#emerald outpost

[acertainmoshke]

It’s the future and there’s no way English is the base expected language, but there is a common language to this city-planet so everyone can understand each other. Native languages still exist as the real ones we know, but at work/school/markets there is a common one spoken for ease.

[kissingwookiees]

me trying to figure out which one of these guys is an agent of fen’harel bc i know that bald bastard is pulling strings against the inquisition somewhere in all of this mess

[sl-ut]

always

pairing: ellie williams x fem!reader (also kina platonic!joel x ellie)

description: things didn’t exactly end up the way ellie wanted them today, but she wouldn’t give it up for anything.

warnings: UNEDITED, swearing, slight nsfw implications (i literally just mention that r and ellie have had sex), alcohol and marijuana consumption, slight angst

words: 1.1K (super short but i like it)

date posted: 10/01/24

For the first time in her life, Ellie longed for it to be wintertime. She wished for cold air to cut through the bitter warmth, allowing her a breath of relief for even a moment, having stepped out onto the front porch of the Tipsy Bison to take a moment for herself. To be fair, it had been partially her own fault, winter had ended only a few months prior, why hadn’t she asked sooner? It had been under a gentle descent of snowflakes that she had fallen in love with Y/n, after all, but she also hadn’t expected there to be anything official beyond the trading of a few vows, the sharing of a joint, and completed with the rest of the night rolling in the sheets together. Though, it would seem that that was far too much to ask for. 

She really should have known better than to expect that Jesse would keep his big mouth shut, though she really did try to keep it a secret until the ring fell out of her pocket and onto the cold floor of their outpost. Jesse had teased her relentlessly, but seemed genuinely happy for his friends, promising to keep the secret until he knew that Jesse asked. However, as soon as she had, Dina was pounding on their door, demanding to see the ring and to know exactly when the wedding would be. 

She was not overly thrilled for the wedding to have become such a large spectacle, but Maria had been just as enthused as Dina had been, stating that there was a desperate need for something like this to boost town morale. Ellie had immediately declined their offers of throwing a party for them, she was suddenly aware of the twinkle in her fiancée’s eyes at the idea of wearing a pretty white dress and dancing the night away at the Bison, leaving her little choice but to agree.

She had to admit, her heart had never felt quite as content as it had when she first spotted Y/n striding towards her, dressed in a horribly ugly wedding dress that was probably found in the attic of one of the houses, her smile radiating nothing but happiness as she met Ellie underneath the large willow tree. 

Even now, watching her get passed around on the dancefloor, now wearing a simple white blouse and a pair of jeans that she had cut into shorts, but still as beautiful as ever. Ellie shook her head, letting out a large puff of smoke as a smile broke through her normally monotone expression.

A figure sidled up next to her, letting out a low whistle as they both stared through the large glass windows, eyes following the bride’s joyful movement closely, “I never got to say congratulations.”

She huffed a laugh, not taking her eyes away from her wife, “Thanks, I think I got pretty lucky.”

“You sure did. So did she,” Joel quipped, “You’re a real catch there, kid.”

“Please,” Ellie shook her head, “I’d be dead if it weren’t for her,” She was quiet for a beat before she continued, “And you.” 

“Now I don’t know about that…”

“Shut up,” She chuckled, “What you did…I was–am angry with you. You took my choice away from me.”

“I know,” He nodded, “And you’ll never know how sorry I am for making you feel that way, but I’ll never feel sorry for keeping you alive.”

She nodded, “I know. I both hate you and–”

He sighed when she paused, “I know kid, me too.”

Ellie turned her emerald gaze to the man, her vision growing fuzzy as tears gathered along her waterline, “I wish you could have been here.”

His figure seemed to begin to fade into the darkness, but his voice was clear and true, “Me too, baby girl.”

“Ellie?” Y/n’s voice drew her attention to the front door, where her bride was standing with curiosity on her face, “Everything okay, babe?”

When Ellie glanced back at the spot next to her, “Yeah, everything’s good.”

The girl came closer, a smile growing on her face. She wrapped her arms around her wife’s neck, playing with the wispy ends of her short auburn hair. Ellie had also dressed up for the occasion, wearing a youth sized button up top and a poorly-tied tie hanging around her neck, which had been loosened throughout the night, even more so as Y/n pressed her body against hers. Ellie’s long fingers dug into her fabric-covered hips, leaning her head forward to accept the kiss that was being offered to her forehead.

“What are you doing out here on your own?”

The redhead shrugged, “Just needed to get away for a second. It’s hot in there.”

Y/n nodded, plucking the joint up from where she had set in on the railing next to her and taking a long drag, “I know this isn’t really what you wanted, but it really does mean a lot that you put in some effort to enjoy it.”

“I did enjoy it,” Ellie responded, “Maybe not all of it, but I wouldn’t trade today for anything.”

She leaned forward, capturing her wife’s lips with her own in a long and slow kiss, a small moan vibrating through her throat at the taste of cheaply made whiskey and cake from her lips. 

“How much longer do I have to wait to get you in bed?” Ellie whined as they parted, earning a loud laugh from her wife’s lips. 

“A little longer,” She shrugged, “Maybe after you come in and dance with me.”

Y/n made a break for it, only glancing back at Ellie once before disappearing behind the doors of the bar, leaving Ellie alone on the front step. The auburn haired girl chuckled at her, mentally trying to figure out a way to get her out of the bar sooner rather than later. As she stalked towards the door, her ears perked up at the sound of the voice once more.

“I’m happy for you, kid.”

The figure did not appear when she turned to look over her shoulder, but she knew he was there, watching over her. He always would be. A small smile graced her lips, uttering one last sentence before pushing through the doors and allowing her wife to drag her onto the dancefloor.

“Thank you, Joel.”

[maplemonarchy]

Just cause I've been thinking about Fallout and Fallout 4 again, I have an opinion on Diamond City. It should be so much bigger. Let it sprawl outside of the walls. Tower into the stands. Smugglers running under the bleachers. Make it feel alive. Have people live in Parkview Apartments. Smoosh the Lansdowne station against Diamond City, let people live in those subway tunnels. Hell, make one of the central conflicts of 4 a class conflict between those who live in the stands/inside the walls vs those who live in the subway/outside the walls. There is already some textual evidence for this conflict present in Diamond City.

Diamond City should be a sprawling metropolis, the most powerful city and trading hub in the Commonwealth after Bunker Hill. People should say their from Diamond City and still be in Hangman's Alley. I know the joke about Bethesda's Fallout is that "nothing can ever improve, everything must be Mad Max forever."

And like, yeah. But wouldn't it be cool if it did? Wouldn't it be so cool to wake up in Vault 111 and find out that your home from over 200 years ago is now a small town. With a doctor, a merchant, your robot butler, all under the protection of this fractured group who call themselves "the Minutemen." Maybe they want your help. People keep talking about "the Great Green Jewel of the Commonwealth." Your pip-boy picks up a radio station that is from that emerald city. And then you finally see it. Passing through its outer areas, a small outpost built in an alleyway to help protect traders coming from Sanctuary. And then finally reaching the gate of this city. Maybe you're still looking for your son, maybe this is for the Minutemen, but you still enter Diamond City. And it's full of shops and people. Neon lights flicker where they can, a diner that uses a traffic-light to try and pull people in. A casino, a theatre, and more! Once you spend enough time, maybe you get acquainted with the seedy under belly of Diamond City. Perhaps working with a synth detective to solve a murder most foul. Maybe this leads you to hunt down the mysterious Institute, maybe.

Diamond City should be a city, not a settlement. Let it be big and alive.

[ithinkthiswasabadidea]

My Tav, Karlach, Shadowheart and Gale are having The Most Day of their lives so far since meeting (this is literally day three of the adventure), in going through the goblin camp to kill two of the leaders and knock out Minthara so we can recruit her later (hopefully I did it right), allowing Halsin an opportunity to break himself out, Gale absorbing his third artefact and telling us his life story, Shadowheart telling us about Shar and her artefact that I now possess, finding the underground Selûne outpost and learning about the Nightsong, saving the tieflings AND the Emerald Grove and then gearing up to have a party about it when we get back to camp

Fucking hell, and I know this is going to be nothing compared to what's coming 😳

[wheneclipsefalls]

Spider's First Courting Gift (Na'vi male x Spider fic teaser)

Pairing: Aged Up Spider x Na'vi Male OC

Note: Barely proofread. This sneak peek is subject to small changes. The full fic is on it's way<3

The fabric slips along his fingers like the sway of a rushing river, a smooth effortless motion. His own grimy hands caked with dirt and a hint of blood from rough housing with Neteyam look horrifying next to the carefully crafted garment. In fact, it’s enough to have Spider setting the piece to the side and rushing to the bathroom so he can wash his hands. It would be a shame to ruin the loincloth so quickly simply because of his bad hygiene. 

Stomping past Norm and the other lounging scientists he tries to ignore him. 

“Kid, what have I told you about leaving your mask on the ground?” Norm huffs but Spider is already closing the door to the cramped bathroom.

He may have been a teenager when he was captured by the RDA but now has come into full adulthood. Something Norm seems to have a hard time understanding. Spider doesn’t care how much water he hogs in order to get every speck of dirt and grime from his hands. He only leaves the cramped bathroom when his skin is scrubbed raw and red. 

Leaning back against the woven hammock he allows himself the proper time to just admire the details of his new gift. It’s a beautiful emerald green with precise stitching that works to outlines patterns of leaves and greenery. Under the harsh light of the outpost bulbs, the boy admires the way the thread glimmers with the shift of light. He thanks Eywa that it has a back panel. It may be something he is used to seeing with Na’vi but Spider can not imagine having his own ass hanging out of his loincloth, especially without a tail for it to wrap around. 

Once he finally wrangles up the courage to try on the loincloth he is amazed to see how perfectly it fits. The fabric is like silk against his rough skin. Or at least what he remembers silk to feel like from that one time another scientist let him touch her silk pillowcase. The band is woven of various colored threads and twine that come together to create criss cross patterns. His fingers brush them softly in a silent reverence. 

Spider looks at himself in the mirror and allows himself to drink in every inch of himself. Most days, the boy uses the mirror to simply swat at his dreadlock hair or repaint the blue stripes on his skin, but never can he remember a time that he uses it to admire himself. To look at his appearance head on and feel something more than indifference or longing to be a version of himself that is blue and a few feet taller. 

Being a human is something that Spider has learned to make peace with, but that doesn’t mean he particularly likes the look of himself. The blue stripes help slightly to cover the extra squish of his body that is normally nonexistent across Na’vi stomachs. With the beautiful garment now fitted perfectly to his hips, Spider notices for the first time how good a color besides blue looks on him. 

The heap of leather that is his usual loincloth seems like nothing more than a discarded washcloth now. Jake had been the one to show him how to weather the material and fashion it into clothing but from there the job had been his own to update the garment in stride with his growth spurts. 

The loincloth is so  clean and pristine in comparison to the rest of Spider’s appearance that for a moment he considers putting it away for safekeeping. What would happen if he tore a hole in it or got dirt rubbed into the careful stitching? It’s too beautiful to take the risk. 

However, when his fingers start to undo the carefully tied knots at the sides, he catches another glance of himself in the mirror and he hesitates. It looks so much better than before. He looks so much better than before. Maybe it has nothing to do with the loincloth’s quality at all. Perhaps it’s the careful thought and effort put into such an extraordinary gift. A thought for him. Just him and only him. 

One simple reminder that someone thinks he is worthy of nice things. 

Spider allows himself the privilege of wearing this reminder throughout the day. 

[seasonsunendingresearch]

Summer Wept

A Gem of Horrors

I set forth upon this world merely a few days ago, and in my few days here I began my bold exploration by establishing New Mackinac. Both a fledgling colony and research outpost, I will know it to be my home for the coming days. Some may call me crazy for making my home in such a deadly place but while it may be deadly it is doubly beautiful. Located in a trinary star system beneath the stars of Sapphire, Emerald, and Ruby, is a rather large world called Summer Wept. The second closest planet to the trifecta of color, Summer Wept is a planet with skies blue like Earth's but with shimmering aquamarine oceans, and rust colored ground. The planet even has a green moon which hangs dark and rimmed in the sky in the day and like an ominous green orb in the vivid green night sky amongst the stars; it's called Grand Haven.

Amidst the rusted rocks and the green patches of moss a hardy dark plants with course bodies, most with bulbs or sections that glow in both in the day and night, likely from the high radioactivity of the ground as the planet is rather abundant in uranium which in and of itself is a bizarre amazement. Such a heavy metal in high abundance, one must wonder the heated dance of death that star years ago played to give birth to such vivid and radioactive world. No wonder her plants are so thickly vested from the smallest tubers to the large sprawling spindles one could dare call a spindle tree to the hard shells of the shelled bush and the segmented shrub, both of which have a soft under belly that is reminiscent of an animals flesh. The planet is so strange compared to Earth for the fauna is like flora and vice versa. The only recognizable things here are a species reminiscent of birds with bat-like wings and feathers, and one which looks to be of a Mantis and a Crab which are affectionately dubbed Preying Crab Mantises.

Aerial view of Bat-Bird flying over New Mackinac.

Outside of those two exceptions, life on this world seems rather tubular in nature | from the plants to the animals. Then again, as a brief tangent it should be noted that plant and animal are very surface level terms here in Xenobiology. Plant and Animal are taxonomic kingdoms on Earth... They have no application here on Summer Wept or in any planet I'll set foot upon. From surface glances alone, I can only surmise the Mantis Crabs are in someway related to the segmented shrubs and shelled bushes. Of course, I could be wrong but only designated research will tell.

Juvenile Preying Mantis Crab on Haven Lake floor.

Myself picture standing a good few feet away from a massive Segmented Shrub.

Everything on this planet deserves its own dedicated research and to that I will spare no detail...

As for my new home: New Mackinac, I bring a bit of Michigan to those unfamiliar reaches of space by my naming of the locales in this system. It feels right for the bodies representing summer, with their vibrant life and hot dispositions to be named for such fond holiday locations such as the beach city of Grand Haven and a new huzzah for the tourist hotspot that is Mackinac though it could be rather easy to doubt the new one kicking off as well as the original given that anyone who visits needs to have protection from 6.8 RADs of radiation exposure on a good day with temperatures ranging in the mid-90s in Fahrenheit, though nights are comfortable in the mid-60s. Currently the growing research outpost that is New Mackinac consists of my “house”, the central hut, and The Haven Lake Research Facility. I'm one man after all, and only the central hut and living quarters were pre-made modules. The botanical facility is the next major project.

Spending time on Summer Wept will surely be memorable, and I dare say I'm a long ways away to exploring the other planets and the moons of Season's Unending but it will be a bountiful adventure none the less.

Filtered from SURI Public Resource: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hq7tLhy2e9rKCFGUR_4J5X1paAMf9KW3/view?usp=sharing

[samuraiko]

The full CR art intro/outro list

So I'd posted this on Reddit a while back, but figured I may as well share it here, too. Just in case you were wondering exactly WHAT all those scenes in the intro/outro depict!

Okay, art in order (using Episode 92 as the reference) -- this took MUCH longer than anticipated because I had to double-check the wiki for a lot of it!

Storm over Kreviris on Ruidus (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Ludinus activating the Malleus Key at the Tishtan Excavation Site in Marquet (Wesley Griffith aka Justwesley)

Vox Machina and the Mighty Nein, with (presumably) Matt in the center leading the charge, staring out over the Barbed Fields in Xhorhas (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

Tiered fields in a mountain valley (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

The Turst Fields northesast of Westruun in Tal'Dorei (Caio Santos aka Black Salandar)

The Ashari settlement of Terrah (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Planerider Ryn lounging in her hideout in the Plane of Fire (Nikki Dawes aka nikkidawesdraws)

New class character art from either Tal'Dorei Reborn or Explorer's Guide to Wildemount book (Linda Lithen aka LindaLithen)

The holy warriors known as Judicators in Vasselheim in Issylra (Jessica Nguyen aka Jessketchin)

A view of Syngorn at night (while still on Tal'Dorei, presumably) (Bryan Syme aka SymeBryan)

Team Wildemount leading the Guardian Spirit up and out of Uthodurn in Wildemount (Clary Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The holy city of Vasselheim in Issylra (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

The Feywild (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

Ichabarr, headless stallion lord of the Herd of the Damned of the Parchwood Timberlands of Tal'Dorei (John Anthony Di Giovanni aka ja_dig)

The Barbed Fields of Xhorhas, with Rosohna visible in the distance (Clary Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Depiction of the creation of Ruidus being ripped from Exandria (Wesley Griffith aka justwesley)

A mortal first discovering the continent of Gwessar (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

Catha and Ruidus in the night sky (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Imogen and Fearne sundering the shadow version of the Sun Tree while rescuing Laudna (Jessica Nguyen aka Jessketchin)

Chained flying cities (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

The Westruun Observatory (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

The Oderan Wilds of Marquet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The Battle of the Umbra Hills between Zan Tal'Dorei and King Trist Drassig (Jeleynai aka Jeleynai)

Zephrah (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

Exandria surrounded by the various gods/energies of the planes (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

Exandria with Catha and Ruidus amidst the cosmos (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

Emon in Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Yios, the City of Flowing Light, in Marquet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Eiselcross in the far reaches of Wildemount (Jonah Baumann aka GalacticJonah)

Camellia the blighted druid marked by a spectre from the Tal'Dorei Reborn sourcebook (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

The spires of Jrusar in Marquet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Whitestone Castle in Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Shaun Gilmore and his husband Darius at Gilmore's Glorious Goods (presumably Emon branch!) (Isabel Gibney aka greyopals)

Nana Morri (aka Morrigan the Fatesticher), Fearne's 'grandmother' (Adrian Ibarra Lugo)

The Foramere Basin of central Tal'Dorei (John Anthony Di Giovanni aka ja_dig)

Ioun sealing away Tharizdun, the Chained Oblivion (Wesley Griffith aka justwesley)

The entrance to the Emerald Citadel in Syngorn (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Melora the Wildmother and Erathis the Law-Giver, each overseeing her domain (Zuzanna Wuzyk, aka Zuzartii)

Stairs leading nowhere in a forest (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

The Rifenmist Jungle on Tal'Dorei (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Thordak the Cinder King in the Plane of Fire (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Catha and Ruidus, with Ruidus' barrier shown around it (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Zan Tal'Dorei, first Sovereign of Tal'Dorei (Nikki Dawes aka nikkidawesdraws)

Lorkathar defending Flamereach Outpost outside Emon (Bryan Syme aka SymeBryan)

Sorrowlord Zathuda astride Gloamglut doing aerial battle with a transformed Nana Morri in the Feywild (Sam Rusk aka samurai_rusk)

Vox Machina being badasses (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Ligament Manor, the Feywild demesne of Nana Morri (Adrian Ibarra Lugo aka Ailustrar)

Gloomstalkers flying over Ghor Dranas in Xhorhas (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The harbor of Nicodranas with the Wildmother's lighthouse atop the cliff (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

Vox Machina camping under the stars (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Marquesian oasis village (Ameera Sheikh aka Mikandii)

The Traveller's Gate (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

The Matron of Ravens (Jessica Nguyen aka Jessketchin)

The dwarven/elven subterranean city of Uthodurn in Wildemount (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

A mage opening a portal to the Iron City (Linda Lithen aka LindaLithen)

Repeat of storm over Kreviris

Jrusar marketplace at night (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Ruin within the Rifenmist Jungle of Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

One of Zephrah's skyriders patrolling the canyons (Claudia Ianniciello aka claudia_ianniciello_artworks)

The small fishing town of Byroden (Caio Santos aka BlackSalander)

The Sun Tree of Whitestone in Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Captain Xandis aboard the Silver Sun skyship (Nikki Dawes aka nikkidawesdraws)

The creation of the dragon race during the first age of Exandria (Ameera Sheikh aka mikandii)

Marketplace being destroyed from the Tal'Dorei sourcebook (Andrey Vasilchenko aka drawborn)

The cursed blade Graz'tchar in the Grey Valley of Tal'Dorei (Cyarna Trim aka Cyarna)

The Observer, patron deity of Niirdal-Poc (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Keyleth and her mother Vilya looking out over Zephrah (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

An adranach rebuilding Emon under the command of the League of Miracles (Wesley Griffith aka justwesley)

The elven city-state of Lyrengorn in the Cliffkeep Mountains of Tal'Dorei (Kent Davis aka IDrawBagman)

Ank'harel in Maruqet (Clara Daly aka EldritchBlep)

Repeat of Ludinus at the Malleus Key

Repeat of Matt, Vox Machina, and the Mighty Nein

Repeat of tiered fields

Repeat of Turst Fields

Repeat of Terrah

Repeat of Planerider Ryn

Repeat of spellcasters

Repeat of the Judicators

Repeat of Syngorn at night

Repeat of Team Wildemount leading the Spirit

Repeat of Issylra

Repeat of Feywild weirdness

Repeat of the Herd of the Damned

Repeat of the Barbed Fields

Repeat of the creation of Ruidus

Repeat of mortal discovering Gwessar

Repeat of Catha and Ruidus over mountains

Repeat of Imogen and Fearne with the Shadow Sun Tree

Repeat of Ank'harel

[briarandhissecretgarden]

Villager and Illager Thoughts - headcanon

Thinking about the way society works with my silly little MC world...

Villagers probably have large sections of the world where they populate it, some villages are bigger than others and are very valuable trading places, but all villages are far enough away from each other that you'd have to use a horse or minecart to reach them, and even then, it might take a day or two.

I imagine theres wandering traders that group together in caravans, but nothing too big. maybe if you pay them a few emeralds they'll drop you off by a town in a few days. They're nomadic people, hardly ever staying for than a week, if that. They're always happy to see people, any new traveler is a customer and friend. Super friendly. Some can be sleazy, but they'll never give you items you can live without. Important fellows to those that live far away from any exotic places. They most likely know all or many languages, both spoken and written. It's better for business. I think to think they even raid temples at times!!! Maybe going though Jungle or Desert Temples just to leave things behind or take items,,

I think Illagers make plans of the best areas to build their strong beautiful mansions, and look for stable ground to build their outposts. I would think they have a way of communicating with those in the Mansion, maybe the ones that live there are more important or higher ranking. It seems like Evokers have a high status among other Illagers. Pillagers being the bottom of course. I also want to include more Illagers like those that were included in MCDungeons. They seem like so much fun, and different forms of magic usage seems logical. I mean Iceologers, Geomancers, and Wind Callers are all super interesting and really important to magic lore in the MC universe as a whole.

I do not consider Witches, Illagers (and neither does minecraft iirc) They all kinda just vibe and feel like they have their own lives. Not exactly violent, but curious and mischievous in ways that Villager culture clashes with. They all live on their own, but some make deals with Illagers or Villages. Their magic and potions in exchange for protection or resources. I imagine every village that contains a Cleric, knows of at least one Witch they can learn from, even if its gotta be in secret. I agree almost wholeheartedly with RetroGamingNow's interpretation of the Witch, I think its clear and makes a lot of sense, it's what i assumed for a very long time anyways. I feel like Witches are a fairly new source of magic in the world, compared to Illager and Villagers. This leads to them being seen as lesser than and never fitting in with either group. They rally in the ways of excitement, curiosity and overall, being true to one's self and never feeling sorry for being different. Witches are one of the most diverse groups, many of which are highly skilled and dangerous, but wouldn't hurt a fly without reason. Super happy group, some are hybrids or weren't even born Witches. My idea is there are Witches that are born as just that, and are brought up in the culture. The others are folks who practice witchcraft and chose to align themselves with the philosophy. (they refer to themselves as Witches if they'd like, its not required)

I touched on it a fair bit earlier, but, I had the idea that Villagers were also a being capable of magic. I like to think that the Iron Golems they spawn are from magic. villagers can create and build things when absolutely necessary or for their work, but they do not partake in magic since it is a lost art in their culture. However, the summoning of an Iron Golem unlocks a very deep connection with their world, allowing them to create life from (seemingly) nothing. (it actually does consume materials, it just takes those materials directly from the world from random places) A village will usually construct one themselves the physical way, but if under enough stress and fear, one can be summoned. Depending on the threat, it can be a permanent form, or just disappear after the Villager is safe. Illagers cannot do this, their connection with the Golem was cut as soon as they decided their fates. Iron Golems will only ever protect Villagers as Illagers are capable of protecting themselves. Although a Ravager is close to a Golem, I don't know how to fully implement them, as they must be fairly new to their technology.

Those are all my thoughts right now, things are subject to change. But yeah :0)

[acertainmoshke]

Writing Share Tag

Tagged by @words-after-midnight (find theirs here)

I'll tag @amielbjacobs @sam-glade @writernopal @authorlaurawinter @stesierra

@tabswrites and anyone else who wants to!

Rules: Share a snippet of writing, no matter how long

I just restarted Emerald Outpost with more worldbuilding, and I'm particularly proud of the new prologue:

When I try to remember what happened, it comes in broken flashes: a small dark room. A cold tile floor. The sound of metal on metal. Blinding, unbearable pain coursing through my body. Screams coming from very nearby. This is usually the point where I blink and find myself on the kitchen floor, unable to breathe. I don't remember starting to cry. Sometimes I'm kneeling on glass from whatever I was holding. Sometimes my wife is in front of me, holding me firmly here. Her voice is always calm, her fingers gentle, but her eyes are so sad they break me all over again. So no, I don't remember what really happened. Nasir doesn't, either. But this will never be over if we don't figure it out. It will never stop. Oplin and Oré both falling, billions dead or worse. The war used to matter, enemies used to matter, but now all I can see is people who don't know what's coming. Or not. It might never get that bad. But others would keep suffering. He would keep trying. The risk is too great. I feel sick. Minerva suggested I start slow and build up to it from the very beginning. Most of my life has come back now, but there are still gaps. It's hazier than it once was. Things that barely seemed to matter at the time make me want to curl up and die. But I'm going to do my best anyway. For the sake of everyone I've ever known. There is an argument to be made that everything began with my first day of work, more than two decades ago. If I hadn't taken the job, none of what followed would have happened. But that's a self-indulgent, procrastinating thought. It all really began three years later with the Emerald Outpost mission. It was supposed to be a punishment, but I can't imagine anyone in charge had any idea how true that would become. Or did they?

[rosymourning]

The Rough Tempest - a Gale build

"A rough tempest I will raise."

Gale is an Evocation Wizard, bringing down the wrath of the skies on his enemies. This build but has a strong focus on Lightning and Thunder damage, as well as their respective conditions.

[check out my other builds!]

Gameplay Notes

The general gist is trying to build up and make use of Lightning Charges and Reverberation, prioritizing Lightning and Thunder damage to do so. If you have a Druid or Cleric in the party who can cast Create Water, that's even better, since Wet targets are vulnerable to Lightning and will take double damage. Several of the key items in this build are available in Act 1, which makes this one of my most used Gale builds, if only because it’s so convenient.

Stats and Leveling

Final build: Level 12 Evocation School Wizard

Gale’s (default) stats: STR 8 / DEX 13 / CON 15 / INT 17 / WIS 10 / CHA 12

Level 1 - Wizard Level 1

Cantrips: Shocking Grasp, Minor Illusion, Fire Bolt

1st Level Spells [Thunderwave, Witch Bolt, and Chromatic Orb are most on theme]

Level 2 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 2

Sculpt Spells [I am so in LOVE with this passive - like truly madly deeply]

Level 3 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 3

2nd Level Spells [Shatter is great]

Level 4 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 4

Feat: ASI+ DEX>14, INT>18

Cantrips: add Mage Hand

Level 5 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 5

3rd Level Spells [Lighting Bolt! Glyph of Warding!]

Level 6 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 6

Potent Cantrip [this sounds much cooler than it is]

Level 7 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 7

4th Level Spells

Level 8 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 8

Feat: Elemental Adept (Lightning)

Level 9 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 9

5th Level Spells

Level 10 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 10

Cantrips: add Bone Chill [I guess]

Empowered Evocation [more damage is good!]

Level 11 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 11

6th Level Spells [Chain Lightning!!! Glove of Invulnerability is essential too]

Level 12 - Wizard (Evocation School) Level 12

Feat ASI+ INT>20

Items

Armor -

The Protecty Sparkswall (1 Grymforge)

Robe of the Weave (3 Ramazith's Tower)

Melee Weapon -

The Spell Sparkler (1 Waukeen's Rest)

Markoheshkir (3 Ramazith's Tower)

Adamantine Shield (1 Grymforge)

Ketheric’s Shield (2 Mindflayer Colony)

Ranged Weapon - n/a

Amulet -

The Blast Pendant (1 Selunite Outpost)

Spineshudder Amulet (2 Moonrise Towers)

Helmet -

The Lifebringer (1 Myconid Colony)

Hood of the Weave (3 Philgrave’s Mansion)

Ring 1 - The Sparkswall (1 Arcane Tower)

Ring 2 - Ring of Protection (1 Emerald Grove)

Gloves - Gloves of the Belligerent Skies (1 Creche)

Boots - Boots of Stormy Clamour (1 Myconid Colony)

Cloak - Cloak of the Weave (3 Devil’s Fee) [I would also recommend another party member, probably a frontliner, wearing the Thunderskin Cloak (2 Moonrise Towers)]

Lore and Flavor

So, we all know that Gale is a very powerful wizard. For him, perhaps more so than any other companion, it’s clear that he was once a much higher level than he is when we find him in the portal. How else would be have become a wizard of such renown and stature? Well, as he says himself: “Apologies, I’m usually better at this…” I suppose having a brain worm and a hungry magic orb in your chest is a good enough excuse. :)

Anyway, he ends up being a Professor of Illusion in his good ending, and we see time and time again throughout the game that he really really likes illusion magic. Whether you’re romancing him or not, he’ll create the most gorgeous night sky just to sit under for a moment. But his love for Illusion magic doesn’t mean that is his main focus, especially during the trials and tribulations the party faces on the road. Plus, there is a letter from Elminster, received during a God of Ambition ending, where Elminster mentions he cast Fireball as an 8 year old — clearly, he can do Evocation magic as well. [side note - does anyone have a bg3wiki link for that letter? I can only find it on tumblr] Evocation is also his default subclass on leveling up, which feels right to me. It’s clearly the most combat focused of the schools, without diving into something hyper-specific like Necromancy. So, ok, Evocation School it is, basically!

I won’t lie, a big part of the reason I like this Lightning/Thunder damage build for Gale is because it plays well in game, with lots of really fun synergies. I like building Gale with strong themes around elemental damage types, and I’ve found that my favorites for his character are Cold, Lightning, and Thunder. Fire is fun as well, but mostly because of the Hat of Fire Acuity, and I pretty regularly have other spellcasters who would benefit from Arcane Acuity more. (Also, I never feel great about a Poison build unless I’m leaning into Necrotic damage/Necromancy later in game. I don’t really know why those are connected in my head - something about Poison damage just feels evil, I guess.)

[check out my build disclaimer for info about how and why I don't min/max or completely optimize builds, prioritizing lore and vibe instead]

[katiesautisms]

Apologies to everyone who reads my posts, but the hyperfixation demands this.

Soo, Minecraft lore, if youre close to me then you know that I have been theorizing about Minecraft lore for a good while. So, here is one of the first theories ive came up with that I really like:

Heat has magical properties

Now, what do I mean by this? Well, ive noticed that in minecraft, things relating to magic (like potions, xp, etc.) can be the result of a huge ammount or sudden burst of heat!

Lets start with some small peices of evidence first: furnaces (and smokers [and blast furnaces])

To explain furnaces, I need to beifly go over xp. Xp is a PHYSICAL thing in the minecraft world, it is NOT just a gameplay mechanic. This is proven by xp bottles and how the Illagers have xp bottles in outposts (the reason for that, plus illagers in general, have to be discussed for another day, but I have the feeling that they are extremley important)

Now, furnaces, what the FUCK do they have to do with magic? Well I'll tell you!

In minecraft, you need to smelt raw ores for them to be useful, doing this grants you xp. The thing I want to direct your attention too is how ONLY ores (aka raw ores I guess, you get it) give off xp when smelted. In real life, it takes ALOT of heat to melt minerals. Possibly so much heat that the magic manifests into xp?

I do think its important to keep track of where you get xp from, since it is confirmed to be a physical item

Anyways, peace of evidence #2: more ore stuff

Coal, Redstone, Diamonds, Emeralds, Lapis, Quartz, and nether gold ore, they all drop xp.

Xp = magic = heat

All of these real life ores are made with heat or can conduct heat in real life, meaning that it makes sense that they give off xp. Redstone also conducts electricity, which gives off heat obviously, so it makes sense that theyd give off xp too

And as for nether ores, theyre in the *nether*, ofcourse theyre gonna give off heat

Admittedly im not too sure if ancient debris gives off heat, whenever I find some im too excited to mine it that I dont notice if they do or not lol

But anyways, on to #3: Lightning

Lightning in minecraft is really weird. It can convert, and even CREATE mobs that it strikes. Villagers turn into witches, pigs turn into zombified piglins, mooshrooms turn a different color, and it charges creepers (admittedly the less important attribute here)

Let me spell it out here

Witches use potions, potions rely on magic

Pigs become more sentient, smarter, and they give off, get this, MORE xp when they drop

Not sure why it converts mooshrooms though, mushrooms in general are their own can of worms

Now, for my final peice of evidence: PORTALS

The nether portal, the end portal, and that structure in the ancient city that was a portal until it wasnt, they all seem to require heat to power up for atleast ONE ingredient

Nether portals are obvious

End portals were built above lava by the Ancient Builders, ofc you dont need lava to activate it but that could either just be game mechanics throwing us a bone, or the ancient builders assumed that theyd need heat to activate the portal cus, yknow, heat = magic

And that huge part of the ancient city had soul fire beneth it. I know it isn't a portal anymore, but it definitely was at some point, hence the design implementation

One thing that could disprove this is that getting rid of fire or mining things like netherrack dont give xp, but its possible that those just arent hot enough for xp to form

Anyways, thats all I have for now in terms of Minecraft lore. @bulbasauryeee likley has more details I didnt talk about since we both theorize about the game's lore together :]

[piccogirl]

Oh dear…I tagged Tronoth as Githyanki in the WiP Image.DX

He is actually a Githzerai. A fairly unsuccessful Githzerai… He has always had a desire to spend time with nature, which is why he doesn't have much of the meditative abilities that the Githzerai actually possess. To achieve this, he has developed exceptional bow skills. For a while he was in an outpost in the Underdark until a small war broke out between drow houses nearby, which is why the outpost was abandoned. As this small battle raged between the drow houses, he came across an injured bear who was unusually tame in allowing himself to be helped. A few years later, he encountered the Githyanki from Rosymorn Monastery near the mountain pass. He was injured in the fight and left behind by his group. However, he was just able to save himself. He met his current wolf companion Z'ev, who was still a puppy at the time. But she was able to allame the Druids from the Emerald Grove, who helped him with Halsin's approval. (Anyone who knows Halsin's story can probably guess what happened here. But Tronoth himself actually has no idea about it. And yet he still fell for the Druid! But his quiet manner makes it impossible for him to confess so easily!)

[kobol1]

Here's a very rough draft of chapter one of an Au that I was working on. The name I was deciding on was either Ghost Green Lantern ring au or Emerald Guardians au.

I might come back to this someday.

A Green Lantern ring was flying through space when suddenly a rip, in reality, opened up right in front of the ring sending it into a swirling green dimension.

As suddenly as the tear appeared it closed leaving the ring stranded in the Infinite Realms. The onboard AI started to scan the foreign environment around it looking for a way back to normal space to continue its objective of finding a worthy individual to wield the power of the Green Lantern Corp when it was attacked by an unknown entity that quickly depleted its energy reserves. Energy levels 80%, energy levels 75%, energy levels 50%

The AI sent out a distress signal to any nearby friendly beings for help. Energy levels 30%. As hard as the ring tried it couldn't escape the entity. Energy levels 15% 10% 5% energy levels at critical. 1% 0%. The AI fell silent its battery completely depleted.

System rebooting energy levels at 100% running a self-diagnostic. System diagnostic complete system is fully operational.

"Hello, there little one" I am Shentara of the Emerald Guardians. "I answered your distress call, I found you powered down so I bought you back to our nearby outpost and provided you with a bit of a power boost". "You were out for a while I'm afraid I'm not sure how long though". "Do you have a name little one"? asked Shentara.

The AI answered back to Shentara "Hello I do not know"?

"Mmmm well what do you remember little one"? asked Shentara. "I remember a planet Oa? Yes, it was called Oa that's where I was created" answered the ring.

"A planet, then you are from the living realm then. How did you end up here in the realm of the dead? The AI responded that they flew through a rip in normal space and ended up stranded here.

"Well, that's unfortunate little one tell me what else do you remember about where you originate from," asked Shentara. The ring replied that they are a Green Lantern ring of the Green Lantern Corps.

"Ahh, the Green Lantern Corps now that brings back memories from before, I thought I'd recognize the symbol on you".

Click here for my masterlist!

[son-of-an-artblog]

The difference between villager and illager society is fascinating to me btw because like. Yeah yeah there are endless emerald jokes with villagers but overall they dont seem to value it all that much? Sure they'll trade you goods for shiny stones, but overall they share essentials like food and shelter with each other without any need for monetization or capital. I saw a post somewhere that spoke about how villagers live in an anarchist society and I personally think thats the best way to describe it. Nothing in the village builds suggest that they keep their emeralds stashed up either, theyre all very modest settlements and are highly self-reliant (given that theres no need for trade amongst/between villages save for the occasional wandering trader walking into town with their pockets of assorted goodies and llamas on leads).

Illagers however? They definitely have some form of hierarchy going on there, and an emphasis on riches and plundering that Villagers dont have. They literally have mansions with wool statues dedicated to cats and illagers alike, with full blocks of lapis embedded in them. In one (secret) room they even have lava, obsidian and a full diamond block! The different types of rooms such as jail cells, tree gardens, chest rooms and a strategy/war planning room suggests that theres different roles within the mansion that are filled by the vindicators and evokers in a probably similar fashion as a regular village (before the plager yknow, goes in and kills the mansion inhabitants). The outposts also suggests both that a lot of the illagers manpower goes towards exploration and raiding, as well as the fact that the mansions themselves arent able to be self-sustaining like villages and thus need outside supplies from the raiding parties that travel around looting unprotected travellers, stray villagers and wandering traders. Theres a hierarchy both in the Captain/Banner Illager behavior during raids and with raiding parties (with how any illager can pick up a banner and all others will follow roughly close behind), as well as the Evokers ability to control vexes and the overall illagers ability to control ravagers when they ride them.

[herosplatling-replica]

📝 scarlet !

A/N: i actually had a similar thing written for sidestory octavio... i haven't gotten to work on it since i'm still working on sidestory beryl but i think this would be fun to preview :) spoilers for chapter 7+8 of tea and gladiolus 🐙

“What?” 

Octavio snaps out of the haze he let Agent Three rile him up into, eyes scanning Tentakeel Outpost. Not far from them, at the doorway of Cuttlefish Cabin, stands the very girl he was talking about just a few seconds ago. 

My daughter. 

The Octoling girl doesn’t say anything for a moment, silent as her eyes widen, tinged with crimson tears. One of her tentacles is dyed a bioluminescent blue-green, marring the trademark Takowase clan ink color. 

That’s… that’s her. 

I don’t even know her name, but she… definitely knows me, from the looks of things.

Before he can say anything like ‘hey kid, I’m your dad, mind helping me out of this snow globe maybe,’ his daughter turns on her heel and makes a break for it, the whites of her eyes flashing a striking emerald green. 

Ohhh, she’s pissed.

“Jeanne, wait!” Freya shouts, rocketing to her feet as the silhouette of the Octoling girl disappears over the canyon in the direction of Octo Valley. Her legs nearly give out as she reels from the motion, clearly not in good enough shape to be running around like this. 

The Inkling looks in his direction for a split second when her head clears, almost asking if there’s anything else he has to say. The words die in Octavio’s throat as Freya grits her teeth and heads for the edge of the platform. Octavio barely hears someone else interrupting as the squid Super Jumps off in the direction of the valley, not sparing him a second glance. 

Well, if she had that visceral of a reaction, I think it’s safe to say she’s not going to help me out of here. So much for blood being thicker than water… 

Though, now that he’s thinking about it, can Octavio really blame the girl? He was never really present in her life, clearly has some form of romantic interest in Agent Three, his sworn enemy and biggest rival, and also never gave her any form of clues to her heritage aside from the Golden Toothpick he ships out with every tentacle clipping that manages to grow eyes. 

The Squid Sister he kidnapped two months ago, the pink one, marches up to Octavio’s snow globe with murderous intent clear in her eyes. “What. The hell. Did you say to Jeanne, you piece of shit?”