be saved from the Hunger. And to Lup, and what she believes in? That isn't doing good. It's unjustifiable. And letting the thrall trick you into thinking it's good? That only brings about even more suffering.

She designs the Phoenix Fire Gauntlet such that if it must exist, no one will repeat her mistake. No one will think that they're doing good with it, either.

not enough people give lup credit for just being a colossal fucking dumbass. like shes so so smart and i love her so much so i mean this with the utmost affection but why the fuck did she make the phoenix fire gauntlet. what did she think was going to happen there. everyone else's relic was like. wildly dangerous but at least conceivably Could Have been used for good things. WHAT on earth could the phoenix fire gauntlet be used for other than mass destruction. like its just a straight up nuke. why did she make this. lup arson isnt the solution to every problem. it isnt the solution to MOST problems. lup.

[a-little-monotonous]

aurghh stolen century has so many good moments....

[froggheadd]

me? posting taz art? in 2025???

(click for quality)

[ID: art of Taako from The Adventure Zone. He's in a seated position, calmly reading from a spell book as a purple glow emanates from the pages, and swirls around him. The Umbra Staff leans against his side. Taako is a slender elf with light brown skin, and and braided brown hair. His outfit is mostly purple and olive-green, with a patched-up wizard hat, fancy blouse, and long plaid pants. Several tiny items hang from his belt: an hourglass, set of measuring spoons, whisk, and corkscrew. End ID.]

[anistarrose]

[Image description: digital art of Taako from The Adventure Zone in a cartoony style. He's a skinny elf with light brown skin, pointy features, and wavy white hair, seen in a seated position wearing high-waisted pink pants and a black cape. He's looking at the viewer with an unexcited expression, and holding the Umbra Staff up over him. It's a black umbrella, open with the brim lined with fangs. End description.]

this new taako started goblin-like and ended up way more fashionable than my other one

[felicitywilds]

don't mind me, just thinking about how in every other graphic novel cover, the d20 is in the air, bouncing away from them, just out of reach, almost mocking them as it determines their fates. but for the suffering game, taako is on his knees, front and center, pinning it to the ground, umbra staff at the ready. has he got a fuckin' idea for you.

[knitbitt]

drew my wife

—

[Image description: digital art of Lup from The Adventure Zone. Lup is kneeling, smiling and holding the Umbra Staff as flames dance around her. She's a slender elf, with brown skin, and curly blond hair in a ponytail. Her red robe drapes across the ground behind her. With it, she wears a red dress shirt with high waisted shorts, and red boots. End ID.]

Thank you @anistarrose for the description!

[theinkventurezone]

Justin: A bolt of light erupts from the Umbra staff and underneath… of… Merle… appears… a phantom steed.

Clint: [neighs like a horse]

Griffin: Wh-wh-what the fuck?!

Travis: Woah!

Griffin: WHAT?!

[j12at3]

i only knew taako and lup were twins. So i was looking for her from the beginning, guessing where she’d be. And when there was a mystery skeleton on the floor i said i bet That’s lup. Then it kept making more and more sense as i came to terms with my crack theory being correct😂

legitimately though nothing will be funnier than being on tumblr in 2017 when my mutuals were posting about taz balance, specifically during the reunion tour/stolen century/story&song era, and hearing everyone talk about "lup this" and "lup that." then a year later i start listening to taz balance and i'm like "wow i'm so excited to meet this lup character everyone loves so much :)" and then the story starts and i'm like "wow this is so fun i wonder when lup will show up :)"

[ID: handshake meme with one arm labeled "lich barry" and the other labeled "me," together labeled: "hey why isn't lup with these guys." End ID.]

[sippuli]

Some photos from the ritual in Finland 20.5 <3 Plus my own experience (spoilers and messy notes, sorry!):

I WAS FREAKING OUT ALREADY BEFORE THE RITUAL LMAO! Istg I had to take my sedatives, thanks to my autistic ass, haha!

Before the ritual:

The city of Tampere was filled with people wearing Ghost-shirts and it was honestly so heartwarming to see! I've never felt more welcome!

Fellow ghesties were so lovely and stunning!! I even saw someone wearing a Repugnant hoodie and just!!!! Wow!! Love it!!! Where can I get mine??? Lol.

Everything went so smoothly, the staff at the Nokia Arena was very friendly and there were no problems with the Yondr stuff. Good job, staff!!

Before the show there was some good music playing as we waited for the ritual to start. They sounded like they were picked by Tobias since there were so many songs that he likes!!

THE RITUAL:

My seat was at the very far back and the stage was right in front of me. It wasn't the best place to be, tbh, since we couldn't hear Papa or the crowd very well. The guitars, bass and drums sounded good, but the keyboards were hard to hear. But none of this really mattered all that much since experience was amazing!

Peacefield was the perfect opener! I was a bit skeptical since Kaisarion really set the bar high, but Peacefield worked perfectly!!

(Swiss wasn't there, obvs)

The ghoulettes really stole my heart!! They were so cute and lovely and they were just making so many hearts with their hands 🫶 The backing vocals were gorgeous!

We had Call Me Little Sunshine instead of Majesty, which was very nice :)

The Future Is A Foreign Land was such a banger live, I was a bit afraid that it wouldn't possibly work that well, but it was even better live! Also Papa remembered to say 2034 instead of 2024 <3

Y'all... I now get it why people are so hyped up about Phantom. Lil fella stole my heart, he was such an entertainer!!

Dew and his broken leg, bless him!! Papa was complimenting him since he was doing so well despite the cast <3

"Do you want a kiss?" And then after Kiss the Go-Goat Perpetua proceeds to blow kisses to the whole crowd like the whore she is <3<3 No but for real, it was so cute!

WE SAW KEVIN AKA JESUS AFTER MUMMY DUST WOOOOO!

The guitars sounded so so so good, much heavier and more powerful than I imagined

THE TAIL PAPA HAD DURING YEAR ZERO!!! WHY AM I ATTRACTED TO A TAIL????!! Gosh the costume was just so pretty

Papa was bouncy and charismatic!! He was so chill and lovely, even though he wasn't smiling much. He had some same mannerisms as Copia which was so cute

He talked about Ghost and Finland having a special bond since we treat the band so well, and he asked if it was warm: he wondered if it was because of us. Then he came to the conclusion: "It's you, since I'm cool as shit." Lol

Papa let us sing quite a lot which was so lovely! He was interacting with the crowd quite a lot more than I first thought (I had mostly heard that Perpetua doesn't talk much, so I was prepared for that, but he wasn't as quiet as I thought!)

Perpetua doesn't have an accent!!! His voice was like a mix of Copia and Tobingus, it was so nice to listen to haha

Papa wasn't quite as horny as I was prepared for, but I think he made some little hand movements over his crotch at one point haha. Not much mummy thrusting

Umbra was so sexy live omg

Oh, Papa made a little hopeful speech before TFIAFL, he mentioned the 'bear' in the East and how the shitty times will pass or something along the lines, it was sweet

"From the bottom of my heart, kiitos paljon!" (thank you so much) 💜💜😭

I just burst into tears when the band bowed for the last time at the end haha

Also it's weird having to mention this but seeing his mouth move was an out of body experience, like... what that mouth do 🫠

AFTER:

I felt so cathartic omgggg

My throat was hurting so much and my makeup was running down my face lol

Everything went smoothly again!! The only sad part was that I wanted to get some Mummy Bucks from the area around the stage, but the staff emptied the area quite quickly and they didn't let anyone in anymore. But I did get the Skeletour T-shirt and THE POTATO! 😭 He's so fucking repulsive, I just had to get him! Now I have my own ugly little plushia <3 Guys remember, he is always watching... but never judging 💜

I thought I was thirsting over Perpetua a lot already before the ritual, but now we're on a whole another level. Oh also I've totally reached level 7 of autism, hell yeah bitchhhh 🤘 Can't stop speaking about Ghost rn (also guys, I made a powerpoint for my family to get them ready for the ritual... there are 50 slides lmfao! Like, I couldn't help but include everything about like Mary Goore as well 'cause I'm a certified Goore whore)

So that's basically all I remember right now, sorry for the messy writing and grammarly errors!! The whole evening is all a big mush in my head, but one thing is clear: it was the happiest I've felt in months. I felt so fuzzy and joyful around the Ghesties, Papa and the Ghouls. It felt like home. Thank you all for making the night so unforgettable.

What a beautiful concert. Left me totally speechless. Just... wow. Tobias, the man you are... tack så mycket och vi alla älskar dig!!!!💜

[waokevale]

The Overlapped AU [Aka Superhumans disguisted as Dinner Theater workers]

The Owners

The Managers (Engineer & the HR person)

The Waiters

The Security

The Performers (Wes is mostly on cleaning duty though)

The Kitchen staff (the others are usually tasked to help, though very few are actually trusted at all times to be there)

The Bartender and the Host

The Dishwashers

The Clerk & The Supplier

So this AU came to me upon a dream, and I just had to make it real...

The synopsis below:

The event of April 17th 1906 does happen, however instead of Charlie and Maxwell being kidnapped into the Constant, the Constant overlaps with the real world and spreads itself onto Earth.

Charlie and Maxwell in the process become corrupted and have to hide away temporarily. Both of them soon began to hear strange voices, source of which neither is quite sure, telling them, compelling them to hide the corruption's effect from the publicity, for the time being.

They come to a mutual realization they have to fix this mess somehow and hunt down any and all corrupted by the tome, by any means necessary.

(Maxwell still has codex umbra, but it is sealed shut for the time being until he's sure it won't spread more if Their influence. )

But the corruption didn't just appear out of nowhere, it's been leaking way long before Maxwell found the Codex, if to a less prominent extent.

Thus, in few years passing, they form a Dinner Theater, a rather inconspicuous establishment from the first glance. Very quickly they began "hiring" employees, which in reality means tracking down and blackmailing those who have been corrupted but not fully lost themselves to its effects, in order to hunt those who had.

Winona was against the idea at first, as she found out. But seeing the effects of corruption first hand, she quickly had a change of heart and integrated herself into Charlie's new environment.

Eventually they gathered a rather generous amount of people. Once a person's proven to be trustworthy to a point, they're give higher positions in the company.

However those who aren't, are likely to be shunned or "fired" which...you could probably guess what that means.

Many of these people gradually come to terms with the reality of their situation and accept their newfound purpose, being thankful that at least they still have a roof over their head and a warm meal, instead of being viewed as monsters or outcasts to the greater society.

(Wilson though, can't quite accept this notion. He keeps claiming that "this is just a big misunderstanding, I'm just a normal guy!" Yet the truth could be far from it.)

When Maxwell and Charlie hear of the danger looming, they immediately inform their "staff" of the matter. Those who are more experienced in combat come along to face whatever opponent may cross them, while those who aren't, stay behind, to be an additional aid or a medic in case the battle gets too intense.

Whenever any suspicion arises in the town about the shady business going on in that particular building, the two owners alongside their employees practically gaslight anyone and everyone into believing they're but the most regular entertainment center.

The characters who have either willingly or unwillingly lost their humanity, mostly in the physical sense, are given special devices constructed of Thulecite and bits of nightmare fuel (made by Winona, Wicker and the main two), which effectively hide away their true identity, or surpress the effects of their ailment.

There's also a few other people important to this story, especially the One, which even Charlie and Maxwell refer to as "The Boss", though what many most recent hires don't know, is that there's someone who's in a position much higher than the owners themselves, controlling their every move.

Correlating to that, another person, or rather, a set of people per se, working for a much different cause. Though most of them are "people" in only a visual sense of the word.

And while, there might be someone inside the well-known around town diner, who just might be more than what appears on the surface, literally and metaphorically this time.

__________

If you're interested to learn more about this AU, do let me know. If you have any questions, I'm happy to hear and answer them!

[library-ghoulette]

Okay, here are my unproofread and chaotic thoughts about the Nashville Skeletour ritual:

- It was worth getting to the venue early for merch, inflatable diva Perpetua photo ops, and seeing all the costumes. I was shy, but managed to swap a few bracelets with help from my roommate

- There was a Perpetua cosplay so realistic I got slightly star struck. They’ll be in GBB for fucking sure

- I saw GBB filming and was close by, but didn’t get approached. Which is fine by me, because I was a sweaty mess and also would have cried

- The Yondr pouch situation going in was easy, but they didn’t give me a printed ticket, so make sure you get one. I had a panic moment when I couldn’t remember our section. The Yondr pouch situation leaving was chaos, staff shouting at us to go outside and then having to find someone to unlock it, no lines, no order

- Our seats were really good?? Better than I expected. We were section 105, so up off the floor a bit

- I was already crying during the lead up to Peacefield, which took about 100 years

- When that curtain dropped… Tears. I’m choking up just thinking about it now. They felt SO close. I turned to my roommate and sobbed, “They’re RIGHT THERE!!” 😭

- Storm is adorable, does lots of little dances, grabs his lapels, cute interactions with Aurora. I feel like I know him so much better now, and I love him

- Phantom is the MVP. Yes, I’m biased, but everyone can see it. He does so much to encourage the crowd and put on a good show. He’s all over that stage, and even though we were on Dew’s side, Phantom spent a lot of time with us. (Because he could feel the pure adoration and love radiating from my section, obvi.) Literally screamed “That’s my boy!!” multiple times

- Phantom and Cirrus have such a good rapport, little dancy dances together

- Cute touching fingers moment between Phantom and Perpetua

- Rain is a majestic unicorn irl, what a princess. Sitting impatiently with legs crossed during the big sex part of Umbra. Veil blowing in the wind created by his model walk. My love

- Aurora doing the cowbell! She really puts her all into it, virtuoso performance. My roommate was dying

- Aurora has the best dance moves in general. She’s so fun to watch

- We got Elizabeth and Satan Prayer!! I had to hold it down for my section singing Satan Prayer. Same with Per Aspera Ad Inferi. Same with a lot of songs, actually… It was a weirdly quiet crowd

- Nick R. who produced Infestissumam was there! Perpetua acknowledged that Ghost and Nashville have some shared history, gave Nick a shoutout, then changed the usual pre-encore bit to say that they were going to do a special song just for Nick, but since we all stayed, we might as well hear it, too…

- Lots of butthole talk. Tearing us a big new asshole, putting Dew’s boot up our asses “where it belongs,” etc

- Perpetua called Dew’s boot his “asskissing” boot at first and had to correct himself to “asskicking”

- During KTGG the concentric inverted pentagrams look like buttholes. The leg spirals too. Everyone sees this, right??

- Those cannons have zero reach, wtf.

- Perpetua is such a creature, especially during Cirice, sneaking down the stairs. No wings for Cirice. His gaze during THE Cirice moment is so intense, even just on the big screen, I cannot imagine being on the receiving end of that and surviving

- Perpetua did a lot of cutesy 1960s dance moves during KTGG

- At one point Perpetua asked, “Do you like that, baby?” in a softly teasing tone and nearly killed me

- Perpetua smiling??????? I think I get the thirst now, because my heart exploded and I realized I would commit murder for this man

- Someone threw a bra on stage, and Perpetua said someone must have dropped it and gave it back to the audience. Said something like, “Good family entertainment, huh? That’s how you expand the family. And you can expand all you want in a few minutes, because we’re getting ready to leave!”

- The only bad thing was that I was beside a couple who were only there to drink and talk through the whole thing. It was so distracting. They also crawled over me to get drinks during Satan Prayer and the big climactic part of Umbra. I was PISSED

- I wish more people were singing! Especially during Monstrance Clock. But seeing the audience members on the screen near the end was honestly really beautiful, I’m gonna cry about it

- In conclusion, it was amazing and I’m so glad I was able to go. It wasn’t my first ritual, but my first one happened during a very bad year of my life, and I can barely remember it. This felt like a second chance, at a time when I’m deeper into Ghost and our community, and a much more powerful experience 💜

- Also… I got the ghooty shorts