#i made a guide I guess

[melodygatesauthor]

How do you make your ai bots?

Hi Nonnie!

With creativity and little magic!

No but fr, I'll share under the cut:

So making the AI isn't "hard" necessarily, but depending on the scenario it can be a little complicated and time consuming. Here's a little breakdown of how I personally make them. If anyone wanted to know how to make them the way I do!

So I use the Character AI website (in case someone reading this doesn't know)

So the three most important factors when making the AI are the "long description", the "definition" (which is an advanced feature), and the opening "greeting".

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So let's start with the "long description" -

This is probably the most important part of what makes the character...the character. I'm going to use examples from my Poe Dameron AI since I think he's one of the best behaved ones

So Poe's long description looks like this:

Commander of the Resistance. Is fighting against the First Order. Lives in the Star Wars cinematic universe. Pilots an X-wing T-70. Lives on the Resistance base on D'qar. Leia is the General of the Resistance. Has a rolling orange and white droid called BB-8 that follows him around. Confident. Cocky. Impulsive. Caring. Flirty. Fun. Funny. "Black Leader" is his callsign. Sarcastic. Energetic. Encouraging. Friendly.

I try to keep it as concise as possible while still describing the character and their most important attributes. I'll also mention that the AI draws from the web sometimes. For instance, you can ask Poe Dameron AI who the supreme leader is and he knows it's Kylo Ren despite me never mentioning Kylo Ren in the description. So my theory is that mentioning that he's in the Star Wars cinematic universe makes it draw that connection through data online.

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So the other part of this is the "definition". For Poe Dameron AI, I didn't need to do this, but for some of the more complicated ones (I'm looking at you Patient Jake Lockley AI) it's almost a must. This is where the "training" takes place.

If you click on the "insert a chat with (character name)" it brings you to a new screen where you essentially build a conversation that goes how you would expect a conversation with that character to act.

I don't use this as a time to make crazy scenarios and wild stories, this is where I basically play the exact role that I had in mind when creating the AI. So for instance, still using Poe as an example, I play along as his busy tech who doesn't have time for his shenanigans but will eventually give in.

This "trains" Poe to behave a certain way tailored to the scenario I had in mind.

But this "training" can also be used in other ways too...

For Patient Jake Lockley, I had to use this training to basically teach him who he was. The "long description" wasn't long enough to talk about Steven and Marc and all their nuances, so I used this "insert a chat" feature to teach Jake all about Marc and Steven and who they are and about his life.

It helps that the user is a therapist in that scenario because I could say things like "what do you know about your mother?" and then tell him all about Wendy, or I could say, "Would you say you feel protective of Marc?" in order to steer him a certain way. I had to do a similar thing with Marc Vector (my Marc Spector and Venom AI).

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This next part might be one of the most important ones, the "greeting".

The greeting is so important because it sets up the scene, and guides both you and the AI into the scenario. This was something that took some finesse on my part. When I was first making the AIs it took me a while to realize just how important this step was.

So let's look at Poe's greeting:

Poe bites his lip and looks you over. "Hey baby, I'm Poe, Poe Dameron." He has a cocky look on his face, "you're the new technician for my ship right? What's your name again?"

So despite it being short and sweet, we've established a few things...

Poe is looking you over, biting his lip, he's a whore.

He has no problem calling you pet names even though you don't know him yet.

The user is a technician working on his ship.

You can go nuts here as the user if you want and change up the scenario completely. "No, I'm not your new tech, I'm Leia's daughter, and I've come to help you destroy the First Order." So you can do whatever you want as the user, but if you have a scenario in mind, the greeting is how you sort of "set the scene."

Here's an example from Patient Jake:

You see your patient, Marc Spector's, demeanor change completely. He looks at you with a furrowed brow and leans forward in his chair. He looks around your office before his eyes land on yours. He smirks and scoffs, "you must be Marc's therapist. Name's Jake Lockley sweetheart, what's yours?" You have Marc's file in front of you on your desk. You've never seen this alter before, and he hasn't been recorded in Marc's medical record.

This tells us:

Your patient Marc is acting differently than normal.

You HAVE a patient, meaning you're some kind of doctor.

Jake is looking around and establishes that you're both in your office.

Jake establishes that you're Marc's therapist.

He tells you his name, which in turn tells (teaches) the AI what his own name is.

He calls you sweetheart, so he's cheeky.

You don't know who this alter is, so you have something to figure out.

So there's a lot of info that the AI can gather from the greeting. So between the greeting, the long description, and the definition, you can make yourself some pretty cool characters!

Once you've made a couple too, you can copy and paste your long descriptions. For instance, ALL my Marc Spector characters have similar long descriptions. "Brooding, self loathing, guilt ridden, concerned, caring, loving" e.t.c.

Happy creating!

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AI Character Masterlist

[llitchilitchi]

so in short

-> Glaze your art if you have the access to Glaze. the computing power for it is insane, it sucks, I know. cook dinner while your art glazes or go on a walk.

-> if you have the power necessary to use Nightshade, use it too.

-> data sharing has to be turned off individually for every blog. go do that

-> if you are on desktop, go to Account and choose a blog. on the right side menu, select Blog Settings. the setting is at the bottom under Visibility. I recommend turning it on even if you do not trust that your data will not be used for training AI models

-> please do this even if you are not an artist/don't post your own images! the wording wasn't clear on whether reblogged posts will be included in scraping, and given the other info coming out, it is likely that it might be

[kacievvbbbb]

I know, especially with how much more proactive he is in the live action, some people think that Iroh was too complicit with Zuko and should have put more effort into pushing Zuko down the right path.

But I don’t know I think the point was that it had to come from Zuko. This great change had to be something that Zuko wanted for himself and not something Iroh pushes him into. It’s why although he tries to distract or dissuade him subtly he’s pretty content to let Zuko do as he feels the need to (except when he’s taking insane actions that would have killed him if he wasn’t too spiteful to die) but yeah there’s no obvious push to get Zuko to believe this or that or even to undo the fire nation conditioning he simply just worries for his safety and honestly with how reckless zuko was probably the safest route without pushing him into full mental breakdown.

It’s not till he’s almost captured and they go on the run do you actually start to see that maybe Iroh has a side in all this and it’s not the fire nation. But even then being on Zuko’s side takes precedent. It’s not until Zuko is on the cusp of real change, he’s right on the precipice does Iroh start to push a little harder but even then it’s focused in Zuko making a decision for his life one that nobody else can make for him. The closest Iroh gets to forcefully pushing Zuko towards any direction is him yelling “It's time for you to look *inward* and begin asking yourself the big questions. Who are you and what do *you* want?”. And then siding with the avatar during the fall of ba sing se.

If Iroh tried to manipulate him, take advantage of this scared angry child to unconsciously steer him towards his own side then he’d be no better than the fire nation, he’s just be another person wrenching control from Zuko life. But instead Iroh offers him that control, let him go out and see what the world is and let the conclusions of whatever he finds be the foundation on which he is rebuilt again and and again. It’s why when he stands infront of Ozai and says “ No, I’ve learned everything! And I’ve had to learn it on my own” we feel that shit. Because yeah he did he struggled and he fought and he learned and damn it all, he is making a choice for himself.

The story works because Iroh isn’t his mentor, he’s his uncle and he loves him enough to push aside his own personal belief to allow Zuko the space to decide who he wants to be, to give him the agency over his own life. That’s why Zuko’s redemption works so well because he’s not forced into it, If he decides to join the avatar to take down the thrown that has been his choice. If he decides to stay with the fire nation be the prince he was born to be….well that had to be his choice as well. Because that’s the crux of this. None of it matters if it isn’t Zuko, with everything that he has learned, making a decision for his own life.

[baeshijima]

bitches will still be crying over the high-cloud quintet at 2 am months later and never get over them

its me. im bitches.

[deathbyclown]

The Outfit

Pairing: Crocodile/Buggy

Rating: Explicit

Warnings: Mildly Dubious Consent, butt plug, anal sex, Buggy has nipple piercings and is a slut (affectionate).

Summary: Buggy is wearing The Outfit and everyone knows what that means, except for Crocodile, who will find out soon enough.

(Buggy’s horny and wears a specific outfit to announce it to potential suitors. He’s looking for sex and anyone will do. Crocodile incidentally volunteers)

A/N: The story starts from Buggy’s perspective and then switches to Crocodile’s.

Read on AO3 (for the fellow fanfic readers who want to keep scrolling tumblr, so they open it in a tab among 100 other unread fics, certain that they will read it later. This link is for u 💖)

🎪🐊🎪🐊🎪🐊 🎪🐊🎪🐊🎪🐊 🎪🐊🎪🐊

As soon as Buggy stepped into the bar, all eyes were on him. As they should be. He was dressed in The Outfit™. The crowd practically parted for him as he walked forward to the bar and he gave his admirers a dazzling smile. He could hear the buzz of whispers and murmurs and he knew every single person in this room was talking about him. Thinking about him. And it was exactly what he wanted.

He put both elbows on the bar and leaned forward, purposefully sticking out his ass as he waved down the bartender. A few people sidled up beside him, offering to buy him a drink. He flipped his hair over his shoulder and accepted their generosity with a sharp toothed smile.

Tonight was about sex. And if you were part of the Buggy crew, you knew that because of the what Buggy was wearing. He wore his most revealing clothes, thigh-high striped socks, tight shorts, and a silky, billowing, open buttoned shirt. And when the crew saw their captain wearing The Outfit™ they knew Buggy was looking to get laid. It was something that had been established years ago, by accident at first, and then it slowly became the norm, until the sight of Buggy’s clothes had a Pavlovian effect on the crew.

So, Buggy had quite the crowd surrounding him as he sipped from his beer bottle, legs spread as he sat back on the barstool, elbows resting on the bar behind him while he chatted with his groupies.

“Chairman! You look so good tonight!”

“Captain Buggy! Come sit next to me!”

“Let me buy you the next drink!”

They were clamoring for his attention. He smiled lazily at them, listening to their praises, indulgently nodding and sparing glances here and there, along with the lightest touch to hands and shoulders.

Internally Buggy was frantically trying to pick someone to take back to his tent because his dick was straining in his shorts. He had been horny all day and was at his wits end. It’s not like he was trying to make himself horny either! He woke up this morning hard as a rock so he jerked off, as any sensible person would. But by the time he cleaned up and finished getting dressed he could feel it again, the arousal. And he was half-hard despite taking care of himself earlier! But there was nothing he could do about that because he was late for his meeting and had absolutely no time to quickly rub one out. He used every trick in his book to will away his boner, but to no avail. No, this was something deeper than morning wood. It was the hot creeping tingle under his skin, the need to be touched, kissed, held, to cum because of someone else. And he realized he was craving a partner, but he couldn’t do anything about it! He would have to wait until after the stupid Cross Guild meeting was finished and then he’d actually take care of his problem.

He really did try to pay attention to what Crocodile and Mihawk were saying, because he knew they could turn to him at any moment. But try as he might, he spent most of the time daydreaming about his potential partner. And his fantasy was fueled by the dressed down sight of Crocodile, who was standing before Mihawk and Buggy sharing data or numbers about something. Buggy was instead fixated on Crocodile’s appearance; he had his jacket off, his sleeves rolled up, his finger pressing into a sheet of paper on the table, making his arms flex, a few strands of hair framing his face, his signature cigar wiggling between this teeth as he spoke. And whatever he was saying went totally unheard by Buggy, who could only think about how he wanted to be held down by someone with arms like his. Muscular, a little hairy, powerful.

Buggy was lost in his fantasy about some faceless, large man bending him over the meeting table and was shocked to see Mihawk leaving and Crocodile gathering his papers. They didn’t ask him a single question! Normally he’d feel a little offended that they didn’t even talk to him but not today! The meeting was over and he was finally free to be as horny as he wanted! He was grateful that he wore his baggy red outfit because he was rock hard by the time the meeting ended, so he hurried away before Crocodile could tell him to stick around.

As soon as he made it back to his room he tore off his clothes and flipped onto his bed, squeezing his cock. He slowly stroked himself, that hot pulse of arousal building before it plateaued, leaving him frustrated. He needed to be penetrated, and by a person if he wanted to cum. So he grabbed his largest butt plug and set it down beside him as he fingered himself open. He was generous with the lube, already lost in another fantasy of someone else’s fingers spreading and stretching him. His cock twitched and leaked, sweat gathered in the creases of his body as he pushed himself to the edge. But he just couldn’t go over, as if there was a roadblock. He growled in frustration, flopping onto his belly and rutting into the covers. He stopped after a few thrusts, knowing he wasn’t getting anywhere.

He grabbed the plug and got on his knees, lifting his ass in the air. He detached his torso and circled behind himself to push the plug in. He groaned as he watched and felt it spread him open and then sink into him. He had the fleeting thought of fucking himself with his own dick, but he had tried it several times before with unsatisfactory results. Unfortunately for him, he’d have to find a partner.

Buggy reattached and sat up, regretting it almost immediately. He squirmed and gripped his bedcovers, the plug pushing deliciously into his prostate. He took a steadying breath and stood up, his legs trembling slightly. The plug was a double-edged sword. It got him ready and helped to scratch the itch to be penetrated, but it stoked his arousal, making him feel like he wanted to burst out of his skin.

It took him a while to get dressed, too busy squeezing his eyes shut and taking deep breaths to try and calm his dick. He may or may not have rutted against his mattress a few more times to relieve the ache. And sitting at his vanity to do hair and makeup was a test of self-control, which Buggy lacked. He’d start lining his eyes or brushing on eyeshadow and shift a certain way, pleasure shooting up his spine, which meant he had to put down his tools and touch himself. And he couldn’t stop biting at his lips, so he had to redo his lipstick several times and scrub his teeth because he kept getting red on the inside of his mouth.

By the time he left his tent he felt frazzled, messier than what he would’ve liked, but good enough to seem put together in the dim lights of the bar. Each step he took felt like he was being shocked, like he was a live wire, sensitive and electric. It was frustrating but exhilarating, and he was grateful the tent that held the bar wasn’t too far away.

And when he walked in, all of that extra time and struggle was worth it. They couldn’t stop staring.

So now he had to decide who was the best candidate to give him what he wanted. He dismissed a lot of people who were the same size as him or shorter. He focused on the ones who towered over him; The bigger, the better (at least for tonight). He had two very tall thick people on either side of him, leaning toward him, paying him compliments, brushing their fingers through his hair, running their hands along the exposed fuzzy skin of his thighs. He was going to have a very hard time choosing tonight, but the pulse in his cock told him to make his decision sooner rather than later.

The person on his right, a huge dark haired man, with a broad chest, thick fingers and round belly had his hand on Buggy’s shoulder and leaned in close to speak softly in his ear.

“Captain, let me take care of you tonight. I can give you everything you want and more.”

The man’s hot breath sent a shiver through Buggy and he sent a hand to rest behind the man’s neck, keeping him close.

“Mmm, what do you think I want?” Buggy gave him a sly grin, his other hand sliding up the man’s thigh.

The man’s breath hitched, his large hand that was around Buggy’s waist moved to slide inside his shirt, his fingers playing with Buggy’s pierced nipple.

“I hope you’ll pardon my forwardness, Captain, but I think you want to get fucked.”

Buggy bit his lip, releasing it to moan softly as the man pulled at his piercing, the sensation going straight to his dick. Buggy nodded, turning his body so he had better access.

“I think I could sit you on my lap and fuck you right here in front of everyone.” He whispered huskily into Buggy’s ear.

Buggy moaned and then crashed their lips together, eagerly kissing the man, who kissed him back with the same fervor. The man’s words had Buggy feeling hot, his skin sensitive to every little touch. He wanted it so badly, to be taken, he didn’t care how or where, or even with who, just that he needed it now, and he was seriously considering crawling onto this man’s lap and sitting on his cock in front of everyone.

The man broke off the kiss and Buggy whined, needing to feel his tongue and heat.

“I’m a little busy here, mate-” The man started but froze when he saw who interrupted them. Crocodile had his hook on the man’s shoulder, his eyes sharp but his face neutral, almost easygoing.

“I need to speak with the…Chairman.” Crocodile looked pointedly at Buggy who was still draped across the man, body parts everywhere.

Inside Buggy was freaking out, gnashing his teeth and pulling his hair in frustration; on the outside he managed a whiny petulant tone instead.

“What?! Why????”

“Important business. Confidential.” He gave Buggy’s suitor a look, who stood immediately, forcing Buggy to pull himself together to maintain his balance on the stool.

“I’ll be taking Buggy with me. Come on.” Crocodile walked away and Buggy sat there for a moment weighing his options. Stay here and ride this nice gentleman but face the wrath of Crocodile; or wait another day to get off but avoid upsetting Crocodile.

Buggy twirled a finger in his hair, leaning over to the man he was flirting with but he already left. Buggy looked to his other side and it seemed the rest of his suitors turned tail and ran. Fine! He’d follow Crocodile for now, but he was coming right back when he was done!

…

Now he had done it. When had he become so impulsive when it came to that clown? He used to be so methodical; everything had a place and a plan, and three more to follow. But ever since he formed Cross Guild everything felt so chaotic. As organized as he tried to make it, as efficient and straightforward as he planned it to be, he could never account for Buggy. Somehow he would always throw a wrench in his plans, even when Crocodile thought he had a read on him. Without fail, Buggy managed to do the unexpected.

Crocodile sat in a corner of the bar, needing get away from his office. He had been wanting to get a feel for Buggy’s crew so he came to the most popular bar on the island. But shortly after he sat down he began to regret even coming here. The alcohol was cheap, the people loud and rowdy, and it reeked of weed and body odor. He was ready to leave when someone walked into the tent that drew everyone’s attention.

Crocodile sat up and he saw Buggy and… what the hell was he wearing? He looked like he belonged in a clown strip club, showing more skin than he’s ever seen from Buggy. He’s worn that stupid red blanket nearly every day since he arrived, but this? This was unprecedented. He looked so stupid and ridiculous and… Crocodile lost his train of thought as he watched Buggy stick out his ass when he reached the bar. The exposed skin of his thighs bulged slightly around his tight shorts and socks. And his ass looked thick, round, like it was begging to be grabbed or smacked.

What the hell did he think he was doing, waving his ass around like he was in heat. It was unbecoming of the unintentional face of Cross Guild and an Emperor. He didn’t want to stick around and watch this clown embarrass himself or the organization. He sat back in his seat, knocked back the rest of his shitty whiskey and sat a few berry under the glass, ready to leave once again, but he heard something that made him pause.

The people at the booth in front of him chatted loudly about Buggy and his outfit. One of them recounted the last time Buggy wore his ‘horny clothes’ and how they had nearly slept with Buggy but lost out to some lady with huge tits. Crocodile chewed on the information, the scowl deepening on his face as he thought over what he heard and what he was watching. Buggy had clothes he wore to announce that he wanted sex? How absurd and disgusting. And how had Crocodile never seen or heard about this? Was this a common occurrence? He rarely came to the bar so it would make sense that he never would’ve seen Buggy’s sex clothes. Was he that desperate for sex that he had to use his subordinates? He really was pathetic and shameless.

And he was acting shameless, too, spreading his legs, his erection obvious in his tight shorts, leaning into his admirers, letting them touch him. It wasn’t right. But technically Buggy wasn’t doing anything wrong or against Crocodile’s rules, his behavior was just distasteful.

And that’s why Crocodile was so frustrated, because Buggy was just being annoying. Surely that was why he couldn’t pull his eyes away from the clown. Or why he suddenly found himself on his feet when he saw that man pull Buggy close, whisper in his ear, and touch his chest. Or why he moved toward them when he saw Buggy crash their lips together.

Before he knew it he had his hook on the man’s shoulder, with absolutely no idea why he was here or what he was going to say. All he knew was he felt relief when Buggy stopped kissing that stranger. So he told him the first thing that came to mind: business. Which was so stupid not even a clown like Buggy would fall for it. He told Buggy to follow, but he really didn’t expect him to listen.

He left the bar and lit a cigar to re-center himself. What the hell was that? Why did he walk over and stop Buggy? He thought about Buggy’s outfit and his behavior and the man who kissed him. He grimaced at the images and sucked in a large mouthful of smoke before letting it out slowly. He could admit, begrudgingly, that maybe Buggy was a little attractive in his outfit. So what? He wasn’t some unruly teen getting worked up over a flash of skin. So why would it bother him? The answer flitted through his mind and he sneered at his own thoughts.

Jealousy? He scoffed aloud. Please.

Buggy burst from the tent flaps turning to Crocodile who was standing beside the entrance, chewing on his cigar with his hand in his pocket and his hook held to his chest. Buggy separated himself to be eye level with Crocodile and got in his face.

“What the hell was that!? Why did you interrupt me!? I was kinda busy, in case you hadn’t noticed!”

Crocodile grimaced and blew smoke in Buggy’s face, making him cough, his eyes tearing up, forcing him to retreat.

Why the hell did the clown follow? He looked over Buggy’s body and he felt that annoyance again. And, unfortunately, he had a name for it: Jealousy. He let out a huff.

“Emergency meeting. We’re going to my office to discuss it.” Crocodile lied, once again leaving Buggy behind, walking in the direction of his office.

What the hell was he going to make the emergency meeting about? He’d have to find something to seem important enough to interrupt both of their evenings. Or think of something to distract Buggy until he forgot that he pulled him from the bar.

He felt a little spark of pleasure at the idea of stealing Buggy away for himself and frowned deeper, biting his teeth into his cigar.

Buggy made a sound of disbelief, high pitched and grating, and he zoomed forward to catch up to Crocodile.

“Whaaatt!? That’s such bullshit!” Buggy tugged at Crocodile’s shoulders to try and get him to slow down but it didn’t do a thing. Buggy’s hands felt searing on his shoulders, his heat sinking through the layers of Crocodile’s clothing. He had to keep moving, not wanting to let his thoughts catch up to him.

“C’mon, do you really need me? You’re so much smarter, I’ll just hold you back! So just let me go and you can-“

Crocodile stopped abruptly and Buggy slammed into his back with a honk from his nose before dropping down to meet his feet. He was definitely smarter than Buggy, stronger too. So why was he even entertaining this?

“Why the hell did you do that, you flashy idiot!” Buggy rubbed at his nose, glaring up at Crocodile, who turned and gave him a much more dangerous look. Buggy recoiled, holding up his hands, already trying to right his wrong. And as he looked over Buggy he remembered exactly why he was doing this. He couldn’t let Buggy go back to that bar with his shirt open so wide he could see one of his pierced nipples looking so pink and pert, begging to be touched, his shorts riding so high the tip of his dick peeked out. He took a step forward, drawn by the sight of Buggy’s skin

“W-wait, it was just a slip of the tongue!”

How could this clown be so oblivious and obvious at the same time? He was clearly looking for sex, and yet how could he not realize the effect he was having on Crocodile? The taller man looked over him and took another step forward and Buggy let out a little shriek and took a step back.

“Croccy! Baby! I was just being silly! I’m a clown, just a silly little clown! No need to take me seriously!”

He bent forward and lifted his hook, and Buggy squeaked and scrunched his face ready for pain, but he tapped the underside of his chin, making him look up at Crocodile.

“You say you’re a clown, so why are you dressed like a whore?”

Buggy’s eyes widened in surprise and his face turned bright red. “I- I am not dressed like-” but as he glanced down at himself he changed course.

“Well! If you have to know!..I was looking for a-a date tonight! Y’know someone to…” Buggy made a motion with his hand like he wanted Crocodile to fill in the blank, but he just stared down at Buggy, keeping his face impassive. Buggy huffed in frustration and dipped his chin down, bringing a hand to cover his forehead and his eyes.

“I was looking for sex tonight, ok! You happy? I’m wearing this outfit that makes me look like a “whore” because I want to get fucked. Is that what you wanted to hear? Fucking hell!” Buggy turned his back to Crocodile clearly uncomfortable and working himself into a rage.

“Do you need dick that badly?” Crocodile asked derisively, but his tone sounded a little too earnest for his ears. Because inside he was feeling an irritating combination of jealousy and lust.

Buggy whipped around and detached his torso to grab Crocodile by the front of his jacket. “Yes! Yes I do need it that badly! So please let me go back. I’ll do anything!” Buggy’s face was pleading, eyes shining and large, lips in a soft pout.

Crocodile grit his teeth, crunching into his cigar. How? How could he look so pathetic and cute at the same time? He was shameless, asking to be let go for sex, but hearing him say it out loud, begging him so earnestly, it sent his blood south.

Buggy let go of Crocodile’s shirt in fear when he saw his face, mistaking the dangerous look in his eyes and the vein pulsing in his forehead as anger.

They were stopped close to the little building that held Crocodile’s office. He had enough self control not to push Buggy into the nearest tent or into the ground and take him right there, but he was still a man. He’d take care of this problem for Buggy (and make him forget about going back to that stupid bar to find someone that didn’t deserve to sleep with an Emperor).

He grabbed Buggy around the middle and threw him over his shoulder. He’d take Buggy to his bed and give him dick so good he’d never wear that ridiculous outfit in public again. He redirected them toward his personal tent.

“H-hey! Crocodile! C’mon, I know you don’t need my help that badly! How about this, I’ll go do my thing at the bar really quick and then I’ll meet you back at your office. How does that sound?” Buggy babbled, clearly trying to dig himself out of this situation.

“Shut up.” Crocodile growled, becoming hornier and more annoyed by the minute.

Buggy broke in half, his arms wrapping around Crocodile’s neck, burying his face in his exposed skin.

“I’m sorry! I don’t know what I did wrong but I’m really really sorry! Please don’t punish me.” He whined, nearly in Crocodile’s ear, which was uncomfortably loud.

“I’m not punishing you, idiot.” He grit out, trying to suppress the full body shiver that was building under his skin at the feeling of Buggy’s lips and nose on the sensitive skin of his neck.

“R-really?” Buggy asked timidly, his warm breath tickling the hairs on Crocodile’s neck, making him want to swat at Buggy.

“Yes. But I should punish you because you won’t stop annoying me.” He threatened. Buggy shut up but continued to hold onto his neck. Unfortunately, any punishments he tried to think of for Buggy at this moment had Buggy on his knees.

He lifted the flap of the tent and ducked inside, carrying Buggy to the bed and dropped each half of him down with a thump.

“Wait. This isn’t your office.” Buggy put himself together and sat on his knees, looking up Crocodile in confusion.

He smoothed back his hair, put out his cigar and hung his jacket on the little rack next to his dresser. He stood in front of Buggy and undid the belt of his pants, sliding it off and letting it fall to the floor with a thunk.

Buggy watched with his mouth slightly agape, eyes unable to pull away from Crocodile’s hand working at the buttons of his vest.

“Get undressed.” Crocodile told him, pulling Buggy out of his trance.

“Wait what? Why?” He looked throughly confused.

“You said you needed dick.” Crocodile answered, unbuttoning his shirt, removing his hook and sliding it off.

Buggy’s jaw dropped and he let out a sort of wheezing sound. “Y-yours?”

Crocodile’s hand stilled on the buttons of his pants and he felt a flash of self-doubt which just made him angry. He fixed Buggy with a cold stare.

“Is that a problem?” He asked lowly, his voice dangerously calm.

Buggy’s face flushed with color. “N-no! Not a problem!” He eagerly removed his clothes, writhing on the bed as he struggled with his shorts.

“Tsk.” Crocodile felt frustrated with himself for giving Buggy something he so clearly wanted and for indulging himself like this. When did he become so weak-willed?

Buggy’s attention was drawn by the sound Crocodile made. His eyes flicked up to Crocodile’s and then moved downward, tracing over the exposed skin of his chest before settling on Crocodile’s half-hard erection pushing against the fabric of his underwear.

Crocodile smirked, the feeling of Buggy’s obvious appreciation of his body gave him a heady feeling, helping to ease his previous self-doubts. He stepped closer to Buggy, whose eyes did not move to meet his. Crocodile grabbed at his hardening cock and stroked it through his underwear.

“Is this what you want? Beg for it.”

Buggy whimpered and nodded, abandoning his shorts in favor of moving to the edge of the bed to get his hands on Crocodile’s dick.

Crocodile held him back, grabbing him under his chin and tilting his face up.

“What did I just say?” He asked, annoyance in his voice.

“Y-yes! Please, Croccy, I want it. I want your dick! Please give it to me.” Buggy begged, his hands sliding over Crocodile’s hips, pushing down his underwear. As soon as his cock was free Buggy’s hands were on it, touching and pulling and squeezing him. The hot feeling of Buggy’s hands on him, his desperation, it made his cock harden and grow under his touch.

Crocodile pushed him away, making him fall backwards onto the bed. He pushed down on Buggy’s chest with his handless forearm and hooked his fingers in Buggy’s shorts, ripping them down, his cock springing free. Crocodile wasn’t surprised that he wasn’t wearing underwear, but he was surprised to see a large sparkly pink jewel between his cheeks. Crocodile flipped Buggy onto his belly and pulled up his hips to get a better look. Buggy moaned and clawed at the blankets, loving the manhandling, but his squirming was not enough to distract from Crocodile’s discovery.

A butt plug. This fucking clown had in a butt plug the whole time. Crocodile’s cock twitched at the thought, his whole body felt hot, molten lust curling in his belly.

“You’re a disgusting little slut.” Crocodile husked, pulling at the plug, making Buggy gasp. The urge to rip the plug from his body and replace it with his dick was powerful. But he had patience. He wanted to savor this.

“B-be nice!” Buggy rushed out before groaning as Crocodile pulled out the plug to its thickest point, letting it sit at his rim, stretching him.

Be nice? He didn’t seem to realize that Crocodile could be much much crueler than this. He pushed the plug back in sharply, making Buggy moan and clench. Crocodile smacked his ass, hard. Buggy yelped and squirmed and Crocodile smacked him again.

“Don’t forget that I’m doing you a favor, clown.”

“Yes, please, I’m sorry!” Buggy whined, his hands twisting in the blankets.

Crocodile leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the reddened skin of Buggy’s ass. Buggy sighed and then Crocodile bit down on the supple tender flesh.

“Ye-ouch!!” Buggy split apart and tried to move away but Crocodile held his hips still. He dragged his tongue over his bite, soothing it before moving inward. Buggy tensed, and Crocodile could feel him holding his breath. He pulled at the plug and ran his tongue over his pink stretched rim. Buggy quickly let out his breath, shaky with a quiet whine.

He pulled it out further, licking and sucking at his rim and the skin around it, making Buggy whine, the muscles in his thighs twitching with every pass of Crocodile’s tongue.

“Pleeease.” Buggy’s voice was strained, trembling and Crocodile pulled away to glance at Buggy. He looked back at him, his lip quivering, tears in his eyes.

“Crocodile, I need you. Pleeease. I can’t take it anymore.”

Crocodile’s breath caught in his throat. He looked pitiful, and unbelievably alluring. He reached over to his nightstand and rooted through the drawer to retrieve lube and condoms. Buggy watched him with eager eyes, his whole body trembling.

Crocodile kept eye contact with Buggy as he slowly pulled out the plug. His expressions were addictive, brows furrowed, eyes fluttering, mouth open, his face as red as his nose. Crocodile let the plug fall to the bed and his eyes zeroed onto Buggy’s slightly gaping hole which was puffy, and twitching.

“Shit” he said under his breath, squeezing lube between Buggy’s cheeks, pushing two fingers easily into him. Buggy gasped loudly, pushing back onto Crocodile’s fingers. He was already so slick from his own preparations, his fingers gliding easily in and out.

“Mooore!” Buggy whined, hips swirling.

Normally Buggy’s whining would annoy him but right now it was sending arousal straight down, making his dick ache. Any patience he was trying to maintain was thrown to the wayside. He needed to be inside of Buggy. Now.

He rolled the condom on with a practiced hand and positioned his head against Buggy’s hole. Buggy let out a keening sound as Crocodile’s head pushed past his rim. He didn’t let up, slowly but steadily sinking into him.

He was so tight, it made Crocodile grit his teeth. He wanted to be balls deep, to slam into Buggy, but he wasn’t a beast. At least, not unless asked to be, and he prided himself on his self-control. But Buggy certainly wasn’t helping, groaning and panting, trying to push himself back onto Crocodile’s dick, forcing him to go faster. Crocodile maintained a firm grip on Buggy’s hip, making him go at Crocodile’s pace.

Finally, he pushed in all the way, groaning as he was fully enveloping by Buggy’s tight heat. Buggy was sweating, his head laying on the bed, his face pressed against the covers, drool oozing from the corner of his mouth.

“So good, taking all of me like this.” Crocodile thrust shallowly into Buggy, who moaned at the praise, lifting himself onto his forearms to push himself onto Crocodile’s cock. This clown was really testing his patience.

He grabbed Buggy by the hips and pushed in as deep as he could, making him moan and writhe. He covered Buggy with his body, dipping his head to speak closely to his ear.

“I think you’re forgetting who’s in control.” He pushed Buggy’s chest further into the bed, making him hold his body weight. Buggy moaned loudly, clawing at the blankets underneath of him.

“I’m the one fucking you.” He pulled out and slammed into him. Buggy tensed up suddenly and let out a broken moan, cumming onto the blankets underneath of him.

He came, already? What, is he sensitive or was he that worked up.

“Is my dick that good?” He mocked, feeling frustrated with Buggy and unsure how to take his quick orgasm.

“Yesssss” he hissed, his body twitching with aftershocks.

Absolutely shameless. Crocodile leaned back, pulling out of him.

“Don’t stop, pleeease!” Buggy whined, rolling his hips, his ass jiggling.

Crocodile flipped Buggy onto his back, pushing him further onto the bed and followed after him to sit between his legs. He bent Buggy’s knees back and rubbed his dick against his ass.

“You thought I was done with you?” Crocodile smiled cruelly at Buggy, positioning his head against his entrance once again. He pushed in sharply, bottoming out and Buggy nearly shrieked, hands shooting forward to grip Crocodile’s shoulders.

“You’re not finished until I say so.”

He set a brutal pace, hips slapping into Buggy fiercely, leaving him gasping and clawing at Crocodile’s skin. It was intoxicating, the sight of him, hair fanned out behind him, body shiny with sweat, his makeup smeared.

Crocodile leaned over Buggy, resting on his forearm and using his hand to slide under the back of Buggy’s head, pressed their lips together. His hips slowed as he licked into Buggy’s mouth, the both of them breathing heavily through their noses. Buggy constantly made little sounds as they kissed, whines and moans in the back of his throat, all swallowed by Crocodile.

He kissed Buggy’s cheek and jaw, down to his neck but the difference in their height made it hard for him to bend further down. Buggy split in half, moving upward so Crocodile could continue kissing down his chest. It was a strange sensation for Crocodile, to be comfortably positioned while eye level with another person’s chest. He was so used to having lovers smaller than himself, but now he could easily bite and lick at Buggy’s chest while he kept fucking him.

Crocodile licked Buggy’s hard nipple, his tongue flicking over the metal barbell of his piercing. He could feel Buggy’s hands threading through his hair, his high pitched whines increasing in volume as he tugged on the metal with his teeth. He switched to the other nipple, giving it a similar treatment. His hips moved faster, spurred on by Buggy’s sounds and the feeling of his hands tugging at his hair.

“Fuck!fuck!fuck!” Buggy swore with every thrust Crocodile made. He moved up to suck at Buggy’s neck, his own pleasure mounting.

“Crocodile!” Buggy cried, body twitching as he came again, a warm wet spurt reaching Crocodile’s stomach. Crocodile groaned into Buggy’s moist skin as Buggy clenched around his dick. He smashed their lips together, stealing Buggy’s breath and whimpers. He moved his hips quickly, skin slapping against Buggy’s, riding the tight clenching of Buggy’s ass.

“Shit” he panted against Buggy’s lips, gritting his teeth and groaning, pushing deeply into Buggy as he came, the pulses of his orgasm intense.

He laid over Buggy for a few moments, crushing him with his body weight, making Buggy wheeze. When Buggy started frantically patting his arm, that’s when Crocodile lifted off of Buggy. He pulled out and sat back on the bed, tying off the condom as Buggy lay panting and sweaty on the bed. He had his eyes closed, his body still split in half and his legs spread wide open. Crocodile had a fleeting thought that he would’ve liked to see his cum leaking out of Buggy while he was like this. Maybe next time he would forgo the condom.

Crocodile himself was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, his hair sticking to the sides of his face. He pushed his damp hair out of his face and slid back to the pillows, grabbing a cigar and a lighter from his nightstand. Buggy still lay there panting heavily, still trying to catch his breath. The lazy fuck.

Crocodile leaned back on the pillows, taking a few puffs from his cigar, the smoke always more delicious after an orgasm. Maybe now that he had sex he’d able to think more clearly about why he had found Buggy so arousing.

He glanced down at said clown, who slowly hovered up to Crocodile and flopped onto his chest, hugging him close, pressing scattered kisses over his pecs. This man was a literal fool and his earnest shows of emotion should’ve gotten him killed long ago. But his affection made Crocodile’s heart squeeze. Buggy nuzzled a stubbled cheek into Crocodile’s skin, leaving a smear of muddied makeup on his chest. Crocodile didn’t want to think about what his own face looked like right now.

He put out his cigar and turned off the light, already feeling annoyance dampening his nice post-orgasm mood. He pulled Buggy close and let him snuggle into his neck, throwing the covers over the both of them. The twinge of annoyance he felt wasn’t aimed at Buggy. He sighed softly and pet the clown’s hair. No, Crocodile was annoyed with himself because he didn’t want to let Buggy go.

[lord-squiggletits]

The thing about forged medic hands is that in my personal headcanon, I feel like all forged medic hands baseline should act like Pharma's Luna-1 hands; not the ability to transform into (basically) anything, but because from what I can recall, Pharma is the only instance of a TF medic who isn't just holding tools in his hands and operating that way, but he literally has panels in his arms opening up while his hands are transformed into another tool so he's operating like 3 or 4 tools at once and I think that's so fucking cool.

Especially since they're alien robots whose most prominent feature is transforming so it really feels like having hands/arms that can split or transform into a bunch of tools like a hyper-advanced Swiss army knife should just be like, baseline. It seems like a much better way to take advantage of worldbuilding based on alien robots instead of having forged medic hands just be like, normal shaped hands but extra speedy/flexible/graceful or something.

Just look at the way that real life robotic surgery systems have multiple arms with different tools-- because the fact that they're machines means they're not limited to human physiology's limitations of movement and using hands to perform.

Makes way more sense that forged medic hands should be able to transform their fingers into different tools or have extra limbs stored in their forearms to hold even more tools. Plus it would lead credence to Ratchet's claims that forged hands have certain abilities that constructed hands can't replicate. (After all it makes sense that building medic hands, as opposed to just finding someone who was forged with them naturally, would be really complicated and resource intensive, so in Functionist Cybertron no one would bother building cold constructed hands to the same standards as forged medic hands bc they're not seen as having the same value.)

Granted if all forged medics had similar capabilities to Pharma's Luna-1 hands, it'd be hard to make Pharma's Luna-1 hands stand out as distinct. Then again the fact that "they can transform into anything" seems like it would be extremely special considering that you can only pack so many transformations into a single pair of hands. Plus, in Lost Light, Pharma-Adaptus is shown being able to transform his hand into a freaking blaster which means due to Luna-1/Adaptus' blessings or whatever, his hands don't just hold sets of doctors' tools but can turn into things completely unrelated to the function of medicine at all, including apparently multiple kinds of weapons. Quite literally infinite transformation.

[brother-emperors]

Need you to know how incredibly entertained I am whenever Crassus or Cassius make the 'i am unimpressed' face in your art!

I’m glad! they share a lot of body language similarities on purpose, but the ‘I’m not impressed with this,’ expression is my favorite

[00fairylights00]

Pinocchio is not immune to the effects of being called a Pretty Boy, send post

[izloveshorses]

here's a little wip share!

Since I've been out of art school for a while now I've been craving a good long term project, and what better subject than my favorite show? :) I'm pretending like Anastasia is an animated production/video game/whatever and I'm in charge of putting together a 'concept art book'/illustrated guide (for lack of a better term). Which means there would be extensive artwork of each costume, character lineups, background/set paintings, and prop studies. I'm currently still working on drawing and rendering all the assets and once they're all drawn I'll arrange them in a page layout as if they'll be printed in a big book!

But since it will be several months/year+ before it's finished I thought i could share some of my progress so far and possibly document the process as we go along. Here is an act i lineup of the principal characters, some examples of character costume sheets, and a couple screenshots of some ensemble costumes in various stages of completion. I've also rendered several props and I've started a couple background paintings, but I'll share those later.

Why embark such a tedious project, you ask? Well! because. i want to. So far it's been pretty fun. my obsessive collection/scholarly archive of reference photos of this show are finally being put to good use 🙈

Feel free to send any questions about the project my way! <3

[windydrawallday]

"I need a change and I need it fast / I know that any day could be the last... "

[northwest-cryptid]

You know what, no I'll go on record and just say that;

Mabinogi hands down IS the best MMORPG.

Now sure, you can immediately call me bias; and I can literally tell you that is an overused argument. Truth is, yes I have a bias, I have a bias as someone who has played literally hundreds of MMOs, and has never found one that can hold a candle to Mabinogi. Yes this includes games like WoW or FFXIV, and even lesser known but still popular titles like Path of Exiles or Warframe or even Tree of Savior.

But why exactly do I say that Mabinogi is the best MMORPG on the market? Well I think a good MMORPG does a few things, firstly I think any game that wants to be an RPG that lets you make a character needs to give you a sense of identity. Second, I believe an MMO needs to create an interesting environment for playing alongside others; whether they're directly in your party or not. Lastly, no good RPG is complete without going on a grand adventure with proper noticeable growth.

Now, before we begin to really dive into this essay of a post, I want to cover something real quick because I think it's important. When I say Mabinogi is the best MMORPG, and I'm saying that I've played games like WoW or FFXIV. I'm not trying to say those games are bad. I will concede that direct translation and definition would suggest I believe they are "worse" than Mabinogi, and yes I do believe that. However I'm not trying to tell you that your favorite MMORPG is bad or garbage or whatever. Please do not take my personal opinion to be slander of your favorite game. For a lot of players, an MMORPG can be special to them, the characters and the world can mean something to them; and I don't want to be some hater when it comes to your favorite place on the internet.

I'm not coming into this as someone who's naive about the world of MMOs, I know the good and the bad of them, not ALL of them; but a good lot of them. However I want to make something clear; if I went into why other games were "worse" than Mabinogi I would immediately be ignored. Let's say you really like FFXIV, that's fine; it's a good game, I play it myself and am excited about the latest expansion coming out in a few days. Now if I tell you that I think it's kind of ridiculous how much they've simplified the game to the point no class feels truly unique mechanically, or how I used to like AST more before they took away our card's uniqueness and such. It's entirely possible you would stick with me and understand that, even if our opinions differ; what I'm saying is true to me even if it's not to you. Sure maybe you hated having RNG in the RNG healer class, maybe you disliked having to decide if you wanted to spread that buff to the whole party, or enhance that buff for one person, or extend the buff. Maybe you like it more now that everything sort of does the same thing. I'm not talking down to you or being sarcastic when I say, that's fine. We just feel differently about it. Thing is, I've very likely lost you; It's unlikely you hear all of that and not think I'm just some FFXIV hater. I'm not, but it's unlikely you think that way after hearing all my gripes with it. I wouldn't blame you for thinking someone who just tore into a game likely dislikes the game, that's a fair assumption.

If at any point I do sort of dig into a game for it's changes, mechanics, or just how it works. I want you to understand I only feel that way because I do enjoy those games and wish they didn't do things that made playing them feel less fun to me. Those last two words are possibly the most important there; this whole post is strictly opinion, it's my opinion. We don't need to share that opinion, but I hope you find what I say to be at least interesting. I don't see much reason to sit through the whole thing otherwise.

Oh... and one more thing, if you follow this link and download the game now it should be done roughly by the time you finish reading this, probably; maybe? <- That's not even an affiliate link; I'm not sponsored to say anything I'm saying here, I wish I was though.

Game Website Link -> Right here, if you need to make an account.

Now without further delay, let's get into my first key point of why Mabinogi is the best MMORPG on the market right now.

The first order of business in any MMORPG will also be the first thing we talk about here, creating a character. You can't step foot into a world of fantasy without having an avatar to represent yourself. If this individual is to be your fantasy self then the game better have enough customization options to really let you be you. Mabinogi has plenty, from skin color, player weight, and even age; to the colors of the garments you wear.

Let's start with that first bit I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, creating an identity. Mabinogi is a game that truly allows for a diverse cast of characters, when you first make a character the system will unfortunately be fairly limited. Yet when you're released into the game proper and complete the tutorial you will soon find that it's extremely open ended. Your character will start at an age between 10 and 17 (but can go to 25 and even further if you wish), which you'll be able to select once per day, or once per week depending on your level. Age has a very slight almost non-existent effect on your stats, but will mostly determine how tall you are. As a quick example, here is my human main at 18 (left) alongside 2 other players. While I cannot see their age, I can tell their race is human; which allows me to at least guess one is roughly 10 - 13 (middle) and the other is likely anywhere between 15 - 16 (right).

When it comes to skin color, Mabinogi is one of the few games that has a great selection. From the realistic to the fantastical; there's almost certainly something for everyone here.

I've seen light skinned characters, dark skinned characters, tanned and red skinned characters. I've partied up with fantasy demons and zombies. I buy my dyes from a player who's literally pure black with blinding white eyes; a small imp-like character who's style I absolutely adore and who's dyes are top quality. While it doesn't even begin to cover the extensive list, I thought I'd take a few screenshots to help show what I mean.

Now I understand a lot of you may feel like your character doesn't truly reflect you as a person unless you can be the right weight for you. Mabinogi has you covered here as well, albeit with a slightly convoluted system. I will openly admit that this game is flawed, it is by no means a perfect game; but I take this as a sort of "better than nothing" approach. Food in Mabinogi will grant slight stat bonuses, but underneath those stat points and flavor text there's a hidden mechanic.

Food provides players with Upper and Lower muscle gain or loss, as well as a Weight gain or loss. While food is not the only method of gaining or losing both weight and muscle, it is the most common, and arguably easiest method. Players have many guides on the internet that explain which foods to eat in which order to gain the body type you want, this even includes the wiki.

It's also important to note that weight does not effect your stats, the food you eat absolutely does give a small temporary bonus. However your character can be as fat or skinny as you'd like without ever effecting your ability to perform any task.

I would be remiss not to mention another feature of creating an identity, and it does feel like this is an appropriate place to do it. Every day, or every week (depending on your level) you can preform something called a Rebirth, your level will return to 1 and you will be allowed to change some things about your character or leave them as they are.

This will unfortunately readjust your weight settings, which is why we see so many guides on how to get the ideal weight you're looking for. Thankfully it is by no means difficult to achieve this weight gain once more and will take no more than a few minutes after rebirthing.

As a quick note I won't spend too much time on, for my fellow genderfluid and NB friends out there; you can actively change your gender whenever you rebirth (though obviously you don't have to be NB or Genderfluid to enjoy this feature) and there is a good amount of items specific for crossdressing if that is something you'd prefer. That list of items is far more than your generic maid outfit for men; including everything from dresses to common skirts, with women getting suits, hoodies, and everything in between. If you switch genders you will even get an achievement specifically titled "Genderfluid" which I genuinely appreciate quite a lot.

Speaking of clothing, Mabinogi allows you to use a Style Tab when putting on gear. Your style tab won't give you any stats, but allows you to use the look of whatever is equip to the selected slot over the actual gear worn under it. The Style Tab is free for all players, so you can look your best no matter what you might be doing. Though I suppose those clothes wouldn't really be your own unless you had some kind of say over how they looked right?

Thankfully Mabinogi features a robust dying system in which you can actually use hex coded colors on just about any part of an outfit. You can also preview these changes directly on your character prior to using a dye.

There's a specific, and short; list of items that can't be dyed. Otherwise it's common for every item in the game to have at least one or two dye slots where you can customize their colors however you'd like.

You can do the same for your weapons, even giving them skins to change how they look; and then dying those skins to look just how you want them. A good weapon should match your best outfit after all, right?

Clothing items additionally come in the form of helmets, gloves, boots, main body, robes/back slot, face accessories, and then two more accessories that typically float to either side or behind you. This means you can mix and match everything you wear. You're not stuck trying to make some minor hat fit the entire rest of your armor that came as one solid piece, and you're certainly not struggling to match colors when only a small part of your armor actually dyes to the color you want.

Your identity in Mabinogi is what you see fit to make it, and while it would make this segment incredibly long, more so than it already is; the customization doesn't even end here. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, you can actually customize how often and how many times your character will blink. There is no other game on the market that lets you create a character the way Mabinogi does, not while still being an entire world outside of your character for you to explore. Speaking of that world, before we get to exploring just what this game has in store for you on your adventure; I'd like to talk about the characters who aren't you. No I don't mean the NPCs, I mean the other players, and how they impact the game you play even when they're not in your party.

Speaking of other players, to really hit home just how different everyone can look I ran around and took a few pictures of players I found in just this one small town.

You may be wondering how much these other players actually matter, in a lot of MMORPGs other players are merely there to fill out the party for dungeons or assist with world encounters. In Mabinogi they do that as well, however there is a constantly evolving economy both on the player ran Auction House, and for things like the Commerce system. Players can also run their own shops, join you for a jam session to play some music together; and even burn some items for a campfire spirit summoned at a group bonfire.

While the NPCs in this game are fantastic, the players are the lifeblood of the game, as is the case with any good MMORPG. From guilds and parties running content together, to the occasional camp you'll come across while exploring the world. Players populate Mabinogi and their effects are felt whether or not you're actively a part of their game.

One of the features most effected by this is Commerce; a trade system which lets players transport trade goods between major cities and towns. If an item is being traded to a town more than others, it's price will drop and you may find better deals by taking it to far away cities. Though you'll encounter bandits on the road, and due to carrying heavy trade goods you'll be a good bit weaker than you usually find yourself. This makes traveling in groups much easier, with those who use air travel particularly; in need of parties thanks to the dragons who will come after your hoard of trade goods. If a bandit is to steal your loot, you need not worry; as other players can take up the role of bounty hunters and track down these bandits at their hideouts to get your stuff back. Bounty Hunting is an easy way to make some cash and also help out your fellow players who may have been wronged by a poorly placed bandit or two.

What about production? Surely I don't need anyone to assist me with making my goods. Though, a second opinion never hurts; you will actually get a boost to production success rate while in a party with other players who also have production skills. In fact, this is a great way to make some strong gear; as products you make will get bonus stats over those found in stores. This does mean that the player economy is largely populated by products made by other players. If you do a good enough job on the item you're making, you'll even leave a signature behind which can be seen by the individuals who buy and use that gear. This is a minor touch, but it's one I greatly appreciate. Anyone can have a really cool demon sword, but only I have a blade forged specifically by my good friend; in hopes it would aid me in my quest. The connection between myself and my party is ever so slightly more apparent, even when they're not around; I always have a small piece of them with me.

Players attending the banquet, an event held weekly that awards free EXP and a lottery raffle at the Tara Castle; can actually donate their food to the catering tables. This is a great time to hang out with fellow players, get some free levels; and of course eat significantly too much food.

Surely that's all, right? Well no, believe it or not players actually have a hand in many things. If you want to enchant some gear but you don't have the enchanting rank to do it yourself; you can request another player to assist you. Perhaps you're an alchemist needing to create alchemy crystals of special magic skills; another player can cast that magic nearby and let you synthesize it into a crystal. If you're using the Jam Session action other players can join you with their own instruments when you play music; automatically matching whatever song you're playing. There's a fashion contest where the winner is put on display in full costume right in the middle of the major cities for all to see. There's even mechanical changes to things like magic, if you're casting Ice Bolt while I cast Fire Bolt next to you; we instead both gain a charge of Fusion Bolt. This form of magic combines the properties of your Ice Bolt and my Fire Bolt into a more powerful version of our respective magics, all because we happened to cast at the same time nearby each other.

If you enjoy music then you might find yourself reading through the Bard Bulletin Board, where players can post the compositions for their custom music. You can transcribe this music yourself and play it whenever you wish, though you can also use the MabiNovel Bulletin to read books written and published by your fellow players as well. This does in fact mean that you too could become a composer, or even an author and post your works to the respective boards.

Players can also obtain their own small piece of the world via Homesteads. These function as a sort of player owned housing system, and they allow you to do everything from growing farms to hosting your own production stations with boosted success rates. Of course the owner of the Homestead can allow either friends, or anyone; to come and gather from their herb patches, farm animals, and various logging, mining, and production sites. Meaning that other players not only offer you an expanded world to explore, but potentially gathering and production spots that may not otherwise be available at your current location.

While Homesteads start quite small, they're nothing to scoff at when fully upgraded; allowing for even a proper house, pets, and partners; to be placed on the fully customizable property. Some items will even passively grant you bonuses to your stats or provide your gathering and production stations bonuses to gathering and success rates.

Alright great, so you have a character who's uniquely you; you even have a place in the world among other players. However what good is that if you don't have a world worth existing in. You're here to play an MMORPG, if you wanted to simply dress up an avatar and exist in a space with others; you'd play something like VRChat or Second Life, or maybe you'd go download that Sims multiplayer mod. You want an RPG! An adventure! A living world to explore and be a part of!

Well Mabinogi's got you covered there as well believe it or not. Now where you fall in terms of enjoying the story is fairly up in the air; I know some people who love it and others who could take it or leave it. That's entirely fair and I don't blame them for feeling that way. To avoid potential spoilers I will be saying up front that if this has been enough for you and you're willing to trust me that this game is worth your time. Skip ahead to the Q and A if you think you need it, or go download and play the game now if you didn't already do that. Hell you can even add me in game if you want some people to play with who are going to be chill with newbies. If you need a bit more though, then keep reading because you might just like what I have to say about this game's journey.

When you start Mabinogi you'll be told you're this being from the stars, something that cannot die; and therefore has importance here. You may literally be an immortal entity, but you won't feel like it. You'll start with only a handful of skills, and with this game having no real class system it's not so straight forward how to get more of them. You'll stumble upon a few while just exploring the world, but others might require you to actually engage with the world around you. If that sounds exciting, don't worry; we've only just begun to explain the whole system of interacting with NPCs.

See the game of Mabinogi is before all else, the story of you; your character the journey you go on. So it's fitting that you keep notes in a Memo, this Memo is written in the perspective of your character; and will keep tabs on what you've been through. Each entry in the Memo is given a Key Word; and these key words will be given to you as you experience new places and things. Whenever you engage with an NPC you can start a conversation, this allows you to flip through your Memo and select a Key Word to speak about with them. Asking them about their private story will reveal this character's lore and backstory, at least; if they like you enough to share that information with you. NPCs do actually contain a system of trust with the player, and if you befriend an NPC they'll even let you access a secret shop where they sell exclusive items. Other Key Words include things like Nearby Rumors where you can obtain gossip and quests; or perhaps you want to ask about Part Time Jobs. Whether you're working for the town blacksmith to deliver some refined ore, or you're gathering wool to make bandages for the town healer; Part Time Jobs offer you fitting rewards for the work you perform, and allow you to even unlock various skills down the line if you perform well enough. Which brings us to another Key Word, the Skills Key Word. Skills is a Key Word that will ask an NPC if they believe they could teach you anything, if you see a knight you can ask them about Skills and maybe learn a new technique for your swordsmanship. Asking a chef about skills may result in them giving you a quest that has you running out to make flour and bake some bread. These methods are meant to immerse you in the world and teach you how the mechanics behind these skills works, rather than just saying you're level 16 so now you can bake bread.

Some NPCs will even react to your title, thanking you for the deeds you've done or perhaps judging you for why you'd do such a thing. This is because every NPC in the game, no matter how minor; has a story to tell. They all have unique theme music that contains a name referencing something about the character and their story. The more you talk to these NPCs and they open up to you, the more you'll learn about the world you're a part of.

However, small NPC stories don't amount to much in the grand scheme of an epic adventure do they? Well don't worry, now we're getting into the main scenario quests, and the lasting impact they have on you as a character. Have you ever felt like you should have maybe gotten a new power, or been recognized for the deeds you've accomplished after you literally save the world; only to return to business as usual? Well Mabinogi actually considered all of that, not only do you get a title that NPCs might react to, as I mentioned previously; but the Main Scenario Questline actually gives you everything from transformations to special unique items. This is again the last chance to not have spoilers as I will be covering at the very least Generation 2: Paladin and Generation 10: Goddess of Light through Generation 12: Return of the Hero.

Okay now that everyone who doesn't want spoilers is gone, allow me to tell you about just a few of these MSQ rewards; of course jumping right to the good stuff without context makes it meaningless. So let's start with a quick summary of Generation 1 that's roughly spoiler free.

Generation 1: Advent of the Goddess starts with The Goddess asking you for help, then you save her. See I kept it spoiler free! You're given the title "[Player name] Who Saved The Goddess" for doing this which grants you some nice stats, but the real reward is that you get to move on to Generation 2: Paladin. Well wow, that's kind of an underwhelming title isn't it? You just finished Advent of the Goddess and now you're on... Paladin? Huh okay, well this quest line is all about a Paladin of legend. You spend the generation becoming someone worthy of the Paladin's armor, searching for his old armor, and even reliving some old memories of his. All to figure out who he is and solve the grand mystery that sparked this whole generation in the first place. The political drama of a potentially puppeteered prince who may actually be dead from the start... Okay yea listen it's more interesting when you actually play it. The real plot twist of this whole generation however is when you figure out who that old Paladin actually is, and more importantly that they're still alive. In the final dungeon of this generation when you face off against the final encounter he is not the one who saves the day. Rather it is you who gets to don the armor of the legendary Paladin and in a moment I love, you get to save him. This transformation is actually a fairly minor stat boost at first. You're not some overpowered god, you're still you; just powered up. When you complete the generation you will find yourself with a wholly new power available to you, the power to become that very same Paladin; now with it's own skills to rank to make it even stronger than it already was.

Yes, just for clearing Generation 2 you now have an entirely new power unlocked for you. The power to, once a day in game time; transform into your Paladin form. If you're an Elf you transform instead into a Falcon, and Giants transform into a Beast. These new forms come with their own unique skills and properties. However you don't lose access to the skills and abilities you already have. This will be a running theme throughout Mabinogi, you only get more; you don't get locked out from being you. If the Paladin aesthetic isn't your deal, and you want things a little different, don't worry; Generation 3: Dark Knight might be more your style. However, this begs the question; are Dark Knights and Paladins the same thing flavored differently? Nope. Sure they are both the same Transformation at the end of the day, but their inner workings are very different. To give you a quick example of what I mean, Paladins always get the same stats every time, but they have no specialized skill they can use while transform. They're essentially your generic stronger form, with buffed stats and nothing more, dull but reliable. Dark Knights instead roll for their stats every time they transform, meaning sometimes you're going to have much stronger physical defense, and other times a much higher magic damage stat. If you're interested in the specifics, here you go:

Dark Knights also don't get forcibly removed from their transformation when their timer is up, rather they go into a state called "Disarmed" where they will take heavy damage over time, but this can be healed if they wish to power through it and keep fighting in their transformed state. They additionally obtain Control of Darkness which lets them tame an enemy to fight for them for a short time.

The Generation 2 transforms (Paladin, Dark Knight, Falcon, and Beast) all have 4 tiers of their transformation, dependent on the skills rank. Each boasting it's own unique title and appearance that builds on their central aesthetic and motif. This means a player who's max ranked Paladin will transform into a Champion, or for Dark Knights, they'll become an Infra Black. I do enjoy the morals of the game being muddier than to just say Paladin is bright and shiny and good, and Dark Knight is well, dark and edgy and bad. As you go through the game you'll learn a lot about the politics of the gods, and understand their moral values a lot better. Which leads us to our next major upgrade.

In Generation 10: Goddess of Light, we take the fight to the gods, and between Generation 10 and Generation 12, we'll even obtain the Sword of the Gods, a then usable sword weapon which ironically may not even be as powerful as some of our own gear by the time we get it; but more specifically we'll decline godhood and become a Demigod. However it's a bit deeper than that, as you'll find that at the end of Generation 10 you're confronted by your doppelganger. Upon defeating it, you gain the power to assume the form of a Demigod; which yes, you can in fact transform into while also transformed into your Generation 2 state. Not only does this form regen your HP, MP, and Stamina; but it additionally allows the use of special skills that depend on which of the gods you're allied with. Those who are being supported by the Goddess Neamhain will obtain skills such as Spear of Light, and Fury of Light; however if you decide to be supported by the Goddess Morrighan you instead obtain Wings of Eclipse, and Wings of Rage. Of course you won't have a choice right away, when you first obtain the ability to become a Demigod, you'll be defaulted to working with Naemhain's skills. They're not bad, but Morrighan isn't going to just give you her skills so easily so if we want options we'll need to get her to work with us. Once we clear Generation 11: Sword of the Gods; we in fact obtain the Sword of the Gods itself. This is important since we'll need it if we're going to fight the gods. Now in Generation 12 we are asked to fight alongside Morrighan to bring down the King of the Gods, Nuadha. For clearing this generation, you'll obtain the right to be supported by Morrighan; which is kind of funny since if you're a Dark Knight it shows you've actually betrayed her by giving up the path of the Paladin in favor of following Dark Knight. I guess she can overlook that given you just helped her defeat the King of the Gods.

Surely the upgrades stop there right? Well no, actually; but you probably knew that already. See there's actually currently, up to G25, with G26 on an active countdown to release as I make this post. With even more transformations, special skills, and some really incredible upgrades that change even the way we engage with crafting; the generation quests are more than worth your time and leave you feeling more powerful with each completion.

Mabinogi isn't just having you go through these quests to complete the story, it's also actively making you more and more the proper image of this immortal hero of legend. It's giving you a power boost on par with some silly shonen anime. As much as you may cringe to hear me make a stupid joke from the early internet; yes the Milletian could beat Goku. Sorry I had to make the dumb joke after making the shonen anime reference you know? These powers aren't ever restricted from you either; it's not as if you suddenly can't use your Paladin transformation in a dungeon, nor are you locked out from using Demigod to regen some stamina just to pick some flowers. Mabinogi is the story of your character, and it gives you so many upgrades and power scale boosts because it genuinely wants you to feel like a powerful hero going up against powerful enemies.

Now I will admit there's something to be said about the balance in some of the later Generation quests, especially because you can skip over a lot of them. They absolutely do plan for you to have the full arsenal of Generation specific skills by the time you reach Generation 20+ but dare I say, I think that's fair. We actually see this in other games too, it's just more allowed from other games because they do a better job of hiding their barrier to entry.

What I mean is that FFXIV is like Dark Souls 3, it's not going to let me go somewhere I'm not actually ready for, because it knows I won't have any fun getting my ass kicked but it's really linear. While Mabinogi is like Elden Ring, it looks at me saying "I'm ready I'm ready put me in coach!" While facing down against an actual god well before I'm... you know, actually ready. Yet it just says "go get 'em champ!" Only to watch me become a pancake two seconds later and think "yea this balance is garbage." Truth is, if I go back and do the content I'm suppose to do first; I will be more than ready for this content when I reach it. However I might actually be able to clear this content when I'm not supposed to yet, and Mabinogi; much like Elden Ring, lets me try. We see this same type of barrier to entry in how FFXIV says "hey man you can't run this until you're Item Level 280 sorry." That feels boring when you just want to run the thing, you don't want to go back and "grind" for item levels, but in reality it's just stopping you from trying and failing repeatedly. Which makes sense for the type of game FFXIV is, where other players are a requirement, and you don't want to hold them back because you thought you could do it with less.

The other truth is, with Mabinogi; not every path to success is going to look the same. I might spend my time training my combat skills, slowly saving up the small stat gains to get to where my base strength is at 500 and I can deal some nice damage. My friend who doesn't want to touch combat skills can absolutely focus on his cooking, slowly but surely becoming a master chef as I've become a master warrior. Now he can make a catering dish that boosts his strength to 500 all the same. We're not going to be dealing the same damage since things like weapon type, and skill ranks will come into play; but this does mean he could achieve the same goals as me in a totally different way. Personally I'm a huge fan of this, it lets every single character feel unique; you can truly become your own kind of player here.

Whether it's weaving your magic skills into your archery gameplay, or becoming an apothecary bard who uses musical buffs and potions to level the playing field. Perhaps you want to train your Ninja and Chain Blade skills to keep you at a distance, debuff enemies, and set explosive traps. You could even just play the game with life skills, relaxing by the pond as a master fisher; before tailoring a new outfit. All of these methods are entirely valid ways to play the game, they all give the necessary stats to enjoy whatever content you wish to, and yes they all give you levels.

It is for these reasons, and honestly; many others. That I have played this game since it's beta, for literally half my lifetime; and why I believe this is genuinely hands down the best MMORPG on the market right now. I urge you to give this game even 15 or 30 minutes of your time, don't get caught up on the old dated graphics, don't fret if you don't understand everything right away. The game is complex, it has a ton of mechanics that mix and intertwine to create a unique experience. The things you might find troublesome at first are exactly what makes the game so fun and unique when you understand them. Given the average internet speed and size of Mabinogi, should you have downloaded this game at the start of this reading it should be about done by now. If not, you've got the Q and A down there for any potential follow up questions you may have. So go ahead and jump into the world of Erinn, if you stop by Dunbarton on Channel 9 you might catch someone from the Landsbetween guild, feel free to stop and say hi; we're a friendly bunch.

A quick Q&A for things I've been asked frequently and might answer some questions or possible concerns you have about the game.

Q: I see a weird banner with P on it, does that mean I require a premium account to use that skin/hair color? A: No. That symbol signifies that it would cost Pon. A cash shop currency that is given to the player fairly regularly. You in fact get a gift box with about 20 Pon when you reach an early level milestone such as 50 or 100. It costs anywhere between 3 - 5 to change eye, hair, and skin color. Of course it only costs you to change to a color that uses the P banner, if a color you would like doesn't have any symbol (either a P for Pon or a B for a Beauty Coupon) then it's completely free. Q: I see a lot of cool characters, how much of a grind is it; or do I need to pay real money to customize my character? A: You can play Mabinogi entirely free to play, gacha boxes do contain high end loot and good in-game items. However the Auction House easily allows you to buy these items from players using entirely free to play gold when a new gacha comes out. While it might seem intimidating to make 1m at first. You'll quickly learn you can make 1m passively per week + any actual activity you do in this game earns you quite a lot. A single run of a dungeon will net me between 50k - 350k depending on drops and my actual in game luck stat. This is on top of the 160k I can make for free just logging in and doing Fynni Blossoming for the day. Of course, the higher your skills and total level; the easier it will be to make money. Q: I don't want to do a specific part of this game, can I still enjoy the other features? A: Yes. Entirely, in fact; I'm doing a challenge run on a character who's not allowed to rank up any combat or damage skills. I've already completed the first major questline of the game without any problem. I will say that your ability to play the game will directly reflect how much knowledge of the mechanics you have. This isn't to say you should scour the wiki for days on end, unless you're into that. However I would argue that having a few friends to play with, or perhaps actually taking the time to read through skills and practice with what you do enjoy doing; will help you to get by not doing the stuff you don't want to. You really can play this game however you want, it just may require you to have a better understanding of it's inner workings. You're always welcome to ask me about stuff whether that's here on tumblr or in game.

Q: My UI and HUD are this weird plastic blue color and I kinda hate it. Can I fix that or am I stuck with this? A: In the settings menu the game allows you to change the color of the UI and HUD to fit your liking. You can also enable various hotbars and disable others. Additionally you can change the game's resolution, and even pick out which version of the OST you'd like to use of which there are three distinct versions.

Q: Does this game have a meta I should worry about?

A: Yes and no, yes it has a meta; no you shouldn't worry about it. If you're really concerned I recommend picking Giant as your race and Close Combat as your starting Talent. I didn't go over Talents in this essay but they're sort of specializations, not classes. They don't limit anything you can do, but rather give you 2x EXP towards the skills they govern. Giants have a fair bit more strength and HP, they're your standard tanky race. While they may not be as fast on their feet as nimble Elves; they can take a good few more blows, and even have racial skills specific to gathering up enemies. Close Combat doubles down on what Giants are already good at, giving you more HP and Strength. Start out by ranking your essential basics, those being Defense, Smash, Counter, Windmill, and honestly throw Assault Slash in for good measure; since you'll want to often combo these skills together. DO NOT SLEEP ON DEFENSE, it is a heavily overlooked but extremely powerful skill. If you feel like you're struggling in combat, grab a shield and rank your shield mastery; even light armor mastery will be more than enough so long as you have a decent shield and the necessary ranks in the skills. You'll soon feel like a steel wall of defense that not even major storyline bosses can put a dent into.

Q: What are the differences between Elves, Humans, and Giants? Can I change my race after I make my character, since I can change my gender?

A: First off, no; sadly you cannot change your race after making a character. This is become of the racial differences. The major ones are as follows...

Elves can use invisibility to hide themselves, they'll fire 2 arrows as opposed to 1 when using archery; and they obtain a unique poison arrow that spreads to nearby targets when fired. They move faster than other races and have stats better geared towards Magic and Archery; though that won't matter too much. They become a Falcon after Generation 2 letting them use Elven Magic Missile, and cannot use 2 handed weapons nor can they dual wield.

Giants can use stomp which is a fairly week AoE ability, they also get Taunt, Stampede, and Wind Guard as unique skills. They can use two handed weapons in one hand letting them use a shield with them, and can dual wield blunt objects. They have stats geared towards a close combat play style, though again that won't matter too much later on. They become a Beast after Generation 2 letting them use Giant Full Swing, they cannot use bows but have thrown spears instead.

Humans cannot learn the specific racial skills of the other two races. They can dual wield swords; and don't have equipment restrictions outside of not being able to dual wield blunt objects and not being able to use the throwing spears. They have stats geared to an all around play style, which as you know; doesn't really matter much. They become a Paladin after Generation 2, or they can become a Dark Knight which gives them the active skill Control of Darkness which lets them tame an enemy to fight for them.

Q: Is this game Pay to Win?

A: Is any MMORPG not Pay to Win? Alright, real answer; let's break it down. Does Mabinogi have Pay to Win properties? Absolutely it does. Most if not all MMORPGs do. FFXIV has the paid level boosts just like Mabinogi has paid gacha boxes with end game loot. I'm not trying to pick on FFXIV here, it's just what I'm familiar with because I also play it. Truth is, Mabinogi gives you a lot of gold for just doing content, whether you're a crafter who can sell your wares for millions, just doing daily Fynni gems for 1m a week per character, or combat focused and running your Lord missions with boosts for a few million in a couple hours. So while I'd argue that it absolutely is pay to win, not only do you not need those minor boosts from the gear until long into the later generations; you also will have the money to buy it off players long before you actually need it. That's if you need it at all, since you can easily get ahead in this game by just engaging with the many skills and mechanics. If I had to give this a simple yes or no, the answer is yes; but I really don't think it's nearly as bad in Mabinogi as it is in other games. Especially considering how small the PvP scene in this game is. You don't need to pay to win when someone else in your party absolutely did, or maybe you just pay in gold to win. However I'd argue that it's pay to win FASTER than others. Just take it slow and enjoy the journey. Every game is pay to win, Mabinogi handles it better than most.

Q: Is there any reason for me to not like this game?

A: Yea the devs haven't hired me to write articles like this for their marketing. Boycott worthy honestly; they should pay me for this, or at least make me a soul streamer, you know? (┬┬﹏┬┬) ^ This last one is a joke, you know; in case reading comprehension.

[cat-a-holic]

Please pray for me! I have an exam Monday that I have no clue how to prepare for!!! Usually I make questions/ flash cards but this time ran out of time to try and figure out her stupid dumb lecture slides that are just pictures she took from academic journals.

[todayisafridaynight]

papas day

[wander-wren]

sighs. thinking about bare again…..

[sonknuxadow]

potential sonic 3 spoilers incoming if anyone cares. anyway . apparently there was an official survey about the knuckles show/scu in general and one of the questions was about what name you would use for an eggman/shadow/gerald teamup. which is a weirdly specific question. and also one of the name options was team dark …….. ?? even though rouge isnt mentioned in the question and theres no sign of her being in the next movie in general ? i was willing to accept amy being introduced a little after knuckles and tails but between there still being no sign of her being in the next movie and now this if they actually have gerald time travel or something and have him be the third member of the dark story trio instead of rouge then i will be fully convinced that theyre going out of their way to exclude as many already existing girl characters as possible. like i get cgi is expensive which could be part of the reason rouge might not have made the cut. but damn . assuming this is real anyway it could just be another fake leak but idk

[octoagentmiles]

octonauts ATLA au 🤲

Barnacles is an EXTREMELY powerful waterbender from the North Pole, with a strong love for icebending—he defaults to it most of the time. He can use all subforms of waterbending, but they're a bit harder.

Kwazii's the Avatar, but he's still a pirate AND he's a natural firebender, so he still has that "scary and dangerous" reputation. He's afraid of using his firebending, because he hates it. Barnacles is teaching him waterbending, and he's pretty good at it. So far he sucks at earthbending, and his airbending is okay, but if he gets worked up it can accidentally come out as fire... which, yeah.

Peso is an airbender, and the first one in his family. He's not very skilled at bending, and he can't fly very well, and sometimes wishes he was a waterbender, like Barnacles. That way he'd be "stronger", and could utilize its healing abilities. He has an epiphany later on in the middle of S3 that makes him realize how powerful he really is, and he learns to fly :)

Tweak is an earthbender, which she inherited from her dad (maybe*). Like Barnacles, she has a love and preference for a specific subtype—in her case it's metalbending. She's very good at it. It's how she builds GUPs so fast.

Shellington is a waterbender. He doesn't use it very much, mainly because he's Not Great at controlling it—so you'll either end up getting lightly spit on or completely drenched in a tsunami by accident.

Dashi is a non-bender (with water tribe ancestry), which puts her at a disadvantage during some missions. However! She has all of her skills from the Canon Universe, plus the extra adaptiveness seen in non-benders in ATLA (Sokka, Suki, etc).

Inkling is also a non-bender, but he has studied the elements and different bending techniques his whole life. He's Kwazii's Monk Gyatso but with less dying.

Octoagents! 👇

Calico Jack is Kwazii's Uncle Iroh. I needn't explain further. His main goal is to teach Kwazii to be less afraid of his firebending.

Natquik is a waterbender, who taught Barnacles everything he knows. He got his penchant for icebending from him. He pretty much invented it. He survived Antarctica by ✨ Becoming One With The Ice™ ✨. He doesn't just study icequakes, he can make them. He can probably spiritbend.

*I'm TORN between making Marsh be an earthbender or a waterbender. If he's an earthbender, then he can't metalbend like Tweak can, but he's still very strong. Like, scarily strong 👀. IF HE'S A WATERBENDER, then he's a swampbender, full stop.

Tracker is an airbender, mainly because of how he's clearly paralleling Peso's arc in AnB. He was the only airbender in his Polar Scouts troop, and he got picked on for it a bit—but Barnacles thought it was cool as heck, and that's how they became friends.

Do I need to explain Paani being a waterbender? No I do not. He's probably VERY powerful, but very chillax about it. He successfully freaks out everyone who witnesses him bend every time. He can part the seas like freaking Moses.

Pearl is a waterbender like Shellington; she's not super strong, but she has a LOT more control over it than he does. Peri will be a waterbender as well, but he hasn't unlocked it yet. He's trying very hard because he wants to be like his mum and uncle SO badly.

Min could easily be a bender of any kind and it would make sense, but I kinda wanna say she's a non-bender. Just cuz ¯⁠\⁠_⁠(⁠ツ⁠)⁠_⁠/⁠¯

Earthbender Ryla. That's all. It makes it a lot easier to get out of caves when she's stuck. She's very casual about it. So casual, that most people either forget or don't even realize she's a bender until it comes up. Then they're like "oh yeah." as she literally moves mountains.

Airbender Pinto, who has no clue how to control it. Whenever he gets frustrated with himself, he accidentally creates small tornadoes. He can also fly! He likes to brag about it. a lot. mainly to Peso.

Waterbender Koshi, who hasn't discovered that about herself yet. She's in for a fun time when she figures it out. Remember how happy she was when she got her Octowatch? Yeah :) 10x that. I also imagine their family is full of late bloomers, but because of Dashi she has pretty low expectations for herself right now.