#I don't have an OC from Dragon Age 2

[elvyn]

My Dragon Age elf girls

[arikihalloween]

Wakfu art dump because yes

This post is gonna be super long because I will ramble IN DEPTH today

So huh if you like my rambling or my art just read ig, otherwise scroll away idk what to tell ya

Showing some of my art and ramble because wakfu is part of my current big 3 hyperfixations ( along with WH and Trolls )

So huh enjoy my growing insanity ( I compiled it in one post to not annoy people too much :')

Presenting my oc Sharm !

An (very pink) Eliotrope

She's based on my in game character but I kinda gave her lore and a story so

⭐INFODUMP about Wakfu in general ! ⭐

Basic infos for those who don't know anything about Wakfu :

Wakfu is a french animated serie made by the studio Ankama, who also made several mmorpg games ( and way more, like the amount of content and lore is crazy)

Most of the stories will take place on the World of Twelves, populated by 12 main races (with many variation)

And there is a 13th "main race", the Eliatropes, which is the race of the main character of the anime, Yugo

Eliotropes ( with a o instead of a) are a subrace of the Eliatropes ( lore is explained in the serie but I don't wanna spoil, so to boil it down, Eliotropes are unstable pale copies of eliatropes) [ they are playable in the game wakfu]

So, what about Sharm ? Well she was born a pretty regular Eliotrope. She had two "brothers", Chance and Vitali, who unfortunately ended up fading away with time ( mechanically, when an Eliotrope die, his/her essence will go to the nearest Eliotrope to allow them to live longer)

So Sharm was left alone for very long, and stayed in Eliatropes ruins she found. Those were overgrown by stasis ( type of crystals, very bad, generally associated with corruption and destruction)

However, the essence she got from her siblings passing could only last so long

One day, in a desperate attempt to not die, Sharm took stasis and...ate it. Chewed on the mf crystals, and surprisingly, an interesting reaction occured : it stabilised her essence. It also made her basically frozen in development, Sharm cannot grow anymore and her power levels are quite limited in quantity, unless she uses stasis.

So my girl went through the ages, she kept on researching on the remnant of the eliatrope race ( wiped out aside from a few) and became sort of an archeologist

Nowadays, Sharm travels from a country/city to an other, often with mercenaries she hires as bodyguards . The other two ocs in this sketch page are the said mercenaries

And the cat is called Noiraude !

Sharm needs protection because she is stupidly useless in combat

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

And also I have fanarts of Nora !

And also, it's time for the gremlin mode

The worst of the ramble

I kinda just need to scream for a moment

Beware, big spoilers for the serie ahead ! Stop now and go watch Wakfu !! It's all on Netflix ( season 1, season 2, then the 3 oav, THEN season 3 and you will be ready for season 4 :D)

So, this character is Nora (second drawing is a headcanon version of her)

Who is Nora ? She is the sixth eliatrope of the Council ( Eliatropes are rules by the six first borns of the race who can reincarnate along with their dragon twin)

Nora appeared for the first time in a flashback the episode "Quilbi" in season 2

In 2011

And back then she was in a flashback, so presumed dead from the war that wiped out the Eliatropes

BUT

Lately, as clips and trailers of season 4 of Wakfu has been released

It's confirmed that Nora is there

She's alive

She's in season 4

*grabs u*

2011

She has been my favorite character of Wakfu since her one and only appearance, alright ?

And now

12-13 years later

She is real

SHE IS REAL AND ALIVE IN THE SERIE

*maniacal laughter*

I will not shut up about it

Prepare for the fanarts

*retreats to the shadows*

[fangmich]

Also the comment about "People who want romance in rpgs are annoying" made me again realise how people who say that just don't get it.

I think I made a post about this years ago about how it's not just romance, it's part of it but the main thing I think people need in rpgs are better relationships between the people in the game. We need different kind of companionships because how else could you include your character into the world.

I felt like this in Original Sin 2. Sure my character was present but she will never be as cool as the written characters Larian created. She was like part of the world but also not important to anyone. Which is I guess ok to use as a narrative method but it feels more like a joke and a bit empty at the end.

Since I finished Pathfinder WotR I guess I also can include it as a good example why relationships are important for the roleplaying part. Not all of them were good but some actual gave me the freedom to establish my characters personality.

I think in that Awoved interview they said the game will be like Outer Worlds or it will have the same scope. Well I for example can't remember if I even had any kind of companionship with my companions in that game besides Parvati who you can create some kind of bond by relating to her or helping her in a very personal quest. I can't remember a single thing about the other companions besides the banter they had between each other. Why can't we be space buddies?? (I have more memories about being buddies with Alistair from Dragon Age and that game is centuries old!)

The other thing from that interview is this part:

The companions in Avowed will be tied more tightly to the story than in previous games, apparently, and the team wants to make sure they hit their story beats without confusing the issue with relationships. "We wanted to make sure that we were paying that off and we didn't feel ready to do romances as well," Patel says. "Especially because it gets kind of awkward if you're trying to save the world together and then you've broken up but this person is still travelling with you."

First thing it sounds like they are doing the Larian thing where they wrote cool OCs and you are their sidekick who leads them to becoming a god or something. Which is ok but do I really want to play a husk of a character?

The other thing is they did relationships in Deadfire before and I get it's a lot of work but again with the acquisition you would think we could expect more but alas. I think it would be more genuine to say no one wanted to make romances so we didn't.

The other other thing is why is it established that we need to romance companions? We spend most time with them but when they are in the way then some cool side characters who are outside of the main story but have their own thing going on are fine too?! Since when did games start to make only companion relationships/romances🤔

Like I said before I trust Obsidian to write a good story and the game will be fun just wish they wouldn't need to paddle back with the expectations which were created.

I also honestly wish people would stop and think a bit more why rpg players want deeper bonds with characters instead of calling them annoying and being happy they aren't part of the fandom. Less people who enjoy your games the less likely you will get games.

[exhausted-archivist]

Concept Art Moments and Ideas: What I Wish Was Kept

Pretty sure we've all been there. Seen some of the concept art and thought how cool it was and how much you wish it had made it in the final game. These are some of mine, I won't go too much into why they're not in the game, the answer is usually either one of the following or a combination of: they needed to narrow the scope of the project, frostbite was a new engine they were struggling to make do what they needed, time, they didn't feel it had enough narrative weight or purpose, or it would make the world states branch out far too much.

I'm not really wanting to discuss whether or not I agree with cutting them either. I just really think these are neat concept, ones I've thought out how they would fold in, possible ways they could have played out, and some that personally I have worked into my fic just to fully explore the ideas.

Most of the images that don't have a source link came from either the art book or the BioWare Stories and Secrets From 25 Years of Game Development (B25) book.

Now lets start with the most common one:

[Source]

I'm know others have said this, but I really wish that it had been feasible for you to become Divine. Though, honestly this only would have really worked as decision at the end of the series. While personally in my canon world state I don't have anyone I would want to put in that role. I do have an OC who I did design for that and would have been nice to see it play out. Especially come Trespasser.

These are story boards from the art book of the prologue walk through Haven. The voice lines for this are still in the game files even though they're cut. Something I always wanted in the prologue was something to actually motivate me. There is no real sense of danger, and the walk through Haven hold no real weight. It's mostly telling and no showing, it feels hollow after your first play-through where you aren't curious and uncertain. It honestly would have been interesting to me if this was in there and if there were non-standard ending option outside of combat. Provoking the scared survivors to where they mob you, a timer on the mark instead of just the one check point. If it started draining your health the longer you took to get to the Breach. Things that could easily be removed if you decreased the difficulty level and wouldn't impact the game overly much.

[Left Dragon Age Art Book, Right World of Thedas vol. 2 p. 245]

To continue on with my desire for the steaks in Inquisition to be more intense, for you to actually feel some type of risk or hostility from the world. These two are more of an expansion on the attack on Haven. I wish Corypheus was given a more dramatic entrance than being seen on the hill with his Commander. That when he arrived to scoop you up, that it was more ominous and threatening. Something to illustrate as him having this overwhelming presence and force.

In Hushed Whispers had the concept art of King Alistair going with you and honestly, I feel like it is a missed opportunity. Not only would it make sense but there is a sort of thematic element with Alistair once again having to save Redcliffe from a mage. I think this also could have worked if he was king or warden. If he was a warden, it would have been a very nice way to tie in the Warden plot for Alistair and even Loghain. Would have really given the Inquisitor a reason to care about choosing between them or Hawke in the Fade.

[Source]

Matt Rhodes labeled this as Anders in the tags, and I am really intrigued by this prospect. We know by the end of DA2 if he's alive he doesn't have many friends with the displaced mages of Kirkwall after awhile. It would have been nice for him to come back in that Warden role they were considering for the cancelled Exalted March DLC. But what really makes me curious, is why he's out in what we might think is the Western Approach/Hissing Wastes and what happened to his missing right arm.

Alternatively, another scenario I would have liked to see with Anders comes from the B25 book. We see they explored the idea of Anders, as a Grey Warden in the cancelled Exalted March DLC. Honestly, I feel as if he would return regardless of if you killed him or not because we know that Justice can and has prevented fatal injuries from killing Anders before. This could have been an interesting thread to not only pull his story to an end in dai, but also introduce the Warden contact instead of the ones we had. Because he was on the run and the Wardens would offer a degree of protection so he would be unwillingly forced to return, couple that with him knowing of Corypheus - which would likely be the thing that forced the Wardens to keep him alive once they found his prison empty.

[Source]

This is Western Approach concept art, specifically this was suppose to be Adamant. Matt Rhodes describes that it was suppose to be a monastery, self-sustaining, and a place where they could cultivate their own food, weave their own fabrics. It would have been interesting to be able to see it like this, to see the game use this to not only explore how the Wardens survived out here but also how they recovered the fortress after it was wrecked in Asunder. It would have tied in nicely with exploring the fact that the reversal of Tranquility was found here, a fact known to everyone in game at this point (they just didn't know the Seekers hid it from the Chantry and mages). It would have been an excellent way to fold in Rhys, Evangeline, flesh out Cole's backstory and personal quest, and even show another side of the mages - the ones who didn't want to be involved in the war and fled to the Wardens.

Two Words: Giant. Scorpion.

Look how massive that is. I love mega fauna so much. I want something massive to be living in the Hissing Wastes and I want this to be fighting dragons. It would have been amazing. Look at the boards they put out.

[Source]

I want to believe this is for the Western Approach given the ground type and the smoke in the background. If this thing was guarding the sulfur fields by Griffon Keep? It would have been epic. Or even if we saw it fighting the Abyssal dragon. Honestly, I think more areas should have had a competing predator for the dragons to be fighting. It would have been cooler if they kept great bears (previously known as Dragon Bears) at their massive size to fight a dragon in the Emerald Graves too.

[Source]

That said, this scorpion concept gets even better when you see the concept art for smaller versions being Venatori mounts.

How do you not get stabbed bud? How do you domesticate/train this? What is the intelligence of this little critter? I can just picture a play on the scorpion and the frog happening here. This would have been really cool as mini-bosses or something of that nature. Particularly around the ruins, Venatori operations, or raids against the keeps.

Another piece from B25, we see new concept art of the Inquisitor leaving Skyhold with the Inquisition as Skyhold is destroyed in the background. We learned from David Gaider that at one point Skyhold was actually suppose to be attacked by Corypheus, but it ended up being cut due to time/scope. This is something I wish they kept, having your second base attack, you home at the point where you felt the strongest and potentially after a recent victory.

It would have reminded the player that Corypheus and his commander, Calpernia or Samson, were a real and active threat. Something missing from Inquisition honestly. It would have been interesting to see if we had to find a new base of operations or if we had to rebuild. When first settling in Skyhold everyone mentions being able to see the enemy coming, about not retreating from Skyhold. They really built up an expectation that at the very least a scare of an attack would happen.

There would have been a sort of poetic sense to Skyhold being leveled. Considering it is of Fereldan make, built on top of a leveled elven site. To have the site once again leveled, the history brought back to its foundations. It would have been a thematic foreshadowing to what Solas plans to do as well.

These are clearly just things I found interesting, things I feel would have really added to the game, and some others might not agree with. There are other things I wish they hadn't cut, but I didn't want to include anything that has been post-humorously mentioned by the devs because I wanted to focus more on the concept art aspect. A lot of decisions were shaped by circumstances we'll never really know the full scope of, and sometimes I wonder if they had gotten more than the 3-4 years they had for Inquisition and maybe on an engine that wasn't so fickle and worked better for the style of game how different it would have been.

[avelera]

Authority and the Urge: Morality and Redemption in Baldur's Gate 3

Theme 1: Domination vs. Freedom as an Alternative Moral Axis to Evil vs. Good

One thing that makes Baldur's Gate such a pleasure to play is that the writing team had such a clear understanding of their themes. Good and evil are not the clean-cut alignments of the D&D world. Rather, they reimagined good vs. evil along more subtle lines of domination and control vs. personal freedom and healing. For the most part, they are remarkably consistent without being preachy, which is no mean feat. Nor do they say you can't dabble in the morally ambiguous, indeed, all the Companions have dabbled in the morally gray and you are invited to draw your own line as to what behavior you find acceptable for them. Even Wyll and Karlach, the most morally upstanding, have made deals with devils for the greater good, and been press-ganged against their will into fighting for an evil tyrant. You are given the choice to say there is no redemption for even these unwilling moments of moral impurity, if you so choose. You can reject Gale for not telling you about the Orb immediately. You can kill Astarion for being a vampire, which isn't his fault. You can criticize and reject Shadowheart for her Shar worship and thus never learn the full extent of how much it was not her choice to join in the first place. You can also urge companions like Gale, Astarion, and Shadowheart to give in to their worst instincts and become true monsters, which brings me to the next important theme.

Theme 2: What is the Worth of a Single Life?

When speaking of themes in BG3, another major one is the power of one person to sway the path of others in their lives towards good or evil. One hand extended in friendship can draw Astarion back from a painful and self-destructive existence, the pursuit of power to insulate him from pain and harm that ultimately would lead him to perpetuate the cycle of abuse he suffered under. There are clear implications of how much the Companions life is changed by their encounter with the player character, in a really touching dynamic about the importance of one life to another, which also works as a game mechanic, imbuing your interactions as a player character with the satisfying power fantasy of being able to have social impact on your Companions as friends, loved ones, or (in an evil run) victims of your sadism. You can make or break them.

Which brings me, finally, to the Dark Urge. It's clear to my eyes that the Dark Urge was originally planned as The Custom Character path. What I imagine happened next, however, is that they realized that there were hard story beats in the Dark Urge's narrative, certain deaths for example, which would be supremely limiting and unsatisfying for many players, who would chafe against the lack of choice.

The Dark Urge is a fantastic novel character, since characters in a novel don't have to do what the reader would do, but video games with their interactive nature usually require a bit more freedom of choice for players to be satisfying. Obviously there are exceptions to this rule, but in general it's very challenging and rarely attempted in video games to put the player-controlled character into a situation where the player loses agency, where the character dies without player freedom to prevent it, makes choices contrary to what the player character would do in a game that otherwise offers choice, or that simply kills the player character without the option to avoid that fate. It can be done but it's very very tough, some of the biggest complaints leveled at RPGs like BG3 or Dragon Age games is when the narrative takes choice away or makes the character make choices, unavoidably, that players would not make or would fight to avoid if they could. They are often the center of the greatest fandom ire. So that's why I think the OC Tav with the blank backstory was created, for those who chafed at the lovely but restrictive narrative arc of the Dark Urge.

Mirrors of Morality: The Dark Urge's Redemption

I mention that I think the Dark Urge is fundamental to the core design of the game because their narrative path so nicely mirrors the other Companions. A blank-slate Tav is wonderful to work with, and very freeing, but you are left with the slightly hollow feeling of not having nearly the level of trauma or issues to work through that the Companions do. Your character has no past and few opportunities to form a coherent narrative that precedes the events of the tadpoling the way the others do. From a gameplay perspective this is of course nearly impossible to do otherwise, they can't anticipate every RP headcanon a player might run, but they can offer one with the Dark Urge who has the same sort of deep dichotomy and divide in their backstory that the others have.

That said, I completed an Evil Dark Urge run before I completed a good one, despite rolling two attempts at a good Dark Urge before stumbling onto an Evil Dark Urge that worked for me (an older drow matriarch, for those curious).

The reason I struggled was because I couldn't imagine a Good Dark Urge with agency in their prior life. My evil Dark Urge was a willing partner of Gortash and Thorm. One reason I made her older was because I imagined her as mature, worldly, cruel, sadistic, and completely on board with the plot. The amnesia was only a brief interruption to her plans, a distraction. Once she recalled enough of her life and previous goals to piece together her part in the Dead Three plot, she went right back into enacting it and, in the end, won, becoming the unquestioning ruler of a world of thralls in Bhaal's name. If anything, the dialogue options that implied that Bhaal was the one controlling her, or that she had done anything but make her own choices were almost insulting. This woman knew what she was doing, beginning to end, with the amnesia as only a minor interruption.

But this interpretation of the Dark Urge was based on the letter we find in the Dark Urge's point of view, where again, they show no unwillingness to be an agent of the Dead Three plot. Gortash's warm welcome further cemented the view in my mind: the Dark Urge knew what they were doing and was a willing evil participant.

So how, I wondered, can anyone justify a Good Dark Urge? Not saying it can't be done, but how?

The implications I found troubling at first were that anyone who was evil would become good if they were simply removed from their environment. It had a ring of a sort of natural innocence, a sort of "noble savage" worldview that all of us would tilt towards good if our minds were wiped clean. Optimistic in some ways, very dangerous in its implications in others. Then I realized it wasn't a statement. It was a question.

Theme 3: Nature vs. Nurture

I then realized that nature vs. nurture is actually everywhere in BG3 side plots. Another reinforcement of the fact the Dark Urge storyline is baked into the DNA of the story. You have the Githyanki egg plot, Baelen's memory loss making him a good but absentminded person (which can be undone if you give him noblestalk, when he reverts back to the cruel man he was), heck, even the owlbear cub can be given a loving home where he thrives. You are shown, over and over again, stories where you can choose and contribute to and ponder whether or not evil is a product of nature or nurture, in a way that's incredibly relevant to pondering the Dark Urge's path forward under amnesia. Was this Bhaalspawn evil by nature or by choice? It's very juicy stuff.

Furthermore: all of the companions actually offer ways to rationalize the Dark Urge and choose a path forward for them to fall back into evil or move forward into good. This is because the writers of BG3 are actually superb at thematic mirroring. Each Companion can be a mirror for one way to understand the Dark Urge, how they were evil in the past, and how they could choose to change.

Shadowheart: Indoctrinated into the cult of a cruel god from childhood, you grew up in a world where the only moral compass you had was utterly controlled by those around you. You never knew a different world than the cult of Shar/Bhaal. Now with your memory wiped, you have the option to listen to the voice deep down that says the cruelty demanded of you by the little you can remember feels wrong or even follow the good examples of your newfound Companions to see a different way to live. Maybe you always had goodness in you deep down, but the society you knew channeled you towards evil that you're only now free of, albeit with a past full of holes you're trying to fill in again.

Karlach: Maybe you were never a truly willing participant in the Bhaal cult. Incredibly skilled at killing, yes. Perhaps a bit morally flexible to get involved with figures like Gortash. But ultimately, when you were whisked out of the bloody war and world that you were immersed in by circumstance, you saw your chance to get your old life back from before the Bhaal cult and you took it. Baldur's Gate is your home. People like Karlach are the ones hurt by the actions of the Dead Three Plot that you might never have put a face to if you'd never been taken from that world. Now that you see the harm caused, now that you're free, you can finaly become your own person again after being a foot soldier for evil forces.

Lae'zel: You were a true believer in Bhaal's cult. You grew up worshipping your evil god. It's the only life you knew and the only life that gave you meaning. You were a willing participant but before now, you'd never known any other life. However, through exposure to other people, other cultures, other ways of life, you're beginning to see that there are ways to live outside your narrow life of indoctrination in violence. The final blow comes to this worldview when you learn that your beloved god is completely fine with your destruction. They allowed Orin to take your place. Bhaal/Vlaakith would see you destroy and enslave the world for their own glory and be perfectly happy to destroy you at the end of all your hard, devoted work. You did not sin against Bhaal by rebelling against the full horror of his cruelty and negligence towards you, rather, Bhaal has sinned against you.

Gale: You were the beloved Chosen of Bhaal. Coddled, cradled, told you were special and perfect and wonderful. Of course you happily participated in the Dead Three plot, you lived a charmed life as the elevated darling of your deity. But then something went wrong. You were cast out. You've awoken lesser than you were, your body betrays you, you've lost knowledge that once made you walk among mortals as a near-godly figure. And it seems like Bhaal/Mystra doesn't care, as you wander the wilderness. You're hurt. Betrayed. Tadpoled. Orin has taken your place so easily, just as Gale was cast aside so easily. You don't know what you did wrong. You're angry. Resentful. How dare Mystra/Bhaal cast you aside so easily? They offer you a solution to get back into their good graces which require a complete denial, a complete destruction of yourself - becoming Bhaal's chosen once more or blowing yourself up for redemption. Ultimately, the way forward is in choosing yourself and relying on your own cleverness, rather than being seduced back into their circle of influence.

Astarion: Bhaal was a cruel master to you who controlled your every move. That doesn't mean you were a nice person though, or you didn't enjoy murder. But now you are finally free of Bhaal/Cazador's immediate reach. They cannot fulfill their evil plot without you. You can destroy them now, undermine them, or replace them - fulfill the Dead Three plot in your own name. Or you can take this chance once finally outside their grasp to rediscover who you really are, what you want, all the while your hungers drive you towards continuing to take the lives of others. But perhaps the help of new friends can help you deny these urges and steer you towards being a new person. What that new, better person is, what they even look like, is unclear to you, you've never really had positive influences. But maybe you can find it together.

Wyll: You lived your own life before you ended up in Bhaal's plot, as Bhaal's chosen. But that life was stolen. Now, through circumstances beyond your control, you have disappointed your father. Is there a way to escape the reach of Bhaal's control, Bhaal's pact? Will you sacrifice your soul to redeem yourself in the eyes of your father?

Honorable Mention - Minthara: Tadpoled and controlled by the Absolute, you are now set on throwing down all old gods that once thought to control you. Maybe you'll take over the Dead Three plot in your own name. Maybe you'll just take pleasure in tearing it down for your own reasons. Either way, your gods have sinned against you, the cult of the Absolute controlled you, and now you are unleashed to take vengeance.

With the Dark Urge, any one of these paths can provide a map for how to imagine your life under Bhaal's cult. Any one can provide a map for how to make use of your newfound freedom and to justify becoming a better person and saving the world. Or choosing not to.

[pinkfadespirit]

Commissions Open!

I decided it was time to redo this post again with some more up to date examples, and because I need some funds to buy some new art supplies. My prices vary depending on the complexity of the request and the style or medium you'd like me to work in. More info below.

Choose from either gouache or watercolour (or digital for simple sketches only) and let me know the style or price range you'd prefer

I will send you both a digital scan and the physical copy of the artwork when it’s done (unless you only want the scan - the price will be the same minus the shipping cost) 

Shipping costs are not included in the prices listed above. They will be calculated individually for each order

Payments via Paypal invoice

All my art is compiled on my art blog @pinkfadeart for easy reference so if there is a particular style you want me to work in you can link me to it. 

Send me a DM to discuss whatever ideas you have. Tell me the style, size, character(s) you’d like and any other ideas and references you have. I’ll send you a rough sketch to begin with and when we’ve settled on an idea I’ll send you the invoice. I will start on the painting once I’ve received the payment. Paintings should take 1-2 weeks depending on how busy I get. If it’s likely to take longer I will let you know. I can give you a shipping estimate via DM once you’ve told me what you’d like and where you’d like me to ship it to.

The examples above should give you an idea of the kind of things I'm most comfortable painting but I'm open to trying other things too so feel free to ask about whatever ideas you have. I'll tell you if I don't feel able to do it. I'm willing to paint OCs and canon characters and it doesn't have to be Dragon Age only. I can also do nsfw art. Examples for that can be found here.

Alternatively, feel free to send me a ko-fi tip with a character request (or a picture of your oc or your pet if you like) and I'll draw you something simple based on however much you send.

If you have any other questions feel free to send me a DM.

[bunnakit]

I promised ages ago that I would remake this post with some easier to read text and properly put the text in a post, and 3 months later I finally did it!

Just a reminder, this is all my own observations, research, opinions, etc. We only have 2 examples of the Zonai to base things off of, which means we have to draw a lot of assumptions and fill in a lot of gaps. There's no wrong way to engage with their lore, create an OC, etc. This is just a breakdown of what I've noticed, looked up, pondered, and the process I used to make my own Zonai~

Something I think is important to note (and keep forgetting to mention) is I named Vasru using the naming conventions we can easily discern - Mineru and Rauru both end in 'ru' but it's unknown if this is a title, family naming convention, or simply something applied to all Zonai.

-

Long neck, arms, and torso but relatively short legs by comparison. Wide hips with very narrow waist seems consistent between AMAB and AFAB but unknown if racial or familial trait.

Rauru has small horns, unknown if Mineru does as well as we never see beneath her mask. Unknown if horns are a sexually dimorphic trait or individual trait.

Floppy vs upright ears are potentially a sexually dimorphic trait but could also differ per individual.

Shared center eye, nose, and eye markings. Unknown if racial or familial.

Hair, ear, and eyelashes all same color. Unknown if white hair is racial or familial.

There seems to be a penchant for jewelry and adornments.

Unknown if limited to royal family. Shows heavy Mayan influence and often features nods to the Triforce, Sheikah Eye, and dragons.

Rauru features a tuft of scale-like fur on his chin and cheeks, only cheek fur is shared with Mineru. Chin fur is likely a sexually dimorphic trait.

Sexual Dimorphism - A distinct difference in size or appearance between the sexes of an animal in addition to difference between sexual organs themselves.

-

Draconification is known to be achieved through swallowing a secret stone.

The Zonai and the dragons share many physical characteristics such as horns, ear, and eye structure. In an excerpt from 'Creating a Champion' we learn the dragons do have some goat-like features intentionally.

The existence of the 3 dragon-themed armor sets along with repeated dragon structures in Zonai ruins could imply that Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra already existed in the time of the Zonai.

It's important to note as well that the Zonai were often seen as Gods from the heavens. With this and the obvious connection the 3 dragons have to the 3 Goddesses from previous games (Din, Farore, and Nayru) I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that perhaps Dinraal, Farosh, and Naydra were Zonai tasked with protecting Tri-Force (which the Zonai were known to worship) and in an effort to better guard the Tri-Force they swallowed each piece and underwent the process of draconification. The shared names, elements, and corresponding Tri-Force pieces just make this thought process very interesting to me.

-

When designing my own Zonai OC (Vasru) I was very careful to pull as many details from the game as I could. In an effort to keep his design from being too busy I simplified some elements of the various armors and jewelry.

Vasru is transgender and to represent this I took the markings from the Ancient Armor (the reward for finding all shrines) and used them beneath his pectorals.

If we operate under the assumption that horns are a sexually dimorphic trait we can then assume Vas'use of the Dinraal inspired headdress is in an effort to cover that missing feature.

When designing a Zonai I believe it's important to take inspiration from elements of the game and respect the Mayan influences shown.

Have fun!

[herearedragons]

Fan Work Saturday Sunday

I got featured in @dungeons-and-dragon-age's post, so I'm doing this also!

Rules: If you're tagged, MAKE A NEW POST and showcase one fanartist or fanfic you recommend (with links), and tag someone to give their recs next! Don't forget to reblog the rec you were tagged in!

I am going to bend the rules a little because I want to show off stuff both from the Dragon Age and Pillars of Eternity fandoms, so it's going to be two fanart recs and two fic recs, actually.

Fanart rec #1: @dungeons-and-dragon-age

Specifically the June tarot card. I don't know what it is but its muted colors and scratchy textures have captivated me. Somehow you got a digital piece to look like an actual scratched up collectible card someone scanned and posted online? Also it's just a really solid design, I wouldn't question it for a second if I saw this on a book cover or something.

Fanart rec #2: @ederteylegc

For this list I am asking myself "which fanart pieces live in my head rent free" and no one should be surprised that for Pillars of Eternity my answer is Edér fanart. It's just. I love it when a piece of art conveys an idea in shapes and colors and this one does Just That. I really like how it shows The Parallels and I like the color scheme and I like how this just straight up looks like a comic book page.

Fic rec #1: @curiouslavellan

Listen, I have to mention See Fire, And Go Towards Light.

I did not expect to like this fic as much as I do. Like, I expected to like it a normal amount, as in "cool, I get to read about the journeys of my mutual's blorbo! this will be fun to tune into every now and then".

I was not ready for how much I ended up liking the writing itself and the way the main character is written? Her POV as a Tranquil is more distant, but she makes interesting observations about how other people behave around her, and her non-Tranquil POV is just really lovable. The word "immersive" is used for basically anything these days but that's how I would describe the writing in this.

Fic rec #2: @solas-backpack-mug

First of all, I should probably mention that solas-backpack-mug also has an excellent selection of Pillars of Eternity fanart (especially of their ocs Rangi and Asaria, which are technically kind of the same person, it's complicated) in a variety of mediums and fresh home-grown memes.

That being said, I am going to recommend this short fic about Asaria's death, just because I really liked it. If you know the plot of POE1, it's a fun read that does justice to Thaos' whole ominous manipulative deal, and kind of feels like a flashback you would get from touching a relic that used to belong to the unfortunate POV character.

Tagging: everyone mentioned in the recs who hasn't done this yet! Pretty sure that everyone else I can think of has been tagged already.

[0rb1s]

ONE PIECE OCS ONE PIECE OC CREW

Say Hello to the Jewelry Pirates (unrelated to jewelry Bonnie) Me rambling a shit ton about them under the cut (I'm so normal I'm so normal I'm so norma-)

Asks about them are very welcome :)

Basic info about them

Name: Amato D Geo | he/him

Age: 20

Species: Human

Role: Captain

Haki: Armament, Observation

Devil fruit: Screen Screen Fruit

Other: Friends with Ace, close with a warlord (also an oc), Trans man, can bend and do tricks like crazy

————————

Name: Auster | he/him

Age: 21

Species: Fishman

Role: Co-captain, Helmsman

Haki: Armament

Devil fruit: ✕

Other: knows Fishman karate, dresses exclusively like a dad on vacation, actually pretty popular with women he's just such a sweetheart

————————

Name: Josie | she/her

Age: 20

Species: Sea lion Mink

Role: Firstmate, Navigator

Haki: Armament

Devil fruit: ✕

Other: cant control Sulong, does geos hair and gives him the same bangs as her, throws and does tricks with canonballs like sea lions do tricks with beachballs

————————

Name: Ina | she/her

Age: 22

Species: Human

Role: Sniper, Informant

Haki: Observation

Devil fruit: ✕

Other: Used to be a Marine, seeks into Marine bases on the regular just to steal food from the lunch room (and maybe some info if she feels like it)

————————

Name: Vanja | she/her

Age: 26

Species: Human

Role: Doctor

Haki: Observation

Devil fruit: Gene Gene Fruit

Other: Wrens younger sister, looks cute, just actually a little deranged, totally fine with medical malpractice, collects peoples hair(connected to her devil fruit)

————————

Name: Xavi Flam | he/him

Age: 16

Species: Half Fishman/Human

Role: Shipwright, Carpenter, Blacksmith

Haki: ✕

Devil fruit: Dragon Dragon Fruit model: Metal

Other: Frankys younger half brother (neither of them know this), didn't even knew he ate a devil fruit until he already swollowed it, personality is compleatly based of Leo Valdez from HOO

————————

Name: Anan | he/him

Age: 24

Species: Human

Role: Cook, Martial artist

Haki: Armament

Devil fruit: ✕

Other: Lowkey scared of women, will kick women cause he don't discriminate (take notes sanji), fr besties with the swordsman

————————

Name: Wren | they/them

Age: 28

Species: Human

Role: Swordsman

Haki: Armament, Observation

Devil fruit: ✕

Other: Vanjas older sibling, intersex, Terminaly ill, only uses swords because they are the easiest to use for them, compleatly lacks the swordsmans pride stuff that zoro has, has broken like 5 swords in the past 2 months

————————

Name: Kaito | he/him

Age: 29

Species: Human

Role: Musician, Beast tamer, Gunslinger

Haki: Armament

Devil fruit: ✕

Other: Owns a seriously overgrown Army Wolf, the wolf is kinda like a service dog, rides on it like Princess mononoke, has Multiple Sclerosis

————————

Random info I can think of rn

Geo, Auster, and Josie all came from the same Circus in the new world, leaving it in order to set out to sea to become pirates. None of them are after the One piece so they crosses over into paradise since that sea was easier to handle.

All the crew members wear some kind of Jewelry and have black sleeve tattoos.

When I made the characters and their dynamics I kinda wanted to either give them opposite traits of the Strawhats or similarities.

[the-desilittle-bird]

Author's Note- My first series in Tumblr and it is HOTD based! So, a lot of things are built up in the universe and some characters are aged up while others are aged down. Cregan is aged up, so in the main timeline he will be around 28-29. Viserys death is slightly delayed but I don't think you will feel any difference.

Thank you and Enjoy your reading!

The White Dragon

-On Hold

Introduction and Masterlist

Cregan Stark x Targaryen!OC;

Dark!Aemond Targaryen x OC

"The City was his, to do with as he wished. The northman had taken it without drawing a sword or loosing an arrow. Be they King's men or queen's men, stormlanders or seahorses,  riverlords or gutter knighs, highborn or low, common soldiers deferred to him as if they had been born to his service."

- Written by Eustace

Tears in eyes yet relief in mind. It was a foreign feeling as leaving home and arriving home fused into one. Chest felt heavy with the weight of new responsibilities but also light from the escape of the prison named Red Keep.

It seemed a new beginning for the dragon lady, only it wasn't. For a Mad & Cruel Dragon flew above her head, hidden in the clouds of joy and relief, watching her as a predator ready to sink its claw into her neck.

The snow land of the Seven Kingdoms was welcoming their third Lady while the Wolf Lord stood in the background, thinking of the curse which seem to follow him. The curse of being eternally lone.

In the middle of this was the White Dragon, the daughter of the once heir of the throne; and the blood to the fire to one while the comfort of sun in a winter day to other.

While Ice & Fire Clashed, The Snow Dragon Danced.

Warnings- Established Relationships, Dark!Aemond, Attempt of R*pe, Harassment (both sexual and mental), Implied S*x, Curse Words, Violence, Westrosi type... acts(?), Incest (Targaryens). If any other warning have not been listed here, then do let me know.

The Beginning of All (Prologue)

• Under the Candle Light (Chapter 1)

• I Have Seen (Chapter 2)

• Let It Be Known (Chapter 3)

• Darker Than Night (Chapter 4)

• Dance of the Dragons (Chapter 5)

• Burning The Dragon (Chapter 6)

• Close Were They (Chapter 7)

• The Future Awaits (Chapter 8)

Tag List- @eliseline, @little-moonbeam-666, @blackhoodlea, @omgsuperstarg, @shopping, @lizlovecraft, @dayane, @bbgmonsay, @michelle-26, @all-things-fandomstuck, @hc-geralt-23, @chevelledahuman, @morganastrucker, @shrexy, @helloitsshitzulover, @daringboba, @minaxcarter, @b-tchymoon, @stargaryenx, @hukio, @saraelizabeth26, @targaryenmoony, @moon-light1415, @eudximoniakr, @themaze13, @candypurplebutterfly, @5moremin, @yariany02, @issybee0611, @beefbaby25, @shine101, @hopebaker, @andlizeth, @hyacinthus007

If anybody want their names to be added or removed from the tag list, then leave a comment.

[aemondgirlfriend]

INVISIBLE STRINGS (2)

Aemond Targaryen x Twin Sister (OC)

Summary: Aemond Targaryen was known as a cold, cruel and frightening prince, but he wasn't like that. Aemond was affectionate, intelligent, obedient and loved his family, but mostly her. Alysanne Targaryen is Aemond's twin sister, but with a different appearance. She had hair like her mother Alicent's, but her eyes were the violet of Old Valyria, the blood of the dragon running through her veins. Aemond Targaryen was cold, cruel and frightening, but not with her. What Alysanne wanted, he did. Because it was always her and always will be

Rating: Explicit/+18 MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

Warning: Violence and explicit NSFW, third-person POV, bad language, angst, fluff, smut (unprotected sex, oral (giving and receiving), (use of fingers)

English is not my first language, so I apologize for any mistakes. This is the first story I've posted on tumblr, so please take it easy on me.

Alysanne walked through the halls of the castle towards the dining hall. Her lilac dress swaying as she moved. The princess distributed smiles along the way, always greeting the servants and guards. She opened the hall doors and walked over to the table, kissing her mother and father on the foreheads. She kissed Helaena's cheek and Aegon's then sat down next to Aemond.

"You forgot to greet me." Aemond said in a playful tone, kissing his sister's cheek.

"You don't deserve my kisses." She smiled, kissing his cheek.

The servants placed the food on the table and they helped themselves, eating in silence. Alysanne sipped the wine in her goblet as she kept her head down, avoiding contact with the King, as she knew that if she looked at him, he would ask about the letter. Well, that didn't help.

"Honey, did you read the Tully letter?"

The princess set down her goblet and glared at Viserys, clearing her throat before answering.

“Yes, I read. And my answer is still no.”

Alicent sighed and shook her head slightly, knowing they were going to start a little argument midway through dinner.

“Alysanne, you need to get married!”

“With an old man from any house? Are you really that desperate?”

“Speak straight to me, Alysanne, I'm still King.” he snapped making his daughter roll her eyes “Lord Tully is a good and competent man, he would give you beautiful children and-”

“He's twice my age and I doubt that withered cock of his is any good.” she slammed her fork on the table, staring at him angrily “I won't submit to that role. It's not because mom married you early that I have to follow the same path as her.”

“Alysanne.” Alicent scolded her.

“Why can Helaena marry Aegon and my suitors are all old? Well, except for Cregan who is beyond handsome but he's already got himself a bride.”

“Because you refused to marry him.”

“You always put pressure on me, I got desperate.” her voice increased “If you didn't keep pestering me to give an immediate answer maybe I would be married to him now. I'm not marrying any lord, least of all an old man. If one day someone competent and worthy of my hand comes along, I will choose him.”

Aemond had his eye glued to the empty plate in front of him, his throat going dry at his twin's words. She wasn't wrong, it wasn't fair that she was forced to do something she didn't want to do, especially something disgusting like marrying an old man who possibly had lovers.

“It's not fair to me, I didn't ask to be a woman-”

“But you are one.” Viserys shouted, startling everyone at the table “You are good for marrying and making heirs, it will always be like that. Don't think I don't know that Aemond trains you behind the scenes, disobeying my orders.” Aemond improved his posture in the chair and felt his muscles stiffen. “You'll never be a swordswoman, soldier or anything like that, get that useless idea out of your head. I will find you a groom, and you will marry him with no choice. I've given you a lot of chances and you've thrown them away, so I'll take care of that for you, as I did for Rhaenyra.”

Alysanne felt tears welling up in her eyes and stared at her father, the first tear running down her cheek.

“And now she's married your brother and given you bastard grandchildren, you did a great job, Dad.”

The princess rose and left the hall, the click of her heels echoing through the corridors as she hurried to her chambers. She locked herself in her room and let the tears flow, taking a glass and filling it with the wine she always asked to be left in her room, taking a long drink before sitting in her armchair and removing her heels. It wasn't fair, not to her. She wanted the chance to find someone really good, someone she could love and be loved back, not a political marriage where she would just be used. She stood there in silence, the moonlight illuminating her dark room as she sipped her wine.

The door to her chamber was opened and the princess didn't even bother to turn around to see who she was. Her dear sister approached her bed, sitting on it carefully, running her hands over the pale blue fabric of her dress. They were quiet for a moment, the tears drying on Alysanne's face, her lips red from the wine.

“I'm sorry you heard that from our father, you don't deserve a marriage where you will suffer, just like me.” Alysanne looked at her sister, her eyes sad and her face tired. “I love Aegon as a brother and I love our children, but he is a terrible husband. He comes to me when he's drunk or when mom and dad talk about more and more heirs. Aegon must have countless bastards for the flea drop, and by the seven…he must have so many lovers.”

Alysanne listened attentively to the words of her older sister, the person she admired most in this world besides her mother. She knew that her brothers' marriage was terrible, they didn't try to hide it, but she knew that they both loved each other like family, like brothers, and that's why they kept their marriage.

“The point is, you don't have to marry a middle-aged man just because our mother did that once. Don't listen to Otto, don't listen to Viserys, don't listen to anyone. Listen to your heart because someday you will find someone who deserves your love and who will take care of you the way you deserve.” Helaena got up and held her younger sister's hands, stroking her fingers with care and affection. “I love you so much, little sister, I will always want the best for you.”

The dark haired princess cried once more, hugging her sister's body tightly as she sobbed into her shoulder. Alicent's children were close, even if it didn't seem like it, they cared for each other, always wanting the best.

“I wish I could just have my own dragon and fly away from here, Hel.” Her voice was muffled against the blonde's shoulder.

“You will tame Cannibal, I can tell you that.” Helaena slowly pulled away and caressed her sister's face. “He is in Mount dragon, you must go to him. Claim what is yours, dear sister.”

"How do you know he'll be in Mount Dragon?"

The eldest shrugged.

“I just know.” Helaena kissed Alysanne's forehead and walked away, leaving her chambers and leaving a confused and sad Alysanne behind.

That night, Alysanne drank more than she should have of her wine, which caused her stomach to turn and her head to throb as if her eyes were going to pop out. The next morning she took a hot bath prepared by her maids and drank tea given by the maester at her request. The princess wore a dark purple dress this morning and her hair was tied in a long braid on the side, leaving the rest of her strands loose. She skipped breakfast and went after the only person who could help her with what she intended to do today. Aegon.

She found her brother drunk in one of Maegor's secret passages, dressed in filthy clothes and with a bottle of cheap wine in his hand. With a little effort she took him to her rooms, throwing his body in the bathtub and making him open his eyes in fright.

“What the fuck, Alysanne?” he screamed, rubbing her face with her hand.

"I'm going to Mount Dragon and I need you to cover me." she had her hands behind her back as she stared at her brother with amusement.

“Why didn't you ask Aemond? He would certainly do it better than me.” Alicent's heir put his hand on his head and moaned in pain. “And what are you going to do in Mount Dragon?

“Aemond is too straight for what I intend to do, he wouldn't let me go. I'm going to claim Cannibal.”

Aegon widened his eyes and looked at his sister as she shook her head in denial, getting out of the bathtub a little dizzy.

“Are you crazy? You can't go alone. Cannibal is a dangerous dragon, everyone who tried to ride him was killed. Get another dragon, we have a lot on Dragonstone, Rhaenyra can give you an egg and-”

“I want Cannibal, Aegon. I've dreamed of him every night since I was a little girl, flying all over Westeros. It's like we were destined.”

Aegon took off his clothes while continuing to disapprove of his sister's idea.

“This is crazy, Alysanne. I'm not even that stupid.”

The princess snorted and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at her brother with a frown on her face.

“I'm going to tell Mom that you took me to flea hunting on my fifth name day, and because of that I'm no longer pure as she so desperately wants.”

Aegon gasped in shock, jabbing a finger at Aly.

“You wouldn't dare.”

“You want to see?” She raised her eyebrows as she stared at him. “So, will you help me?”

Aegon snorted and threw the dirty, wet garment to the floor, wetting his lips and running his fingers through her hair.

“If I get screwed, you get screwed too. I will cover you but by the faith of the seven, don't die.”

Alysanne smiled and hugged her brother, kissing his cheek.

“Thanks, Aeg, I promise I'll be back in one piece. You can tell Aemond but don't tell my location, he'll come after me.”

He agreed and the princess left her room through the passage to hers, preparing her things for a trip that would last a few days. She went out through the passages and paid for the silence of one of the concierges who offered a carriage to take the princess to her destination, and as the horse rode away, Alysanne felt her heart go out of her mouth. She was anxious, scared and happy, looking forward to the moment when she could finally have the dragon she had always wanted.

[lanaevyssmoved]

do u have any game recommendations that have character creation? besides bg3 ofc

gonna be real i wouldnt recommend bg3 for a character creation game because you can only use preset faces ...... bro but if you mean it in an oc way......

i would recommend.............

heavily modded skyrim, if you don't wanna do it yourself use wabbajack, some of the modlists on there are designed for graphics or high end systems and have very pretty characters. there's also ones not like that with rougher characters or more vanilla characters. lots of choice! do not get into the community though, this is a warning

following on from that, any elder scrolls game - morrowind is the best and one of my all time favourite games

you can follow on from that with fallout if you like the setting. i recommend fallout 1 and 2 the most as i'm not the hugest fan of bethesdas fallout but that is not a common opinion that be a hot take

heavily modded final fantasy xiv, you can fully mod on the free trial version as far as i know - be warned this is an extremely slippery slope because it has a modding community to rival skyrim and many customisation mods are paid for however there are ways around that. anyway you can get mods from here, here and here as well as the nexus

elden ring, dark souls 3 - the other dark souls but those character creations look like dogshit ass but still fun to make ocs in imo.. demon souls if you own a ps5....... i do not

pillars of eternity, tyranny, while visually quite limiting the character creators are still very neat from a roleplay pov - tyrannys has a lil "post character creation" game you get to play where you make "post game" choices and i uh, used to play that all the time for fun without intent to keep playing.....

a good follow up to that would be dragon age, all three of them but specially origins, i used to play the origins and not continue the rest of the game for fun! now be warned all of these games suck terrible dick in terms of modding because it's awkward and annoying and easily broken! i recently replayed dao and dai and so much of that time was spent troubleshooting...... joyous

have to kind of mention mass effect after? but ur kind of always making the same character..... ive always struggled with mass effect personally. maybe its the setting?

you can also look at starfield since that's got actually a pretty decent cc but i did find it quite limiting. but i've not really played it for more than an hour cuz bg3 exists so i can't say much

back to crpgs, the two pathfinder games! again limiting on the character side but roleplay side very very strong. i've not played wotr but i have mutuals who act like it is gods gift to gaming and i believe them. i really liked the first!

the outer worlds could be a good choice, i really like that games aesthetic but it's another space game and i think we're seeing a pattern that i'm just not that into those. hm. it was bethesda style gaming in space before starfield exists with the personality of fallout, kind of ?

this ones going far out there but crusader kings iii has an insane character creation and my favourite ruler ever was this old witch woman cannibal who slowly but surely turned her whole corner of the globe into a witch worshipping cannibal cult. i miss her

age of wonders 4 has a really cool cc, you can even make dragons with the dlc like Actual dragons.... i have made so many characters in there and gave them their funny little lores.. age of wonders has real cool lore and it is Completely ignored by tumblr afaik and that sucks

encased is a really cool rpg it's another sci-fi-y one.. it isn't as polished as you might expect cuz it's a very ambitious game but a small indie studio but i would say if you enjoy fallout 1 + 2 you will enjoy encased

dragons dogma! you get to make two people in this just like in bg3! i made a lil girl and her big brother and i was so fucking emotional over them that i was crying constantly even when nothing was going on. i played dragons dogma to fucking death on the ps3 and i think its interesting and rich enough to sink ur teeth into

i have to mention greedfall as the owner of the greedfall url.... greedfall is very interesting as its a double A title akin to a dragon age game.. it might make one feel a tad uncomfortable because it comes across as colonialism the rpg but it does get very interesting and it has neat as hell characters and magic and big monsters who fuck hard

wasteland 3! kinda again has the fallout type of vibe it is violent and full of dark themes and twisted themes but its also extremely comical its true black humour at times and you get to make two characters again and you can even make TWO MORE CHARACTERS so i had a bunch of custom characters.. u can get really wild in the cc as well and builds are SUPER fun....... v good game

spellforce 3!!!!! i love this game, the cc is again like another crpg one but spellforce 3 has very deep lore spanning many games .. its not typical crpg in that its also like a strategy war game too but i think it does the mixture very well and i LOVEEEEEEEE the lore!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

uh i forgot to mention divinity original sin 1/2 because .. bg3 should lead you right there but uh. play them both! the first is so good in coop i feel cuz of the natural banter between the protagonists. if you don't have friend the second is very good single player just. be warned i don't think it has good endings but the ride is worth it!! and divinity lore fucks hard. i also recommend divinity dragon commander because its so much fun

can i say stardew valley? mayhaps sun haven too? if ur crazy like me you can turn these into prime oc generators. also mods

oh, monster hunter world and by extension wild hearts. monster hunter world lets you make a cat and while ur character themselves doesn't get to do much story wise i did get very obsessed with my character and wanting them fight cool monsters. wild hearts is similar though your character does feel a bit more special- be warned this game is known for running like ass on most systems, its pretty good for me but be warned all the same

TEEHEES.... KENSHI!!!!!!!!!!!! i was holding back on mentioning kenshi but i can't. you can make a whole fucked up lil squad if u want. u got weird alien races. u got a billion fucking mods. u can have ur buddies limps removed and give them robot ones. u can make an army of weirdos. bro i got so invested in my kenshi squad i was writing FANFIC. i was dreaming of them. i was unable to sleep about them. i miss them so fucking much dude!! kenshi doesnt really have a story beyond what u make it. that shit is a SANDBOX.. and i love it so much. everyone should play kenshi. its kinda like rimworld if u want a comparison. i think its Perfect. the best game to exist ever (lie) its so wonderful....... man........its also broken as shit cuz its the most ambitious game to exist ever and it was made by 1 dude so

oh if u like anime games i have to mention code vein (souls like) and god eater (monster hunter like ?) they have very good ccs and i know people super into the lore and stuff. i only played code vein and i liked it a lot honestly

uhhh i mentioned 1 mmo so i should probably mention guild wars 2, the cc is very good, the whole games end game is about fashion and looking amazing. the lore is also super duper neat! i haven't played it for a long time now but i did play it on launch and i had a blast for a few years

if you like d&d i would recommend solasta! it has a very good cc i think honestly and it feels the most like this is d&d in a video game out of every game i've ever played, and it translates the system very and faithfully (as opposed to say bg3 who changed things for game reasons). solasta is also best with friends because its so in that vibe of this is a silly lil d&d party. its much fun

lol i got the block text limit popup

kotor 1 and 2, it might be hard to get into the lore and characters if you're not into star wars but i found it pretty ok to as not a huge star wars fan. i also think they deserve to be played despite that as well because they are fantastic rpgs and some of the best bioware ever made

vampire the masquerade bloodlines!!! i am not a vampire fan really, a small one, but this game captivated me.... very easy to get into making a character i feel and ur given enough to make characters that align different ways easily. the combat did not age well..... but the story and roleplay absolutely did

ok.. im gonna stop here.. but i will say give games like icewind dale and arcanum a chance.. look at old as hell crpgs and try them. this includes bg1+2 which i still need to play myself but will be soon! they are classics because their stories are fantastic, and shouldn't be missed out on!!!!!

[nightfury-2001]

Okay so. Self-indulgent HTTYD fanfic idea!!! (+ General stuff about main AU

Can't get this out of my head so I'm putting this out there even though I'm not sure I'll ever write a single chapter for this lol

To start off - I imagine this story would feature almost exclusively OCs and have basically nothing to do with canon characters until possibly waaaaay later into the story or like, a sequel if I got that far. It also would take place in my version of the HTTYD universe/my main AU, so certain major events happened differently or never happened at all, various minor details may be changed or ignored entirely, a couple of dragon species may be redesigned if they appear at all, etc..

Really what I'm trying to say is this fic wouldn't be something very many people would be interested in and I'm totally okay with that lol.

Anyway, with that out of the way let's get into what it would actually be about:

After what was supposed to be an easy job goes horribly wrong, a young dragon trapper has an experience that challenges her beliefs and causes her to question if she really wants to continue in her parent's footsteps.

(She stares at the beast. At first glance, it is so very different. But is it truly that different after all?)

As you probably guessed from that simple summary or whatever you'd call it, the fic would be about a young dragon trapper/hunter questioning what she's been taught all her life about dragons after one saves her, and the friendship that slowly forms between her and that dragon. (And yes I imagine the dragon is a Northern Night Fury* because this would be written by me, were you expecting anything different lmaoo)

I realize it could perhaps be a bit too similar to HTTYD 1.....what can I say, it's my favorite movie and I really love it and its themes - but really I do feel like the story/characters I'm imagining are different enough to not have it feel like a cheap knockoff.

But anyway! A couple of details and things I've come up with so far because I have more than just the main idea(s):

- The fic would begin a little after the events of HTTYD 2 - which I imagine HTTYD 2 happened mostly the same as in canon, but I'm seriously debating having Hiccup be the chief/stay the chief in my main AU. Not to go off on a bit of an unrelated tangent but honestly, I'm one of the people that thinks he's just not that well suited for the role. And like yeah, I get the whole parallel - Hiccup becomes the leader of the humans of Berk like how Toothless becomes the leader of the dragons of Berk - but I'm just saying even some of the people who worked on the film thought Astrid should be chief lol

- Anyway so I imagine the young dragon trapper's parents (and their parent's crew) are skilled and pretty well respected dragon trappers/hunters that worked for/supplied dragons to Drago in the past, but since his defeat they've been kinda struggling to find a new employer(s) and have had to travel to unfamiliar areas to find unprotected wild dragons.

- That's how the young dragon trapper ends up in the situation™. She's out helping a small group of older and more experienced trappers with what sounded like an easy job, but due to them getting a bit too cocky on an unfamiliar island they end up getting ambushed by a powerful and territorial dragon. It goes about as well as you would expect it would and our young dragon trapper is certain she's about to die just like the others until! The chonk swoops in and scares off the other dragon!

- Existential crisis time because she just got saved by a dragon.

Other things:

- By "young" I mean around 19-20 or so and not like, a literal child - I imagine the chonk is also around the same age lol

- Also in my AU, while some dragon species are more comparable to parrots/cetaceans/etc., most species could be considered sapient in a human sort of way even if they don't necessarily have literal human-level intelligence in all areas. There's even a couple of species, such as Furies, that I imagine have actual human-level intelligence - they just don't act like humans since they're giant reptiles/reptile-like creatures and don't process the world in the exact same way as humans do and have evolved to have different instincts, etc.

- Soooo because of that I think the idea of occasionally having a chapter from the POV of the chonk would be fun. Even if it's only a chapter or two I could explore the idea of why she decided to save the human (could be really interesting I think, especially if the chonk knew/understood she was a dragon trapper/hunter and chose to save her anyway).

This is really long and I've been working on this post for hours and um yeah. Enjoy I guess?

(*Northern Night Furies are a fan species made by me, basically they're big chonky seal inspired Furies that live in very cold environments. They're usually very friendly and curious creatures.)

[ishouldbedoinghw]

You Can't Erase Me

One Piece fanfic, part 4

Previous parts are in my pinned masterlist.

A woman enslaved by the celestial dragons is found by a man with red hair. Angst ensues.

A/N: This story will follow the canon loosely; some events will stay the same, others will be edited for the plot. The timing of events will also be slightly edited from canon so that certain characters are included. The main character is an OC of mine and in her mid-20s. Yes this is important. Character design will likely come soon.

I know what goes in an actual captain's log, but we all know Shanks wouldn't care to do allat and I don't want to make up coordinates.

TW: slavery, human trafficking, vomit, discussion of attempted sexual abuse, traumatic flashbacks, discussion of trauma, general angst, Shanks because he needs his own warning

---------------------------------------------------------------

An Excerpt from Red-Hair Shanks's Personal Log

10/31 - Grand Line

Halloween

Ship was approached by a lone mermaid that refused to stay for Halloween drinks

She instead brought a young woman on board and took off

Young woman, age unknown, was in need of immediate medical attention, was barely conscious and seemed weakened by sea water <- maybe Devil fruit user???

Hongo took her in for medical treatment and wouldn't let me in, which was fine because she started puking VIOLENTLY

Hongo seemed annoyed by the red-haired man that burst through the door, and somehow I felt a bit better knowing what his annoyance really looked like.

"Hongo!" the red haired man starts, slapping Hongo on the back. My insides twisted at the sound. "How's Spooky? She done upchuckin'?"

Hongo rubbed his temple with his thumb and sighed. "Shanks, I told you to stay out, and don't be so insensitive-"

"That's a big word for you, Hongs, are you havin' a stroke?" Despite Hongo's protests, the man strode across the room towards me as he giggled at his own joke.

He was huge, and towered over my hunched-over figure. I kept my gaze in my lap, not wanting to meet his eyes. I couldn't keep my hands from trembling, and my heart from pounding, and my head from spinning; his presence seemed to swallow me, and I felt that I should be running from him but I couldn't find the strength to. Sweat started pouring down my temples again, and I could feel my throat clench, preparing to vomit again-

And the terrifying presence was gone. There was a large, callused hand squeezing my own. It was warm, and the twisting in my gut eased a bit.

"You can look at me. I'm not going to hurt you."

But I don't. Not for 1, 2, 3, 4 beats. Then I swallow, blink twice, and slowly lift my face.

He's not standing like before, but kneeling in front of me, now at eye level. He's smiling slightly, with his brows pinched a bit. I have to swallow and blink again when I notice the three scars over his left eye, as if some beast had landed a swipe on him.

"There you go, Spooky."

I decided I liked Spooky better than Cheeper.

I also decided I didn't really like the odd smell on his breath.

He squeezed my hands again, and asked, "Is it alright if I ask you some questions?"

I heard Hongo start to protest, saying that I'd barely received any treatment, and Shanks needed to "get the hell out." But this was the only person I could remember that had spoken kindly to me, and wanted to know things about me, and was offering to hear things I had to say- so I did my best to sit up a little straighter and nodded my head.

He smiled wider then. "Perfect."

Hongo was still muttering when he started moving around, looking through one of the cabinets across the room.

"Alright then, Spooky, I'm Shanks, but you can call me Shanks," he started, and the corner of my mouth twitched. "What's your real name?"

My voice was hoarse when I answered, "I don't know."

"Hmph. Okay, well, do you know how you got here?"

I really didn't, the last thing I remembered was the popping noises, and feeling cold and heavy. I shuddered, glad for the warmth of the room.

"No. I don't."

"Do you know where you are?"

I paused before answering that. I looked around the room, and while I'd already noticed the room was completely made of wood, it didn't strike me as odd until now. The room I stayed in was white and gold, with other various colors I couldn't recall now. The ceilings of the other room were high, but this room was a bit squat. I could hear a slight creaking, but aside from that, I couldn't quite place anything.

"No."

"Okay, well-"

"Can you not hear the water outside?" Hongo butt in, walking over.

I strained to listen, but I didn't hear anything that sounded like water.

Hongo let out a grunt as I shook my head, then continued his rummaging, muttering to himself.

"Hm," Shanks said, clicking his tongue, "That's odd, considering we're on a ship."

A ship? We were out at sea? How the hell did I end up at sea?

"So you don't remember the mermaid at all?"

Mermaid? Was he joking?

Shanks chuckled at me, and I wondered if my face looked as confused as I felt. "Mermaids are real, Spooky, and one dragged you through the water right up to us."

"Um- okay."

"Do you know how you got into the water? Or at least where you were before?"

Hongo had paused by now, listening to what I'd say. Shanks gave a reassuring squeeze, and said, "If it's bad, it's alright, We'll listen, and might even be able to help you figure some things out."

I let out a long, shuddered breath before I spoke.

"My memory isn't that good- but I remember some things."

Shanks nodded encouragingly.

"I lived in this- cage. It was gold and wood, I think. It hung from this tall ceiling in a big white room. I had a job, singing to this boy-" I stopped, remembering finally seeing him up close.

I wrapped my arms around myself, scooting a bit away from Shanks. "I thought he was a young boy. But he was a grown man."

Now that I'd started talking, I didn't want to stop. I wanted to tell them everything I knew about myself and maybe they'd help me somehow. Maybe they knew something I didn't, like what happened with the mermaid.

"I would sing him lullabies when he was upset. They would calm him down and he would be quiet."

Shanks's expression remained unchanged, while Hongo seemed to go a little pale.

"There was a man who would bring me food every day. I think he liked me, he always tried to tell me things that would help me."

"Like what?" Shanks asked.

"I-" but the words wouldn't come out. I always remembered him coming and talking to me, but now, I couldn't remember exactly what he said.

"I don't really remember. I remember him telling me I couldn't ask questions, but," I paused, looking at the floor. "But I don't remember what he said before that."

"Do you remember how you got out? Before you ended up in the sea?" Hongo started protesting at Shanks's question, saying it was too much for now, but it went seemingly unnoticed by the redhead.

"I remember that it was before I ate that day, and the man I sang to was angry. His father wouldn't let him do something, I think. I don't know what it was."

I felt sick to my stomach again, and my tongue felt heavy as I tried to form words. Truth be told, I didn't understand exactly what, if anything, had happened to me, but part of me was screaming that I shouldn't share it, that it wouldn't be good and it could make them upset with me.

As I tried to steady my breathing, Shanks spoke softly, "We won't be angry with you for telling us anything."

Hongo butt in, "And you don't have to tell us about something if you don't want to."

I wanted to, I wanted to get an explanation for something, get an answer for at least one thing-

"I'm not sure what really happened," I start, "But the man took me out of the cage and right after I had trouble seeing, and my head went fuzzy. I only remember his- his hands everywhere, and I couldn't move."

I swallowed, and looked up past them, at the wall, trying to focus on the way the grain moved, how many notches or scratches were in the wood but failed.

"I could still hear a bit, though, and the door opened. I remember seeing the face of the man who gave me food, then being carried away.

"There was glass breaking," I continued, "And the food man and I were falling. I think he was running after that, and there was this popping noise everywhere. And then it was cold, and quiet."

I went silent for a minute, shuffling my feet. Was I always barefooted?

"Is that all you remember?" Shanks finally asked.

I nodded.

"You're a tough girl for allat, Spooky." He said, starting to stand. His knees cracked and he winced before stretching to his full height.

I wasn't sure how to feel now. It felt good, talking and having someone listen, but I couldn't help but feel this pit in my stomach telling me I'd made a mistake.

Shanks's head jerked to the door. "Some shithead's yelling, take care of her, Hongo, I'll be back later."

Hongo was quick to shut the door behind him.

"Are you alright?" he questions, pulling gloves on and grabbing a few things before stepping in front of me again.

"I think so," I say, watching him set down what he was carrying beside me.

"Are you alright with me touching you right now? I'd really like to get your back cleaned up before I let you rest."

I just nod, and turn away.

"Alright- this might hurt quite a bit."

His gentle touch was soothing until he pressed something wet and cold to my tender skin. I wanted to scream and pull away, but I felt frozen, and all that would leave my lips was a choked sob.

"You're doing great, girlie," Hongo grunted.

With every press of that damned cold thing, it felt as though something was tearing the muscle from my spine. I dug my fingernails into the wood beneath me, trying to do anything to find some relief.

After what felt like hours, my back was bandaged and the pain had lessened to a dull ache.

"You did great, girlie, I think some of the men I treat should take notes." Hongo pulled his gloves off before chucking them somewhere. "How about I get you some food?"

"I'd love to punch you in the jaw." I grumbled, shifting to face towards the door.

He barked out a laugh at that. "Sorry, but you don't want me treating broken bones too. Your scrawny ass is in no state to be threatening anyone."

--------

I'm almost asleep, laying on my stomach when he comes back with a steaming bowl.

"Hope you like stew, girlie. Think you can sit up and feed yourself?"

I groan, and try to push myself up with shaking hands. Hongo sets the bowl down and watches me flounder for a bit before helping me.

I feel weak and foolish, like a child, as he hand-feeds me bite by bite. Purposefully not meeting his eyes, I focus on each spoonful, watching it move from the bowl to me.

I couldn't taste much of it, and I was full after only a few bites. Hongo didn't seem particularly concerned, and handed me a piece of bread.

"Chew that up, girlie, it'll absorb the acid in your stomach if it doesn't like the food."

I had no idea what he meant, but I did as I was told.

After I'd chewed the bread and swallowed something that Hongo said would ease pain and make me tired, I was tucked into the softest bed I'd ever felt. After hearing Hongo say he'd stay and watch over me, I completely knocked out, gripping a pillow tightly.

[senualothbrok]

Hi friend!

I'm bored at work too!

Few questions for you (answer whichever ones you want)

What made you start playing BG3?

What is your favourite ever piece of fanfic? (doesn't have to be BG3, mine is a Sherlock one from like a million years ago)

What is your favourite colour?

What are your top 3 favourite films?

MY FRIEND THANK YOU FOR THESE AMAZING QUESTIONS <3 <3 <3 <3

What made you start playing BG3?

My hubby actually played it first and told me that I would love it. I had two start stop attempts to get into it but got flummoxed by the DnD combat mechanics and how to actually play the game (LMAO a true noob). But once I got into it, and realised it was very much in the vein of Dragon Age/Mass Effect/The Witcher 3, I became absolutely obsessed. And now I've lost my life to Gale Dekarios. It's hilarious because I now know a ridiculous amount of minutiae about the game and am on my fourth playthrough, and my husband doesn't even remember Mystra's name.

2. What is your favourite ever piece of fanfic? (doesn't have to be BG3, mine is a Sherlock one from like a million years ago)

I know this is awful for a writer but I don't read much - both because of some fatigue/focus issues but also because for a while I really struggled with toxic comparison. When I read other fics, I found that it made me really self-loathing and would really adversely affect my own creativity. I do feel guilty about this and I know there is some amazing stuff out there - sorry to all my fellow writers, I'm working on it.

An absolutely phenomenal fic I was reading before I stopped is @bludazey's Hellish Rebuke . It's an Ascended Astarion x OC fic, and the writing is exceptional.

I also love all of @tumbleweed-run's smut. She inspired me to start writing smut of my own!

I am also going to give a big shout out to my bestie @practicallydeadinside-blog and her epic God!Gale saga Ambition's Folly. I love her OCs, the relationship dynamics between all the characters, how she writes comfort, and the tragedy of God!Gale generally. Her writing just keeps getting better and better, and I am incredibly proud to call her a friend.

3. What is your favourite colour?

Turquoise.

4. What are your top 3 favourite films?

Arrival, Annihilation and Ex Machina. I watch these films again and again and never get bored of them.

@sorceresssundries I'd be interested in your answers to these questions as well! <3

[plisuu]

Fanfic Writer Questions

Thanks for the tag @the-rebel-archivist! I think I might have been tagged by someone else a while ago but??? sorry ahahha

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

12! But two of those are art and one of them is the abandoned version of my long fic. I... don't post much ahahaha

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

71k

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Dragon Age :)

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

In Flame Forged Anew - my long fic! DA: I, Cullen/m!Trev except not really because it's insanely slow burn. Deals with a lot of guilt and also tranquility. ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ What You Want - My oldest work (barring my abandoned long-fic). Pavelyan, from when Connor used to be a Dorianmance. A lil confession one-shot. ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ Battle of Attrition - Dead-dove whump for whumptober. Red Templars and torture ahoy! ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ The Healer's Hands - Solas/Blackwall gay awakening and pining, ft. a little bit of hurt/comfort ㅤㅤ ㅤ ㅤ On Broken Wings We Fly - A lil friendship fic I wrote for @rosella-writes of their Lavellan's interactions with my Inquisitor and the start of their strange friendship.

5. Do you respond to comments?

I try! I also forget and get so caught up trying to write "meaningful replies" that I tend to fall behind on them ahaha

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Hhhh well it hasn't ended, but probably Battle of Attrition (since it's all just whump) or Never Say Die, a tiny thing about some of the OCxOC lead-up to the Conclave.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Most of my writing is pretty bittersweet at best, but probably Shrike, a lil Cullen PoV fic about his and Connor's relationship.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I have in the past.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Only privately, and of the heavily character focused kink variety. Trust and emotional vulnerability through physical intimacy my beloved.

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Not off the top of my head, no.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I'm aware, but I mostly write OCs so probably not lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nopeee

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

No, it seems difficult?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

... All time? Axel x Saix, probably ahahaha for Dragon Age though I'd say my favorite romance is Iron Bull's.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

I have yet to finish anything ever soooo

16. What are your writing strengths?

Banter and character voice! The transcript project mostly means I've heard and read so much character dialogue that their voices are ingrained in my skull. I'm also told that I'm pretty good at grounding things in physical sensation.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

I've always really struggled with head-hopping and under-explaining, I think.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I've never needed to, but it depends on the fic/language. If it's something the reader would already be familiar with like or a word or phrase, I'd write it in the language, but for longer lines or a full conversation, I would either summarize for the reader or write the conversation in italicized English.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto!

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Definitely my long fic, I'm very proud of it, but I love all my writing! I write very specifically to my own tastes ahahah Though my whump fic has been so indulgent it's definitely near the top.

tagging: @rosella-writes, @inquisimer, @dreadfutures, @broodsys, @blarrghe, and anyone else who wants to join! Question template under the cut :)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What's your all time favorite ship?

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you've written?