#wizards and warriors ii

[acquired-stardust]

Gauntlet II Arcade 1986

[girl-from-yharnam]

JPxGPII

[kurayamineko]

[bangjiazheng]

NES Longplay [259] Ironsword - Wizards & Warriors II

[galedekarios]

the splendours of waterdeep

Gale: I hail from Waterdeep, the City of Splendours.

we've all heard gale introduce himself and there's a certain pride that colours his voice. but what exactly are waterdeep's splendours?

1. general noteworthy things about waterdeep

i) waterdeep is one of the cleanest cities in the realms

this is not only achieved by having many of waterdeep's buildings and facilities connected to a sewer system, but also through waterdeep's dungsweeper's guild. the members of the guild make their rounds through the city, sweeping streets, collecting trash, litter and refuse.

this service is paid for by taxes.

ii) waterdeep's water system

waterdeep boasts an extensive water system that enables the city to have free access to clean water. this free access comes in many forms: fountains, wells and bath houses. some establishment even have their own access to fresh water in form of tap water "with the turn of a knob", as volo puts it in his chapbook about the city.

iii) waterdeep, city of light

waterdeep possesses many signs and street lamps that are lit with continual flame spells:

hundreds of driftglobes also illuminate the city each night:

A driftglobe was a small glass orb that magically floated in the air and emitted light.

in addition to these magical means, so called lamplighters keep the streets lit - with the exception of the field ward and more dangerous areas of the dock ward.

iv) waterdeep and literacy

waterdeep is one of the most literate cities in the realms.

the font of knowledge is a temple to oghma, god of the domain of knowledge, in waterdeep. priests of oghma "valued, preserved, shared, sought, created, or uncovered knowledge and learning. [x]" the priests there offer free instructions and lessons in reading to everyone. the temple has a library, known as "the great library".

the city has many publishing houses and printing presses. books and chapbooks (short books containing various topics from memoirs to romances, politics, etc.) are popular, as are small and large paper advertisements that dot the streets and alleys. broadsheets are popular too in the city:

A broadsheet, also known as a short scroll, was a short, printed document which usually contained tabloid-style news or political rants. They were common in Waterdeep, where they were sold by broadcriers on the main streets.

some of these broadsheets popular in waterdeep are [x]:

The Vigilant Citizen, which was one of the most reputable broadsheets in the city.

The Blue Unicorn, which reported paranormal events such as haunted mansions or undead hiding among the nobility.

The Daily Luck, a sheet aimed at gamblers.

Horkle's Gossip Cauldron, whose style of writing was said to be profane and blunt to the point of rudeness.

The Mocking Minstrel, one of the most read broadsheets in the city, known for its caustic and sarcastic tone.

The North Wind, which focused on nobility gossip and fashion.

The Merchant's Friend

Halivar's Broadsheet

restaurants and other establishments in waterdeep often have printed menus that are placed outside, as well as handed out to those who choose to eat there.

2. the griffon cavalry

"Waterdeep doesn’t have the fabled flying ships of Halruaa, but it does deploy an aerial defense force. Brave warriors of the City Guard light out from the Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, riding fearsome griffons that have been bred and trained for that purpose. Each of the riders is equipped with a ring of feather falling — not merely to prevent death from mishap, but to allow them to perform stunning feats of aerial acrobatics. In both martial displays and in real battles against flying threats such as manticores, harpies, and outlaw wizards, the griffon riders actually leap off their mounts into the open air! For a breath-stealing moment, they fall like stones, closing in on their targets at incredible speed. Their opponents rarely see the griffon riders. When they are past the danger, the free-falling riders then suddenly halt in the air, drifting like feathers until their griffon companions swoop in and they regain their saddles. Working in concert with one another in this fashion, members of the Griffon Cavalry can rapidly eliminate any threat to the city — and even catch the body of the offender before it hits the rooftops below. Riders of the Griffon Cavalry are trained to stay above the rooftops, not because they fear crashing into towers and weather vanes, but because the smell of so much horseflesh in the streets below can sometimes drive their griffons into a frenzy."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

3. the walking statues

"Over a century ago, just one of these eight behemoth statues stood visible at the northern foot of Mount Waterdeep, on a bluff called Gull Leap. Ninety feet tall, it resembled a bald human staring out to sea. Later events (discussed below) caused it to be transformed into the statue known today as the Sahuagin Humbled. When the Spellplague gripped Waterdeep in 1385 DR, six more walking statues suddenly appeared in the city, wandering to wreak havoc even as the Sahuagin Humbled remained motionless. The authorities and citizens of Waterdeep succeeded in stopping three of these new statues, breaking the Swordmaiden and the Hawk Man, and sinking the God Catcher into the street up to its waist. Then all the statues mysteriously stopped their rampage just as quickly as they had begun it. Tsarra Chaadren, the Blackstaff at the time, couldn’t command them to return to their former hiding places on the Ethereal Plane. Consequently, the city repaired itself and built up around them. Much later, in 1479 DR, the eighth statue — the Griffon — merged from the Ethereal Plane to defend Ahghairon’s Tower against intrusion. It roosted there for a time before flying to its current position near Peaktop Aerie on Mount Waterdeep. Once more, this activity seemed to be outside the Blackstaff’s control. Thankfully, all the walking statues have been dormant for well over a decade now, serving only as beautiful, cyclopean reminders of Waterdeep’s might."

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

the walking statues are:

the god catcher

the griffon

the sahuagin humbled

the great drunkard

the lady dreaming

the honorable knight

the hawk man

the sword maiden

below you'll find more lore and backstory about these walking statues of waterdeep:

[from: volo's waterdeep enchiridion]

edited to improve format and added text descriptions of the statues for easier reading:

the great drunkard

This walking statue stopped its rampage as it approached the Market, then fell backward and sat upon a building. When it settled, its arms fell limp at its sides and its head tilted forward onto its chest, giving the impression that it had fallen asleep. The statue’s huge stone battleaxe still stands nearby, its haft angled upright and its blade half buried in the cobbles. The rubble of the crushed building was long ago rebuilt into a broad stone stair (with railings and a ramp that drunkards are often rolled down) that ascends from the cobbles to the statue’s lap. That lap now holds a two-story tavern also built from the rubble, called Gralkyn’s Tankard. The unconscious pose of the statue and the tavern in its lap made the name of the Great Drunkard a natural fit.

the god catcher

This is perhaps the most famous walking statue in the city, thanks to its dramatic pose, its nearness to the Market, and the self-evident magic of its existence. The statue is of a well-muscled but impassive male human with its left leg sunk to the hip in the street, the result of a spell cast by the Blackstaff at the time of its rampage. Its left hand and right foot press against the ground as if it is trying to pull itself out. Its right arm is raised skyward, and above its open palm floats a sphere of stone. Its gaze looks up toward the sphere, and the pattern of bird droppings around its eyes gives it the appearance of weeping. All about the statue, climbing up its chest and on its knee and shoulders, is a tenement that carries the name “the God Catcher.” The tenement’s landlord is Aundra Blackcloak, an unsociable sorcerer who is rarely seen in the city except when she alights from the door carved in the floating sphere, which serves as her home. On the rare occasions when she wants to meet with city folk (typically to purchase odd substances for magical purposes), she appears unannounced on balconies or rooftops after dark. Her dealings are polite, though, and she pays fair coin. She never confides in anyone or talks about her own doings — and if anyone but she has ever seen the inside of her spherical home, they’ve said nothing publicly about it.

the griffon

The walking statue called the Griffon is shaped like the beast for which it is named. Though it stands on all four legs, its back is fully twenty feet off the ground, making it a mount fit for a storm giant. Although it has shown itself to be capable of flight, with the granite feathers of its wings spreading like a bird’s, the Griffon now merely stands in a regal pose near Peaktop Aerie atop Mount Waterdeep, looking to the southeast over the Dock Ward. Newcomers sometimes assume it to be a monument to Waterdeep’s Griffon Cavalry, but Waterdavians know better.

the sahuagin humbled

For years, the only visible walking statue of Waterdeep was known simply as “the walking statue.” It stood at the foot of Mount Waterdeep near the head of Julthoon Street. Then, after its critical role in defending the city against an invasion of sahuagin in 1370 DR, Khelben Blackstaff reshaped the statue into a sahuagin. It now bows low toward the House of Heroes on bended knee — a gesture of obeisance to the city, and an acknowledgment of the sacrifice of all who fought for the city in that war.

the lady dreaming

This fair lady caused much chaos when she was active. The statue has the appearance of a female elf, whose hair and clothing appeared to flow naturally as it walked through the city during the Spellplague. When the walking statues stopped, this one toppled onto its side, taking on the appearance of a titanic sculpture of a noble lady asleep in her garden.

the honorable knight

The Honorable Knight is a statue of a male warrior in plate armor with a shield and longsword. When the walking statues stopped, it bowed to those opposing it, straightened, sheathed its sword, and doffed its shield, setting it point down on the ground and upright by its side. It then ceased motion in this position, facing southwest toward the harbor, and looking for all the world like a castle guard standing at ease. The pose it assumed led to its naming, and it is viewed with respect by the citizens of the southerly wards.

the hawk man

This statue looks like a winged, hawk-headed being, and thus locals call it the Hawk Man. I can reveal that in fact it bears much resemblance to an aarakocra, one of the bird-people said to live in the Star Mounts in the High Forest. The statue’s wings are folded tightly against its back and have never unfurled, leaving its flight capability uncertain. It was brought low during its rampage across the city, and now it tilts decidedly toward the northeast due to a missing right foot — long ago broken up for building rubble, along with its right arm. Its left arm is extended out toward the north, palm forward as if in a gesture to say, “Stop.” The body has been hollowed out and turned into a tower shared by several wealthy tenants, which is officially known as Sparaunt Tower after its owner. The statue’s left hand extends over a courtyard to the north, wherein lies the entrance of a tunnel carved through the arm. Visitors and residents can ring a bell in the courtyard, whereupon a door guard acknowledges the ringer and lowers a rope ladder for tenants and expected guests (or a rope chair that is drawn up for guests who are infirm or laden with heavy items).

the sword maiden

This statue appears virtually identical to the Honorable Knight, except for its female form and open-faced helm. It was felled during the Spellplague after causing much chaos and slaughter. The residents of Waterdeep’s North Ward funneled much of their frustrated and dismayed reaction to its rampage into dismantling the statue, parts of which can now be found all over the North Ward, either incorporated into buildings or as bits of freestanding sculpture. The head of the Swordmaiden sits in a stand of tall trees in the center of the block of the North Ward bounded by Hassantyr’s Street, Tarsar’s Street, Whaelgond Way, and Ussilbran Street. The center of its jaw and mouth have been replaced by a door, which leads into the shop known as Thort’s Findings. Undevvur Thort is a wizened ex-adventurer who leans on a cane (which some locals insist is more than just a cane). He lives in the small shop, whose many levels, staircases, and landings fill the hollowed-out interior of the head, and which is crammed with oddments sold to Thort by adventurers and other travelers. These items bear little placards in Thort’s beautiful, flowing handwriting that identify them (or at least provide speculation as to their origin and purpose). Nobles and wealthy merchants who desire props for themed revels often rent some of Thort’s wares as decoration — and many sages, alchemists, and wizards visit him regularly in search of potentially useful items.

[captain-eppe]

Leo has fire powers, and it is in fact a big deal

Or, Leo ii

Leo meets his big crazy family. Lots of names. He may have trouble keeping them straight. 

There is a curse on Hastephus cabin, that's interfering with the workings of things they are trying to build. They don't feel satisfied by their weapons, and other things seem to malfunction. It seems to have dampened their spirits. That and Chris's death. Do they have artists block?

Dead amigo Chris's Dragon is malfunctioning, and tearing up the camp. They hate to have to kill it, but it's too much of a danger to keep around.

The last Child of Hastephus with fire, started a major historical fire. That ability is rare. They are seen as harbingers of disaster. Leo asks for a moment alone, and reveals to the reader audience that he has the fabled fire. 

Now here, the odds are stacked very much in the favor of the party. Leo has fire. Jason is the Roman son of one of the big three. And Piper has corrosion +50-  I mean super rare charmspeak-, important dreams, and a direct, by her name prophecy. Not that the first of Pipers has been revealed yet, but I do remember that being a thing. Also, they are the children the gods dropped the ball (deal) on.

Let's look back. Sadie had a massive magic bost, coming from the god of magic being her patron. Wouldn't it have been cool if Carter was the best mage, due to the gods going into others heads. Warrior chicken Sadie! Or maybe, other gods, and new roles to play. Zia was a bad fit for the one she got, after all. Anyways, they were both wizards, and while they could pull off some bullshit, it had rules. 

Percy's powers came from being a child of the big three. Annabeth had “god given” smarts, and an invisible hat, and pulled off her magic by being Goddamned Annabeth Chase. 

Piper and Leo have both been made the most powerful of their godly parents' children. Can one of them be a badass normal please! Leo is a gadgeteer genius who builds problems, and creates things to solve his problems. Maybe he could build a fireproof suit, instead of being fire resistant. 

Maybe Piper is too charming for her own good, and through has her beauty and her wits gets into just as much trouble as out of it, and has to work for her other achievements. 

Maybe the third person on their quest is a son of Hermes, whose loyalty is consistent. I'll imagine more on this later, I'm sure, but for now, imagine.

[lumendelmari]

Characters of the Grey Warriors: ‘A Light in the Dark’ Part II of a completed 'Out of the Abyss’ campaign story Kazimir Oussnddare - tiefling wizard Fargas Rumblefoot - halfling rogue Fraeya - drow rogue Sarith Kzekarit - drow warrior Zelyra Erenaeth - half elf druid Nine - half elf ranger and  Prince Derendil - quaggoth barbarian/fighter

The Grey Warriors have finally left the duergar occupied city of Gracklstugh and set course for Neverlight Grove, but every which way the group turns, they find further turmoil in the Underdark. The horror and destruction that began in the kuo-toa village of Sloobludop is rapidly spreading far, far beyond it.

Stonespeaker Hgraam’s grim warning remains fixed in their heads:

“The rock itself cries with pain and horror, and a madness creeps from the blackest depths. Pay heed to the signs around you. A cave with two faces. Rock devoured, and the land overgrown. The pebble believes itself flesh. The earth rejects its wards, and the tunnels shake with fury. By these portents, you shall know of evil’s presence and of evil’s face. This is what the stones tell me.”

More than ever, the lands below need a light in the dark. to read click on the following link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/61549729/chapters/157353130

[vintagerpg]

This is Fez II: The Contract (1983), the 2nd installment in the saga of the time-traveling wizard Fez, which was neatly concluded at the end of the first module. Many things repeat — Fez has spent time setting the stage for the adventure but is, for most of its duration, asleep. The players and their characters are then required to find their way through a skein of Seven Impossible Tasks in order to ensure Fez gets the bound service of Mephistopheles, which is integral to the events…of the first module (time traveling wizards gotta do things out of of order, I guess). They also do not know their character classes, thanks to some amnesia.

Unlike the previous module, most of the PCs are from the real world. There’s a football player, a curator, a rabbi, an engineer. The adventure is as much about figuring out the pregen character identities as it sorting out the Seven Impossible Tasks (especially since the authors suggest that player actions adhering to their class that are used in service to the quest should auto-succeed their rolls). There is a little calculator gizmo that can tell the players their attribute values, and Fez’s trusty robot, Warrior, hands out class-hinting weapons before sending the players off.

The players have to pick their way through a dungeon and a chunk of wilderness before they get access to the Tasks. That’s where things get interesting. The tasks are all very riddle-y and all have multiple possible solutions, one almost always being an annoying perversion of the spirit of the thing. Like the Third: “Destroy Spring.” You can travel to the monastery and defeat the Grandmaster of Spring in combat, or, you know, you can just find a mountain spring and drop a boulder on it. “Defeat the Beast of Antiquity” implies combat, but just winning a game of chess will work too. And so on. The success of these modules is going to depend largely on your personal tolerance for such smug cleverness. I’m generally here for it.

Solid art by Victoria Poyser throughout.

[bluecheeseinmyoffwhites]

RWBY Team RELM Allusions

Today i will be discussing the RWBY OC Team RELM by Pulp Anime. These characters are all based on Arthurian legends. I admire his work because he doesn’t gatekeep his creative process, and actually produces several videos to guide others on how to not only make a RWBY team, but also how to create animations to bring the characters to life. He has 4 trailers for each of the characters and 3 episodes of his own ongoing series. So I decided to do a deep dive into the colorful cast he's created & analyze their allusions.

Rose Redragon

First up is Rose Redragon. She is based on King Arthur. Both were seen as a ordinary people of a hidden lineage of warriors. That is until they found the mystical sword Excalibur in the woods. Her name Rose is heavily tied to England, as it acts as the national floral emblem as as a result of the the War of Roses. King Henry VII united the rivaling nations and formed the Tudor Rose, a combination of their respective floral signs, as a symbol of their new alignment. King Henry VII loved the King Arthur legend and imagined himself as him.

Her last name references the Red Dragon of Merlin’s prophecies. Ozpin subtly acts as Merlin, being the Wise Wizard that guides the hero & orchestrates their rise to power. Rose’s green eyes reference the green leaves of a rose, as well as the reptilian eyes of a dragon. Either way, it perfectly contrasts her red aesthetic. Her emblem is a flaming heart, a reference to the fires of the Red Dragon. Her full name also follows the style of Arthur Pendragon, Rose Redragon.

Her semblance allows her to project a blast of telekinetic force. Pulp has stated that this was inspired by a similar ability in The Witcher video game, known as the "Aard Sign". The Witcher is inspired by several medieval stories, with one being of King Arthur.

Ecru Whitehart

Next is Ecru Whitehart. She is based on the White Hart, a mythical deer. Ecru is a faunus fit with deer antlers, representing the stag. This deer was hunted by people, which translates to Ecru be discriminated against for her faunus traits. Her weapon is a hunting rifle, another reference to her being hunted. Ecru’s name is a shade of white, and her last name is a direct connection to her allusion.

Ecru’s semblance is invisibility, allowing her to hide from enemies. This is a nod to the White Hart’s ability to always evade capture from hunters, as it metaphorically represents the knights longing quest to obtain nobility & spirituality. Her semblance also represents deers in general hiding from predators.

King Richard II adopted the symbol of the White Hart. The symbol depicts the deer with gold accessories. This is referenced in Ecru’s design, having a primarily white aesthetic but with gold accents, like her eyes or her lightning dust. Her symbol is a crosshair with antlers growing from the sides. This is a clear nod to the nature of the White Hart being hunted.

Her weapon’s name is Jägerbomb, a German cocktail drink made with a liquor called Jägermeister, meaning master of hunting. The drink’s symbol is a Christian cross over a stag. Inspired by the legend of Hubertus, who was converted to Christianity after seeing a vision of a glowing stag with a Holy Cross above it. This is a nod to not only Ecru’s allusion of the White Stag, but her symbol, which incorporates a cross and stag antlers.

Lake Benwick

Then we have Lake Benwick. She represents Sir Lancelot of the Lake, the most skilled knight of King Arthur’s roundtable. Lancelot was raised by water fairies "Ladies of the Lake", which is how he inherited his name. Lake’s first name references this, and she has stated that she was raised by a faction known as the Ladies of the Lake.

Her last name is Benwick, referencing Lancelot’s Kingdom of Benwick. To fit her water theme, Lake has blue eyes and hair. These traits also match her preferred dust type, ice, which is frozen water. Her symbol is a water droplet, another nod to the Ladies of the Lake.

She fights with a lance, referencing Lancelot’s history of jousting (his name is Lancelot after all). There is a famous tale of "Lancelot and the Hart with the White Foot". Lancelot goes through a trial of fighting lions to obtain the foot of the White Hart. This translates to Lake and Ecru being partners.

Mirage Le Fay

Finally is Mirage Le Fay. She is based on Morgan Le Fay, a powerful figure depicted as an enchantress, fairy, witch, or even a goddess. Her magic powers were translated to Mirage being a dust expert, fighting with several different dust types as well as having a dust crystal as her symbol.

Mirage’s name references mirages in real life, optical illusions caused by light rays bending as they travel through the air at different densities. Because of their whimsical appearance, they have been given the name Fata Morgana, a reference to Morgan Le Fay and her magic. Mirage is also a shade of purple, which is her main color scheme.

Morgan was said to be the sister/half sister of King Arthur, so Mirage is the half-sister of Rose. Morgan’s morality is ambiguous, as often she would be depicted as good, neutral or even antagonistic, particularly to Arthur. This translates to Mirage acting mean to her sister. Morgan Le Fay created the enchanted "Valley of No Return" to punish false knights. Mirage gets trapped in a valley trying to save Rose, and wants to explore it to find a way out.

Team RELM’s team name also enhances their references. Realm means kingdom, which brings to mind the medieval theme of the characters. Their colors (red, white, blue) represent the United Kingdom’s flag, the nation that they are based on. Mirage’s purple, while not on the flag, is heavily associated with royalty, especially in European nations.

And there's team RELM. You can check out Pulp Anime's trailers for the characters as well as his currently running RELM series on Youtube. I highly recommend watching because the characters, setting, and overall production genuinely feels like watching Volume 1 of RWBY again. Also, check out his animation videos if you are a beginner animator & want to bring your characters to life. Enjoy!

[natalieironside]

THE BEASTS OF TERRACO (Age of Empires 2 scenario)

Hey remember this thing? It has a sequel now.

It’s been three years since the Camps of the Outlaws were established and the Outlaws made common cause with the warriors of Hongdaugapatang. They’ve been good years and profitable ones for the most part, but one bit of business remains unfinished. An insult which cannot be borne remains unavenged. Upon his island stronghold, guarded by his deadly guns and other enginery, the Master of Beasts still draws breath. As a High Minister in the Affiliation, he masterminded the scheme that led to Sir Thornby and the Beg Joan being sent into the east. And during the struggle to establish the Camps of the Outlaws, he mocked and obstructed you at every turn. Now, beneath the walls of the High Minister’s island stronghold, it’s finally time for a reckoning. By sword and bow and lance and spear, High Minister Terraco will fall, though he dredge up his foulest magics, and unleash his most terrible beasts . . .

This here is a followup to The Outlaw’s Road wherein we find out about the ultimate fate of our speedbump antagonist, High Minister Terraco, the Master of Beasts. His ultimate fate is he dies because you kill him. What sport!

Storm an island fortress defended by legions of terrible machines and army-flipping wizards, and test your mettle against the High Minister and his beasts. These beasts include but are not limited to camels, wolves, and elephants. Oh, so many elephants.

[worfs-glorious-hair]

I was tagged by the wonderful @optimisticgrey to share a moodboard of my Tav/ OC. So here we are. Enjoy!

Tav (i) - The Druid's Burden

Tav (i) in all of their glory, might and heartbreak.

Tav, the druid who had once dreamed of being somebody who matters, who is celebrated and adored.

The druid who had to become a warrior with the weight of the world's fate on their shoulders. The druid who won the war but lost their world.

The druid who would trade every statue and every ballad about their victory for a chance to see their lover's eyes again like they were before, before they became voids of icy soulless light.

The warrior who just wants to be just a druid again in nature’s (their bear’s) embrace.

And since I can not tell Tav (i)’s story without Tav (ii) and Tav (ii)’s not without Tav (i) have I also made a second moodboard for them 🫶

Tav (ii) – Faithwarden

Natalie Portman voice And you, what would you do for love?

Tav, who got a second chance to do it all again, who got the chance to turn yesterday’s future into a new today.

Tav who became Faithwarden by Silvanus’ grace at the beginning of their journey. Tav who never lost the moon’s protection, who never had to see their friends, the people they had saved, had ensured a safe passage for them, get twisted and turned by shadows. Tav who saw them live.

Tav, whose lover withstood the temptation of unlimited power, who let his dangerous dreams rest in the river in the end, next to the fallen nether brain.

Tav, the druid that got the wizard in the end!

No pressure tags if you feel like joining and haven’t done so before: @lostintheweave @nerissa-dekarios @wee-chlo @astarioffsimpmain @foxtatodreams and everyone else who feels called to make a moodboard/ aesthetic board for your Tav/ OC! (And tag me if you do, I’d love to see your results! <3)

[girl-from-yharnam]

I love them

[kurayamineko]

[ykashley]

grown adults that are like. super huge star wars fans but not in the Reddit way are so fascinating to me. like they try and get all cerebral with action space laser wizard movie for 10 year olds and talk about how it deals with the nature of fascism or imperialism or w/e but its on the most surface level, and even if it wasnt its executed so poorly it doesnt really matter because Actual Real Science Fiction exists that is about these things and isnt embarrassing and horrible 95% of the time

the prequels *tried* to tell a story with grown-up Themes about Politics and shit but were bafflingly made (tho i kind of love them just from a filmmaking perspective, its like if Megalopolis was based on a billion dollar money generator toy selling merchandising machine and was marketed for the broadest possible audience)

i feel like most of the credit people give to the prequels are them filling in the blanks to write a more interesting movie in their heads. the ultimate example i can come up with of this is how the clone army is handled. the concept is so obscenely fucked up; creating an entire race of people to be disposable killing machines who have literally no choice but to serve. shits fucked and the film glosses over it to the point of ignoring it, which in a way *can* be seen as a deliberate omission. the republic has fallen so far and is so primed for an imperial takeover they dont even *consider* having qualms with with genetically engineered warrior slaves. which, in a different movie could genuinely be brilliant. but it is pure cope to imagine that was lucas's intention

its fascinating because there are two obvious analogues to the clone troopers in star trek that immediately come mind: the Jem'Hadar and the episode Measure of a Man. the Jem'Hadar are the same as the clone troopers, an enslaved warrior race grown in vats to serve their masters. ds9 is wildly critical of this of course, and there are several episodes about how they are victims of the Dominion who deserve freedom. nobody in star wars has ever said this about the clone troopers to my knowledge. they are presented as honorable soldiers doing their duties unwaveringly in the prequel trilogy and in every (admittedly limited) expanded universe story i've ever seen. like thats taking it too far in a way. wouldnt it be super compelling if instead of being cartoon bad guys being manipulated by the Biggest Bad they had like. actual reasonable concerns about the crumbling Republic and their willingness to adopt an army of slave soldiers? like, the omission of guilt by people in the Republic core worlds makes absolute sense, but shouldnt people in the Outer Rim be understandably furious about this? it makes everyone in star wars look so fucking unheroic when theyre all just super cool and okay with an endless army of disposable walking crimes against humanity. its like Measure of a Man if nobody gave a shit about everything. Guinan 's just like "Well if you think about it a race of disposable people would be useful so you should just roll over and let Maddox murder Data lmao" when Picard asks her for advice

it gives the same vibe as those people who refuse to play a ttrpg that isnt d&d because theyre terminally incurious and uncomfortable its so weird like i was a white american child obsessed with star wars as is our culture who went thru the nostalgia-fueled hype cycle of the sequel trilogy and like. i didnt even bother to see rise of skywalker. i had literally zero interest whatsoever. and i enjoyed the last jedi for at least putting on the pretense of wanting to do something different and thought the way they handled luke skywalker was easily the most interesting thing a star wars film did character wise literally ever but most fans fucking hated it bc they wanted a scene of Luke being a Battlefront II hero unit and soloing a small army

[vitamaeternum]

Top five favorite couples in fiction (canon or fanon), and top ten favorite characters!

5. Twilight/Loid Forger and Yor Forger

They're very cute.

4. Superman(Clark Kent) and Lois Lane

Note that there are a bunch of versions of these two, and I personally haven't really read a version I haven't liked yet.

3. Link and Zelda

Honestly I really found this one to be good after BOTW, but it's good in a lot of the others as well. (Yes this isn't a great picture but it's fine)

2. Optimus Prime and Elita One

Them.

Aragorn II/King Elessar Telcontar and Arwen Urdomiel

Enough said.

Now on to my favorite characters (Limiting myself to one per franchise for maximum variety): 10. Rogal Dorn (NGL, it was a toss up between him and Vulkan for this spot)

The Line will be held, no matter the cost.

9. Frieren

Funny Elf learning to truly live and care about those who she will outlive, rather than letting them pass her by like she used to.

8. Prince Vegeta

Guy went from being a full on villain to becoming a loving father and one of Earth's greatest defenders, honestly I love seeing him continue on that path.

7. Obi Wan Kenobi

Best Jedi in my opinion and also awesome to watch on screen. Personally I like his somewhat armored design from The Clone Wars the best, add the cloak to that and it's perfect. The rest of his designs are great too, but that one is my favorite.

6. Spider-Man

Good old Spider-Man, where to begin? There's so many versions of him and pretty much all of them have something fun to bring to the table.

5. Gandalf

Everyone's favorite Meddling Wizard who also knows how to bring light to those in need even when things are at their darkest, great characterization.

4. Superman

Just a guy who wants to do the right thing and help people out along the way. Top tier Superhero.

3. The Doctor

Long and goofy history this character may have, but he's got a lot of cool stuff that he's done and it's fun to watch him keep going along, trying to do the right thing.

2. Michael Carpenter

Knight of the Cross. Warrior against the Unholy. Kind Father to his children. A Good Man.

1. Optimus Prime

The Leader of the Autobots and the last of the Primes. He is my favorite for many reasons. All of the versions of him (Minus Shattered Glass and later Bayverse, but that's the point of Shattered Glass) are created to be a Hero. And not one of those Hollywood Heroes, all yelling and BSing. He is meant to be Strong enough to be Gentle. He is a reluctant warrior who is wishes there was any other way for things to go forward, but there is not any other way, and so he continues to fight for what is right, no matter what.

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Queen in Waiting Daphne Adara Alexia Bizeveron of Domino, Former Guardian Fairy of the Inferno, Former Keeper of the Dragon Flame and The Seventh Nymph of Magix

Daphne is the eldest daughter of King Oritel Henri Bizeveron II and Queen Marion Sophie Bizeveron and the older sister to Bloom Peters.  Daphne was raised during an unstable period of the Magical Dimension.  The Ancestral Witches were rising to power and looking to gain footing wherever they could.  This led to a much more warrior society, not just for Domino, but throughout the Dimension.  While Dominio had always been offensively strong, Daphne was taught from age eight how to wield both physical and magical weaponry.  On top of her elite training Daphne was seen to be a child prodigy, with the Dragon Flame manifesting itself at age four.

Daphne, unlike her younger sister, did not attend Alfea full time, only attending necessary classes and often returning to Domino for strategy briefings, offensive and defensive battle magic training.  Due to her accelerated learning schedule and natural ability, she attained her Enchantix form at age fifteen. Not long after gaining her Enchantix form, the Ancestral Witches began attacking in earnest across the Dimension, specially seeking out the Dragon Flame. Over the next few years Daphne spent months at a time on the front line with other powerful magic users to capture or destroy the Ancestral Witches.

It was her prowess in battle that bought the attention of the Nymphs of Magix.  The Nymphs of Magix are nine of the most powerful magic users in the Magical Dimension and are often called the Rulers of Fate.  During a particular dangerous battle the Seventh Nymph, Eleanora, was stripped of her magic and killed by the Dark Wizard Valtor, and Daphne was deemed both stable and powerful enough to take her position as the Seventh Nymph.  During the Final Battle of Domino, all nine nymphs were killed and stripped of their magic by the Ancestral Witches, apart from Daphne.

During the Final Battle, Daphne stripped the Dragon Flame from herself and gave it to her new born sister Bloom, using her final magic to create a portal to send Bloom to Terra. Daphne was later drained of her magic and left for dead once Domino was destroyed, however, she was able to connect her life force to Blooms through a long-forgotten blood spell shown to her by the Nymphs.  Because of her spirit still being alive, Daphne was the last and the Supreme Nymph of Magix.

Daphne is a serious and strong willed fairy, who will put duty before anything else.  Her war time attitude never truly fades and this often causes clashes with those around her in modern Magix.  She is often calm, however, is prone to outbursts when she believes people are not listening to her.  Due to her high standing and extremely powerful magical core, Daphne can sometimes view herself as superior to others and can be condescending.  However, she is ultimately kind hearted and extremely loyal to those who have earned her trust.