#dragons of the hourglass mage

[moonsofkrynn]

The goddess Lunitari has been a favorite of mine for a loooong time now, I love it when she makes an appearance! Surprisingly, I found that I'm also really enjoying her current distance from the mage Ungar in Dragons of Deceit, as that distance simultaneously characterizes both of them!

Excerpts from Dragons of Deceit pages 132 and 136:

...And an old favorite from Dragons of the Hourglass Mage, page 239:

TL;DR

Lunitari is a complete chatterbox around her friends, and the fact that she's silent around Ungar? Well, I think that says quite a lot about what she thinks of him.

[dragondawdles]

crumplt piece of paper

[solvicrafts]

Me, starting to replace a few books I had to sell a while back when things got tough:

WHY THE HELL IS NEVERWINTER SO EXPENSIVE?!

[tenth-sentence]

All Tanis could see were the mage's golden hourglass eyes, narrow slits of cunning and intelligence.

"DragonLance Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight" - Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

[cosmik-homo]

OK i have enough of the avon-raistlin-swap nonsense to move it to a seperate document, so the question is should it be "Blake's 7 2.5: Replacement" or "Dragons of the sad embezzler".

[pisscrossiant]

My dragon age origins party members Body Headcanons!

I wanted to do this for a while and I have finally gotten to doing it.

Alistair - wider build, Semi- chubby

Morrigan - Skinny, But has decently muscular arms

Leliana - hourglass figure, Muscular

Zevran - Skinny, But he has a toned body

Sten - Muscular build all around

Oghren - Chubby, has a belly, but his arms are muscular

Wynne - Skinny, her arms are toned but that's about it

Alistair would have a Wide build and he would be a bit chubby, he would have a pudgy stomach and softer arms and legs, he's built like a teddy bear. I feel like he would give good hugs too.

Morrigan has a Skinny body, decent sized bust, her hips would be more in tune (idk how to word it) with the rest of her body, however I feel like she'd have really strong arms. I have a feeling that she probably had to do a lot of manual work having to lift things and stuff while living in the wilds and over time it gave her muscular arms, also waving a staff around 24/7 too.

Leliana would appear to have a curvy body when wearing her chantry robe and she takes it off and SHE'S RIPPED. She still has a curvy body don't get me wrong but her being muscular just makes sense to me. I just get that feeling from her. She'd have a Curvy build yk wider hips, decent sized bust, all you'd expect but she'd have buff arms and abs. I love thinking she'd have a chubby body but her being muscular just gives makes more sense to me.

Zevran defo never ate properly, he has irregular eating patterns as well as being malnourished. He'd have a skinnier build with a toned body and Semi- muscular arms, him working out made him be more toned but he'd still be pretty skinny. Once being with the party for a while though he does start gaining healthy weight because he's eating more regularly but he still remains skinny.

Sten's build is pretty self explanatory, him being in the Qun he'd be very well built and he's also a soldier there's that too.

Oghren is also probably self explanatory, I doubt after Branka left he was working out to get rid of that extra weight he kept gaining by drinking 24/7, he would still have Muscular arms however, him being able to lift that big ass battle axe would definitely make his arms muscular after swinging it around 24/7.

Wynne, I think that most mage's have well built arms tbh, like having to wave that staff around all the time definitely makes them well built. But besides that she'd have a build similar to Morrigan's but more frail.

[asexualbookbird]

24 in 2024

Tagged by @bigcats-birds-and-books even though we were going to do this TOGETHER

anyway! The 23 in 2023 tag was fun so lets do it again :D Here are 24 books I want to read this year, and this time I AM color coding them :3

purple - books I own

blue - ebook backlog

green - everything else

bold - carry over from the 2023 list

I'm only including books I think I'll enjoy, so none of the stack of ones I know I want to donate eventually. Good intentions only in this year of our hokage 2024

The Dragon of Jin Sayeng by KS Villoso

The Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri

Legacy of Ash by Matthew Ward

Labryrinth's Heart by MA Carrick

The Faithless by CL CLark

Locklands by Robert Jackson Bennet

Among Thieves by MJ Kuhn

Starling House by Alix E Harrow

The Art of Prophecy by Wesley Chu

Strange The Dreamer by Laini Taylor

Witch King by Martha Wells

City of Bones by Martha Wells

Painted Devils by Margaret Owen

Gaurdians of Ga'Hoole by Kathryn Lasky

Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee

Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang

Once and Future by AR Capetta

The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickenson

System Collapse by Martha Wells

The Archive Undying by Emma Mieko Candon

The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher

Servant Mage by Kate Elliott

The Hourglass Throne by KD Edwards

In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan

There we go! Somehow a lot harder than last year, probably because I'm running out of books on my shelf I haven't read, so I guess that's a good thing. Once again, this will be deleted if I don't read any of them have a wonderful year <3

Tagging: @alloreli @logarithmicpanda @bookcub if you want!

[creatorofstarrealm]

All possible timelines from Mk11 Kombat League (Part 12)

Black Dragon Sindel ( Kano convinces the brainwashed Sindel to join the Black Dragon. Intrigued Sindel brought the Black Dragon to Outworld to which she betrays both Shao and Kano and becomes the Queen of crime)

Blood Mage Kitana (Shao Kahn teaches Kitana to wield blood magic)

Vaeternus Slave Hanzo (Hanzo is resurrected by Nitara and is turned into a blood wielding assassin who is a slave to Vaeternus)

Blood Curse Erron Black (Erron Black learns blood magic as a way to undone his Tarkatan curse. It backfired and now Erron Black is a human monster enslaved to the blood code.

Goddess Skarlet (Skarlet becomes the Goddess of Blood thanks to obtaining the Hourglass)

[silverglass83]

The Star and The Hourglass

Part 1 of the “Time of the Hourglass” series is completely edited and rewritten! Now with over 40k words+ of content in new and expanded chapters including new art and moodboards. Thank you for waiting. ♥ - more info in the story's notes.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16941390/chapters/39808845

Paring: Raistlin Majere/Original Female Character (Yurielle) Fandom: Dragonlance Rating: Explicit (This fic is mostly Mature themed but I rate it Explicit due to its (eventual) sexual content - more info in the story's notes) Chapters: 106/106 Takes place beginning around, and replacing, the Legends Trilogy

Summary: Yurielle is not like other mages. She went into her Test of High Sorcery certain that she'd continue to wear the white robes of good... ...but instead, she walked out wearing the black robes of evil. The message was clear: though she was neither evil nor cruel, the gods of magic wanted her to walk in darkness. And so Yurielle's life continued as she struggled to come to terms with this path. Then the day came when she first laid eyes upon the infamous Archmage Raistlin Majere. The encounter of their meeting would forever prove to be the moment in time, more so than her Test had been, that changed her life forever. And his.

Tags to note:  Head canon | Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence | Divergent Timelines | Slow Burn | Canon-Typical Violence | Redemption | Eventual Romance | Eventual Relationships | Eventual Sex | Sexual Content | Angst and Feels | Dungeons & Dragons References | Anxiety | Acceptance | The Following Romance Tropes Used Shamelessly- | Grumpy/Sunshine | Opposites Attract | Morality Chain | The Following Tags are for Closing Chapters - | Emotional Hurt/Comfort | Body Horror | Other Themes to Consider -| Self-Worth Issues | Body Dysphoria | Fighting Against Feelings | Found Family | Character Growth | Facing the Darkness Within | learning to love | Grumpy Raistlin is Best Raistlin | Consent is Sexy | Thanks to the Russian Dragonlance Musical for all the inspiration while writing this fic!            

[jinanreona]

@fireandfae​ sent:

At first he thinks he’s imagining it. That Leona’s outline has grown more blurred, the glow that always signals his presence a bit dimmer. He squints until Leona tosses his hair in as dramatic a gesture as he ever had in life, and then sighs with relief.

Mere paranoia. Overworrying as he always does.

The weeks fade into months, slipping away without care, until Malleus looks up one moonless night and realizes he can barely see the glow of Leona’s form in the evening air. They had come out to watch the stars pass by, but even their light is enough to cast Leona’s form into wavering shadow.

For a moment his heart stutters, then suddenly he’s so dizzy he has to reach out to steady himself against the nearby rock he’d settled against.

No. No.

He’s suddenly shivering violently even in the warmth of the summer evening, and he draws his cloak around him as if that will shut out the knowledge that now pounds within his brain like a drum.

Kingscholar. He wants to say it, but he can’t form the name with his tongue. How long do they have left? How long before he fades away entirely? Malleus has grown so accustomed to his lingering presence that the thought of losing it - losing him - had long since ceased to worry him.

Until tonight.

He looks up to see Kingscholar watching him. Does he know? Has he realized? He tries to swallow around his dry tongue, tries to ignore the burning behind his eyes.

“Leona - “ The name falls too readily from his lips for being the first time he’s spoken it aloud. “I don’t - “ His voice falters.

I don’t want you to leave me here alone.

He’d lost count of the time he’d remained in this world now, his memories beginning to mix with those of when he was living. It was blissful ignorance though, for once finding peace to sit and watch the world continue forward without him. 

The other’s company had been more than enough, even now as they sat under the stars and silently regarded them. It was only after a beat that he felt eyes on him, hesitating a moment only to chance a glance when Malleus falters and steadies himself. By instinct, he reaches out for him, but knows better than to try and actually touch the dragon, already knowing his hand would faze through him.

Leona.

His eyes widen and lips part in surprise at the sound of his name. He’d grown so used to hearing his last name or even some ridiculous nickname from the other that he hadn’t realized Malleus had never addressed him solely by his first name. A shame that would change now of all times, when the usually proud and collected dragon seemed to be unraveling. The strongest among mages in the world, yet Leona wants nothing more than to offer a reassuring hand to ease whatever worry weighed on the other’s mind.

Confusion is replaced by understanding as Malleus fumbles with words, realization only then hitting him. Ah, so he’d finally picked up on it. Leona’s form had started to degrade from the first day he’d lingered in this plane. It hadn’t been apparent to him at first, but as time continued to trickle on, he couldn’t help but notice subtle changes. His ability to interact with objects became more restricted, his access to rooms became more limited until he could only exist in the same vicinity as Malleus. Even his form had become less tangible.

The thought of leaving had crossed his mind at least a million times. Even Malleus had urged him to move on, knowing he couldn’t occupy this space endlessly. And yet what was time to him anymore? It was only now he understood Malleus’s dilemma when it came to punctuality. How time seemingly stood still, yet hours and days passed by, like sand slipping away in an hourglass.

He’d been greedy as well, happy to occupy the other’s time when Malleus wasn’t busy with his royal duties. The dragon was what kept him tethered here and made the days bearable, yet he’d failed to truly consider what would happen when he’d inevitably leave him once more. Perhaps a part of him had hoped it wouldn’t be significant to Malleus, assuming the other understood his stay wasn’t permanent.

It’d been cruel to think as much, Leona feeling a sharp tug of guilt as he watches the other helplessly. Even as he gives in and reaches for him, his hand makes no contact with the other, merely going through the dark cloak. A frustrated huff escapes him as he tries to focus, though he comes no closer to becoming tangible in this vital moment.

“Mal-...,” he tries to say, though his voice is lost to the wind, his form only further fading like a dying ember. No, he doesn’t want to go yet and leave him like this. He wasn’t ready to let go of this world, to depart the other’s side. But there was nothing he could do now, no physical or magical force in the world enough to grant a dead man mercy.

“I-...I’m sorry,” he offers in what can only be a hushed whisper, tone genuine for once even if the words feel feeble in expressing the regret and guilt at how this was all unfolding for the other. He should have left long ago, even if it meant he wouldn’t see Malleus for centuries to come. “I... can’t...” The words hurt to say, like accepting bitter defeat of a crumbling paradise.

-

He stayed with Malleus for the remainder of the night, offering consolation as best he could in his limiting state. Though by morning, he’d be ‘gone.’ In reality, he was still there, fading away with time. But rather than drag it on and make the other suffer through this, he opted to leave now and spare Malleus. In time he’d fade away as he’d lose his tie to this world. But perhaps some day in the distant future, they’d meet again...

[tsuraiwrites]

5 Song OTP Playlist

tagged by the amazing @little--abyss​ who challenged me to curate an otp playlist since most of mine are character or particular story-focused.

let me tell you, it was hard to choose because every time I’d have them picked out another song would come along and I’d be “no wait, this one!!” but here it is.

the otp I’ve written the most for on dragon age recently is anders/fenris! they are a hot mess so it was interesting to find songs for them.  I feel almost like the playlist covers the course of their relationship in kirkwall in my head. ...this better not inspire new fic in me.

To My Enemies - Saint Motel

To my enemies / Those were the best days of our lives / When our hate made us feel so alive / So wrong it's right

the most playful song on my playlist for these two. it’s bouncy, and I feel can generally see it as a reflection of their early attraction on both sides.

Jailbreak - AWOLNATION

I've been working on a jailbreak / Got no time for a new fate / Any moment they'll replace me / Should've tried to get to know you / I've been working on my timing / Insecurity beside me / But, your taste is so inviting

as their relationship develops they keep orbiting each other despite their seemingly disparate goals.

What Kind of Man - Florence + the Machine

You're a holy fool all coloured blue / Red feet upon the floor / You do such damage, how do you manage? / Tryna crawl in back for more /And with one kiss/ You inspired a fire of devotion /That lasted 20 years / What kind of man loves like this

a song more strongly from anders’ pov after fenris recovers some of his memories and they fight bitterly, both eventually convinced the other is going to abandon the other.

Landmines - BELLSAINT

Holding on to you is like guarding a grenade / Slow dancing on land mines / It's only a matter of time / Oh but I can't resist, oh I can't resist / Slow-dancing on land mines / Love is a target with my heart painted on it

fenris’ pov on loving a mage possessed by a spirit. no way this can go well.

Shattering the Hourglass - Deep Sea Diver

Do I have to be strong enough / To know what to do/ I don’t know what to do / I can see you miles away /Glowing like a gamma ray /And you slipped through my fingertips / Did I make the most of it? / Set me free

the moments before denouement.

tagging some of my mutuals, @ivalane & @bxdcubes if you feel like doing it, and any of my followers feel free to tag yourself and share! I want to see what everyone is listening to.

[astraleras]

Well. It's 12:30 might make a post that's been simmering in my head for.... a hot minute

FFXIV x Guilty Gear AU, anyone? :3c

Currently I don't know how to plot this as its me just kicking my feet and giggling making designs for characters and fitting them into the world OK! Let us start with our party (Might not even be in the Seventh Astral/Umbral era!!)

I dont have much ANY tangible sketches for Sol but he's going to be a Xaela subspecies Au'Ra (Draconic features and that hourglass shape? Very Sol.) adventurer, who wields a Gunblade (making him a Gunbreaker!) He's not too far off Guilty Gear canon, most likely to be protagonist since references to the sun hahahah :) (Maybe Order Sol having the role that Ardbert had??!?!?!!?!?!)

Ky is an Ishgardian Elezen for sure, it just, works. And he fits being a Red Mage SOOOOO much (Lightning magic, cool sword/rapier and the acrobatics) The design below isn't set in stone it's just a maybe place holder, looks nice tho!!

Justice/Aria is also here. She is girlbossing so hard, I think she'll swap to Sage or maybe stay as a Paladin after her whole Justice alias is known since she can do that. Raen Au'Ra this time, so cool. I think Asuka might do his gay magic and muck up Arias memories (or not) Also design below woooo!!!

Axl, I am pushing the cat boy Axl agenda making him a Mi'qote, Seeker of the Sun since of course he is. BUT. He's a Reaper!!! His Voidsent is named Megumi hehehehe (Im so mean and cruel to him sorry Axl :() Also I-No is there too, she is a Miqo as well, but a Bard (They have the guitar from that one crossover, I think) look at how bad I am at drawing witch hats haha

Dizzy!! She's a mix between a Xaela and Raen Au'Ra!! Ponytail for the hair this time, she looks nice in a ponytail :) She fits being a SCH so, she be Scholaring woohoo!! The clothing is so badly drawn and just a place holder but you get the gist

This. This Venom design is so slay, he's a Viera AND a Dragoon, how homosexual of him!! I think the Assassin's guild would be up in Ishgard since maybe Slayer is Ishgardian, I don't know!! But look at this design, I'm so proud of my creativity (Should Robo-Ky be a dragon? Hmm....)

Asuka. Hyur, Midlander (since he's mid, KIDDING!!) Though, I might make him a Mi'qote later if I feel like it. He is a Summoner, he be summoning. That's it, it's an Asuka.

Raven :) there is no bird races in FFXIV. A pity. So, he's a Padjal, their cool and live for a while and I have a few Vieras already so ja. Black Mage since he is EVIL not really, just is good as magic and big ol robes, so swag.

Zato. Probably just going to make him a Hyur (Maybe Garlean???) since he is boring (affectionate) and he is a Dark Knight!!! I already have like two Reapers so yeah. Also big chunky armour, finally he isn't slutty lol.

THATS ALL THE PICS I GOT!!! HERES A LIST OF EACH CHARACTERS RACE AND JOB

Sin- Au'Ra/Elezen . Dragoon

Ramlethal - Mi'qote . Dark Knight

Elphelt - Viera . Machinist

Leo - Hrothgar . Paladin

Testament - Au'Ra . Reaper

Happy Chaos - Au'Ra . Machinist

May - Lalafell (From somewhere in Doma) . Warrior

Chipp - Mi'qote (Limsa, says he's from Kugane) . Ninja

Millia - Viera . Dancer

Johnny - Hyur . Samurai

Anji - Hyur (Doman) . Dancer

Jam - Hyur . Monk

Baiken - Hyur (Doman) . Samurai

Potemkin - Roegydn . Monk

Bridget - Viera . Astrologian

Nagoriyuki - Roegydn (somewhere from Othard, Gosetsu did it lol) . Samurai

A.B.A - Hyur . Warrior

Bedman - Lalafell . Summoner

Slayer - Elezen . Monk

Giovanna - Mi'qote . Monk

Goldlewis - Hyur (Highlander) . Warrior

Faust - Elezen . White Mage

Answer - Viera . Ninja

Yaaaay :)

[mage-of-black-robes]

About

Name: Raistlin Majere

Age: 25

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bi-curious, but hasn’t really experimented much

Race: Human

Appearance: long silver hair, yellow eyes with hourglass shaped pupils, jaundiced/golden skin, gaunt features.

FC: Ruslan Gerasimenko

Personality: Highly intelligent, manipulative, obsessive, vengeful, easily corrupted. Neutral Evil alignment.

Powers/Abilities: practices mostly black magic and time magic, but he’s been known to teleport and transform people into animals for short periods of time. Also has a decent singing voice.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Hubris, mortality (in most verses), rapidly declining health, and a failure to care about anyone other than himself.

Nationality: Albanasinian

Languages: Common, Albanasinian, Draconic, Abyssal

Education: Extensive. He was taught by the finest mages in Krynn, and continues to study when and where he can.

Style: Black well-fitting robes with white or silver runes along the hemlines.

Profession: an Archmage of the Black Robes

Family: Gilon Majere (father, deceased), Rosamun Majere (mother, deceased), Kitiara Uth Matar (older half-sister, estranged), Caramon (fraternal twin brother, estranged)

Backstory (although I follow the musical rather than the books once he starts trying to take Takhisis’s throne. The linked recording has English subtitles! You don’t have to watch it, of course, but it is very entertaining.)

Modern Verse

Name: Raistlin Majere

Age: 25-35 (verse dependent)

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bisexual

Race: Human

Appearance: Wavy/fluffy brown hair that frames his face, hazel eyes, glasses, freckles, soft but handsome features.

FC: Ruslan Gerasimenko

Personality: Highly intelligent, ambitious, vengeful, charming, egotistical, has a somewhat dark sense of humor, sarcastic, dramatic, craves the spotlight, mischievous, mercurial, dual-natured. He behaves differently around different people.

Powers/Abilities: Practices dark magic and witchcraft, is an excellent singer, actor, and public speaker, and writes rather eloquently about his fields of study. Lawful Neutral bordering on Neutral Evil, but hasn’t quite crossed that line yet.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Hubris, Mortality, heart problems caused by his difficult birth, debilitating migraines caused by stress.

Nationality: American

Languages: English, Russian, Latin, German, Romanian, and many others that he’s picked up throughout his studies, though he’s most fluent in English and Russian.

Education: verse dependent, but he ends up with a Doctorate.

Style: Varies. While working, he maintains a very professional Dark Academia look, but outside of that, he casually embraces his goth side. A lot of black, either way, occasionally with eyeliner and/or black nail polish. No piercings, but he has a tattoo of a five-headed dragon on his back, as well as a very elegantly stylized pentagram on his left forearm, and a D20 on his right wrist that he got to match with Caramon for their eighteenth birthday.

Profession: Verse dependent, but he’s usually an occultist and/or college professor.

Family: Gilon Majere (father, deceased), Rosamun Majere-Steele (mother), Derek Steele (stepfather), Kit Steele (older stepsister), Caramon Majere (fraternal twin brother)

[isabel-cousland]

The Basics

GENERAL INFORMATION

Full Name: Isabel Haelia Cousland (later Cousland-Theirin)

Class: Rogue (Archer)

Titles: Hero of Ferelden, former Warden-Commander of Ferelden, Queen of Ferelden

Love Interest: Alistair

APPEARANCE

Height: 5’5”

Body Type: slight hourglass shape, toned/defined arm muscles from archery

Eyes: bright green

Hair: black, thick and wavy, reaches just past her shoulders and is usually kept up in a bun (she lets it grow longer and starts wearing it down more often after the Blight)

Tattoos: none

Piercings: both earlobes pierced

Scars: a scar on her shoulder plus a few others she got during the Blight

Birthmarks/freckles: small beauty mark under her right eye and a few others on her body

Typical makeup style: red lips, dark eyes

Typical armor style: her preferred armor is light/medium leather armor that is easy to move in and is fit for an archer (her eventual set of royal armor is a bit more protective than what she would usually wear)

Typical clothing style: most of the time she is found wearing dresses, jewelry, make up, etc. fit for a queen

BIOGRAPHY

(Born: 28th of Kingsway, 9:10 Dragon)

Isabel was born into the second most powerful family in Ferelden, providing her with the opportunity to live a privileged life. She wasn’t completely spoiled like most of the other nobles, however, because her parents made her work for what she wanted as opposed to just handing it to her. As Fergus was to follow in her parents’ footsteps and rule Highever, Isabel was expected to marry well and run a household of her own one day, something she spent her life preparing for. She was well educated in the arts of politics and etiquette, and she could successfully navigate the world of Ferelden’s nobles by the time she was a teenager. Her parents believed she should know how to defend herself in situations besides those in the political sphere, so she trained under a master marksman and became extremely proficient with a bow. Isabel had a happy childhood and her life was as close to perfect as it could get… but that all changed once Arl Howe betrayed her family.

PERSONALITY

Isabel embodies the perfect, proper lady, though she puts her own spin on things. She dresses the part and is polite and friendly, but she’s naturally flirtatious and that tends to seep into all her interactions. She uses it to her advantage—along with her smarts, her talent for reading and manipulating people, and her skills at the political game—to remain in their good graces and to get what she wants out of different situations. She puts on her innocent and friendly “mask” in public, but it’s in private, personal times where one will truly get to know the real her. Although she’s a bit spoiled and selfish at times, she truly cares about the well being of others, especially those who are important to her.

MAJOR DECISIONS

Recruited Leliana and Sten in Lothering.

Defended Redcliffe against the Undead.

Supported the mages at the Circle, recruited Wynne.

Connor was freed from the demon’s possession and Isolde survived. 

Recruited Zevran.

Alistair hardened.

Defeated the dragon guarding the Urn of Sacred Ashes (not poisoned).

Recruited Oghren, Branka defeated with the help of Caridin, and Bhelen crowned king.

Recruited Shale.

Flemeth killed.

Sophia Dryden killed, Avernus allowed to continue his research ethically.

Peace between the Dalish and the werewolves (cured).

Alistair named king at the Landsmeet, recruited Loghain (Alistair did not leave, Isabel still eventually becomes queen).

Loghain does the Dark Ritual with Morrigan.

Both Isabel and Alistair slay the Archdemon.

Awakening: all companions recruited, Vigil’s Keep and Amaranthine protected, Architect killed, Nathaniel named Warden-Commander when Isabel returns to Denerim to marry Alistair and rule by his side.

Witch Hunt: Isabel has Nathaniel look for Morrigan, Morrigan visits Isabel before disappearing into the Eluvian.

DA2: Isabel accompanies Alistair to Kirkwall during the King Alistair quest.

Inquisition: Isabel does not disappear, she sends Nathaniel to look for the cure, she accompanies Alistair to Redcliffe during In Hushed Whispers, she keeps in contact with Leliana and she/Ferelden is more involved with the Inquisition.

* The comics (The Silent Grove, Those Who Speak, & Until We Sleep) do not occur.

* (Complete Worldstate with Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor’s major decisions/information can be found here.)

[todayimgonnaplay]

Today I'm gonna play: Final Fantasy I (PSP)

The origin for my love of RPGs, FF as a series, anime style characters and fantasy settings all originate from this game. Originally played on a friend's PSP as a child, I got my own copy a few years later.

The combat is your typical simple turn-based RPG. Nothing too out of the ordinary for an old game. Though it's interesting to see how the magic system back then was divided into levels, and you could only learn about 3 for each level (depending on white/black/red mage classes). Luckily if you choose white or black mage, the choices given allow you to take everything that's provided. That's not the case for red mages as you'd have to choose what exactly you'd like to specialize them as and cannot cast the highest tier magic. Additionally the job evolution system is also pretty neat, unlocking potential magic for some classes like Knight (white magic) and Ninja (black magic), and the rest just being stat upgrades. Despite its simplicity, there's a decent amount of customization on how you want to form your party and mold them based on their roles. I actually love that you can choose names and classes for your party and set out on an imaginary grand adventure. I'm quite surprised that apart from FF3, and maybe Dragon Quest 9 (which I heard is customizable), there's actually not many games out there that follow the same structure as this one, considering how so many JRPGs tend to have self inserts, including in this series itself up to 10.

The graphics are the biggest pros in this version (I also like the original and pixel remaster versions too!). They're so pretty to look at and it's probably how I got invested into this series and genre. Not many other JRPGs on the PSP look as good as this when it comes to spritework (if there's a possibility that I've missed a hidden gem then I'd really love to get recommendations). In terms of sound, it's classic. Nobuo Uematsu doesn't miss. There's not many tracks though which makes it repetitive, especially the battle theme. But there are two tracks I loved in particular which I'll link.

There are some cons though. One is that this game is VERY grindy. It's expected for this genre, but by the time I beat this game, I was quite burnt out. Items are expensive early game but if you're like me and grind like a maniac, it's pretty easy to get rich to the point that I max'ed my gil amount by the time I reached the final boss. Another issue is that the dungeon design feels like an afterthought. There's no sense of pattern on how to navigate especially if at some point the entire room starts to look the same, so there's no landmark or similar telling you where you are. I've had to use a visual guide multiple times to get through instead. which made it more fun for me since it was like having a map. In addition to that, the game is not great at truly guiding you on where you should go, other than giving a few vague hints. In a way I like it since it's like listening to rumours while on a journey, but it felt quite hard to keep track. Apart from that, I wasn't fond of the amount of random encounters, but I knew that coming into playing this. I've seen some games that allow the player to make notes, such as The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the DS. A space to mark important locations on a world map or dungeons would be great (and if they want to immerse the exploration aspect, then make the map reveal areas as they pass through them, like in FF13 or Persona 3), I believe Genshin Impact does this? As for the NPCs giving hints part, FF2's keyword system could come in handy in an altered way, such as being able to register keywords or phrases that you can access in a menu and read about, so that you can remind yourself at all times anywhere. And for random encounters, I think more modern JRPGs nowadays have enemies in the overworld that you can voluntarily fight. Early games like Chrono Trigger to modern games like Persona 5 are both iconic examples that implement this well.

But overall, I'm glad I finally beat this game for my younger self. In fact, I actually wouldn't mind playing more games like this. It's nice to go old-school (seeing as Square constantly releases remasters of 1-6), but I'd also like to see some quality of life updates that could breathe new life to titles/systems like this, and also open them to more audiences rather than only sticking to a tried already formula for nostalgia.

[charcherry-weekly]

Charcherry Weekly - Issue 147

Hello everyone, Mage of light Nick Card here. I've been taking a nice break this week, mostly focusing on hanging out with friends. One thing that doesn't change though is the need to write the newsletter. Here we go.

Early this week, the dungeon crashers entered a voidco dungeon in Newglass. The dungeon crawl took place in a tomb that was once located underneath the Grand Hourglass. Present here was Prince of Time Flux Emit, Rogue of Heart Charles, Heir of Time Thoren Emit (via Thorenbot), Bounty Hunter Samus Kitten, and Heir of Hope Hazel Careon. Their primary mission was to rescue Heir of Breath June Egbert, who was captured by Voidco forces.

Early on, the party encountered what appeared to be Page of Rage Jovin Castle, but it turned out it was not Jovin at all! It was instead some sort of shapeshifter! This shapeshifter followed the party for a while, until they were locked in a treasure chest weighed down by a boulder. The party encountered a number of skeletons, reportedly belonging to a number of reckoning refugees who ran out of supplies and died in the tomb without proper rites. After fighting a number of octo-drones, the party encountered the restless spirits of those who died in the tomb. Thoren and Hazel worked together to properly cremate and store the remains, to allow Temporic Reaper Winter to do their job.

At some point, Lil' B the dragon, in temporic form, discovered a suspicious man in a wheelchair, claiming to be Joni. According to past reports, Joni is a vaguely known member of the jojo squad, having been known for pretending to be Krampus during a time of extended christmas spirit at the Voidco HQ. It is speculated that he has a connection to the shapeshifter, but this has yet to be confirmed.

The party successfully rescued June Egbert and soon after, Flux deployed the mini-core against the full-size core. They reportedly collided obnoxiously until causing an explosion. Fortunately, all stored temporic remains in the tomb were saved by a future version of Witch of Time Katyleen Kitten. Flux was almost assumed dead when she disappeared from the memo, but she managed to survive via temporary escape into another timeline.

Charles was hospitalized after suffering head trauma, and as of writing, is still recovering. At some point this week, he apparently use a magical duplication spell to escape the hospital for a few hours, but was quickly apprehended by netnavi Enker and Lil' B the dragon. Charles was returned to the hospital in one piece.

After a night of rest, Thoren contacted the leader of the Glass Riders to inform them of the results of the dungeon crawl. Reportedly, once Charles is healthy enough to leave the hospital safely, work shall begin on repairing the tomb of the bottom glass.

A few days later, Thoren and the crew of the Eros Machina took off for the distant fishing village of Snake's Mouth. It is reportedly a very prosperous place, being located where the Anaconda River meets the Timeswept Sea. There are very few highly pressing problems faced by this village, but it seems to have been chosen for the location of the final debate. Apparently, voidco has built a stage for the debate to take place upon, and has scheduled the debate for thursday. This will apparently be broadcasted on "channel 666", though I can't even tell what cable package it would be apart of.

In other news, Heir of Time Rise Emit has been rather busy in Hisui lately, having defeated their second frenzied noble and achieved six star rank in galaxy team. They have also managed to get hit by a flamethrower, reportedly THROUGH A BOULDER, requiring that they got a haircut. As a result, they now have shorter hair for now. Recently however, Rise has managed to deliver the vast majority of the remaining archive terminals to the various towns across the grand desert region. I do hope they get a chance to relax soon. In assorted news, Page of Mind Samm has been quite busy with the terraforming efforts of Grass 3. Reportedly, a weather system has been successfully kickstarted, with the rains finally arriving. Also, The curator has been seen in the memo lately, under the handle cordialUtilitarian. Please treat them nicely, as they aren't trained on very much data from beyond korous.

This week’s known market stands in Desertia Town:

Katie’s potion stand (*CaFAI filling in for Katie when unavailable)

shinyjiggly pokesnacks stand (ran by Rufus)

And that should do it for tonight. Next week I will resume working on the flash animation. Its suffering, but it is going to be epic. Seeya later! https://letssosl.boards.net/thread/379/charcherry-weekly-issue-147