#i need to figure out ranger designs

[me-asterisk]

silly little doodle dump while i slowly slowly work on other things.

me: simon has resting neutral expression and rarely emotes also me: simon makes the stupidest expressions imaginable at all times

[acerikus]

Just finished spriting the dark world design for my monkey monster oc and I feel so proud of myself, never realised how easy it'd be to imitate the utdr style and I'm honestly fascinated 😭💜

Didn't even need to do any big drawing to plan out the outfit either! Hoping it's not too hard to do the same for the human next 🤞

[cor-lapis]

I decided to have a go at doing my own redesigns because these three are my favourites and I love them very much. further notes + sources under the readmore (warning: lots of text). I did my best with the research, but if there's anything I overlooked, I'd really appreciate people letting me know :)

Tighnari:

My main source for Tighnari was this excellent thread, from which I looked up each item of clothing individually. Since djellabas tend to be quite long, and Tighnari needs mobility for forest ranger activities, I figured he would cut and re-hem the lower half. He also has a lot of clothing pieces that are traditionally multicoloured, but to keep his design cohesive I decided to use the same colours across different items, but using a larger palette of colours than I would usually. I like the bright colours on him a lot though!

There are also some minor details I just changed because I wanted to. The flower on his chest is now a nilotpala lotus, because I thought it was nice to include his acension material/the material he asks you to help gather. The dirt stains/scuff marks are because rainforests are muddy and I wanted the design to emphasise Tighnari being very practical and hands-on with his work (see also, the specimen belt).

Finally, I shrunk the magnifying glass on his back (because I'm pretty sure it's meant to be his first magnifying glass toy and that thing is very large for a child to handle) and gave him an undercut because it seemed right. Also, I merged his front and back trailing cloths into a scarf type of thing that he could wrap around his nose and mouth to prevent inhaling spores from mushrooms.

Collei:

COLLEI my beloved. I had a mild nightmare trying to figure out a specific source culture for her design, but nobody seemed to know specifics and her outfit wasn't matching with any traditional dress I looked up, so in the end decided to keep the overall look the same. Just in case I assigned her something else, but then it turned out I missed her actual inspiration.

Anyway, I made her shoes simpler (no fur, heels, and open toes in the rainforest seemed reasonable to me), and gave her shorts. I liked the green colour because it's pretty unique under a dark dress, and pairs nicely with Nahida's white dress + green undersides. Amber's tie stays, but I made most of her jewellery smaller since it felt a little clunky for a trainee ranger.

Her earring and necklace(?) are allusions to the Evil Eye and the Khmissa/Hamsa, both symbols of protection. Especially considering the fact they're meant to ward off evil, and very common across multiple MENA cultures, it seemed fitting for Collei to have them. Also, she has Eleazar scars, and I used the design for her stockings as inspiration for the combination knee braces (similar to those used for arthritis, since Eleazar also causes stiff limbs and I HC that people affected would probably still need some recovery support)/knee pads (in the case of a fall). I like the idea that Kaveh would have helped make them for her (tangent but the fic Here is the House explores similar ideas; it's really really good, I heavily recommend it). Finally, she has curly hair because I thought it would be cute.

Cyno:

Here's the thread I found for Cyno. The main critique was to do with the eras from which each aspect of his clothing drew inspiration, but I admittedly wouldn't be able to do much about this without a lot of research. One thing I did try and verify was the small strip of cloth on the left of his chest, and I found a few wall murals where the people seem to be wearing similar strips of cloth? (example here; rightmost figure) Therefore, I didn't remove it, but if someone wants to explain Ancient Egyptian clothing history to me I'd be really interested to hear it 6.6

I might iterate on the design in the future, but for now the changes are mostly HC territory. Cyno wearing his hair in locs (a protective hairstyle) makes sense for someone who does a lot of hiking after rogue scholars, and I also gave him quite old and faded top surgery scars because healthcare is canonically free in Sumeru (thanks for that information, al-Haitham)(though tbf Cyno makes bank anyway). I also adjusted the colours a bit, since Genshin tends to use desaturated shades for metallic elements.

I also considered giving Cyno more scars, but figured that it could indicate Hermanubis' presence that someone you'd expect to get injured a lot is relatively scar-free (i.e. some sort of godly healing factor/resistance to damage). However, we know next to nothing about Hermanubis, so Cyno having a lot of scars also makes sense. This paragraph is mostly just a cry for help cyno story quest 2 literally any more elaboration about the nature of Hermanubis' pact and the Temple of Silence.

Conclusion

I wasn't intending to write one when I started the explanations but this got REALLY long so if you made it this far, thank you so so much ToT please check out the links; the threads especially were a great resource, and I'm grateful that people take the time to make them <3 genshin's character design department are cowards but I'm glad I learned some new things through the redesign process

[sergeifyodorov]

draft lottery opinions

im pretty sure any team that hasn't made the playoffs can win it but only the bottom 11 can pick first overall so let's go there

s tier:

sharks. obviously. they've suffered a lot over a long while and they deserve something good out of it. will macklin be The Answer? no. will he Help? yes. that teal is beautiful and he'd look charming in it! Let The Pacific Be A Nightmare To Visit Again

blue jackets. a little bit further along in their rebuild; primed to Actually Go Places with a bit of determination, a sacred child, and some luck and head office competence

a tier:

utah hc. only didn't put this in s tier because i'm sad as fuck about the yotes but they're basically on the precipice with a little bit of reworking of the dcore and another piece up front. logan cooley/macklin celebrini flagship yaoi of the late 2020s who says no

ducks. most of my ducks opinions are filtered through a lens of "jersey 2 ugly" TEE BEE AITCH... get some graphic design in there... those teal and purple thirds were excellent lean into that... also they're really trying something interesting with carlson and mactav and gauthier and mintyukov. like this is going somewhere. mack might make it scary.

b tier:

sens. i think a relatively competent goalie and a true 1c in mack could actually solve their problems and end their rebuild. like im serious if they win this they're actually a playoff team by the end of his elc. but also that will make tickets more expensive and they're the only team i can viably commute to :(

habs. probably won't improve the team substantially but it might create some interesting vibes

c tier:

kraken. this is a thing that could happen i suppose

sabres. actually no let's investigate let's consider. the youngest team in the nhl could get even younger, gain what may track to be a true 1c (im sorry. tage is not that girl), and in that vein get, like the sens, the final piece of the puzzle they need to make The Jump and finally exit their decade of darkness. only reason it's here is bc like they've already had 2 first overall picks in the last few years and frankly i think we need to torture The Blonde Man (rdahlin) a little more

flames. it would NOT make their organization understand what was going on more and it would NOT give them a positive or negative direction but it WOULD give nazem kadri and jonathan huberdeau a son to raise. so i don't hate it

d tier:

devils. hischier-hughes-celebrini as centre depth is simply Too Much and they certainly do not deserve it. i hope luke goes to the rangers

f tier:

blackhawks. i want connor bedard to be a hockeyblr top ten tragic figure already

[theresattrpgforthat]

I’m probably gonna sound very disjointed. But I have an idea for a superhero campaign where all the P.Cs are kids cause all adults have disappeared.

I thought MASKS would be a good system for this but my friend informed me that in order for MASKS to work you kinda need mentor characters.

So in your opinion, what would be a good, easy to learn superhero based system to run this game.

THEME: Superheros, Kids - Only

Henshin, by Cave of Monsters Games.

Henshin A Sentai RPG is a storytelling tabletop game about young heroes with transformative powers who battle both monsters and personal problems. It borrows from a Japanese superhero culture of color-coded masked teams, giant robots, and over-the-top special effects. Anyone can tell fun, collaborative stories in Henshin!, regardless of familiarity with the tropes, and the game showcases a diversity of settings and characters for every player.

This book includes instructions and actual play examples for everything needed to start playing Henshin! right away. Also included are the eleven Color playbooks, seven ready-to-play settings, original exclusive art, and references to digital downloads. Resources and information can be found at henshingame.com. Let’s Henshin!

Henshin is inspired by the Tokusatsu genre of superhero media, and reminds me intensely of Power Rangers. Your characters will wrestle with personal obstacles such as dealing with their temper, their failures, and the way they are seen by their peers. The system is inspired by No Dice, No Masters but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily GM-less, just that it doesn’t use dice. Henshin’s settings are also very flexible, so you should be able to write your own custom setting in which the kids have taken on super-powered relics in order to survive in a world without adults.

Masks: Retconned, by Sam Roberts.

You’re like most teenagers, with one small difference: You’re a superhero. Fight villains, be part of a team, save the day, and maybe, slowly figure out who you are.

Masks: Retconned is a game of teen superhero adventures, designed for 3+ players. Most of the players will take on the role of individual Heroes on a Team. Imagine these as the protagonists of your new comic book series. One player takes on the role of GM, embodying the superheroic setting, supporting characters, and villains.

If you like the basic premise of Masks but you don’t want to deal with the adult entanglements, you might want to take a look at Masks: Retconned. The game is very bare-bones, and only has the basic mechanics - your stats, your emotions, and the graded success scale and what it means for moves. The rest is meant to be designed as you need it. So if you don’t mind doing a little bit of game design before you sit down to play, you might want to check this out!

Powered by Cereal, by bismuth.

Become the Teen With Attitude you always wanted to be Inspired by tokusatsu hero teams and magical girl squads, PbC is a game about building a brightly-coloured Hero team and playing their adventures across a Series, fighting to save the world from evil!

PbC brings all players together to collaborate on crafting a Series, with its own aesthetics for heroes and villains, its own setting, and unique qualities for each hero. Play comprises the Episodes of the Series: both the Heroes' lives, and fights against Boss characters. It uses a relatively straightforward d6 system and encourages the Hero players to think about how their individual actions work towards a team strategy, bolstering allies and keeping momentum!

Characters in PbC are embodiments of different virtues, and these virtues will define your personal strengths, as represented in the Verbs and Adjectives assigned to your character. Relationships are also important in this game, and this is represented by connections that each player will have with side characters, whether that be positive or negative. Overall the game is still very lighthearted, as it’s inspired by Saturday morning cartoons.

When you try to do something in PbC, you roll a number of d6’s, and check to see how many results were unique. The more unique results you have, the more successes! This means that there’s a cap on how successful your character ca be, but I think the fact that any roll is going to have at least one success really communicates the tone of this game. This another game where the setting is build-your-own, and I don’t see any mechanics that require adults to be part of the setting.

Teens With Powers, by Unknown Dungeon.

Teens with Powers is a one-page roleplaying game about extraordinary young people, inspired by TV shows like Teen Titans and Avatar the Last Airbender, and shonen manga.  As a group, the players and GM come up with the setting, themes, and age-range of the characters. Then each player creates a character with a singular power that they can use to help solve problems and fight evil, while also traversing the trials of being young adults.

Teens with Powers uses a dice-pool system to resolve risky actions, and a back-and-forth combat system to allow of maximum expression and excitement. Also included is a back-page with GM advice and rules.

Teens with Power is a stripped-down Forged in the Dark game. There isn’t much of a setting involved in the first place, so you should be able to build your own setting to fit your preferences. The downside is that there isn’t much guidance or inspiration for powers, so it might be worth it to check out something like Supertables to help you come up with your powers.

This ruleset has a mechanic called Limit, which tracks how close your character is coming to breaking down - push too far, and you lose control of your powers, likely causing damage and hurting something or someone you care about. This might be also good for a high-tension game where the disappearance of adults is the cause of a lot of stress and fear for your characters.

Super City, by David Garrett.

One in every one hundred children in Super City is born with super powers. You are one of those children. Together with your classmates at Super City Elementary, you save helpless citizens, rescue lost pets, and eat delicious ice cream.

Utilizing the ultralight VRBS system, Super City is easy enough for a six year-old to master, but also provides the structure for anyone to generate a superhero story of their own.

Super City was designed to be able to run for small kids, so the rule-set is definitely very light. Your powers will be represented as verbs, and you’ll gain better control over your powers as you progress. The game is organized over a series of scenes, which will present you with a number of problems that you’ll have to solve. You also have a collective pool of Energy, which is meant to track how close your characters are to running out of steam. The goal is to get through the mission without running out of Energy, which depletes when you fail a roll.

This is a game without a setting or history, which means you can backfill whatever lore makes sense for your characters.

Cosmic Ray Kids, by Hedgemaze Press.

Cosmic Ray Kids is a single-page (front and back) atomic-age adventure roleplaying game for all ages. Play as superpowered youngsters who fight the forces of evil with heroics and heart!

Cosmic Ray Kids uses a push-your-luck style of gameplay, that looks very much like the PUSH system by Cezar Capacle. Rolling a 6 is the best possible result. If you roll a 4 or lower, you can choose to roll again - but roll higher than a 7 and you’ve gone too far!

This game also has a Boost resource that is communal, and can be spent to improve a roll up to a certain point. This gives the players an option in case there is something that they can’t risk a re-roll for but still need a success, and also encourages the group to work together to figure out how to solve problems. If you want a game that has a retro-cartoon feel that encourages the characters to work together, Cosmic Ray Kids might be worth checking out!

A Special Extra:

It’s not a superhero game, but Children of the Fall is a GM-less game that takes place in an apocalypse that has turned adults into bloodthirsty monsters. It’s very gritty and dark, but an interesting premise.

[unsoldd]

𝚃𝙰𝙳𝙲 𝙿𝚁𝙾𝙼𝙿𝚃

𝚂𝙷𝙸𝙿(𝚜): 𝐂𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐱 Pᴏᴍɴɪ, ᒍᗩ᙭ 𝗑 ℝ𝕒𝕘𝕒𝕥𝕙𝕒 𝚊𝚗𝚍

Ｚｏｏ ｂｌｅ ｘ 𝒢𝒶𝓃𝑔𝓁ℯ

𝙰𝚄: Human

—————————————

The cast of the digital circus has found an exit deep inside of the circuses code. Not knowing that without that code, hackers and all different viruses and bugs can know enter the circus anytime. Caine, just figuring this out tries to hurry everyone away. But, Pomni, who doesn’t want Caine to be alone in the circus asks him to join them. Caine says he doesn’t think he could as he is an AI and is made of different pixels. Pomni, who isn’t taking no for an answer shoved Caine through the door, along with are boy bubble. And everyone runs through leaving the digital circus to be destroyed by the viruses, bugs and hackers to destroy it.

—————————————

Caine gasps as he looks around to see he’s in a small white bland cubical. He’s in the real world, with Bubble. But, where is everyone else?

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Everyone wakes up from their escape and find they are in the C&A storage room on the top floor and can’t get the lift to go down to work and the stairs are busted and broken down. While everyone is cheering that they have finally got out of that place, they are also scared as they are stuck on the top floor of an abandoned 90’s building of their old work place. Also, Caine and Bubble are missing. Either Caine and Bubble didn’t make it through or they have been teleported to a different part of the building. Can they all get out of the building in time? In time for what you ask? Well, the construction for the building to be demolished into rubble…

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I have tweaked their ages a bit but only so it made sense how they all worked in C&A, except for Bubble. They are as followed:

•Ragatha - 30

• Pomni - 25

• Gangle - 26

• Zooble - 25 (Used to be 22)

• Jax - 25 (Used to be 22)

• Kinger - 48

• Caine - 27 (Didn’t have an age before)

• Bubble - 10 (Didn’t have an age before)

————————————��

Their jobs in C&A. Also, I thought of C&A as a Game Developing Company (The C part) and Networking Company (The A part):

[The C’ part of C&A]

•Caine - Animator

•Gangle - Graphic Designer

•Jax - Game Developer

•Zooble - Game Tester

—————————————

[The A’ part of C&A]

•Ragatha - Network analyst

•Pomni - Cloud architecture

•Kinger - CEO of Networking

—————————————

Real Life Names (Nickname) + Genders + Nationality:

•Ragatha=Agatha(Aggie)Ranger-Female-She/Her- 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿/🇵🇱

• Pomni = Polly Flex-Grantor - Female-She/Her- 🇰🇷/🇺🇸

• Jax = Jackson (Jax) Xeon - Male-He/Him- 🇺🇸/🇩🇪

• Zooble = Zara Charlie - Non-Binary-They/Them- 🇲🇽

•Gangle=Gabriela (Gabi) Linton-Female-She/Her- 🇫🇷

• Kinger = Keith Scotts - Male-He/Him-🇬🇧/🇷🇺

• Caine = Caine Dentó - Male-He/Him- 🇺🇸

• Bubble = Ben Dentó - Male-He/Him- 🇺🇸/🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

—————————————

This is just a prompt for anyone who is struggling with ideas for books they want to write. No need to add credit this is just for fun for me.

—————————————

Also! These are the photos I’m using as reference for what they look like (IN MY OPINION). Also, pictures were made by deduukk on Pinterest.

Caine and bubble… when I tried finding one for Caine all I got was Caine as a human, but with eyeballs in his mouth… and bubble is impossible! So, on Ao3 someone has already made a pretty good drawing of what Caine and Bubble will look like. The book is:

[brucewaynehater101]

Cooked up an AU based on the Power Rangers & Digimon asks

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Power Rangers Digital Division

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Introducing Timothy "Tim" Drake, Batclan fan extraordinaire

Seriously, you should check out all those hero photos he's caught

And you wanna know what's better than being way too young to stay up all night for one special interest? Two special interests!

Particularly these weird .mon files he keeps finding on his journey to hacking mastery. He can't decipher them quite yet, but they look so interesting and there's so many designs

It's only when screen-of-death blue and ones and zeros climb from his keyboard to his arms and the rest of his body does he realize that biting off more than you can chew is very, very real

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Introducing Subject "Thorn" 13, escaped clone extraordinaire

Hard to not be the very best escapee when you're the only escapee. Same with being a thorn to child protective services

Good thing he got out of Metropolis soon as he could, Mr. Lex had nothing good to say about Superman back in the lab, and given the horror he was also experiencing second hand about mere cops? he trusts those tales

There's a reason he keeps kryptonite on his person, hearing and smelling and hearing so many horrible things is too much

Eat the rich, but they're good for some things

He paused his thoughts to look at his one and only companion. well, not really, but he can barely take care of himself, so a digital alternative is much preferable

Thorn was proud to say he stole it from the labs themselves. People called it an off-brand tamagotchi, but he'd say it was even better

Yuramon. It was even more plantlike than him. Demanding he be near quality soil and bath it's screen in sunlight in the real world

Sunlight on his skin, nobody questioning his presence, and no acts of cruelty nearby, he's never felt safer . . .

Ding!

[Yuramon is ready to digivolve and it wants you to see it up close and personally!]

[Will you plug in to an internet connected device?]

[Yes] / [No]

Say no to that? Hell no! He had a phone right on his person

He quickly ran to a vacant alleyway. He wanted to keep this special moment all to himself!

Connecting to the local library's wifi, he was careful to not break anything as his devices connected

Yuramon was right there on his phone screen, ready to Digivolve! Grow!

It's when his screen began to glow brighter than the highest setting and his hands were irremovable from the screen he realized something was up

Yeah when it felt like he was being sucked into the glow he had an idea where this was going

He was going to become a missing person, they'd figure out a child who stole Luthor tech vanished because of it, and Superman would get on his case

Oh come on! He stole his phone from a cop! Why is he suddenly getting the "hero learns a moral" treatment?

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Bart, frankly enough, didn't trust this world. past present or future

There was a reason the Earth was cooked if his memories and this time period's social study books were any indication

Not even the digital world faced world ending threats as often. granted, it kind of already ended itself . . .

But with him and Terriermon by each other's side, they'll find a way back; They're in this together!

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Pursurimon! Pursurimon! Pursurimon!!!1 Cassie blasts onto the keyboard

Could you blame her? Her mother just uncovered a wicked (recent!) artifact and she already got permission to blab

She attached a picture of the rusted item to her message

[Pursurimon] Woah!

[Pursurimon] My friend found one as well

[Wondrland] huh??///

No fucking way

[Pursurimon] Can I show you through the screen?

Accept Pursurimon's Request?

Yes / No

a video chat she had to assume. They've known each other long enough that she's comfortable with it

Going off topic, this forum needed to get itself together. the team might be small, sure, but not everyone could put cryptic pop-up messages and clues together

It's only after clicking yes and getting dragged through the screen with claws, that Cassie thinks there was probably more to internet safety than she thought

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This AU is takes ideas from both Digimon animes, and various Power Ranger series

Short explanation. Tim accidentally digivolved a .mon while messing with a DigiMorpher through the screen. using the digivolution energy, the .mon dragged him into the digital world cuz it was curious

Cassie's mom found a DigiMorpher and Pusurimon thought "it's fate!" and asked a friend to drag her in while it was busy draggin in Tim. Cassie & Pusuri met through the forum

Cassie coming in with her own DigiMorpher digivolved Pusurimon to Herissmon

Luthor was poking around the digital world and decided to try and raise a loyal digimon from birth. The baby wasn't even meant to hatch yet, he intended to have it be a designer baby

Thorn stole a very vulnerable prototype. When it's time to Digivolve at last, Yuramon used the vulnerabilities to meet it's partner face to face at last w/ the help of a DigiMorpher

Bart and Terriermon already had their own & figured out how to turn it on at long last (for whatever reason it would not turn on), this allowed them to reenter the digital world

This is also the eighth's first meeting altogether

In a nutshell; Tim and Commandramon, Cassie and Herissmon, Thorn and Petimeramon, Bart and Terriermon

confused? Me too. I'm jumping from section to section typing this up as we go along

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I didn't make a backstory of lore lol

Basically, the four are the DigiDestined chosen to wield DigiMorphers, special Digivices that not only Digivolve their partners but also allow the wielders to DigiMorph into the Power Rangers of the Digital Division; Digivision for short

They are a special group of Power Rangers meant to protect the Digital and Real World from threats connected to the Digital World or will have a negative effect on it

These DigiMorphers come with the ability to transport their holder and whatever/whomever they choose between the two worlds

Furthermore, as their partners, the four Digimon get this for free, no DigiMorpher required

Oh frick, the actual Power Rangers part

◢◤◢◤◢◤◢◤

Tim Drake - Virus Ranger, suit's main color is blue camouflage just like his partner's

Thorn - Data Ranger, suit mixes yellow & orange w/ accents of red

Bart Allen - Vaccine Ranger, cream with a secondary green

Cassie Sandsmark - Free Ranger, silver with golden accents

When transformed, their partners will gain pieces of armor matching or similar to the ranger's suits. in Commandramon's case, a full wardrobe change

I was agonizing over what classic colors to give the four, until I realized it was completely unneeded, canon is our bitch

DigiMorpher suits are designed to integrate traits and colors of the ranger's partner

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Team dynamics!

// Bart is from a dystopic future and was placed in a virtual reality to experience growing up in a body matching his mental age. Except he got booted into a post-apocalyptic Digital World. Oh, and he could use the speed force without restriction here

There he met Terriermon and they've been partners ever since, they also found an inactive DigiMorpher. It's a mystery they've spent forever trying to solve

By the time his mind caught up with his body, the two got booted again to what the rest call present time. Likely due to the two experimenting with the speed force or using it for something else for whatever reason, maybe it was even intentional

Due to growing up and only remembering the digital world, learning about Earth through lingering data, Bart is the de facto leader for any operations dealing with Digimon or the Digital World

However, the Digital World he and Terriermon knew was post-apocalyptic, and they know next to nothing about their Earth, much less it's history-now-present

They have their work cut out for them relearning and learning so much. Feeling out of place in their home will probably also be an angst point even if the digital world truly is better this way than it was in the future

// Tim Drake, by virtue of extensive parental neglect and a load of natural curiosity, knows the most about superism and the Real World, missions taking place there or regarding it falls onto him to work with

// So Bart and Tim are co-leaders of sort

// Cassie—by virtue of her divine lineage—is best suited for conversing with Digimon of divine/irl cultural origin. Direct relation to the Zues puts a foot in the door. She's close with her mother and has learned plenty of several cultures so the knowledge will help as well

((see the wikimon's page for list of mythological refs in digimon))

All there is to worry about is how much she knows in the first place and the cultural differences of the cultures of an entire digital world!

// Thorn—seconded by Bart—has the most learning to do

Whereas Bart has to relearn a familiar but unfamiliar world and a brand new one, Thorn has to learn two new worlds at once

Thorn is a clone fed so many lies by Luthor and he's only just figured out that some of his world is built on lies

He and Petimeramon have a long way to go, but him telling the crew his backstory may just give them a head start to listing down their future rogues gallery 

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if Jason still dies and Batman spirals just like in canon, instead of Tim cleaning up after him—

Well Tim is still gonna make sure the victims are recovered from his rampage, but he's not going to become Robin. he has his own team

Instead he and Dobermon (less obvious artillery and thus less likely to make Batman think bad of them) are going to force Batman to listen to them and maybe request their teammates or other digimon they can recruit for backup

This is an intervention. Batman will either put up the cape and only come back if he attends therapy and genuinely recovers enough from his grief to be a sufficient hero again

Should Batman continue brutalizing Gothamites however, they will chase him down and have him imprisoned legally for as long as the law allows

"Do you want to keep being a hero Batman? It's yes or no."

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Attributes!

Ever since entering the Digital World (with Bart being an exception, we'll get to him when we get there) the four gained Attributes which they share with their partners. Thank the DigiMorphers for that

// Tim has the Virus attribute, as he has been hacking and distorting data for a good while

Plus Commandramon can camouflage in real time, something Tim had to learn to get Batphotos

// Cassie has the Free attribute, since she's descended from Zues who existed before technology, much less attributes, ever existed

Herissmon stores treasures in its fur only shared with close friends, a nod to Helena's archeology career

// Thorn ignores his Kryptonian heritage, wants nothing to do with supers, and tries to pass for human for his own personal peace, hence the Data attribute

His partner starting off as a petimeramon in the Baby II stage instead of Child stage like everyone else's is also a metaphor for how much learning they have to do

// Bart has a Vaccine Attribute due to having future knowledge and can thus act against threats that otherwise would have succeeded ahead of time

Oh, and a big reason for the apocalypse the Digital World went through was the X Program, which Bart and Terriermon only knew the aftermath of

Terriermon was born into the Digital World with a dormant X-Antibody of its own while Bart got that and his Vaccine attribute after the two agreed to be partners

The X Program has been dormant itself too, but better safe than sorry, the surviving digimon of the apocalypse say

I haven't come up w/ exact details but when in the Digital World, or in Ranger form, their attributes become more prominent in some way, shape, or form. Doubly so doing both at once

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They are the second generation of the Digivision, and even if information on their predecessors exist, it leaves a lot to be desired

So instead they must turn to the morphers themselves; Tim takes it upon himself to try and crack—maybe even jailbreak—them

It's up to the writer how much information they can yield from the morphers, plus the intricacies of the task (for example, say Tim need the morpher's wielder presence or even aid to avoid meeting an even greater firewall), but it's going to a tough and long ride 

Maybe there's episodes where Tim or others fuck up when he's hacking places in the Digital World or the DigiMorphers or even the mechas and hijinks ensue as they cope with and try to fix their mistakes

I don't even know how they figure out the whole DigiDestined and Power Rangers deal 💀💀💀 we can worry about that later lol

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"Power Rangers, Digitize!" that's the transformation phrase

Maybe because the morphers were found rusted, in a destroyed Digital World, and otherwise left to rot for a good while

That could be a plotpoint, all the DigiMorphers are damaged in their own unique ways, repairing them requires different solutions but unlocks stronger features over time

Initially they can only transform or Digivolve, neither at once

but as their Morphers get repaired they unlock transforming and digivolving, weapons, biomerging, and the obligatory mechas

Except I want it to be a blend of biomerging and my memories of typical power ranger mechas

And I think I have a compromise. When it's time to bring the mecha out, the respective Ranger and Digimon have to be biomerged, turn into pure Data, and then they can go into the mech as data, and pilot it from there

So they effectively become the mech in a sense

When making the obligatory megamecha, it's basically eight people synchronized into one until it's time to unmerge

Said mechas are scattered across the Digital and Real world, so the team has to learn/know they exist, find them, and first time using them manually transfer them across worlds if they want to.

Later on as Morphers get repaired they can summon their mechas across worlds and to their coordinates with a command, but early into using them, this time sensitivity is going to be something they have to manage

Idk what they'd even be called I just know they exist in this au

I got nothing else lmao 💀💀💀💀

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So the DigiDestined are like, really young here, like somewhere around ten to thirteen, which begs the question

Do they look like adults in Ranger form or are obviously kids?

The former gives secret identity security + identity shenanigans + dramatic irony, while the latter can be used for Outsider POV angst and humor as kids whoop their elders asses

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Also as the Power Rangers Digital Division make a name for themselves, I think they'd try to make connections in the Digital World and maybe the real one too to gain manpower and ease the weight off their shoulders

Since they have to focus on the duties they got dubiously selected for, any other time spent outside of obligatory Ranger and DigiDestined stuff would be spent doing volunteer work and other lowscale street level stuff, like so low scale it's barely even crime fighting

I'm taking saving cats from trees lowscale

If anyone argues against them being so low-level in the super scene, even by streetlevel standards, people immedietely point to the rare times a gigantic monster popped up which only the eight were equipped to fight against via their own megamecha

and the statements where they said they're very focussed on fighting threats before they reach the kaiju vs megamecha point of fighting

its even worse if they are very clearly children

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Tim does not tinker with a digimon data on the principle that he is not playing god in a way that can go dramatically wrong but he does learn how to observe the data. Data he can record

Later on, he learns when transformed &/or in the digital world, he can view their own DNA as if it were data and some of that data in Terriermon's and Bart's is the X-Antibody they've talked about

If he can activate it, he can unlock more digivolutions and security and a major leg-up against their foes in general

Maybe he can even give it to his whole team and other allies giving them an edge in battle

And they don't need to worry about the X Program at all if they play their cards right, right?

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Wait how does this affect Young Justice/Teen Titans and canonical relationships---?

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Extra notes

Petimeramon digivolves into a candmon the first time in hopes of giving back the sunlight Thorn gave them; alas, they became a Data Attribute who couldn't

But maybe later down the line, they can become a Coronamon and give Thorn that sunlight they want to give back

Came up with Thorn's name when figuring out a believable shortening of "Thir" in "thirteen"

Heck ya boy isn't gonna like that they share a villain with Superman from the very start, that guy said Superman would have him killed!

But Cassie and Tim can teach the facts of Luthor's villainy, just how deep it goes, and the truth to contradict the lies he lived trusting

Heck if digimon based on irl mythology and the real deals interact, wtf is gonna happen? Cassie my girl, will you be okay?

Remember the post about Tim not seeing himself as obligated to follow Batman's morality? Dobermon, who Commandra can digivolve to, has the power to steal abilities and destroy Digicores, which sound up his alley when push comes to shove

idk if other power ranger groups exist here or not but the crossovers between would be fun

I mean, the words Digital Division implies other groups so that can go into the team's research as well

Heck maybe some Power Rangers are retired and or still active and there's a sideplot where after learning of the Digital Division, they try to track them down to give their own guidance and support

The wikimon is your savior if you dunno anything about digimon like me

Main thing that made me drop the idea of doing ranger colors is the fact that Bart or Tim are both team leader at least at the start

I was like "how do I make them both red & thus leader?" then I remember that fanfiction is all about heresy against canon lol

This is basically Digimon with Power Rangers tacked on, maybe the Digital Division was formed when previous rangers met digimon due to threats to the two joined together and stuck for a good long time? idk my brain is cooked

I think seeing Barbara duke it out against Digimon or the Power Rangers and even manage to get herself her own Digivice, maybe even a DigiMorpher, perhaps even a DIY version, would be fun

Barbara getting her own Digimon and being an outside context problem the Power Rangers don't even anticipate would be fun af to explore, even more her diy-ing a digivice or even morpher

While the digimon start off in one evolution branch with the same attribute as their partners, later on they will experiment with their entire trees

Speaking of evolution tree's, all I got for go-to adult stage evolutions at the start are Dobermon for Commandramon and Galgomon to Rapidmon for Terriermon

Feel free but not pressured to add onto this as you wish!

I know absolutely nothing about Digimon and only a slight bit more about Power Rangers. However, this was fascinating to read.

Some aspects I loved about this AU:

Kon's name being Thorn. Since he never meets Superman, that makes so much sense! Fics where Kon has a different name would be cool to see/explore (especially if he was glancing at alternative versions of himself).

The digital world with YJ was a very interesting concept to think about. Idk much about Digimon, but there's a ton of cool ideas to explore just with the notion that YJ has to protect an alternate dimension (dimension meaning one connected to their world but not easily accessible by the populace [like hell, virtual internet, some shit Raven sees, etc.])

Barbara would become God if she got her hands on this world, and I am here for that. That woman deserves to be worshiped and praised

The attributes are hella cool and definitely fit the characters well

Threatening Batman with jail time :D

YJ meeting sooner than canon. It's just such a cute concept

The nod to Spider-Man with the smaller level crimes

There's more, but those stuck out.

I really loved your little comments throughout and "canon is our bitch" specifically made me laugh.

I am curious about the other yj members. Would they have this AU's powers temporarily while they are part of the team?

[raeynbowboi]

Mystery Inc as a DnD Party

I figured as long as we're still in the vicinity of spooky season, I'd build everyone's favorite gang of teenage mystery solvers as a collective unit. Pulling from their group dynamic to come up with a party roster that will give everyone in the party a designated role.

FRED JONES

PALADIN || OATH OF THE CROWN

INVESTIGATOR BACKGROUND

Skills: Athletics, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion

Freddie is the dimwitted but lovable himbo leader of the team. He's also the muscle, except in moments of athletic skill, when he's outshined by Daphne. His backstory isn't always consistent, but he's usually a jock of some sort. He's not usually all that book smart, but he has a good heart, and inspires his team to success. Paladins who swear an Oath to the Crown hold law and justice above all else, and Fred usually enjoys catching the bad guys and seeing justice served.

DAPHNE BLAKE

BARD || COLLEGE OF LORE

NOBLE BACKGROUND

Skills: Athletics, Acrobatics, Deception, Insight, Investigation, Persuasion, Sleight of Hand, Performance

As surprising a choice as this might seem, Bard is actually a very appropriate choice for Daphne. Modern Daphne is the most supportive and emotionally intelligent member of the group. From What’s New Scooby-Doo? to Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, Daphne has become the emotional powerhouse of the group. Sensing when her friends are off their game, and offering sage advice to her friends when they need it. She’s also become a very creative girl, skilled in singing, dancing, fashion, design, and more. She’s grown to be the group’s resident skill monkey, almost on par with Velma’s uncanny encyclopedic knowledge on all brainy subjects. If a lock needs picking or the gang needs to get out of a trap, you can count on Daphne to have a nail file, bobby pin, or something else on her person to save the day. She's typically also the face of the group when it's not Fred, meaning she's going to want high Dexterity and Charisma. I chose Lore because Daphne is a reporter in Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and this is the only real career she's ever had. A lore bard is basically a more magical reporter, and singing the tale of her group's mysterious endeavors.

VELMA DINKLEY

ARTIFICER || ARTILLERIST

SAGE BACKGROUND

Skills: Arcana, History, Investigation, Nature

Velma was the most debatable one for me, as she could be a wizard or an artificer. And I was really leaning toward Wizard, but I had to stay true to Velma's character. She's been a tinkerer and a gadgeteer for a long time now. Velma is absolutely fascinated by robotics. But while Velma in our world can handwave superstitious nonsense, in a world with gods, demons, and real ghosts, I could absolutely see Velma using her knowledge to become a powerful wizard. I even considered the Knowledge Domain Cleric because it's basically designed to be a magical detective, and if Velma was going to worship a deity, it'd be a god of knowledge and reading. Ultimately, I did choose Artificer as it was more in-line with her base character as a skeptic and a scientist, but she would work as a Wizard. Plus, as is, Daphne is the only full-caster in the party.

NORVILLE "SHAGGY" ROGERS

RANGER || CONCLAVE OF THE BEAST MASTER

GUILD ARTISAN BACKGROUND || COOKS & BAKERS

Skills: Animal Handling, Investigation, Stealth, Survival

No surprises here, Shaggy and Scooby are a bonded pair, and the two were going to be joined to each other one way or another. Scooby is technically a Beast of the Land, and there's no Great Dane stat block, so call him a Mastiff if you need to. You can't really build Scooby by himself per se. There's no dog race unless you go Custom Lineage or something, and even then, I'd struggle to assign Scooby a class as he's mostly an animal sidekick. Make sure Shaggy picks up Cooks Untensils and proficiency with them so he can become the party's designated camp chef.

Ultimately, I'm happy with how the team turned out. Fred's the tanky and bulky frontliner, Velma can use her robotics to help solve mysteries, Daphne is the face on top of having so many skills, and Shaggy works with Scooby. Inadvertently, they're also all classes with access to healing spells. So, while I suspect Daphne being the sole full caster will probably assume primary role of group healer, everyone is capable of healing each other up. Making this a great group of supportive friends taking care of each other.

[damnedtreasure]

please do say some more about your favorite sweater patterns i recently learned how to do cables and boy am i excited for the possibilities that the future holds now

Ooooh! So many possibilities! Cables are so satisfying, especially the patterns that look impossible to follow that really are much simpler than they look.

Okay, so! I got a bit carried away looking through patterns, as I always do, but! Here's a whole bunch of pretty patterns I've either made myself or have had my eye on for ages. I'll start with the sweaters, because that is what you actually asked, and then move to the honourable mentions that aren't actually sweaters.

So for your classic aran sweater, the Moby Sweater Man by PetiteKnits is delightful; it's a dk weight pattern, so it's a little thinner and lighter weight than a true aran sweater, but the cable pattern is fantastic.

The Handsome Chris Pullover by Caryn Shaffer was reverse engineered from the sweater Chris Evans wears in Knives Out, and I'm so glad someone beat me to figuring out this pattern so I didn't have to.

Now, if you're just learning or wrapping your mind around cables, I recommend the Antler by TinCanKnits. (I can never recommend their stuff enough) Their patterns are fantastic, always, and very beginner friendly. There's also a free hat version, so that you can see how you like your yarn with the cable pattern, or see if you like the cable pattern at all before you lock yourself into buying sweater quantities of yarn.

Also by Tin Can Knits, and we're diverging from the classic aran sweater fully by now, but Hush is a really interesting design.

Quick aside to say that the pattern that got me loving cables is the Travelling Cables Handwarmers by Purl Soho, and if you're looking for a sort of one-step-past-beginner pattern, those are fun. They also are a good example of how cables really tighten a garment up, not dissimilar to how ribbing does.

The Seaway Pullover by Ozetta is a really good example of using cabling for texturing, which gives it a really interesting look.

I've been wanting to make the Wool + Honey by Andrea Mowry for ages now... it's not really what you think of when you think cables but look at it...... it's so pretty......

The Field Sweater by Camilla Vad is another one I've been eyeing for ages, same as the Wool + Honey. I just need to make it for someone sweaterworthy someday.

Honourable mentions time because I can't help myself:

The Ranger Cowl by Michael Vloedman is so very perfect for renfaire or DnD vibes.

Glimfeather by Sunidesus Knits is a shawl that I just know is the warmest thing in the world, and one day I will own twenty of them.

All of these are ravelry links purely because that's the database I use primarily, but most of these designers have their own sites as well if you prefer that. I do love ravelry though, and using the filters in the advanced pattern search can be so very useful and also so very tempting due to how many pretty patterns there are.

Best of luck on your cabling journeys!

[fever-project]

Hyrule for the Pokémon AU! His design his mostly the same, I just took some inspiration from the Ribbon Smock in XY, since those are my favorite Pokémon games. I think it fits with the Pokémon he has. I also think I messed up with his arms though, specifically his left arm, it looks a bit weird. I do love how I drew the Pokémon though, poor Litwick. But now, onto the Lore under the cut!

There are little to no pokeballs in Hyrule’s time, production for them has stopped long ago. So his Pokémon just follow him around, like his Drifloon. Sometime before his first adventure started, the Drifloon attempted to take him away. It failed, spectacularly, and ended up being pulled around by Hyrule, none the wiser to the Pokémon’s attempt to carry him off. They’re friends now. Drifloon doesn’t really fight for Hyrule though, he has a sword-that I forgot to draw here oops-that he uses to fight off evil Pokémon.

In Hyrule’s time, it is very normalized to use actual weapons against Pokémon, whatever it takes to survive in such a dangerous world. Some people keep Pokémon, but most don’t. Object Pokémon are typically seen as “safer” to keep, and Hyrule only has object Pokémon.

Hyrule found a Klefki after it stole one of the small keys he needed for a dungeon. So he beat it up until it let him use the key. But then it continued to follow him, since it figured that Hyrule could lead it to even more keys, even fighting for him occasionally. After Hyrule found the Magical Key in the 8th dungeon, he let Klefki keep all the small keys they found. Then he lost the key sometime before his second adventure, repeating that cycle until he found the new Magic Key, which he leaves with Klefki to keep an eye on. Klefki is so very happy.

Hyrule first just had a regular Blue Candle he bought from a merchant, before finding a unique looking Litwick in the 7th dungeon. Litwick clung to him, clearly wanting to leave that place as soon as possible. Hyrule loved her immediately, she’s so cute. Drifloon carries Litwick around when he’s fighting, otherwise she tries to stay in his pockets.

The Power Bracelet made Hyrule stronger, and it also had this cool stone called a Mega Keystone according to Impa. The Keystones are very rare, not many people even know they exist. He also found some mega stones in the treasury that he was allowed to keep, just in case he found a Pokémon that could mega evolve.

During his second adventure, Hyrule found a Shuppet. He was very tired and frustrated from the everything, so he was the perfect feeding ground for the Pokémon. But Hyrule loved him. He was so cute. Hyrule’s mood increased immediately upon seeing him. Shuppet was now stuck with the hero, whether or not he liked it, and he didn’t at first, but he eventually grew on him, even fighting for him, more so than Klefki, eventually evolving into a Banette. He basically hates everyone that’s not Hyrule, because he took care of him so well. Banette tolerates his other Pokémon, as well as the Zeldas and Impa. Even though Hyrule treated Banette with so much care, he would not turn back into a stuffed toy as the legends say he would. Once Hyrule brought Banette back with him, he figured that Banette could mega evolve.

Now onto the LU! Picking up where we left off in Legend’s post, The Chain has just met up and introduced a bit about themselves. Hyrule told the rest that he didn’t really have pokeballs, and that his Pokémon liked just being out and about, his Litwick in his pocket and Banette being held in his arms, the other two floating around him.

Legend seems to know the most about what’s happening, but surprisingly the old farmer (time) is the one taking charge, the ranger captain (warriors) staying by his side. Legend stayed to the wayside, the so called Hylian Champion is sticking by his side, and the blue-coated gym leader (this is twilight, i’ll make a post about each link’s occupations later) is sticking by his side, much to Legend’s annoyance. Hyrule really wants to talk to him, but he’s knows better than to make the hero even more annoyed. But he knows he has to make friends with the other Links. The child was walking over to him, but the glare sent by his Banette made him instantly turn his heel and walk over to with the Master Sword, who was already with the multi colored one.

Then the captain fell back, going over to him, completely ignoring the Banette. The captain had a determined look on his face, a black pokeball in hand. It took Hyrule a few seconds to recognize it as a Luxury Ball, something that he’d only heard of from Zelda the First. The captain placed it in his hand as Hyrule’s mouth was agape in shock, staring directly into his eyes before subtly nodding his head over to the Klefki before stepping away and going back to the farmer’s side. Hyrule dumbly nodded back, holding the ball out to Klefki, who curiously tapped the button on it and disappeared in a flash of light. Needless to say Hyrule was freaking out, having never seen a pokeball before. The champion and the kid had to teach him how to use the pokeball, with Legend and the multi-colored one giving him more Luxury Balls for his other Pokémon. They all loved it, except for his Banette, who clearly preferred to be held.

Anyways I’m currently resisting the urge to make a fan fic, since I haven’t really planned much out. Also going to make a master post of this eventually.

[rahadaddy]

One of the underrated changes I've made to my Barovia, just because it fits some of the themes and narrative better, is with Ez and Van Richten. He's still her mentor and foster father figure, but instead of Van RIchten being secretly racist and leaving Ez behind because he is cursed, it's more heartbreaking. Van Richten is dying in my game. He doesn't want Ez to have to witness it (or, worse, die with him). His stint as Rictavio is a coping mechanism that is not working and his goal is to kill Strahd or die trying.

Ez just found him again and she's hoping he'll reconsider sentencing himself to death like some martyr. She doesn't want him to reconsider killing Strahd. She just wants him to not throw himself at Death (in Barovia, no less!). She wants to be included in the greatest hunt Van Richten has undertaken. There is a heartbreaking drama unfolding between them.

And it's all background noise. Rictavio traded his horse for information on Castle Ravenloft with the warlock (who has a celebrity crush on Rictavio). He just offered to arm the party's fight against Strahd. Ez took the ranger aside and said, "Hey... he means well, but he will be reckless. Coming from me, that means something."

Except... coming from her, it means nothing because as much as she likes and wants to support the party, they hate her for stealing a horse from Arrigal's camp. They don't like Arrigal, either, but Arrigal and the ranger were formerly business associates, so saving Ez's life had a financial cost. More to it, the cleric hates Ez for "embarrassing his family's name" or something. I do not understand my player's logic there, but Alistor generally hates most people so it doesn't shock me.

Sometimes I think about party roles. Theo, our warlock, is definitely the heart of the party. She certainly is the one who wants to make connections with NPCs the most.

I just don't get it with Ez. Ez saved Victor Vallakovich from Castle Ravenloft, and the entire party's lives from pissed-off druids in the woods this past session and it didn't move the needle. Maybe her stint as "Rictavio's Lovely Assistant" will be humorous enough (or productive enough) to impress them. If not, I'm going to have to reevaluate. She doesn't show up often or in every life-or-death scenario. The two times she has shown up were to first give the prophecy to the ranger (who is a replacement for a dead bard PC) and reunite Victor with the party after a teleportation circle went wrong, and second because Van Richten promised the party a ride home from Castle Ravenloft. It made more sense to send Ez than Van Richten, who wouldn't have been able to resist a vampire hunt.

My GF said she wished Alistor (her cleric) liked Ez better because it seems like a fun little drama and that she wishes everyone had insight checked the NPCs more. I agree but I don't know what to do about it. I know what plot beats to hit with my players that they generally enjoy. I have not cracked the code on NPCs. And it's weird because they adored Ez last game!

I think one of the things I'm going to try to do is pare down the number of NPC allies they take with them to Krezk and Immol. Right now, they have Ireena, Ismark, Victor, Stella, and Doru. Stella died and was brought back by Theo during the druid fight. At other times, they've traveled a little with Godfrey and the revenants, the Durst Siblings, and they have plans to travel with Patrina Velikov. I guess they don't really need more NPC allies but like... wild choices, I think.

And I still have NPCs to finish designing for Krezk and Immol.

I'm not mad about it. The game is going really well and we're having a great time. I'm just stumped! The party wants to spend a day or three in Vallaki before shipping out west to search for prophesied items. I have to have Immol ready for them! I'll probably try posting more here as I prepare!

[joemerl]

I'm watching the Eragon movie after rereading the book this year.

It's kind of more enjoyable, sometimes because its changes legitimately improve things but usually because they stray into So Bad It's Good territory.

Durza is still generic af, but Galby is delightfully narmy.

Sloan feels more like an actual character, and the idea that the Spine is considered royal property is a lot simpler than "Sloan's wife died there because it's cursed, maybe, but Eragon can go in there because shut up."

"All hail Eragon, the mighty hunter!" And just like that, the movie makes Roran and Eragon feel more like brothers than Paolini managed in the first two books. Also, they're eight-year-old dorks in teenage bodies.

Sass-master Arya.

I am both annoyed and amused that the Urgals are just burly guys. They give them a little face makeup, but still.

Not really feeling Saphira's voice. I just imagined it huskier.

Durza summons the Ra'zac from the ground like Power Rangers villains. WTF (affectionate).

Eragon figures out that Brom was a Dragon Rider! And just like that, he's outstripped book!Eragon's supposed brilliance.

Arya is awake when she meets Eragon. Makes for a less awkward romantic arc. Also she just says she's a princess, so again, kudos on the screenwriters for not bothering with the obvious twists.

I think there's a passing line about dwarves and elves, but Arya is ostensibly human. There are some guys in the Varden who are clearly supposed to be dwarves but never referred to as such.

Why does the spell for dragon vision let Eragon see through walls? And why does the fire spell make things levitate?

"I expected someone a little more...well, more." Is this line actually clever, or do I just enjoy Eragon getting dunked on?

The whole thing with Brom flying on Saphira as he dies is kind of nice. It would have worked better if they mentioned that Saphira was named after his own dragon, though.

Murtagh is weird, because he acts totally different than book!Murtagh and is introduced with a different backstory. He even offers to lead Eragon to the Varden, which is directly opposed to his motivation in the book. But canon reasserts itself once they get there, so you're left wondering why he chose to do this.

Murtagh's prison cell, incidentally, appears to be a cage left out in the open.

I said Galby was funny, but how many scenes do we need where he's just whispering threats at Durza?

In the books, there are moments where I feel like Eragon has more chemistry with Nasuada than he ever has with Arya. Given the gratuitous "walking in one him shirtless" scene, I feel like the screenwriters agree.

Most of the clothes are Generic Medieval Drab, but then there was one costume designer who was like "NO! Shiny and exotic!"

One change I don't like: Saphira breathing fire before the battle starts is supposed to be cool, ooh-she's-badass-now, but sorry, having her dramatically do that at the end of the battle to save Eragon's life is much better.

So Durza summoned the Ra'zac from the ground, and now he summoned the Lethrblaka from Saphira's fire? somehow? Is it supposed to be made of smoke?

They're not very well done, but the script is trying to give Eragon some arcs that he doesn't have in the book. Some of it is generic "I don't want to be the Chosen One" stuff, but there's also this idea that he might get Saphira killed, like Brom with his dragon, augmented by the fact that Brom's death is kind of Eragon's fault in this version.

Speaking of which, the hell you letting Eragon think Saphira is dead, Murtagh? It's not just a jerk move, it's also out of character. Murtagh is not jokey, either in this movie or the book.

I was gonna say that the final scene is desperately trying to convince us that Eragon and Arya have chemistry, but I actually don't think it's trying that hard.

*watching the credits* That random guy who looked like a dwarf but was never referred to as a dwarf was supposed to be Hrothgar? I assumed it was Orik. He didn't seem to be a king or anything.

[wibble-wobbegong]

The Vanishing of Mike Wheeler

In this little post of mine i’m gonna be telling you the story of how Mike’s disappearance is gonna go in S5 through the perspective of the Hellfire DND game, which represents the Rightside Up/The Party’s POV, and an album which can be directly associated as the Upside Down/Henry’s POV of the same events, revealing how all of this is actually gonna go down in the show.

I know you guys all know what DND game I’m talking about, so I’ll introduce you to a little album called Under the Influence by Overkill from 1988.

In order to connect this album to the DND game, you have to look at the design of the cover here. The most prominent feature is the giant skull with horns and bat wings, right? When you go to look at the set up for Eddie’s DND stuff, there are two stickers:

Both of those have the exact same symbol: a skull with horns and bat wings. What makes these stickers unique is the lightning bolt behind them, which isn’t in the 1988 cover (the first time this mascot ever gets used). The only character we can directly associate with actual lightning is Henry. Yes, Will is sometimes associated with electricity in non-canon content, but Henry was literally struck by lightning in the show.

In the album, there are constant references to the invasion of the mind, being reborn, and there are a few mentions of needing to head for the light as well. This album is heavily coded as Henry’s POV, but it’s also tied to Eddie. That’ll be important for later!!

Character Establishment

Ok, so before breaking down the DND game itself, let me explain which figurines represent which characters really quick.

Mike is represented by his paladin, obviously. Same with Dustin and his bard. Lucas, although he isn’t playing right now, is still being represented by the ranger on the table. I believe the figure I’ve associated with El is a mage, which also lines up because Mike declares her to be the Party’s mage in S2. As for Max’s figure, I don’t have any idea what class that figure is meant to be but the figure is prominently blue, which is a color heavily associated with Max in S4. I don’t know much about DND, so maybe I just don’t recognize the class, or there isn’t meant to be a recognizable class because Max is a zoomer.

Now, as for Will, I hate this just as much as everybody else will but I think he’s being represented by the Vecna figure. For one, we know that Henry himself doesn’t really align with the description of the actual character of Vecna. More so, we never actually witness the Vecna figure attacking anyone. It’s implied, but the visual isn’t there which normally wouldn’t matter except that we do see the attack against one character; Mike. That attack doesn’t come from Vecna.

Most importantly, though, is the the design they chose for Vecna’s figure. There are many different versions they could’ve gone with but they chose the one where Vecna’s staff has the green in his staff. You know what that looks a lot like?

So, Will is being represented by the Vecna figure. Considering that this is all gonna play out in reality in the UD, that actually makes perfect sense because Will is sort of the Vecna of the UD, like how Henry is the Vecna of the RU. The’re opposites.

As for why the actual Vecna, Henry, is being represented by another figure is something that can only be explained through telling this story. Same with Eddie. So, let me dust off this book I found in the corner and show you what I’m talking about.

The Vanishing

So, the DND game is reflecting the reality of S5 when the party decides to go after Vecna. DND games have always been used to predict events in the pasy, as we saw with the ‘weird flowers in the cave’ coming true in S2 and Hopper’s cover-up story being exactly as described by how Mike and Lucas died in the S3 campaign. What I think it really important about this game, however, is the fact that the Hellfire game seems to be ending with a crawl. Crawls are used in DND to set up fights with monsters and take place on a set map, which is what the Hellfire Party goes through. There is a very deliberately set map for the end of this campaign.

It’s important to remember this, because 5x01 is called The Crawl. The Party is gonna be going after Henry pretty soon after Will/Mike reveals he’s still alive. I don’t think they’ll jump into it immediately, but in terms of episodes they’re either gonna be planning their attack or possibly setting it into motion in the first episode. 

 The meat of this section goes into two things; Mike’s dice roll and the third song from the album, Hello from the Gutter. After the Hellfire Party establishes that they’d fight Vecna to the death, the second scene is of Mike rolling the dice. Mike’s roll is actually given the same level of importance as Dustin and Erica’s rolls and it’s shot very similarly too. There’s one thing that all three of those scenes have in common, and it’s the color of their dice. Those are the only times the red-on-black dice are used. It’s not a matter of who gets to roll them, but rather what the represent. What the r-o-b dice are confirming is that this will be happening in the future. They’re inherently predictive of incredibly important events. Although all of this is predictive, these three rolls are the most important by far because they’re turning points in the story. So why is Mike’s included? Let’s really look at that scene. When Mike rolls his dice, we never see what number it lands on, unlike Dustin or Erica, but we know it’s low enough to ‘kill’ him. I’m sure you can figure out a number that would be low enough to lead to a death, a number that’s important to the story, and a number they couldn’t show us. One.

When we look at the result of Mike’s dice roll, something weird happens.

This is actually the first time we can confirm that the dark sorcerer is Henry, because that first image places the Overkill symbol directly above the dark sorcerer and even has the lightning bolt pointing directly at it. In the perspective of the RU, both Henry and Mike’s deaths are implied. Mike’s death is implied verbally and Henry’s is implied on the board. So, I’m actually gonna consult the lighting to explain this. 

When you look at the lighting of this scene and compare it to the lighting for the other scenes of the DND sequence, this lighting is significantly darker with much heavier shadows. Many times throughout the show, we can associate the lighting of a scene changing into something darker with an illusion occurring. The perspective of the RU is being distorted. In actuality, both Mike and Henry are very much so alive. So what’s the point of having the paladin up while the sorcerer goes down? Look at where the paladin is standing. The paladin is in the shadow, in the darkness. The sorcerer is in the light. The darkness is showing the reality, where Mike is alive. The light is showing what the Party sees. Henry is associated with darkness and light is associated with Will. It comes together perfectly when you consider that our perspective of the events of Will’s vanishing in S1 is warped too. Just like how Will’s perspective was distorted then, it’s distorted again so he’s being shown Mike and Henry’s deaths, but Henry’s perspective shows the truth.

In that case, what actually happened? That’s where we turn to the album, which tells us exactly how and why Mike disappeared. 

For the first two songs of the album, the perspective of Henry is established through lines like:

“Dirty little rumor, circulating round... / Spreadin' like the plague. in every little town / Capturing the spirit! and goin' to the head”

“From the fire to the streets / I've seen it all... / I've melted in the heat”

There are, however, lines that don’t quite line up with the idea we have of Henry. That’s where the connection to Eddie comes in. Obviously, there was a reason they decided to associate the album with Eddie rather than just placing it around in another way and that reason comes in when lyrics about being reborn start coming in.

“And then a brand new day! / A chance to be reborn / I've seen another way / No time to sit and mourn”

“Didn't want to sit and rot″

I’d like to point at that it seems like Henry’s body may very well have been rendered immobile due to being attacked by a molotov. Eddie’s dead body was left in the UD, complete with no consciousness yet not decomposed either. I’m not saying it’ll be permanent, but I do think that Henry may seek refuge in Eddie’s body by becoming the consciousness that inhabits it. That’s why Eddie is being so heavily associated with this piece of Henry; Henry is living in Eddie’s body. Henry is living through Eddie’s music taste much like he will be living through Eddie later on. 

This is important because the song I mentioned at the very beginning of this is the song that tells us how Mike was taken. Mike isn’t stupid enough to separate himself on purpose and there would be too many people around to protect him if Henry just tried to force his way towards Mike. He needs something that would lure Mike away from the others so he can capture them in an illusion and get Mike alone.

This song is a call to a teenager, repeating the phrase ‘hello from our little hell’ over and over. The story goes and has someone who survived the gutter live to tell the tale and beckon the child to join him. He even tell the child that they’ve been expecting him. I think Henry had called for Mike in Eddie’s body and beckoned him away from the others, because of course Mike would follow Eddie if he thought he’d found him. Mike has seen 3 people come back from the dead, it’s not unbelievable that the same could happen for Eddie. Mike cares about his friends like no other, so if he needed to find Eddie he would. 

This might seem like a reach, but then I’d like to bring your attention back to that shot of Mike’s paladin and the dark sorcerer. The paladin’s shadow reaches out and connects with the cultist who represents Eddie (or, rather, Henry in Eddie’s body). The cultist is in the light, but is connected to the darkness by the paladin’s shadow. Eddie is still, technically, Eddie in both the Party’s POV and Henry’s POV, except before Mike is taken he’s tricked into believing that Eddie is still Eddie inside and out, but the reality is that Eddie is only Eddie on the outside. 

What’s most interesting is that I don’t actually think Mike was taken involuntarily. When I mentioned having a potential date for when Mike disappeared, I got that from @aemiron-main​ and his insight about the LOTR/ST parallels. One thing he informed me of was that a deal was made on April 6th to end the week of hell occurred. To set the timeline, the first death of S4 happens on March 22nd, then a week passes by and the show ends on March 29th. A week after that would be April 6th, leaving the hell that is the UD to rain on Hawkins. If Mike were to encounter Henry directly at his weakest, I think it’s very in-character for him to try and find a way to put an end to all the chaos and protect his friends, family, and Hawkins. Mike has always wanted to do anything he could to protect people, and he’s smart. If Henry wanted him for some reason, he would absolutely use that to his advantage somehow. Mike disappears after making a deal with Henry to put an end to the chaos and keep his family safe and Henry uses an illusion to convince everyone that both of them are dead.

The Experience

It doesn’t end there. Henry wouldn’t just end it because he has Mike, that makes no sense. He’s going to put Mike in a trance. Like I said, Henry doesn’t have the strength to maintain his own body and needs to recover. If he keeps Mike and doesn’t kill him, he can sap the strength from Mike slowly and consistently; those psychic connections give him power. He couldn’t kill Mike, because he’d need him for later but he could use that trance state to keep Mike in place and heal himself. How do I know this? The first song that details how this trance is gonna play out is called Mad Gone World. 

“In a world gone mad and thriving in the boundaries of your brain / Imprisoned in a world solely created for the purpose of a crunch”

This line heavily implies the idea of a trance because it’s a world existing entirely in one’s brain, just like how the trance takes the world you know and puts it in a place only your brain can reach. Also, it’s a little funny, but the ‘world created for the purpose of a crunch’ is literally what the point of the trances is. He creates them so he can connect with his victims and kill them, crunching their bones. Lmao

“What ya see and what ya feel / Are nothing nothing real / A visionary climax! / An imagery so clear / Losing touch or reason / Both quickly slip away”

Again, more lyricism that equates to a trance-like state. We start to move more into what actually occurs during the trance, though. Mike slowly moves towards losing reason because he’s being put in a trance, and seemingly for a very long time. 

“One million minutes... / One million nights / One million dreams I've had! / And a million fights / Livin' in a mad gone world / Livin' blind / Livin' with this worldly madness / Just a state of mind / Just a state of mind”

One million minutes and nights implies just how long Mike is going to be in this trance. It seems like Mike is going to be tranced for the two year time skip, which is why this album is from 1988 and not 1986. There’s also a great post here that explains why Mike being missing for the time skip makes sense narratively. A million dreams and fights implies undergoing tons of visions and such in this trance as well. Living blind is also a reference to the way that the vitcims’ eyes roll back when they’re tranced. And, all of this stuff is occurring as a state of mind to Mike because it’s happening in his head. 

The other song that walk us through his trance are called Brainfade and Drunken Wisdom. They aren’t as extensive as the other songs, but Brainfade is all about accusing someone of being a liar, saying they’re “full of shit” and there’s also a short monologue that talks about Vegas and an RV which makes me think we’ll at least be getting a call back to the van and a memory with the actual Eddie and they’ll be intertwined. It could possibly be how we find out about how Mike is queer. Maybe he’ll relive the van scene and run out of the car and run to Eddie’s RV out of instinct and then find Eddie and confront another aspect of his queerness right after. Just a possibility.

The final song that details his trance is called Drunken Wisdom, and this song covers the other things we’ll likely see in Mike’s trance. 

“Your bitchin's a bore / Don't wanna hear it no... more / So stop cryin' / Ain't feelin' nothing for you”

 The first verse is all about getting someone to stop crying, that their bitching is a bore. That comes back to the way Mike doesn’t value his own feelings and believes his own opinions don’t matter, that his problems are lesser than. 

“Sorry if I'm not as nice as you could be! / Why don't you take the time to see?  / That the world! / Does not revolve around only you / And we got better things to do”

This addresses Mike’s selfishness and how he feels like an asshole for making things about himself sometimes. It’s about how he isn’t a good person and how there are more important things in the world than him, which is something we’ve seen him be insecure about before.

“Why don't we give you a call”

Direct hit! Mike’s lack of calls to Will and losing his best friend are here now too!

All of this would pile up on Mike, especially after years of going through it. That leads into our final trance song; End of the Line. It opens with a reminder that time has not stopped passing during all this. Then, we get this.

“On the edge, standing”

Well. I think we’ve seen this before.

“Time. Time after time / The end of the line / We stand and watch it fade away... / Sign of the time's the end of the line”

Yeah I think we get it. Mike’s gonna go back to the cliff. He’s gonna try to kill himself again. We got it. 

“It's your move / So play... it right / Sometimes you get just one chance”

This’ll make more sense later, but I think that this is moment where the party opens a portal back to the real world and Mike has a chance. He can end it all, one way or another. This is the only chance he’s gonna get to pick. 

“It's the end / It snuck up... / Quick and took you by surprise / The waiting's over”

The waiting is over. Mike’s made his choice.

The Rescue

Let’s take a quick step back to the Party’s POV. I don’t think we have any evidence of what happened during Mike’s trance, but I do think I can figure out who actually opened the portal and saved him. Remember the dice rolls? The r-o-b ones? There are two other ones.

This is clearly predicting El’s attempt at saving them, and it fails, but let’s look at it a little closer. Who are all the characters in this frame? We have Mike, Max, Henry, Eddie, and two skeletons. What ties all these characters together? They all exist within Henry’s mind one way or another, and the two skeletons are representative of Fred and Chrissy. 

This is pretty much evidence of the fact that El is gonna go into Henry’s mind at some point and witness Mike’s trance. She won’t be able to free Mike or Max, but she will get to have her realization moment. 

So who succeeds?

Here we have El, Dustin, Lucas, and Will. Only Will and Lucas are standing. Will and Lucas are the 20 that save Mike. Will makes sense, with his powers and such and him being Mike’s light, but why Lucas? Check this out.

Look behind Mike. Lucas is there. I think Lucas might’ve seen something that’ll hint to him that was he was seeing was an illusion. Lucas is gonna play a part in saving Mike because he’s the person who might actually know anything about what really happened. Assuming we’re getting the Mike/Will role reversal, then Lucas stays the same. The only person who wanted to find Will just as badly as Mike was Lucas (excluding Joyce). If Lucas thinks he can find Mike, he won’t stop, and he may end up going off on his own to do so or he and Will stick together because Lucas no longer has doubts about hoping. 

So Lucas and Will are gonna be the ones to save Mike. Does Mike choose to go through the portal? Head First answers that.

“I push to the left, you pull to the right! / It's a stand off / Gainin' no ground / Outta the dark and into the lights! / It's a breakthrough / Startin' with sound”

Mike is going for the portal, dodging Henry’s attempts to push him to the left. He’s running out of the dark and into the light thanks to sound, which is exactly how Max escaped Henry the first time. 

“Up down the front and side to side! / Code blue / We need it stat / I got the reason that makes you go! / Mid air / Suspended animation”

“It all ends with an all out dive!”

He makes it out, now suspended midair. Henry tried to kill him (code blue) and failed. It ends with a dive, just like how Robin, Steve, Nancy, and Eddie dove into the UD, Mike is diving out.

The problem is that this has brought Will to Henry. Overkill II is a whole beast on its own. It feels much more like a summary of Henry’s perspective on his relationship with Will than anything else, which is Gross. I won’t break down every single lyric because if you read it you’ll see what I mean and that’s also not the point of this post. It’s icky sticky bro

On a lighter note, however, I think we have a return date for Mike! Once again, I thank Em for telling me about these amazing LOTR parallels because April 7th is supposedly the date in which Sam and Frodo have their hospital scene after that week of hell (sorry I don’t remember the exact names and I think I forgot to tag the post he told me stuff in). Not only do the times line up, though there’s two years between the events for us, they also make sense with everything else we know about Mike and being in the trance during the time skip as well as the fact that April 7th is Mike’s birthday. That would be insanely significant, especially if that somehow ties into birthday gate. 

Mike went missing on April 6th, 1986 and came home two years and one day later, April 7th 1988. 

I know that was a lot, so thank you for reading!! There was a ton of info in here but it was so fucking fun to put together, so I hope it’s as cool to you all as it is to me :)

[katiekatdragon27]

I'm so normal about the teensies.

I'm so normal about the teensies that I made a pre-Rayman origin story for the teensies. The teensies built the world lol, idc how inaccurate it is to the lore lol.

It's my interpretation, I get to decide the lore!

(THING TO NOTE: All of their designs are based on already existing teensies, whether it be canon or concept doesn't matter. If you can accurately figure out which teensies inspired who, I will give you a gold star🌟)

General plot synopsis: Polokus made the world. The fairies were also made; however, they were not "sentient" beings yet. All their births were from teeny terraforming of the land but that'll be explained in a later post. Anyways, the teensies were created not only to make sick beats with their noses, but to give the world guides and watchful keepers of order. Once every creature was created, Polokus took his leave, leaving all his "kids" to figure everything out. As one could imagine, that caused a lot of fighting over who's in charge. One teensy in particular knew in his heart he was built to lead. However, due to his short stature and insistence for violence, many did not even lend a passing glance.

When Polokus had a bad dream and a certain first nightmare invades the Glade, death in introduced into the world and no one knows how to deal with it. In a test of leadership and strength. This one teensy beat the odds, uniting every clan of teeny around, recruiting their most powerful fighters, and taking down the nightmare, restoring peace to the Glade.

Despite the win, there were still many rabid creatures running around, so in an attempt to establish order permanently, they "built" the Snoring Tree, the most middle part of the world where every teensy leader (and other creatures if needed) could come to discuss diplomacy and general plans of action (a knights of the round table kind of thing). It is where the Hall of Doors is located along with a direct link to the Livid Dead, which was established just a few years earlier. (After the Snoring Tree was made, that's when the fairies were "born" with Betilla being the first.)

However, his establishment of peace fell on it's face almost immediately due to teensy nature being lowkey selfish lol. The first "generation" of teensies was very good at this "guide and order keeper" job, but as each generation passed, more and more of the teensies' diplomatic mindset was pushed to the wayside in favor of a superiority complex. And when Betilla made Rayman as a protector of the Glade, many teensies lost interest in fighting themselves, leaving them very susceptible to attacks. That's why every creature ever is adamant in sticking these guys in cages. Cuz they're lowkey assholes who can't fight lol.

There are gonna be 10 important people to the plot, but I only got five finished right now. Their bios are below the cut:

_________

Aurthr the Grand Minimus (Fighter):

Aurthr is actually the First King in his prime. He was the first teensy made by Polokus, although he is not the "oldest" (like imagine a creator making ocs of different age ranges but they were all made at the same time). By default, he feels an entitlement to the first throne position in his kingdom, but before he is deemed "king", he has to go though a trial. That trial is ... defeating Jano! Yes, these are gonna be the group of teensies that defeat Jano and create the Livid Dead lol. But in order to do that, he needs to learn to be a leader. Along the way, he also learns that to be a grand leader, he needs to value solutions through diplomacy over violence (something that is lost in later generations *cough cough*).

Orion the Adventurous Ranger:

Orion is Aurthr's childhood best friend who comes from outside the castle walls. Being a Murkin (a clan of teensies that has since disappeared), he is very good at going undetected and just navigating the world outside of civilization in general. Despite his soft-spoken nature and cowardness, he really wants to make a difference for the better in teensy society, and it may just come around by teaching Aurthr to listen first before attacking (along with how to be an amazing Kungfoot player).

And yeah, he has ears. Ears are a recessive gene, but the Murkin were the clan that had that trait the most. (They usually get cropped if they're too big to hide in their hats.)

Sapphie the Beautiful Bard:

Sapphie is a teensy who's primary magic use is of the darker arts (hence her ability to go natural hair). Before being Aurthr's first recruit, she spent most of her days traveling about and doing small thieving jobs. She was a well-know musician, and she performed for money a lot. However, what she loves more than money is adventure. She immediately jumps onboard to Aurthr's crew, leading as healer until a different teensy joins the group later on and giving her the chance to fight. She teaches Aurthr about strength in presentation (and how to play his nose like a musical interment).

Umber the Undead Warlock:

Umber is one of the two mages that Aurthr sought out to help fight Jano. They are the Griskin Chief and trying their best to keep their people safe. This dedication to their people's safety led to a deal with a slumbering spirit, giving up their voice in exchange for power and sanctuary near his den. While constantly struggling to keep their clan quiet, they have been trying to manage the sudden influx in stressed out and scared ghosts showing up and causing a ruckus. Stressed and overwhelmed, it takes more than just some talking to convince them to go with Aurthr. But after helping with some big tasks and beating them in a game of Kungfoot, they decide to assist, and put a stop to whatever is killing everyone from above the bog.

Soria the Stunning Sorceress:

Soria is one of the two mages that Aurthr sought out to help fight Jano. Being part of the Sylkin sorcerers, she was the main protecter of Polokus's resting place high in the mountains. She is incredibly strong for a teensy in terms of magic, making her quite the formidable fighter. However, she would much rather sing and dance, and overall just have fun being alive than perform combat. She decides to help defeat Jano after being bested in music fight with Aurthr and having her eyes open to the destruction occurring down below.

She also has ears. They are long, but since her hat is also long there was no need to crop them.

__________

There are five more characters that will be posted later, but these are the important ones at the beginning of the story. I have a lot of this world thought out with a very solid plotline, so if y'all got any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them. Thank you for your reading all this and have a lovely day ^^

[1000punks]

bonding. ¹³//wedding

MASTERLIST.

pairing: spawn!Astarion x named!Tav (non-binary OC)

warnings: 18+. nsft. mdni. fluff, plot, for the vibes. it's the wedding!!! ♡

word count: 3,759

summary: two gays remodel a house domestic fluff and some character background building, set in post-game baldur's gate. two people who are weird and traumatized work on their relationship and reclaim their sexuality through a shared kink. lots of gooey romantic smut while these two slowly figure out their future together.

named!Tav is my non-binary tiefling ranger, Festé. i was seeing far too few fics with tiefling!Tav and i thought it was crucial, nay, critical to include them in the headcanons. i hope you all enjoy! ♡

header credit: i'm no graphic designer, but i made it!!

"Tell me, friend; what is the point of all of this theatre? Is that the right word?" Festé watched Lae'zel behind them in the mirror while she turned to Karlach, and they grinned widely.

"Yes!" Karlach piped up, her leg bouncing as she spoke. "It's an excuse to put on a pretty dress and kiss the person of your dreams, Lae. Some people wait their entire life for their wedding." She smiled to herself, looking down at her hands. "It's supposed to be a very special day."

Lae'zel huffed, probably in derision. "The gith have no use for pretty dresses." She caught Festé's eye in the mirror and gave them a confident smirk. "We simply decide to be together, for as long as the need takes us."

"We are, Lae'zel," Festé dabbed their finger in the charcoal, swiping it under their eyes slowly. "We're giving each other ourselves, and that's what it is at the root of it all, I think. However," they turned, standing up and unlacing their tunic while they stepped behind the dressing-screen. "Star wanted to give me a wedding, with all of the luxury it entails. And I…" they lifted their head with a soft laugh. "I just want him. I want to hold him and support him. So I'll wear the pretty dress, and do whatever he asks of me." They bent down, opening the simple wooden box and gasping softly. "Because this is… It's a big ask for him, being with s… Oh gods." They stopped short, parting the fabric gently with their hands.

"What is it?" Karlach straightened up in her seat, craning her neck to peer over the screen.

"It's, uh… It's beautiful, is what it is." Festé answered, breathless. They peeked over the top of the screen at the taller tiefling, gaping at her and then laughing nervously, eyes darting between their companions. "He outdid himself. Come here!" Both of them looked intrigued; Karlach's eyes brightening as she all but jumped up and down in delight. She kept her distance, wringing her hands. Lae'zel's eyes were wide with wonder, and she broke the short silence when she carefully took the dress from the imp.

"This may not be a silver sword, nor is it a red dragon… But it is perfect for you. He knows you, truly." She nodded sagely, and held it up for a better look. "Today, you fight a different kind of battle. May I help you with your armour, friend?"

"Fuck yes!" Karlach said. "I'll watch from over here, I don't want to get too excited and singe anything." She raised her hands, palms forward, before collapsing backward on the small armchair. "So this is what Fangs has been working on for the past few months? I'm impressed, honestly." A beat of silence. "He must really love you, soldier."

"Agreed," Lae'zel said in a low voice, gently pulling the dress up after Festé stepped into it. She took a moment to carefully do up the buttons, then stood back with her hands on her hips. "Even I have seen the way the vampire looks at you. How he marks you with his bites and bruises. How he has made you his. This, though…" A rare smile graced the gith's lips as she tilted her head to the side. "He adorns you both as a lover would, and as if you are his favoured warrior." She gave a subtle, satisfied nod. Festé smiled. They were always surprised with the ways Lae'zel had softened since they first met. She held out her hand, leading them out from behind the screen, and they watched Karlach's eyes light up, hands shooting up to cover her mouth.

"Oh my gods! Not to put too fine a point on it, but you look like a princess, Festé." She pointed to the mirror, and Festé made their way a little closer. They turned their hips halfway, getting the full effect. They had been right that night in the workshop, the bell-shaped sleeves were long. So long, in fact, that they brushed the floor. They squinted, impressed at how soft their broad, square shoulders looked. They looked… dainty. Beautiful. Something twisted in their stomach, and they took a deep breath that caught in their chest.

"It's good, right?" They caught sight of Karlach and Lae'zel both standing behind them in the mirror, and they beamed. Slowly, they studied the outfit. One hand came up, fingering the intricate stitching set against the sheer white fabric, and they raked their eyes over the slits in the skirt that framed their thighs. The tiefling turned their head this way and that, looking at the high collar that all but covered the accumulated bites scars from their lover. The smile slid from their face when they realized. It had been almost two weeks since the night they had told Astarion about Caeusan, and he hadn't fed since two days before. Karlach stepped forward, her hand hovering a good six inches above their right shoulder.

"Hey… what's wrong? You look like you're about to cry. You know, not the happy kind where you're so excited to be married." Festé opened their mouth to answer, but they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Lae'zel crossed the room quickly and silently to answer it, and Wyll stepped inside, already addressing the room in general.

"Astarion said these are the boots, he forgot to give them to you earlier- Gods, Festé, you look stunning." He stopped short, boots grasped tightly in one hand. They watched as he averted his eyes, blushing and astonished.

"Right back at you, my friend," the tiefling countered, taking in the Blade's sleek black robes. He and Karlach had dressed to match, it seemed. They rushed forward to give Wyll a hug. "I need to step out for a moment, unfortunately. What room did Jaheira put him in?"

"Last one on the left," he answered. Then he lowered his voice, leaning in. "Is everything all right?" He surrendered the boots, and Festé put them on quickly, looking between their three companions. Wyll was staring at them. Gods, he made almost as good a ranger as they did, and in such a short time.

"He was spiralling when you left, wasn't he? Sent you to make sure I'm not running?" Festé straightened up. Almost as good; he needed to work on his poker face. Wyll winced, avoiding their gaze, and nodded. "It's okay, I need to give him his wedding gift anyway. Be back soon," they winked, hitching up their dress and setting off down the hall. Upon reaching the door that Wyll had pointed out, they took a deep breath before knocking three times. "Star, it's me," they sighed, barely above a whisper. They heard movement, and the door opened a crack as the tiefling rolled up their sleeve. They stuck their hand into the room, as soon as there was enough space.

"Darling, what are you-" The elf sounded annoyed, but there was a withered quality to his voice. "Now's hardly the time, don't you think?" he hissed.

"Drink, my love. I can only imagine how thirsty you are," they hissed back.

"I don't… I can't, not in front of G-" he started.

"I'll say. I would like the feasting kept to a minimum. Before supper, anyway," Gale cut in, sounding mildly irritated.

"Gale, close your eyes," they called out. "Star, drink. Please." There came a harsh sigh from the other side of the door; and, although Festé couldn't see him, they knew the beats of silence that accompanied Astarion rolling his eyes. They flapped their hand around insistently, feeling for the elf's chest and closing their fingers around silky fabric. He huffed, and they felt his hands curl around their arm gently, then his nose brushing over their wrist.

"You're…" he inhaled, keeping his voice low. "You're not going to leave, are you?"

"I'll leave when you drink," they murmured. "Then I'll meet you out there, at the altar. Like we promised. Come on." He exhaled over their skin, sinking his fangs in before anyone had a chance to protest, though Gale tried anyway. Festé pushed into the feeling, for a moment. Savouring it, holding it dear, and rested their forehead against the door. The elf's grip tightened, and they heard him sigh through his nose before pulling away. Silently, the tiefling found his cheek with their palm and held it, swiping their thumb lightly against his lower lip before pushing it into his mouth.

He sucked, if only for a moment, before whispering, "Thank you." Festé chuckled, patting his cheek.

"I will see you out there, Star. Won't I?"

Astarion drew a breath, his voice low and husky. "Yes."

"Good," they withdrew their arm and pulled the door closed, walking back up the hall.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

Festé could hear the music before they reached the far end of the aisle. It was a slow melody, one that could easily be mistaken for a dirge. It had a hypnotic, dream-like quality about it that the tiefling could have sworn was familiar, but only just. They grasped for a moment, trying to recall where they had heard it first, but the moment of realization didn't come. The melody reached a small peak, climbing an octave as Festé started up the aisle. They closed their eyes as it climbed back down slowly, getting lost for a moment in a memory they had no idea of the source. They imagined themself walking into a clearing, one they had never seen before in their life. Their eyes snapped open and they shook their head. Wyll pulled at their arm gently, and smiled.

He and Karlach had both insisted on giving them away at the last moment, and the larger tiefling had opted to grasp their hand tightly, while Wyll linked his arm with theirs in true princely fashion. It left them with one hand to hold the small arrangement of roses. The three swayed together down the aisle, and when they reached halfway, Festé spotted movement at the makeshift altar. Shadowheart stood behind it, a small smile turning up the corners of her mouth when they made eye contact. She cast a sidelong glance at Astarion, who had just turned around. His eyes were wide, the moonlight glinting off of them as it had that night in the graveyard, and he smiled at them. Fangs and all. Their heartrate sped up; and though he was still a good distance away, he seemed to be able to hear it, grinning more widely and raising his eyebrows.

"Wow, did he make that one too?" Karlach hissed softly, and Festé heard Wyll chuckle.

"Our pale friend certainly has a way with sewing needles, doesn't he?" he murmured back. Festé was silent, their mouth falling open as they studied Astarion's outfit. The shirt was black but sheer, open to the navel, and blending down into wide-legged trousers, along with a train. He had banded it at the waist with a wide belt. As they drew closer, Festé could tell that the stitching matched that on their dress: white and silver on black to complement their own black on white. Unconsciously, they squeezed Karlach's hand, and found her squeezing back with a low squeal of excitement.

"Can he make my clothes too?!" she whispered, and Festé had to laugh softly at that. They all reached the altar, and Wyll helped Festé step up on the dais, true gentleman that he was.

"There you are, darling," Astarion murmured. "Thank you both for delivering them safely." He took Festé's hand when Karlach offered it, and the tiefling found it pleasantly cool in comparison.

"Best tidings, you both." Wyll bowed, stepping off the dais gracefully before taking his seat in the front row. Festé took the chance to look out in the modest crowd, spotting Jaheira, Minsc and Boo easily. Lae'zel was seated with her honour guard and inner circle of rebel gith. Gale was sitting with Tara perched on his shoulder, and Festé realized from the way he tapped his fingers one over another in the air, he must be the one enchanting them all with the music. The tieflings of Elturel were scattered amongst the group as well, and they spotted an empty seat between Wyll and Dammon that Karlach was eyeing up anxiously. Far in the back of the room, Festé thought they saw a shadow, and they squinted, astonished when they made out the shape. It was Withers, and they thought they could see him smiling before stepping back into the shadows and disappearing from view entirely.

"Good luck, you two!" Karlach called, startling them; and already scrambling to sit down. Festé turned back to face Astarion, breathing a sigh of relief.

"You look so beautiful, love," he purred, reaching up to push their hair back from their face. They had left it loose and wavy from the previous night's braids, tucked over one shoulder.

"Easy tiger. Someone will think you're trying to take me home with you," the tiefling beamed, keeping their voice low. Both had to stifle their laughter while Shadowheart squinted at them from the other side of the altar. She raised her hands, taking a silent moment of prayer with Selûne before taking her place in front of the couple. When she spoke aloud, her voice was cool and confident.

"A good evening to friends, family, and loved ones gathered here tonight. You will all bear witness to this couple's promise of eternity in matrimony. Most of you are people that we had the privilege of helping during our group's travels, and you have our gratitude for your presence here." She smiled subtly. "I'm sure each of us are intimately aware of the darkness. The darknesses present in our own lives, and the darknesses we see in one another. But, without darkness, we cannot appreciate the light. Today, we celebrate two people embracing the light and the darkness in each other. May I have your hands, please?" Shadowheart looked between them, and Festé was taken aback briefly when they saw her eyes glowed silver-white in the dim light. "Both of you, please repeat the vows: 'You will not fall, for my arms will always encircle you'."

Their voices intertwined, loud in the quiet grotto; and wrapped neatly in the music. "You will not fall, for my arms will always encircle you."

"'I am yours, in strife and in peace'," Shadowheart continued. The air on the dais seemed to crackle softly and ripple.

"I am yours, in strife and in peace," they said together. It sounded like an incantation, the way their voices blended with the music.

"'My heart, and my hearth are always open to you'," Shadowheart looked between them once more, but Astarion and Festé were entranced only by the other.

"My heart, and my hearth are always open to you." Festé could feel an odd sensation running up their fingertips, like dipping one's hand in a cool bath. A shudder across from them let them know Astarion was feeling the same thing. They chuckled, and the sound was distant. His eyebrows knitted, but he wore a devious grin.

"Do you have the daggers?" Shadowheart whispered, releasing their hands. Astarion drew first, and Festé reached down to their thigh, tapping the hilt without breaking eye contact. The cleric nodded in their peripheral, and spoke up: "'Let these instruments symbolize our unwavering trust in one another'."

"Let these instruments symbolize our unwavering trust in one another," they both repeated, then Astarion took over, cupping Festé's hand in his when he spoke. "Va art Salen Ar, tel'Ivae siilen bathe aul." He slowly rested Rhapsody's blade flat against their palm, and the tiefling had no time to be surprised when Shadowheart took their bouquet, laying it silently on the altar behind her.

They took a deep breath, drawing Caeusan's dagger from the sheath on their thigh and laying the blade against Astarion's outstretched palm. He smiled wryly when he realized that they had both had the same idea, and they grinned, tilting their head. Never did their eyes stray from his, and they countered: "Yaf vory ph paal, zmy zuvy zmiz xe ip tirruyv kh." Very carefully, Astarion bent forward to sheathe Rhapsody against their thigh, and they mirrored the motion with Caeusan's dagger at the elf's hip.

"Please, join hands," Shadowheart said, producing a length of scarlet rope from atop the altar. Astarion held up his hand, splaying his fingers, and Festé fit theirs easily between them. "Your vows are now a bond declared in front of mortal witnesses, as well as the gods themselves," the cleric continued as she wrapped their hands loosely in the rope, finishing with a bow. Festé noted the tinkling of bells, though they didn't confirm by glancing down. "If anyone present objects to this union - and nobody had better - " she hissed so only Festé and Astarion could hear. "Please speak up." They all waited for several heartbeats, until Shadowheart chuckled. "Then the two of you may kiss."

Astarion drew them in by the waist with his free arm, and Festé lifted on the balls of their feet, throwing their arm around his neck and meeting his lips with fervor. They kissed recklessly, as if they were the only two people in the grotto. Moments or lifetimes passed as their lips crashed against each other gently, and Festé could feel their lungs screaming for air as they reached up, knotting their fingers in their husband's hair. He responded in kind, hand firm against the small of their back and slowly moving to the curve of their ass. His lips sought theirs desperately, tongue moving subtly along their lower lip before he pecked gently down to their jaw. Festé sighed against his ear before remembering where they both were. They pulled gently through his hair. "We have an audience, Star," they breathed.

He hummed, placing a final kiss just above the high collar of their dress. "Oh, let them look. It's the most action some of them will see for-"

"Star!" they hissed; and they drew one another into a hug.

"You're mine later, imp," he chuckled, squeezing them before they broke apart. Too late, the tiefling was aware of their companions and friends on their feet, clapping. In Karlach's case, whooping and inciting cheers from elsewhere in the crowd. "In fact, I think I'm entitled to keep my hands on you the entire night," he smirked, leading them off the dais.

"I'll hold you to that, elf," they retorted with a soft laugh. He leaned to the side slightly, glancing down and narrowing his eyes.

"I believe your tail is wagging, darling." Before Festé could think of a sharp comeback, the crowd was pressing in around the two of them; and the tiefling resigned themself to saving their wits for later.

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

After what seemed like hours of being tugged this way and that, half-shouted congratulations, and more attention than Festé wanted to experience for the rest of their life, everyone broke off into groups, chatting idly and taking their comfort in food and drink. Astarion hadn't left the tiefling's side once, as he had promised, and kept contact through a series of subtle touch. Every time they glanced in his direction, he wore a proud, if subdued, smile. Karlach and Wyll were detailing their recent adventures in Avernus to Zevlor and Dammon, who listened with rapt interest. Zevlor, to his credit, was offering strategic insight, while Dammon offered a supportive ear. Festé glanced down, smiling when they saw his tail gently curling around Karlach's. Lae'zel and Gale were locked in a deep conversation about the ongoing conflict with Vlaakith; with the wizard's face screwed up in concentration as he absorbed every fine detail. Lae'zel's honour guard loomed nearby, ever-watchful even in the peaceful pocket of Jaheira's grotto. Jaheira herself was delegating to the remaining Harpers - as well as Minsc - about food and wine replenishment.

Shadowheart had stuck by the imp's side nearly as closely as Astarion, and the two were trading light jabs in Elvish, judging by the tone of their voices. It surprised Festé for an instant when she said, "I didn't expect such a bold declaration out of you, Astarion. It was almost uncanny."

"Well, love makes us all do uncanny things, darling. I assure you it would have been no less true if I had said it in the common tongue." He sipped his wine with an air of nonchalance, but there was the softest note of panic in his voice. Shadowheart shot a glance at Festé, smiling dryly.

"I'm just glad to hear we all seem to have found our true motives, that's all." She wrapped her arm around the tiefling, giving them a hug before sauntering off. They looked on after her for a moment before the pale elf pulled gently at their fingers.

"What was that about?" They murmured, looking up at him, and he scowled, rolling his eyes.

"Our dear Shadowheart thinks I deserve to be teased for my choice of vows during the ceremony. I'm sure Jaheira will be next, the old witch, but it is what it is." He leaned down, planting a kiss on their forehead while Festé squinted at him. "Don't look at me like that, my love. I merely said that you were my sun." He murmured the last words against the shell of their ear, as if they were a secret, and Festé shuddered. "I'll be damned if you're not the most important person in my life now," he added, straightening up.

"Star, don't make me cry," they whispered back. "I love you. The entire night has been just… breathtaking, I…"

"Ah-ah, it's the least I can do, little love, to repay you for helping me get my life back. Helping me… find life." His palms found their cheeks. "Besides, I adore doting on you. I-" Astarion's gaze fixed over their shoulder for a moment, and they watched him roll his eyes again. "I'll have to save the sweet nothings for later, we have guests to entertain."

"Oi! You two can't dodge us all night," Karlach bellowed from behind them, and Festé laughed while Astarion groaned. "Gale says we're going to start dancing!"

"Do we have to?" Astarion hissed so only they could hear.

"Well, I suppose… It is a wedding after all, my love." They held out their hand, and the elf took it, squeezing tightly. "Together?" Festé asked.

He sighed, half-dramatically, half-joyfully. "Together," he agreed, and led them into the crowd.

author's notes:

i had to take some creative liberties with the elvish - i didn't want to use tolkien elvish here, so i found this elvish translator for D&D/FR and a BIG thank you to whoever put that together, it's very thorough in terms of the elvish available in D&D lore!

another big thank you to the creator of the infernal translator as well!

A: You are my sun, the light that I bathe in.F: You are my moon, the tide that I am carried by.

thank you for supporting this fic! you rock you rock you rock and i love you /p

the outfit inspo! the designer is zuhair murad and i love all of the pieces i've seen from him, holy fuck.

[walder-138]

Also! Also! For any/all you wish to speak about uvu

🍓 🍄 👠

Thank you for the asks pookie! I completely forgot to answer this, so sorry again for the very late response!

🍓 (strawberry) - Does your oc believe in anything? Are they superstitious? Religious? Atheistic? Has anything in their past made them this way?

Oz knows there’s something out there, some sort of God or Jesus or Zeus or some shit like that. He was on the brink of death and miraculously made it out alive so many times he figured there’s gotta be something helping him out. The amount of deep-seeded wartime nostal- no, trauma, makes him skeptical of any ‘divine good’. In Oz’s mind, if God was all good, the nukes wouldn’t have gone off, there would be no war, and his daughter wouldn’t be crippled.

Annika is completely atheistic. Quite similar to Oz in her beliefs, she’d think that she would be dead if God existed, especially considering the shit she’s done. She thinks the idea of superstitions are stupid.

Abbey is a different story from both of them. Due to the the ‘cult’, she’s terrified of religion and has the deep fear that maybe they were right about everything, and she’d end up going to hell. Often, she’ll find herself doing things shutting down the TV, not listening to music, and punishing herself when she goes against a bullshit doctrine or even disobeys her adoptive father.

🍄 (mushroom) - Does your character like being in nature or do they prefer the indoors? Do they have any outdoor hobbies like camping or fishing? If they prefer the indoors, why?

Oz used to love the outdoors. Him, his brothers and sister used to spend hours throwing mud at each other, fishing, climbing trees, and playing near the train tracks. Old Man Clancy had to wrangle the 7 of them up from how much they loved being outside.

His love for the outdoors continued, until the middle of his service as an Army Ranger. Animals creeping out from the trees ain’t mean a thing compared to fully grown men with rifles, children with bombs strapped to their chests, or a Soviet ambush. It gave Oz a sense of danger every time he stepped out into the woods. Every rustle of a leaf made him feel like it’s happening all over again. He would try to take Jenny into the woods, rowing a canoe while she fished. He doesn’t want his fear to get in the way of Jenny being a kid, and she’s already limited in her movements.

(Skipping Annika— no clue what to put for her lmao)

Abbey LOVES being outside, as when she growing up, she wasn’t allowed to leave a certain area. Being in nature makes her feel free and away from the burdens of her everyday life. When Markus Foster took Abbey in, she’d spend hours just walking in circles in his backyard. It wasn’t that adventurous, but it helped Abbey feel safer to do something she ‘wasn’t supposed too’. Even as she’s older, she still spends hours just walking outside if she’s stressed out.

👠 (heels) - How does your oc dress? Are they stylish or casual? Do they keep up with trends or do their own thing? Do they prefer designer clothes or going to the thrift store? Do they have a signature item of clothing?

Oz LIVES in Hawaiian shirts. He’s got about 30 of them in his closet, and for every occasion. Thrifted, designer, doesn’t matter; if it’s got flowers on it (and doesn’t make him look feminine), he’ll purchase it. Besides the shirts, he usually wears cargo or acid washed jean pants, along with a pair of worn out brown boots from when he was a mechanic. I guess his outfit is pretty period typical, but I don’t think he’d follow trends per se, as he only focused on mobility and safety for work.

(Dawg would be wearing a baby blue Hawaiian shirt with pink and red flowers while reliving the most horrific events of his life and adding more of them 💀)

Annika used to be so fucking EXTRA before being betrayed in Turkey. When she didn’t need to hide her identity, she would often wear long dresses (with weapons hidden in the skirt, duh) and have herself done up nicely. Casual wasn’t even in her dictionary until the feds got to her. She find most of her clothes in thrift stores, as she wasn’t about to spend 80 bucks on a dress.

(Girl would be handing out the weapons if they needed to sneak them in. She would make a fucking SCENE whenever anyone accused her of hiding something under the skirt, calling them perverts and embarrassing the people around her into letting her in.)

Abbey, before the nukes hit Europe, would wear typical 70s clothing. Bell bottoms, black pumps, and colorful blouses. When the nukes hit, fabric shortages made designer clothes practically non existent, along with the FBI wanting all agents to be ready for attack, made her change into a more simple style. Black shirts, runnable sneakers/running shoes, still killed the bell bottoms though.

Thank you again for the ask!