#Wraith is the lancer

[scribe-of-stories]

An earlier conversation with a good friend (@sunset-a-story) got me thinking. How many undead entities can one person produce? Does a zombie need a skeleton, or can you raise them both separately? Could the blood be animated into some kind of slime creature at the same time? Assuming the soul leaving the material plane punched a them shaped whole into reality (thus spawning a ghost), could that same soul also come back as a wraith to take vengeance on their ill fated death? And to top it off: what if that same person is a telepath who stored a copy of their neural engram into someone else so that a psychic ghost also exists in their head?

What is forming in my brain is a comedy about a occult found family who is mainly made up of multiple fucked up versions of the same person.

[starry-bi-sky]

More clone^2 snippets

Snippet 12: hands

Lancer: dear god, Mr. Fenton, what happened to your hands!?

Danny, had a run in with Damian’s katana and both of his hands have stitches: um… cooking… accident. I can’t use them that much currently

Lancer, pale: right, yes, of course. You may have one of your friends right you notes until they are properly healed

————

Snippet 13: more hands (and dash is a dick)

Dash: I bet Fenturd’s just faking his hand injury to get out of doing class work. Getting out of classwork is my thing! I’ll show him.

Danny, minding his own business:

Dash, yanks on his fingers harshly: Freak! Did you think you could copy me and het away with it?

Danny, his stitches torn from the way Dash grabbed him: you’re the last person I’d want to copy Dash, let go.

Dash: we all know you’re faking the hand injury, there’s no way you’d— you’d—

(Danny’s hands are bleeding, and starting to smear on Dash’s hands.)

Danny, (fake) calmly: you were saying, Dash?

Dash: I - uh—

Danny: thanks for opening them up, jerk.

—————

Snippet 14: Danny is Bruce’s Clone and Bruce Wayne has been hottest man alive for many consecutive years

The A-Lister Girls are at a sleepover

Star: Never have I ever had a crush on Danny Fenton

All girls (including Star): puts a finger down

A-List Girl: Paulina put your finger down

Paulina, begrudgingly putting a finger down: he shouldn’t count - he’s a loser!

A-List Girl: he’s still the cutest boy in our grade. Put your damn finger down.

—————

Snippet 15: unstoppable force vs immovable object

(In the Clone Danny Au, since Danny is not a ghost Valerie doesn’t see Phantom as the guy who ruined her life, but a very exhausted vigilante trying his best. They’re allies with conflicting ideologies on how to handle ghosts.)

Red Huntress: are you kidding me, Phantom? You dragged a kid in with you to fight ghosts? I thought you were better than that

Wraith, offended: *opening his mouth*

Phantom, tiredly putting a hand over Damian’s mouth: *in ASL + one hand* you don’t think I tried to stop him?

Red Huntress: he’s a child, Phantom, how hard could it be?

Phantom: looks down at Wraith

Wraith: looks up at Phantom with the eyes of a hundred enraged bulls

Phantom, kneeling down to Wraith and pulling his mask up to show his mouth: *whispering inaudibly*

Wraith: *takes off in the opposite direction*

Phantom, standing up to Red: *ASL* well? go get him

————

Snippet 16: identity

(Danny and Damian are sitting on a rooftop, in the middle of a break from patrol. Damian sits between Danny’s legs and Danny is slumped over Damian’s back.)

Damian, playing with Danny’s fingers:

Danny: who are you?

Damian: Damian.

Danny: who are you not?

Damian: Damian Wayne.

Danny: do you have to be?

Damian: no.

Danny: who do you have to be?

Damian: I just have to be me.

Danny: who are you?

Damian: I’m Damian.

Danny: good.

Damian:

Danny:

Damian: who are you?

Danny, smiling: Danny

—————

Snippet 17: long hair

(In the Clone Danny Au, Danny’s hair goes to his shoulders. I was in a GNC mood at the time the au was made and it passed on to Danny.)

Tucker: are you going to cut your hair, Danny? It’s getting long.

Danny, laying against the bed frame with Sam doing his hair: probably to get the dead ends cut off. I like it long.

Sam: I like it long too.

Tucker: you like it long because he lets you do whatever you want to it

Sam: it’s also a stand against the oppressive stereotype that men can’t have long hair and must always have it short in order to appear masculine! Danny’s showing individuality and sticking it to the patriarchy at the same time!

Danny: and because I let you do whatever you want to it.

Sam, making a punk hairdo for danny: yea that too

——————

Snippet 18: Danny is Bruce Wayne’s clone and Bruce——

Danny, getting stuff from his locker: my parents have a new ‘Fenton anti-ghost sticky bomb’ they’re working on and—

Student with a photography camera: Hey, Fenton!

Danny, looking over: what?

Student: *snaps a photo* thanks!

Student walks away

Danny:

Tucker:

Sam:

Danny: so… um…. Is that- is that another Wes? Should I be worried?

Sam: you should be angry! He just took your picture without your consent! That’s a violation of your bodily autonomy.

Danny: we can keep an eye on it, Sam, and if it becomes an issue then I’ll report it to a teacher.

Danny: and as I was saying, I can’t wait to have to make sure that that doesn’t hurt anyone.

Danny: i love having to stay up late sabotaging my parents’ inventions. Yay…

—————

Snippet 19: Danny is Bruce’s clone and—

Wes: ranting about how Phantom = Danny and how there’s proof and he has it and—

Random Student from his photography club: you wanna kiss him so bad it makes you look stupid.

Wes: I do nOT

Student: Its okay Wes, so does literally everyone else.

—————

Snippet 20: Lookalike

Danny: the only good thing about being Bruce Wayne’s clone is that my Brucie Wayne Impression is spot on

Damian: what??

Danny: my Brucie Wayne impression. It shouldn’t be as fun as it is doing it

[asquared-ohgodnotthehorrors]

I wanna make a Lancer storyboard about the Mourning Cloak. Actually, lemme write up what I would do in it real quick:

A battlefield, shrouded in darkness and flame. The fight was finished not too long ago. A scout team walks through the ruins.

Suddenly, they recoil in fear, backing away, guns raised. All are terrified… except one.

Within moments, it’s obvious why. A specter he alone could not see cuts his head off, not even behind him, but in front of him. The blade microns thick, the only hint of its existence a glint of red across the length of it, and the slight shimmer as its broad side was slightly bent. The blood is everywhere.

The scouts open fire, spreading out to surround the wraith. Shots stay clear as the mourner dashes, an ivory streak dodging stream after stream of bullets. One hits clear, punching into an arm. The one who landed is greeted by the thing behind it, sliding the crimson blade across his throat. Blink. Another lies dead with the thing beside it, arm cradling the body gently while blade of folded metal slides through him, long as his body.

As a grenade fires upon it, the impact lands, the horrible crunching of metal almost louder than the explosion as it silently whips around, clawing at the air. The lone heavy who fired it learned too late that it wasn’t a claw. It was a throw. The arm holding the rocket launcher is exploded to bits. A cavity in his chest soon followers as he is launched back, unceremoniously dead on the ground.

The last of the group, huddled together, hold their guns shaking at the haunting. It stares at them… and vanishes. They panic, shooting short bursts at where it was, where it might be, where it could be approaching. Nothing lands. Any traces. it could be making were nowhere to be seen. Yet it’s gaze… it was still boring into them.

Three of the final four couldn’t handle the pressure. They break off in separate directions, to the protests of their comrades. All that is heard when they vanish from sight are the gunfire, then silence.

Now there is only one, panic overtaking him as he darts around, looking to where his allies, his one saving grace could be.

The Specter, like the wind, grasps his neck, slams him into the ground. The long, distorted image of what man had wrought was choking him. The other hand follows, and in these final moments the soldier can see. This thing. It is not invulnerable. It has been wounded. Yet it still acts, despite the pain, any injury, because it is not a beast. Not a monster, not a god, not even a man. Simply a machine with a task to fulfill. A Hornet in a Hive.

The beauty is lost on him as it snaps his neck with a sickening crunch. It stands still, its body in full view as it hunched over the field of corpses. It is not a visceral sight, each of the bodies were killed with only blood spilling, dying with beautifully clean efficiency. It stood over its masterpiece, balls of the feet and tips of the fingers the only contact with the ground. A dancer of death. Poised as to resolve, but ready to leap into its act yet again.

A gun raises to our view, the sights aiming at it. The frightened breathing of the soldier being the first voice we have heard in this massacre, loud over the absence of gunfire and the ring of death in our ears.

It looks at the soldier, down the sights. We get close to its face… something has gone wrong. The camera does not move. The scene begins to distort. A whisper of a scream, distorted a thousand times over begins to rise to a forte. The hand of the specter rises to its face, smearing blood across it. It scratches it. It crunches it. The scream is so loud we can barely hear the soldier joining it, static and abstract distortion overtaking the face.

Then… silence. The camera hasn’t moved. But we have. It backs away. Slowly. The Mourning Cloak in a showroom, filled with other weapons like it. Its injuries only visible to us, contrasting the pristine unblemishnent of its brethren. Yet it is still the most beautiful one in the room.

Everything is silent as we pan back. Pure silence. Recording studio silence. Like a memory that isn’t his own. His hand enters the periphery, and it’s holding a clipboard. A requisition for a Mourning Cloak License. We linger for but a moment. All still.

In an instant, we are back at the battlefield. The camera has not shifted. The specter is gone. All we hear is the soldier’s panicked breathing. And cut to black on his last exhale.

[ttrpgbrackets]

The featured games!

In the interest of being a thoughtful community member, below are links to all of the games featured in our bracket, submitted by followers!

Ascendancy can be found on Ruby Soleil-Raine's itch.io.

Patchwork World can be found on Aaron King's itch.io page. Patfinder can be found on Paizo's online store.

Thirsty Sword Lesbians, Monster of the Week, For the Queen, and Blades in the Dark can be found at Evil Hat's online store.

Pokemon Tabletop Adventures 3rd Edition can be found here.

Wisher, Theurgist, Fatalist can be found here.

BXLLET and its expansion SHXLL CASXNGS can be found on Legendary Vermin and Rathayibacter's itch.io pages.

Justicar can be found on Nevyn Holmes' itch.io.

Troika can be found on its website.

Exalted Third Edition can be found on Onyx Path's website.

Glitch can be found on Drivethrurpg.

Lancer can be found on Massif Press's Itch.io.

Monsterhearts and The Quiet Year can be found on Buried Without Ceremony's website.

Wraith: the Oblivion and Mage: The Ascension can be found from White Wolf on drivethrurpg.

Fiasco can be found from Bully Pulpit Games.

Chuubo's Marvelous Wish Granting Engine can be found on drivethrurpg.

Beam Saber can be found on Austin Ramsay's itch.io.

Spire: The City Must Fall and Heart: The City Beneath can be found from Rowan, Rook, and Dekkard

Guardian Mecha Generations is by Chris Longhurst, though a direct link could not be found by this author. Submissions and asks with more information are welcome.

Public Access can be found from The Gauntlet.

Leverage is no longer in print, but was designed by Cam Banks and Rob Donaghue for Margaret Weis Productions

Disparateum can be found on Rathayibacter's itch.io.

World Wide Wrestling is found on Nathan Paoletta's website.

10 million HP Planet can be found on Sandy Pug Games' Itch.io.

Interstitial: Our Hearts Intertwined can be found on Riley Hopkins' itch.io.

Warhammer Fantasy Roleplaying can be found from Cubicle 7 Games

City of Mist can be found from Son of Oak Games

Final Bid can be found on liberigothica's itch.io.

Apocalypse World can be found on its own website, by D. Vincent Baker and Meguey Baker.

Lasers and Feelings by John Harper can be found on its own website.

We Are But Worms can be found on itch.io from Riverhouse Games

Kingdom can be found on Ben Robbins' website.

Kernel can be found on Ava Ayers' cohost.

Ironsworn: Starforged can be found on the Ironsworn website.

Capers can be found on NerdBurger's website.

Fellowship 2nd Edition can be found on liberigothica's itch.io.

Eidolon: Become Your Best Self can be found on the Eidolon Playtest patreon.

Yazeba's Bed and Breakfast can be found on Possum Creek Games

Sentinel Comics: The Roleplaying Game can be found from Greater Than Games

Fathom can be found on Brandon McLeod's itch.io.

Apocalypse Frame can be found from Binary Star Games.

We Used to be Friends can be found on Jonathan Lavalee's website.

I was unable to locate a link to purchase or read Perennial Ultimatum: Bloomward. If you have any information on this game, please feel free to submit a post.

[shuttershocky]

Hello! Is there any way to make Nightmare shine? I saw your Dagda build suggestions and thought, maybe there is hope. I love her Fuck You For Moving e2, but it's hard to utilize

Me too

I'm going to be honest with you, there's no way to make this skill actually good; instead you have to be able to learn to spot situations where it can be used.

Most stages with a fast-moving enemy, either unblockable or in their own exclusive path away from the trash, are easy pickings for Nightmare's S2. Wraiths, Sarkaz Lancers, etc can easily get destroyed by her S2, and since the SP cost is rather low at 20, you can keep it up consistently with some SP support from Mostima or Ptilopsis. Feel free to use shift specialists as well to deal extra damage when they have the debuff on them, but note that it doesn't stack with Weedy S3 since Weedy's S3 is coded to have the Nightmare debuff already.

Since it's auto-activated however, you need to keep Nightmare away from the trash mobs. Either block them, or kill them before they get close to her range.

Nightmare was also very useful in the Invitation to Wine event, because the enemies there would split into floating furniture that took number of hits to kill instead of damage. Since Nightmare's S2 actually does a tick of damage once every 0.15 s, her S2 could obliterate even the incredibly tanky (30 hits) floating furniture in an instant. I used her often that event. Keep an eye out for its rerun!

[meoawa]

Order of summoning and circumstances of some summoners and servants(mostly just Artoria and Tart)

Illya was brought to Fuyuki during the fourth war and thus aged normally and also acquires the Emiya crest. She summons Archer at the cannon time then starts badgering Shirou to summon Saber.

Shirou, with help from Illya, Sakura, and Rin has a better time with his magecraft and picks up blacksmithing after learning his element and origin. He summons Saber a week after Illya.

Rin summons Caster who, after parsing the Great Grail war Rules, drags Rin to the Emiya household and tells Shirou that he will teach him everything he knows after barging in and explaining things, much to the concern and confusion of Illya, Shirou, and Sakura, who was staying over that night.

Sakura is rescued from her canon fate by the magus tradition for siblings that share a soulmate being having the sibling that doesn't get the crest find their own path. She summons Rider the next day

The other three masters of red are found and brought to the Emiya Household.

Artoria is much better mentally with Camelot lasting beyond her reign, the Lancelot-Guinevere affair being openly being between soulmates with one in a political marriage, teaching Mordred to be a good king, and her deal with Alaya being for the ability to reach her soulmates naturally(see Lion_of_Avalon's Pursuit of the dream on AO3https://archiveofourown.org/works/34621243/chapters/86187268)

The Magia Record plot happens and is resolved/averted a year after the end of Homura's timeloops, leading to there being a doppel field encompassing all of Japan by the time of the grail war. The Wings of Magius eventually figure out how to reverse the transformation into a Witch and soon Wraiths start to spawn within the Doppel field.

Kyoko Madoka and Oriko summon their servants while Homura is in Europe looking for Catalysts.

For Catalysts Homura finds Riz's Witch and Mordred's lance, and potentially a few minor catalysts for the others.

Sayaka summons Mordred expecting her to be Saber/Lancer, but gets Saber/Avenger because of Morgan le Fay having Been summoned as Caster of Black.

Homura is the last of the Purple team to summon as she needed to purify Riz's Greif seed into a soul gem, get a new body for her, and then finally enlist her help in summoning Tart.

[mod-of-chaos]

Wraith Blade/Lancer mech sketch

[theauthor0]

FM!TALE(FANTASY!MONSTER)

=====================================

This Au is where the monster become more fantasy like in a game

(I know the monsters are already fantasy like sans and papyrus but I am still changing them)

Papyrus and gaster are demons

Sans is adopted in this Au and Sans is a slime

Asgore, toriel, and Asriel are still goats but look more like demons (demonic goats)

Flowey is a little Trent (living tree sapling)

Undyne is a Levithan

Alphys is a lizard man (basically more lizard than what she already is

Mettaton a wraith that controls a doll

the froggits are still frogs but are now poisonous (like dart frogs)

Sans is a Light Green slime with a Darker green core is his body, this Core covers his soul providing extra protection, Still acts like his Original Self, Sans is Adopted in this AU

Papyrus is a black demon with a tail, he still acts like his original self but is more of a combination of Lancer and Fell!Papyrus personality, He wants to be cool and show his "Evil side" and acts villainous but there are times where he slips up and becomes nice boi. He is also the son of a boss monster

Gaster is also a black demon but is also a Boss monster, He can still summon hands but these hands have red vertical eyes in the palms of these hands, While he is a good father, he can be cruel at times and has his dark moments but is overall a good person, Most of the time he is serious and never jokes much, sometimes he will laugh at Sans Pranks.

Gaster is the royal scientist but is also a boss monster

Undyne is still a humanoid Levithan, she still has legs but she also has a long tail similar to that of a electric eel, when is water she can transform her legs into the tail for better movement. She is more light blue now.

Alphys is still a yellow lizardman but is much more taller and has natural muscles, she has a venomous bite but its not deadly.

Mettaton is a Wraith and possesses a doll Alphys made it still has the same functions as Original mettaton but just looks more like a doll

Grillby is a lava golem, his skin is made of rock/ cooled magma, he can control the temperature of his lava, His default state looks similar (if you watched ben 10 then you know to heatblast and has a lava form with some pieces of rock floating on him

Muffet is a Arachne with 8 arms, 8 eyes, and 8 legs besides that nothing else has changed

Flowey is just a Trent but is a sapling, his omega form is A big Trent/Tree

Asgore/Toriel/Asriel are Demonic goats except their fur is black and have a third vertical eye on their forehead

[husband-steve-cortez]

Sentinel boyfriends once again.

(Kaidan you need to be wearing a helmet it's cold)

[ghostly-shenanigans-in-progress]

BNHA X DP Crossover HCs

After the long wait and finals, here are my ideas for all the quirks/occupations and other concepts I devised for the DP characters in the BNHA universe. This was just for fun and for inspiration towards others interested in this crossover au in general. 

Tagging the people that were looking forward to this post based on the replies: @qoinq-qhost, @floralflowerpower, @tgfangirl4eva @goodfish-bowl, @whitehairglowinggreeneyedcrush and more. 

Anyways, happy reading, folks!

Mr. Lancer

Hero name: Mr. Scholastic

Quirk: Bookworm

Involves his iconic usage of literature titles & quotes for swears to become abilities corresponding to the novel’s contents/themes. Course, he is limited to only books he has read and can quote accurately. Additionally, his voice gets very raspy past two or three quotes as well.

Occupation: Homeroom Teacher for Class 1- A; He’s very dedicated to his new students and teaching the fundamentals of being a pro hero and more! Course, I don’t think his chamomile tea with a wedge of lemon is enough to help him relax from his students (*cough* Danny, Tucker and Poindexter) from their antics at times. 

Danny

Hero name: Phantom 

Quirk: Ghost core (Ok, @coffeecakecafe had the best name for this one gotta give credit here)

Able to do anything a ghost is perceived to do. Go through walls, disappear and fly. This is a one of a kind quirk as it was obtained from Danny’s old quirk being altered by a machine his parents made that would repurpose/alter an individual’s quirk based on their past family members' own metahuman genetics.

Danny is doing his best and trying to understand his new quirk without causing too much attention to himself while doing so but it seems like its been doing the opposite as of late. Thankfully, he won’t be doing it alone with all his classmates around to help him!

Sam

Hero Name: Black Dahlia 

Quirk: Overgrown 

Able to create any plant that she knows the biological makeup and content of in almost any environment. However, it is important for her to drink lots of nutrient rich water and take in enough sun if she plans to create larger versions of these plants.

Tucker

Hero name: Tech Master

Quirk: Tech Core

Located on his chest/heart area is a special energy core capable of powering electronics at a rate faster than anything made-man could ever hope to achieve. As a kid, Tucker would tinker away in his family’s garage on a suit that would harness his power to the fullest extent and lead a new era of support tech in the hero world.

Valerie

Hero name: Red Huntress

Quirk: Electromagnetism (Someone I’ve been trying to find their post on my blog had posted this idea and I fell in love with it ever since)

She’s like Static Shock but with a dash of magenta/ruby lasers she can create through focusing her electromagnetism through her finger tips. She is an expert with her quirk and has the best handle of her quirk than most of her peers. She is the most frequent visitor in the support equipment workshop next to Tucker, Poindexter and Danny. It’s how she built the hoverboard she has in the show that utilizes her electromagnetic abilities for both offensive and defensive maneuvers. (Also, I enjoy the idea that Bullet is Val’s uncle on her mom’s side and is her biggest supporter alongside her dad, Damien Gray).

Jazz 

Quirk: Serenity 

Helps calm individuals and give them a sense of safety/security when they’re around her in a 10 feet radius. Though, anyone out of range cannot be affected by her quirk and she needs to be conscious in order to use it.

She planned on becoming a pro hero but felt her powers were best suited for her dream profession as a psychologist. She has used her quirk a lot when Danny was overwhelmed with his studies prior to UA. Course, a phone call and sibling chat over the phone certainly does the job for Danny now when it comes to preparing material for exams. (Course, its up to you guys to decide)

Dash

Hero name: Rager

Quirk: Strength Magnification

Improves his physique and stamina by a large percentage for a set amount of time. Needs to be careful of how much/long he magnifies his body or else his body will become immensely sore. 

Kwan

Hero name: Rallier 

Quirk: Team Rally (50/50)

Able to duplicate himself 3-4 times while being able to power-up allies’ quirks or stamina with a rally chant to help the team. The more duplicates there are the rally effect multiplies/stacks on the individual but it can lead to dangerous outcomes for their quirk output. 

Kwan is the class representative for 1-A, he’s the best at the job and was more than thrilled to be the one leading his class in more ways than one.  

Paulina

Hero name: Enchantress

Quirk: Charm

If the opponent is flustered by her taunts or flirting, their vision will become altered and start seeing things that are not there. It works better on men than women and the opponent can snap out of it with enough willpower or if they’re not interested in her.

Star

Hero name: Ms. Meteorite

Quirk: Comet

Similar to Gran Torino’s Jet quirk except faster and she can create an explosive impact on where she lands. Similar to a meteorite landing on earth, she also learns to use this as a long distance move by punching fast enough as she descends to create wind pressure punches.

Poindexter

Hero name: Tex (like in Tex Avery; Danny gave him the idea!) 

Quirk: Slapstick

His appearance is black and white just like an old timey cartoon character as well as having the durability and cartoon powers of one. However, his quirk can only work as long as what he does with it is funny in the circumstance it’s used for. Sort of like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” rules in a sense. 

Sidney is part of Class 1-A just saying, I don’t care, this is Poindexter’s time to shine here to be the coolest/funniest person in the class. Also, Tucker’s most loyal friend/tester for new support items. 

Wes Weston

Hero name: Vigilance

Quirk: Deduction

He is able to deduct people’s identities to flaws/weak points for him to use against them and  exploit against problems. 

Class 1-B Representative and the most annoying/terrifying person that Danny has dealt with in his life. He was able to figure out that Danny’s quirk is not his own or more so that it's not natural and takes every opportunity to state this regardless if anyone is listening or not. 

Amber Mclain

Hero Name: Ember

Quirk: Fiery voice (50/50)

Her quirk uses the vibrations in her sining voice to conduct intense heat waves onto opponents or utilize to rumble the structures around here and even put out the flames from her quirk. Its like a combination of Present Mic and Endevours quirk but it leaves her with a strained or inflamed vocal cords with overuse. 

Third year student or an upcoming rock star that has certainly gain huge popularity after her song “Remember” was a nationwide hit amongst the younger generation. She’s striving to be the top hero while making her next hit to become the 1# song on the listings. 

Dani

Hero name: Phantwo (lol jk; unsure what her name would be)

Quirk: Poltergeist 

Similar to Danny’s quirk “Ghost”, except she has the additional ability to melt herself to a slimy puddle and use her ectoplasmic slime to trap or surprise opponents.

Clockwork

Hero Name: Clockwork

Quirk: Time Keeper

Clockwork’s quirk allows him to stop time for 5 to 15 minutes and be able to rewind it in the same amount of time. It can be one to multiple objects as long as he touches them in order to interact with them.

Principle of UA in this au. He’s quite a reserved man but still manages to visit and congregate with students throughout the school during lunch period. 

Flynn Fenton/Flynn Walker

Hero Name: The Green Knight

Quirk: Mineralization 

His quirk allows him to manipulate the minerals and inorganic materials in the atmosphere to create into crystalized constructs that are almost stronger than diamond. Luckily, the crystals have no value so he doesn’t have to worry about that aspect of his quirk. He does have to worry about his skin becoming dried out as a result of his quirk usage. 

Flynn is a third year student that loves to check up on his cousin, Danny, any chance he gets bc of the amount of work he does with his internships.

James Walker (or James W. Hausermann)

Hero name: Warden Wraith

Quirk: Plasma Apparatus

His quirk ionizes the electrolytes in the blood system into plasma. His entire body is composed of plasma giving him his skeletal appearance. He can create plasma chains, teleport from point A to B and more as long as he focuses and has enough energy at use. Course, he can have minor to severe dehydration and imbalance in his electrolyte levels from overuse. 

Occupation: CEO of an infrastructure security company/Provisional License Examiner just like Gang Orca.The ghost prison guards become his backup/helpers for the exam phases. (They’re just trained stuntmen with combat or military experience for the occasion).

Also, I like to think Walker has kids in this au who are in the Class 1-A group; they’re not hard to spot they take after their father with their skeletal complexion. 

Skulker

Villain name: Quirk Hunter

Quirk: Tracker

The moment Skulker makes eye contact with his target he will be able to hunt them down and find them anywhere no matter how good they are at covering their tracks. He can lock on to only one target, but he will be able to know their heart beat, quirk, be able to place a tracking/scent line that only he can see and will lead him to his target’s location. It lasts for over a day or a half.

Occupation: Skulker is known for capturing, info-detailing or “retiring” newcomer pros or specific quirk users for his clients that pay him handsomely for their targets, dead or alive. Thanks to Vlad, Danny was strictly intended to be captured alive by Skulker but sometimes he gets too thrilled by the hunt to not have a memento. Trust me, it's more of a dangerous 

Nicolai Technus 

Villain Name: Technus 

Quirk: Technopathy

A genius in his own right, even if he’s a little crazy, with the best ability possible for a man of science and innovation. As long as he knows the makeup and attributes of the machine, Technus is able to completely repurpose or change a machine’s qualities for offensive and defensive qualities. Whenever that be for a mech suit or hacking a high tech system for entry, he’s able to do it as long as he knows what it is and how it functions. An example is repurposing a slot machine into a submachine gun that shoots coins at the target. 

Vlad Masters

Name: Vlad Plasmius

Quirk: Vampire

Can do anything a vampire can supposedly do. However, he was able to manifest an additional aspect of this quirk which is the ability to copy any quirk users ability. Based on the type of blood he ingests decides the amount of time he can use the copied quirk for.

Occupation: CEO of his own hero firm, he is extremely selective with the interns he has that there is a major waitlist to be even consider for Masters Inc. Course, imagine the surprise Danny must of felt when he received an offer from Vlad right off the bat after the Sports festival. 

Bruce Guiles (Bullet)

Hero Name: Bullet 

Quirk: Sphyraena or Chimera Fish

Able to do anything a barracuda can do or the quirk is a 50/50 mutant quirk in which he has both the traits of a barracuda, Chimaeras and a touch of piranha from his parents being of one of these fish species hence Chimera. Bullet can do anything those fish can do overall but he can’t go too long without hydration from water. Water quality and its oxygen content also affect his abilities by a noticeable percentage but he still remains quite formidable as a quirk user.

Occupation: Captain of a coast guard team, he’s a strict military man with an amazing record of saving people from any disasters both on land and sea. Him and Walker are best buddies ever since they went to school together. 

Vortex

Hero Name: Vortex

Quirk: Storm Warning

Vortex can utilize any variation of a natural disaster depending on the environment he’s in. Hurricanes, tornadoes, thunderstorms, you name it he can create it for his use. However, despite his amazing control over his quirk it is still possible for him to create these disasters if he lost control or magnify another pre-existing one if he loses focus. 

Occupation: Storm-chaser/Forecaster; His control and knowledge in combating/predicting these natural disasters has led to him to be part of a storm chasing crew and they’re the best in helping disaster prevention teams evacuate citizens as a result.

Petra Eris

Hero name: Pandora

Quirk: Butterfly Effect

Can manipulate or prevent a chaotic event to happen if she was in proximity and present to prevent it to happen. Or even give a little chaos to the opponent to deal with during battle. 

One of the top ten heroes and most beloved heroes in the country. She is the best strategist in any team and has a way to predict any event before they happen given the necessity of it for her quirk to work in her favor. 

Johnny 

Vigilante name: Johnny 13

Quirk: Unlucky

Johnny manifests his bad luck into a shadow that will latch onto opponents and cause unfortunate events to occur more for that individual as a result. However, the shadow cannot exist in complete sunlight; it can only remain if there are already shadows in his general area or it’s nighttime and its effects are strongest at that time obviously.

Occupation: Johnny is the leader of a biker gang or de-facto leader of said biker gang who loves to raise hell and helping folks that need saving whenever he’s around or is up to the task. Kitty tags along with him to help him out of jams and bc she loves him. :3

Kitty

Vigilante name: Kitty

Quirk: Lovesick

Kitty sends a smooch towards her opponent which if it makes contact causes the individual to have nausea or become disoriented for around 10 minutes. It can also have a chance of lasting longer if the individual was sort of infatuated with her regardless of gender. 

Pariah Dark

Villain name: King Pariah

Quirk: Ultimate Adaptation 

Similar to all for one except with the unpredictability for both the user and opponents. Pariah can manifest any type of quirk needed to defeat anyone that stands in his way both one-on-one and in groups. Course, drawbacks are the learning curve to some of the quirks and that multiple adaptions he utilizes at once will destroy his cells in the process. 

Pariah is a former follower of all for one who had unique quirk that All for one augmented to help him succeed if both Shigaraki and Tomura failed in their own conquest for the world. But now Pariah has his own plans to succeed where they failed and become the leader who shapes a new world order with an iron fist. 

Frederick Kingsmen

Villain/vigilante name: Fright Knight

Quirk: Burning Energy Infusion

Able to form/infuse objects with his own burning energy life force that is capable of burning or slicing through any in his sight. The sweat he gives off is what provides the material needed to ignite his unnatural flames despite it causing his body to overheat still. 

Fright Knight is Pariah’s second-in-command with a loyalty to him as strong as his control over his power. Fright Knight has faced many pro-heros as he carried out the smaller phases of Pariah’s plans and most of them barely came close towards defeating or leaving as much as  scratch on the knight. 

Rodolfo Gonzalo  

Hero name: Wulf

Quirk: Werewolf + Portal creation (50/50?)

Can do anything a werewolf can supposedly do; somehow it allows him to create portals with his claws to locations he has marked with them or visited in the past. 

Wulf was abducted on by Pariah’s forces and sent into the Nomu labs for experimentation to force on another quirk and instill complete allegiance to their cause. Course, Wulf broke free as a result of that new additional quirk allowing him to escape their clutches and his previous one helping him survive the endeavor. However, he lost his memories in the process and could only remember his native language, Spanish, and his hero name Wulf. 

Overgrown

Villain/vigilante Name: Overgrown

Quirk: Plant Manipulation

Can manipulate any pre-existing plant matter or create new vegetation if water and soil is present for the process or he understand the biological makeup of the plant in question. 

Occupation: Pro-hero or eco-terrorist who is tired of humanity from abusing the environment from quirk battles to industries using the land for their own benefits and none others.

That’s all I have for now! I hope this was worth the wait, guys. As well as, inspire ideas for your takes with a DP x BNHA Crossover! 

[nullconvention]

I really wish another ttrpg would take the place of D&D as the thing everyone's fucking hype for because I love role playing but I honestly sort of dislike D&D. Play Vampire or iHunt or Lancer or Exalted or Burning Wheel or Kult or Eclipse Phase or Unknown Armies or, idk, Shadowrun, or Wraith. Maybe Mage the Awakening or Ascension 7th Sea or Hunter: the Reckoning or Mouse Guard or something.

[redlerred7]

Mami-centric oneshot WIP

Mami waited blandly at the intersection breathing in the thickness of the miasma. "There's going to be a lot of wraiths tonight," she murmured to herself, turning the ring of her soul gem on her finger.

"You got that right!" Kyouko landed next to Mami, already in her magical girl outfit. "The air here is absolutely disgusting. The sooner we clear out this spawn, the better." She stabbed her spear into the pavement and leaned against its haft. "What's got you all pensive? You look as broody as Homura."

"I do not brood," Homura retorted from behind them, where she had just inexplicably appeared, also in her magical girl outfit. She walked past them, examining fog more closely. "I review what we know and come up with contingency plans for everything."

"Sure you do." The lancer side-eyed Mami, mouthing, Totally broody with a smirk.

Mami managed a small smile as she too transformed. "Tonight's hunt will probably last until morning, girls. Let's try to pace ourselves."

Homura scoffed. Kyouko snickered in agreement. "Don't worry so much, Mami. We can handle it."

The other two entered the miasma with confident steps. Mami followed behind them, a small smile still on her face.

"Right. You can handle it."

She leapt forward, conjuring a dozen muskets that trailed behind her on ribbons.

Trying to wrack my brain for this fucking oneshot that both desperately wants to be written but is absolutely refusing to be written.

[hypernova-system-antics]

Mira - they/them 🚫

Beatrice - she/her 💘

Mike - he/him 💘

Lyra - she/they 🚫

Garcello (Smokes) - he/they is 💘

Pico (Sharp Shooter) - he/him 💘

Whitty (Grenade) - he/they/it 💘

Sarv (neapolitan) - she/her 💘

Ruv (Earthquake) - he/him 💘

Tankman (Tanky) (we still don't know why he's here hhhh-) - he/him

Updike (stormcloud) - he/it 💘

Hex (slam dunk) - he/they/it/bolt/screen 💘

ENA (Polygon) - he/she/they/it/pixel

Hatter (Spiral) - he/they/it 💘

Fleck (feral) - he/they/it 🚫

Chris - he/they

Bf - he/him 💘

Softie - he/they/heart/puff 💘

Toughie - he/they 💘

Annie - she/her 💘

Jade- they/them 💘

Michael - he/him 🚫

Selever - he/they/it

Asriel - he/they/star 🚫

Techno - he/him 🚫

Tommy - he/him 🚫

Ranboo - he/they/tele 🚫

Revivebur - he/they

Ghostbur - he/they/blue 🚫

Sans - he/they 🚫

Tabi - he/they/skull

Bloodpop - he/they/blood/gun 💘

Itty Bitty Whitty - he/they/it/bomb 🚫

Papyrus - he/they 🚫

Nico - he/they/gore/heart/blood

G/yandere garcello - he/they/smoke

Spiteful - he/they 💘

Spite - he/they 💘

Rook - he/they 💘

Rebecca - she/they/paint

Hyperpop - he/they/neon/glitch/gun 💘

Error sans - he/they/it 💘

Fresh sans - he/it 🚫

Hornet - she/they 🚫

SK!Lucy - she/her 🚫

Trench - he/they/it

Starcatcher Kyden - he/they/star/gleam

Angel dust - he/they/love

Spinel - she/they/heart 🚫

Wraith - he/they/blood

Dan - he/they/it 💘

Evil Garcello - he/they

Lancer -he/they/dark 🚫

Lux - he/they/storm 💘

Robyn - he/they/sugar 🚫

Dr. Hazeman - he/they 🚫

Dr. Parker - she/they

Tiny - he/they 🚫

Kyden - he/they/it 💘

Moon - they/it/star🚫

Boss - they/them

Player - they/it

Cartoon Cat - he/it

Swatch - he/they 💘

Nightmare - he/they/it/dark 💘

Killer - he/they/blood

Dust - he/they/gore

Horror - he/they/gore/blood

Cross - he/they/knife

Long horse - he/it

*Kris - they/them

Brutus - he/they/bomb/fire

Angel - she/they/fire/light

Flame Burst - they/it/dark

Spamton - he/it

Spamton the second - he/it 💘

Alastor - he/they

Dream - he/they/it

Spider boy - ???

Dr. Gaster - he/they/it

Partygoer - any

Ghost - they/them

Belial - she/her

Mae - she/they

Twizzly Gummy Cookie - she/her

Salt route spamton - he/it

Pre-acid spamton - he/it

Deadlock - she/they/it

Deltafell Spamton - he/it

Endless - she/they/it

Ron - he/him 💘

Steven - he/they

Garnet - she/they

Susie - she/her

Maroon - she/it

Jet - he/they/it 💘

Casey - he/they

Bendy - he/they/it

Henry Stein - he/they 💘

Joey Drew - he/him

Toby - he/they/it/gore/blood

Mike 2 - he/they/it/static

Sammy Lawrence - he/they/ink 💘

Berdly - he/they

Katie - she/they/it

Henry 2, (Toner) - he/they

Bendy two - he/they/it

Ben - he/they/it/static

Silver - he/they/it

Slender - he/they/it/static/void/page

EJ - he/they/it/blood

Taki - he/she

King Dice - he/they/it

Heavystep - he/they

Badgerfang - he/they/it

Firestar - they/it/fire

Graystripe - he/she

Ravenpaw - he/it

Hollyleaf - she/they/claw

Yellowfang - she/they/it/scar

Queen - she/they/it/code

Michael - he/they/it/corpse 💘

Sammy 2 electric boogaloo - he/they/ink

Jevil - they/them

Philza - he/they/feather/bird

Heart - any 💘

Pearl - she/they

Frisk - they/them

William - he/it

Addispam - he/they/it

Aldryx - he/they/it/void 💘

Static anon - they/them

Gregg - he/they

Malice - they/it 💘

Game Master - he/they/it

Benjamin - he/they/it/ink

Pastel - they/it/fire/cat/growl

Neon - he/they/color/bright

Chara - they/them

Shadow Bonnie - any

Sammy 3 - he/they/ink/dark

Bendy 3 - he/they/void/ink

Mangle - any

Roxanne Wolf - she/they/bite/growl/karma 💘

Glamrock Freddy - he/they/glam/bear 💘

Montgomery Gator - he/they/it/rock 💘

Ennard - he/it/wire

Henry 2 - he/they

Joey 2 - he/him

Hazel - he/she

Phone Guy - he/they/cord/phone 💘

Corvid - he/they/it/star 💘

Chris Afton - he/they

Elizabeth Afton - she/they/it

Coraline Jones - she/they

Bandi - he/him

Henders - he/it

Sundrop - he/she/they/it/star/sun/glitter/play

Moondrop - he/she/they/it/star/moon/sleep

Whitty 2 - he/they/it/fire/bomb

Springtrap - he/they/it/blood/gore

Michael 2 - he/they

Michael 3 - he/they

Kokichi - he/they

Will - he/they/purple

Fredbear - he/they/it/gold

Turquoise Addison - he/they/it

Proxy Firewall - he/they/it/code/glitch/void

Boozoo - he/they/it

Monochrome - any

Virus 1 - any

Virus 2 💘 - he/she/they/it/bot

Hatsune Miku - any

Jackson 💘

Fredrick 💘

Glitchtrap - any 🚫

Anthony 💘

Sammy Emily 💘

Vanny

Harbinger

Bruno

Jonathan Sims 💘

The Still and Lightless Beast (Lightless)

William 2.

Martin Blackwood - 💘

Another Whitty (Crossfire)

YET ANOTHER MICHAEL 💘

Cassidy

Jeremy

Fritz

Gabriel

Susie

Circus baby

Gerry

DD

Ingo

Pokemon Submas oc with no name

Death God Emmet

False Ingo

Karma 💘

Blood God

Death

Arceus🚫

Alice "Daisy" Tonner 💘

Timothy Stoker 💘

Nikola Orsinov

Adam Murray

Mark Heathcliff

Cesar Torres

Fang

False Angel Gabriel (3 of him)

Seth Archer

Lucifer

6/Intruder

3/Alt Cesar (2 of him)

Minus!Garcello

John Doe

Life God Ingo

Joltik Swarm

Ace

Heartstomp

Googler

Zaffrin

Jared

Another fucking henry

Toothless/Apollo

Hiccup

Vecna

Eddie

Dustin

Mike

El

Max

Lucas

Stolas

Xanros

Chase

Marvin

Schlatt

Glamrock freddy

Roxy

Monty

Gregory

Quackity

Aiden

Jax

Seth

Josh

Cash

Wrath

Umbra

Nova

Sketch

Arrow

Arson

Orpheus

Juniper

Hubble

Kepler

Nebula

Vinder

Turquoise

Gladion

Warden Gauge

Volo

Thatcher Davis

Steve Harrington

Kamikaze

Red velvet cookie

Almond cookie

Licorice cookie

Squid Ink cookie

Clover cookie

Custard cookie the third

Totem baby 1 (Riot)

Totem baby 2 (Foolish Jr. (The second))

Totem baby 3

Totem baby 4

Totem baby 5

Totem baby 6

Balloon Boy

Toy Freddy

Toy Bonnie

Toy Chica

The Puppet

Withered Freddy

Withered Bonnie

Withered Chica

Withered Foxy

Lavender

Dragonite

Jonah 1 and 2

010

011

Flint

Steel

LD

Dr mystery

Fibsh

Galaxa

9

Liam

The Vast

Tempest

Hallow

Heather C

Heather McNamara

Heather Duke

Veronica

JD

Diggory

Olivier

Dr Stitch

Ocean

Aether

Scott

Keira

Nikignik

Boss the 2st

"Bendy"

Red Guy

Tony

Bendy

Ink Demon

Yellow Guy

Shringold

Meat Man (tm)

Collin! :]

Roy

Sonic

Knuckles

Tails

Gible

Chrissy

Songbird

Pokemon nyx

Chomper (Skeledirge)

Beast (dragonite)

Orb (evolved tarountula)

Havoc (Gabite)

Machete (Sneasel)

Azzy (Azumaril)

Waddles (evolved lechonk)

Finn (evolved fletchling)

Zapps (pawmo)

Poprocks (gible)

Raze (also a gible)

Pip (also also a gible)

Koraidon

Nemona

Penny

Arven

Onyx

Storyteller

Angry Munci

Michael Davies

John Ward

Father Garcia

Abel Cross

Caine Cross

That fucking lamp

Knuckles part 2

The protag from Willy's Wonderland

Prime Shadow

Jacob

Denji

Onyx 2

Some fucking guy

Steel

Titan

Lilac

Bastian

Darkiplier

Beam

Monty Lunar

Dapper Foxtrot

Wally 1

Wally 2

Home

Coal

Frank

Eddie

Julie

Sally

Poppy

Barnaby

Howdy

Unnamed skeleton

Centi

Markiplier

Jackson the 2st

Fredrick the 2st

Sammy the 2st

Anthony the 2st

Michael the 4th

Adam the 2st

Strawberry

Scribble

Argos

Lucifer

Jacob the 2st

H e r

Teencello

Wh!mafia cast

Yan!wally

Rf!wally

[shuttershocky]

With regards to arknights, I love Nightmare, but I'm not sure how to make use of her - compared to other single-target casters I have, I'm not sure how to use her. Would you happen to have any insights?

Nightmare is different from the other ST casters in that her goal isn't to DPS a target, but to provide utility for her team.

Skill 1 is great in Contingency Contract events that ban or triple the cost of medics, as it allows Nightmare to use her attacks to heal nearby allies. Some of the earlier CC dailies had such challenges. She can also heal herself with it, meaning if the area Nightmare is guarding isn't seeing constant damage, she can be pretty self sufficient. Watch the giant cooldown though.

Skill 2 makes Nightmare put a debuff on enemies that slows enemies and deals 1200 pure (unreduced by DEF and REs) damage every tile they move through. For obvious reasons, this is completely worthless vs enemies already being blocked. It is however, quite good at shredding fast-moving enemies you either can't or don't want to block, such as wraiths or sarkaz lancers. While the slow seems counterintuitive to the skill, think of it as a way to control the enemy and get a few more hits in. The pure damage debuff is supposed to be a bonus, and not the killing blow. That being said, if you have pushers/pullers, you CAN nuke enemies by shoving them around (do note however that Nightmare's S2 doesnt stack with Weedy's S3, as both use the same debuff)

[versegm]

Idea: Artoria Lancer Alter trying her damnedest to be a dad to Mordred, so she teams up with Saber Lancelot in order to find someone amongst the army of Servants in Chaldea to help them learn How to Dad(TM).

Wholesome content

Also I'm just picturing lalter bringing lancelot to powows with the wraiths she rides with (because Lancelot “raised by the Fae” du Lac is one of the few people who can actually handle the wild hunt) and at first they have a nice chat and drink a little but after a while they’re just completely shitfaced and crying like “bro... my daughter is SO talented I WANT HER TO FEEL CHERISHED!!” “BRO!! MY SON!! I HAVE A SON!!! I HAVE A SON AND HE’S LIKE, PRETTY RAD?? BUT IDK HOW TO HANDLE HAVING A SON I BARELY KNOW HOW TO HANDLE MY OWN SISTER” “BRO...” “BRO!!”

fae ale just be Like That

[starswornoaths]

Prompt 2: Sway

This is the story of how Serella Arcbane died. And how she got back up again.

(this is a tale of the Calamity, and what Serella was doing when it happened. Vesh is her pre-Calamity chocobo, and though she’s not referenced in recent post Calamity fics, rest assured Vesh is okay)

Word count: 2,788

Dalamud was falling.

The skies turned red. Creeks once flowing and brooks once babbling had turned ruddy, darkened by soot and blood. Even lacking a breeze, the Twelveswood seemed to sway even in the stillness as the world held its breath.

Gridania seemed to exist in constant contradiction in the days of darkness. Stillness and constant motion. The forest teemed with life, but the air was heavy with the scent of death. Few dared to leave the city-state for the Twelveswood out of fear of the voidesent that flooded it.

Dalamud was falling, and time was at a standstill.

Serella thought on her brother, gone to Limsa Lominsa years ago now, and prayed that he kept his head about him. She had no faith in the Twelve, but she begged them to keep him out of Carteneau. Her prayers contradicted the truth she knew, in her heart of hearts: he was a warrior down to his marrow. He was a helper. Provided he was as hale and healthy as his last letter had indicated, though he did not say so, she knew as surely as she knew the moon was falling, that he was on the battlefield.

Dalamud was falling, and her brother was at war.

A part of her hated that she wasn’t there. But there was no sense in her going, not when there were people here that needed help. Not for the first time, she had to remind herself that though she had learned much in her years under the tribe’s tutelage, she was hardly a soldier. The bow at her back wasn’t going to do much on the front lines. So she focused on what she could do here and now. Supply lines needed escorts, people needed tending, errands and messages needed to be ran. She did what she could of the thankless work, because she knew it was what kept the heroes going.

Dalamud was falling, and she was not enough.

Then the battle at Carteneau escalated. Fires began to spread throughout the forests. Already largely trapped in the city-state proper as so many were, it felt as though they were cornered animals watching their hunter close in. People cracked under the pressure, began to panic, began to try and flee into the flames.

Dalamud was falling, and the Twelveswood burned.

Serella, and many other adventurers, did what they could to ferry water— she and her own chocobo hauled much of it toward the brushes, wetting them against the flames and trying to douse what embers she could. It was not enough. It was not enough. The wood burned all the same.

What Adders remained in the city were clearly not made for risk taking. Those civilians that ran into the forests were largely left to die. Voidsent were only barely held back by the adventurers that were skilled enough to slay them. It was not enough.

“Please! My son!” Serella heard a woman cry. 

Scrubbing soot from her eyes, she turned to see the wailing Elezen, clinging to the arm of a Serpent lancer who seemed desperate to shake her off.

“I told you—” He tried to growl.

“He’s just a little boy, he’s scared! Please, you have to save him!” She begged. 

"I'm sorry, but he is lost to the wood."

Serella watched. And listened. This wasn’t the first person to beg for help from the Adders, was not the only one begging now. Help us, help our families. We’re scared. Help us, they begged of their protectors. 

What a fitting name, the Adders, she thought bitterly, and spat into the dirt. Snakes, the lot of them.

Dalamud was falling, and Gridiania did not care.

But Serella did. And she had water. And a cloth to douse and cover her mouth. And a bird swift enough to make it in and out.

She was moving toward the weeping mother before she had even made a conscious thought to act. Every muscle in her body pulled taught, a low roiling anger burned within her, but she had never been one to let herself be idle in her rage. Not when she could put it to good use. She could, so she must.

“Quickly, miss.” She called to her, and scrounged up every bit of softness she could manage to usher her to a nearby bench. “Your son. Tell me his name, what he was wearing, and which way he went.”

“T-Tam!” The woman replied, and when she began to sway from the stress, Serella helped her sit down. “He was wearing a yellow shirt, brown pants. He fled south from here, r-right through those trees!”

“My thanks.” Serella nodded to her. “I will try to find him.”

She had to be quick. With some of the water she had gathered, she soaked a bandana for herself and her trusty bird, and hastily tied them around face and beak alike.

“Vesh, let’s be swift, yeah?” She patted the bird’s neck.

Vesh trilled and bumped her forehead against Serella’s in answer.

She mounted her bird and took off into the burning brush before any of the Adders could even attempt to stop her. Ducked low against her galloping companion, eyes squinted against the smoke, she scanned the trees for any signs of anyone— she knew there were many that had run to try and get away. When she was deep enough in that she couldn’t make out where the city was, she pulled on Vesh’s reigns to make her stop.

“Anyone out there?” Serella called at the top of her lungs. “Tam? Anyone?”

A scream echoed to her right. She spurred Vesh to chase the sound. It took little time to find a young woman running from a voidsent, swaying and stumbling as she maneuvered around the charred forest remains.. 

“To me!” Serella shouted, and drew her bow.

She had seen many of these particular type of voidsent in recent days— wraiths with leathery wings, ashen scales, and fearsome claws. They looked more akin to gargoyles than living things. It shrieked, jaw distended as it bore its fangs, hungry for the woman’s aether.

The arrow she fired connected with the voidsent’s chest as the woman staggered toward her. It shrieked again, in agony this time, and dissipated before it could fall to the ground. 

“I’ve got you!” She reassured the woman, hauling her up onto Vesh’s saddle in front of her.

Retracing the path they had tore through the burning brush, Serella dropped the woman off at the safest edge of the wood, in clear view of the city. Once she saw her stagger toward the awaiting Adder, Serella wetted their cloth masks and was off into the fire again.

She felt a strange calm amongst the flames, the chaos. It wasn’t the soft, warm days full of birdsong, the kind where villages could be eradicated, and the birds would still sing through the destruction. This was some strange equal opposite to her trauma. She had never felt more aware of herself and her surroundings than she did in that moment.

Maybe that was the real reason why she kept going back in. Back and forth, back and forth, she would ferry what people she could find. Still, there was no sign of a little boy in yellow and brown.

Dalamud was falling, and Serella was on the move.

On the fifth run in, just when she thought she had run out of people she hadn’t failed, she was proven wrong.

“Help!” Cried the voice of a man. 

She followed his call, shouting at him to keep calling out to her, until she found a small group of people: three of them, two children, and a man, huddled together. One of the young ones— a boy in yellow and brown— stared at her in horror as she dismounted. 

“It’s alright, I’m here to get you out!” She reassured them. “Tam, is that you? Your mother sent me. Let’s go home, yeah?”

“B-but…” Tam wheezed, and when he stepped aside, she saw a chocobo egg almost as big as the boy who had shielded it. “We can’t leave it behind—” 

His words tapered weakly on a cough. The others were faring no better, and it was clear they wouldn’t last long breathing in this smoke. She tore bits of her own shirt off, wet them, and passed them around. 

“Here, cover your mouths, come now, that’s it!”

“There are others!” The man cried, even as she helped him atop Vesh’s saddle. “I...I tried to find them—!”

The man dissolved into coughing fits.

“You tried, and that’s what matters. I promise you, I’ll look for them.” She reassured him. “Come, we have to get out of here.” 

She scooped the little girl up with one arm, once she realized the poor little ones could only sway in shock and horror, and handed her to the man to situate on the saddle. Hastily, she plucked little Tam up in one arm and cradled the chocobo egg in the other, and once Tam was situated behind the little girl— Bev, she had croaked her name out— she slipped the chocobo egg in the soft, fur lined saddlebag for safekeeping.

Serella had intended to lead Vesh away on foot, back to Gridania, but they must have tarried too long. What glowing light there was from the fire became eclipsed in creeping shadows made solid, manifesting around them. Vesh tossed her head, startled, even as Serella’s grip on her reigns tightened. 

Dalamud was falling, and the voidsent hungered.

These were greater numbers than ever before. More than she knew she could handle. More than she knew Vesh could outrun, burdened as she was even without Serella. She would have to stay behind to buy them time, even knowing what it would cost her.

She didn’t even need to think on it. Fortunate, then, that she had no time to.

“Get them out of here!” She ordered the man still astride her bird. “I’ll cover your escape!”

Vesh tossed her head again, letting out a wark of despair.

“Hush now, Vesh. It’s alright. Go on. Keep them safe for me.” She patted her bird’s face affectionately before she hardened herself for what she knew was coming. “Go on now, go!”

They didn’t need to be told twice. As Vesh thundered off, wailing out a mournful cry of farewell as she went, Serella turned to the rapidly solidifying darkness. The swarm of voidsent. They clustered so closely she couldn’t discern their shapes, so she instead counted the eyes. Ten sets of them. More of them than anything she had ever fought. 

Dalamud was falling, and so, too, would she.

There was a strange calm to knowing death was approaching— but Serella refused to revel in it. Honing her focus, she quickly nocked an arrow and fired into the collective shadow.

Two eyes vanished. Nine voidsent left. The swarm descended. 

She fired a second arrow, nearly dancing to the rhythm of her hammering heart. Though her lungs burned and her eyes stung, she persisted. 

Two more eyes vanished. Eight left. They grew near enough to nearly grab her, but she leapt back to keep the distance and fired a third arrow as she landed on her feet again.

Seven left, but the flames were closing in. She was out of room to move. 

Her bow would do little here, with them coming so close. She glanced down when a glint caught the corner of her eye— a fallen Adder she had not seen before, with his blade stuck in the ground beside him. 

She had only ever seen the Wood Wailers train with them from afar. Though she would die flailing, at least she could buy them more time.

The blade's hilt was slick with blood, but she redoubled her grip and swung it upward as she ripped it from the earth. When the edge of the sword connected with the first voidsent, she nearly dropped her blade at the unexpected resistance she met: she had thought them less solid. Nevertheless, she had to rip the blade through and complete the arc. She caught two of them in her path. Five remaining.

One of them sunk it's scythe appendage into her arm, and she cried out at the stinging pain as it dug into her bicep.

At least it was her off hand, she mused darkly, and stabbed its black heart.

The motion left her vulnerable for another attack, however, and with another lunge, one of the remaining monstrosities slashed across her back. Shallow enough to keep her standing but deep enough to make her bleed. A cry of agony tore from her throat as she slashed wildly outward, and caught a two more in the stroke.

The last two voidsent, however, had her pinned. Diving in from either side, they swooped, graceful as black swans, and dug a bladed arm each into her chest. The impact stole the breath from her lungs, and she shuddered with the want to breathe. Even as her chest felt sticky and wet, she did not dare look down, knowing of the blood she would see.

Her mind and body hadn't quite caught up with what just happened, and with another swing of her limp arm to line up the beasts, and a strike with her blade, she'd managed fell them both with the last of her strength.

Her legs stopped working, and she sank to her knees in the blood soaked earth. As she lurched forward and managed to catch herself, just barely, by digging the blade into the earth and leaning on it, she wondered in dark humor whether or not this was how the blade's last bearer had died.

It didn't matter. Vesh got away with the civilians. That was enough. She made that enough.

Dalamud fell, and so, too, did she.

When the scent of smoke and brimstone filled her nose, Serella had, at first, presumed she'd been condemned to one of the seven hells. Opening her eyes and taking in the smoke filled skies, the brittle, burned trees, and the near foot of ash that coated everything, she wasn't entirely sure she was wrong in that assumption.

Then she looked down. She lay centered in a perfect circle of preserved grass, unburned, untarnished, and verdant beneath the ashes. Peering down at herself, she lacked wounds to speak of the horror she endured, and yet, the blood still stained her clothes deeply. The tears, the holes, every other marker of her injuries remained on everything but her. 

She lifted her weary eyes, staring at the blade that had served her in the bitter end, still embedded in the grass. Her senses slowly returned to her, and she could hear the faint crooning of crows off in the distance, but little else. Her father's bow and pack slung on her shoulders were a familiar weight, and she drew comfort in that.

Her hand was enclosed around something, she realized. Confused, she looked at it and turned her palm up.

A bright, glowing blue crystal. Deep as the fathomless sea, bright as the surface of the ocean at midday, it was cool against her fingertips, and almost impossibly smooth. Every gleaming facet seemed to hold reflections of a face she almost thought she recognized, though they were all a little different from the others.

This is me. Some part of her whispered, and her mind lurched at the implication.

Hear...feel...think… a soft voice cooed from somewhere within her.

Serella decided she had done enough of all of those things for the moment. She had important things she had to do, if hell was too scared to take her now. She had to try and find Vesh, first. Gods willing, she could then take Vesh to track down her tribe again— Mina had taken them north, closer to Coerthas. She knew the path well. She had to know if they made it through this hellish nightmare, and if there was anyone that she could turn to with this weird...crystal, and this strange, intrusive voice in her head, it was Mina. 

After that, come what may...she needed proper training. She had to learn how to properly protect people. The Adders weren't  going to do it, and she wasn't about to hold her breath and expect anywhere else to really look out for their people, either. Someone had to be their shield.

Oh, huh. A shield would have been handy back there, she thought in a daze, brushing the ashes off of her clothes as she hauled herself up in a fit of sneezing and coughing. Something to look into. That's step four-or-so.

Dalamud had fallen, and in its ashes, Serella stood tall.