#I don't really like the look of the great mace in this game

[death-rebirth-senshi]

Not to gush about my own characters again but I so adore the juxtaposition of the brutal look of the great stars as a weapon and the golden Erdtree armor. Poetic.

And patches is there because this was my first playthrough and I wasn't sure if I should join Volcano Manor immediately. Kind of unfortunate that you miss this encounter with him if you go to Volcano Manor immediately upon reaching Altus Plateau.

[the-punforgiven]

All My Tarnished In Elden Ring

2 of you said do it so I'm doing it lmao

My first character is Ari, they were my very first character and are currently my "main" character. They started out as a raw Strength Claymore-only build and just kinda stayed that way until after I'd beaten the final boss. My original intent was to have them do the rad Carian Sword stuff as a sort of spellsword/battlemage thing, and while they can do that now, I just kinda waited a little too long to spec them into INT so now they're just a friendly summon who's a tanky sword-wielding sword mage who can deal a casual 7453 damage with Carian Grandeur under the right circumstances (As for weapons since they're my Main character I've got a bunch of random shit I've leveled for hyper specific situations, but Claymore is still, as always, Old Reliable for them)

My second character is one named Bryndegaard, she's a VERY heavy Strength/Faith build that I like, accidentally made good lmao Turns out guard counters with the Great Mace do a lot of stance damage Her shield doesn't have an Ash of War on it, and her mace has Prayerful Strike, so even if someone does manage to hit her through it, her vigor is so good and Prayerful Strike is so strong that the damage is usually pretty negligible. She's my tank/healer build first and foremost, but I also have the Envoy's Longhorn levelled up for her just in case I need to absolutely decimate a large boss like Placidusax or Astel. The Longhorn also worked surprisingly well against Elden Beast, as turns out its 80% Holy Damage negation doesn't mean much if you output too much damage for it to matter

My third character's named Edge, Lord He was supposed to be my Spooky Scary Death Mage but tbh I haven't touched him in a while so right now he's just a really unoptimized scythe guy with like, Rancorcall and that's it. I tried to make him look like a black metal musician and I think I did really well, but he also looks so angy it's really funny to me fhdjksahfkxz

Fourth character is Vlad, he's my funny little Dracula Boy. He's not very good but I love him nonetheless. He's built around claws, bleed, and Lifesteal Fist, which I'm very glad was recently buffed because man, this guy was not great to play before that lmao Also I love how tiny his head looks with that cape it's really funny to me

5th character is Guano Gobbler. Very original. Do Not Steal. Idk man I wanted to get the Dung Eater ending at least once, and idk I didn't want to get it on anyone else. I did use the Dung Eater's facial presets for him, I just thought it'd be funny to make him bald too

6th character is the lovely Cap'n Rumguzzler. My entire thought process behind him was 'want pirate' and then I made one. I have no idea what build I was gonna make with him and as a result he fucking sucks but I love him anyway. He also has a cannon hidden in his back pocket or something (I am aware what his name is one letter away from, that just straight-up did not occur to me at all when I was first naming him)

7th character is my Gravity Boy, I don't like his name so you don't get to know it. I've decided he's not going to progress past Maliketh because I still want at least one character I can co-op with in Leyndel. He's exactly what he says on the tin, he's got a Zweihander with Waves of Darkness and he's got a bunch of gravity spells. Not much else to say tbh aside from that I really like how the purple of the gravity magic goes with his All Black Everything look tbh. It's just very aesthetically pleasing to me

8th character is The Legend Herself, 4PattyCheeseBurg. She's built with the express purpose of having the highest possible health achievable in game. Her first 85 levels were all in Vigor (She started out with 14). She only uses the Star Fist. Red Sun gets stuck in my head every time I play her. She's somehow the strongest character I've ever had for Colosseum battles. I've made people just straight-up avoid her completely for entire matches. Demigods fall before her. The earth itself shatters at her victories. She's so fun to play I love her

Her health bar looks like this btw.

9th character is, regrettably, RudolphReindeer. My friend wanted to do a funny holiday-themed run and he'd already claimed Santa, so this is the best I could come up with. You don't get to see his face up close because I hate it

10th is my sleep build, Eurythmics (Because, y'know, Sweet Dreams) idk what else to say about them aside from that they're here, they do sleep, I don't know what to do for their fashion, and they're Not Very Good

11th character is just this one, I've named her Sellsword because idk what else to do with her She's a Quality/Quality-Mage build and I just kinda use her for testing out all sorts of wacky shit trying to wrangle huge damage and big AoE's (Fun Fact: Hoarah Loux's Earthshaker is buffed by the Highland Axe, and the buff stacks if you have a second one, but for some reason it is not buffed by the Roar Talisman) I like making her dual wield stuff also

and the 12th (last) character is this one, She's a Quality build with a bit of arcane. With her I typically use either the Claymore, Marais Sword, or Eleonora's twinblade, and the Dragon Communion Seal in her off hand. Her damage is surprisingly good for me barely playing up her bleed potential, and for some reason she tends to get summoned by randos way more than my other builds, couldn't possibly imagine why She's in the Hoslow set here, but sometimes I switch it up and put her in the Briar armor (With the Vagabond legs/arms) instead. idk just kinda depends on mood but I think the Hoslow chest's red bits compliment her eyes idk

And that's it, that's all of them minus a few I started, got like 5 feet from Limgrave, and haven't touched since

Elden Ring 10/10 game, absolutely consumed my life 👍

[optiwashere]

Moar Asheera image 👉👈?

🥺

Well, I decided to start a very fast Asheera run through with some mods. Basically "play this game in the easiest possible way so I can focus entirely on Asheera's feelings about the companions' reactions and motivations" for some writerly inspiration. Plus, I've been feeling the need to re-experience everything and get some Act 1 and 2 screenshots/saves.

I know there's some nasty quest item related bugs right now, but I completely avoided any sort of bugs in my first playthrough so fingers crossed!

Anyways, where was I? Ah yes.

Nautiloid business. Freed Shadowheart. Woke up on the beach, etc.

I'm trying to focus on roleplaying Asheera here, and she was definitely tempted to look at the artefact but this Shadowheart - what a strange name, Asheera would think - knew a fair bit on the nautiloid. So, awake she goes. They naturally decided to group up for safety in numbers. Shadowheart's cagey about a lot of things, but now's not the time to think about it.

Next, the pair had a run-in with a few intellect devourers, but they were no problem. A few sword slashes and mace hits and they were good as dead.

Also, this is where I mention that I cheated in a bunch of gear because I really don't want to interact with anything but the companions, a few NPCs (like Rolan) and the main quest. I plan on doing this run in a few big sessions over a weekend or two!

When it comes to Gale, Asheera's first impression is that he's a strange, strange man. She thinks he needs to just get to the point sometimes. She of course said #2 here. (Again, pay no mind to the get up lmao)

But a wizard is a fine companion on a dangerous journey, even if he's a bit odd. Then again, aren't all wizards?

Up next, they had a little run-in with the warrior from the nautiloid. How curious, she's all stranded up in this cage? It's no matter, Asheera convinces a pair of tieflings to go away so that she can talk to this woman again. She's even more knowledgeable about the mind flayers than Gale or Shadowheart it seems.

Asheera is naturally convinced of a cure and committed to finding one, which immediately makes Lae'zel warm up to her. Even just a little. (Side note: I hate Lae'zel's new dismissal to camp dialogue. Why is she soft right away?)

Side note pt. deux: Shadowheart is starting to regret trusting Asheera after this whole... let Lae'zel out thing. She says she trusts Asheera, but I think at this point she's starting to reassess things.

The group follows the tieflings' directions to the camp they called out only to find a band of adventurers being attacked by goblinoids. They call out a war cry to "the Absolute," whatever that is. After they're dispatched, the party meets another friendly tadpoled face.

Wyll is familiar to Asheera because of his moniker, and it's nice to put a face to the name. It's also a bit odd to find out someone she considers a real Hero is a fair bit younger than her. He's teaching a young tiefling how to distract someone in a fight long enough to run away, and Asheera thinks that it's A) super wholesome and B) clever to focus on the child's ability to confuse and confound if things ever got to be that bad.

Also, Asheera is beginning to see all these refugees and after talking to them she realizes they're likely from Elturel. As a Baldurian, she should be a bit frazzled by them. Some part of her probably is a bit annoyed to be helping people from what is essentially the rival school equivalent. But seeing children potentially in danger tempers that a fair bit.

Side note: Asheera laughed at this line from Shadowheart (there's a couple very fun, jokey lines Asheera says this early on for sure)

Asheera decides it's time to talk to the leaders of this place, and she gets wrapped in a whole thing with some girl named Arabella (side note: seeing her with her parents again legit almost made me cry)

I think this is a great time to talk about the fact that I'm using an Approval Dialogue mod. I want to see options when they conflict with companions' approvals and what the weighting implies. This won't always work since I'm going with my "canon" paths for everyone again, but it's something that I want to be able to see and think about from time to time.

This one where you talk to Kagha comes up after you can persuade her to let Arabella go (+1 to a bunch of approvals, but for right now I want to focus on Shadowheart for obvious reasons)

She has nothing to say about 1 or 3, but she gets a huge boost from 2. That's definitely the Sharran in her speaking through, but I do think part of it is her current mindset of pure survival instinct. If it was strictly "I'm a big evil Sharran" rather than whatever fucked up cocktail her brain is at this moment in the game, I think she would have some disapproval for 1 and IMO she might even enjoy 3 a little bit. But she doesn't necessarily mind 1 in particular, which is what Asheera says. It's a bit surprising to Asheera that Shadowheart doesn't have a comment on that. Worth noting for our half-orc.

She gets her hand pain here for the first time, but when Asheera asks about it the topic is stonewalled pretty quickly. Same with Shadowheart recognizing Dark Justiciars in one of the druids' wall murals. Fair enough. Asheera's a fair bit suspicious at this point, but they've got a unified goal and a paladin can cross that bridge when she comes to it.

Oh, and I got the wolf saving throw here which I didn't expect her to fail! It was fun having Asheera and Shadowheart talk about that so quickly. They're still a bit wary of each other, it's after all only the first (second?) day that they've even known each other. I think that Asheera would hear someone ask for comfort in a deep-seated fear and she would offer the simplest thing she can: protection. Shadowheart likely just sees it as a simple kindness given the way she words this, but I think it's very telling that just being... barely nice to her warms her to Asheera so quickly.

This is where Shadowheart's internal calculus shifts back to trusting Asheera again. Maybe she's a bit foolish about trusting Lae'zel, but there are worse people to have as a de facto leader in a situation like this.

(Also, I caught Asheera blinking lmao)

Summed up, Asheera's thoughts so far...

If this ceremorphosis is so deadly and swift, why are they all still alive?

The refugees need her help, and she's going to drag half this party into helping them if she has to.

Helping Elturians is not what she expected to be doing, but she also didn't expect to have a tadpole crammed in her brain so. You know.

Shadowheart is curious, secretive, and more than a little untrustworthy. She also approves of helping out the refugee children and seems a bit surprised to be offered basic kindness. So there's definitely more to her than the cold exterior shows, but Asheera can't quite figure it out yet. It could all be a façade. Asheera also has a thing for elven women with a little bite and wit.

Gale is an odd man with useful talents. He's been all right so far, being it's barely been a few hours, but of course a wizard would know to hide any ulterior motives right away. Asheera's suspicious of him and his kind demeanor.

Wyll and Lae'zel are the two that Asheera finds refreshing because it's clear what they want. Wyll wants to kill some devil, and Lae'zel is blunt about curing the parasite and going back to her people. They're easier than Gale and Shadowheart, even if Asheera is very lukewarm about Lae'zel. Wyll's a legend though, so she's just hoping this isn't a "don't meet your heroes" type situation.

Anyways, it was late when I decided to do this and I have other plans for the night. Next time, meeting Karlach and vampire boy and who knows what other fun moments! Toodles.

[imaginarylungfish]

nothing is good or bad (or how i realized god still lives in my brain)

I grew up pretty Catholic. I don't know if my experience was extreme or not by others' standards, but to me, it felt pretty all-encompassing. My sister, mom, and I went to church every Sunday and prayed every day. I whole-heartedly believed I was born sinful, Jesus sacrificed his life for an unworthy lowlife like me, and I would go to Hell if I didn't behave in accordance with the Catholic teachings.

Looking back, it's all so absurd. How is there an imaginary man in the sky looking down at me and punishing me for being born? How did a man who lived thousands of years ago die on a cross and magically wash away the fact that I lied one day in 3rd grade? How is there a creature with horns tempting me to commit sins and lure me to a magically place with eternal fire? Like what?

It's funny because the thing that made me start to stop believing in "God" was sort of up to semantics. When my great grandpa was dying from cancer while I was in middle school, I had this prayer card from the Catholic store that said if I prayed it for 11 days straight, anything I prayed for would be granted by God. I, of course, didn't want my great grandpa to die, so I religiously prayed for those 11 days. A month later he died. I was crushed. I genuinely thought I could save him. I asked my mom why my prayers didn't work. She said it was because it wasn't God's Will. That broke my brain. What's the point of praying for something if this guy can just flip the script because that's just how he wants it? How was that fair?

Throughout high school, I still went through the motions of being Catholic (and even was confirmed), but I was skeptical. It wasn't until college that I cut ties with Catholicism and their "God" entirely.

It's been almost a decade since I've first questioned "God," yet I still have him in my brain. I thought by now, in 2023, his hold on me was gone entirely. But a conversation with my (now ex) partner nearly 6 months ago made it clear that isn't the case.

I was having trouble wrapping my mind around the fact that what I thought to be the "best" in a situation was not objective. As in, it is no better to play video games all day than to go outside on a hike. Or delving deep into yourself and healing your traumas is really no better than just letting them be. It just depends on what you value and what you need in that moment. "There is no good or bad," my partner said, "it just is."

Yes, living is just living. Good and bad mean nothing other than what an individual person thinks. This made sense in my brain, but it didn't feel like a fully solidified understanding to me. I know I still unintentionally and unnecessarily assign morality to things based on my Catholic upbringing. Sex is bad. Tattoos are bad. Eating past when you're full is bad. Not being productive is bad. But why? By whose standards? Mine or the "God" that still lives in my brain?

After this conversation, I Googled some (secular) articles to analyze my thought processes. I knew I needed to expand my perspective if I wanted to integrate this new idea of neutrality into my way of thinking.

I came across a few articles written by William L. Mace Ph.D. on Psychology Today. The first was called "There is Nothing Either Good or Bad But Thinking Makes It So." In this article, Mace was asserting that everyone believes their way of thinking is the best, but it's not. It's just a way of thinking.

He talks about how people tend to gather evidence for our own way of thinking. When people don't align with our values, "we can always console ourselves [by saying], 'I may have lost to that deceitful so-and-so, but at least I came out ahead by holding to a higher ethical standard.'"

While reading this, I couldn't help but find my own self being reflected back to me. When I interact with someone who does something that doesn't make sense with my worldview, my knee-jerk reaction is to dismiss them. I rationalize to myself that they must just be morally inferior, right? I've done more self-work than them and they must just be ignorant. But on further reflection, isn't that just my ego trying to assert itself? Isn't that just the Catholic judgement I received as a child being spit back out as my own thoughts? There is no good or bad, no superior or inferior--things just are.

But realizing that is groundless. It's scary. I think, as humans, we want retribution for wrongdoing and reward for righteousness. We want punishment for sin and exaltation for virtue. (Hmm, sounds like a good basis to start a religion...) But that's just not reality.

In another article by Mace called "The Difficulty of Accepting Reality" he talks about how cognitive dissonance plays a role in our everyday lives. When we run into something (a person, a situation, etc.) that doesn't align with our beliefs, we have a choice to disregard the facts, re-adjust our own thinking, or blame something else entirely.

For example, when you're watching a movie that's hard to follow, you do your best to piece together the plot with the clues given and come up with your own interpretation of what's going on. In the end when everything is revealed, if you realize you were wrong, you can either dig in and assert you are actually right, admit you were wrong and re-adjust to the new reality, or blame the screenwriters for not making it clear enough. And there is no right answer. It's just your choice.

I was given these choices when I first broke away from Catholicism as well. After being exposed to more secular life, I realized there were some things that did not fit with my worldview of believing in God and following Catholic beliefs. I chose to re-adjust my views instead of insisting God is real. (This did not, by any means, happen overnight--it was a multi-year process of letting go and trusting my own beliefs over the arbitrary rules of the Catholic Church. Plus, it's an ongoing process.) Coming to terms with the idea that God does not exist is viewed as a lack of faith by believers and therefore I am labeled as "bad." But in my view, I am good. I escaped.

So, does that make those who still believe in God wrong? Is anyone right? My ego wants to think so, but I guess no one wins because there are no winners and losers. It's just life.

I am coming to my own conclusion that there is no better belief or way of thinking. Sure, there are codes of ethics enacted by societies. But those aren't facts. They're just collective agreements of conduct. Nothing is inherently better than anything else. Not everyone will think this way and that feels more okay to me than earlier in my life. I feel like through learning that nothing is superior or inferior, I can start chipping away at those old, deeply held beliefs from Catholicism in my mind. I, personally, don't want them there. I don't want a "God" living in my head anymore. I want more of me and my thoughts that I've cultivated through my own work, not some scripture shoved down my throat when I was 5.

Before wrapping this up, I do want to say, yes, for me, real damage was done by growing up in the Catholic Church. However, I don't blame my parents or guardians for raising me as Catholic. Nor do I think Catholicism is all-out bad (we literally spent an entire post on trying to eradicate that black-and-white type of thinking). I believe this runs deeper than mere individual fault. I know my parents thought being raised Catholic would be good for me and my sister. Even though I didn't ask for any of these negative consequences of my upbringing, here they are, and I want to do something about them, so I am not controlled by them any longer.

I want to internalize the belief that life is just life. Things are just things. There is no good or bad, no superior or inferior. There isn't much rhyme or reason to the events in my life or anyone else's. I am the one who can assign meaning to things. I don't want to follow an external set of rules, much less ones made by institutions that feed off of shame, fear, and ignorance.

If you agree or disagree or just want to see where this takes me, stick around. Thank you for your curiosity about my inner thoughts and reading this far.

-L

resources that have helped me process my Catholic trauma:

Leaving the Fold by Marlene Winell: this really opened my eyes to the distorted reality the Catholic Church puts forth as "truth"

Ex-Catholic Subreddit: it's reddit, so keep your expectations low. but there are some solid posts on there that help me remember it's okay that i'm still struggling and i am not alone. plus, the "sheep no more" motto makes me smile.

We're Having Gay Sex podcast: this has helped me learn sex and pleasure, especially queer sex and pleasure, is not wrong and is okay to talk about

Queer Sex Therapy: this has also helped me normalize queer sex and queer joy

exvangelical and non-religious friends: honestly, just talking with others who have been through the same shit as you have or see how ludicrous what you learned as a child was is super affirming

[lasatfat]

dadwc prompt list/info

general info:

I'm most familiar with the Inquisition roster, and I've played Origins enough to get a handle on those guys, I think. DA2, I haven't played as much. I'd avoid Awakenings and Absolution for now, because I haven't got around to them yet.

Please specify the prompt list you're using, if you can, so I can link back to it. Don't worry if you can't.

I'll be reposting stuff to AO3 by default, but if you'd rather I didn't repost for your prompt, I will absolutely respect that.

OT3/poly prompts are welcome, cracky ships are welcome, rarepairs are welcome. "LI swaps" are welcome (e.g. my Surana romances Alistair in my game, but you can request her with Morrigan, for example. Or a non-romanceable character. Anything you like). Nothing really grim, though, please.

If you send me prompts for platonic interactions, I will love you forever. I will give you a little digital kiss/hug/handshake/high five/wave.

If you send me something that I have a real mental block against for some reason, I will let you know and you can send in another prompt, if you want to.

If I combine prompts, I'll post one with a screenshot of the other(s), and privately answer the other ask(s) to link you up.

prompt fills

Blood of the Lion || Blood of the Crow || Two Hands Longing (For Each Other's Warmth) || Tempting Fate || An Unfriendly Wager || Shadows and Tall Trees || Sanctuary || Easy Like a Sunday Morning || Scathefire || A Rose Upon a Thorn || Let Me Walk (Before They Make Me Run) || Risk My Hands to Pick Up Shards || Fair Game || Safe Under Cover || The Beginning of All Things || The Safest Place to Hide (NSFW) || You Will Find Him Next to Me || Don't Look Back Into the Sun || The Nug King's Prize

prompt lists

I have a whole tag for story prompts and ask games HERE; this is just a selection of various types and topics. Again, please include the name of the list if you can, but don't panic if you're on mobile or just forget.

dragon age artefacts

unusual words and Raleigh's lost words

adventuring party dialogue pt. 2

50 wordless ways to say "I love you"

touches ask game and romance of hands and touch

smut prompts and dirty talk

platonic sentence starters

fluffy sentence starters

hurt/comfort dialogue prompts #1

angsty sentence starters

two-part drabble game

my ocs

canon protagonists:

Eireann Surana, Hero of Ferelden - City elf mage, arcane warrior and spirit healer, wielder of Spellweaver. Mother of Farah. Radically kind, values honesty, wishes she didn't have to keep so many secrets. A good tactician. (she/her, bisexual)

Rian Hawke, Champion of Kirkwall - Human hedge mage, force mage. On the diplomatic side of sassy, or the sassy side of diplomatic, depending on your view, but always aims for compassion. (they/them, pansexual)

Gideon Lavellan, Herald of Andraste - Dalish storm mage, Knight-Enchanter. Twin brother of Athim, brother of Aisling. Cunning, and good-hearted, a great believer in uplifting the downtrodden. His title is a burden, but he tries to use his power for good. (he/him, gay)

my other characters (I made characters to try out most of the Inquisition romances, and ended up shoving them all into my canon for funsies):

Athim Lavellan - Dalish mace-and-shield reaver. Twin sister of Gideon, sister of Aisling. Honest and inventive, good with problem-solving. Shares her brother's dry humour. (she/her, bisexual with a preference for men)

Kali Lavellan - Dalish dual-dagger tempest, sketches anything and everything. Perpetually anxious, and hides it well until she doesn't. Always goes the extra mile. (she/her, bisexual)

Sigyn, the Lady Archer - City elf mage of the Kirkwall Circle, escaped at the age of fifteen. Mother of Camile. Isn't used to being around people. Angered by injustice, will always protect those in need, but still building her social confidence. (she/her, grey-ace)

Farid Adaar - Tal-Vashoth mage, shapeshifter. Level-headed and kind-hearted, until a game board or cards come out. A friend to all living things. (he/him, aroace)

Basvaarad Adaar - Tal-Vashoth rift mage, freed saarebas. Says little, and chooses his words carefully. Painfully shy, but loves deeply and well. (he/him, they/them, bisexual)

Nanna Adaar - Half-dwarf Vashoth, two-handed warrior, non-verbal. Brash and hot-tempered, but easily mollified. A lover of all physical contests. (she/her, lesbian)

Torunn Adaar - Vashoth archer and midwife. In-game she's an artificer, but in my heart she's a bard. Emotionally intelligent and always eager to learn new things. (she/her, bisexual greyromantic)

Farah Surana - daughter of Eireann Surana and Alistair Theirin. Gregarious and inquisitive, she could make a friend in an empty room. (she/her)

Camile - adopted daughter of Sigyn. Shy and quiet, but always eager to help. (she/her)

Aisling Lavellan - baby sister of Gideon and Athim Lavellan. She's brought to Skyhold to live with them after their parents are killed in the fighting in Wycome. Still finding her feet, but curious about everything. (she/her)

my 'ships

As I said, I'm up for trying most any ships, but these are all the ones I have in my verses:

oc/canon:

Gideon Lavellan/Dorian Pavus

Eireann Surana/Alistair Theirin

Eireann/Alistair/Kali/Cullen

Kali Lavellan/Cullen Rutherford

Rian Hawke/Anders

Rian Hawke/Varric Tethras

Athim Lavellan/Solas

Rian/Athim/Varric

Sigyn/Blackwall

Basvaarad Adaar/the Iron Bull

Nanna Adaar/Sera

Torunn Adaar/Raleigh Samson (quasiplatonic)

Torunn Adaar/Cullen Rutherford (Lion and the Hind AU)

Kali Lavellan/the Iron Bull (FwB)

Gideon Lavellan/the Iron Bull (FwB)

canon/canon:

Carver Hawke/Merrill Sabrae

Cole/Krem Aclassi

Fenris/Isabela/optional Zevran Arainai

Josephine Montilyet/Leliana

Raleigh Samson/Ser Thrask/Ambra

probably more I can't remember right now

[novelmonger]

Okay, 7 from the Star Wars Universe:

Bant Eerin

Mace Windu

Siri Tachi

Lando Calrissian

Mara Jade

Wedge Antilles

Admiral Ackbar

From this ask game

Oh dear, I only know Mara Jade from hearsay/fandom osmosis, and don't really have much grasp on Wedge or Ackbar's personality - I haven't read much of the EU, especially not post-OT ^^' But I'll do my best!

Go grocery shopping with - I really don't know why, but somehow I wanna go with Mara Jade for this one? Maybe just because it would be interesting to see what kind of groceries someone from the galaxy far, far away would go for? Depending on when in the timeline I'd catch her, maybe she'd even bring her son along to ride in the cart, which would be fun. And depending on who's picking up whom, maybe I'd catch a glimpse of Luke.

Have lunch with - Lando is a great conversationalist and likes to talk, so he'd probably keep the conversation going pretty well over lunch, and if I felt awkward (which I probably would at some point), at least I'd have something to do. The only catch is that I'd probably be wondering the whole time if he was going to betray me to the Empire at some point :P I'd also have to make it very very clear that this is not a date.

Have coffee with - I think it would be really interesting to have a little chat with Wedge, find out more about what sort of person he is, hear some cool stories about his time in the Rebellion, and so forth. Maybe I could frame it as an interview, so I could always fall back on pre-determined questions in case the conversation started to flag.

Go thrift shopping with - I don't really like thrift shopping (unless it's thrift books), because I can never find anything that's in my size and not also the most hideous thing you've ever seen in your life, so it would be really good to go with someone friendly who has a calming presence to counteract my growing irritation and grumpiness. Bant fits that description perfectly, and it would also be really interesting to see what sort of clothes a Mon Calamari would go for.

Explore a museum/art gallery/aquarium with - Okay, because it said "aquarium," I immediately thought of Admiral Ackbar XD It would be kind of fun to go to an aquarium with someone of an aquatic species who could probably give some interesting insight into life under the sea. Maybe he could even, like...talk to the whales or something :P

Go the library/bookstore with - I think Siri would be fun for this! She would probably be very focused and driven, knowing exactly what she's looking for, but once we warm up to each other, I think we could have fun laughing over some of the dumber titles we came across.

Have as a plus-one at a wedding - Mace Windu. Okay, first of all, he wouldn't be my plus-one, I would be his plus-one, because the only way this would be happening would be if he asked me. I would be scared stiff at first, but eventually he'd put me at my ease. He has that effect on people. I also like to think that he's not bad at dancing, and if anyone could convince me to go out on the dance floor, it would be Mace Windu. I would be like a duck waddling around a sleek tiger, but still. You can't say no when Mace Windu tells you to do something. Especially if you're not even a Jedi.

[incorrectgallaghergirlsquotes]

Can I make request on a story about what macey said on the epilogue about the goats and zach parachute on an active volcano tysm tysm ♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

Alright here's the first of the trifecta: Macey POV

Macey had been a lot of lonely places before the Gallagher Academy. And out of all the exclusive places she had been allowed inside of, being part of Cammie, Bex, and Liz's friend group was the best. No parties with diplomats or foreign palaces came close. Being in on all their jokes was like having the family she always wanted. Plus, Macey couldn’t imagine having to decipher the rumor mill when things picked up junior and senior year. Being part of Cammie’s missions was the best, and only, way to know the truth. It was part of why it was so hard when Cammie ran away.

Yes, Macey had been a lot of lonely places, but she’s never been on the outside of her friends lives.

Graduation changed that. Going into the field changed that. For the first time since Cammie’s disappearing act all anyone ‘knew’ about Cammie’s missions were rumors. Macey hadn’t realized how accustom she had gotten to not relying sources like Tina Walters for information on her best friends.

To put it bluntly, it sucked.

Information still made its way through the channels, but just because it was highly trained operatives playing telephone didn’t make it less of a game of telephone. And who would Macey be if she didn’t try to get to the bottom of the rumors. And it helped to have the best sources.

"Hey, Mace," a voice greeted.

Macey almost dropped everything she was holding as she looked up excitedly. "Abby!"

The older woman smiled at her. "Glad I caught you. You're heading back to Gallagher next week aren't you?"

Macey nodded. "Are you not?" she asked, not liking the implication.

"I should be, but you'll probably beat me there," she replied. "I'm glad I got to see you before hand, though. It's been so long."

"Definitely. Have you seen Cammie?"

Abby shook her head. "Not since before Istanbul." Macey cocked her head to the side, brow furrowing in confusion. "You heard about Istanbul, right? Cammie and Zach's last assignment." When the younger girl shook her head Abby's eyes got wide like she was excited to get to share the news. "Oh my god, wait until you hear about it. What are you doing right now? Let's walk." And just like that, Abby linked her arm through Macey's like they were old friends rather than her former charge. It's why Macey liked her so much, Abby was one of few adults who didn't talk down to her.

"Okay, so, you didn't hear this from me, but it was really just supposed to be a routine op, but,"

"But nothing is ever routine with those two." Macey filled in.

"You know, I don't think it helps that they report to Edward," Abby said. "They live to torment him. Zach especially."

"I'm sure that's been great bonding for you and Zach. Comparing notes."

Abby wiggled her eyebrows in a knowing way, earning her a giggle from Macey. "But really it was a weapons thing- or was it drugs- either way it was going really well until someone stuck their nose in where it didn't belong. Luckily Cammie and Zach are both quick on their feet and the goats were right there-,"

"I'm sorry, did you say goats?" Macey stopped.

"Yes! Goats make for a great diversion. Matt and I pulled off a mission once that was only saved by his ranch experience and two very temperamental goats," Abby recounted, excitedly. "But that doesn't hold a candle to what these two did."

Macey raised an eyebrow expectantly, earning another grin from Abby. "Six car pile up, managed to stall for two hours and forty six minutes, which was more than enough time for Zach to get in, out, and back without anyone noticing.”

Macey nearly stopped short. “You said Zach got in and out? So the one who did everything with the goats was Cammie?”

Abby nodded. “She really is her fathers daughter.”

“What?” Macey asked incredulously. “How?”

Abby laughed. “You’ll really have to ask her. And while you’re at it ask her about Zach parachuting onto that active volcano.”

“What?”

Abby grinned. “Oh, you’re gonna love this one.”

[fioras-resolve]

loop hero looks like an idle game with more steps

great style, but it lacked substance when I looked at it

it's more complicated than that! like it really is trying its best to be a deck-based roguelite where everything you as a player can do is indirect. i think that's a cool idea, i can get down with indirect influence, i've been playing a lot of plague inc recently. the issue is that unlike in a cookie clicker, every bonus i can give with each terrain card or piece of equipment feels so minor. i'm down with the idea of creating the environment around the character to influence what their run is. but i never feel like i'm doing much when i equip the mace of +7% counterattack chance, or creating a thicket which gives a 2% boost to attack speed. theoretically, in their totality, i can see the benefits of these boosts. but the outcomes of a battle, or of a run, never feel like the result of my choices.

it's sad, because i really like games about working with math. i like balatro, i like final fantasy xii, i like it when a game rewards me for making calculations, knowing how to optimize, understanding probability. but it doesn't feel like the game wants to bite on that. it shows me the numbers, and all it seems to do for me is show how little impact my choices have. even synergies, the beating heart of deckbuilders, never feel set in stone. and i understand that a lot of people like this game, a lot of people are just more into the idea of watching a battle go by. But I just don't have the brain for it, and I'm desperately trying to find the right strategy that will make this game make sense to me. i hope i succeed.

[draugsresurrection]

Draug's Resurrection 1.2.1

1.2.1 marks the addition of a whole new tab to the main menu, called Passives. It introduces a new way to upgrade your character, by Enhancing Spells/Skills along various basic attributes (MP Cost, Damage, Recharge Time, etc). In the original design for DR, every spell had five versions as you learned it, each with steadily improving stats. That's why the spell learning is broken into five sections like that. This addition harkens back to that idea, but makes it a bit more specialized and puts some player control into it.

Passive Abilities is also part of the earlier mentioned Passive tab, and gives characters boosts in more specific circumstances, like when surrounding an enemy, making Buff spells hit all allies but take much longer, or make an archer-type characters do more damage when performing their scarce few Direct attacks or while standing in the middle of the battlefield. About 70% of these Abilities have been completed right now, although they're naturally the less mechanically complex ones. Which generally means less interesting, too. They're all visible, just the ones that aren't done cost 99 Points to equip, of a maximum possible 50 or so.

The Passive tab also lets you see character's support status with each other (now called Unities), and now raises characters' elemental defenses as well.

Along with new upgrade routes comes more weapon types, also giving you a higher total maximum level. I was always dissatisfied that some mid-late Skills were created, some didn't actually end up on weapons themselves, and had to be Personal Skills (notably Rapier-oriented Clear Thrust and Lance-oriented Joust). First came Flamberges and Sarissas, then Chimes as a heavy physical Staff weapon (though they were Maces for a bit, until Macana came along and gave a decent non-Bash option for Maces), and the rest shortly fell into place.

Some of those new weapons have some of 25 new Spells and Skills added, many of which are focused on Terrain Effects, Movement Skills, and Enhancements. The existing Terrain Effects are now stored on the tile, rather than the caster, making them more versatile than before, and some fights now start with Terrain Effects already in place.

Minor, but probably really useful to everyone who isn't me. Pulling up the Battle Log can now also give you access to a nifty lil' reference of any active Ailments or the like currently active in the battle. It can expand to be bigger if it's a really convoluted battle.

The last big new thing is the ability to remove Draug from the party. Storywise, nothing changes, but it's great news if you didn't like the defensive-oriented playstyle Draug prefers, or just want to level your characters more evenly.

Actually, the really big last thing should be the end of the game crashing due to memory issues. I don't fully understand all of it, but older programs had a cap of how much Memory they could use, usually 1-2 GB. The cap has been editted to now be 4 GB. Why it was hitting 1GB at all is still a mystery to me, but considering a could run a random given game from ~2000 and it'll also hit 600+ MBs of RAM (despite their recommended requirements back in the day being about a tenth that), it's something about how modern PCs run… something. I dunno. I don't really get it. Regardless, issue should be fixed realistically forever.

It didn't amount to anything, but I would like to make a brief footnote here that I seriously played with the idea of doubling the resolution of Draug's Resurrection, but ultimately went against it. In part because a lot of things are hardcoded in a way that would make that not great, but mostly because it seems like certain resolutions simply cause the game to freeze, and it seems machine dependant. Disappointing, especially as boards looked way better when viewed further back, but the stability risk was just too great.

In more normal news, Alternate outfits have been expanded a fair bit over the year, with most characters having two alternates and their default. Since that's honestly probably the most interesting thing to look at, I'll end this post with a few characters, showing of all their outfits.

Download still available on itch.io.

[smhalltheurlsaretaken]

Hey! I recently rewatched the wrong jedi and I found it really interesting that Ahsoka said she doesn't trust herself. You seem really knowledgable in sw so maybe you know why she said that because she could have said something different. People seem to take that she leaves because she no longer sees being. jedi as being good anymore, but then why doesn't she say that. The word choice just doesn't match with other folks' take on it. I was just wondering heh, you don't have to respond.

Oooh, that's a very good question and I'm very flattered you asked. Other people have written tons of great stuff on it but I’ll give it a shot. This is my personal interpretation of what's going on in her head and as such is purely subjective and not so much an examination of what was intended by canon so much as what can be read into it.

I think her departure really boils down to identity, not to the Order's issues. In Rebels or in the Mandalorian, she never criticizes the Jedi as a whole, she still agrees with their philosophy on things like attachment, she still looks up to Yoda and Obi-Wan, and she actively encourages Ezra and Luke (and to an extent, Grogu) to be Jedi.

In S7, she does say she had lost faith in what the Order did, but it doesn’t feel like that’s why she left. It’s the argument she’s using because she’s pissed at Obi-Wan. She even says herself her arguments aren’t fair, and she immediately follows that by saying “until I was reminded of what the Order truly means to people who need us.” She gives tons of hints that she's thinking about coming back, but what's stopping her is that she hasn't fully found herself.

Ahsoka was raised as a Jedi. She lived her whole life respecting and looking up to the Council - even being close to Plo, Obi-Wan and Yoda, and at least on friendly terms with Kit. (In very early Clone Wars media like the 2009 Republic Heroes video game she's even a little awestruck by Mace, which I always loved, and in S6 Yoda's vision of a perfect world has her chatting amicably with him - she even gets Mace to laugh which breaks my heart for like 57 different reasons). 

The Jedi Order and the Council are impossible to dissociate from one another. So if they didn’t believe in her, that shakes the entire foundations of her identity, and she likely unconsciously internalizes what she thinks is their view of her as her view of herself. She perceived their actions as a rejection, and so she doesn't see another path but exile and rejection in the short term - as if they'd given her a new identity. I think that’s what she means by: "The Council didn't trust me, so how can I trust myself? (...) I have to sort this out on my own, without the Council and without you."

Since her entire support system has failed her, and her beliefs and identity have been called into question, I think she sees her own judgment as completely compromised. After all, she tried to do things her own way (escaping, allying with Ventress, trying to prove her innocence on her own) and it completely failed. She thought she could trust Barriss and she completely missed that Barriss was the one framing her.

One decision after the other has led to more problems. So it's very possible that she doesn't trust her own desire to come back. She doesn't trust herself to make a decision about her own future so she accepts the 'compromised' label and runs away.

When Anakin says leaving would be a mistake, she says "maybe" but she sticks to it. She feels that off-balance. If every choice she's made was the wrong one, the only thing left to do - in her mind - is pulling away and being alone with herself so she can understand what went wrong. She rationalizes it as a decision, when it looks more like unconsciously conforming to 'parental' expectations (so to speak) and giving in to self-doubt to me.

Pretty much: "The Council didn't think I could be a Jedi, so how can I trust that I know I can be a Jedi?"

[crowdsourcedloner]

unhinged cecil rambling time, caster edition fanfest cant come soon enough

in no particular order (and regular text size) heres my thoughts/ideas/babbles about the next caster job/what i think would be neat for a caster job/apparently astro thoughts?

one really nice thing about caster jobs is the weapon can be anything so i hope it wont be just. a stick. or something. or another goddamn sword like come on square give me a mace or a bell or a fancy schmancy focus or magical tattoos or prayer beads or... idk just go wild! be unique! the world is your oyster and i wanna go shucking!

similar vein, i wonder if it'll have a raise... red mage's damage has (relatively) suffered for having easy access to verraise and magick barrier (a genuinely great defensive cooldown), and summoner's damage is likewise lesser for having a raise of it's own compared to black mage... would they add another "selfish" caster? or would they leave black mage as the "selfish" caster, like they did with the "selfish" samurai?

...also, how mobile will it be? endgame fights are decently interesting to plan movement for on black mage and red mage, so i hope they don't just make it a sparkly phys ranged...

green mage is already very hinted at (re: the earring krile picks up at the end of current patch) but, since it's previous iteration as a debuff job probably wouldn't work well in current ffxiv, it'll probably be more green-themed than anything. so... what's green themed? just the color? plants? would plants/nature be distinct enough from conjurer and white mage? would it be like sage where it's just a name reference? will krile become green mage and the player job be something entirely different? who knows! its baseless speculation hours!

(for the record i kinda hope it's just gonna be krile's job if it does come true, the idea of being a green mage doesn't really inspire any interest from me... but maybe its just a lame name and it'll look sick in game and i'll change my mind lmao)

an illusion based caster could be neat as hell imo - it could be a cool take on a pictomancer, it just fights with 'drawn' glamours that explode? we already have examples of creatures like the ink tiger in Rokkon (though that could arguably just be a fancy carbuncle?) and we have ink mages (though they're effectively arcanists) in the Heroes Gauntlet dungeon that could serve as inspiration, though you could run into problems with another book caster... maybe a paintbrush weapon? would it be big enough? an illusion job could really go wild with particle effects too... just imagine a big sketchy lb3 with paint splatters and lots of color!

time mage! clocks! dots! gimme a dot job square you cowards! ...but i'll be the first to admit this idea is the least likely, just bc of how burst focused this game is in general... dot jobs dont like when things go untargetable (so every ulti and several savages and extremes and dungeon bosses and trash mobs dying) so it'd be such a pain to balance... probably not worth the headache and better to play a different game for that power fantasy tbh

on that note, the astro rework - i'm very interested to see where it goes. i love astro's aesthetics and can play it pretty well, but playing it for any longer than a lockout absolutely murders my hands/wrists (even after i've moved keybinds multiple times it's a recurring problem) so i'm curious if they'll aim for a faster pace again. astro's current kit is undeniably strong as hell, but it's so clunky and irritating at times (fuck astrodyne, all my homies hate astrodyne) i wonder what they'll prune from it. change cards to aoe cards, perhaps? remove the seal mechanic? go back to time mage ideas? go harder into heal-over-time effects versus white mage's strong burst heals? would that even be viable? we'll need to wait for the media tour for actual info on this, unfortunately - job action trailers aren't great at piecing together what heals actually do. should see some neat animations at least.

[cheapsweetsrocks]

CheapSweets Pick 'n' Mix - Best of 2022

What is it?

Violate Consensus Reality, second full album from Belgian prog-metal outfit Psychonaut (no relation to the Double Fine video game).

Psychonaut is;

Thomas Michiels - Bass, Vocals

Stefan de Graef - Guitars, Vocals

Harm Peters - Drums

(also features Colin H Van Eeckhout from AMENRA and Stefanie Mannaerts from BRUTUS on the title track).

What is it like?

A 'psychonaut' is someone who uses altered states of consciousness to explore the human condition. Of course, historically, music is one of those things that has been used to elicit said altered states of consciousness... does that mean, if you listen to this album, you are a 'psychonaut' listening to 'Psychonaut'?

I can't say that this album answers deep questions like this, but it does cover philosophical and existential themes. I fell in love with Stefan de Graef's vocals after hearing him on Hippotraktor's first full album, Meridian, and he's a great contrast to the cleaner vocals of Thomas Michiels.

I feel there's a really deep thematic connection to stoner rock; some of the song structures seem similar, even if they are interpreted via post-metal sensibilities.

A lot of the lyrics focus on self realisation and self actualisation, the music is moody and swirling, with a lot of tone and shade; similar to bands like The Ocean, both in terms of the album as a whole and within the individual songs, as exemplified by the title track, Violate Consensus Reality.

You might like this if you are a fan of:

DVNE, The Ocean, Hippotraktor (not least because Stefan de Graef is the vocalist on this band as well!), Gojira

Lyrics such as:

Chase your roots with courage

Go beyond

Reject the norm

Follow your compassion through the storm

Don't just take my word for it:

Carcharodon from AMG praised the production and Harm Peter's drumming, and felt it was one of those albums that grows in estimation with each subsequent listen...

Richard Murray from The Sleeping Shaman enjoyed the 'dazzling' dynamics and evocative messaging...

Alex Mace, writing for Distorted Sound, felt the album was 'daring and raw' and that it was a good followup to their previous album...

Standout tracks:

Violate Consensus Reality, Interbeing, A Pacifist's Guide to Violence

Where can I find it?

Youtube;

Bandcamp;

And, Spotify;

[nightfall-1409]

hate when you're reading Star Wars and you someone uncritically Redeem Count Dooku but make Mace Windu The Worst (TM)

Like. I know what's going on there. Most people prolly do too. It's not a hard thing to look at the facts on Paper and go "Oh bud you've got some serious internal biases to unpack."

"The republic was corrupt tho and the Jedi enslaved the clones"

Yeah the first one being the case doesn't really mean what most ppl think it does and the individuals we learn the information from (Notably Palpatine and Dooku) have ulterior motives and an openly authoritarian agenda.

The second one is dubious as fuck. The Jedi hold 0 power in the Galactic Senate and are, in fact, beholden to them. It's just canon that most planets in the galactic republic are demilitarized, the Jedi are meant to be diplomats and peacekeepers, but as the galaxy turns more hawkish as those with authoritarian aspirations start to take control, they're the ones who are going to be thrown at the problem in spite of their objections. They've no means to change the laws. They've no means to protect them but by getting out there with them, and they did that. In fact, Mace Windu in the 2008 CW is repeatedly shown going to great lengths to save his men whenever he's able to.

"Well they should have refused the clones" they did at first. The first battle of Geonosis, at the outset, the Jedi went by themselves. They launched a mass attack against a portion of Dooku's forces alone. 212 Jedi went. 30 came back. Over 80% of the Jedi they sent died. They would have all been killed if the clones' presence hadn't turned the tide of battle.

And if they refused the clones, they would have been given to the "Republic Navy", which neither was truly a republic entity, as it initially belonged to Governor Tarkin of Eriadu. Within the star wars canon, the "Republic Navy" or ORSF drew heavy criticism as a human-only, male-dominated space. There's a reason why these guys went on to become the heads of the Empire, and it wasn't because they saw the Clones as people.

Mace Windu is the head of a religious order that has a public service purpose. If they do nothing, they will be declared traitors to the Republic, if they don't take the clones, they will be given to those who explicitly want to play war games. The tragedy of the clone wars is that for the Jedi, it was always a no-win scenario.

But okay, let's say thats not enough. Slavery is always bad, I do agree with that take. No matter what happened during the Clone Wars, the Jedi should have done more to advocate for Clone Rights (though on what platform would they have been able to, I do wonder, from a logistical POV) and how could they have depicted that in a child's TV show from the doylist POV)

Count Dooku explicitly sells people into slavery in the clone wars show. An entire planet's population of Togruta pacifists are sold into slavery, explicitly to his ally, the Zygerrians, in explicit hopes of using their labor to restore their mighty slave-fueled Empire. Indeed, most if not all of the people that Count Dooku work with in the CIS either currently use slave labor or want to use slave labor. He's 100% down with slavery, because he believes that power should go to the powerful, bc he's an authoritarian. Some of the "Corruption" that these people accuse the Republic of was the Jedi going after their ability to own and sell slaves.

So if you're condemning the Jedi for the Clones, you should be sending Count Dooku into the fiery pits of hell right there too, along with basically every leader in the CIS.

[dragonmasterhiccup]

She shook her head. “Yeah, no. I don’t talk to the twins, they genuinely scare me. I’m afraid that if I make myself known to them, I’m gonna get pranked by them on Loki Day- I mean, I’ve heard horror stories of the stuff they’ve done, I don’t wanna subject myself to that.”

A lopsided grin appeared across her face. “I’m going to take that as a ‘yes.’”

“You and all your safety crap, I swear…” She watched as he pulled out the straw, an unamused frown on her face. “Well, where’s the fun in that? A decoy? You are so lame.”

She hummed at his answer before raising an eyebrow. “You just forget to eat? How? I mean, ever since I came here, I’ve been enjoying my three square meals a day- good meals at that, how does that just slip your mind? Doesn’t your stomach ever start to hurt?” She wasn’t trying to be offensive, she was honestly just confused.

Finally hopping off the edge of the table, she looked up at him. “Nah, that’s cool, at least it’s not yaknog, and besides, it’s your birthday, eat whatever you want,” she stated. She nodded. “I’ll stop by later.” She started making her way towards the door, turning around to face him once more. “Well, I hope you liked your gifts, and all the pain and suffering that went into making them. I’ll see you later! Happy birthday!” she exclaimed, waving goodbye before leaving his hut, closing the door behind her.

———

Later that evening, just before dusk, Danny once again made her way over to Hiccups hut, where he had been preparing dinner.

Honestly? She was extremely happy at the fact that she had been invited, even though she shouldn’t have been too surprised.

Making her way up the front stairs to his hut, she knocked on the door, waiting for a reply. She didn’t want to just barge in like earlier, just in case Astrid and Valka were already there.

"That's a great choice, actually, as I've been on the wrong end of those Loki Day pranks..." He shook his head. "Definitely keep your distance."

"Where's the fun? The fun is in not getting roasted alive again. I think you'll agree that burns are no joke, won't you? Besides, given my...past experiences, a lot of people think I'm drawn to danger. This is just me taking some precautions, that's all."

Laughing lightly, he just shrugged. "I'm not sure. I just don't feel hungry when I'm really focused on something. It doesn't really hit until later in the day, I guess." He didn't know how to explain it, but time just flew by when he was working.

He visibly paled at the mention of yaknog. It had been a couple months, but the taste of that still haunted him. "There's a good reason as to why I'm the one cooking today. I wouldn't subject you to more of that, it wouldn't be right." His mom wasn't known for her cooking, either, but he didn't mind having to cook.

Gesturing to the carving and drawing on his desk, he smiled. "yeah, thank you, I really do--wait, pain and suffering?? What? No, no--wait, that's a joke, isn't it? You didn't actually... have pain and suffering doing this, did you--?"

She had left too quickly, leaving him without an answer.

Going back to his desk, he picked up the carving and drawing, knowing just where to put them.

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

Hours later, the pot of stew was cooking over the fire, filling the hut with its savory scent.

Astrid and Valka were already there, playing Maces and Talons. Hiccup was watching as the two competed against each other, offering advice here and there to his mom. He knew Astrid was well versed in the game, and knew she needed no pointers. His mom, however, had only played a handful of times, still getting a handle on her strategies.

At the knock on the door, he made his way over to answer it, knowing it must be Danny.

"Hey! Come on in, you're right on time!"

[maguro13-2]

Shattered Hero ~ Origins of the Ink Demon : Episode Maka Pt.22

[Aquatic Base ~ Level 2 ~ - Mariko Nanba]

Tsugumi : I'm almost there! I gotta make it through to level 2 and then I'll meet up with the ship's crew!

Slippy (via radio) : Alright, Tsugumi! We're counting on you! I'll meet you there at Area 3! We need Meta Knight's ship operational before the Mad Scientist's robots is going to find us! We better make moves if we want to survive this and do not stop!

Tsugumi : Roger that!

Computer Voice : WARNING. WARNING. UNKNOWN INTRUDER PASSING AREA 2 AT THE AQUATIC BASE HAS BEEN FOUND! SUSPECTS IDENTIFIED AS TSUGUMI HARUDORI AND STAR FOX OPERATIVES! ALL UNITS PREPARE FOR BATTLE FORMATION AND ENGAGE. BEGINNING AREA SHUT DOWN SYSTEM ACTIVATION.

Tsugumi : Oh no! The Security is going to put a stop on me! Did they really think that have the chance to defeat me!? No will not! Nothing will stop us now! Watch this! (Destroys all of Eggman's Mechs) Beat that!

Slippy : (via radio) Careful! The Security is beginning the activation shut down sequence! Use one of the candies from that upcoming Mario Party 8 game!

Tsugumi : Here goes nothing. (Eats a slowgo candy to slow down time) Now this will only take a minute to effect things! It's time out for these guys...!

*clock ticking*

Tsugumi : And time in for me!

(time returns to normal)

Tsugumi : Made it! Hey, it's another of that ball. But the only problem is that the route for this ball is blocked lasers through this area and I can see underwater creatures from here before. (outside the window are Jellyfish swimming by)

*Jellyfish buzzing*

Tsugumi : Hello friend.

Jellyfish : (blows a raspberry and swims away)

Tsugumi : (chuckles nervously)

Slippy (via radio) : Why did I even bother watching cartoons. I'm really not in the mood for sushi. So who's not there if anyone gonna turn of the lasers?

(suddenly the laser are turned off)

Slippy : Woah! Who actually did that?

Sir Kibble : Sir Halberd Knight! It looks like you needed our advice! We'll help you with the Meta-Knights!

Tsugumi : Mr. Kibble! You guys sure know about having good timing! You're truly a great help!

Sir Kibble : Go now! We'll handle the robots to our selves! Get across to safely to the ship, immediately! It's shall lead you to Area 3!

Mace Knight : The enemy reinforcements are down! Proceed to the next area, quickly!

Axe Knight : Have faith in us, Sir Halberd Knight!

Javelin Knight : We can fight these machines and turn them into scrap!

Tsugumi : Thanks guys! I owe you one! Now then time for me to roll!

(cuts to Tsugumi at the door to Area 3 where Slippy and the Star Fox crew is at)

Tsugumi : Yo, Toad!

Slippy : Tsugumi Harudori! You're right on time!

Fox Mccloud : You must be Tsugumi Harudori.

Tsugumi : And you are...

Fox Mccloud : Fox Mccloud, leader of Star Fox Team. Meta Knight sent us a transmitting device to find the ship's location. We found out that his ship that crashed landed in the ocean was repaired and reconstructed by one of your greatest designs.

Falco : Ever since that terrible incident in 2003, we found out that you were the only survivors of that attack at your school when Inky Albarn arrived. But when the heartless tried to attack you and your friends, Meta Knight and his crew had save and brought your friends to the hospital. Don't mind him to pay your friends mountain of medical bills. The latest medical research team we had our working on restoring your friends life.

Tsugumi : So lemme get this straight. My friends are alive and they are having some medical treatment. Like restoring them back to life by a special Medical research team? Maybe I that I haven't forget that my friends will ever see me again and they will tell me that I become a hero of my own story! Yeah, that'll work!

Krystal : You got yourself a deal, Halberd girl! You do have a real story of your own and not Soul World. Now then, come on. Let's get you to the Halberd and prepare to meet your friends. They are waiting for you at the bay!

Anya : (voice heard) Tsugumi!

Meme : (voice heard Tsugumi!

Tsugumi : Guys! Wait! I'm coming for you! (the lights went out)

Falco : What the-!? Hey! The lights went out! I hope the duke didn't pay the electric bill!

Fox : No Falco. Something's not right. This could might be a trap for all us.

Computer Voice : Intruders that passed Area 3. You have passed all three areas of the Aquatic Base zone and I am afraid that you are still unauthorized to be at this facility any longer. But since you did not follow my commands or any of the rules in this secret abandoned laboratory owned by Soleanna. I have no choice but to give myself one last task to put a stop you intruders from entering this facility without any authorization. So that is why the doctor has given me one last order and I am putting Aquatic Base into a nice, full-on...[changes with a male voice] "CODE RED!"

[Chika Kichi Hasshadai - Hideaki Kobayashi]

*SA2 SFX : ALARM BLARING*

Tsugumi : Since when security did something about a code red thing! Is that about the Mtn Dew drink?

Falco : It's not about Mtn Dew.

Slippy : Oh no! that can't be good! What have the lab's security done now!?

Fox Mccloud : Everyone! The labortaory's security has activated a full-scale Code Red! It's going to shutdown the entire place to trap any intruders that are inside the facility!

Falco : And whatever security is doing, it's going lock us in and seal the lab away...forever!

Tsugumi : But, guys! We can't leave everyone behind, can we? We need to come up with a plan to get us out of here!

Slippy : Well, don't just stand there, Tsugumi! Do something before we are completely trapped inside the laboratory forever! You don't want leave Meta knight's crew hanging around, would you!?

Tsugumi : [thinking] Hmmm...I won't forget my friends that are leaving behind! Soldiers of Meta Knight!

Mace Knight : You called, Sir Halberd Knight?

Tsugumi : Follow our lead with Star Fox and make our way through to escape this entire lab! For Meta Knight and Galaxia!

Meta Knights : For Meta Knight and Galaxia!

Tsugumi : Now then! Ready, everyone? Let's race our way out of here! CHAAAAARGE!!!

All : (battlecries)

Computer Voice : [with a male voice] YOU STUBBORN PESTS! YOU'LL NEVER ESCAPE THIS LABORATORY! I HAVE ACTIVATED THIS CODE RED SEQUENCE TO LOCK YOU ALL DOWN AND BECOME MY PRISONERS INSIDE THE LAB THAT WILL EVENTUALLY SEAL THE LAB AWAY ALONG WITH YOU IN IT! I'LL SEAL THIS ENTIRE LAB AWAY IMMEDIATELY! [laughs and then laughs evilly]

Tsugumi : We'll see about that! Everyone! Eat a slowgo candy as fast you can!

Everyone : Roger! (Tsugumi and everyone eats a Slowgo candy)

Tsugumi : Alright, everybody. Time to slow things down! And now I'll attack the enemies! For sure! Eat this, chumps!

*DBZ SFX : SLASHING*

Tsugumi : That should keep them busy!

[cuts to Meta Knight at the dock of his ship]

Meta Knight : Come on, Tsugumi. Please make it on time. If we don't move on, you'll be left alone one along with everyone and my men.

Sailor Waddle Dee : Will they ever make it alive, my lord? Please, they're gonna be alright if they are gonna make it?

Meta Knight : ....

Sailor Waddle Dee : Meta Knight! sir!

Meta Knight : It's no use. They'll never make it. Come, Sailor dee. We better get the ship ready.

Sailor Waddle Dee : But sir...

Meta Knight : It's too late for us! They're not coming and they are never gonna make it time! So let's get into the ship and start the launch!

Sailor Waddle Dee : Understood, sir.

Tsugumi : No we're never too late! We finally made it time!

Sailor Waddle Dee : Hey, isn't that...Tsugumi?!

Meta Knight : Harudori-san! You finally did made it in time along with everyone and my men.

Tsugumi : Sorry to keep you waiting! The laboratory's going nuts with security, get everyone aboard the ship and prepare for the launch immediately!

Sailor Waddle Dee : With pleasure!

Fox Mccloud : You all heard the girl! All members of the ship! Get ready to be aboard!

Star Fox Team : Roger!

(everybody gets aboard to the Halberd)

Tsugumi : Alright! Is everyone aboard?

Peppy : Thank goodness, Fox. What took ya so long? The ship is prepared to launch. Thanks to you, Tsugumi Harudori, with the Halberd repaired and reconstructed, you sure how to make cool ships that are the master of designing an aircraft or a spacecraft.

Tsugumi : Anytime, Peppy. Alright.

Computer Voice : [Female voice] Thrust once increasing at Maximum Output. Course plotted. Gate open. Beginning Halberd ascend. 5...4...3...2...1...lifting off!

Tsugumi : All hands on deck! Prepare to fly!

[Fanfare for Dr. Eggman - Masaru Setsumaru]

*DBZ SFX : Ship blasting off*

Tsugumi : Yes! We're finally flying high in the sky! Let's spread our wings and fly!

Peppy : We did it! We're finally going on course!

Falco : That's Tsugumi alright! Can't wait to see this baby could fly in the open! Let's follow that Egg Carrier

Tsugumi : Don't worry, Maka. I'll see you there pretty soon. This will be our final frontier! This is what I truly believe in my story of a hero that you'll ever see!

Falco : Too bad! That abandoned aquatic base lab is nothing more than scrap now! So let's do this thing! Let's go kick some ass!

*DBZ SFX : SHIP BLASTING*

"Only a true hero can meet another!"

"You will finally feel what a hero that I can really be!"

"Villains are not always designated to destroy our world! That's their failure in my book."

~ Act 22 : Soaring Wings ~

[corvidous]

I didn't even mean to finish these guys last night, I was just going to block out major colors and leave it at that but they were just so easy to paint, and the speedpaints go so fast, and it was like "oh huh these lads are basically done it would be silly to stop now" and bam. Stargrave Scavengers by Northstar Miniatures

I think lil hazmat guy here is my favorite, with his silly snoot style gasmask.

I got these in the kitbash preorder deal that Northstar did where they sold a box of Scavengers with a single sprue of gnolls, one of cultists, and one of barbarians, and I think the scavengers set having THIS head is what made them think to add the cultist sprue to the deal, it looks very similar to a lot of the cultist heads

I will say: biggest flaw in the stargrave scavengers is that they don't have the round bulb attachment points for their necks, it's a flat connection point on the neck to a flat surface on the shoulders and if I hadn't given each one a bead of greenstuff they would have all been looking down at a 45° angle. It's a baffling design choice on an otherwise amazing set. But I still think these might be just overtaking the Perry Afghan Tribesmen for my favorite plastic miniatures set on the market. They're so cool. Though I'm not a huge fan of the scavengers melee weapon selection, this mace is the only one I really like, the rest of the stuff is like weird hatchets and such. But oh well, not like I don't have copious melee weapon arms lying about to use.

This guy is the only one I made using parts that weren't from the Scavengers sprue, the knife blade is from the Perry Afghan Tribesmen and the gas mask is from the old 40k Cadian Command Squad

I love the design of the guns for these guys. Even if I hadn't liked the rest of the set I would've been sorely tempted to buy the box solely for the guns. It's just such a great aesthetic.

Anyway, these guys are going to be Light (or perhaps Recon) infantry for Xenos Rampant, or part of a Stargrave crew, or Stargrave pirates, or bandits in other games, or who knows what! They're so delightfully versatile.