#and then I started putting in typical flora and added a wolf

[sooz-again]

I genuinely don't understand those who are able to plan out the whole drawing design from the beginning. Like, you just have a whole concept come to you while sketching? How does that work? Every single time I start working on a drawing, the largest amount of edits happen during the linework portion. It's like I can't see where to take things next until I see it closer to a completed stage, and then I have to rework so much.

[queenjunoking]

Wolf Taming pt 44

CW: Noncon - Pain - Abuse - Torture

Z

Sonja had quickly learned to stop screaming when the cloth was removed. She quickly settled into a mixture of quick, deep breaths and crying. I could see her arms already beginning to bruise as she tried to get out of the chair. Given what was happening to her, it probably wouldn’t stop. It was an involuntary response. But bruises would fade.

I had been waiting twenty minutes for someone to stop me, but nothing happened. Rayne had probably written off Sonja as the failure she was and was probably looking for someone new to call in.

I decided that it was about time to see how far Sonja had progress. I removed the cloth from her face and she took a few deep breaths before holding it and closing her eyes. After a few seconds of nothing happening she opened them and looked at me. She was smart enough not to talk, a habit that I thought would be a lot harder to break. I smiled as I watched her toes curl and she tried to stop herself from letting out a moan as the vibrator did it’s job.

“No one has stopped me so far, Sonja. It’s only been twenty minutes so far. We could have hours together. Days depending on how long Molly takes to get Sasha back.” My words made her visibly begin to shake. Waterboarding wasn’t a method I liked to use. It didn’t do what I typically wanted it to do. But it was an experience few people can deal with for any length of time. “Rayne gave me a way out of whatever the breaker would do if I agreed to give up my membership. I can make this stop. I can undo the locks holding you to the chair. Just say out loud so everyone can hear and I might just do so. Or I can ask again after you get another few hours under the hose.”

Sonja immediately broke down crying. It didn’t surprise me, she was pathetic behind all that bravado she started with.. I could see her doing the mental math. She had no reason to believe we’d be interrupted. No one had come to her rescue since I began. She also knew I wasn’t planning on asking for a few hours if I was allowed to continue.

For Sonja, it was a losing battle. She could try and make her way through it, but that would just mean more pain before she would give up. Like every other person I had broken, she just wanted the pain to stop and she knew she was doomed.

“Please, I-I’ll willingly end my membership. I’ll announce to anyone and everyone that I don’t deserve it. Whatever you want. Just… please! Please no more.” She had stopped fighting against the restraints. She was just staring at me, pleading for mercy.

“Please say it louder so the people watching us can report that it’s what you want.” I grabbed her head and forced her to look at the window.

“Please! I don’t want to be a member! I don’t deserve it! Please revoke it!” She managed to sob the words out between tears. Tears of pain. Of fear. Knowing that she was giving up everything and what that meant.

I smiled at her gently and wiped away her tears. “Doesn’t it feel good to admit it… well Sonja was your name. But you don’t want to be a member anymore. Someone will give you a new name soon enough I bet.” I picked up the cloth again and watched her eyes go wide.

“Y-you said if I gave up you’d stop! That you’d undo the restraints! I won’t fight back! I won’t try and hurt you I promise!” Tears started forming again. I hoped she had been getting something to drink while the hose had been running over her earlier or she might get dehydrated soon.

“I said I’d think about it. You’ve admitted that you don’t want to be a member anymore and that you don’t deserve to be one.” Her eyes got even bigger as I spoke. “Therefore, your thoughts and opinions no longer matter.”

“Please. Don’t do this.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“You’re breaking, Sonja. But you aren’t broken yet. Let me help you. Once I’m done with you, the rest of your life will seem like a breeze.”

She screamed as I threw the cloth over her head again.She started to thrash harder than she ever had once I turned the hose back on. It was the response any cornered animal would have. Despite what she thought, I was here to help her. She’d eventually understand everything I did was for her own good.

I just wanted to help her.

Rayne

Setting up everything took far too long. I had missed some fun developments while I was getting prepared. It didn’t take long for Sonja to crack and beg to not be a member anymore. I had expected her to be at least a little better than that. I didn’t even get to enjoy watching it and the stupid contract stated we wouldn’t record anything unless Z gave up.

I decided to give her a few more minutes of fun before I knocked on the door and walked in. Z looked up from what she was doing, but she didn’t stop pouring water over Sonja’s face. Not that I cared much.

“Having fun, Z? I should have known you weren’t going to just cooperate.” I smiled at her, but she just looked bored.

“Those that give up are slaves. You don’t just walk in and willingly get on a breaking table. Someone has to force you to get on there.” Z turned off the hose and pulled the cloth off of Sonja’s face. It took a moment for her to recognize me.

“Rayne! Thank god! Ple-” Z unceremoniously dropped the cloth back over her face, muffling whatever begging she was about to try.

“Well, about that. I think it’s your turn to get on that table. I think you’d like living here as one of Flora’s art installations and you’ve already wasted an hour of my time torturing this failure.” Sonja would definitely be joining the household as an art installation. Though I couldn’t help but feel Sonja would devalue Z’s last broken slave. This is why I didn’t want her making more.

“Find a new breaker?” She looked at me as she turned the water back on. I watched as Sonja’s fingers grasped feebly at the chair she was trapped on like somehow digging her nails into it would make it let go of her.

“Yeah, me.” I stood tall and crossed my arms. I typically didn’t try to come off as serious, but Z could be dense sometimes.

She looked at me for a few moments before turning the water back off. “You’re hardly a breaker, Rayne. It’s a technique. It might be difficult for you to understand the concept, Rayne, because they’re supposed to survive the process.”

“Amazing, you have a sense of humor.” I smiled and started to walk towards her. “I’m going to knock you out and take you somewhere so you can start going through the breaking process. If you’re going to fight back, the time is now.”

I watched as she placed the hose down and picked up a knife that was on the table next to her. I knew she would have little quarrel in using it against me, especially since she knew she wouldn’t be in trouble for doing so

Fortunately, intent to use wasn’t the same thing as being good at using it. Z knew enough to defend herself, but most of the people born in the Society grew up learning how to defend themselves in a real way. You didn’t stay powerful for long if you couldn’t protect yourself.

She waited until I was closer and lunged. I decided to go with a riskier response to make a point. I grabbed her arm as she tried to stab me, stopping the knife just a few inches away from my stomach. Z was smart, but she was small and weaker than I was. With just one hand I twisted her arm to the side until she was forced to drop the knife.

I could see a look of hatred in her eyes, honestly the most emotion she had shown since she got here. I put my foot out, let go of her arm and tripped her, sending her to the floor. “Z, you can’t win this. How about you just go on a walk with me?”

She grabbed the knife off the floor and flung it at me. It was a sloppy move, now she didn’t have a weapon. “I don’t like Eos very much Z, but she was right about one thing. You’ve very childish when you’re upset about something.”

Her response was to run at me and punch me in the stomach with as much force as I assume she was capable of exerting. I didn’t even bother to move. “Z, you’re a sleep deprived lightweight.” She looked a bit surprised. I took that opportunity to grab her by the neck and squeezed.

She reacted like most people would when their air was taken away. She tried to pull away. She dug her fingers into my arm, hoping to hurt me enough to let go. Her last resort was stomping on my foot. It was admittedly unpleasant, but it didn’t loosen my grip. I watched as her eyes started to go unfocused. I couldn’t but smile at the thought of the fun I would be having soon.

She let out a few more gasps and her legs started to buckle under her. “Perhaps a short nap will help straighten out that attitude, Z.” Her eyes finally shut and she stopped moving. I dropped her into a heap on the floor. I could let her rest for a bit, I had some other fun to have first.

I walked over to the table and removed the cloth covering Sonja’s head. She took a deep breath and her eyes quickly scanned the room before focusing on me. “Thank god, you knocked her out. Please untie me. I-I’m sorry that I failed. I’ll just g-OH” I watched her convulse on the table for a different reason than she had been.

“You seem to be enjoying your time here, why would you want to leave?” I smiled at her and watched as she went red in the face.

“This wasn’t the deal!” She was starting to hyperventilate and struggle against the restraints. She visibly flinched as he bruises pressed against the metal cuffs.

“The deal was that you would break Z. You failed. The deal I had with Z was that she would have to deal with whatever breaker or breakers I chose. I don’t want to get between you and Z, but I’m adding a new breaker to the process. Myself.” I walked away from her and back to Z. I picked her up and threw her over my shoulder. I didn’t think she’d weigh much, but she was surprisingly light.

“Please! You can’t leave me like this!” Her pleading became more desperate the close I got to the door.

“Sure I can. I am under no obligation to stop the breaking process as long as the breaker isn’t violating the contract and Z has not given up. If you want it to stop you’ll just need to get out of the chair. I’m not sure how this is part of your process, but it must be since I haven’t released you from your contract yet.” I opened the door to leave and heard one more desperate plea.

“Please! What do you want? I’ll do anything!” I looked back into the room. Sonja had really fallen, I couldn’t believe I believed this person could have broken Z. The chair was tilted back, her legs in the air with her head pointed towards the ground at a low slope. THe perfect position for me to see her blood shot eyes. A lovely look that came from the combination of the waterboarding and the crying. I’d have to remember to try this myself when I got bored next.

“Sonja. You are nothing. Your plea for your membership to be revoked was recorded.” I was lying, but she didn’t know that.

“You… you could just delete it.” Sonja got quiet, she didn’t try to deny that she said it.

“No, we’ll be submitting it along with some other paperwork to get your membership revoked by your own request. Of course, people who know about the Society but aren’t members are slaves.” Another round of tears started to stream down her face. She really believed I might help her and the truth of the situation was hitting her like a ton of bricks. “Enjoy the vibrator, Sonja. It might be the last nice thing you ever feel in your life. Though I hear stimulation like that will start to hurt pretty badly after a while. I’ll have someone check in on your in a few hours.”

Sonja let out a final rage-filled, blood-curdling scream as she realized her life was truly over. Under normal circumstances I might have enjoyed listening to it, but I had things to do. I simply closed the door and unceremoniously cut her off.

“Let’s go and have some fun, Z. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as much as I will.”

[out-of-this-dimension]

Night, Leon & Krystal (platonic)

11 ALW; THORNBITE OUTPOST, KEW -- 

She was a diamond in the rough and she knew it.  This world Krystal had found herself in was barbaric and nightmarish.  She stood out from the others and the vixen could not exactly say if it was in a good or bad way.  When she walked Thornbite Outpost, she could tell that there were eyes following her.  Was it her azure fur? Was it the way she carried herself?  Was it her Star Wolf uniform, perhaps?  Did they know who she was?  … Did they know her secret?

Kew was a lawless land.  Perhaps that was why Star Wolf visited it so often for supplies and for work.  Its forests, filled with briars and flora the size of grown men, were hostile and maze-like that it was no wonder bodies were found every so often.  Usually they died of starvation.  There was no real Cornerian rule here-- not anymore, at least.  Kew’s close enough proximity to Venom had made it a haven for Lylat Wars refugees-- the refugees that hadn’t gone with Andrew and his rebellion or Wolf and his promise of a sanctuary for the downtrodden outcasts of society.  They lived in small colonies and they fought over their land.  Anarchy wasn’t quite the correct word to describe it.  But it felt close enough to it.  

Krystal walked through the outpost’s gates, not really caring to look back over her shoulder at the ramshackle town some of the Venomians had built.  Panther had gone to bed after drinking a few too many beers.  Wolf was catching up with some outlaw buddies of his.  Leon was spirits-know-where but she bet he was doing something productive.  

The forests didn’t scare her-- it never had.  There was an allure about it that drew her in that particular night.  A glittering blue fog had rolled in around the outpost, sweeping about the base of the tree trunks like a floating river.  Glowing mushrooms ate at the sides of trees, making the pitch black of night seem a little less scary.  There was something mystical about this place that reminded her of home-- of Cerinia.  Maybe that was what compelled her to go exploring in the dead of night.

She walked until the outpost behind her was obscured by the darkness of night and the thin trees both.  The isolation made her breathe easy.  She let her shoulders relax.  Krystal felt like she had to keep up appearances with the others-- maybe it was because she had been told by Peppy to spy on Star Wolf.  She had been playing the role for awhile now… so long that it sometimes felt a little too natural but not long enough to forget what this all was-- a big sham.  A big sham that she… felt guilty about.  Felt stifled by, at times.  Sometimes, she wished she could just leave her communicator with Peppy turned off forever.  Sometimes, she wished she didn’t have to report in.  

Sometimes?  She wished the sham was real.  And sometimes?  She realized she could make it real if she wanted to.  

“And where do you think you’re going?” a voice came from behind.  “Not running away to report our whereabouts to the Cornerians, are you?”

The vixen turned around.  It was very rare for anyone to sneak up on her.  She realized his thoughts had been quiet if he had been able to come this close to her without her detecting him.  For a moment, Krystal admired his ability to keep his emotions under such tight control.  But then she recognized the danger in that.  And the implications of his words.

“Still don’t trust me?” the vixen asked with a raised brow.  She told herself to play it off.  Leon was the most paranoid out of the group so this sort of interaction was within his nature.  “I’ve been on the team for a month.  If I was going to betray you, wouldn’t I have already done it?”

“That remains to be seen,” Leon answered. “But typically innocent people don’t go wandering off in the night.”

“I’m not running,” Krystal pointed out.  “I just wanted to go for a walk is all.”

Leon did not look convinced.  He folded his arms over his thin chest.  She took note of the dagger strapped to his forearm, concealed underneath the sleeve of his uniform jacket.  Had he come here armed in case they ran into trouble?  Or was there a more sinister motive?

“This planet reminds me of Cerinia,” Krystal said to him, taking her gaze off of him for a moment.  “There’s an ancient wonder here.  I’ve… missed it.”

The reptile’s expression softened ever so slightly.  He glanced up at the glow of mushrooms decorating the trees.  Their glow was so bright that even in the night, Krystal did not feel like she needed a torch or to even draw her staff to provide more light.  

“Panther does not talk often about Cerinia.  I imagine there are still… wounds,” Leon said after a pause in their conversation.  “But from what he told me, it was truly a beautiful place.  A pity what became of it.”

“I wish I could go back sometimes,” Krystal said. “Do you feel the same about Venom?  I… know it’s still there, but… surely you must miss it too?”

“I do and I do not,” Leon replied.  “Life in poverty is not glamorous.  I do care for my family, though.  Even if perhaps they are upset that I chose to leave Venom for good.”

She could sense emotions rising up past that callous barrier he had created.  There were bits of regret.  Bits, perhaps, that the lizard did not want to admit.  His steadfast loyalty to Wolf may have granted him wings out of a rough lifestyle… but perhaps it had taken away more than Leon wanted to say.  Krystal doubted, though, that he would have done things differently.  She knew him better than that.

“Panther… really likes you,” Leon stated, carnelian eyes narrowed to slits. “I only followed you to make sure you were not doing something that would hurt him.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Krystal said, the lie flowing through her like water.  Fluid.  Seamless.  She had gotten so used to lying that it felt as natural as breathing.  She was not sure that was a good thing.  “Panther… he came into my life at an odd time.  But I’m grateful to him.  He really helped me out.”

When she spoke of Panther, it made her feel guilty.  She never lied when she spoke about him.  Every soft moment they shared, she knew those moments were real… even if her reasoning for being on the team was fabricated.

“I understand that your departure from Star Fox was not… a mutual agreement,” Leon replied.  “At first, I thought you joining the team was odd to put it mildly.  Did Fox not indoctrinate you into thinking we were heartless ruffians without a shred of loyalty between us?”

The vixen felt her heart sink, remembering her last conversation with Fox.  It had been a gradual build, like a tea kettle threatening to boil over.  The vulpine’s personality had shifted after the aparoid invasion.  Their arguments had gotten more frequent.  Krystal’s longing to find more of her people had gotten stronger. Fox had wanted her to focus on the missions.  She couldn’t, though.  She couldn’t focus.  And his temper had begun to flare up to new heights.

“If Wolf had kicked you from the team… what would you have done?” Krystal asked Leon and she saw surprise cross his features.  “Sometimes, you think you’re a good person.  And then you realize that you’re angry.  And sometimes, being angry… makes you realize that you were perhaps not as good of a person as you thought you were.  At first, I joined this team because of Panther but I will admit.  I wanted to hurt Fox.  I wanted him to feel the loneliness, the shock that I had felt when he had dismissed me.”

“If he had done that… I am not sure what I would have done,” Leon admitted quietly. “Star Wolf has been my life for so long now.  Perhaps I understand your plight a little better now.”

“I appreciate that you came to check on me for Panther’s sake,” Krystal said with a small smile. “I won’t lie.  I do love him.  I want him to be happy.  He deserves that much.”  She paused, then added. “Walk with me?”

Leon looked apprehensive but nodded.  The two began to walk in the dark forest, keeping a moderate pace.  The lizard looked to her, studying her face carefully.  Their conversation turned to silence as they wandered, curving around the outskirts of the outpost and keeping to the trees.  Small glowing wisp-like spores fell from the treetops and Krystal caught one in her palm and held it up for Leon to see.  The lizard observed it carefully before giving it a nod of approval.  Krystal let the spore fly away.

They continued for some time, the quiet interrupted by occasional chatter.  She could tell he was analyzing her even without using her powers.  The more they walked and talked, the more she could feel him relax.  Krystal supposed she ought to have been happy.  But her heart panged with guilt one more time and she tried to distract herself by just keeping her eyes forward.

When the outpost gates came into view once more, Leon stopped.  He turned and looked at her carefully.  His scrutinizing gaze made her feel mildly uncomfortable.  The vixen carefully distracted herself by adjusting some of the fringe of her bangs. 

“What you said earlier was wrong,” Leon stated with such brutal honesty that Krystal flitted her ears back in surprise. “Being angry… is normal.  It doesn’t make you evil.”

“I…” the vixen began. “I suppose there’s truth to that.”

“Remember that,” Leon replied and walked towards the gates.  

Krystal stared after him, wondering if somehow he had been able to read her thoughts.  After a minute of careful consideration, she concluded he had not.  Yet there was something about him that made her feel as though she could see through him.  Maybe it was the way he looked at her.  Maybe it was his precise choice of words when he spoke to her.  Regardless, it… unnerved her.  And somehow?  It was relieving.  It felt like she had gone her whole life wearing mask after mask.  Sometimes, having someone seeing you for what you were was comforting.  

It certainly made her feel less crazy, at least.

And perhaps it was the final straw.  The final instance that made her realize she needed this.  A new start.  A new team.  She needed to turn off her communications with Peppy.  She needed that breath of fresh air.  

“Are you coming?” Leon asked.

“Yes.  Yes, I’m coming,” Krystal replied and hurried inside after him.

[exilesofembermark]

Exiles Game Dev Update | 10.3.18

“(unintelligible language that seems familiar, but you just. can’t. place it.)” - the Bard in Embermark

You’ve seen him before, but now he’s alive! And we have big plans for bardery in Exiles-- plans unlike those you’ve experienced elsewhere. Welcome back to the Exiles Dev Update!

Last update, we focused on the “Explore” feature in PVE, a swashbuckling boss baddie, Embermark populations and the reveal of the Houses redux. This time, it’s the latest evolution of our Combat system, more VFX, the dungeon system coming online and big changes for the World Map. Read on…

COMBAT EVOLUTION

The evolution of the combat system in Exiles has been the source of much sharing and discussion since we’ve been chronicling the game’s development. We’ve been designing and honing and throwing out and changing things all along the way as we develop something players enjoy doing 'til the cows come home. And we have more to share, but first a quick history:

The Exiles of Embermark Combat System: A Chronological History of Systems and Why They Were Shelved

Thems Pokeemans - The first combat system, super straightforward and simple, much like combat from a certain favored “RPG” about collecting and training little creatures. 

Why No: too simple. While easy to grok, this system was far too dependent on the setup of the character (loadout, abilities, talents). If you had the wrong one, tough-- you were dead regardless of your choices. 

The Deck - Similar to a CCG, we took Abilities and had the player “draw” them in a shuffled order. 

Why No: in a quick battle, you didn’t have time to wait for the “right” move to come along and combination-planning was difficult.

The Stance Dance - the player had 8 abilities in a battle, and each had a “Stance”-- Martial, Magic or Mystic. The Stance employed a typical Rock-Paper-Scissors superiority circle to give players some guessing and gamesmanship, but they were also incentivized to stick in Stances for a while, because there was an Initiative bonus for doing so. 

Why No: Too much going on-- you needed to be a real student of the game, every Ability and which ones were what Stance to be successful. The brain load was too much for the quick Battle.

And now, what we’re calling Combat 3.0 (even though it’s really 4). Please note that we are currently testing this thinking, and it’s not an official “thing” yet, but as you know, we like to discuss all things with you along the way. It’s a “Mid-Mort,” if you will.

The Basics:

It’s “I Go, You go.”

You: “Whaaaat? I thought this was a We-Go game?”

Me: “It was, but clear communication of combat events and the player’s ability to make smart counter-choices in a We-Go mechanic never got there for us.”

It uses “Charges” of resources that build up.

Types: Martial, Magic and Mystic (no surprise there).

Players “Consume” those charges to unleash certain attacks.

This gives the game some systematic interplay between Abilities that we didn’t have before (e.g., one Ability Charges, another Consumes, they both do damage and other effects).

It creates choices that are “better” in certain situations where you have the resources to make them.

Most importantly, this opens up design space for things like Breaks, Steals, Cleanses,  and more-- you get the picture.

In a nutshell, we created a distillation of many of the concepts that you’ve been hearing about all along. Without losing anything other than We-Go, we’ve entered into a combat system that still fulfills on the original Exiles promise of quick-but-strategic battles. 

Is this our final format? Maybe, maybe not-- but it’s a really exciting step for us toward something we can put into peoples’ hands.  

BATTLE BACKGROUNDS GET ANIMS AND FX

The way we’re churning out battle environments has been shared much in the past, so this month I’m highlighting some of the Little Things-- specifically, how we’re animating environmentd to give them more life and character. From leaves to popping bubbles to embers or snow or water, each will have (mostly subtle) animations to give you that little extra immersion while you fight for your life. 

Here’s a close-up of that little bog-bubble in the environment above, cuz if I don’t share it, it may not get its due:

Leaves and water and embers will start to dot the various “places” players spend the majority of their time in. 

And, where appropriate, a little dust/smoke/etc...

DUNGEONS

The system is coming along quickly, from the concepts I’ve shared before, to the backend system that we’re implementing as we speak. In fact, I clicked through my first dungeon experience on Friday (was just a few wolf encounters and alas--no traysure-- but I was still excited). In the coming weeks, we’re adding story choices, treasure, exploration (for RNG content) and bosses. 

Below, you can see the entrance, where encounters are, random exploration (the ? mark), treasure for the taking, blank rooms that could hold anything and a big boss ending. 

AN ONSLAUGHT OF VFX

They’re coming fast. Player abilities and NPC moves will involve some additional animations and VFX that clue players in to what effects they bring. 

Here, summon the Arcane Wall FX, wrap your character in a protective shell and thwart all manner of negative effects. 

Manifest a sword of ice with which to smite your foe? Check.

And the most powerful looking Magick Missile evar:

I mean, we all grew up with a MM that can’t miss, but this is way beyond what I first saw in my head when casting it...

THE NEW MAP

As the systems change, the lore changes and now the map is changing! The development of Exiles history, geography and flora/fauna has been going nonstop for the last several months (you’ve heard about story changes and House changes in particular), and here’s a first look at how geography has morphed to accommodate: 

(compare this with the original map)

MEET ADDRIGHAR, THE CENTRAL HILLS AND BORDER TO THE SCAR

Another Zone takes shape. This one is both key and exciting for the Gunslinger team here, as it bridges the gap between the Zones that we’ve already produced art for (namely, the Western mountainous Zone, Siege, the Eastern starting Zone of Wildewoods and the Southeastern coast of Askala).

It’s bordering on the Breach-ravaged Scar, has more land than any other Zone and is home to all manner of House (Majesty), creature (Bogans and Draccai) and landmarks (Tallwind Lake and the Zandri Wastes). We’re just getting started, but you can see where some of the main locations and landforms will be.

THE SERPENT

The Serpent will get a better name than “Serpent,” but until then, we’re working on bringing her to life, featuring a hypnotic, menacing ready pose...

...and a lightning-fast strike to your dumb face:

NEW GEAR SAMPLES

A Warrior isn’t a Warrior isn’t a Warrior in Exiles, and the gear will reflect that. Besides horned helms and plate mail, we’ll also have more menacing garb like a hood/mask that promises to hide the combatant’s intentions from their opponent...

...and the Mage gets some new shoulders that shouldn’t restrict their spellslinging movement too much:

THE BARD LIVES

He’s wily, this one. As shown in the Update’s intro, the Embermark-ian bard isn’t your classic lute-player in a floppy hat with questionable martial skills. This one is a mystery-- is he from the continent or beyond the Breaches? Is that a mask or his face?

And what does he want?

These, and other questions will be answered as players progress through the game, but one thing is certain-- this is not your father’s bard.

Despite his otherworldly appearance, he’s still got some familiar jestery moves that will both delight and enrage the player.

I mean-- no one likes a jig danced at their expense. This guy is cruisin’:

DON’T FORGET TO REMEMBER…

We’ll keep sharing details as we head toward testing (go here to sign up for testing and be among The First), and you can count on early impressions from the testers throughout our various channels.

If you haven’t already, follow along with Exiles development on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. And if you haven’t, I’ll find you. And SMITE you.

CONNECT WITH OTHER EXILES

If you want to hear about the game, ask questions or connect with others who are helping the development team think about features, design and narrative, hop into the Discord Channel for live chat and say hi– it’s a friendly crew with plenty of daily/weekly/sometimes-planned shenanigans.

BONUS: BUGGED SKELETON GIFS

Bugs are never pretty, but sometimes they’re amusing. When skeletons go awry, we get a mix of visuals. And no, my good Discord community, these will not be in the game...  

On we go!

[geekade]

The Return of Opening Day Magic

I must say that spring is a special time of year for me. It doesn’t have to do with the weather warming up, the flora and fauna coming back to life, or opening the windows to let fresh air in. While those things are great, what it really comes down to is baseball. When baseball draws near, my lackluster interest in the winter sports almost totally sheds. My morning TV routine shifts from MSNBC to the MLB Network for my pre-work rituals. Dinner time now has the soundtrack of summer playing in the background, living in the Philadelphia area, what for so long was Harry Kalas and Richie Ashburn has been replaced by Scott Franzke and Larry Anderson. Baseball starting is like finding that favorite t-shit at the bottom of your drawer and remembering all over again why you love it so much. It all comes to a head on Opening Day. A day that truly should be a national holiday, but until it is, my ritual of ditching all obligations to be in attendance remains. There’s something magical about Opening Day, it’s the essence of spring. Every team starts over. The World Champion Cubs have the same record as the Brewers. Hope, optimism, and possibilities run through all thirty fan bases.

My love for Opening Day has always been there, but like any long-term relationship, it has evolved over the years. Opening Day has been there for me in all the stages of my life, but this year it has pivoted in a way that is complete and permanent. Opening Day has changed for me forever, and I saw it in a way that I had never seen it before. Now I can no longer imagine seeing it any other way.

Much like the typical red-blooded American child, I played little league. I always loved the game. I collected baseball cards. I attended the occasional game when I was lucky enough for Dad to bring me. I can still remember playing “Super Action Baseball” on our old Colecovision with by best friend. While I loved baseball and looked forward to the first game of the season, I never really knew the true joy of it until 1993. I was in eighth grade, and that was the year I decided that I was going to devote that summer to following baseball closer than I ever have before. The coincidence that 1993 was the very year my Phillies broke a rather long pennant drought was not taken lightly by me. I saw it as a sign, and while baseball and I had been flirting for a long time, I fell head over heels in love. Despite crying myself to sleep after Joe Carter and the Blue Jays ended a magical ride, I couldn’t consume enough of America’s past time.

By the time I hit driving age, and completely memorized the movies The Natural and Major League, there was no keeping me from home openers. I would gladly skip school, be it High School or college, to drive to Veterans Stadium to catch the pomp and circumstance. In those days the Phillies had returned to AAA quality baseball and buying a walk up ticket for 10 bucks not only earned you admission, but an entire section all to yourself. These were the days of fan groups: The Wolf Pack, The Padilla Flotilla, Burrell’s Girls, and the Duck Pond. (Not to mention the un-actualized Mesa’s Messiahs and Thomas Perez’s Desi Arnazes BABALU!) It was an era of opening day brawls where “Bonner Sucks” and “Prep Sucks” filled the 700 Level just as much as “Mets Suck” chants. Admittedly, the Phillies were awful during this era, but I can honestly say that on every opening day, I was optimistic. I thought we had a chance. I saw lightning get caught in that 1993 bottle, and I thought it was going to happen again for sure. Looking back, opening day was as close as I was ever going to get to a pennant those years. These years coined the home opener term “constant disappointment” among my friends.

(1999 was also the year I learned that you can’t just walk up and buy tickets to any baseball game when we took a road trip to Fenway Park…… whoa!  You actually have to buy tickets in ADVANCE in some cities?)

In 2004 the whole dynamic of Opening Day changed. I found myself being an adult by this time, and I no longer played hookie, I put in for vacation days. The Vet was closing and Citizen’s Bank Park was opening. Gone were the days of walk up tickets. While a new park and an improving team were seriously welcome, there was something about the Opening Day charm that was removed. Despite having a partial season ticket plan, I was unable to get an Opening Day ticket in 2004, I had to settle for game #2 of that season. It was the first home opener I had missed in quite some time. That seemed to change how I viewed Opening Day. Moving forward it was a battle to get tickets. After the World Series in 2008, it was easier to get into Willy Wonka’s factory.

Fun home opener memory from that era: In 2005 I remember how we booed the fact that Placido Polanco was starting at second over future favorite son, Chase Utley. Placido, I know your reading, we booed the decision, not you.

I’ll call the 2009-2016 era "the fall from grace." I’m not sure if we flew too close to the sun or what, but the subsequent fall was tragic, nasty and ugly, and I don’t think I went to a single Opening Day game. It wasn’t that I didn’t care, but life just happened. I had kids, I had jobs and I had limited vacation time. I looked down on the fans that suddenly couldn’t get enough of the town’s baseball team. Where were they when I was buying walk-up tickets and sitting in entire sections by myself? I got old, I didn’t like the crowds when the team was good, but I didn’t like the emptiness of the park when they weren’t. I was measuring effort, the cost for beer, and the traffic.

This year was the pivot. This year was magic. This year rekindled a love. It wasn’t that the Phillies had done anything drastic to improve the team. The crowd didn’t match some Goldilocks “just right” size for my enjoyment. There wasn’t anything added to the in-game experience, and the weather was blah. It was seeing a home opener through the eyes of my son that has changed the Opening Day dynamic forever. He’s been to baseball games before, but this this is his first year of little league, and this would be his first Home Opener. I didn’t have to think twice about pulling him out of school early to head down to the park on a Friday afternoon. Seeing his eyes light up and hearing the “whoooooaaaa” when he peeked out of the darkness of the concourse to see the bright green grass of the field in the sunshine was something I need to experience every year. He looked in awe at the fly over, at the gigantic flag unfurled in the outfield, at the fireworks that shot off during the National Anthem. We laughed at the Phanatic. We booed Bryce Harper (please sign with the Phillies) and Jayson Werth. We saw majestic homeruns and cheered for every Vince Velasquez punch out. We ate hot dogs and had ice cream out of a miniature helmet. The Phillies lost by a run, but he didn’t care as he happily fell asleep in the car on the way home. He doesn’t know the nuances of the game…yet. He doesn’t know the players…yet. He doesn’t know how to keep score…yet, but I’m going to be there when he does. Every. Single. Year.

[queenjunoking]

Wolf Taming pt 42

CW: Noncon - Pain - Abuse - Torture

This particular entry is a bit more violent than most of the other ones so I thought I should give a heads up.

Z

Sonja doubled over my knee, seemingly surprised at what I did. I really couldn't imagine why. I pushed her over and onto the floor as I decided to go check out what items she had laid out on the table nearby.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Sonja yelled as she got back to her feet, glaring at me. “If you want your stupid slave back you better fucking listen to me you worthless bitch!”

I looked over the items available and picked up one of the flip knives. “You’re very stupid, you know that right?”

“Excuse me!” Sonja was livid, her face had gone a deep red.

“I read the stupid contract. The parts that mattered anyway. You cannot maim or kill me. Unsurprisingly those conditions don’t apply the other way around.” I pressed the button on the knife and the blade flipped out to accentuate my words. I watched her look at the knife, then back at me. “Your job is to break people. Targets don’t cooperate right away. I am your target and you were dumb enough to just approach me and asked what I wanted. It’s your job to secure the person you’re breaking.”

I threw the knife at her as hard as I could and heard her scream as the blade sunk into her shoulder. “You are a barrier between me and what I want. If you want to break me you’ll need to get me to submit.” I picked up another knife off the table and turned back to Sonja, watching as she yanked the blade out of her shoulder.

“Oh, you’re going to submit. You’re a washed up has been. I was just trying to be nice to you before I felt sorry for you. I was trying to give you a bit of dignity. But if you want to be humiliated I am more than happy to oblige.”

“Sonja, you might think you’re in charge of this room. That this is your chamber. But it isn’t. I’m not locked up in this room with you right now. This isn’t your special little chamber in the auction house.” I looked at the table one more time and picked up a taser sitting there. I pressed the button and watched the electricity arc between the prongs.

I walked slowly towards her with a smile. “No Sonja. You’re currently in a locked room with me. You decided to stand between me and Sasha. You will understand your mistakes. Unfortunately you aren’t going to get the chance to learn from them.”

I watched Sonja back up to the door and try turning the knob. Subtly at first, but it quickly became desperate. “Someone open the door!”

No one answered her prayers.

I kept walking towards her and she decided to finally take a stand. She held the blade she had pulled from her shoulder in front of her, acting like it was some kind of threat. After I walked a few more feet she lunged at me with the knife.

Everything Sonja did betrayed her. She talked big, but she was obviously very new to all of this. I moved out of the way and tripped her, sending her face first into the ground.

I slipped my foot under her and kicked her over. She tried to reach for the knife so I stomped on her hand. She yelped, pulled it back and looked up at me, I could see the glint of fear in her eye. This was the real Sonja, not the big talker that had entered the room. Little by little I was pulling away the facade.

I decided to just get this over with. I stood over her and sat on on her stomach, listening to her gasp as the air left her. She tried to talk but there was nothing left in her lungs to form words with. She desperately tried to push me off, so I punched her. First with my left hand. Then my right. Then with the left again. She covered her face and I took the opportunity to take the taser and place it against her neck and press the button.

I could feel her convulse under me, my weight the only thing keeping her in place. I gave her a second jolt for good measure before I got off of her. I looked around the room to decide what to do next when I spied a chair sitting off to the side. It would have to do.

I grabbed Sonja’s convulsing body by her hair and started to pull her across the room.She desperately tried to regain control of her limbs to stand back up, but was doing a poor job of it. I pulled her over to a chair, a nicely shaped chair that looked like what you might find in a gynecologist office. Though the ones in the office probably lacked locking straps for the head, legs and feet. I picked her up and dropped her none too gently onto it before strapping her down.

“You’re going to l-let me go or I’m going to make you a bloody smear on the w-wall.” Sonja managed to stammer out, but it was too late for her to save herself. We had reached the point in the process that the victim had no chance of escape.

I ignored her for the time being. If anyone was going to stop me they were taking a while to get here. I began looking through the items in the room to see what all Sonja requested. Mostly torture instruments, not much I typically used. But eventually I found the kinds of things I was looking for.

The first thing I found was a small spray bottle of liquid. I made an assumption about what it was and hung it around my belt loop. I found a powerful vibrator meant to be attached to the edge of the chair. I began to set it up as Sonja suddenly started to struggle more. “Get that thing away from me! If you don’t let me go this instant I will make sure you won’t ever see that stupid slave of yours again!”

After I got the vibrator in place I got up and stood behind her. I whispered into her ear. “Don’t you want to feel good, Sonja? Just let me do my thing and soon you’ll never have to worry about ridiculous things like being a breaker again. You’ll get to be where you truly belong.”

“Someone stop her! This wasn’t part of the deal!” Sonja screamed at the window that Rayne and Flora were likely sitting behind. But no answer came.

“Just say ‘Please Miss Z, make me feel good’ and I won’t inflict any pain on you.” I whispered into her ear again.

“Fuck you! You can’t do this! I’m-” I lifted the bottle off of my belt loop and sprayed it into her mouth as she spoke. There was a small delay before she screamed and began to thrash around. I smiled to myself, glad I was right. It was the same kind of thing I used to use. The contents were made of the Hellfire Kiss pepper.

While her attention was on the horrific burning sensation in her mouth I got to work on her clothes. I found a pair of scissors on the table that were sharp enough to cut through cloth. They sliced through like a knife through butter, interrupted only when I needed to move them because of the chair restraints. I had removed her pants and her shirt before she could concentrate on anything else but her burning tongue.

“O-one m-more ch-chance Z.” She tried again with the tough guy act despite the tears that were streaming down her face. “You s-stop now and I’ll forget all about this.”

“Oh, sweetheart. If I had my way with you, you would never forget anything I was about to do. I want it burned into your mind for the rest of your life. That’s the point of this process.” With a swift movement I cut off her bra, then her panties and threw them aside. Her face turned a deep red as she was bound naked to the table. I doubt she ever thought she’d be subject to something like this.

I grabbed the back of the chair and pulled it down, moving her from sitting in a recycling position to laying backwards at a small angle. I could see her crying and I gently wiped away the tears. I looked around the room and saw a small water spigot and a hose in the corner. “That big strong person who entered earlier isn’t you. This is you. How about I get you something to cool you off?”

I attached the hose to the spigot and grabbed a cloth before I walked back to her. It took her far too long to catch onto what I’m doing. “Wait. No. No, no, no, no, you can’t do this to me! I- the contract said I couldn’t maim or kill you! I was just doing what the contract said I had to do! Please, there’s no need for you to do this! I’ve failed! I’ll leave! I’m sorry!” The facade was gone. All it took was the threat of torture and the strong exterior was gone. She was just begging for freedom like any other person put through this process. It just proved that this is where she belonged.

I wiped away a few more tears and gave her a gentle smile. “You’re pathetic.”

Her eyes went wide as I tossed the cloth over her head, flipped on the vibrator and turned on the water.

Flora

“Apologise, Master Rayne. Lady Flora. We… never really expected this possibility or we’d have added it to the contract.” Molly was nervous, shuffling through papers.

Rayne held a hand up, signaling to her to be quiet. “If Z went quietly then it would b-”

“Someone stop her! This wasn’t part of the deal!” Sonja screamed as the cloth was momentuarily removed from her face, interrupting Rayne. It was a dumb decision seeing as it would just leave her with less air for the next round.

“It would be boring. That’s what I was going to say.” Rayne said once there was a gap in the screaming.

“I suppose in an odd way Z is following both sides of the contract. Technically waterboarding doesn’t maim. I suppose it could kill Sonja if she isn’t careful, but I’d like to think Z is better than that.”

I watched the scene in front of me play out a few more times. Sonja convulsed wildly as Z poured the water over her head. Z would lift the cloth, give her a few short breaths and then repeat the process. I could see Sonja fighting the restraints with all of her might, but she wasn’t stronger than steel.

It was wonderful to get to see Z actually work. She only had one recorded session and I had watched it to death already. She was ruthless and apathetic to her victim, but at the same time seemed to be doting over them.

I turned to my raindrop and noticed she was upset. “What’s wrong stormcloud?” I rested my head on her shoulder and looked up at her, giving my eyelashes a flutter.

“I wanted Z to be a gift to you, lilac. The scene we’re watching is fun, but every moment that it’s happening is one less moment Z is being pushed to breaking.” Rayne was agitated. I couldn’t really blame her because she made a good point. I did want my gift. “I chose Sonja because she is one of the few people I could find that did straight up torture. I wanted to see blood and pain. Instead I’m just watching Z asphyxiating someone while making them orgasm over and over. A fun spectacle for sure. I’m not saying we shouldn’t try this on one of the maids. I just feel we’re wasting precious time while Z just sits around and tortures another member.”

“Former member, dear.” I looked away from Rayne and over to Molly. “Molly, once your team is finished getting Z’s doggy back please begin paperwork to submit to the auction house to let them know Sonja probably won’t be fit for work anymore. Make sure that it shows everything happened to her was done by contractual agreement but leave out who it involved. Also, have her tracked, I want to buy her.” I looked at Molly and smiled. She just nodded and took some notes. Molly was dreadfully boring but at least she was good at what she did.

I looked over at my brooding stormcloud and decided to make a suggestion that might make everyone happy. “Rayne, may I suggest you go have some fun? You are so strong and Z isn’t going to go down without a fight. In the meantime I can look for another breaker to come in that might be fun for us to both watch after Z has been knocked down a peg.”

I felt her hook her finger under my chin and tilt my head up. She kissed me passionately and deeply. It made my stomach flutter. After a few moments she pulled away and smirked.

“I think I will.”