#underling concepts

[hereticalhowler]

some sburb underling concepts i made up! more detail about them below the cut !!

Kobalos

The Kobalos is a base unit, appearing in all lands of a given sburb session. Kobaloi are around 3 feet tall, and very quick. They attempt to dismantle and destroy player structures, like the Alchemiter and similar deployable items, as well as structures built to reach the first of the seven rings. Kobaloi are weak enemies, and able to typically be killed with one well-placed blow.

Amphista

The Amphista is a base unit, appearing in all lands of a given sburb session. The Amphista starts as a small serpent, of around 2 feet long. This unit is quick, and generally docile towards the player. However, the Amphista eats grist dropped by other enemies if not picked up by the player in time, resulting in gradual exponential growth. If the Amphista is allowed to grow, they may become hostile toward the player to attempt to satiate their appetite. The Amphista drops more grist than it ate, so allowing it to grow large and then defeating it has large rewards.

Fairies

Fairies are a base magic unit, appearing in all lands of a given sburb session, measuring around 3-5 inches tall. Fairies travel and spawn in swarms, attacking the player with magic. When together, they can pose a fair threat to a beginner within the game. Easily eliminated by higher-level players.

Gorgon

Gorgons are a guardian gatekeeper unit, appearing and residing solely near each land's guardian. Gorgons are around 5-6 feet tall, but their tail length varies. Gorgons are a highly powerful magic unit, and pose an additional threat to players attempting to convene with their guardians. Gorgons tend to group together in smaller groups of three. Experienced players opt most frequently for distanced, stealth-based combat if able.

Hecatonchires

The Hecatonchires is a dungeon-exclusive unit, primarily appearing as a mini-boss for the player. Hecatonchires are frequently 7+ feet tall, some reaching 10 feet. Hecatonchires are heavy-hitter melee units, with high awareness due to their multiple heads. The leading technique in defeating Hecatonchires revolved around disabling the senses of the heads, to gain a leg-up in the battle. Hecatonchires are best fought in groups, if available.

[thelyingjoke]

what are your thoughts on pregame kokichi?

this took a long time to answer sorry!!! i start getting Busy around this time (school my nemesis.......) but this ask is interesting enough that i can use my remaining free time to answer it! thank you!!!!!!

now a thing like this is something i personally can have a bit of trouble with—that is, making up a personality for a character that doesn't have one. when i have something to go off of in canon i can run with it all day and come up with so many things...but i need that little prompt to start with, and if there's nothing, i can't really think of anything. so for a Longgggggg while i've kept my hands mostly Away from the pregame characters, since most of them have so little about them i just couldn't think of anything that would satisfy me. but more recently, maybe like. a few months after i rewatched v3 last year, i started to think about them a little more...and now i think i can answer this question kind of!!!

pregame kokichi is a hard one considering he's one of the many that has like. 1-2 lines that don't say much at all about his character. like the most he has is this

and really Nothing Else of note. but after thinking on it it says A Lot.

already you get from it a guy who is Helpful and looks out for others, even in a situation where it might be dangerous! both caring and also maybe does not have a good sense of self-preservation...but not like, nervous or cowering at all. so, that's a start!!! though there's also a bit i wanna get into in order to elaborate more on what else i think about him (i anticipate this will get Long so. i will put the cut here)

yeah anyway the thing that made me Really start thinking about the pregame characters was the full realization of kaede and shuichi being like...basically the same, just kaede being a little more snappy. and i mean, i knew this the whole time, but i never put too much thought into it because like—yeah they're still the same guys that makes sense. (and i was in major denial about the ending at first haha)

but actually thinking about it it kinda intrigued me. of course they'd be like that. sure they were given different memories, but there's only so much that that can really change about a person, you know? like...there's the assumption i'd have had that they directly tweaked the personality alongside the memories, but honestly i don't think they did. i mean, of course, the memories do influence the personalities—some more than others��but that's as much as i'd imagine they'd have done in terms of personality-changing. they didn't do it directly.

it's like nature vs nurture, kind of. your memories make up a large portion of who you are and how you act, but they're not everything. there are certain things that are just inherent to certain people. two different people given the exact same memories would likely act similar, but ultimately there would be differences, because they're two separate, unique people, with their own quirks and preferences.

and for how the characters were made, i do believe that their backstories and intended personalities were based on their original personalities (whether you believe tsumugi was lying about the audition videos, and i do lean towards her lying, i don't quite think she was lying about getting a flash of inspiration from shuichi's nervousness, that part makes sense to me). kaede is just pregame kaede without the cynicism—because she's given a happier life prior to everything. i think parts of them leak in throughout the game that were not necessarily intended by tsumugi...just because those traits are part of Who They Are, and the memories can't change that. these might be obvious thoughts to have but i felt like talking about them haha

it's hard to say what those traits might be, since we see so little of them, and we don't know what exactly tsumugi would have intended, but you could perhaps guess...maybe kaede's temper? and well. i was going to have a ramble about my ch1 murder theories but i was having trouble wording it and realized that was Really off topic so i will move on

ANYWAY the reason i think this all has to do with kokichi: his pregame personality likely inspired some of ingame personality, so my thoughts on what parts...i think perhaps his Playfulness. i mean, a guy with a hairstyle like That has gotta be down for all kinds of fun and games. so i guess i see him as a playful little guy who wants to help others and maybe doesn't have the best survival instincts/views of self-importance...........

(sorrySorry i just recently read a 5 year old dr/woy crossover fic with kokichi and i haven't been normal since. it was so ridiculous too bad the author orphaned it they were kinda cooking...kokichi and wander are similar you're so right...wish i could talk to them about it SORRY I'LL GET BACK ON TOPIC!!!!!)

in all Seriousness though. i think that that small line has such a big influence on how he acts ingame. of course he's not nearly as willing to throw himself into danger for the others' sake...but i think that Care, that Desire to Help them still lingers, just under whatever backstory gave him those trust issues so he's not as Open about it. and the self-sacrificial nature i Mean...chapter 5. and it's how he kind of 'breaks character'. if you get me? i'm not sure if i'm explaining right...doesn't help i have to do it in increments between Other Things haha

i don't really know if i have an overall point to this but Yeah that's how i see pregame kokichi. i don't have much other thoughts though :( Do you want me to check on what's happening is all i really have to work with...i've seen people talk about him being a student council president and i like that thought. but nothing too concrete, pregame kokichi enjoyers tell me what you think about him i would love to hear what you have because i. do not have much! everyday crying at the lack of information so many things have

[serpentface]

Comparing livestock color-words.

Both the Chenahyeigi and Wardi languages are derived from peoples who have been pastoralists for millennia, and both have an absolute ton of words for livestock coloration.

Both languages have had at least some mutual influence for about a thousand years (to varying extents by dialect, depending on geography/trade connection) so you'll see similar or identical words crop up here and there.

THE WORDS:

Hneya - [hne:ʝɑ] or [hne:jɑ] (whether the ʝ sound is retained in speech and to what extent varies by dialect)

Straightforwardly refers to bright reddish-orange color, but is mostly used for animals rather than other orangeish things. The word Was probably influenced by an older form of the Wardi 'reyla', and absorbed with the introduction of orange colored cattle. It may have been merged with the Chenahyeigi '(h)ne', which is the root of several red color-related terms.

Reyla - [rejlɑ]

This is a Wardi word for most reddish-orange hues in general. When applied to livestock, it refers to solid orange coats without spotting/masks/notable countershading.

Fels akhri - [fels] [ɑ:khɾi]

Translates readily as 'storm cloud' (the 'storm' here specifies thunderstorms). When applied to livestock, it describes fur that is rich dark blue-gray with white guard hairs.

Aganne - [ɑgɑ:ne]

This doesn't actually translate to 'night sea' in a straightforward manner, but as a color word it's poetically associated with dark seas, at night or in storms. When used for livestock, it describes this coloration exclusively.

Woud et lleng - [woʊd] [ɛt] [ɬeŋk]

Woud is the word for rich moist soil specifically, lleng refers to laterite and its association with iron deposits. This phrase is used to describe livestock with dark brown heads and and orange-brown bodies.

Tsipanibe - [t͡sipɑnibe]

This would be more literally translated as 'ochred'. Many Wardi words with the -ibe stem from verbs or nouns modified to indicate that the subject matter has 'received' an action or concept. (Examples of such words are long-established linguistically, you can't just add '-ibe' to any noun or verb). This one takes the root 'tsipan' (ochre) and applies it to the subject matter (cattle coloration).

Livestock with a dark brown or black head and orange-brown body are given this description, the idea being that their bodies look like they've been painted in ochre. This word is extremely rare outside of this context (you would usually just say the full 'ochre-painted' to convey this idea for other things)

Drengh yipeg - [dɾeŋg(h) yɪpɛ:g]

This is pretty straightforwardly 'little moon'. Yipeg comes from the same root as the Wardi 'hippe' for 'small', while drengh refers to the appearance of the moons in the sky (rather than the gods they embody). It's used to describe small round white blaze marks.

Ipalen hamita - [ipɑlɛn (h)ɑmitə]

Straightforwardly 'star marked', used for small round white blaze marks. Wardi actually does have a 'moon marked' (ipalen amit) to describe round white blazes that entirely cover the animal's forehead.

Brinyavir - [bɾi:nʝɑvir] (ʝ is retained for this word in most dialects)

This one is not directly translatable, 'celestial' or 'heavenly' just function closely enough. The word conceptually relates to stars but most specifically describes a layer of sky in which the afterlife rests (brinyavir is part of the phrase I translate as 'celestial fields'). The cattle there are said to have these markings. The stars in the night sky are sometimes playfully described as the spots of these cattle (though not literally, in Chenahyeigi cosmology stars are spirit-inhabited bonfires lit along pathways through the heavens).

As a color word for livestock, brinyavir refers to this rare (I Think nonexistent irl) white-spotted black coloration, due to both resembling the stars and the cattle that are moved among them.

Asi inwetadi - [ɑsi in:wetɑ:di]

This directly means 'like night sky', and is applied to this coat pattern with a similar underlying logic- it looks like a starry night sky. You will often see asi (like/akin to) retained in place or animal names like this, and it is sometimes part of names for people (the name Asinya is derived from a contracted 'like the sun').

Ogriye - Chenahyeigi: [oʊ:gɾije] Wardi: [oʊgɾi:je]

This word is (or was) a way to say 'gravel' or 'gravelly' in both Chenahyeigi and Wardi, and is pronounced very similarly in both (with the only significant difference being emphasis)

In Chenahyeigi it is a loanword from the Wardi language family, most likely received in the exchange of cattle of this coloration. It is retained in general speech as a word for gravel, more specifically the adjective 'gravelly'.

The word is mostly obsolete in contemporary Wardi, speakers do not know it used to mean 'gravel' (though it sounds close enough to assume a connection, the word is 'ogri') and exclusively use it to describe this livestock coloration (one of the more common among Wardi native cattle).

---

Also here's some cow lore.

There's some fairly tremendous diversity in Wardi cattle herds, given they have genetic influence from at least two separate aurochs domestication events (also distant and negligibly minor influence from one instance of bison domestication) and from multiple relatively isolated domestic cattle populations. Present day herds within Wardi provincial territory near-ubiquitously have at least some ancestry from the kulustaig and the Burri tepang cattle.

The ancestors of the Wardi native cow have been in the region for at Least 5,000 years. Burri cattle Possibly could have had tiny, isolated introductions between 2500-3000 years ago (this is extremely unlikely, but maize Was probably introduced by seafaring proto-Burri peoples at this time) or at more recent points since, and the tepang was certainly introduced during Imperial Burri occupation. High quality cattle are also occasionally received in diplomacy with the present-day Different Entity that is the Burri Republic. The kulustaig cattle arrived with proto-Finnic migrants starting 1500 years ago, and is the biggest external genetic influence on Wardi herds. Small populations of Yuroma native cattle arrived with migrants 540 years ago, though these have been wholly absorbed into Wardi herds, with their biggest trace being genes for naturally polled horns. Some Finn cattle were extracted in the recent two decades of Wardi occupation, though not enough to have a noteworthy genetic impact on any herds.

Most of the cattle in this post show predominantly Wardi native cattle + kulustaig ancestry (this takes place in the Ephenni riverlands, where the ancestry of herds tends to be around 2:1). The one with the blaze has a delicate sloping muzzle that suggests Burri tepang ancestry, and also likely has a wild aurochs grandparent (the white ring around the nose is a telltale sign, as it usually vanishes within a few generations of introgression).

Diversity in color and coat pattern is culturally favored for Wardi cattle herds, and selective breeding for aesthetics is usually limited to the purpose of preserving unique coats. The average herd tends to be very colorful, though the one shown here is a bit of an outlier, the universe having mysteriously put in place perfect conditions to compare the words for a variety of coat patterns.

[tokoyamisstuff]

can we get some cuddle pile headcannons for the mark variants? lowkey sounds like the coziest thing ever

lowkey sounds dangerous ngl💀

gn! Reader, no warnings

Cuddling pile? Nah.

They fucking hate each other's guts. It's like having a mirror constantly put right in front of their face that reminds them how fucking awful they actually are.

Not to mention that neither of those guys is good with sharing. All of them are jealous, possessively so, which makes the chances of this working out very slim.

They'd try for your sake, but it would last for like 5 minutes max, constantly belittling and squabbling with each other, until they'd eventually fight so the winner gets to have you for themselves.

Individual HC's under the cut!

Omnivincible

Not a fan of PDA, but in the privacy of his own chambers he can't get his hands off of you

Loves embracing you from behind and trail your curves

Is mostly busy with his duty but always tries to make time for quick cuddles in between

Movincihawk

Got you on his lap while on his throne, proudly presenting you to his underlings

Pretty gropey, his hands always wander

Giggles like a lovestruck idiot throughout the whole time

Rubs his stubbly cheek against yours, ugh

Sinister Mark

Wants to live in your skin (literally)

Doesn't really care much about your comfort, rather treats you like a giant stuffed animal

He's got that cuteness aggression, sometimes he just randomly bites you when he feels exceptionally comfy

Target/Striped Invincible

It's his favourite activity, especially after a stressful day. Would rather die than admit it, though

Often he just randomly throws you over his shoulder and carries you somewhere cozy, demanding attention

You're naked more often than not, he simply enjoys being as close as possible

Is a bit hyperactive, changes positions every few seconds

Maskless Mark

Super cautious to accidentally hurt you when he gets too excited

Always acts like you're some precious, fragile little thing he should better only admire from afar

Likes you to lay on top of him and be in control of what happens

Needs to fight the urge to crush you against him as hard as he can

Viltrumite Mark

Didn't know about the concept of cuddling, needs to learn first

At the beginning he just laid stiffly on his back

Didn't feel bad though, so he allows you to do whatever you feel like doing, he's just happy to be there

If you're lucky and he feels like it he might even wrap an arm around you

Prisoner Mark

Don't let the tough outerior fool you, this man is very affectionate

Prefers to hug you from behind, anything as long as you're not face to face. Maybe he is insecure about his scars after all

An expert at massage, enjoy it

There's a 99,9% chance of things escalating into something more naughty

Maskless Mark

Super needy. If possible he'd stay like this with you 24/7

Admires everything about you, his touch is very thoughtful and revering

Always asks to hear your voice during, like singing or talking. It has an oddly soothing effect on him

Often falls asleep at some point, feeling content for once

Fully Masked Invincible

One of those guys who traps you in his hold through wrapping both arms and legs around you

Loves resting his head on your chest and listen to your heartbeat

Plays with your hair, absentmindedly kisses along your skin and whispers sweet affirmations in your ear

Your embrace is his own personal slice of heaven

[keferon]

I’ve been reading through your Spellbound AU and thought of something funny, so naturally I wrote a short story for it.

My take on how Jazz came to work for Orion.

———————————————————————

Jazz slunk across ruined stonework overtaken by forest growth. Form shifting as subtly as the shadows he crossed.

Which would it be?

Tall and slim? Nah, that one already served it’s purpose. The twins saw something lank and dark looming in the trees, and now the young knights were distracted looking over their shoulders.

A hulking brute? No, that’d inspire an all out confrontation. Jazz already had all of them keyed up to act on instinct.

The twins were easy. Young and expecting a straight fight. Pax, his target, was harder to ruffle. He had the reputation of a courageous selfless hero and damned if the mech wasn’t dedicated to the ruse.

Pax wasn’t spooked, but he did take his underlings concerns seriously. He marched forward as a pillar of confidence and safety, but Jazz caught the way his gaze scanned the ruins. His white shadow seemed indifferent, but he was just an audience member anyways, not a real fighter.

Primed to play the part. Pax just needed his queue.

Jazz got into place on his stage. He shifted into something small and weak (in appearance alone). Bent a leg at an unhealthy looking angle, and slumped like he was exhausted and chased here.

Jazz sat with his back against the wall, the partially collapsed stone room was small enough that a mech of Orion’s stature would have difficulty moving quickly. It had the nice bonus of blocking anyone else from coming through the main entry point as well.

Through a crack in the wall, Jazz watched as the leader in blue and red got closer, his “loyal knights” lagging behind. The white one lagged as well, distracted by scolding the twins for being distracted.

Jazz focused on his target. Pulled at a thread from within Pax and strung it within his own chest.

Jazz set his new voice and with all the terror and innocence he could conjure screamed.

H̴͉̮́͂͗̐͌̍̇E̸̡̞̅̎̒͗͂L̷̛̻͎̮̽̏͝͝P̴̛̭͈͌̔̃̊͛̓ ̶͉̩̖̔͛͋̃ͅP̴̫͔̖͔̼͗̑̔͘͝L̸͓̣͖̫̭͎̊́̑̀͐̈́Ḙ̶͕̪̳̟̥͂̓̈̅͂͝Á̵̖̳̱͙͋ ̸̭̤̹̔͑͒̈͆̓͘Ȏ̵̡̥͈̪̟͛́̑͆̐͜Ḣ̷̡̻̪̘̯̹̊̂́̒͠ ̷̭̭͕̙̟̬͈̇̄̌̅̂̚̕W̸̺̯̦͔̼͇̄H̷͖͛̎͐̄͊̂͝À̶̘̙̈́̎͛̒͘ͅṰ̴̻͉̜͂̐̽̀̇ ̴̬͓̝̞̀̆̕T̸̙̖̲̺̯̆͛͜Ḥ̵̱͚͕͔̆̉ͅȆ̶͙̆́́̌̋ ̵̧͔͔̰̰̰͕̿͂̆̂̅̅F̵͕̘̰͓̓̔͜͜U̵̧̝̳̔̍̇̅̿͜͜͝Ç̵͎̎̓̒̓̊̂K̷̨̈́?̶̱͈̖̺̘͓͆̄͒͋

He slapped a hand over his mouth.

Outside, everyone went deathly quiet. Jazz didn’t dare move.

“Um.” Spoke their fearless leader.

Who apparently had thing for asthmatic dragons.

“Are you alright in there?”

Movement started to approach his hidey hole. Jazz could still salvage this. He could.

The white shadow came through first. Damn it. New plan: save own life.

Jazz plucked a new voice from him and made himself look as unthreatening as possible.

“ - ?! !”

Nothing. He loves the concept of nothing. Not even a celebrity crush? A favorite singer? The sound of his own voice?

Some of the functionalists were like that. That’s probably half the reason they “allowed” him to take on their commissions. All the money in their coffers wasn’t worth this however.

The white mech frowned, scanning over Jazz with a cold blue look. He turned back to the entrance, “Sir, there is a ‘hypothetically’ injured person inside the building. Most likely they orchestrated our current circumstances in an attempt to assassinate you.”

Jazz lunged from the wall, dagger slipping between armor gaps to pierce the spoil-sports spark, ready to dash past in the resulting chaos when his lifeless body guttered before them.

And just like his voice, Jazz got nothing instead.

He gaped at the way his blade cut into hollow air beneath the plates. Numbly, he pulled out his dagger and stabbed again, like it’d do something different this time. The mech was unamused.

“Sir, the assassin is trying to assassinate me.”

Jazz pulled a working voice, “I̷͕͍̓̒͝ͅ’̵̝̂m̵̼̲̓́ ̷͚̑́͗͜n̶̢̬͈̉o̷̦̓̎͝ṱ̶̟̼͒͊ ̵̨̮̠̿̀ǎ̷̫̹n̶̫̜̚̕ ̸̹͙͐a̵̛̯̻̹s̶͍̈́s̵̳̲͎͂a̷̻͉̅͆̑s̴̛̫̞̽̈s̵̳̑į̸̝̽̊n̷̙̟̤͊!̸̪̃”. And discontinued his failing assassin attempt to cringe.

A massive hand closed around Jazz’s wrist, stopping him cold.

“Do not.” Orion lessened his grip but did not release him, “Harm my friends.”

Jazz had to crane his head back considerably to make eye contact. Orion was built like a brick house and Jazz had enough experience fighting mechs like him to know his kill window was gone.

Groveling it is!

“Į̷̧̲̍͝ ̴̟̩̗̀̿̊a̵̹͙̔m̵̠̜̳͍̀̽̾̏ ̷͕͕̔̿͆̂s̸̡͋ơ̵̦̜ ̶͍̫͔͔̒̈̈́̌s̶̻͓͔̆͜ò̸͙̥̻̀r̷̢̠̈r̵̘͑̎͂y̸̰͓͆͗̔.̵̯͇́̌͒ ̵̳̞̏̇̕I̶̦͚̦͠’̸̞̯͙̟́ḿ̵̢̜̅̍͜ͅ ̴̮̩͓̀̓̈͜j̷̻̒̀u̷̯͂͋ŝ̴̭͇̱͎͑͆ẗ̶͎̬͗́͝ ̷̥̰̗̃a̸̼̫̦̾̚ ̶͕͉̓͌͋͝d̴͖̗̰̒̎̈͘ͅe̸̗̞̤̲̽͗̈́͛s̸̖͐p̵̢̎͊e̴̢͖͉͑̿̾͘r̶̩̬̰̈́́ą̵̧̰̋̊͝t̶̻̯̞̦̆e̷̱̥̪̍͜ ̴̠̱̼̣̌̾t̴̙̐̔h̵̟̪͈͛̚ǐ̶͕ě̴̻̺f̸͕̠̯̤̀̆!̷̗̩̩̃̽ ̷̮̩̆̾Ǐ̷͍̭ ̴͕͕́ṅ̸̗̰e̸̯̱̝͚͆͂v̴̛͓͉͇̍́e̴̺̞͖͂͑̏͐͜r̶̢̼͠ ̴̗͙̐͒̋̚m̸͓͆͐e̶̱̩͕̐̚͠a̵͉͇̟̺̋̇̑n̶̢̖̙̣̾͝t̷̘̔ ̵̦̉̈́̈́͗t̵̳̻͇̔̎̃͜o̴͈͖̓ ̵̬̦̞͖͌͋͂͆h̷̲̓͑̎̃a̵̛͇̾͗r̵̠̗̩̾̏̈̚m̸̭̃ ̷̢̗͇͈͑͊a̵̧̠͑̒̚ ̵̢͉̮̌̀k̵̼͈͎̳͒̀̐͂ǹ̸̛̘͈͔í̶͓̜̜͉g̸̨̖̗̜̽͊ĥ̷͉̫͉̻̾̽̉t̵̜̣̲̹̑ ̸̡͒̃o̶̮͉̺͝r̷̬̎̓̚͝ ̵̡̠̩̓̈́̐̏ḣ̶̨͖̼̥̎́i̶̖̋͝s̷̻͍̭̒͜ ̵̢̖͓̿̍̌̾f̶̣̜̒̎r̶̝̈͊̍̋ǐ̶̝͓̱̱̆̐ẹ̷́̅n̴̢̛̘̍ḑ̷̪̈́̀͒̚ŝ̷͍̹!̷̪͙͕̬̐ ̵̨̡͆̏P̸̧̢̼̿͝l̶̡̧͔̳̍̉͋̆ẽ̶͉ȁ̸̦̜̤̀̉ͅs̴̮̙͍̘̐̂̉e̴͇͚͊̔̈́͋ ̸̧̳͒̈̃͠h̸̡̧̰͛̈͐ͅḁ̷͔̗̱̓̌̉v̸͖̼͓̜̽̏ę̵̬̤͎̄̅̓͆ ̷͍̯̗̥̋̀͛̉m̸̹͈͔̑͂͠ͅé̴͎͕ȑ̴̢̖̘̎c̴͙͇͙̤̐̔͒̕y̷̨͈͗͛͛!̶̹͝͝”

Orion cringed behind the mask.

“I- I’m sorry I don’t think I quite understood that.” He paused, “Would…you like a cough drop?”

Orion seemed to take stock of what he had on him, patting his sides with his free hand. He turned to the white mech.

“Prowl, would you happen to…um nevermind.” He turned to the twins, “Sunstreaker?Sideswipe? Do either of you have a cough drop?”

The twins searched their pockets for a magically appearing cough drop. Jazz searched for his sanity.

Jazz plucked a voice from the twins and couldn’t care less which it came from.

“Listen!” Oh thank fuck the twins were normal.

Jazz smiled while slowly uncurling Orions fingers from his wrist. Prowl narrowed his gaze at the new voice.

“You got me! I’m a thief! And I panicked! And I am so, so, so-.”

“A mimic.”

Smile frozen in place, Jazz turned his head so slowly there was an audible grounding noise.

Prowl remained impassive.

“Um.” And Orion…let him? Pull his wrist free. “Are you going to continue trying to kill me?”

Jazz snapped back to Orion, his target. The words aren’t what gave him pause, but how he said them. Like he just asked Jazz “Are you sure you want to go with puce green?” As if the mech was more concerned that Jazz was going to make a poor decision than for his own wellbeing.

“No.” Jazz said definitively. Because Primus knows he lost the upper hand now and wasn’t aiming to try again so soon.

“Are you genuinely in need of money? Food and shelter?” Orion continued, optics softening.

Jazz didn’t recognize the play. He bit his lip beneath the cowl.

Jazz decided to capitalize on whatever got him the most sympathy. He nodded seriously. “Yes. Of course. It’s not easy when the functionalists decide you’re a monster.” A bit of a lie and a bit of the truth. His favorite combination.

“Do you like your current employers?” Orion asked and Prowl started to narrow his optics.

“No…I don’t.” Jazz answered without enough dishonesty to feel comfortable.

Orion kneeled so he was on optic level with him. “Would you like to join my order?”

And when Jazz just stared at him he continued. “You’d be free to leave if you ever found it not to your liking. And your skills would be very useful in keeping people safe. And of course we’d ensure safe lodgings, fair pay and-.”

“Sir.” Prowl ground out with the most emotion Jazz had ever seen from the guy. “He tried. To assassinate you.”

“Well, he wasn’t very invested.” He shrugged.

Orion looked at Prowl. The twins looked at each other. Jazz looked at an opportunity.

“Deal.” Jazz took Orions hand, shaking it before his better thinking caught up to him.

Orion’s optics crinkled in delight. “Wonderful! Welcome to the Autobot Order!”

Prowls face betrayed nothing, but Jazz hadn’t spent his entire life studying people to miss the way something ever so subtly cracked under Prowls stoney facade.

Jazz didn’t need their Order to survive. But he had become desperately curious to know what in Pimus’ sweet name was going with those two. And more importantly, after outing him twice in a row, Jazz was going to BREAK Prowl.

“T̴͓̹̚h̸͖̘̀̈͠e̸̡̗̳͊̓͝ ̴͚̘͆n̶͉̰͐͜ą̸̦̉m̸̮͙͋é̴͉̫̥͘s̴̮̔͑̄ ̶̰̚J̷͎̀͝a̸̟͎̽̒̇z̷̰̆͑͜͝z̵̨͎̈́.̴͎́ ̷̡͉̱̒̾̕N̵̳͚̈͘i̴͙̓̎c̶̪̅̆ḛ̸̂͂ ̷̰̻̊͝ͅt̷͖̤̓͋o̴̗͑̿͛��̭ ̴̮̹̉̃͜m̴̼͈̝̍ë̸̗̫̘́̊͌ē̸̘̹̅t̷̛̞̙̫ ̵͙̎̄y̵̩͂̓̚a̴͉̲̪͌̍.̶̖̻̒”

———————————————————————

The silent sentence was “Did you hear that horrib- Huh?! OH COME ON!”

I just really liked the idea that because Jazz talks in Shockwaves voice around Orion, the first time it happened everyone nearly shit themselves.

-SSTP

"Who apparently had thing for asthmatic dragons."

LMAO

"The twins searched their pockets for a magically appearing cough drop. Jazz searched for his sanity." AHAHAJCZTYLVXFUJKCDYKFSS HELP

Jazz, looking at OP: There is something really wrong with you. Five weirdness points out of five.

Jazz, looking at Prowl: ........I need a new scale

[mercutio-the-velaryon]

The concept of Melvik with Councillor Mel Medarda and Zaunite Silco underling Viktor, Mel in disguise at the last drop to get intel from Lest, Viktor Piltover academy dropout who knows its her, playing with her, testing how committed she is to keeping up the ruse, eventually letting her converse with Lest and not reporting it to Silco (claiming that he'll figure out her motivations himself) He watches her come out night after night, other Zaunites start to note that he's become a last drop regular (he's usually a recluse). Melvik establish a cat and mouse kind of repour, always changing up, one chasing the other until Viktor reveals that he knows who Mel is. Mel's unphased, Viktor's even more intrigued and they end up back at his apartment.

[idkfitememate]

*runs to give out creator idea before the seat is gone*

Dragon.

But not just any dragon.

Small chonk dragon.

(If you know about twisted wonderland I’m picturing Malleus in his dragon form in book 7)

Hehe the chonker ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱₊˚⊹ ᰔ

Imagine if you made your home in the Northland Bank, much to the Fatui’s chagrin-

And you surround yourself in mora. And the Fatui can’t do shit.

Why wanna know whyyyy?~

Because you are the Regrator’s little dragon~ you’re there to protect all the gold, precious metals and jewels.

Pantalone found you one day, guarding a single mora. He saw you, thought for all of two seconds, and took you in.

Now you guard a giant pile of gold >:)!

Also the fact that your breath weapon can switch through all 7 elements and are extremely strong ANYWAY-

The way this man would pamper you. You know those villains with that cat in their laps? Yeah that’s you guys.

He loved feeding you gems and stuff (like Spike from MLP lol) in front of his… less than well off colleagues. You cannot tell me this man isn’t just as sadistic as Dottore, just in a different way.

One breaks you physically, the other mentally (and breaks your bank).

Mans probably took out one of the most EXPENSIVE AND LEAST COMMON ORES IN ALL OF TEYVAT, one that could pay off GENERATIONS FOR DEBT FORM HUNDREDS OF FAMILIES, and just. Fed it to you.

He loves seeing his underlings cry what can I say.

You wanna know what would be worse? If you were somehow connected to Zhongli.

Probably more like a dad thing where you don’t have a human form but multiple dragon forms. You found a nice god, settled down, she rolled a nat 20 to seduce the dragon-

Boom Zhongli.

He goes to the bank to cash a check or something and sees what he thought was his long lost father on a Futui Harbingers lap just living life.

Old man vs Older man who’s gonna win?

This is a beautiful concept ૮꒰˶ᵔ ᗜ ᵔ˶꒱ა˖⁺‧₊˚-

Extra note: Yo I wrote this in notes without the post up for reference and ideas and went off the rails just realized this is Creator Dragon fuck how do I explain the Dad-li ark uh… uhhhh…. DRAGON WAS A DILF IN REAL LIFE AND TEYVAT WAS LIKE “Neat, have another son” OKAY BYE-

[thydungeongal]

do you have any recs for medieval fantasy RPG's more character driven and not as challenge based as Pathfinder or DnD?

Fantasy World aims at doing fantasy by way of the PbtA framework but in a way where instead of just doing D&D style dungeon fantasy using the framework it aims for a more dramatic style of play. It has a free SRD which you can find through the following link as well as being able to download the first chapter and play sheets of the game through here.

Swords Without Master, found in Worlds Without Master, issue 3, is a sword and sorcery RPG that is not really interested in challenge, but in tone: rolls are not used to determine success or failure but the tone of a given action.

For something a bit more on the trad side there is Mythras, effectively a version of RuneQuest 6th edition without the RuneQuest license. It is still a very traditional game in its structure but much more so than the dungeon-gaming of D&D and Pathfinder Mythras is sort of like trying to present a verisimilar fantasy world, along with multiple magic systems and a toolbox approach to really make player characters feel like inhabitants of a living world. It's not just a dry simulation game either, as it included mechanics for organization membership and invoking character beliefs and relationships for benefit, making it a game that really rewards character integrated into the setting.

Also gonna plug Silk & Dagger: A Sensible Drow RPG by @anim-ttrpgs. It has only just been released and it is a very different type of fantasy RPG, but with a very specific focus. It is very much a comedy of manners about a society of dark elves with extremely byzantine rules of etiquette. Really unique in both concept and execution, promises to be a riot in actual play. Imagine a social situation where the one in a position of authority really has to project competence and poise, even when they have no idea what they are doing, and their subordinates must at the same time support their subordinate while at the same time being careful not to upstage them so as to embarrass them, while also having to subscribe to an intricate web of social mores so as to not bring shame to anyone? That's Silk & Dagger.

[sea-lanterns]

Idk about you, but the idea of being between Columbina and Arlecchino is one of the hottest things I can think of. Both of them working together to dominate you would be so good. I feel like Columbina would be riding your face while Arlecchino’s between your legs either with a strap or just her fingers/mouth.

~🖤

Nnnnghh I want to write a whole fic based on this concept, but for now you can have my scatter-brained thoughts…

Columbina and Arlecchino just messing you up and dominating you until your legs are all wobbly and your jaw is sore :(

nsfw under the cut—————————

Oh to have Arlecchino pounding away between your legs with the biggest strap on she can find. She’s just so mean to you as she grips your hips tightly and groans into your ear, whispering in that husky voice of hers as she says “fuckin’ take it like a good little girl.”

Meanwhile, Columbina is grinding her cunt against your face and humming in pleasure whilst grabbing your hair. She’s even more rough than Arlecchino, as the Damselette won’t stop until you’re drooling and suffocating on her folds like the needy one you were. “Look how pretty she is, Arle…!” Columbina would coo, lifting her pussy up from your tongue to show that fucked out expression on your face to the Knave. “All drooling and whining for me like a rabbit in heat. So pretty…”

Arlecchino grunts and slams her hips forward, the cockhead of her strap ramming against your insides and causing a bulge to form in your belly.

“Nngh!” You gasp and instinctively cling to Columbina’s thighs, moaning and crying from how rough Arlecchino was thrusting. “Keep riding her, ‘Bina. Want her sobbing by the end of this.”

Columbina simply smiles and hums in agreement.

“You don’t have to ask me twice.”

She smothers your face again with her hips and begins riding your tongue with pleasure. Your body left to be manhandled by your female Harbingers as the distant glow of the Tsaritsa watches you break under her underlings <3

[hikarry]

Crowley still having contacts in Hell after Armageddidnt is such a logical concept

He is the Serpent of Eden. He has Satan knows how many commendations (some rightfully so, most of them not so much but alas don't judge a hard working sod)

That doesn't come with a considerable amount of, at the very least, respect from some demons. Friends? No. Not friends. Demons don't have friends (looking at you Hastur and Ligur. You homosexuals. I know what you are). But respect? Cmon. Even in the most vicious corporations the underlings have some amount of respect for the guy with a reputation and awards in his cabinet. And Crowley not only has A Title that he upholds for 6000 years now, but his reputation claims he invented something as vicious as the Spanish Inquisition

That, my friends, calls for respect

Those people that play Crowley as a nobody demon easily ignored by the masses before the whole Holy Water thing clearly haven't watched the show properly

What type of invisible low-key powerless demon would not only have A Fucking Title but two Dukes of Hell constantly on his heels? And what type of nobody demon would be tasked with triggering the fucking Armageddon?

I tell you what type: none. Because Crowley is not a nobody. Even before the trial he was already known by the masses

He was the original tempter. All the other demons specialized in temptation came AFTER him. He is the OG. The reference

So, yes. It's easy to imagine Crowley has contacts in Hell. Now, not only due to respect but also fear because of the holy water debacle. Who, amongst the nobody demons, doesn't want to be in the good graces of the Big Bad Accomplished Serpent of Eden that has Rebelled Against Hell and Can Survive Holy Water?

It's only logical. Law of survival

Is Crowley full of bullshit and most his accomplishments are lies and rubbish? And he is very much not immune to holy water? Yes. But they don't know! And that's the whole point

Bet that Crowley, low-key as paranoid as he is, spent the last 4 years after the Apocadoesnt with one ear on Earth and the other on Hell to make sure no waves were rippling that would threaten him and, specially, his angel

Call me crazy but that man has a whole secret network of underlings that feed him information on Hell's movements

[wolftails-funkin-arts]

Y'all ready to see the antagonist's concept for Plan: Boogie? 👀

(TW: Unsettling imagery, Eyes)

Meet "the Eyes in the Sky" or just "Eye" for short. An egotistical and power-hungry god-like Sprunki who's desperate to be Sprunktopia's one and only deity, which ends up corrupting them.

No Sprunki knows much about them except for Mr. Sun and Mr. Tree for some reason-

They're also the cause for the horror timeline in this AU.

Eye summons undead polos that they refer to as their "minions" or "underlings". They were created to wreck havoc and attack Sprunkis. They sometimes appear holding a weapon to represent any Sprunkis' death.

Their eyes will glow a dark purple with only one eye dripping a strange liquid. They're super skinny compared to normal Sprunkis and their expressions are either blank or have a sinister smile on their faces.

They always follow Eye's commands.. Tho that is until they turn against them as the horror timeline goes on-

Eye in their Sprunki form!! (aka. "Maeve Purple") :D

Post-horror spoilers whoops- They revert back to being a normal Sprunki after they get defeated and realizing their mistakes, which they accept so they can rediscover themself.

[awsok]

okay. let's talk about shin, sabine, and whatever the hell is going on here:

i've been trying to figure out this moment, and why shin responds like this. because it feels like a change, right? the shin of episode 1 would be thrilled to have permission to hunt down and kill sabine. but here, she's clearly protesting the order (indirectly, because she can hardly outright say 'no' to thrawn).

on one level, this is definitely at least in part because the order is coming from thrawn. orders from baylan are fine for shin: baylan is her master, and by this point in the series it's obvious how much she respects him. but thrawn? baylan told her finding thrawn would bring them power, but instead both she and baylan are being treated like his underlings - this is not what shin thought they were signing up for.

but if this were solely about thrawn giving orders, i'd expect shin's reaction to seem irritated or offended - she's hardly a stranger to anger, after all. but i think it's fair to say that shin's response here can be best characterised as alarmed? she's clearly surprised that they aren't letting sabine go, and more than that: she's not happy about it.

so then, i thought maybe that this was about honour - that shin was so disturbed by this, because it is dishonourable for baylan (who has made a point of insisting on keeping his word to sabine) to break their agreement. (and i know it may seem counterintuitive to assume that shin cares about such a jedi-like concept as honour, but judging by the way baylan speaks of the jedi and shin's padawan braid, he probably instilled her with their values if not their morals.) but then i remembered where episode four left off (which is indicated by the show to be a most a day or two ago):

this takes place literally immediately after sabine has made a deal with baylan. if shin cares enough about honour for it to override her hatred of sabine in episode six, it doesn't make sense for her to disregard honour (even in the heat of the moment) to try and kill sabine in episode four.

so if this isn't about thrawn (not entirely), and it isn't about honour (probably not at all), what is this about? what has changed to make shin go from homicidal obsession to protesting seemingly on sabine's behalf?

sabine, of course.

(by which i actually mean: shin.)

let's talk about The Look!

shin staring at sabine is nothing remotely new. shin staring at sabine without a homicidal glare or a mocking smirk? that's extremely new. this scene makes me crazy (i'm trying so so hard to keep the shipping goggles off and to be objective guys). it may not seem like much at first glance, but this is a dramatic change of behaviour for shin. she's looking at - no, observing sabine in a completely neutral and open way. there's no hostility in this gaze, no judgement, not even fear or conflict. just: observing. and she's doing so openly as well - not just that she isn't disguising herself - she turns to face sabine, as if to give sabine a better look at her. as if to let sabine observe her right back.

why??? why is shin doing this??

um. well. i actually don't know.

i can't make any remotely certain assumptions about what has changed since they left seatos. maybe shin has done a lot of introspection. maybe she feels like she's seen a different side of sabine. maybe they fucked on that spaceship.

the only conclusion i do feel it might be safe to make is this:

i don't think shin sees sabine as an enemy anymore.

i don't know when exactly that changed, i don't know what exactly caused it. but it's true. and if shin and sabine aren't enemies anymore - what are they to each other? what will they become?

tl;dr - shin doesn't want to murder sabine in cold blood anymore. also i think they should hold hands.

[caramel1mochi]

ㅤㅤPlasma [ Yoru x F! Reader ] [1] [ part 1 / part 2 ] words: 5k / TW: blood, fighting / Please refrain from stealing my work.

ㅤIt's known that earning Yoru's attention is a futile struggle. Still, the first to achieve it is you — a woman who plans for nothing beyond the optimal spot to doze off.ㅤ

note: Mum said it's my turn to wish you all a happy Halloween!!ㅤ Anyway I watched the cinematics 50 times and still mistook the Scions' clothes for robes. But now it's too late to change it so yay.ㅤ Also, this story is pretty lore-heavy so it takes place after the Abyss cinematic. I'd start there hahaㅤ

Dividers by @saradika! Future credits will be in tags.

It all started with one gentle assassin.

An assassin who possessed eyes so innocently bright, a build so friendly and personality so amiable that his recruitment prompted the bosses to question their decision.

'What started?' I hear you ask. And to that, the answer would be a little organisation dubbed the 'Scions of Hourglass'. An organisation with power and control so vast, they managed to hide the discovery of radianite for an undisclosable amount of time. Presumably millennia. As naturally as the planets orbit the sun, every member of this group was brainwashed by their adept commanders. So much so, to entertain the very concept of their underlings having autonomy — or even a sound state of mind — would be beyond laughable.

And Iso was a lovely example of that.

Nevertheless, it led to a rabbit hole. And it was a rabbit hole that proved just how much damage the Scions of Hourglass could do. Indirectly or not, many agents were still affected by it even if they were no longer associated with it — whether it be Omen, Iso, Viper, Reyna… But Clove was one of the few who found it very fun. Mostly because it involved them killing these guys left and right.

Emerging from a smoked off corner, the wee Scot held up their Spectre and immediately began spraying down the one masked soldier in front of them.

Given that he was caught off guard, it didn't take long for the man to fall to his death.

ㅤ

"Agh, that's gotta hurt." They scoffed as they began reloading. "These lads are helpless."

ㅤ

Clove jumped once another soldier appeared. However, before he could take the shot, a few bullets from behind dug through his back. Just as he sank to the ground, it revealed their friend, Iso, who appeared from the darkness. His gaze followed the butterflies that previously burst from Clove as they travelled upwards.

For a moment, he was mesmerised by them, but he was quick to meet their gaze once more.

ㅤ

"Maybe we should go easy on them."

ㅤ

His tone was too monotone to register as sarcasm to anyone who didn't know him. Thankfully, Clove wasn't a part of that crowd. They took their time to reload as they approached him, and the two began slowly walking off towards one of the doorways.

ㅤ

"Ya reckon we jump off and make this fair?"

ㅤ

Iso lightly smiled, though it was more of an awkward acknowledgement than anything else.

ㅤ

"What is it with you and jumping off things?"

ㅤ

"Dinnae make it sound weird, Iso−"

ㅤ

Gunfire suddenly rang out from behind them.

Caught off-guard, Iso instinctively put up a wall of hexagons to shield them from the storm of bullets that emerged. For a moment, the barrier swallowed every bullet, and the ones that were spared flew past them.

The duo readied their weapons just as it stopped.

When Iso's wall came down, however, the two noticed Omen standing over the corpse of one of the soldiers. They could tell that, by his tense posture, he was angrily glaring at them.

ㅤ

"Focus."

ㅤ

Omen growled, causing Clove to stiffen up as several more butterflies escaped them in anxiety.

Satisfied with their non-verbal apology, Omen took a step away from the doorway they were headed towards. There, he unwittingly approached the sharp rays of the sun, now bathed in the light coming in from the opening above. They could see the particles of dust as they fell.

ㅤ

"I sense something…"

ㅤ

He noticed how the particles shifted towards one direction. But before another word could be exchanged, the three heard the awry static in their radio, moments before a familiar and gentle voice took over their ears.

ㅤ

"Team, I need an update. How are you all holding up?"

ㅤ

Amidst the chaos that had only slightly lessened by now, her voice felt like a much needed break for Iso and Omen.

ㅤ

"I'm detecting an unfamiliar presence."

ㅤ

"Of course, I'll run a quick scan."

ㅤ

Silence promptly befell them.

Clove was about to speak, but they shut themselves up once they heard a hum in the distance. The tense quiet amongst them helped them isolate the noise with ease. But it was so quiet considering how far away it was.

ㅤ

“I’m picking up an… abnormal presence of radiancy in the area.”

ㅤ

Sage noted.

Omen noticed something cut off the sunlight that previously illuminated him. And just as he was about to look up, the answer to his question deafened all three of them. If the unbearably loud whirring accentuated by the enclosed cavern wasn’t enough, the shadow that engulfed them from above forced the rest of the team to also glance up.

There, they finally saw the number of helicopters that were entering the area from above.

Omen brought up a hand and unmuted the radio.

ㅤ

“They’ve brought backup.”

ㅤ

One of the helicopters’ doors swung open, revealing a peculiar soldier who stood at the edge of the vehicle.

This one seemed to be dressed in different apparel; as opposed to the previous soldiers who donned simple brown armour, these ones wore midnight blue robes with silver patterns across, and an unfamiliar marking on the black mask that covered their face. The soldier lifted his hand, and there was a misplaced glow emerging from his palm. It almost mimicked Sage’s.

Only one second passed before the trio were forced to jump out of the way. They narrowly dodged an attack of what seemed to be a massive mound of… ice? Snow? No, it wasn’t either. But it was solid and pure white.

Particles of cyan emerged from the massive shards. It began suffocating them, the massive influx of it creating a burning fog that irritated their lungs with every inhale. Only Omen seemed unharmed by this.

ㅤ

“Team, report! What happened?”

ㅤ

Sage cried out, her voice barely audible in the sudden ruckus.

ㅤ

“They’ve brought radiants this time. Weapons ready.”

ㅤ

He cocked his gun as he explained.

And unlike the two of them, who continuously cleared their throats in a vain attempt to clear their airways, Omen peeked and began shooting the first thing he saw. The thick cyan 'smoke' successfully obscured anything that could be seen. Due to this, he had to rely on his hearing to infer whether or not he hit anything, and the bullets from each side made sure to make that even more difficult.

With one more cough, Clove readied their own Spectre and fixed their posture in preparation for the upcoming rematch… as they called it.

ㅤ

“These people have radiants working for them?!”

ㅤ

“Do they really?”

ㅤ

Clove rolled their eyes at Iso’s cheeky remark.

ㅤ

“Agh, whisht. I’m nae keeping track of yer backstory.”

ㅤ

Clove promptly revealed themselves once more. And although they began rapidly shooting at whatever they could see, they made use of the thick haze to reposition themselves and cover more area. Nonetheless, Compared to Omen's, their voices were dangerously gravelly and weak. Something Sage quickly noticed due to them forgetting to mute their radios earlier.

ㅤ

“All of you must get out as fast as you can! We’re sending backup to–“

ㅤ

“There’s no need for backup−!” He peeked once more and shot, gunning down a soldier just as he noticed him. “What difference do radiants make? We can take care of this ourselves!”

ㅤ

His words were now laden with the fury he lugged around the moment he discovered who he really was. It lacked the serenity he was attributed with mere weeks ago. There was no way to reason with him currently.

However, Iso’s thought process was interrupted once the ground rumbled beneath him, and he looked down to see the area he stood on violently cracking, almost like a mini-earthquake. A massive spike of concrete shot out from under him, but he quickly jumped out of the way.

Thankfully, he landed beside Clove behind a massive pillar.

He only had a few seconds to catch his breath and regain his balance. There, he saw the spike revert back underground, having defiled the exact part of the concrete Iso stood on. He knew he'd be dead if he were a second too late.

ㅤ

“Careful,” he started, “some of them could detect our locations, as well.”

ㅤ

“Ya know them?”

ㅤ

He muted his earpiece. Since he attempted to steal a glance once more, he didn't note the curious glimmer in Clove's eyes behind him. Not when he was too busy struggling not to reveal himself to the enemies by accident.

ㅤ

“I know of them.”

ㅤ

Clove laughed, almost amused. In conjunction with them pulling out a smoke from their dimension, a small glow promptly emitted from their hand; its pale complexion now shifting to a purple, pink and white hue.

ㅤ

“It's fine, Iso. I’ve nae problem killing yer loved ones for you!”

ㅤ

“No, that’s not, uh… that’s not necessary; I can do it myself.”

ㅤ

He wasn’t that soft, was he? Besides, they weren't his loved ones.

ㅤ

“If ya say so. Well then, I’ll be out killing these numpties.”

ㅤ

Iso turned to meet Clove's gaze to nod, but he was caught off guard by the massive cloud behind them.

Clove, clearly happy with his reaction, saluted him with a wide grin and disappeared into the dome of colourful smoke they proudly formed behind his back. It felt like his mind was slightly contorting. Iso would attribute it to anxiety if he weren't surrounded by radiants who worked under this cursed organisation.

He had to act fast.

ㅤ

“Iso, you seem to know them, what can we expect?”

ㅤ

Sage’s voice perked up over the radio.

He peeked and surveyed the area. But for now, there was nothing. He still had to watch out for any misplaced shadows. Some of them can turn invisible, right?

ㅤ

“Uh… Well, violent radiancy.”

ㅤ

“Violent?”

ㅤ

“My bosses have a tendency to search for the… the dangerous radiants.” He quickly shot, killing one blue-robed soldier. “If my memory serves me right, one of them can control our minds if we’re exposed to them long enough.”

ㅤ

Iso immediately hid back behind the pillar when another soldier emerged. The misplaced confusion in his mind slipped just as he shot. So, hopefully it was that one, he mused. But he was too overwhelmed by anxiety and adrenaline to think about anyone else.

ㅤ

“This is worse than I thought. I have to send back-up. Try to stay alive until we’re there, okay?”

ㅤ

Clove’s voice emerged in the radio after that. However, in the midst of all the chaos, he deprioritised their conversation and peeked once more.

But then, Iso saw it.

He saw a soldier, also wearing those blue robes, pull his own blood out from his left hand with a twist of his fingers and… He promptly used it to heal the other one he’d just shot, the fluid entering their gaping wound with relative ease.

Now that he saw this from far away, the sight was macabre.

However, Iso was swiftly caught off guard when a soldier emerged from what he assumed was a locked door behind him.

Though he took aim and shot, his enemy was significantly quicker; the bullets missed no thanks to him being stripped of his ability to move.

He wasn’t too concerned with someone sneaking up on him since he had his shield up, but this man, weaponless, only needed one hand to completely disarm Iso. The clatter of his Vandal as it fell on the ground grew to a mere muffle. It only took a few seconds for Iso to begin losing all control of himself.

For a moment, it was blank. All he could hear were the rapid beats of his own heart.

The enemy in front of him became a lump of midnight blue and vague patterns of silver. Time became slower, his pulsations grew weaker, and breathing devolved into a repetitive task he was urged to drop by whatever remnants of cognitive coherence remained in his decaying mind.

It felt like his blood stopped travelling across his body, and the connection between his nerves grew weaker and weaker. So much so, all sensations were no longer being processed.

Thirty seconds before his brain activity finally ceased. With that over with, the soldier promptly worked away at his brain stem.

Then, there was a flash, and Iso fell to the ground. All of his nerves reconnected within the span of a picosecond.

ㅤ

“Iso, are you with me?”

ㅤ

A voice called out, but he couldn’t respond.

He forgot how to speak. Heck, everything he was used to mere seconds ago felt like an assault to his senses. Light, sound, even the sensation of his clothes as they wrapped around his skin, each cloth harbouring a vastly different texture compared to the last.

Omen placed a hand on his back in an attempt to catch his attention. But in the face of the incomprehensible stabbing pain in his abdomen, it did nothing.

ㅤ

“Iso!”

ㅤ

Omen growled once another soldier presumably appeared, quickly rushing in front of Iso to cover him and gun the enemy down as soon as he could. The fight was easy to slip his mind. Nevertheless, he sat up and sighed, finally catching up.

ㅤ

“I’m, uh…” he wiped the sweat from his forehead, “I’m here, I’m here.”

ㅤ

“What did he do to you?”

ㅤ

Omen asked as he reloaded.

But, for a moment, there was only silence on Iso’s end. It felt like many of his systems were shifting inside of him, mainly his digestive and respiratory system. Almost like they were…

Well, he wasn’t a bloody doctor.

ㅤ

“I– I don’t know.”

ㅤ

“I’ll give you time to recollect yourself.”

ㅤ

A smoke of purple suddenly enveloped Iso, but Omen himself stepped out and continued down towards a doorway. Iso heeded his words; he took his time and let his body catch up.

He had forgotten why he was here, or where he even was. All he knew was that there was something they wanted. Worst of all, there was this peculiar... thing he could control, but he just couldn’t remember what it exactly was.

Although he sat there for a bit, an unfamiliar shout from outside of the smoke caught his attention. The distortion of the voice let him know that it was nobody from his team. Right, right. The mission. He and Clove and… uh, someone else, they all came here for something…

He promptly clutched his weapon, stood up and followed without second thought.

His body felt heavier than usual. Each step required an exponential amount of effort to lift every part of his foot, and holding his heavy Vandal was unbearable. But that didn’t matter.

Not now.

Iso turned the corner and mindlessly gunned down the first thing he’d seen.

One soldier fell, revealing another. But Iso wasn’t quick enough to release the trigger; this led to a bullet piercing his target’s thigh and forcing him to tumble to the ground. His weapon escaped his grip, as well.

Iso's thoughtlessly brought him in front of the soldier he'd just injured. He stopped in front of him, aiming his Vandal right on the centre of his concealed face.

His index finger rapidly tapped on the trigger, almost begging him to shoot already. But… something was wrong.

Iso's eyes were firmly locked on the soldier's sash. His brain wracked itself, desperately attempting to understand why this little detail shut his mind down when it could mean life and death. But the way it was tied was different.

ㅤ

“I know you.”

ㅤ

He muttered.

Decades of training pushed Iso to never hesitate. He didn’t even know why he was killing these people, his instincts told him to. Yet, for some reason, he kept scrutinising the midnight blue sash.

It hung loosely around the soldier's waist. As opposed to the others, who meticulously tied it to make it look both elegant and efficient, this one was simply haphazardly tied together.

With a shake of his head, Iso snapped himself out it and firmly held his gun once more.

ㅤ

“Take the mask off.”

ㅤ

There was naught of a response from the soldier. Impatient, Iso shot inches away from his head.

ㅤ

“I said take it off!”

ㅤ

He shouted, his typically soft voice echoing harshly within the walls that surrounded them. Hearing something like this was so awry coming from Iso. It seems that the soldier also knew this, given the sudden tension that coursed through him.

So, he slowly lifted both hands and used one to push off the hood, letting his platinum-blonde hair loose. Then he clutched the black mask and slid it off, revealing… a very familiar face.

Iso’s eyes widened once he was finally allowed to observe your features. And nothing’s changed. You looked just as tired as the last time he saw you.

Sickly pale skin, droopy eyes, and…

Looking at you made it feel like all of those months never passed. It was as if he just came back from another assassination and went to see you like usual. It took Iso a few seconds before he could even form an appropriate response.

ㅤ

“…Y/N?”

ㅤ

“Hey, Zhao Yu. How's grandma?”

ㅤ

Instinctively, he dropped his weapon and rushed to your side.

ㅤ

“My God, you’re alive! I– I thought I’d never see you again… Why didn’t you say anything? I could’ve killed you!”

ㅤ

“We don’t die that easily, remember?”

ㅤ

“But I– I shot you. I shot your leg.”

ㅤ

He lifted a hand, as if he himself was going to tend to your wound, but you were quick to gently push it away.

ㅤ

“I can take care of it, Zhao Yu.”

ㅤ

He faintly nodded, taking his time to observe you. Looks like he forgot.

ㅤ

“It’s been so long. I’m… I’m sorry I never got back to you. Everything happened so fast, and I just–”

ㅤ

“Hey, be glad you left. The new regulations would drive you insane.”

ㅤ

He averted his gaze as he wiped his forehead. It took him a moment to comprehend you were still here, or how things worked at the organisation before he left.

One month… felt like a decade.

ㅤ

“But you could’ve left… We could’ve left this place together.”

ㅤ

“No hard feelings.”

ㅤ

Using your index finger, you began to heal the injury on your thigh with some sort of radiancy Iso just couldn’t remember. He sounded a bit woozy, now that you thought about it.

ㅤ

“It’s surreal seeing you on the job.”

ㅤ

…

He awkwardly smiled and met your gaze.

ㅤ

“Really? I hope my… my performance wasn’t too bad.”

ㅤ

“Fine at first. It got sloppy fast.”

ㅤ

“Oh… That’s– I’m glad it didn’t– I’m glad it didn’t go… uh…” he shook his head. “What’re we talking about?”

ㅤ

You glanced at him.

ㅤ

“You alright?”

ㅤ

Iso stared at you for a few seconds. Then, a crooked smile painted his lips.

ㅤ

“Huh?”

ㅤ

You lifted a hand and stroked his cheek, collecting a few droplets of sweat that were rapidly dripping down his chin. His skin felt hot and he looked weak. That wasn’t to mention how deathly pale he was becoming.

ㅤ

“You’re ill.”

ㅤ

Iso chuckled awkwardly, almost as if he were drunk.

ㅤ

“Am I really? That doesn’t, uh, That sounds…”

ㅤ

The rest of his words were incomprehensible gibberish even you couldn’t decipher. You clutched his shoulder and shifted his blood to inspect all of the surrounding organs.

This inspection, however, was quickly interrupted when you detected multiple unknown particles floating around in his bloodstream. Worst part is that their erratic structure wasn’t anything you could recognise.

And a healthy body wouldn’t have cluttered blood like this.

Great.

You placed your finger on his neck, gradually moving it down to detect where all of these foreign bodies were coming from. The lower you got, the closer you were to the source.

And it was mostly around the upper abdomen.

ㅤ

“Your organs aren’t working, Zhao Yu; you’re dying.”

ㅤ

You averted your gaze to the healed wound in your thigh. Reactivating whichever organ that was shut down would take more blood than one measly shot to the thigh could ever hope to produce.

ㅤ

“I can fix this. I can fix you."

ㅤ

You clutched the handle of the knife he had concealed on his hip, taking it out. But just as you aimed at your thigh again, an unfamiliar voice rung out from down the hallway, accompanied by rapid sets of footsteps.

ㅤ

“Get your hands off of him!”

ㅤ

You jumped at this order.

But you were quick to react; the blade was tossed away in favour of Iso’s Vandal. You clutched it and stood up, aiming it at the group. More specifically, their leader, who seemed to be a woman with a large ponytail. All you needed was a split second to take aim. Then, without hesitation, you promptly pulled the trigger.

However, the bullets were eaten up by a wall of lilac hexagons formed by your former co-worker. It blocked both your line of sight and any hope of self defence.

You promptly shot Iso a glare.

ㅤ

“What’re you doing?”

ㅤ

For a moment, he stared at the wall he’d created, almost as if he was mesmerised by it. Then, he stood up, peering through the wall and watching the weirdly familiar-looking group grow closer and closer.

Everything was so…

ㅤ

“I, uh… I don’t know.”

ㅤ

The hexagons suddenly came apart.

The group of two you were ordered to kill now morphed onto a group of three, that same phantom man now accompanied by many other faces you hadn’t seen in the briefing. All of their guns were pointed directly at you.

ㅤ

“Hands up, drop the weapon!”

ㅤ

“Make me.”

ㅤ

You hissed in response to a very short Scot. And your reply evidently ruffled their feathers. Or their scales. But another was quick to speak before either of you could shoot.

ㅤ

“This doesn’t have to end violently, okay? Just put the gun down, and we won’t hurt you.”

ㅤ

The one with the ponytail said, holding up one hand towards you as a peaceful gesture. This statement felt like such a slap in the face. So much so, you couldn’t help but cock your rifle specifically in the face of the lady who said it, even when the contingency of death was dangerously probable.

ㅤ

“You don’t get to have peace after what you’ve done.”

ㅤ

“You can’t comprehend what atrocities your superiors committed! They must be dealt with.”

ㅤ

Omen replied... and the sight of him stopped you from being able to respond. But during this conversation, the one with the ponytail began moving towards Iso, and it swiftly caught your attention. She approached Iso with one hand outstretched, and a glow of serene yet saturated shade of teal began forming in the palm of that hand.

Before she could touch Iso, however, a shriek escaped her when an immense amount of pressure suddenly overtook her wrist and forced her away just as you waved your hand.

This allowed you to stand between the two of them and force space.

ㅤ

“Don’t touch him!”

ㅤ

You spat out.

The woman clutched her wrist in an attempt to soothe the pain; her two partners seemed like they were just one nod away from gunning you down then and there. But she only stood there, staring at you in surprise.

ㅤ

“Do you… know him?”

ㅤ

The question caught you off guard. And for a moment, you hesitated, narrowing your eyes.

ㅤ

“…Do you?”

ㅤ

“Yes! We’re the ones who took him in!”

ㅤ

You stared at her. And given his silence as he stood behind you, you knew that Iso wasn’t capable of confirming anything at the moment. He must be seconds away from death, you’re sure of it.

ㅤ

“We’re not against you, okay? We’re with you. Let us help.“

ㅤ

As much as you wanted to kill them all then and there, you weren’t capable of doing such a thing given your measly role. And you knew it would probably upset Iso. He did stop you a minute ago, didn’t he?

So… you had no choice but to take her word for it.

ㅤ

“Zhao Yu’s dying.”

ㅤ

“What?”

ㅤ

You dropped the gun and rushed to his side. This also allowed her to move to him and start healing him alongside you.

ㅤ

“My partner shut down his organs. I think one hasn’t recovered.” You pushed your hand against his chest once more. “Check his abdomen.”

ㅤ

She complied. And there, she felt the same heaviness that tipped you off earlier.

ㅤ

“It’s a large organ… I– I’m not sure, but it could be either his lungs, or his liver… or spleen?”

ㅤ

The phantom stepped up just as you moved elsewhere, accompanied by the tired-looking Scot. They slid their gun back in their holster and held Iso’s left arm.

ㅤ

“Iso! Can you hear me?!”

ㅤ

“We need to get him back on the aircraft.”

ㅤ

The phantom started, but the healer shook her head.

ㅤ

“He could die if we wait for too long. His blood is already full of toxins. We must stay until he’s in a functional state, at the very least.”

ㅤ

“You have to go. Now. The others will kill you.” You called out, holding the mask you left on the ground moments prior. “I’ll tell them you escaped.”

ㅤ

“Yer lads cannae do nothing! We can take them all.”

ㅤ

“We have a different execution procedure. It’s why you have holes forming in your bones.”

ㅤ

You tied the mask back on and lifted your hood, oblivious to how the Scot’s face blanched.

ㅤ

"Aye, maybe we should, er…" they awkwardly chuckled, a few butterflies escaping them, "we should go."

ㅤ

You lifted your hand and went to unmute the radio.

ㅤ

“Wait…” The healer spoke. “Why don’t you come with us? We could use someone with your expertise.”

ㅤ

…

You glanced at her in confusion.

ㅤ

“Are you suggesting I quit?”

ㅤ

“Yes, just like Iso! Whatever abuse you’ve endured, it’ll all end if you decide to join us.”

ㅤ

You paused. The offer sounded seductive, but only to a lower rank like Iso. You were in a much worse position being in a higher one.

ㅤ

“I… won’t live if they catch me.”

ㅤ

“We’ll keep you safe from them. I assure you, they won’t lay a finger on you if you come with us.”

ㅤ

You stared at her for a few seconds, weighing this decision. And you weren’t really sure if it was worth it, even though you knew she wasn’t lying.

On one hand, you’d be freed of the shackles of the Scions of Hourglass, and you probably wouldn’t be indoctrinated every day. And you’d also reconnect with Iso. On the other, you’d have to live in constant anxiety of the contingency of being caught again.

You went to reject her offer… until you glanced at the half-dead Iso.

The kid would never survive without you, would he? He could barely navigate being both a student and a hitman without you or his grandmother’s help. Actually, his grandma probably missed you, huh?

You smiled fondly at the thought. So, you sighed, ripped off the mask, and threw it it on the ground. This allowed the screen to pitifully shatter to a dozen pieces.

ㅤ

“Let’s go.”

ㅤ

Just doing that cemented your path with these new people. The penalty for letting your mask break was severe, especially from Jess. But you weren’t here to endure it.

Not anymore.

With that confirmation, all of you left the base through an exit you were sure nobody was guarding. Unlike Iso, you yourself had enough information on this place to navigate it.

All of you boarded what you presumed was their aircraft and disappeared into the sky.

You were impressed with the speed of the vehicle… for a few seconds until you had to tend to the spaced-out Iso once more. The other healer, Sage, was now working on freeing Clove from whatever hold one of your colleagues had on them.

Apparently you weren’t lying about their bones.

ㅤ

“This is horrible. I’ve never heard of radiants who can manipulate the human body like this. How could such a thing possibly exist?”

ㅤ

Among your efforts to heal him, you were also gently guiding the circulation of Iso’s blood. Not fully controlling it, but instead pushing it to move to encourage his pancreas to start fully functioning again. Or spleen, you didn’t know.

But you could tell that it was working. His blood felt much cleaner than before.

ㅤ

“Our bosses take powerful radiants and brainwash them. They teach them the most effective ways to kill.”

ㅤ

You remembered Luca, and how he acted when he was first being trained. It was hard not to laugh at his face when he discovered his ability could be utilised in such a way; that he himself was capable of rendering someone brain dead so fast.

But it ceased to be funny when your friend was now on the other end of it.

ㅤ

“…Is that what happened to you and Iso?”

ㅤ

You opened your mouth to answer, but Iso’s face slightly shifting at this question made your voice falter. It wasn’t hard to tell he was very uncomfortable at this topic, despite his state.

So you opted to leave him out of the conversation.

ㅤ

“Happened to me.”

ㅤ

“That’s horrible.” Sage averted her gaze. “These people are horrible.”

ㅤ

You contemplated her words for a second, and promptly began to question whether or not Iso told them everything.

Sure, you were a much higher rank than him and thus had more information, but surely he remembered their ritual when it came to recruiting specific radiants? Oh, his memory was shoddy. You couldn’t expect much from it.

You sighed and continued your work. But then, a deep voice interrupted you from your thoughts.

ㅤ

“Your bosses…” Omen started, “what do you know about them? Can you name who’s at the top?”

ㅤ

Your heart skipped a beat.

For a moment, you assumed that Omen wasn't speaking to you, but given the fact that he was looking right at you… You braced yourself before finally responding.

ㅤ

“I… only know those way below them.”

ㅤ

“How does that work?”

ㅤ

You stopped and leaned back, stretching your fingers in an attempt to ease the soreness, a vain attempt to take your mind off of the fact you were talking to Omen.

ㅤ

“It’s a hierarchical structure; information gets lost the further down you go. Nobody knows who’s at the top.”

ㅤ

Omen faintly nodded.

And yet, he seemed incredibly unsatisfied with this answer. Your words seemed concordant with Iso’s, albeit a bit more detailed. He himself never mentioned the hierarchical structure of this organisation. But now that they thought about it, it made sense…

So, that meant that Iso was a low rank? Sage mused to herself. But another question took priority in her mind.

ㅤ

“I presume you’re a healer as well?”

ㅤ

“I am.”

ㅤ

“Wonderful! How do your powers work, exactly?”

ㅤ

“I control blood.”

ㅤ

Sage went to reply, but she paused at your response. Control blood? That didn’t seem to match what she was seeing.

ㅤ

“Ah, but, wouldn’t that make you just as capable of manipulating the body as your… um, your former partners?”

ㅤ

“No. It’s suppressed. I can only heal.”

ㅤ

“Really? How–”

ㅤ

“Can we save this conversation for when we land?”

ㅤ

Iso suddenly interrupted. His voice, though monotone, still caught everyone in the aircraft off guard. To the rest, it was incredibly surprising. Clove and Sage’s concerned expressions gave it away.

But to you? You knew that he loathed these questions; combined with your presence, they were digging up too many unbearable memories. This particular aspect of the legendary and feared hitman must be new for them.

Sage promptly cleared her throat.

ㅤ

“Your recruitment should yield… very fruitful results. On both sides.”

ㅤ

Sage said with a smile. Though friendly, you could tell she was just as taken aback as everyone else in the room. You couldn’t help but stare at her blankly for a few minutes.

Then, you turned back to Iso and continued healing him, all while Sage focused on Clove.

[colddelusionhideout]

Batman AU Idea - Never Adopted

This idea lives in my head rent-free. I'm seen some fics use this concept, but I would love to see a fully-fleshed out in-depth fic. (And if you've read one, please share!)

Essentially, Bruce's parents never died in that alleyway when he was a kid, and he got to grow up like any (rich, spoiled) kid! (Sidenote but it'd be interesting to explore whether he came out to be as rich, spoiled, and vapid as Brucie presents himself as, or if he would've still been the same but less traumatized if he grew up with his parents. For the purposes of this idea though, it'd be more fun if he turned out spoiled.)

There would be no Batman, so Gotham would be . . . Gotham (but isn't it always? - also, Joker where?). Dick wouldn't have been adopted, so hello social services (and juvie)! Jason would also still be out struggling in the streets. Tim could be a toss-up, cause he could either still have his parents and just be neglected at home, or his parents (mom? the Tim parent canon always confused me) would be dead and he would be CEO of the industries and running it like the boss he is.

Of course, Damian would still exist because he had a fling with Talia (because of his superior genetics of course), but she would've hated Bruce and never let Damian meet him.

Dick likely would've still become a police officer OR (and I've seen a few fics use this idea), he would've become some kind of social worker. Jason, my poor boy, would likely be stuck as a underling in some criminal empire, unable to get clean. Tim would be Tim, but I think he would've turned out way more shy and less confident due to being neglected and growing up alone. ALSO, he does not have Robin to look up to anymore. Cass . . . well she's either still struggling as a weapon or somehow escaped (either another superhero found her or maybe she could have met one of the other kids and gotten convinced?)

Justice League happens way later than it would've with Bruce, and it's not developed at all because they do not have a multi-millionaire to funnel expenses into it.

It would also be a fun idea if the kids somehow all met each other in Gotham and bonded together. Maybe there's a big bad enemy or something is after one of them and the rest would be trying to help. I do feel like Dick and Jason would likely know each other - probably met from Jason being arrested or Dick happening upon Jason as a kid. Tim and Bruce probably also know each other, but while Bruce treats him like some random kid, Tim could look up to him? (Haha, traumatized neglected boy latches on to the first person who shows him attention . . .) And Bruce would know Damian exists, but as every awful rich person ever, would refuse to acknowledge he exists (Talia is only happy to let him since she has an heir to raise). Maybe they could meet by Damian getting curious and sneaking out at 8 years (or maybe older?) to meet this apparent fool of a father he has, and instead he gets: Dick.

All this to say that I NEED A FIC where dimension travel shenanigans occur and the canon batfamily (or the canon that exists in my mind where they all care about each other and take care of each other cause family) meets their universes' counterparts and everyone is shocked.

AU Jason would especially be fun to see cause he would DEFINITELY still hate rich people and be like "WHAT DO YOU MEAN I GOT ADOPTED BY A MILLIONARE??? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HES MY DAD - Wait, WHAT?!?! Bruce Wayne?? That IDIOT? WHAT DO YOU MEAN HES NOT THAT BAD HAVE YOU MET HIM??!?!?!"

Anyways, I need someone to write this stat.

[anim-ttrpgs]

hello! i love silk and dagger and i’m getting ready to run a oneshot of it, and i wondered if you had a bit more guidance; what does a typical S&D session look like? going through daily palace maintenance and upkeep, managing complications, until the scenario starts? when should it start? i know i should be keeping close track of hourglasses, but are they more equivalent to hours or days?

thanks so much for the game! very excited to play it and even more excited to see where it goes!

Thank you! I hope this answer isn’t coming too late, I was visiting some friends for my birthday for the past two weeks and only sparsely worked on A.N.I.M. stuff.

Sands and Hourglasses are not really like hours or days, since Drow don’t have a concept of either one of these, they're a deliberately vague measurement of time passing in the game world, even more abstract that Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy’s Ticking Clock. They also don’t really work perfectly yet because the game isn’t finished and we haven’t playtested enough to figure out the exact parameters that should determine when a Sand should pass.

What a session should look like if Silk & Dagger is running correctly (do keep in mind that this is still an alpha so it’s a buggy mess that doesn’t always work as intended yet) is that the first Hourglass starts and there’s chores that need to be done before that Hourglass is up or else the party will start to take penalties. Attempting to complete these chores will often lead to some other stuff going wrong, like the Mistress needing a bath but the pipes aren’t working so now the servants have to fix some kind of plumbing issue too. Some time after a few Sands have passed in that first Hourglass, the actual problem of the “adventure” will show up, whatever it is. The servants and Mistress will have to deal with that while also making sure that all the chores get done and that they don’t embarrass themselves.

During moment-to-moment gameplay, play it like you would basically any “trad” “challenge game” TTRPG. It probably helps to have a map and tokens you can move different servants and Drow to various rooms of the palace with. The “camera” or “spotlight” should bounce between different groups of PCs frequently, as this makes for really funny comedy. An example from one of our own playtest sessions involved the Drow Mistress telling her guest about the exquisite surface food meal her servants are preparing. Cut to the servants in the kitchen panicking because the pantry was crushed in a cave-in and they’re trying to make sandwiches out of dirty bread and raw, mashed pheasant with no way to cook them without a working stove. The manservant from the surface is rehearsing a made-up spiel about how this is the snack of kings on the surface, while the elf servant (who happens to have lightning powers) is rubbing her hands together like a defibrillator and pressing them on the sandwiches to “cook” them the only way she can think to when the food was supposed to be served almost a whole Sand ago.

You want your Drow and servants to make it and for their reputations to survive, so there’s an element of system mastery and challenge to the player to build them well and take advantage of their strengths to see them through this social disaster, but the challenges they face will make success a tall order, and the comedy and satisfaction lies in their floundering and in the clever ways they finesse these situations.

[toskarin]

it's kind of interesting how many very obviously sauron-derived concepts of "dark lords" leave out the complicating factor of sauron that made him compelling in the first place (that he's an underling whose leash got dropped when the last dark lord was taken down) so you just get the aesthetics and not much else