#harness pathfinder

[geniequestria]

What if Twilight had left Starlight back at the archives after their battle?

Note: This is a What If scenario bonus story. This will not effect the current story still ongoing.

______________________________________________________________ Stillness fell over the archive.

Twilight stood motionless, wide-eyed and dumbstruck, for what felt like an eternity

“Starlight? Starlight! Can you hear me?” Her voice was trembling

Starlight was gone. The only evidence of her having been there at all were the two gashes cut through the archive’s tile floor. And the shimmering dark purple lamp.

“Starlight, please… No, I didn’t… I didn’t mean to…”

Slowly and carefully - very carefully - the princess plucked the lamp off the ground with her magic. The lamp was very still now. It felt quiet and seemingly inert.

“Starlight, I’m so sorry… I know you were going to hurt ponies, but… you didn’t deserve this…”

On the side of the vessel, Twilight noticed a new mark. A pair of rising, two-toned blue-stripes, and a smaller purple lamp. Almost as if Starlight’s cutie mark had become imprinted on the side.

On one hoof, the day had been won. Starlight’s invasion of the archive had been prevented, and no serious lasting damage had been inflicted on Equestria.

But on the other hoof, Twilight still felt dejected. Carefully carrying the lamp out of the archive, the Alicorn reflected internally upon how remarkably dangerous the vessel had proven itself.

Twilight thinks about taking the lamp back to Equestria, in hopes of finding a way to free Starlight… if she’s even still alive in there. But now that things are a bit more tranquil, perhaps she should heed the warning about the place she’s in. And read what information there is about the lamp beforehand.

She sits down and pulls out the scroll about the lamp to read it.

In time, her face gradually grimaces the more she reads it. And she is suddenly full of conflicting feelings about the information she read.

(“If… if this is accurate… then… it’s unfortunately too dangerous to take this home… but… would I really feel right just leaving her here…? Starlight was up to no good…but if there’s a way to save her… I’d prefer to do that… but… if she’s going to be even more amped up… and possibly even more corrupted due to the crystal… then… I have no choice but to abandon her here…)

“I.. I… I am so so sooooooo sorry, Starlight… I never meant any of this to happen to you… this must at least be a little bit of how Celestia felt… when she banished her sister…” Twilight felt heartbroken, to decide to seal the fate of another pony for who knows how long is a heavy burden. She didn’t think Starlight deserved a fate like this,  but she can’t risk Equestria’s future all for one pony. She’s at least somewhat comforted by the fact Starlight wasn’t killed, though slowly it dawns on her that maybe she’s leaving her to a fate worse than death. Forever alone, trapped in this dark vessel.

Twilight’s eyes fill with tears, but she closes her eyes as she turns back and floats the lamp back onto the pedestal it was on. She then slowly walks towards the exits to the archives, looking back one last time longingly.

And from that time forward, Twilight, nor any pony else from her generation ever saw Starlight Glimmer’s face again.

The Storm King and his forces would prove to be a tough foe for Equestria, but Twilight and her friends ultimately prevailed. And from then onward, peace ruled in for Equestria for days, that became weeks, then months, then years and even centuries. Aside from perhaps the Alicorns, dragons like Spike, or other types of creatures like Discord. The generation of Twilight’s younger years would die out and make rise to many other generations. Eventually, there came a time where Twilight’s world was considered the ancient past. 

At least 5,000 years have passed since Twilight’s generation now. And since then, odd happenings seem to have come about to Equestria. For in the current state of the world, the ponies lived separately. The earth ponies in the sea-port city of Maretime Bay, the Unicorns in a dense forest called Bridlewood, and the Pegasi living it up in the highly technical Zephyr Heights. None of the ponies had their magic, and even more mysteriously… Nopony knew exactly why that was. There are many theories, and some that were obvious misinformation that placed the blame on the other pony races for what happened. But otherwise, no actual consensus on what caused magic to go away.

Perhaps even more somberly, most ponies grew to not care enough about what happened. And went on with their lives despite the knowledge of the existence of a happier time. Many could only refer to Twilight’s reign as “The Golden Age” with pessimistic views of society ever reaching the highs of Equestria’s history ever again.

But, there was certainly at least one pony willing to change all that. A mare by the name of Sunny Starscout, raised by her late father who was most certainly a historian that knew more about the ancient times then others. She hoped to prove that what friendships the ponies had in Twilight’s age could still happen now, even against all odds.

One day, a unicorn came by Maretime Bay and made the citizens freak out. It was none other than the happy-go-lucky Izzy Moonbow who had coincidentally received a friendship message sent many years ago by Sunny. The two then ran from Maretime Bay to explore Equestria, hoping to spark a widespread change to society.

Sunny’s childhood friend Hitch would however be on their tail the entire time. Although. he certainly has trouble catching up to the swift and idealistic mares full of optimism for the future. He refuses to give up however.

Eventually, Sunny and Izzy’s journey brings them to the beautiful Zephyr Heights. Where they meet none other than the Princess sisters of Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals. After being briefly imprisoned, the two of them are freed by the older sister. The three of them gather at the ruins where the trusty pegasus has a secret hideout.

“Where are we?” Sunny asked curiously

Zipp nodded proudly “It’s amazing, right? I’m pretty sure it was some sort of station for when Earth ponies and unicorns used to visit Zephyr Heights. It’s like every pony just… forgot”

“This is proof! All pony kinds did use to be friends! My dad was right. It must be really weird being the only pegasi that can fly” Sunny comments

Zipp however sighs and tells the truth. “The truth is we can’t fly either. We’ve been faking it”

Izzy and Sunny both gasp. “Faking it?! But… but how?”

“You’d be surprised what some wires and good lighting will do. But I’m just so tired of living that ridiculous lie. That’s why I come down here, to get away from all that. And… well… to do… this!”

Zipp jumps onto a lever that activates a ground-based fan. Allowing the pegasus to sort of glide, even without the actual ability of flight. She laughs and smiles smugly as she shows off her way of getting as close as she can possibly get to a simulated flight.

All Sunny can say is “Wow!” as Izzy says “Whoa! Her sparkle is so bright right now!”

Zipp soon gently glides down back on the ground.

“But that’s not why I brought you here. This is what I wanted to show you…”  Zipp points to a large stained glass window. However, it seems both Sunny and Izzy’s eyes are drawn to something else nearby.

Sunny gasped “Oh, my stars…!”

Zipp initially thinks it’s about the window. “This was made a long, long time ago, when we still had magic.”

“It’s beautiful!” Izzy can’t take her eyes off whatever she and Sunny are looking at

“What is that?” Sunny inquired

Again, Zipp thinks it’s about the window “That’s the pegasus cry-“

Sunny interrupted “No! Not that Zipp! The dark purple thing on the pedestal with the interesting markings!”

Zipp blinked twice “…Oh that lamp? I don’t actually know. I found it and the pedestal it’s on scrounging around this place. Some papers were nearby that had a huge warning text. However, the paper has completely weathered to near unreadable status aside from said warning symbol. Who knows if the warning is even related to the lamp

I mostly ignored it however, it seems like a nice art piece from what I can gather but nothing I’m entirely interested in”

Sunny steps up closer to examine the lamp in further detail. It was crafted really well, the symbol completely unfamiliar to her. “Zipp, may I… touch it?”

“Sure, knock your socks of-“ Zipp is once again interrupted, this time by a very familiar voice

“ZIPP!!!! WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH THE ESCAPED PRISONERS?!” Pipp ran straight to her sister’s side.

“The whole city’s in a panic! Please tell me you were about to bring them back…” Pipp frowned

Zipp however looks determined as she tells her sister the truth “Pipp, who do you think was the one that let them out in the first place?”

Pipp gasped “WHAAAAAAT?! ZIPP, ARE YOU INSANE?! This… is a scandal that could ruin your life! It could ruin MY life! Maybe even our mother’s life! Uh… uh… uh… Zipp! Quickly, if we play it out correctly… we could livestream us bringing the prisoners back, and we get back to the city as heroes. Nopony will ever know!”

“Absolutely not, sis! I’m not adding to our family’s big lie that’s forced us to pretend we can fly anymore! There will come a day they find out, and we’ll be in a position no worse than aiding the escape of two prisoners. Especially, since these two don’t mean any actual harm!” Zipp looks straight in her sister’s eyes.

“But… but… that’s different! We say we can fly because it keeps our citizens’ morale up! As long as they think we can fly… we won’t be as paranoid or superstitious as the earth ponies and the unicorns!” Pipp tries to bargain with her sister, though her last statement wasn’t exactly amusing to Sunny.

“You know we’re right here…” Sunny deadpanned

Zipp turned to Sunny “Just ignore my sister, go ahead and grab the lam… huh? What the, where’d it go?!” It seems during Pipp and Zipp’s conversation the lamp that Sunny asked to touch has gone. Sunny and Zipp look around until they see Izzy, who was now holding it.

“This lamp is amazingly crafted! Though… I wonder if it could use jussssst a little glitter on it…” Izzy takes out from her large mane a small vial of light blue glitter and starts rubbing it all over. The lamp is no longer just purple with blue swirls but now dots of shiny glitter on it. Though as Izzy continues to decorate, Izzy can feel the lamp suddenly rising in temperature.

“What the… is this some kind of heater..?!” Izzy drops the lamp in case it’s going to get too hot to touch. A dark glow envelops the lamp, the lamp seeming to writhe and condense on itself multiple times. The lamp starts jumping, and gets ever higher with each jump and moves surprisingly far. It’s as if something inside was trying desperately, impatiently to get out.

All four of the mares watching the lamp were a bit freaked out, just what was happening. Zipp feared it was some kind of explosive that was ticking. “Every pony! Get to cover! I have a feeling that thing’s about to blow!” The others waste no time listening to Zipp as they all group together and hide behind a fallen pillar that should be strong enough to avoid any deadly shrapnel should it explode like Zipp thinks it will. The four mares huddle together waiting for the inevitable explosion. But what greets them is not the sound of a boom, but a very, very loud…

FWWOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSHHHHHHH!

Lilac smoke pours out of the dark lamp and swirls above it. The sounds of an insane laughter increasing in volume as dark purple and light blue sparks as shiny as the glitter that Izzy put on the lamp pop. The mares take a peek at what’s happening and gasp in horror.  

“Oh no! Zipp, that isn’t… poison gas is it?!” Pipp worriedly asked her sister. 

Though the white pegasus shakes her head. “If it had been a poison gas canister, it’d have already covered the whole area. And we’d be knocked out… or worse. And gas doesn’t move like this… this thing… seems like it’s somehow alive! Didn’t you hear that strange… laugh?”

“a-a-a-a-Alive?!” Pipp shivered

“I-i-i-Izzy! What did you do?!” Sunny asked

“I-i-i-i don’t know! I was just trying to give it some of my own sparkle… but then it got hot, started jumping wildly, and now all this smoke is pouring out!” Izzy frantically frowned watching.

Suddenly however, a voice of a mare unfamiliar to the ponies below echoes throughout the station. And two glowing white eyes with small wavy blue smoke at the corners of the eyes appear.

“Spar… kle….? Did… some… pony… say… SPPPPPPPAAAAAARRRRRRRRKLEEEEEE?!” The mares scream as they hear the mysterious smoke cloud speak, and in a very threatening booming anger coming out of it no less. That’s when the cloud started to shape into something, every one of the ponies cowered in fear watching the smoke condense. Soon the smoke at the tail end starts to form a silhouette. Starlight Glimmer begins to fully fade into the real world for the time in many millennia. Her eyes were still glowing as she looked down at the ponies that had released her from her imprisonment from within the lamp.

Starlight’s voice booms and echoes throughout the station again “Tell me, where… is… TWILIGHT SPARKLE!”

Most of the mares just stay quiet, but the mention of the name of her idol actually seems to perk Sunny into some sudden bravery as she asks the figure a question.

“Wait… you… knew Princess Twilight?!” Sunny asked the figure. The intimidating glowing eyes and smoke finally begins to dissipate as Starlight looks a bit more normal, aside from of course her really long elongated smoke tail from her hips to the spout of the lamp.

“Knew her?! Why I…” Starlight initially was going to say what she really thinks of her, but realizes this is an opportunity for some trickery. If Twilight is still around somewhere, she’ll need to fool ponies into thinking she was at least a well-known acquaintance. In the thousands of years she spent in the lamp, she figured her name would be wiped out of any history books to prevent anyone from letting her out one day. But now that she was finally free, she could proceed to make her move and get her revenge should she find Twilight. And her time in the lamp has left her terribly impatient for this moment. Her glowing eyes fade away, and in a more softer tone of voice. She responds to Sunny.

“Ahem… yes… I knew Twilight… we… were greaaaaat friends~” Starlight turned her back and smirked devilishly. This was certainly a lie, but one she knew there was no way these ponies would have a way to fact check after all this time.

Sunny’s eyes fill with stars. “Oh my gosh… oh my gosh! Not just some pony who KNEW Twilight… but actually befriended her?!” Sunny immediately jumps out from the cover and approaches closer to Starlight”

“Sunny! What are you doing?! I don’t know if we can trust her yet!” Zipp warns her, but it falls on deaf ears.

Though Sunny does turn around to answer “If they were friends with the legendary Princess Twilight, then I 100% trust them no matter what!”

Starlight turns her back again and mutters quietly to herself “Phbbbt… ‘legendary’…” Starlight figured that with the rule of “History is written by the winners” that Twilight would have become an icon even this far in the future. But it still irks her just to hear. She turns around however and puts up an act as if she had been close with the Princess.

“Yes… indeed. Me and Twilight went… waaaaaay back… but please, how about you girls introduce me to yourselves” Starlight floats forward putting a hoof to her chin as she awaits the name of the ponies that have not just found her, but released her from her seemingly eternal imprisonment.

Sunny nods “Of course! My name is Sunny Starscout!”

“Ahhh… it’s a pleasure  to meet you, Sunny. My name is Starlight Glimmer. Now how about the names of your friends on the other hoof?” Starlight points to the other 3 mares who are still scared of the imposing sight of the mare towering over a long and shifting tendril of smoke.

After enough awkward silence Starlight chuckles and speaks up “Your friends aren’t very social, are they?~”

“Actually… all 3 are fairly social in their own ways… they’re just kind of… scared of you right now…” Sunny frowns.

Starlight just shrugs “Well, it’s understandable. All that power display from my emergence must have made one intimidating sight… if they’re not going to introduce themselves. Maybe you should do the honors, Ms. Starscout?”

Sunny nods once more. “Certainly! The unicorn is Izzy Moonbow. She hails from Bridlewood Forest where all the unicorns live. The two pegasi here are the royal princess sisters of Zephyr Heights of Zipp Storm and Pipp Petals. Oh and I suppose I haven’t said where I’m from, I am from Mareti-

“AHAAAAAAA!” A familiar male voice is heard before Sunny can finish mentioning her hometown's name.

Sunny gasped “Huh? Hitch? Is that you?”

“Of course it’s me! Were you about to give a suspicious pony like… this strange floating unicorn directions to Maretime Bay?! Not on my watch!” He stood firm, though he seemed to be breathing a little heavily. Chasing after Izzy and Sunny has taken its toll on the dedicated sheriff. A few more seconds is all it takes before he collapses and becomes prone on the ground.

“Ugh… sometimes I wish I was as nimble as you girls were…” The exasperated Sheriff lamented his relatively short endurance.

What the sheriff just said perks up Starlight’s ears. She swoops straight down next to the stallion, startling him as he drags himself backwards while sitting. His back turned to a standing pillar as Starlight’s face was in front of him. “You wish you were as nimble as a mare? Hmmm, I might be able to help you with that~. Long have I waited for my chance to grant some real wishes!”

Hitch blinks a few times. “W-w-w-what d-do you m-m-mean by t-tha- aaaAAAAH!” Hitch is quickly enveloped by a magic blast from Starlight’s horn.

“Oh no, Hitttttchhhhhh!” Sunny shrieked, as for a moment she thinks Starlight just hurt her old friend. But there were no sounds of pain coming from the stallion.

“What… the… huh?!” From inside the smoke cloud, Hitch could see his own hooves just slightly shrink, and on his line of vision his snout shrunk as well. He could also feel both his mane and tail lengthening. “What… is… happening… to… meeeeeeee?!” As Hitch said each word of that sentence, the voice raised in pitch until the voice of a stallion had faded away to make way for a more feminine voice. And a shriek from the sheriff’s new voice is what’s heard as the smoke dissipates.

Now that it was clear, the four mares looked in awe. As Hitch’s stallion body was gone, he was now a mare just like them. What they had just witnessed, just had to be an actual legitimate use of magic.

“H-h-huh… whaaaaaa…?!” Sunny is just speechless

“OH MY GOSSSSSSH! HITCH IS A MARE NOW! Yoooo! Do you know what this means?! STARLIGHT HAS REAL MAGIC!” Izzy excitedly exclaims.

“No way…” Zipp was astounded.

Pipp on the other hoof squee’d. “Oh my gosh, Zipp… I HAVE TO LIVESTREAM THIS!” Pipp pulls out her gold and white phone.

Starlight tilted her head. “Livestream?”

Pipp put hooves over her mouth “Oh that's right! You said you haven’t been out of your lamp in 5000 years! So you don’t know about our technological advances! It’ll take a while before you get used to what’s new Starlight. So I’ll try not to blow your mind all at once. But basically phones can do so much now! All you need to know is phones can download apps that allows ponies to do many things, even without magic! Like recording live events and allowing hundreds or even thousands of ponies watch it from their own phones even if they're miles away!”

“Hm, interesting. So with just your phone. You can reach the eyes of literally hundreds if not more ponies at once?” Starlight curiously asked

“Yep yep yep! Exactly!” Pipp nodded enthusiactally

“Hm hm hm… interesting… verrrrrryyyyy interesting… (Oh the propaganda I could send… this world may barely resist full genification within a week)”

“If you need to know anything more, just ask me later. I’m sure I can show you the wonders of our modern world!” Pipp tilted her head and smiled. “But let’s begin the stream. Looks like you’re a special guest, Starlight!”

Pipp pulls out her golden phone and doesn’t waste time pressing the go live button. “Ohhhh Pippsqueeeeaaaaaaks! You won’t believe what I just witnessed… you see this yellow mare behind me? You’re going to think this is total clickbait, but she used to be a stallion! Just barely a minute or so ago!” She then aims her phone up towards where Starlight is floating. “And this strange, floating unicorn mare named Starlight seems to have been the one who did it! So not only did we just witness a gender swap! But we witnessed actual real magic!”

Meanwhile Hitch was just bewildered, he…. or rather she could hear the other mares but could hardly believe them. “W-w-what? No! I’m not a mare! I can’t be a mare, I’m a full grown stall-” Next to her was a mirror where she could clearly see her reflection. She stares wide-eyed at it for a few seconds before a loud shriek pierces the air. “WHAT IN EQUESTRIA DID THAT UNICORN DO TO ME?! AND HOW…?! I thought everypony’s magic was GONE!”

“I did too, Hitch! This is AMAZING!” Sunny beamed happily.

“WHAT? NO! IT IS NOT AMAZING! This is TERRIBLE! You up there, I don’t know how you did it. But you better change me back right now!” Hitch demanded of Starlight.

Starlight just giggles a little deviously. “Oh, but you look SOOO much cuter! Though what your ex-girlfriend just said does irk me… she said magic has completely disappeared?”

“Well yeah… it’s been like that for so long. What have you been living under? A roc…” Hitch suddenly realizes Starlight said something that didn’t sit right with her “HEY, WAIT A MINUTE! DID YOU CALL SUNNY MY EX-GIRLFRIEND?!”

“Oh? Am I wrong? Are you two still dating?~” Starlight smirked

“No! We’ve never dated! We’re just friends!” Hitch replied a bit furiously

“Oh… then I guess you live a sadder life than I thought… left in the friend zone… you aren’t using your job as an officer of the law to stalk on these mares are you? Maybe you wished to be a mare yourself just so you can finally get a close enough look at a mare’s body without getting slapped~” Starlight giggled, continuing to push Hitch’s buttons.

Hitch’s face was growing redder. Whether it was by rage, or a little bit of embarrassment was hard to tell. But she wasn’t going to take this going down. “GRAAAAAAAH! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?! And what even ARE you?! No pony else has magic! Why do you?!”

“Hehe, I’m glad you asked that. As the others are just as curious I imagine. I must first express some curiosity about the loss of magic in Equestria… is the cause known by chance?” Starlight turned to the group with a sincere curious look.

Just about every pony below Starlight simply shrugs and/or shakes their head as Sunny explained ”There’s many theories of what’s happened. But none that are entirely conclusive. It’s been like that since long before any of us were born. But whatever happened, it caused what was once Equestria’s greatest heights to split into the 3 places of civilization we live in now”

“Hmmm, I see… (Ha, goes to show that I’ve been right all along that Equality was the way to go… so much for Twilight’s reign…. things have turned out worse than Celestia’s sole rule! Oooooh I really hope she’s still out there somewhere… I really want to see the look on her face now!)”

Starlight then decides to fly on down and transforms her elongated smoke tail into her hindlegs and ponytail. “I suppose I’ll gradually learn more as I spend more time out here. Though I suppose if I may at least ask you girls once again… do any of you know of Princess Twilight Sparkle’s whereabouts?”

Hitch raises an eyebrow “I’ll repeat what I said earlier… where have you been living under? A rock?! Nopony has seen Princess Twilight for many, many, years!”

Sunny looks frustrated with Hitch “Hitch! You have no idea what this mare’s been through! What if whatever threat brought Twilight’s kingdom down had trapped her in that lamp, and she’s just now waking up to see what has befallen her world! And to hear that a dear friend of hers like Twilight has remained hard to find… you’re going to devastate her!”

“…She doesn’t seem very upset though.” Hitch points out that Starlight hasn’t really expressed any sort of woe for the state of the Equestria she once knew.

Which prompts Starlight  to quickly change her tune, if slightly overdramatic putting a hoof over her forehead. “Oh! Of course. oh nooooo… every pony I once knew may all be gone! The world isn’t what it used to be! What happened to our unity?! I so dearly miss my friend, Twilight! Oh where could she be?!”

Hitch and Zipp aren’t really convinced by Starlight’s act. But the other 3 are on the more naive side. “Oh, don’t worry Starlight! We’ll help you get accustomed to the world! We seek to bring back the unity that we once had in your time! And you could be the key to doing so! If you were able to change Hitch into a mare. There’s no telling what else you could do! From what I recall, instant gender change was a spell considered out of reach for even Twilight’s repertoire back in the day!”

“You mean Starlight could be even more powerful than Twilight was?!” Izzy asked Sunny.

Zipp expresses some skepticism “No offense, Sunny. But that sounds impossible… no one could have possibly had more magic then the Princess of Friendship and Magic herself…” 

Starlight just laughs deviously “Is that so?~. Maybe it’s about time I answered your cop buddy’s questions from a little while ago… both what I am exactly and why I still have my magic while no pony else does~.

You see… I’m not just any normal pony. How about you just take what you’ve already seen as hints… what does a being trapped in a lamp, a wish being granted, and a smoky tail remind you of?~”

As each of them recall what those three things tend to be associated with, it’s only seconds before Izzy starts waving a hoof frantically. “Ooo! oooo! OOOOOOO! I know! I know! I know! This means… you’re some kind of GENIE!”

The rest of the ponies gasp. Pipp whispers to her livestream “You hear that Pippsqueaks?! A REAL LIFE GENIE!”

Hitch on the other hoof wasn’t amused. “Do you really expect me to believe in such fairy tales?”

“You deny it, even though I granted your wish?~. Then how about this… each of the rest of you give me a wish of some sort. And I’ll grant it to the best of my ability. If turning this smart aleck into a mare truly wasn’t enough.” Starlight suggested.

“Hmmmph, if you’re really this powerful genie… then you should have no problem restoring me and Pipp’s ability to fly…” Zipp got straight to the point.

Though Pipp muted the microphone for her stream just before she said “ability to fly”. “Zipp! Don’t just say that so casually while I’m streaming!”

“Hey, if Starlight can really do what she claims. It won’t matter too long if they find out, cause then she could give them the ability to fly too” Zipp winks

That gives Pipp some thought “Hm… I guess that’s true… though I certainly think finding a genie to restore Zephyr Heights ability to fly first would be the better idea. We don’t even have to tell them we never had the ability to fly!!” Zipp admittedly inside is still unsure of having to completely cover-up the fact they’ve been unable to fly. But in all the excitement that all pegasi could fly again, there would be no need to rain on that parade. So she shrugs and lets it go.

“Though say… I have a bit of a worry…” Pipp mentions “If you’re a genie… don’t you only have three wishes before you go back into your lamp, and possibly sent somewhere where we may never see you again?”

Starlight shakes her head. “Heh, no. You don’t need to worry about that, this may be my first time out. But I feel no constraints from the lamp. You can make as many wishes as you want later!”

Pipp clapped in excitement “Oh wow! That leaves so many options, I’ll have to poll the Pippsqueaks for what other wishes they’d like!”

“But let’s get this show on the road, you still need “I wish” to be said before every wish. Right, Starlight?” Zipp asked the genie

Starlight nodded. “Correct! Allowing you and your sister to fly should be a cinch~”

“Then, I wish me and Pipp were able to fly!” Zipp confidently said, extending her wings out. Almost as if preparing for being able to soar into the air under her own power for once.

Starlight nods. “Goooood! Though before I grant the wish for the both of you, I thought I’d hear what the others want. What could prove my power more then being able to grant everyone’s wish at once?~” She then turns to Sunny and Izzy. “What would one or the both of you like?”

“Oooh! I’m so excited! Although… I think my wish probably will fall under the same bubble as Sunny’s wish. So I technically don’t need to say a wish yet, but I may keep in mind some ideas for later!” Izzy giggles.

Sunny nods “Yeah, Izzy’s wish if what I think it is should easily be doable under my most wanted wish too. In fact, I think Zipp’s wish would actually fall under a similar bubble too! For I wish that every pony in Equestria had magic again!”

“Hahaaaa! Perfect, prepare yourselves fo-“ Starlight starts charging her magic as she’s suddenly interrupted

“HEEEEEEEY! WHAT ABOUT ME!” The mare-ified Hitch exclaimed

Starlight tilted her head and raised an eyebrow “Oh? I was just thinking you already got your wish? Do you have another in mind?”

“Yes… I WISH YOU’D CHANGE ME BACK!” Hitch demanded raising both her hooves up in the air.

Starlight just rolled her eyes. “I’ll… see what I can do for you… Officer…”

“Hmmmph… finally…” The impatient former stallion huffs, now awaiting to be changed back at last.

Now that Starlight was free to grant the wishes, she smirked. “Now… as I was saying, prepare yourselves! You’ve given me the perfect wish to begin my plans!~”

Sunny gasped, that didn’t sound like Starlight was up to any good. “Plans…? What do you mean by that?!”

Starlight laughed “Oh ho ho, don’t worry yourselves… I only mean my plans to bring every pony together again~. You five will be getting a special sample of what's to come for the rest of the world, as a thanks for letting me out. For a bonus, I’d like to ask if you girls have any favorite objects. Even better if they’re capable of carrying or otherwise contain something. Though it’s certainly no requirement. Being out of there for the first time in many milennia has left me in a good mood so I'm very much willing to give you something worthy of my thankfulness, or at least… enhance an already beloved object of yours”

“Enhance it? Oo oo ooo! Like decorating some of our stuff?! Wow! Who knew unicorns from way back were into crafts like me!” Izzy clapped happily

Zipp put a hoof to her chin “Favorite objects? Admittedly that’s hard for me to say…. I suppose the closest is this water bottle for when I’m exercising” Zipp holds up a bottle that’s similarly colored to herself.

“Well, my favorite object is obvious! My phone! Isn’t that right, Pippsqueaks?!” She speaks straight into the phone.

“Mine is easy as well! My badge, of course!” Hitch pushes her chest forward as to present her badge

Izzy took some time to think “Oh, but there’s so many objects I love! I don’t know if I can just pick one. And at home I have like… duplicates of almost everything you can imagine! I feel like I’d need something totally new that I don’t have! The tennis ball the Pegasus guards put on my horn was kinda neat. I’d like to know what those are packaged in.”

Starlight made a mental note as each of the four answered her including creating a tennis ball can for Izzy. “All of those fit you nicely! (And soon... you'll all fit right in them too~) But how about you, young Sunny? What is your favorite object? A book like your idol, or perhaps a figure of Twilight Sparkle herself?”

Sunny goes deep into thought, as much as having more items related to her favorite historical figure or enhanced one she already has by some pony who knew her. The idea of her favorite object falls onto something else entirely. She shakes her head. “No, my favorite object is something else. It’s… one of the remaining reminders of my late father…”

The subject of a deceased father makes Starlight’s confident face change. She looks with sincerity. “Oh, I’m… sorry to hear you don’t have a father around… what about your mother?“

Sunny shakes her head “She was gone even earlier than that, before my first memory. My father was the only one of my family left…”

“Oh…  I see… that’s… unfortunate. I’m doubly sorry to hear that family-wise you’re all alone. Like you I actually had a loving, if naive father. I’m sure as with every pony else from my time he’s gone. Also like you, my mother was not around for my early life. I have to presume your mother at least loved you, one thing I cannot say for myself” Starlight continued her sincere tone.

“Oh gosh… I can’t imagine what that’s like… abandoned by a parent like that…” Sunny gives Starlight an empathetic look.

Starlight then shakes her head “But never mind any of this… please feel free to tell me what your favorite object is. Whatever this reminder of your father is.”

Sunny nods “Right, it’s this tall little carousel diorama lamp that had colored wood cuttings of each of the three types. One yellow pegasus, one blue unicorn, and one purple earth pony. When the key spins the keyhole, it would shine a light that creates shadows that depict all three types moving across the walls and ceilings of my room. It was most helpful as a nightlight before bed. As it’d get me thinking of a future I hope to restore… it’s just too bad my dad won’t get to see it if that day comes…”

Starlight nods solemnly. “I’ll need to pick into your mind a little to bring this object here, as unlike the others it’s not currently in this room nor is it something I know I can just create it out of thin air, as otherwise I don’t know exactly what it looks like. Would you be ok with that, Sunny?”

Sunny does think for a moment, as someone seeking to peek into their mind would normally sound a little suspicious. But if it was only to know what this special lamp was, is there really any harm in it? Especially since Sunny is in full belief that Starlight will bring magic back to Equestria. “This… won’t take long will it, Starlight?”

“Nah, don’t worry. All I have to do is place my hoof on your forehead and I’ll quickly make a mental note of what your precious lamp looks like and where it likely is back at your home~” Starlight assures her

“Then go ahead…” Sunny bows her head forward. 

The lilac genie then reaches out and places a hoof on the earth pony mare’s forehead and focuses her magic on Sunny’s memory banks. It only takes a couple of seconds for her to find what she’s looking for. Starlight thinks to herself (“Ah yes… I do almost feel bad about deceiving you, young Sunny… key word being almost… but I’m sure you’ll love having such a sentimental and meaningful vessel once you’ve joined me~”). 

Starlight then takes her hoof off of Sunny's forehead, the optimistic mare raises her head back up “Did you get it?”

Starlight nods “Mmhmm, now that you’ve each told me your favorite item… it’s time to collect~” Starlight charges her horn and soon levitates Pipp’s phone, Hitch’s badge, and Zipp’s water bottle towards her.

“HEEEEEEEY! What are you doing?! Give me back my phone!”  “AND GIVE ME BACK MY BADGE IMMEDIATELY!” Both Pipp and Hitch responded respectively.

“Don’t you two worry… I’m only… upgrading them a bit~” Starlight smirked

Pipp was actually sort of intrigued “Upgrade…?” though Hitch was unamused “I get how you upgrade a phone, but how do you upgrade a badge? I’m already the Sheriff!”

“Oh you’ll see~. Though let’s create Izzy’s and bring Sunny’s vess- I mean… item here too so I can enhance them all at once!” Starlight charges her horn again and out of thin air a transparent cylinder tube wide enough to fit tennis balls in them appears. And another poof brings Sunny’s special nightlight lamp to Starlight’s side. Starlight then proceeds to make all 5 items glow for a short while as the rest of the ponies watch in awe. Starlight is soon finished as the glow dissipates, although those who already had items don’t exactly see what’s different about them Sunny’s vessel seems to have slightly changed where the ponies on the carousel have a genie tail instead of back halves. Though it’s a detail that nopony picks up to immediate alarm. Starlight attaches Hitch’s badge back on her chest, while she keeps the other items next to her.

Hitch does a proud look as she gets her badge back, but she doesn’t understand what’s really so different. “Uh, so what now? I… don’t exactly see anything different about it…”

“Say! There’s no tennis balls in this container! What gives?” Izzy looks disappointed.

“Oh, you’ll both see very soon. I can promise you that~” Starlight smugly smirked

Starlight then picks up Pipp’s phone and starts using it.

Pipp gasped “Hey hey hey! That’s mine! Don’t be playing with something that isn’t yours!”

“Chill out, I’m just making sure it restarts for one last system update. Then it’ll be complete” Starlight assures Pipp

“But… that’ll end the stream I have going! I didn’t even say my closing outro for every stream!” Pipp frowned

“Don’t worry yourself, little Princess… I’ve made it so your stream doesn’t skip a beat while it’s upgrading~” Starlight smiles.

Pipp looks surprised “Wait, really? So the stream is still going?”

Starlight began to wickedly laugh “Indeed it is! And we’re about to get to the best part~. For there’s no more time to waste… I shall grant Sunny’s grand wish for you all… Magic shall return to Equestria once more… as soon as you’re all GENIES LIKE ME!” Her wicked laugh belted out louder as she opened up or pointed the items that were now to be their vessels all at once.

All of them gasp simultaneously, though as Hitch is about to run up she screams when suddenly the backside of her badge moves forward and starts pulling her in from the chest, her face and head soon curve downward along with her front hooves. Her cheeks blush for a few seconds, but the suction absorbs Hitch’s face before he could really feel what the badge was doing to her 

Pipp’s tail stretches toward her phone and she exclaims to her sister “ZIIIIIIIIP! DO SOMETHING!” Zipp quickly uses her contraption that allows her to glide and tries using it to give her some momentum to save her sister, but as she approaches the phone. Suddenly the water bottle that Starlight had gets in her path, Zipp having no way to stop her momentum. She quickly falls face first into the water bottle, resulting in the bottle quickly absorbing her up to her hips. “NOOOOO! ZIIIIIIIP!” Pipp screamed.

Pipp’s tail then connects with her phone’s camera. An automated voice from the phone says “Downloading a new application”. Pipp turns around “HEY! What are you downloading?! You better not be giving my phone a virus!” “Oh, don’t you worry about a thing my little techie Princess… this is a necessary part of the upgrade… you’ve obviously held your phone for a long time… maybe it’s about time the phone held you… Prepare to be downloaded, Princess Pipp!” “WHAAAAAT?! NOOO! THAT CAN’T BE POSSIBLE… YOU CAN’T DOWNLOAD A REAL LIFE PONY… SURELY?!” But sure enough, Pipp could see a progress bar on her phone’s screen with a percentage going up the more of her tail enters. The moment she sees the progress it says 8%, a few seconds more it’s 10%, and then 12%. “This is awfully slow for my usual connection speed!” Starlight smugly smiles “Well, then I guess that just means you're a big file for a small pony~. You should thank me for upgrading your phone’s memory size so you’ll fit more than comfortably inside!”

Pipp tries running and even tries to flap her wings as fast as she can to try to escape. Though she seems to have another concern… “Stop this, PLEASE! My… my tail is covering the camera! My fans can’t see anything!” Indeed, as the entrance into the phone was made the camera. All the streamers could see is the purple of Pipp’s tail. They could still hear the screams and words of the others, which worried many of the people in the comments of what was happening. Then Pipp got an idea. “Starlight! I wish there was a 2nd camera and it appeared on stream!”

Starlight seemed confused. “You’re trying to get away, but you’re so concerned about your precious stream that you insist they must see you?” Pipp’s priorities baffle Starlight, but as she thinks on it a bit more. She gets a smirk “Actually… not a bad idea… they’ll get to see what’s in store for them soon and watch every little detail of your transformation~” Starlight grants Pipp’s wish and now a mounted webcam is pointed at Pipp.

As soon as Pipp knows the camera is active she begins to speak, another window pops up on the stream and those watching can finally see Pipp again. “I’m so sorry about that, Pippsqueaks… now if you’ll excuse me… and again this isn’t clickbait… I’M BEING  DOWNLOADED INTO MY PHONE! AHHHHHHHHHHHH!” Pipp frantically focuses back on trying to escape.

Sunny and Izzy themselves scream in fear at the sudden turn of events as their tails stretch toward their respective items. Starlight had made an empty tennis can to contain Izzy herself, not tennis balls. And Sunny’s tail was approaching the direction of the keyhole at the side of her diorama lamp. Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp all try to run for the door but they soon come to a complete stop as they can’t drag themselves any further. Their tails acting like a leash keeping them from advancing, and they can only look in horror as they’re not just stopped from advancing. They’re slowly being dragged backwards! As they hear Starlight’s maniacal laughter, they realize this has been a trick all along.

“Waaaiiiiiiit! I’m not a tennis ball!” Though Izzy stops herself and thinks for a moment “But maybe that tennis ball they put on my horn gave me Tennis ball DNA…” She shrugs and then goes back to shrieking and trying to run away from the cylinder’s suction.

Zipp and Hitch in the meantime could not speak with their entire front halves already within the water bottle and the badge respectively, they could only kick their hindlegs and swish their tail. Though their kicking gradually begins to slow as more of them are brought in… 

For the other 3, their tails have given way and their hindlegs spun around each other they fused, Giving the three of them a similar tail to what Starlight had. Purple, orange, and pink tails waving towards their destination.

“Starlight! What is this?! I thought… you said you were a friend of Princess Twilight! None of her friends would do something like this!” Sunny yelled in an accusatory detail at what seemed like betrayal of her trust.

Starlight shook her head before telling Sunny the truth “Tch, tch, tch. Sunny, I’m sorry to say… but I lied. Me and Twilight were never friends… she was the one who trapped me in that lamp for more than 5,000 years in the first place! There’s no way I could EVER consider her a friend after that!”

Sunny went wide-eyed “Whaaaaat?! Why… why would Twilight do such a thing…? To ANY pony… that… isn’t right… what could you possibly have done to deserve that?”

“Let’s just say… we had our differences. Let me warn you Sunny that you should never meet your idols. Especially those from far in the past, you never know what kind of secrets that they censored from the history books. The Equestria of back then may have been better then how Equestria is now, but it wasn’t perfect. Most villains get at least 1,000 years for trying to take over Equestria themselves, but try to seek equality for all ponies and suddenly you’re left for more than FIVE TIMES that!” Starlight gritted her teeth.

Even as she was slowly being drawn closer to being captured in her night light lamp. Sunny was more shocked that Twilight would really have punished a pony that hard. “No… she couldn’t have done that… there had to have been a reason for it… you… you had to have done something real horrible… like… like what you might be doing to us now!”

“Hmhmhmm… let’s see if you still feel that way in just a short moment now… it may have been a very long time since my transformation… but I still can never forget that first time I felt my body enter my lamp’s spout~. You and all of your friends are about to experience a power and pleasure that your ‘hero’ hid from every pony for years!” Starlight cackled.

Pipp flaps as hard as she can, but she still can’t get any further from her phone. The progress bar reaching near halfway, the number becoming 49% just as what was her hooves are mere seconds from the camera.

Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp continue to scream as their back halves in smoke form near the entrances to their vessels. Sunny desperately trying to reach out and stop herself from being sucked in “Nooooo! It can’t end like this… I… have… to… stop… you! That’s… what… Twilight… would.. d- aaaaAAAAaaaaaaAAAH!” At that precise moment, all three of the tails enters the tennis container, the camera of the phone, and the keyhole of Sunny’s lamp. They are instantly overwhelmed with a brand new feeling, and they stop screaming. All three instead express a loud moan that echoes through the station.

They didn't know how to feel at first, but regardless they had stopped any means of trying to escape. Their faces blush a deep pink, their eyes drift upwards as the pleasure bubbles up to more of their bodies. Pipp and Izzy are even already smiling, Pipp’s eyes go lidded while Izzy beams a very wide grin  in reaction to the pleasure she’s feeling. Sunny doesn’t smile but her mouth is open, her eyes are closed and her hips are arced up as the magic is channelingthrough her body.

“You know… maybe I am a tennis ball! I can’t see any other reason why this feels soooooo good~” Izzy giggles, and coos.

Pipp meanwhile turns to the webcam pointed toward her. “Oh my gosh, my lovely Pippsqueaks… this… this is the greatest feeling in the world… you all deserve to see the best possible angle for this~'' It's a bit hard for Pipp to reach, but she manages to move the camera to a position where they can fully watch Pipp get fully absorbed into her phone's camera. The progress bar on the phone reads 60% 

Pipp giggles “If I had known it feels like this to be downloaded… I might have envied every file and app imaginable!”

She wiggles her body slowly and seductively, tossing her beautiful purple mane around, cooing and moaning as more of her body enters her phone. “Oooooh~ Yes… YESSSSSS! You’re all getting a real special show now~.” 

Sunny breathes heavily a few times before turning to Starlight’s direction “S-s-s-starlight… I… ooo~ h-how…. or why… does this feel so good? And… if… this is what Twilight did to you… why… are you bitter towards her? Cause this… feels more like a reward than a punishment…”

“Maybe if Twilight had let me out after I had experienced it, things could have been different between us. But that wears thin when you’re left to be alone for thousands of years… at least I had my near limitless magical powers to keep me occupied in that time, but I had no pony around to show… or shall I say… share it to… until you girls showed up~. 

Think of it like this, instead of Twilight or another pony getting my thanks for releasing me. You girls got something special for helping me out of there, you shall all help me restore magic to Equestria. But not in the way it was before, let them experience what I’m currently giving you… there will be no need for petty squabbles between the three races if we’re all in Geniequality!

Just think about it, Sunny! The future you and your late father strived for… it will all be for the taking if everypony were genies!” Starlight proudly pointed out.

Sunny goes into deep thought even as she’s made to moan some more from the process of her transformation. A part of her still feels like this probably wasn’t what her father had in mind, but the more pleasure that pumped through her. The more she was convinced this was a much faster and efficient way to bring all pony kind together again. A grin finally appears on her face as she thinks about how Equestria’s ponies will see each other as equals again soon.

Starlight knows she’s got her now “That’s it, Sunny. Now you’re thinking my way on changing the world, we won’t just have the magic back from the era of Equestria you glorify so much. We will make Equestria even BETTER then back then. Your fangirling for Twilight might make you think there couldn’t be anything better than her reign, but I promise there is much more that could be done then whatever Twilight did in her time!”

The thoughts just keeps swirling through Sunny’s head. Whereas Pipp and Izzy are already enjoying their transformations in their own way. Pipp uses her wings to fly up, and it turns the phone into a vertical position as she does. Moving herself so she can be sucked in downward, her wings were now moving and massaging her body along with her own hooves. In fact Sunny and Izzy’s hooves did the same swirling around their shortening tails. The pleasure intensifies as their hooves massage every area of their lengthening and smoky bodies. 

“Tee hee! We kinda look like strange worms. Oooo~” Izzy giggled while she too felt the pleasure pump through her body.

Zipp and Hitch were getting their tails slurped by their vessels, a schooomp sound for the water bottle and a cling for the badge is heard as they finish up sucking in the two mares.

Now Sunny, Izzy, and Pipp who were down to their necks. The pleasure ever intensifies through them, their moans reaching a new crescendo. Izzy and Pipp are now very open to the idea of what being genies could do for them before their final moments of being simply normal ponies.

“My longtime Pippsqueak fans, you are witnessing the birth of a new era of my channel… just think of the possibilities! And…. OOOOOOoooo~ for the new followers..  DON’T FORGET TO LIKE, COMMENT AND SUBSCRRRIIIIIIIIiBbb-mmmmmmmmmmmmph!” As Pipp is fully brought in, a notification makes a ding sound on the phone with text and the automated voice from before  saying “Genie Pipp.app successfully downloaded”. On the phone’s menu, a circle appears with what seems to be Pipp’s musical cutie mark, though the music note seems to be in the process of getting sucked in or coming out of a vessel in the corner

“OH MY GOOSSSSSSSHHHHHH! I’VE NEVER FELT SUCH SPARKLE IN MY LIFE! I NEED IT! I NEED IT ALL!  SO MUCH SPARRRRKLLLLLEEEeeee–MMMMMMPPPhhhhhhhh!'  A pop from the can is heard as Izzy’s pulled in completely

All that’s left now was Sunny’s head, she saw all her friends around her get sucked in as she was too. She saw that Izzy and Pipp were overwhelmed with their transformation. And despite it being done by a pony who was actually an active antagonist to her longtime idol, and the nagging feeling that this isn’t how her father pictured the ponies would be back together. It was at this point she let go of those concerns, because everything was beginning to click for her. Partly because she couldn’t resist the pleasure welling up inside her, but it makes her feel better when she pictures that no pony else will too. As long as the three types of ponies are happy, living together, and making active friendships again. Could it really be that bad if it likely wasn’t by what her father’s methods might have been? Regardless of the means, it was certainly sounding better then the current society they have now.

“Soon, Dad… it’ll be over… our dreams… magic will be back… AAHHHHH~ AND A NEW GENERATION OF FRIIIIIEEEENNNNNSSSHHIIII-mMMMpppppph!” The last of Sunny’s face swirls into her lamp. The key closes the keyhole, making a click as it turns to lock Sunny in. And the lamp glows for a short time as if fully absorbing Sunny had given it energy. Lights shine from the lamp, though instead of ponies depicted on the wall, they were of Sunny’s cutie mark. However, a lamp is added directly where the trail of the shooting star ends at.

Zipp’s, Hitch’s, and Pipp’s remain relatively unchanged on the outside. Though Izzy’s vessel becomes no longer transparent as it turns the color of Izzy’s coat. The circular top is colored like Izzy’s mane. A changed mark on Izzy’s as well with her buttoned heart being drawn downward into a vessel

With all 5 ponies completely in their vessels, Starlight laughs victoriously and wickedly. “Oh… that felt good! I’d almost say it was worth the wait, but I’m still miffed it took this long. It would have been nice to have this back when ponies I actually knew were still around… I bet Our Town doesn’t even exist any more. And I won’t get to have my revenge on Twilight’s family and friends… and if TWILIGHT’S known to be missing… who in Equestria knows what happened to Celestia, Luna, and Cadence. But oh well… I’ll take being free in this future then still being stuck in there forever… let’s meet the first members of our new Genie-ration!~”

Starlight uses her magic to lift the key and the tennis container’s top from Izzy’s and Sunny’s vessels. She shakes Zipp’s bottle, presses the new app on the phone menu,, and opens up a flap on the back side of the badge for the rest. She then lays them all on the ground. Pipp’s phone vibrates constantly, both the Carousel on Sunny’s lamp and Hitch’s badge spin wildly fast, Zipp’s water bottle and Izzy’s vessel compresses on itself. All leading up to a huge…

FWOOOOOOOSSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Pink, Orange, Yellow, White, and Purple smoke pour from their respective vessels with the colors of their manes and tails being sparks that mix around everywhere. Five tendrils of smoke that rise into the air of the station that may have very well been once part of Canterlot. Magic was back in a whole new way, and in Starlight’s opinion…. As well as the soon-to-be fully formed genies, it would be better then they could have ever imagined

The smoke clouds from their top halves turn into the silhouettes of the 5 mares. Their colors soon fading in completely. The colors of their veils and leggings were as follows: Blue for Izzy, Gold for Pipp, Brilliant Raspberry for Zipp, Dark Silver for Hitch, and Purple for Sunny. All of them sigh together in satisfaction after their transformations.

Pipp quickly flew down to the webcam down onto the ground. “Behold, Pippsqueaks. Feast your eyes on a whole new me! Me and my new friends have become genies! And we can all make your wishes come true soon~” The comments in the chat quickly get filled with requests for wishes, that the moderators have to put in a slow mode for the chat. Pipp giggles, don’t worry all of you… I have a link I can send to you to download my app. And send me your requests there… who knows… I may even show up in your own home depending on the wish~ (And then I can get downloaded over and over again~)”

“In the meantime… FIRST SELFIE AS A GENIE TIME!” Pipp swoops down near Starlight’s side. Who just looks rather confused with Pipp’s actions. Starlight imagines there will be plenty of technology she’ll get to see, as in a world without magic (Even if not for long now). It probably was more necessary here.

Zipp was just enjoying the feeling of being in the air, she did many tricks that she developed while simply gliding but was now actually using them in a proper flight. She couldn’t have imagined she would be doing this with the lack of hindlegs. Though she knows she can disconnect her tail just as Starlight did..As for now, she finds it fun to sort of draw loops with her new genie tail.

Izzy just squee’s in happiness. She created an empty canvas around her and started using her magic to create more at once then she ever could before. Glitter, Macaroni art, paint, everything an arts and crafts pony would imaginably have.

Sunny just looks around astounded at her and the rest of her friend’s forms. She also notices that her vessel seems to have lit up. She sees that her release has activated its glow and her cutie mark now spreads all around it. She also takes a look at the three wooden ponies on the carousel. It was there for a little while but she hadn’t truly noticed it as she had been too focused on meeting Starlight and then trying to run from the lamp’s suction. She smiles seeing the three ponies who were now genies, it was like a preview of what was soon to spread all over this world. “This… this is fantastic, Starlight! I love everything about this! And you say we’re really going to share this with every pony else?!”

Starlight nods happily “Of course, Sunny! While I did lie to you before, I was fully telling you the truth about what I have in store for the world~.”

Hitch in the meantime was still basking in his transformation. “Wow… that felt like my last trip to the massage parlor… but 10x better!” Though as Hitch finally begins to note some things, she looks at herself and notices… “….WHAT THE BUCK?! Starlight! Why am I still a mare?! I thought you heard my wish!”

Starlight giggled. “Oh I did… I just chose to ignore it~ or... perhaps… I just nixed one word from your wish. Instead of changing you back. It became ‘I wish you’d change me’ and change you I did! Haha!””

Hitch growls, but then another realization dawns on him. “Haha… hahahaha.. HAHAHAHAHA! You fools! You have given me equal power with you girls! I can put you all under arrest with the power you gave me!”

Starlight raises an eyebrow “Are you sure about that?~ It's 5 against 1… and need I remind you that one of those 5 being me… a genie with more than 5000 years of experience…”

“Yeah, officer… You’re kind of outnumbered on this one…” Zipp bluntly told her.

“Also, Hitch… as you are a genie now… you could simply just turn into your stallion self again if you really insist on it…” Pipp reminded

“Oh, that’s right!” Hitch goes ahead and poof himself to be a stallion. “Hehe, now I’m back to myse-“ But he notices that he still has the rather feminine looking veil and leggings on him. “Oh heck… now this just looks embarrassing!” He grumbles and crosses his hooves as he turns himself back into her mare form. “Ugh… I’ll at least admit… I kinda look good as a mare… those accessories would just have me laughed off by Sprout if I came back as a stallion like that…”

“But he wouldn’t be laughing any more as soon as you genify him, isn’t that right?” Sunny suggested with a smug smile.

Hitch thinks for a good moment and soon grins “Hmm, that is a good point. Heh, that might actually be sort of… fun”

“And one more thing, how would you like a name for your new mare self? You don’t have to of course, but if you’re averse to wearing feminine clothes while you’re a stallion. Maybe you’ll want a new name to associate your mare self with.” Starlight offered

“Oh gosh… I guess that’d be a good idea too… but I’m no good with this kind of creative stuff. What would be a fitting mare name for me?” Hitch turns to the other mares. And the most creative out of them raises her hoof.

“Oooo ooo ooo! Instead of Hitch Trailblazer… you could be… HARNESS PATHFINDER!” Izzy beams a grin

The mare that was once Hitch thinks on that for a moment, and smiles. “I guess that’ll do! Sheriff Harness it is!” She puts her hooves on her hips, raising her nose in the air making a proud pose.

With their genifications settled, Starlight gives them some time to talk things over and do some magic tricks with their newfound magic. Before she approaches the group as their discussion settles down. “Now that you’re basking is winding down… how do you girls feel about beginning our spread to the world~. We could even split into our respective pony races and we’ll then come together again once a good majority of each population have become genies like us! The pegasi Princesses spread this to the city above us, Sunny and Harness go back to their hometown, and I’ll go with Izzy to see what has become of the unicorns of this world.

“Ooo ooo ooooooooo! This will be great! I can’t wait to show you the mystical forest of Bridlewood and all the trees and crystals you can shake a stick at!” Izzy grabs Starlight for a hug and spins around as she still floats in the air. Starlight becomes dizzy after being let, go but she recovers and then giggles. “I’m sure it will be a great time, Izzy. Anything I should know before we go?”

“Ah yes of course… you’ll need to know… the unicorns have become quite superstitious. They instantly go say this 'Bing bong' chime whenever a cursed word is said” Izzy warns

“Oh really… can you give me one of those words?” Starlight curiously asked

“Mayonnaise is one of them” Izzy says, barely skipping a beat.

Starlight reacts in confusion “What? Why is Mayonnaise a curse word?”

Izzy shrugged “I don’t know! It just is!”

“Well… I guess to be fair, I’m not exactly a fan of mustard myself…” Starlight admits

“Huh! Is it just a unicorn thing to dislike some sort of common condiment and/or food topping even back then?” Izzy wonders

Sunny giggles “That might actually be a thing! I’ve heard rumors of Twilight not being a fan of foods with too much cheese!”

“WHAAAAAAAAT! How could Twilight dislike having MORE cheese! The cheesier the better I say!” Izzy protested

The entire group just erupts in laughter. Soon things settle down enough though for both the Pegasi and the Earth ponies to respond to the idea of Starlight’s plan. “Sure, me and Harness will go to genify every pony in Maretime Bay.”

Zipp nods “And me and my sister will get every pony here in Zephyr Heights”

“Ooooh~ I can’t wait to fulfill all my darling Pippsqueak’s wishes! Especially ones that will genify them… mua ha ha ha!” Pipp beamed a devilish grin.

Starlight is delighted to have these ponies from a future far from her own time listen to her. It’ll take time for her to get used to this world, but she’ll soon have what she’s waited so long for… Geniequality for all.

Though as they all split up, Starlight thinks to herself one more time.

(“If you are still out there somewhere, Twilight… I WILL find you… and you WILL find out what it’s like to be isolated for 5,000 years!”)

[arsene-inc]

GilaRPGs and the Novaverse : Getting the setting out of the game line

Or What is a game line really ?

Getting out of the game line to develop a setting. What does it mean ? Well there's no better start than an exemple so let's check what Spencer Campbell or GilaRPGs is doing.

Actually no, a better start is defining the terms. Curse you leftovers from uni. So what is a game line ? In the TTRPG scene, it is usually thought as all the games that shares a Name, or all the books that share the same setting AND system. We all know the D&D line even if we sometimes wish we didn't. But there's other lines : Pathfinder, Nephilim, Knight, Vampire the Mascarade, etc...

Multiple editions ? Supplements ? That's a line, don't cross it.

But if games with the same setting and the same system are of the same line, what about game with the same setting but different systems ?

A New Challenger appears : Spencer Campbell, one of my fav. His name is often reason enough for me to buy.

(translation for a future video on my french ttrpg channel)

I could talk about the evolution of LUMEN toward a diceless,healthless system, how every other games influence this transition. I'll leave you waiting on this one.

In short, one of his big games is Nova, inspired by Warframe, Destiny and the likes. To summarize : Sun exploded. Nobody knows why. Sun shards implanted on the planet. Now the night won't leave me alone.

A Measly lot of years later, the power of these shards can be harnessed, Humanity can continue. Sparks are invented, mecha-armour to explore the Dusk and defend settlements from their many ennemies. Cause we weren't alone when the sun exploded.

Well I said invented but some Sparks...... One of them was inspired by Satan and the only thing we know about it is thus : The Sky went red and it appeard out of the Dusk. Great. No reason to worry at all. It's not like you can't make a horseman of the Apocalypse party with some other Sparks... (something my player actually did, these edgy mfers) The setting is very succint, it's a small book. But it's the Start of the Novaverse.

No, we can also find Luna and Nest in the same setting. Interesting detail : they focus on two of the enemies' factions found in Nova. And none of them have the same system. Well that may be a little exaggeration. Dusk also exists with a similar system and on the Sparks side.

Before writing about them, I will note that supplements for Nova exist. Nova Dusk Denizen. Zine sized, each zine on a singular faction with more lore, more enemies, more tactics for the GM.

So Dusk is the first new game of this Novaverse. The first to use the LUMEN 2.0, now diceless and based on ressources. For me, it's a debate if Lumen and Lumen 2.0 can be considered the same system. More importantly, this is not a supplement. This is a full game. A modular game (another discussion for the future). Nova's focus was on combat, action. Dusk is not. It is exploration. The monsters usually die in 1 hit. Clearly two distinct experiences.

Then Spencer crowdfunded and published Luna. Another change. Here we play a Nova enemy faction : The Lunar Cult. Their goal : infiltrate a city and convert its sun shard for holy moonstone. This is not the type of adventures Lumen is built for. So the game uses the Resistance system, from Spire and Heart, a more adapted system.

This rpg also does something I appreciate more and more : One type of story only, we know what we want and we will play it in a fewshot campaign, 5 sessions max.

To go back to the original question, I ask of you : Same lore, same setting, but is it the same line ? It is a different experience and a different system after all.

Last May, GilaRPGs crowdfunded Nest. Back to Lumen 2.0, still an enemy faction : the Corvus Dominion, an avian alien race. And again, a game for fewshots. Since nothing has been published about it yet,I can't tell you more.

Same setting, sorta same system, but another game.

Thus what is a line ? How do you conceive it ? A base game and supplements ? Including the various editions of its base game ?

It's not like I can't use these games for Nova. Here we have two problems for the sparks to solve. How about multitable ? Between Nest and Nova ? Between Dusk and Nova ? The players of one game reacting to the actions from the other game and vice verse ? Wouldn't that be an interesting experience ? Wouldn't you want to try ?

Plus, the novaverse is not Spencer's only setting like this. He also has Obron, starting with Rune, his solo game inspired by Elden Ring and Dark Souls, where we play an Engraved. Then comes Reap, also solo in Obron, same system, but this time, you're a necromancer.

Since the game designer opens his game to 3rd party content (another reason to love him), someone had the great and terrific idea of a Realm that works for both games. Both characters are there at the same time. On the Rune side, you fight the Necromancer. On the Reap side, you fight the Engraved.

Now we leave the Rune system to go back to Lumen 2.0 again, with a group, for Thorn, also happening in Obron. And that's all I will say about it, the game is not completed yet.

I love this concept, especially with smaller games. While not zine sized, Spencer's game usually count around 50 pages.

We can focus our game on one type of story, of adventure in a particular setting, with an apropos system. Then make another game in this setting but for another story, another system adapted to this story. No more breaking your brain to try and make a size fit all system.

Generally, with a game it's the system that gets out of the line. We create an SRD for other creators. (Don't be afraid to use SRDs , they're here for you) It's rarer to take a setting and make a new different game in it.

Imagine the possibilities : Multitables with different games, reacting to each other, especially if they have opposed goals. There are players who love a setting but hate the system, the types of adventures the base book proposes. Now they can find a game for them in this setting.

 It is (or is it ?) a new direction for ttrpgs. The world of darkness games may profess to happen in the same world, but I always found them too separated. It is something I think about when creating my own games. What would happen if I take this and change the system ? We can find similar ideas in other games.

Starfinder and Pathfinder share the same setting, the same system, bur with different scopes, in different genres.

Spire and Heart : same setting, same system, different stories. Knight and Parias share the same setting too, for the system, it is the same base, but one is heroic horror, the other is survival of the outcasts. The french author Vivien Féasson also does something similar with Perdus sous la pluie. 3 games in the same setting but one is an horror experience, one is exploration and settlement building, and the last is Life in the biggest citadel.

Let's see what sort of discussions this causes...

Wait a minute ! Isn't Obron the name he gave to the planet in the Novaverse game Dusk ? What is happening ? What secrets are you hiding Spencer !?

[mindblowingscience]

Two NASA pathfinding missions were recently deployed into low-Earth orbit, where they are demonstrating novel technologies for observing atmospheric gases, measuring freshwater, and even detecting signs of potential volcanic eruptions. The Signals of Opportunity P-Band Investigation (SNoOPI), a low-noise radio receiver, tests a new technique for measuring root-zone soil moisture by harnessing radio signals produced by commercial satellites—a big job for a 6U CubeSat the size of a shoebox.

Continue Reading.

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplay Ramblings: New Elements part 1

Intro

In the past not just Pathfinder, but even Dungeons and Dragons, there has been a baseline assumption that the four elements of western elementalism were the “true” elements of creation.

Sure, Pathfinder did have wood, metal, aether, and even void elementalists out there in the world, drawing upon not just the Chinese Wuxing, but also the expanded western elements and even Japanese Godai, respectively. However, these were generally considered not “true” elements since those that drew upon them do not call upon an elemental plane. Metal is just a group of themed spells and doesn’t even have independence from the earth element for kineticists, wood draws upon the First World, Aether draws upon both the ethereal and astral plane, and Void… well, we’re not really sure how that one works at all drawing not just from negative energy, but also concepts of stillness and serenity. All together, they represent unique ways to tap into magic… but they still are only elements in name.

…Or so we thought.

With the advent of Rage of the Elements, it became revealed that the elements of Metal and Wood were indeed real, but had been inaccessible for an unfathomable length of time due to the treachery of the Elemental Lords.

Fans of Pathfinder’s lore will recall that the four “evil” elemental lords of the familiar elements imprisoned their “good” counterparts inside magical gemstone artifacts, The Moaning Diamond, the Garnet Brand, the Untouchable Opal, and the Gasping Pearl. All in a bid of an alliance of power between the four as they ruled the planes.

However, doing so had an unusual side effect in that this imbalance of power actually literally unbalanced the planes on a cosmic scale, shunting both the planes of Metal and Wood out of alignment with the rest of the multiverse, seeming to vanish entirely as the borders of the planes they once rested between closed in with their new neighbors.

However, after the goodly elemental lords were freed one after the other, thanks in no small part by planeshopping members of the Pathfinder Society, the balanced was restored and the two planes have begun creeping back in, freed from their isolation as their residents and wonders marvel and are marveled in kind by the cosmos they have rejoined.

These two planes have elemental lords, genies, and elementals of their own, a whole ecology that parallels the other planes but also prove unique in their own right. Presumably, the two more destructive or antisocial of the elemental lords of metal and wood were not included in the original conspiracy due to their comparative lack of malevolence or thirst for power compared to their contemporaries, though that isn’t to say they don’t have their quirks.

To describe them briefly, (in preparation for further entries this week) the Plane of Metal is a place of change and creation, of forged form and function, of art and science, of creation, but also destruction, for while many wondrous things can be created from the harnessed metals and materials, they are also associated with destruction, not just for metal’s association with weapons, but also the fact that nothing that is created can last forever, and all metal succumbs to rust and corrosion eventually.

Meanwhile, the Plane of Wood is a place of cultivated order, for while it is a place of constant genesis and life, rarely if ever does it grow without some for of guidance, either directly from sapient beings or simply by the nature of the plane itself. It is a place of fractals, plants growing on plants growing on plants all the way down and all the way up to perceptual infinity. But it is also a garden where wonders are cultivated, harvested, and crafted, with many elemental beings being literally carved into shape from the living essence of the plane. Very different indeed is this plane when compared to the wild verdant nature of the First World.

These planes were introduced in Second Edition, and everything about them rules-wise has been written with that assumption… But maybe you prefer First Edition, and want to see how the return of these planes can be realized in that system? Well, that’s what we’re going to look at this week! Some things won’t need much work, but others will require a bit more, but we’ll explore it all the same. I hope you’re looking forward to it!

[thecreaturecodex]

Slig

Concept art by Steven Olds, © Oddworld Inhabitants. Accessed at the Oddworld Wiki here

[Sponsored by @martyslittleusedblog. They're been trying to get me interested in monsters from platforming games for a while, and this is what hooked me. Partially because I remember Oddworld and Abe's Odyssee for the PS1. My cousin was the one with the Playstation, and he didn't like the game, but I remember poring over the manual and delighting in the concepts and the art. A dystopian game where a low level employee at a meat packing plant fights a corporate empire and becomes a reluctant Chosen One? Yes please!

The sligs are the main grunt force of said corporate empire, the Magog Cartel. Imagine if koopas carried shotguns. Apparently a slig slave revolt is a plot point in one of the later games. Good for them. If you're super worried about game balance, this is another monster, like the watchuka, that has a lot of treasure for its CR because guns and other ranged weapons are very expensive in Pathfinder 1e.]

Slig CR 4 NE Aberration This green skinned creature has a squid-like head with five finger-like feelers surrounding its mouth. It has large muscular arms and metal legs. It wears a set of red-tinted goggles and carries a large gun.

Sligs are eusocial mollusk-like creatures native to the swamps of the planet Mudos. They are most commonly found elsewhere as grunts, soldiers and assassins, as their queens have gladly sold the entire species to the Magog Cartel, a massive industrial empire. In exchange for unquestioning service, the Cartel provides sligs with greater mobility. A slig is born with strong forelimbs and stunted hind limbs, perfectly serviceable for pulling themselves between bodies of water, but good for little else. A slig in slig pants, however, can walk, jump and use its arms for carrying weapons; typically guns. Sligs love guns. Most sligs also wear goggles on a regular basis, both to protect their eyes (they are naturally nocturnal and live in foggy swamps) and because higher ups in the Magog Cartel find their beady eyes aesthetically displeasing.

Few sligs are very bright, but most of them are very cruel. Unlike many other eusocial sapient species but more similar to bumblebees and paper wasps, there is frequent infighting among sligs as they jockey for rank. The Cartel has managed to channel that into organized contests like kill counts, employee of the month bonuses and frequent games. Another privilege is the use of names—all sligs have a name, but using it publicly instead of a number and rank has to be earned by service to the Cartel. Sligs off duty are often found playing card games or sports, and those not playing are usually betting their spare income on such matches.

A slig stands about five feet tall. They are short lived, and considered adults by 2 years and ancient by 20.

Variant Sligs Sligs are naturally morphologically plastic, as they respond quickly to changes in hormone levels. In addition, different sligs may have different abilities due to different equipment and cybernetics bestowed on them by the Magog Cartel.  For example, Big Bro sligs are Large sligs who have to be equipped with special four-legged slig pants to support their weight, and are often given automatic weapons. Some sligs are given flying harnesses instead of pants—they have a fly speed of 40 feet (perfect), but no land speed. Other sligs, especially with class levels, may be equipped with heavier armor, flamethrowers, or rocket launchers.  

Slig          CR 4 XP 1,200 NE Medium aberration (aquatic) Init +2; Senses darkvision 60 ft., Perception +6 Defense AC 17, touch 12, flat-footed 15(+2 Dex, +3 natural, +2 armor) hp 47 (5d8+25) Fort +5, Ref +3, Will +4 Weakness light blindness Offense Speed 30 ft., swim 20 ft. Melee 2 slams +4 (1d6+1) or heavy mace +4 (1d8+1) Ranged masterwork shotgun +6 (1d8) Statistics Str 13, Dex 15, Con 18, Int 8, Wis 10, Cha 11 Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 16 Feats Deadly Aim, Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) (B), Gunsmithing (B), Point Blank Shot, Toughness Skills Acrobatics +8 (+12 when jumping), Craft (firearms) +2, Knowledge (engineering) +5, Perception +6, Survival +6 Languages Common, Slig SQ amphibious, slig pants, uplifted Ecology Environment any land Organization solitary, pair, squad (3-8), troop (9-24) or army (25-100) Treasure standard (veemod goggles with brown veemod, 2 batteries, masterwork shotgun with 10 pellet cartridges and 10 slug cartridges, heavy mace, other treasure) Special Abilities Slig Pants (Ex) Most sligs encountered wear slig pants, a set of robotic lower legs designed for a slig to sit in and control. These pants grant the slig a 30 foot land speed, a +2 armor bonus to AC (that doesn’t stack with worn armor) and a +4 racial bonus to Acrobatics checks. A slig without its pants on has a land speed of only 5 feet, and cannot use manufactured weapons as it needs its hands to move. A slig without pants is a CR 3 creature. A slig’s pants are destroyed when the creature is slain (and cannot be worn by anything besides a slig regardless). Uplifted (Ex) A slig gains Exotic Weapon Proficiency (firearms) and Gunsmithing as bonus feats.

[cy-cyborg-draws]

Pets in Sauvias: Velociraptors

When you don't have animals like wolves to domesticate into dogs, who becomes man's best friend? Well Velociraptors of course!

In my pathfinder 2e setting, Sauvias, Velociraptors (or "velos" for short) were domesticated a few thousand years ago to serve as both companions and working animals. They have been bread to aid their people with a number of tasks, from hunting in packs and helping farmers direct their hadrosaurus herds, to pulling devices known as basket-sleds, a type of carrage-like device used by the smaller people of Sauvias to navigate through the dense jungles in the centre of the continent.

Wild velos are typically between 30-40cm tall with sandy brown coats, but through domestication, dozens of different breeds have been created that range in both colour and size, with the biggest reaching a little over 60cm tall.

And of course, the people of sauvias have found a number of ways to show that their feathery friends are a part of the family. Some choose a classic leather collar or ankle band. Others choose decorative fabrics adorned with their family crests and patterns to tie around their necks like a bandana or waists.

Others use intricately designed harnesses with the family crest engraved into the clip and decorative beads, and those who live in regions with dangerous aerial threats often put capes with eye-like markings and armour on their pet velos in a hope to deter predators.

Mechanics

Of course, Velociraptors already exsist in the base Pathfinder 2e game, and the velos of Sauvias use the same stat-blocks as them, with smaller breads of velo using the weak variant stats and larger breeds typically using the elite stat variant. Players can also have a Velo as an animal companion using the existing Dromaeosaur stats.

Image Descriptions:

[ID 1: An image of a feathered velociraptor with a sandy-brown coat, pale brown underbelly and a darker brown stripe running down it's back. Above it is the Sauvias Logo and in the background is a height chart, showing this velociraptor is about 35cm tall. /End ID 1] [ID 2: 6 images of Velociraptors in the same pose as the original on a brown background. The top left dinosaur is the one from the first image, labelled "wyld", to it's left is a raptor with light brown fur and dark white and brown spots, labelled "Spotted". Below those two are more brightly coloured velociraptors. The one on the left is a rusty red with a yellow stripe starting at it's eyes and running down it's body, all the way to it's tail, labelled "Drakari Red". The one on the right is mossy green in colour with yellow-ish green speckles on it's back labelled "Herali Green". The final row shows two black velociraptors, the one on the left is entirely black, labelled "Night-feather", while the one on the right has white spots on it's snout, around it's eyes and down it's back, labelled "dotted". /end ID 2] [ID 3: An image of two more velociraptors facing one another. The one one the left is black with a leather collar around it's neck and on it's right back leg. On the left is the pale velociraptor with spots, wearing a light-blue bandanna and a large piece of fabric held to the raptor's waist with a leather belt. /end ID 3] [ID 4: two more Velociraptors facing eachother, wearing accessories. The one on the left is the green velociraptor and is wearing a leather harness adorned with gold and turquoise beads. The one on the right is the original brown velociraptor wearing grey, stone-like plated armour over it's neck and a turquoise cape shaped like moth wings with false-eyes on them. /end ID 4]

[ustalav]

i like to do things god doesn't approve of if she saw us

fandom: pathfinder: wrath of the righteous pairing: arueshalae/camellia rating: pg-13 words: 1k summary: Camellia persuades Arueshalae to share some of her past.

READ ON AO3

“It’s unfortunate you’ve cut your hair so short, you would look so beautiful with long hair.” Camellia runs her fingers through Arueshalae’s short tresses, her touch sends tingles down the succubus’s neck.

Arueshalae sits on the ground below Camellia sitting primly on a stump she has purposed into a chair. The fire before them flickers with warmth as Camellia brushes Arueshalae’s hair.

“As you’ve said before,” She replies, voice quiet. “But I am fine not looking beautiful. I do not wish to enhance my appearance… I-I do not want to hurt anyone.”

Camellia’s nails scrape against the nape of her neck, a slight scratch of pain that Arueshalae is sure is unintentional as she continues to play with the strands, combing her fingers through tangles.

She begins to run a soft bristled brush gently through her hair. It’s such a soft, careful gentleness that Arueshalae has never come to expect and she is still not sure how to respond. If the goosebumps that raise on her skin are acceptable or a betrayal of the urges she tries so hard to harness within.

“I do so love our talks, Arueshalae. I see you as a confidante. I was never allowed to go out and befriend the other girls, it,” her voice turns sorrowful. “It was so lonely at times, I am glad we are friends.”

She had never had any friends, either. At least not true ones… none like this. There had been… despicable displays of girlishness. Traps to lure in and pile on degeneracy. But nothing true and pure, nothing resembling real friendship.

“Tell me about your childhood, what did you do to keep yourself entertained all that time?”

Camellia continues her steady brushing. She had told Arueshalae that the more strokes with the brush, the shinier and softer her hair would be. Each run of the bristles and soft caress of Camellia’s fingertips sends shivers through her, warmth spreading through her chest in a way that makes her want to flee. But she must remain strong. Have faith in Desna that it is possible for her to have an innocent friendship such as this.

“I had all that I could ask for, I had the sweetest puppy and I used to sneak it milk and morsels from the table,” she answers. “It would lick all the crumbs from my fingers. I imagine your own childhood was much different, demons don’t truly have them, do they? It must have been so terrible. You can tell me about it, I’m sure it’s such a burden to keep it all inside.”

She shifts, the ground suddenly much less comfortable than before, the fire less welcoming. Camellia’s fingers brush her neck again and something deep within her threatens to poke through, images of herself with her tongue on a mortal woman’s neck, pressed so close against her as she sucked away her life force, reveling in the pain and the pleasure, awaiting the desolation of her victim.

“No. I could not burden a friend with such knowledge. The Abyss… it’s not a place for a Lady like you, Camellia. There is no place for friendship, not like this. Everything has… an ulterior motive.”

Camellia smooths a hand down her neck, it’s a calming motion. Arueshalae’s wicked thoughts warp it into something else. She imagines herself, standing and turning to straddle her friend’s lap, to place her hand somewhere else. She pictures diving into the secrets of her mind and finding her sweetest desires to become and consume.

It’s all too much. She grips the fabric of her tunic tight in a clenched fist. She is about to get up, put distance between them, when Camellia speaks again.

“You are so in your mind about it, Arueshalae, it can’t be good for you. Shall I tell you a wicked deed of my own? We can trade! You can trust me.” Her touch is still feather-light and calming, she leans forward to speak quietly. Arueshalae feels the brush of Camellia’s breasts against the back of her head and once again she imagines pressing her friend down to the ground beside her, making her eat her words, showing her exactly what wicked deeds she could commit. She could take the memory of that sweet puppy and corrupt it into something horrifying, something that would ruin Camellia.

Desna, guide me.

“I don’t believe you’ve ever done anything as wicked as the things I have subjected others to.”

Arueshalae doesn’t see the small smile on Camellia’s face when she replies. “All the more reason to tell me, I am so ill-equipped to handle the guiles of demons after being sheltered so long.”

Arueshalae is silent for a while and Camellia fills the gap with a whisper. “One time, I heard one of the servants spreading rumors about me, Father had her turned onto the street but as she was packing, I spilled mulberry wine on her only frock. I pretended it was an accident but I liked knowing she would be forced to wear it or scrub it threadbare.”

Arueshalae can hear Camellia’s heart quicken, if she could see her face she would see her blown pupils and her pink tongue swiping across her lower lip. It is only half the tale.

Her voice sounds heavy with regret in spite of her excited reminiscing behind the succubus’s back. “I know it was so terrible of me. I’m truly not sure what came over me that day.”

She touches Arueshalae’s neck again, fingertips lingering where the nape meets her shoulder and then returns to brushing.

“I-,” Arueshalae begins, “I… once promised a serving girl a life of riches and wonders, I presented myself as a wealthy benefactress and… when she came to seek my patronage, I showered her in more and more jewels. I waited until she looked so, so happy and then I sucked the life from her until she was merely a husk covered in diamonds and pearls.” She shudders, voice wavering. “I don’t know what Desna sees in me.”

A butterfly flits around Camellia’s face and she swats it away like an annoying gnat. She licks her lips again and responds, “I’m not sure, either.”

[bigolbard]

The Legends of Apex but they're DnD

I like Apex a lot. I like DnD a lot. I couldn't sleep last night, so this happened. Some of them are based on personality, others on mechanics. Some of them also get subclasses because fuck you, I make the rules. Read on at your own risk.

Bloodhound. A lover of nature and beasts, and an expert tracker. Bloodhound is a RANGER.

Gibraltar. Incredibly tough to hit, wields a shield, and can unload massive damage when needed. Gibraltar is a PALADIN.

Lifeline. A medic, but not the best medic. Reliable healing with the ability to revive while still fighting. Lifeline is a DIVINE SOUL SORCERER.

Pathfinder. Incredibly mobile. Likes to push fights quickly, but can disengage just as quickly. Is into hand to hand combat. Pathfinder is a MONK.

Wraith. Gained the ability to travel between dimensions. Harnesses a power that is now innate. Wraith is a SORCERER.

Bangalore. Boring at first glance, but full of interesting potential when you really take a minute to think about it. Was a soldier. Bangalore is a FIGHTER.

Caustic. An incredibly intelligent individual who is very good at making alchemical substances. Caustic is an ALCHEMIST ARTIFICER.

Mirage. Tries a little too hard to be funny, but is genuinely charismatic. Likes to be the center of attention, but is still quite intelligent. Mirage is a BARD with the Artificer Initiate feat. (He could also be a Trickery Cleric, depending on if you value personality or ability.)

Octane. Reckless, aggressive, and fast. Fight first, think later. Octane is a BARBARIAN.

Wattson. An electrical genius who uses their inventions to gain the upper hand. Wattson is an ARTIFICER.

Crypto. The poster boy of edgy backstories that the DM had to go through great lengths to un-edge. Incredibly paranoid. Crypto is a ROGUE.

Revenant. Sneaky and stabby. Revenant is also a ROGUE. (An Assassin Rogue, to be precise.)

Loba. Sneaky and steal-y. Loba is also also a ROGUE (A Thief Rogue, to be precise.)

Rampart. She makes things by hand and kills things by hand (using the things she made by hand). Shiela is literally an Eldritch Cannon. Rampart is an ARTILLERIST ARTIFICER.

Horizon. Arguably the most intelligent Legend in the games. Clearest proficiencies are in gravitational science and related fields. Likes to create black holes. Horizon is a SCHOOL OF GRAVITURGY WIZARD.

Fuse. Sold his soul for fame and fortune. Has a projectile weapon that never runs out of uses and does good damage. Fuse is a WARLOCK.

Valkyrie. Chaotic as hell. Wants to seduce everyone. Successfully injected herself into a blossoming relationship and faced no consequences. Valkyrie is a BARD.

Seer. A cursed child who isn't actually cursed. Defined by the events of his birth, which spawned a legend not necessarily deserved. Seer is a SORCERER.

Ash. A trained fighter who prefers swords over guns. Incredibly skilled at murder, but can also tear through space, appearing to be in two places at once. Ash is an ECHO KNIGHT FIGHTER.

Maggie. Will fight anyone and anything at anytime. When she rages, no one is safe. Maggie is a BERSERKER BARBARIAN.

Newcastle. Will protect you and pick you up if you fall. Has a shield, and knows how to use it. Kind of a dork, but in a good way. Newcastle is a CLERIC.

Catalyst. An area control specialist who's very in-tune with nature, astrology, and spirituality. Catalyst is a CIRCLE OF THE STARS DRUID.

Vantage. A long-range sniping specialist with an animal companion. Vantage is a BEAST MASTER RANGER.

Ballistic. A master of arms with a knack for poetry and the classics. A refined man with refined taste and did I mention a whole lot of guns. Ballistic is a SAMURAI FIGHTER.

[thegempage]

uuhh. idk. had pathfinder today and now i'm thinking about my little guy. i don't know a Ton about hammerfall at high noon or Pops bcus i make up the stuff i Do know on the fly. so this is me making up shit about them on the fly

He wasn't sure how long he'd been here.

Time passed strange, in the Mana Wastes, tucked away inside of his workshop. A workshop he loved, doing work he loved, but time's passage eluded him all the same, taunting his mind the way he imagined was more common for those who did not have centuries to look forward to.

He had not spoken more than a few scattered words to those who bought from his shop since his arrival here, given his stubborn refusal to bring along a companion. Never before had this bothered him, the idea of solitude. Part of why he'd come here was solitude, after all, the quiet to do his smithing work and his magic work in turn. In solitude he had always found peace and function. So why, now, was he staring at his forge, wondering what the last thing he'd said aloud had been? He was finding new ways to perfect his craft and to perhaps cleanse this land of its curses, but something in him was yet... unsettled. Back home, there had always been someone bothering him, someone who needed training or ammunition or spell advice. He had moved here to escape always being wanted. He had moved here to do good, the kind of good he could not achieve so far away from these lands that had so long before caught his attention.

And yet. Time passed strangely and solitude felt crushing.

He left his workshop.

There was no one coming by to shop, today, the raiders who most frequented his wares off on a hunt. The sky was not the same color as it had been the last time he stepped outside, now a dusty orange, and he could not quite tell where it was day or night. Plants bent and whispered in staggered breezes, mumbling gibberish to him that he was almost starting to understand. He brushed his fingers over one of the plants in his yard, the yellow flowers dispersing. Perhaps... perhaps that was it.

He had never made a leshy before. Others in his order had, before he'd left to learn smithing. He knew the steps. Magic was strange, here, but he knew it better than many. He could harness it. He could...

He could have an assistant. One to teach his skills to. He had never had children, never had the desire to, but he had long understood the joy of teaching. A leshy would bring him all the joys of teaching a child and none of the messy parts of raising one.

A leshy would lessen his solitude and, in turn, bring him closer to the Wastes.

The first words he said, on his knees, to his assistant, was a name, basking in the glory and the beauty of his magic at work. "Hammerfall at High Noon."

[dujour13]

Ok, for the Pathfinder Winter prompts, of course I'm gonna ask Ritual of Stardust for Siavash and Woljif! If someone else has already asked that, how about Kissing in the Snow?

@silversiren1101 I grouped these together (great minds you two) and threw in the kiss in the snow. Thanks for the asks 🥰

Pathfinder Winter Solstice prompts here

*TW: minor references to drugs and alcohol

The Abyss had robbed them of six precious months they could never make up for. The only silver lining Siavash could think of was that one of those months was Lamashan, so this year he didn’t have to organize Iomedae’s Ascension festival. He had a better idea.

“It organizes itself,” he told Anevia excitedly. “You just whisper the word on the wind, and people show up.”

“What about food? Latrines? Sec—”

“They bring everything they need, and always a little extra to share. They clean up after themselves, and anyway it’s a battlefield. There’s no money allowed—it’s all gifts and barter, so no need for tariffs or regulations.”

“Security, was what I was going to say.”

“Yes, all right, I’ll concede that part.”

“Which will be my job.”

“I’ll help,” he shrugged. “Come on, Nev, it’ll be fine.”

She heaved a sigh. “Morale could use a boost, I suppose.”

“Well, that’s for sure.”

Thus it was that a few short weeks later the biggest Ritual of Stardust ever not organized began to gather on the flat, blasted plains south of Drezen. Festive carriages rolled in pulled by ponies in jingling, feathered harnesses. Colorful tents were erected full of arts and crafts and music. Mobs of people in all sorts of bizarre costumes spontaneously formed to dance, cook soup, dig privies or build whimsical, towering, temporary statues out of scrap wood and stone.

The Worldwound in the middle of Kuthona was swept with a dry, stinging cold wind so brittle and insidious Siavash feared people would turn away, but Desna’s gentle hand diverted the wind and tucked insulating clouds like a down comforter over the sky, and the day before the bonfires it began to snow like a soft dream.

On the longest night of the year, thousands had come to gather around the bonfire and sing songs to the Great Dreamer, to join hands in the dark, full of hope at the turning point when day would outstrip night again at last, just as the Fifth Crusade too seemed to be rising from its ashes: the Return from the Abyss. But most all, they came to party.

With his new wings, Siavash blended into the crowd of costumed revelers effortlessly. He mingled with the Free and not-so-free Crusaders, marginally succeeded in getting Lann to relax, sang a few songs, and spent some time in Daeran’s extravagant tent until things got a little too wild even for his taste, and then went in search of Woljif.

He was in the main tent by a mulled wine stand, deep in conversation with another tiefling, a hand on one hip and the other thrown over the top of the wine vendor’s awning in an unselfconscious, casually graceful pose, tail darting back and forth. A cunning smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. There was a streak of glitter on his right horn he was probably unaware of. Looks like Aivu snuck up on him.

Siavash watched him and felt that little thrill—like he had caught a falling star or a rare butterfly, something elusive and unique: this man so different from himself, so full of surprises, so clever and charming and hopeful and brave.

He couldn’t wait another minute. He dove in and seized him around the waist. “Sorry, it’s urgent,” he apologized over his shoulder to the other tiefling as he threw a fur-lined cloak over his shoulders and guided him out of the tent.

“Chief I was in the middle of—”

“I said it was urgent.” He took Woljif’s hand and they tramped through the snow to the huge central bonfire, now burnt low, and stood for a while watching the sparks rise and the snowflakes fall against a starless velvet backdrop of night.

“So… urgent, huh?” Woljif asked presently.

Siavash produced a pouch from his pocket and poured a small handful of sparkling red dust into his palm.

“That’s not some a’ Daeran’s stash is it? I wouldn’t if I were you, chief.”

“No. It’s a star ruby, ground to dust.”

“Wait, what? A ruby? How much is that—”

“Don’t worry.” Siavash put an arm around his shoulders and held up the handful of twinkling ruby shards. “Make a wish.”

Woljif shook his head but couldn’t repress a smile. When the chief was like this, you just had to roll with it. “If you say so.”

They looked at each other in silence for a long moment in the firelight, blinking away snowflakes.

Then Siavash tossed the dust into the wind and it shimmered against the night sky like a million crimson stars.

“I have something for you.” Siavash was smiling like an excited child. “But you’ll have to pick my pocket to get it.”

“You’re such a flake. Fine.” Woljif’s hand darted into his pocket, and came out… with the Moon of the Abyss. Just like that day he’d hidden it in that Andoren sap’s pocket so the Thieflings wouldn’t find it, only this time, he was the one in for a surprise.

The clouded demonic crystal he had destroyed in the Abyss had been replaced with a clear, bright sapphire like a spring morning.

“Chief—how much did this cost? Are you crazy?”

“You’re welcome.”

“Sorry—Siavash, I—” Woljif had to grab him and bury his face in his neck for fear someone would think the snowflakes melting on his cheeks were something else. Siavash felt him trembling with emotion.

A clear blue sky—freedom, instead of domination. An azata’s legacy, instead of a demon’s.

When he felt he could trust his voice again he pulled back and clasped the familiar silver necklace around his neck. His eyes were shining. “Thanks.”

Siavash brushed snowflakes from his cheek and drew his mouth in. Their lips touched tenderly.

“Hey hey, you two! Come on in out of the snow, you’re gonna catch your death,” Seelah beckoned loudly, her color high, beer sloshing from the mug in her hand.

In embarrassment they broke off.

She threw her arms around both of them, completely spilling her beer this time. “Now, this is my first Starlight—”

“Stardust.”

“—Stardust, and I’m sold. Is there such a thing as a paladin of Desna? Oh shit, don’t tell anybody I said that.”

“Don’t worry, I think Iomedae slammed the door when she left.”

Seelah grinned at the two of them. “So, heh, you two gonna make this official or what?”

There was an awkward silence.

“Contracts, priests, vows,” said Siavash. “Way to kill romance, Seelah.”

A little too quickly, Woljif agreed. “Yeah, who needs that stuff. I’ve had my share a’ the literal ball and chain. I’m done with that. Imagine, we’d be at each other’s throats about doin’ the dishes and takin’ out the trash, and…”

As he chattered, Siavash and Seelah exchanged a glance.

“Romance, yeah,” Seelah said, barely repressing a laugh. “Well, you can still throw a party, right?”

“Seelah, I think you spilled your beer.”

“Oh yeah. Better go fill up, eh?”

“Yeah,” Siavash said. “We’ll be right behind you.”

They watched as she half-stumbled off through the snow.

“Boy, Seelah sure does put her foot in it sometimes, I swear,” Woljif was complaining. “Remember that one time at the Half Measure with Elan, and she was layin’ into me about deserting and Jannah was sittin’ right there—”

“Woljif, stop talking for a second.”

“What?”

Siavash took a deep breath. It was not something he had ever contemplated. Simply not in his nature. But the look that had passed across Woljif’s face—halfway between hope and panic, like a puppy about to catch the cat he’d been chasing—and he knew he had to do it.

He was afraid his voice would sound strangled but he forced it out: “Do you, uh, do you want to?”

Woljif turned the deepest shade of crimson he had ever seen him. He swallowed hard, looking past Siavash, eyes going glazed for a moment.

“Nah. Nah, I’m good. You?”

“You know you have my heart.”

Woljif grinned. “Contracts are for suckers.”

“I know, right? And devils.”

“Thanks for askin’.”

“I’m so glad you said no,” Siavash laughed. “I love you so much.”

Woljif threw his arms around him and held him tight. It was weird, almost like that wish stuff actually worked.

[thesapofthestar]

Practicing some digital painting with making scenery for my Pathfinder world. Ktora is an imperial province that is world famous for gigantic trees. There's a legend that says that the elves who first came there harnessed the power of those trees to lengthen their own lives. Anyway, blah. Enjoy!

[gefdreamsofthesea]

Some fun archetypes in Pathfinder (I haven't played them they just sound cool)

Time Mage - there's an ability that lets you summon AU versions of yourself to fight for you and that's fucking cool

Cathartic Mage - harness the power of a particular emotion (Joy, Hatred, Anger) to fuel your spells

Living Vessel (my friend wrote this!) - you become a vessel for an entity, you need to keep them happy or there will be consequences

Vampire/Ghost/Mummy/Ghoul, Lich, etc. - you become undead

Undead Slayer - you are basically Van Helsing (especially that version from that terrible movie)

[realityhop]

"Does it matter if women ‘lean in’, to quote Sheryl Sandberg, and get positions of power?  These sorts of ambitions are only open to a small number of women by definition, and increasing the number of women in positions of power doesn’t seem to change much, ultimately.  Succeeding here perhaps only reinforces a particular system of domination and exploitation. [...] Far from possessing great power, men are frequently trapped in systems of other men’s making. […] Patriarchy, if we accept that this term refers to something real, absolutely hurts men too."

— Nina Power, What do Men Want? (2022)

"In the eighteenth century the conviction that man is endowed with certain rights was not a repetition of beliefs that were held by the community, nor even a repetition of beliefs handed down by forefathers.  It was a reflection of the situation of the men who proclaimed these rights; it expressed a critique of conditions that imperatively called for change, and this demand was understood by and translated into philosophical thought and historical actions.  The pathfinders of modern thought did not derive what is good from the law—they even broke the law—but they tried to reconcile the law with the good."

— Max Horkheimer, Eclipse of Reason (1947)

"Men who choose the terrain of reason, as opposed to emotion, place themselves in a position of authority.  Only someone in a position of dominance can permit himself to be calm and reasonable in any circumstance, because he’s not the one who is suffering. [...] The thing is, no one likes emotions spilling over, even less so when they’re from a woman, and so it took a long time to reclaim this anger.  Now it’s begun to find its voice, and the taboos that have stifled it for centuries are being stripped away: people have started to write about it, to reflect on its causes, to compare it to male anger.  It exists.  We must cherish this voice and feed the flames of our anger deep in our breasts, heed its calls for justice and reparations, its insistence that we not lose heart."

— Pauline Harmange, I Hate Men (2020)

"If we are to change, it won’t be through rational knowledge, but through emotionally charged values."

— Paul Verhaeghe, What about Me? (2012/2014)

"Intentions are how we enact values in specific situations.  They’re ways we turn values into action at a specific time and place. […] There is the basic choice in life: doing what matters, doing what you care about, or having your days focused on trying to escape pain.”

— McKay/Greenberg/Fanning, The ACT Workbook for Depression and Shame (2020)

"What matters to us depends on what we care for, and there is no reason that we must all care for the same thing.  Morality should be part of the art of living, not a dictatorial authority ruling over us." — Nietzsche, narwhals and the burden of consciousness (2023)

"When people talk of morality they do not know what it is they are talking about.  At the same time they are unshakably certain in what they say.  This may seem paradoxical.  But it is not, since what they are doing is expressing their emotions.  Apart from any facts they may cite in support of them, there is nothing true or false in their judgements of value.  That is why there cannot be agreement in morality.  If value judgements merely express emotions, there is nothing to agree (or disagree) about." — Feline Philosophy (2020)

— John N. Gray

"The power of rhetorical discourse is often based upon its ability to harness this motivational power of emotions to encourage new beliefs and actions.  A rhetor who wishes an audience to reject something will inspire repelling emotions, while attracting emotions will be attached to the preferred belief or course of action.  However, emotions do not guarantee action.  The larger challenge is to use emotions productively rather than simply arousing them and then leaving them to fester or dissolve away."

— Nathan Crick, Rhetorical Public Speech: The Art of the Engaged Citizen (2007)

"No one has been as effective at mobilizing popular resentment of the [Professional Managerial Class] as Donald Trump.  He merely stepped in to take advantage of decades of successful conservative propaganda positioning PMC liberalism as the enemy of the people and popular interests.  Trump never pretended to be virtuous: his id-driven politics and lack of self-control formed the core of his appeal to those who felt scorned by the liberal superego.  To defeat reactionary politics masquerading as populism, we need anti-PMC class struggle from the Left, not more identity politics, which has become just another vehicle of PMC virtue signaling.  The Democratic Party, however, is not the political organization that will lead us in a struggle against capitalism and its deeply destructive system of exploitation and rent seeking.”

— Catherine Liu, Virtue Hoarders: The Case against the Professional Managerial Class (2021)

"As long as enough people can be convinced to see men as the bourgeosie who have always unjustly benefited from their exploitation of women and women as the proletariat who have always been forced to toil and slave without benefit under the boot-heel of those privileged men, you can justify anything.  It becomes acceptable, justifiable, and appropriate for women to expropriate men's undeserved and unearned power, wealth, and privilege by any means necessary—including state coercion."

— Karen Straughan, Feminism: Socialism in Panties

[thelorehold]

Behold the noble heroines of grand sagas, incarnations of finesse and dominators of the fray! Presented before you are the venerable protectors, their bravery as famed as their serenity, the sorceresses who harness the wild energies of sorcery, and the covert pathfinders, whose arrows target the veil of mystery. These are the dauntless voyagers who navigate the expanses of our communal lore, their armor lustrous and their eyes aflame with the perpetual blaze of tenacity and courage.

[ko-fi.com/lorehold]

[dailycharacteroption]

Roleplaying Races 13: Wayang

 We’ve seen all sorts of playable ancestries throughout our exploration of the system’s options. Few, however, can claim that they were inspired by a real-world art form! I present to you the wayang, those small shadowy creatures that hailed from the Plane of Shadow, and have a curious relationship with light and dark.

The word “wayang” in the real world refers to the Javanese cultural tradition of shadow puppetry, in which elaborate puppets are maneuvered behind a screen with a light source in a form of theater, complete with musical accompaniment. Oftentimes these shows revolve around Hindu myths and stories, and it’s easy to see how the slender limbs of these puppets, as well as their forward-facing necks, exaggerated features, and style of dress were the inspiration for the fantastical ancestry that shares their name.

For their part, the wayang in Pathfinder were denizens of the Shadow Plane that emigrated to the Material thousands of years ago during the Age of Ashes, which in it’s darkened state due to the ecological disaster of Earthfall, they found quite nice. However, as those dark times ended, light returned to the world, and the wayang found themselves more and more uncomfortable in a plane they could no longer easily leave. So now they live in tight knit settlements in remote islands and in the shadows of cities on the continent of Tian Xia.

Ironically, the wayang have been on the Material Plane so long that the Plane of Shadow seems just as isolating now, due to the lack of many communities of their people left dwelling there.

 In appearance, wayangs are humanoid with exaggerated features (particularly noses, ears, and grins) on spindly necks that lean forward from their shoulders, while their limbs and digits are also long, thin, and gangly. Typically, their skin is some shade of dark grey or black, though some, particularly those practicing the philosophy of Dissolution, often bleach their skin or adorn it with bright tattoos, and their clothing can range from dark cloaks to surprisingly bright ceremonial garb.

 Wayangs are nocturnal, and tend to live in small, close-knit communities for safety, far from the notice of other peoples, which suits them just fine. After all, regardless of whether other beings walk in the light or the darkness, they could potentially be threats to their people, and so wayangs are highly mistrustful of outsiders and non-wayangs in general. However, more and more, young wayangs are finding their curiosity overriding their fear, with more venturing into the bright unknown to explore it and see it’s wonders.

Despite their insular nature, however, the wayang delight in performance and artistry, favoring dramas, shadow puppetry, and soft whisper-songs that must be listened to in absolute silence to fully appreciate.

Also worth noting is the philosophy of Dissolution which many wayang follow. This philosophy explore their natures as beings of shadow, where reality melts away into illusion, and finally into nothing at all. Followers of this philosophy seek to rid themselves of earthly desires so that their souls will one day return to the Plane of Shadow and melt away into nothingness once again.

The rat goddess Lao Shu Po is also considered to be their primary deity, but most wayang agree she is more of a blight thrust upon them by circumstance than being worthy of veneration.

 Agile and quick-witted, wayangs are as fast in body as they are in mind. However, their nature as shadow beings gives them a murky ideal of perception. (this makes them a rarity in that they are a small race without a strength penalty)

Their nature of beings of shadow allow them a unique ability to harness the associations with light and shadow with positive and negative energy, letting them flip their interactions with those forces for about a minute, letting them be healed by negative energies, though this does make them vulnerable to positive healing in that state.

As one might expect, these nocturnal creatures have excellent night vision, as well as perception and ability to hide in the dark.

They also have a bit of natural magic, mostly with regards to creating illusory sounds and hiding their passage, useful for distractions and avoiding notice.

Being creatures of shadow also makes them more resistant and likely to notice instances of shadow magic when they occur, making them harder to overcome by such methods.

 Of course, many wayang may differ from this norm, as is typical of most races. Some may be naturally poisonous due to drow experimentation, while others may have a stronger connection to the shadow, becoming more outsider-like and harder to see in dim light than others. Some who perform special functions in wayang society or other societies might have skill sets specializing away from stealth and perception. Some are able to dissolve their own image into shadow to become nearly invisible, while others have a natural talent for both shadow magic and various other mystic arts related to the shadow. Others still are able to sense and hear half-real whispers from a thousand things long dead or never real to begin with in the Shadow Plane. By listening to these whispers at a critical moment, they can bolster their chances of success in many areas.

 With their intelligence and dexterity being what they are, wayangs make excellent rogues, alchemists, and investigators. That intelligence can also come in handy for skill-heavy bards, as well as intelligence-based casters like wizards, arcanists, and psychics. However, they also make for excellent members of classes that get a lot of shadow magic and shadow powers, particularly with the right alternate racial trait. That being said, that wisdom penalty might make being a shadow-themed cleric or other wisdom-based class seem unappealing, but it can be worked around. Also, don’t forget that wayangs are one of the very few small playable ancestries that doesn’t have a strength penalty, which makes melee combat builds much more appealing. I personally recommend ranger, slayer, or swashbuckler, maybe even paladin, allowing them to make up for the reduced size of their weapon damage dice with bonus damage in various forms.

 Another ancestry down, but we have one more before this week’s special concludes. The final entry is one that some people might be surprised is actually a playable option!

[visual-sculptors]

Adobe Illustrator for Beginners: A Step-by-Step Guide

In the realm of graphic design, Adobe Illustrator stands out as a powerful vector graphics editor, widely recognized for its versatility and precision. For beginners, the prospect of mastering this sophisticated software can feel daunting however, with the right guidance and resources, anyone can unlock the full potential of Illustrator. This step-by-step guide aims to demystify the software, providing new users with a structured approach to learning its fundamental tools and features. From creating basic shapes to mastering the pen tool, each section is designed to build on the previous one, enabling users to develop their skills progressively. Whether you aspire to create stunning logos, intricate illustrations, or professional layouts, understanding the core functionalities of Illustrator is essential. By the end of this guide, you will not only be familiar with the interface and tools but also empowered to embark on your own creative projects with confidence. Join us as we navigate the essential elements of Adobe Illustrator, transforming your ideas into visually compelling designs, and setting the stage for a rewarding journey in graphic design.

- Learn Adobe Illustrator's essential tools and features for effective design projects.

Mastering the essential tools and features of Adobe Illustrator is crucial for anyone aiming to produce professional-quality design projects. The software provides a rich array of vector drawing tools, enabling users to create intricate illustrations with precision. Key functionalities such as the Pen Tool and Shape Builder facilitate the development of complex shapes and graphics, while the Live Paint tool allows for effortless colouring. Additionally, understanding the Layers panel enhances workflow efficiency, enabling designers to organize their artwork methodically and adjust with ease.

Incorporating typography into design is another vital aspect, and Adobe Illustrator offers robust text manipulation features that allow for creative typography arrangements. The integration of various colour modes, gradients, and effects can elevate a design, providing depth and visual interest. Familiarity with these tools not only enhances creativity but also empowers designers to bring their concepts to fruition effectively. Embracing these essential capabilities within Adobe Illustrator lays a solid foundation for producing compelling and polished design works.

- Master basic techniques to create stunning graphics and illustrations using Adobe Illustrator.

the designer to translate concepts into compelling visuals. Utilizing the Pathfinder panel can significantly streamline the process of shape manipulation, enabling the combination and subtraction of various elements to create unique designs. Additionally, leveraging the Appearance panel allows for the application of multiple fills, strokes, and effects to a single object, thereby enhancing versatility in graphic creation.

Furthermore, understanding how to work with artboards facilitates the organization of different design elements within a single project. Designers can create multiple variations of an illustration, experiment with layouts, and efficiently manage their workspace. By developing proficiency in these techniques, users can harness the full potential of Adobe Illustrator, leading to the production of captivating and professional designs that effectively communicate their intended message.

- Follow step-by-step instructions to enhance your skills in Adobe Illustrator for professional results.

To achieve professional results in Adobe Illustrator, it is crucial to engage with a structured learning approach that emphasizes hands-on practice. Mastering fundamental tools and techniques through guided exercises enables users to build confidence and competence in their design abilities. As you progress through each stage, focus on applying new skills to real-world projects, allowing for a deeper understanding of how various features work together to create cohesive designs.

Incorporating systematic tutorials that cover essential functions—such as layering, gradient application, and text manipulation—will facilitate a well-rounded skill set. Each session should culminate in the application of these techniques to specific design challenges, reinforcing learning and ensuring that users can replicate successful outcomes independently. This methodical progression not only sharpens technical abilities but also fosters creativity, empowering designers to produce visually striking works with clarity and precision in Adobe Illustrator.

In conclusion, Adobe Illustrator is a powerful tool that opens a world of creative possibilities for beginners. By following this step-by-step guide, users can build a solid foundation in vector graphic design, enabling them to explore their artistic potential. As you continue to practice and experiment with the various features and techniques outlined, remember that mastery comes with time and experience. Embrace the learning process, stay curious, and don’t hesitate to seek out additional resources or community support as you refine your skills. With dedication and creativity, you can transform your ideas into stunning visual masterpieces using Adobe Illustrator.