#TSR staff

[oldschoolfrp]

Flying can be a rapid form of travel, but it may attract the attention of dangerous or annoying creatures (Roger Loveless, Tome of Magic, TSR, 1991)

[fullmetal-generation]

So Arakawa draws Ed using his left (flesh) arm to write, but in Brotherhood he wrote with his right hand while finishing the plan for transmutin’ his mom (he had really good cursive, too!)

I have yet to get to the point in my reread where I can cross reference this, but I KNOW there’s a part where Ed wrote a letter (to Winry I think) about his State Alchemist test and it was in blocky print. WAS ED RIGHT HANDED, OH NO—!

(… CAN AL EVEN WRITE? He can make transmutation circles but those are large and drawn with chalk… it would probably be hard to hold a pen or pencil in the armor, especially since he can’t feel it!)

[thecreaturecodex]

Demon Lord, Orcus

Image © TSR Inc, by Todd Lockwood.

[Sponsored by @tar-baphon. Orcus is one of the iconic D&D villains, and through the SRD and plausible deniability (he's a Roman god!), he's in Pathfinder as well. In Pathfinder, he is deliberately not a power player, and my flavor text takes that already metatextual decision and runs hog wild with it.

A note on the art: I feel like Orcus is emblematic of when D&D was seen as dangerous, and this piece absolutely feels like it should be the cover of a Black Sabbath album. It's no surprise that I was fascinated with the anti-D&D strain of the Satanic Panic when I was a kid. Also, although there has been some course correction in the 5e era, there's a trend with Orcus in a lot of art, including his official Pathfinder depiction, of making Orcus buff. Let Orcus be fat!]

Demon Lord, Orcus CR 28 CE Outsider (extraplanar) This humanoid is a corpulent giant with skin mottled like a decaying corpse. He has great black bat-wings growing from his shoulders, hooves for feet, and the head of a goat. He clutches a short staff, tipped with an oversized human skull.

Orcus, Prince of Undeath CE male demon lord of death, necromancy and wrath Domains  Chaos, Death, Evil, Magic Subdomains Demon, Divine, Murder, Undead Favored Weapon heavy mace Unholy Symbol a goat’s head with curving horns Worshipers liches, necromancers, sapient undead Minions boneclaws, deathdrinkers, demons, other undead For information on his Obedience and boons for his worshipers, see Book of the Damned

Orcus is one of the most powerful demon lords in the Universe. But not on Golarion. On that world, his is one of a number of undead cults, and not nearly the most popular. Orcus has a clear hierarchy to what undead he considers truly worthy, with those created from contagion seen as inferior to accident, and those inferior to those who intentionally seek out undeath. His most dedicated worshippers on Golarion are liches, some of whom have learned the secret of crafting a phylactery by teasing apart the Prince of Undeath’s wisdom from his threats. The followers of many other undead-focused religions, particularly vampires and ghouls, see Orcus as pretentious and unworthy of dedication, although few are foolish enough to directly oppose him.

Orcus himself knows that his star has fallen. In his extensive research into planar lore, Orcus has learned that he was once the most feared being in another universe, who went on a killing spree that left several gods dead and an entire race of lawful outsiders duped into being his pawns. That Orcus cannot accomplish this level of power in this version of reality vexes and frustrates him, and he takes his rage out on his minions as much as he does his foes.

Orcus is a genius tactician, although his temper sometimes gets the better of him. He enjoys combat as a distraction from his cosmic-level sulk, and as a way of expressing his power over others. He typically opens combat with a time stop to summon allies and cast defensive spells on himself, and then unleashes a potent death effect as soon as the duration expires. Against creatures that can resist his negative energy and poison, he uses dispelling magic. On more than one occasion, Orcus has beaten a cocky archmage to a pulp by centering an antimagic field on himself and wading into combat.

Orcus in the Great Game Orcus’ response to the brewing theomachy between Mormo and Lamashtu is cautious optimism. He desires more power in the Abyss, and Lamashtu could open the door for him to seize it. Kabriri and Zura are at the top of Orcus’ hit list, but views a direct assault on them as currently too risky to be worth the effort. If one of them were to make a move against Lamashtu and be punished for it, or if they were struck down in the scramble for power following Lamashtu’s (theoretical) demotion or demise, Orcus would happily swoop in to finish them off.  And if Mormo is capable of legitimately slaying a god, Orcus will be very keen to study her techniques.

Wand of Orcus (major artifact) The Wand of Orcus is the Prince of Undeath’s scepter of office, and it never leaves his side. Lesser versions have appeared in the Material Plane, often created by Orcus or one of his high-level clerics. The real Wand of Orcus is a Huge +5 anarchic, unholy heavy mace. In the hands of a demon, it grants a +4 profane bonus to Armor Class. The first time the Wand of Orcus strikes a living creature in a round, that creature is subject to a slay living spell (DC 30). Weight 24 lbs.; CL 25th

Demon Lord, Orcus        CR 28 XP 4,915,200 CE Huge outsider (chaos, demon, evil, extraplanar) Init +11; Senses arcane sight, darkvision 120 ft., detect good, detect law, Perception +48, true seeing Aura frightful presence (120 ft., DC 36), undead obedience (120 ft., Will DC 36), unholy (DC 28)

Defense AC 47, touch 23, flat-footed 40(-2 size, +7 Dex, +4 deflection, +4 profane, +24 natural) hp 709(33d10+528); regeneration 30 (deific or mythic) Fort +31, Ref +29, Will +34 DR 20/cold iron, epic and good; Immune ability damage, ability drain, charm, compulsion, death effects, electricity, energy drain, petrification and poison; Resist acid 30, cold 30, fire 30; SR 39 Defensive Abilities Abyssal resurrection, freedom of movement, negative energy affinity

Offense Speed 40 ft., fly 60 ft. (average) Melee Wand of Orcus +51/+46/+41/+36 (3d6+20 plus 2d6 chaos and 2d6 evil/19-20), claw +44 (1d8+7), sting (2d4+7 plus poison), gore (2d6+7) or 2 claws +46 (1d8+15), sting +46 (2d4+15 plus poison), gore +46 (2d6+15) Space 15 ft.; Reach 15 ft. Special Attacks epic spellcasting, powerful charge (gore, 4d6+22) Spell-like Abilities CL 28th, concentration +38 (+42 casting defensively) Constant—arcane sight, detect good, detect law, freedom of movement, true seeing, unholy aura (DC 28, self only) At will—animate dead*, astral projection, blasphemy* (DC 27), circle of death* (DC 28), create undead, enervation*, greater dispel magic, greater teleport, plane shift* (DC 25), telekinesis* (DC 25), unholy blight* (DC 24) 3/day—control undead (DC 29), create greater undead, energy drain (DC 31), finger of death* (DC 29), quickened greater dispel magic, quickened harm*, summon demons or undead, symbol of death (DC 30) 1/day—power word kill*, time stop*, true resurrection, wail of the banshee (DC 31) * Orcus can use the mythic version of this spell-like ability in his domain Spells Prepared CL 20th, concentration +32 (+36 casting defensively) 9th—energy drain (DC 33), etherealness, mage’s disjunction* (D, DC 31), overwhelming presence (DC 31), soul bind (DC 33), wail of the banshee (DC 33) 8th —cloak of chaos (DC 30), fire storm* (DC 30), greater spell immunity, horrid wilting (DC 32), orb of the void* (DC 32), protection from spells (D), unholy aura (DC 30) 7th —control weather, destruction (DC 31), greater scrying (DC 29, x2), repulsion, spell turning (D), waves of exhaustion 6th —antilife shell, antimagic field (D), banshee blast (DC 30), blade barrier* (DC 28), geas/quest, harm* (DC 30), mass bull’s strength 5th —dispel good (DC 27), flame strike (DC 27), greater command (DC 27), mass ghostbane dirge (DC 27), righteous might, suffocation (D, DC 29), vampiric shadow shield 4th —contagion (DC 28), death ward (D), divine power (x2), rest eternal, sending (x2)*, tongues 3rd —bestow curse (x2, DC 27), prayer*, protection from energy, rage (D, DC 25), ray of exhaustion, vampiric touch*, water breathing 2nd —bear’s endurance (x2), death knell (D, DC 26), desecrate, owl’s wisdom (x2), resist energy, spiritual weapon* 1st —bane (DC 25), divine favor (x2), entropic shield, identify (D), ray of enfeeblement* (DC 25), sanctuary (DC 23), shield of faith* 0th—bleed (DC 24), detect magic, light, read magic *—Orcus may use the mythic version of this spell in his Abyssal domain

Statistics Str 40, Dex 25, Con 42, Int 30, Wis 35, Cha 31 Base Atk +33; CMB +50; CMD 71 Feats Combat Casting, Combat Reflexes, Craft Magic Arms and Armor, Craft Rod, Craft Wondrous Item, Flyby Attack, Greater Spell Focus (necromancy), Greater Spell Penetration, Improved Critical (heavy mace), Improved Initiative, Hover, Multiattack, Mythic Spell Lore (B), Power Attack, Quicken SLA (greater dispel magic, harm), Spell Focus (necromancy), Spell Penetration Skills Bluff +46, Craft (alchemy, weaponsmithing) +46, Fly +36, Intimidate +43, Knowledge (arcana, planes, religion) +46, Knowledge (dungeoneering, history) +43, Perception +48, Sense Motive +48, Spellcraft +46, Stealth +35, Survival +45, Use Magic Device +46 Languages Abyssal, Common, Draconic, Infernal, Necril, telepathy 300 ft. SQ demon lord traits, master of death

Ecology Environment any land or underground (Abyss) Organization unique Treasure triple standard (Wand of Orcus, other treasure)

Special Abilities Aura of Undead Obedience (Su) Any undead creature within 120 feet that attempts to make a hostile action against Orcus must succeed a DC 36 Will save or be unable to take that action, wasting it. The save DC is Charisma based. Epic Spellcasting (Ex) Orcus gains Mythic Spell Lore as a bonus feat. Once per day, he can use one of his spell-like abilities or spells as if it was a mythic spell without spending a use of mythic power. This allows him to use a mythic spell or spell-like ability outside of his Abyssal domain, but he cannot augment that spell or spell-like ability by spending additional uses of mythic power. Master of Death (Ex) Orcus applies his Spell Focus and Greater Spell Focus (necromancy) feats to his spell-like abilities. Death effects created by Orcus, including the Wand of Orcus in his hands, ignore immunity to death effects except for those granted by creature type, or from deific or mythic sources. Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 42; duration 1/round for 4 rounds; damage 1d6 Str and 1d6 Con; cure 2 consecutive saves. A creature reduced to 0 Str by Orcus’ poison cannot breathe and begins to suffocate. The save DC is Constitution based. Spells Orcus can cast spells as a 20th level cleric, and can prepare necromancy spells from the sorcerer/wizard list as if they were cleric spells. He gets access to domain slots, and can fill them with spells from any of his domains or subdomains. He can also spontaneously cast inflict spells as an evil cleric can. Summon Demons and Undead (Sp) When Orcus summons demons, he can also summon undead creatures.

[plumbboo]

Wicked Roommates 6/8

Gaia Earthling | Plant Sim

And They Were Roommates…

Features: Skin | Skin Overlay | Veins | Skin Foliage | Sapling | Eyeshadow | Eyeliner | Lip | Contacts | Ankle Branches

Everyday: Hair | Outfit* | Bracelet Formal: Hair | Earrings | Bracelet | Outfit Athletic: Hair | Top | Shorts | Socks Sleep: Hair | Top | Underwear Party One: Hair | Necklace | Top | Skirt | Purse* | Heels Party Two: Hair | Necklace | Falling Leaves | Staff | Outfit & Wings Swimwear: Hair | Top & Bottoms Hot: Hair | Bracelet | Top & Bottoms Cold: Hair | Bracelet | Scarf* | Outfit

*tsr

This free-style plant sim loves anything to do with nature. She is known to be an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys spending most of her time in nature or taking care of her plants. She is a climate change advocator and fighter for protecting the planet. She reacts poorly to people harming the environment and will get angry if she sees you fishing or not taking care of your houseplants. Nobody is quite sure how she came into creation (or why she eats so many greens) but her kindness and passionate nature had grasped the hearts of her roommates.

Thank you cc creators <3

@northernsiberiawinds @daylifesims @okruee @seoulsoul-sims @sheabuttyr @belaloallure3 @gegesimmer @dansimsfantasy @astya96cc @pyxiidis @pralinesims @bluecravingcc @caio-cc @lady-moriel @simstrouble @serenity-cc @lordreboot @arethabee @simandy @clumsyalienn @simsonico @blahberry-pancake @sakuraflora @lamatisse

[murfeelee]

BG3 INSP: Escape the Nautiloid

Githyanki Woman: Abomination! This is your end! Narrator: Your head throbs and your skin tingles. Visions run past: a dragon's wing, a silver sword--and a flash of your face seen through the strange woman's eyes. Githyanki Woman: Ugh, my head! What is this? Tsk'va! You are no thrall? Vlaakith blesses me this day! Together, we might survive. Imps block the path forward. You will assist me in destroying them--we must reach the helm before we transform. Ryuu: Transform? What do you mean? Githyanki Woman: We carry Mind Flayer parasites! Unless we escape--unless we are cleansed--our bodies and minds will be tainted and twisted. Within days we will be ghaik: Mind Flayers! Ryuu: We are turning into Illithid? There must be something we can do! Githyanki Woman: We can do nothing until we escape--that must be our priority. Ryuu: I am Ryuu; who are you? Lae'zel: Who am I? Your only chance of survival, Lae'zel. Ryuu: Is the helm our way out of here? Lae'zel: It is where we might gain control of the gh'ath--this Nautiloid ship. Once in command, we will deal with our ghaik captors. We will address the matter of a cure for this infection once we reach the Material Plane. Ryuu: Onward then. The ship won't be able to take another dragon attack. We need to get out before it's too late.

-- Baldur's Gate 3

MY THOUGHTS (mini rant) & CC CREDITS

MY THOUGHTS

Unpopular opinion, but I LOVE Lae'zel. She's my favorite character in the whole game (EASY #2's my daughter Karlach 🥰). People say Lae'zel's hella mean, but I like her whole melting the ice queen shtick.

My biggest complaint about BG3 is that most of the companions are way too irrelevant--other than Halsin, Lae'zel's the only one closely tied to the actual frikkin plot (unless you count that annoying wench Shadowheart blabbing about Lady Shar all frikkin day. I haven't dealt with her & the Nightsong yet). I was with Lae the whole time: get these nasty AF parasites out of my frikkin body RIGHT NOW. 🤮 To the creche! (Then we got to the creche and I was like jfc. 👀💀)

And her going on & on about Queen Vlaakith was way more interesting than Shadowheart with Lady Shar & her whole amnesia excuse (plus I just don't like her, so.... XD).

The Githyanki were giving me strong Qunari vibes from Dragon Age--but that's not surprising, since Bioware made the first two Baldur's Gate games & DA likely lifted at lot from D&D. Lae's kinda like a way more intense Sten or Iron Bull? And both the Gith & the Qun have dragon-obsessed cultures; these are my people. 💪😤

CC CREDITS

- Midnight Hollow lighting mod

- Tank pose w/ 75% OMSP resizer

- Skyrim dragon by me

- Fireextinguisherfailfx is a GREAT Fog Emitter fire-breathing effect, which I realized when I had Ryuu detonate the parasite pool, and the explosion set sim!Lae'zel on frikkin fire! That orange burst when the extinguisher fails is just perfect.

I was dying when Ryuu just STOOD there while she did all the work putting out the fires, after I told him to put out the fire FIRST! Typical; Dark Urges can't be bothered helping people, I guess. XD

Fortunately for sim!Lae, there was a nifty Restoration Station nearby where she could wash all the soot off:

- Lae outfit from Dragon Valley, boots & bracers at TSR

- Ryuu Dragon Age staff acc by @greenplumbboblover

[vintagegeekculture]

There is another section from the song "Gamers", and I'm curious if it refers to a specific incident.

I'm a live-roleplayin' gamer, I used to play out in the woods. Twilight 2000, Shadowrun, I'd play whenever I could. I'd put on my costume, shoot tin cans, and make firecrackers fly. Then my front door got kicked down again -- This time it was the FBI.

They stole my guns, my video tapes, every book I’d ever read, And a couple of bags of fertilizer out of the garden shed! They told the press I was a terrorist, who planned to blow up half the town. They called me a right-wing militia nut, and a neo-nazi clown.

The details are not the same, but I think this is a reference to a well known incident in 1990, where Steve Jackson Games, best known these days as the maker of the Munchkin card game, were raided by the Secret Service under suspicion that their game product, Cyberpunk, a roleplaying game, was actually a manual for computer crime. Agents literally walked out of the building holding the game company's computers.

Because this story is so well known to gamers, and spread at a time when word of mouth was so potent, there are many details that are altered by the telephone game. Many say it was the FBI instead of the Secret Service, for instance, or it was Cyberpunk 2020 that was raided (which was put out by R. Talsorian Games, not Steve Jackson).

To quote Steve Jackson:

In the course of that visit, it became clear that the investigating agents considered GURPS Cyberpunk to be "a handbook for computer crime." They seemed to make no distinction between a discussion of futuristic credit fraud, using equipment that doesn't exist, and modern real-life credit card abuse. A repeated comment by the agents was "This is real."

"Careless, illegal, and completely unjustified," the raid happened because author Loyd Blankenship ran an irreverent, anti-authority computer USENET BBS dedicated to computers and yes, hacking, and Steve Jackson was struck through guilt by association. It's exactly the kind of overreach that happens when the malevolent Eye of Sauron that is federal law enforcement fixes itself on you. In the course of investigation, the Secret Service justified its own warrant by saying that they would find evidence to justify the warrant, which is circular reasoning.

Due to the raid, Steve Jackson Games had to lay off half the staff and was close to bankruptcy fighting the charges. However, for once, they were able to countersue the Secret Service, because several committed technology lawyers, partially in response, formed the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

This is not the first time this happened. In 1980, a decade earlier, TSR was raided because of the spy game, Top Secret, due to suspicion of aiding international terrorism in Lebanon (!)

[ebookporn]

The Dungeons & Dragons Players of Death Row

For a group of men in a Texas prison, the fantasy game became a lifeline — to their imaginations, and to one another.

When Ford first overheard the men on the old Huntsville death row playing D.&D., they were engaged in a fast, high-octane version. The gamers were members of the Mexican Mafia, an insular crew that let Ford into their circle after they realized he could draw. The gang’s leader, Spider, pulled some strings, Ford recalls, and got him moved to a neighboring cell to serve as his personal artist. Ford earned some money drawing intricate Aztec designs in ink. He also began to join their D.&D. sessions, eventually becoming a Dungeon Master and running games all over the row. Playing Dungeons & Dragons is more difficult in prison than almost anywhere else. Just as in the free world, each gaming session can last for hours and is part of a larger campaign that often stretches on for months or years. But in prison, players can’t just look up the game rules online. The hard-bound manuals that detail settings, characters and spells are expensive and can be difficult to get past mailroom censors. Some states ban books about the game altogether, while others prohibit anything with a hard cover. Books with maps are generally forbidden, and dice are often considered contraband, because they can be used for gambling. Prisoners frequently replace them with game spinners crafted out of paper and typewriter parts.

READ MORE

When I worked for TSR, Inc. back in the day, the letters from prisoners requesting D&D books and modules came to my desk. You would be surprised how many we got. Getting product to prisoners was difficult and each prison had different policies. The letters were always from prisoners, not prison staff or librarians. The prisoners had to piece together what their local policy or issue was and how to get around it. Most could not. Shipping products directly to a prisoner, even for free, was usually out of the question. Prisons looked at D&D not as a game but as a tool for planning escapes. (Terms like "dungeon crawl" on the product didn't help.) The majority of the time the only viable option was to get the local prison library to stock it. I would do my best to track down the local supplier for the prison in question and forward the information to our sales rep from Random House for that territory to reach out. It was more likely the Random House rep rather than our own Hobby Channel reps would have a relationship with the librarian or prison purchasing board for their other books. In the 10 years I was involved in the sales and marketing of Dungeons & Dragons I received 3 thank you letters for getting the game into a prison. ~ eP

[fireflymoonwitch]

Ishnu'alah. May Elune light your path.

Day 7: Elf

for @mil-kis 28 Day CAS Challenge!

I took a trip down memory lane and styled my challenge model sim as my first ever World of Warcraft character, a Night Elf Druid.

Hair by @oydis

Skin by @lamatisse

Night Elf Ears by @valhallansim

Night Elf Eyes (TSR) and Tattoo (TSR) by @mercisims

Eyeliner N45 by @pralinesims

Lipstick N10 by @ms-marysims

Armour by @plazasims

Cecilion Staff, Artio Staff, and Staff Poses by @natalia-auditore

Thanks to all the CC & Pose Creators!

And a big thank you to @morrigan-sims for sending me medieval cc resources!

[dndhistory]

121. Various Authors - Dragon #47 (March 1981)

This is an exciting issue of Dragon! So, we've known for a while that Ed Greenwood has been on staff for Dragon magazine, at the moment he is a Contributing Editor to the magazine, and has been since the start of 1981, before this he had contributed plenty of Bestiary and Bazaar of the Bizarre entries, and people who know the Forgotten Realms might have recognized stuff in those entries. However, as far as I know this is the first time that details about the campaign world show up in print in official TSR material and actually named as The Forgotten Realms. 

In the article "In the Merry Month of... Mirtul?" Greenwood talks about several concepts and ideas that will be staples of the Forgotten Realms setting which will only become an official AD&D setting in the late 80s. Ideas explored in the article, which is about how to create a calendar, include "tendays" as a substitution for weeks as well as the names of the months and feasts in the Forgotten Realms setting, including the Shieldmeet during leap years. 

So, although this is the most fun thing in the issue, the regular features are all here as well, and we have articles including a D&D exam (a quiz), ideas for adventuring in elemental planes a special look at the Thief class in Leomund's Tiny Hut and the usual comics. 

[vintagerpg]

It took two years for another N-series module to see release, which was N2 — The Forest Oracle (1984). I remember years ago hearing about this module as perhaps one of the worst ever produced by TSR. I also recall a few years after that hearing it was a top example of a good/bad module, the sort that, if it were a film, would be ripe for Mystery Science Theater. Flipping through it for this post, I don’t really see either. It isn’t good, certainly — it is linear and under-developed. Mage needs cure for a blight (caused by an angry Nymph) and sends the party to a druid, who needs some goblins killed, etc, etc. Dull, but not egregious. Nor particularly humorous.

There are some incredibly odd design decisions, though. The tunnel through the mountains has lots of encounters, but they’re all situated in caverns on branches off the main path, so players could conceivably “stick to the road” and just walk through without a hint of danger (or excitement). And the Novice part of the adventure seems to have been applied to the inhabitants of the world, who all seem to have all the guile of newborns.

The biggest frustration for me is the art. The cover is fine, I am always down for some Parkinson, and red gobbos riding wolves sounds cool to me. But the interiors — imagine, having Jeff Easley on staff and assigning him illustrations that consist of several views of orchards and one of a dwarf facing off against a fricking osquip. What a waste of everyone’s time.

[oldschoolfrp]

Hornrim the wizard (Tim Truman, Polyhedron 17, RPGA/TSR, May 1984) Hornrim bears a striking resemblance to the mage Nimrod of Nump, who appeared in Dragon 156 some six years later.

[leahlillith]

bestie, your veronica hair on tsr doesn't show up in game :( can you please fix it <3

Hi boo! I did change the file on TSR, but I am not sure when the staff will check it and accept it. If you need it now, hit me up on private and I will send it to you <3

[ashsim]

You can never have too many uniform options. Download separately: Doctor's outfit, and The Nurses Outfit. Original Creator: ZitaRossouw "Needs Pets pack for female doctor Needs GetTogether pack for nurses/sisters"

[bugbearbrothers]

Mercion, the Good Cleric Female, from TSR and LJN Toys first run from 1983. The figure is 3 3/4 inches, posable, and comes with her staff.

[fullmetal-generation]

Stuff from Ending Day By Day/The Second Raid that was meant to kill me, specifically

-In the novel, it mentions Kaname had bought an AS simulation game so she could learn more about Sousuke’s job and then when she checks Sousuke’s empty apartment, she finds some CDs she’d lent him :’ ( He was trying to get into music she likes :’ (

-The montage of Sousuke packing & cleaning his apartment in the rain in TSR conveyed that scene without words so well 8′ ) Ow.

-Kyouko earnestly trying to find out why Kaname just. Deflates after seeing one of the twins. She tries so hard to help Kaname.

-The way Yukana’s voice cracks when Tessa finally breaks down talking to Sousuke. Also the fact that neither one of them wants to be mad at the other, and they’re mad at the circumstances, and they both KNOW it, but they’re still standing there together, angry and on edge, unable to have a constructive conversation or even discuss their feelings. Sousuke isn’t even able to properly lash out, all he can do is passive-aggressively insinuate that Tessa made a bad choice (and then listen as Tessa berates him, personally, without accepting his apologies, even though he does feel bad and says as much to Kurz later). Tessa lashes out and loses face, then has to put it all aside and worry that Sousuke hates her until the end of the series. And, you know. They’re teenagers. They’re just kids.

-The fact that apparently Mithril doesn’t have a single person acting as a psychologist or therapist on staff. There’s no one for Tessa to talk to, first of all, which is horrifying and really obvious in this arc. No one in the division thinks twice about Sousuke being 16-17 except Kalinin, who uses a simultaneously Spartan yet hands off approach in handling it. YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE HIS DAD, KALININ. WHAT HAPPENED TO ALL THAT FATHERLY INSTINCT IN VOICE FROM THE NORTH?

-The way Yukino Satsuki’s voice cracks when Kaname is crying on the roof after Leonard leaves.

-Sousuke is doing his literal absolute best to get through the training, the mission, everything with zero emotional support or room for failure; he’s never had any personal issues to deal with like this before. They just expect to pull him from his job cold turkey and have him go back to how he was before (and the expectation of him being like he was before is ridiculous). Then everyone is pissed off because they don’t WANT to leave piloting Arbalest to this kid, but they have to and they’re making it his problem. He left the mission because Mao said he was a liability and he knew she was right. Ouch?

-Even though they were mostly for fanservice (looking hot and kicking ass in fights), the twins--especially in the anime where Gates parades Yu Lan’s corpse around in front of Yu Fang. In the novel, his unnamed equivalent just dropped the younger twins head out on the battlefield which was bad enough. I was 2000% cheering when Gates died after that. (Mao remembering Yu Lan’s eyes when Sousuke leaves the van was an EXCELLENT way to make more use of the twin’s extra screentime, too). 

-The Xia twins did nothing wrong, they were victims of circumstance u_u

-Sousuke’s dead-eyed stare when he tells Yang humans are just piles of meat while Yang is standing there with the gun like “don’t make me put you down like a dog, man, because I WILL do it.”

-Kaname joking with Kyouko about getting Sousuke an electric collar, but this one almost made me die laughing. I think the “he is dog” jokes are funny lol

[fortheloveofyoualways]

TSR STAFF: Danielle J!

@prettyaries16

______________________

It looks like #CocaCola and #JackDaniels are coming together to make sure that your parties and celebrations are a little more lit than usual. It was recently announced that the makers of Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels have decided to team up for a new canned cocktail.

________________________

The latest entry into the spiked beverage market is set to feature two of the biggest names in the industry, Coca-Cola and Jack Daniels. @CNN reports, Coca-Cola is partnering with Brown-Forman for a new canned cocktail combining both Coke and Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey with 5% alcohol. The new drink will first hit shelves in Mexico before the end of this year and then it will reportedly be available globally next year, where it will be offered in regular and zero-sugar options.

________________________

If you’re wondering why the canned cocktail will launch in Mexico first, it’s because not only are both brands popular there, but the country already has a successful ready-to-drink beverage market. Via a press release, the drink is described as bringing together “two of the world’s most recognizable and valuable trademarks to deliver consumers a taste experience they-Click The Link In Bio To Read More! 📸: (@CocaCola)

Reposted from @theshaderoom