#just this overarching feeling of not being able to take action. and making up invisible rules for yourself. and caring about cring when you

[miabrown007]

do you ever just get embarrassed because you want to do thing the way it is clearly supposed to be done by a professional, but you don't have the skill levels of a professional, so how do you even come to trying to do it the way they would, or are you normal

[lliblo]

BN02 A Quirk, but at What Cost?

Trigger Warning!

Prompt:

“Ya know if you really wanna be a hero that badly there actually might be another way, just pray that you’ll be born with a quark in your next life and take a swan dive off the roof of the building.” (Dub original)

“Wanna be a hero that badly there’s a quick way to do it. Pray you’ll be born with a quark in your next life and take a last chance dive off the roof.” (Abridged sub)

Izuku took those words to heart. All his life he’s felt trapped in his own body, like something in himself was wanting to get out. He never thought much about how his limbs felt too heavy or that he was being compressed into his own head. His lifelong dream to be a hero truly came to a shatter that day. Instead of going down to grab his notebook his legs carried him to the roof of the building. He blinked at the prospects of what he was doing. He didn’t even know where he was going as the words “Worthless Hero wannabe” rang through his head. His shoes were already off, placed neatly against the ledge as if he planned to return to them. His toes curled around the edge as he looked down. And strangely, he didn’t feel a hint of fear. It was so easy to just… tip forward. 

(Maybe not depressed motives. Trapped motives? Moment of insanity? When he was 5 he had the same moments of insanity (had to take pills to suppress the urge after a few more incidents… maybe it makes Kacchan a little nicer? At least feels more responsible for Izuku? (In this case Kacchan is not the one to suggest jumping. A goon is while Kacchan is not there)

“I was suppressed, not depressed”-Izuku ) I like the idea that the motives aren’t inherently suicidal)

Is this what flying felt like?

The impact was unpleasant, at the same time it was like the shackles he wore his entire life shattered. His limbs felt free and his head didn’t feel compressed with cotton. It was like he was breathing clearly for the first time in ages. It took a moment for his sense to come back and he quickly sat up in horror at what he’d done. The action was too much it seemed and he started floating away from the ground. His body lifeless under him.

In a last desperate effort he grabbed the back of his body's uniform so he didn’t disappear into oblivion. The idea brought a healthy shock of fear that he wished had gone through him before he stepped off. 

That was how the school staff found him. 

A curled up translucent boy sitting next to his broken body, crying as he clung desperately to the cold form.

Experts named the quark: Living Ghost 

Izuku gets this quark and is pretty depressed about the whole thing. Luckily his body was able to be saved but was essentially put into a comma under heavy observations as they try to heal the broken form. Izuku is stuck in his ghost form, presumably indefinitely, he meets All might and asks if he can still be a hero despite his suicide and his astral form. (Different events?)

Bakugo feels so fucking guilty about that. (If going with the option where he says jump)

No idea what happens to One for All. Izuku cannot eat while in astral form. 

Abilities: Turn completely invisible at will, change tangibility (walk through walls and such but still effect the world), see in the dark(? he’s a ghost so not really effected by light).

This is not the first fic idea where Izuku jumps but it does have a twist! Izuku’s got a quirk but it has a very specific activation. He kind has to die first... or that is simply the first way it is found out?

Originally I did play with the idea that Izuku’s body died and he was stuck in this ghost/astral form but without the overarching goal of returning to his body I had no idea what kind of ending it would have... oh well! I’m sure you guys could have fun with it. 

But I will warn you, this is just one of a few ghost idea’s I have it’s on of my fascinations lol

Rules for Use:

Feel free to expand or alter if this inspires you!

Repost a link to your fic on this post (I wanna read it!!)

Give proper credit and link this post in the fic itself (Pretty please?)

Return To: LlibLo’s Fan Fiction Prompt Index

[nijiirorhyme]

NaruMitsu/WrightWorth Fic: Lights, Camera, Action!

Fandom: Ace Attorney

Ship: Mitsurugi Reiji | Miles Edgeworth/Naruhodou Ryuuichi | Phoenix Wright

Warnings: None

Tags:Alternate Universe - Actors, Other Additional Tags to be Added, More characters to be added

Description: Rookie actor Phoenix Wright can not believe his luck as he scores his first major acting role in one of the most anticipated movies of the year. But, what was better than starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year? Starring in one of the most anticipated films of this year with famous actor Miles Edgeworth.

A Wrightworth acting au where two dorks (eventually) fall in love!  

Chapter 1/?

Alternatively, it can be read here!

Text underneath cut!

Act 1 Scene 1

 October 5th, 11:00pm

 Phoenix’s Apartment

Phoenix COULD NOT believe his luck. It was as if lady luck herself were watching over him specifically, feeling so sorry for him that she had to throw him a bone. He could not thank her enough. It seemed as if his life were doing a complete turnabout. Up until now and ever since he had graduated from some third rate university’s performing arts program, he never had the pleasure of striking a role anywhere near being a part of the main cast, but this, this was different. Sure, he had made small cameos as extras in movies, but none of those were enough to give him the boost he needed to put his name on the map. This was the real deal. He would have lines to say, scenes to act, parts where he’d be the one in the limelight. He was just offered the biggest acting gig in his entire life.

‘Lady luck, I know I asked you for help last night,’ he thought to himself, ‘but you didn’t have to go this far for me!’

But, what was better than starring in one of the most anticipated films of the year? Starring in one of the most anticipated films of this year with someone who was currently the world's most famous actor. Miles Edgeworth, a man who the world knew nothing about personally, but that his acting was absolutely phenomenal. Everyone— even their mothers and grandmothers— knew of him, but, it wasn’t until Pearls dragged the man to see one of her cheesy, sappy romance movies starring the mysterious man himself that he finally saw what justified the hype around him.

Romance movies weren’t really Phoenix’s thing as he tended to sleep through most of them. What he could recall of the movie, however, was that the plot was pretty standard; the main female protagonist living her life in poverty while her male counterpart was born into a wealthy family. After the two miraculously begin to date, the couple struggles to find acceptance from the man’s family as they already had a fiance picked out for him. This was all quite cliche in Phoenix’s book, but there was one scene in particular that stuck out to him.

Failing to gain acceptance from the man’s family, the man and the woman impulsively run away together during an explosive argument that erupted between the four. Well, more-so drove away, but that was besides the point. The rain pelted down upon their car as they drove down the winding road as fast as they could, but that had been the man’s fatal mistake. As they came upon their final turn, the man lost control of the steering wheel and the speed they had garnered caused the car to topple over several times before it finally came to a stop. Somehow (though Phoenix thought this defied all odds), the man was fortunate enough to only receive injury to his right arm and was able to wiggle himself free from the car, however, his girlfriend was more than misfortunate. The adrenaline pumped through his blood as he ignored his arm’s cry in pain as he tried to wretch her free from the car. His hands were covered in her blood as he laid her on his lap, knowing the inevitable that she would succumb to her injuries before they were even able to call for help.

His eyes looked into hers, a mix of pain and regret swirling around in his dark orbs. He drove too fast, he should have taken his time, he was about to lose the love of his life— Her voice was enough to snap him out of his thoughts, the booming sound of the thunder almost deafening. She gave him her final words, and just like that, the final bit of life evident in her eyes finally fades and her body goes limp in his arms. The man looked up to the overclouded sky, the rain beating upon his face as he gave  the heavens one last dramatic scream of her name before the movie faded away into a pitch black.

Throughout the entire scene, all Phoenix could do was stare at the big screen. There was something mesmerizing about the way Miles Edgeworth acted. He analyzed the actor’s every move, even the subtle ones that would be invisible to those who didn’t graduate from a third-rate performance arts program, yet contributed an overarching mood to the entire scene. The way his face contorted and twisted and scrunched up in pain as he was filled with regret from his actions, the way his eyes looked into hers in desperation that this was all just a dream— that he wasn’t just about to lose the one he fought so hard alongside, it left a heavy feeling in Phoenix’s chest that almost burst forth from it in the form of tears. Miles Edgeworth brought life to a character from a movie genre Phoenix hated, and not only made him sympathize with the corny character, but almost made him tear up, which to this day he still could not believe.

Phoenix was never a fan of romance movies, especially the ones that Pearls picked out (though he never voiced his complaints aloud) because he thought he could feel his teeth rotting away in his mouth from the sheer sappiness and disgusting sweetness of them, but this one was the only one he approved of.

… Even though it was at the expense of his own friend’s enjoyment.

Phoenix sighed at the memory of what happened afterwards. Pearl was the type of hardcore romance fan who only gravitated towards romance movies where the couple lived happily ever after at the end. Why she chose this movie was beyond Phoenix. Perhaps she glossed over the summary of the story after selectively reading the part where the female protagonist goes from “rags-to-riches” and thought it was something along the lines of Cinderella, completely missing the “this tragic story of her attempt to go from rags-to-riches”... or something. She was so depressed that even Phoenix offering to watch her favourite lovey-dovey romance movie for the gazillionth time wouldn’t cheer her up.

From that point on, Miles Edgeworth swept up the nation’s awards that year for his acting in that movie, including the “Best Male Lead Actor of the Year” award at the Movie of Movies Grand Prix— and to Phoenix, rightfully so. The man’s performance was amazing, yet he couldn’t help wanting to pick a bone with the panel of judges who thought that it deserved “Best Movie of the Year”. He totally thought that the Steel Samurai movie deserved to win (not like he had a bias or anything because his friend Austin Powers starred in it); just because one actor’s acting was remarkable, did not mean that the rest of the movie lived up to such a word.

This was the man that Phoenix had the pleasure of working with and although a part of him was excited, an immense sense of pressure ruined it. Miles Edgeworth was a man who had years of experience under his belt in comparison to himself. That fact in itself was enough to make the butterflies in his stomach awake from their slumber; he hadn’t felt this nervous in ages.

Phoenix glanced at the thick booklet of papers in his hand titled "No Time for Turnabouts: Script”, its thick blocky text staring back at him. With an unsteady sigh, he flipped it open to the first page. If Phoenix wanted to impress Miles Edgeworth at tomorrow’s pre-production meeting, there was only one thing he could do. If he couldn’t rely on his acting skills to impress him, the least he could do was come prepared to what he was about to walk into.

 October 6th, 10:00am

Global Studios: Dressing Room

“For the last time, must I act with such an incompetent rookie?” Miles looked at his manager, eyes narrowed fiercely in an attempt to assert his dissatisfaction at the current situation. “He’s not had any starring roles within the span of his career,” is what a quick IMDb search of the other’s peculiar name told the man. “In fact, I’ve never heard of him before.”

The girl sitting adjacent from him brought a dainty teacup to her lips, taking a sip of her tea before placing it back on its saucer with a cold clink, the cunningness of her eyes colliding with his own, “And like I have told you when you foolishly asked several foolish times before this, it is not within my control,” she shrugged, her mouth curling into a shit-eating grin, “You’ll just have to suck it up, little brother.”

Miles scoffed, but she had a point. It wasn’t his manager, Franziska Von Karma, hiring the cast for this movie, it was the director. This director was someone who he had worked with in the past and every single time, Miles had loved every single creative direction he had taken with the movie; as did the audience, each movie of his being met with positive reviews from viewers and film critics alike. Miles did not doubt his abilities and because of his positive reputation within the film industry, if he wanted to hire a rookie whose career only consisted of being an extra for a few scenes in a few big movies, all he could do was put his faith in him. However, just because he put his faith in him did not mean he approved.

He took a sip of his own tea, before he glanced at the expensive watch adorning his wrist. Today was their first proofreading of the script. There, Miles could finally see who this Phoenix Wright man was.

“Come now, you fool, or we’ll be late.” Franziska was already rolling up her whip in a neat circle and heading towards the door.

Miles put his tea cup down on the glass coffee table, moving his hands to fix his jabot as he stood up. Miles Edgeworth was a man with high standards, and whoever this Phoenix Wright was, Miles hoped he could meet his expectations.

 October 6th, 10:00am

Global Studios

Phoenix’s days couldn’t have been getting any better. The rookie actor was known for never being on time for anything—often receiving a scolding from Maya as a result—but just this once, he had managed to be punctual— if not a little early— for the one thing that mattered the most. He thanked god that he had the foresight to check whether or not he had set his alarm for A.M instead of P.M before he went to bed last night. Phoenix checked himself in the mirror once before he left the house; donning a plain white dress shirt and navy blue slacks. He adjusted the tie around his neck, the last thing he wanted to do was make a bad impression. Giving himself one final hurrah, encouraging himself in the mirror with “you can do this”, and “you got this”, he left his small flat with his head held high.

However, at this point in time, the closer he got to the time of the pre-production meeting, the more nervous he felt. He stood outside the meeting room, checking his wristwatch as he shifted in place from the heels of his feet to the balls of them.

“Nick!” Behind him, a set of hands placed themselves on his shoulder as a familiar energetic voice spooked him out of his nervousness, causing him almost to jump out of his skin. “Are you nervous?”

Phoenix peered over his left shoulder, unsurprised at who it was. It was Maya, who decided to meet him at the studio. If Phoenix had to go in there alone when his agent was perfectly capable of accompanying him, he would curse her to hell and back.

He clutched his chest, heart beating rapidly in his ears. Then, he relaxed and exhaled an exasperated sigh as if this has happened one too many times, “You scared me, Maya!” He exclaimed. “How many times are you going to do this?”

Even if he used the fingers on both of his hands to count all of the times Maya has done this to him before an audition or anytime he was nervous for that matter, he couldn’t. Mainly because for one, he had been to several auditions in the past few years; and two, he didn’t keep track of how many times she did. He stopped counting after the fifth time when he knew it would become a regular occurence.

“Would it be bad if I said never?” Maya giggled.

Phoenix sighed again, “I figured as much…”

“I’m sorry, Nick! It’s just so funny every single time. Remember that time before that one audition when I scared you so bad you spilled your cup of water all over yourself and it looked like you peed your pants-“

Before Maya could say anymore, Phoenix covered her mouth with his hand, wrenching it back in disgust after he felt something wet against his palm. Maya stuck out her tongue and grinned  childishly as Phoenix furiously wiped his hand against his pant leg. He exhaled, “If I asked you to let that go, I’d get the same answer as before, wouldn’t I?” At this point, defeat would be the only option to settle for.

She put her hands together like she always did and with a big smile on her face, she nodded, “You know me so well.”

The two of them continued their friendly banter, most of which consisted of bringing up terribly embarrassing events that had happened to them in the past in an attempt to embarrass the other. This calmed Phoenix’s nerves immensely; Maya always knew how to calm him down despite always scaring him half out of his wits.

“Are you nervous?” She asked, shifting the topic of conversation to something more relevant than reminiscing on their past embarrassments.

The question was like a reality slap, reawakening the butterflies he had thought he thoroughly rid himself of. “Of course, this is my first time ever getting something better than being an extra. A lot is riding on this, Maya.”

“It’s okay Nick!” She jabbed him lightly in the shoulder… Whatever her definition of “lightly” was. Phoenix rubbed his shoulder. That was definitely going to bruise over. “Just remember this, this is your big chance! Your break-through! Your primer!”

“I think you mean ‘premiere’...”

“All eyes will be on you! If you do great, then you’ll get more work!” She encouraged him, jumping to stand in front of him. She closed one of her eyes while she formed her fingers into a rectangular shape as if she were filming him. Even though it wasn’t a real camera, he still felt a little embarrassed, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink. While he appreciated the sentiment, he knew where this was going.

“But…” He added on for her.

“But, if you mess up in your usual ‘Phoenix Wright Fashion’, then you can kiss your non-existent acting career goodbye!” She said in a type of pure adolescent innocence, putting her hands on her hips.

Phoenix shoved his face into his palm, “Thanks Maya…”  

“Any time.” She beamed at him, genuinely convinced that her words were words of encouragement instead of ones that felt like he had been stabbed in the heart.

Suddenly, as if something had caught in the corner of her eye, she looked down the hallway. “Psst, Nick!! Nick!!” She ecstatically whispered in a half-whisper-half-regular tone. “Is that Miles Edgeworth?!”

Phoenix followed her line of vision to the figure emerging from one of the many rooms down the hall. He knew that burgundy suit from anywhere, the feature that many people recognized him for. There was no one else in the world who could wear a suit that colour and could successfully pull it off, in Phoenix’s humble opinion.

The tall man stalked down the hallway accompanied by a shorter woman which Phoenix assumed to be his agent, Franziska von Karma. Although they weren’t close yet, he could feel the immense pressure in the air from the dignified aura that the two created. There was something intimidating about their aura, an elitist air that clearly separated the two individuals who were experienced in their field from the two weren’t-- almost as if it screamed ‘don’t talk to us’. Was that how it was around every famous actor?

“T-They’re coming closer to us! What do we do, Nick? Do we introduce ourselves?” Maya panicked, the words flying from her mouth at a mile per minute.

“Well, we are standing in front of the meeting room and from today on, he is our co-worker,” Phoenix whispered back to her, his tone more hushed than hers. “I think… I think we should greet them.” He suggested.

The two nodded as if they had come to an understanding by looking into each other’s eyes. Then, on the mental count of three that perfectly aligned with their arrival, Phoenix stiffly began, “Hi! I see we’ll be working together, Mr. Edgeworth. In that case, i-it’s nice to meet you!” He stuck out a hand, hoping the man would outstretch his own to shake it.

The man came to a stop and instead of getting a comforting smile and the handshake he desired, all Phoenix got was a piercing glare full of annoyance. “Mr. Wright,” he scoffed. “I would ask that you keep your interactions with me at a minimum and you do not waste my time by trying to talk to me.” With that, Edgeworth strode past him into the now open meeting room, his agent following behind him, smirking at Phoenix as she entered.

After recovering from the utter shock known as his first impression of the famous actor he had only seen on the big screen thus far, Phoenix turned to Maya, hoping that she would confirm that what just happened was just his mind’s cruel idea of a joke. Unfortunately, Maya nodded at him, confirming that what just happened was in fact not a figment of his imagination. For some reason, the famous Miles Edgeworth disliked the unknown rookie, Phoenix Wright.

‘What…’ Phoenix gulped. ‘What did I do..?!’

[ardenttheories]

could you do a knight of void? please?? :'))

The Knight of Void is one who Exploits/Protects Void, or Exploits/Protects with Void, for the benefit of the team, which is Confusion, Uncertainty, Secrets, Irrelevance, the Void itself, the Unknown, Hidden things, and Doubt.

As a general rule of thumb, all Knights put up a facade that covers their feelings of feelings of inadequacy. While they don’t lack their Aspect, they often feel that they do, and thus try to present themselves as who they’d rather be. 

Of course, the Knight of Void complicates this somewhat. It’s a facade of Lack - a facade to cover up a lack of Lack. It doesn’t quite work, it sounds contradictory, and in some ways it is. So, how does this work?

The Knight may have no facade at all - rather, they have what other people perceive as a facade. Their true Self is right there in view, perfectly open and willing, but everyone mistakes it for a show, and therefore it always goes under the radar. It can be a very lonely existance if everyone assumes that you’re someone you’re not - especially when you’re being nobody but yourself.

On the other hand, the Knight may put up a facade of sheer confidence, of someone who knows everything, someone with booksmarts and a place in the world - all to hide the fact that they have no idea what the fuck is going on. They’re so aware of the Irrelevant that they begin to worry that maybe they’re Irrelevant, too, and it eats away at them until they become desperate to front as someone with Importance. 

In truth, they can be Withdrawn and quiet. They’re very subtle people, and when their facade isn’t in place - or, in the first instance, just all the time - they tend to slip easily into the background. It can be hard to remember that they’re even there, and people might find that the Knight sneaks up on them without meaning to, simply because they just… forgot that the Knight existed.

In that sense, people might even struggle to remember the Knight’s name. Like they’re always getting it wrong, or that it’s just on the tip of their tongue, they should know it, but they just don’t.  

They’re wonderful at keeping Secrets, and likely have no desire to share the Secrets they know at all - and would initially be very unwilling to Exploit them. 

They would be filled with Doubt and Confusion over their actions. They’d struggle to figure out if what they’re doing is right, if it has meaning, if everything is completely Meaningless; they’d worry that they have no place in the world, with their friends, in the session - and this, admittedly, is likely what causes the facade in the first place.

They’re so terrified of being forgotten that they either try to cover themself up with a personality that can’t be forgotten (yet still is anyway), or they try to be themselves as much as they can so that their genuine personality can win out in people’s minds (yet it never does). 

It’s a knock to their confidence that likely has the Knight struggling from day one. Even if they started getting into the swing of things - the way most Knights do, leading forward and taking on a fairly immediate role - they might still worry that they’re not enough, not good enough, not doing enough. 

The irony is, of course, that they’re more than competent Players. 

They can Exploit anything that is Hidden or Unknown - such as Secrets that might be able to topple a dynasty, or a legendary item that actually exists but is lost in some dark, cavernous place. 

They can Exploit the Void itself, and the ambiguity that comes from it. Becoming invisible, or turning other Players invisible, by making them Irrelevant is a big part of that - but so is Exploiting the Void that exists within someone, the ways that they don’t Matter or Lack. 

They can Exploit that a weaker Player is always ignored by giving them an item of extreme importance, thereby keeping it Hidden in plain sight. They can Exploit Irrelevancy to make someone like the Black King mean nothing in the overarching Importance of the game, thereby making it easier to win - because the game would recognise him as an Optional Boss rather than a Required Boss.

They could Exploit Void in incredibly potent ways, such as by Voiding out people or things - quite literally using the Void to keep them Hidden from view - or by using the Void itself to forge Hidden pathways and shortcuts throughout their Lands. There might be some areas that are just so Unimportant that the Knight can Exploit their Irrelevancy, making them hubs of activity for Players that will always go under the radar. 

In an admittedly ironic twist of events, it might turn out that the Knight’s friends are just… incredibly nosy. They always try to figure out things that they shouldn’t, things that might make them suffer if they ever Knew about it. Some of the Knight’s Exploitation of Void (and subsequent Protection with it) could just be Hiding things from other Players that would drive them mad or Grimdark. Some things just shouldn’t be known; some things are best left in the Darkness to fester and rot.

Additionally, they’d be master blackmailers. On top of Protecting Secrets, they can Exploit them, too - so, imagine someone who knows every dark Secret you’ve ever tried to keep close to your chest. Now imagine you’re going to go to something dumb, and the Knight threatens to tell everyone that thing you’ve never, ever wanted anyone to know. Needless to say, the Knight wouldn’t have to try hard to stop Players from doing bad things. 

They could (potentially) Exploit Grimdarkness. While definitely not guaranteed (and very dangerous), the Knight could harness the power of Grimdarkness with complete mental control. We’ve already seen the sort of power Rose and Eridan wield when the Void and Horrorterrors take control - so you can surely imagine how powerfully destructive the Knight of Void would be when they Exploit the Grimdarkness to have their own will in tact throughout it. 

Despite how flashy they can be, they prefer to work from the Shadows, silent and Unseen. Even in combat, they always attack first, and the battle is often over before it’s even begun. 

They can likely Exploit Darkness, too, and weaponise it in some way. Perhaps that means by using Darkness to cover up giant holes for enemies to fall down, or by using Shadows to make a room look like it’s filled up by more people than it actually is. They may even be able to twist Shadows around to look like terrible creatures - though they probably couldn’t make the creatures come to life. A Shadow is, after all, just a Shadow - a lack of Light. 

On top of that, there may be a Hidden skill which is specific only to the Knight. It would likely unlock with Godtiering, and there’s quite literally anything it could be - so long as it’s Hidden within them until they truly need it. This might be a very special, very powerful fraymotif, one that they don’t need to pay for to unlock, or an ability that isn’t actually Void-related at all.

Or, maybe it is Void-related, and they can just create supermassive blackholes. That’s an Exploitation of nothing on a massive scale. 

Naturally, there’s much smaller abilities that are specific to them - such as Voidstepping. I’d honestly say it’s exactly what Flashstepping is, except the Knight is Exploiting the Void to step through Hidden paths rather than just going really, really fast. One moment they’d be there - the next, gone. 

All of this, of course, would be to Protect Void or to Protect their team with Void. They’re well aware that there’s very little Void that exists within their session, and that it’s fading fast; that if they’re not careful, there will be absolutely no Void left at all. In trying to Protect their friends, therefore, they Protect Void as well; using it as much as they can to increase (ironically) its Importance in the session. 

The Knight always represents that which the session lacks - which makes the Knight of Void a very interesting Player. There’s an extreme lack of Doubt, Confusion, Uncertainty, Irrelevance, of Hidden things - which sounds very useful, until you realise that it means the Players are literally always exposed.

As much as there’s nothing hidding from the Players’ sight - Quests that are much more obvious and easier, Denizens that are already awake and willing to talk, Consorts that are much more coherent - there’s nothing to hide the Players, either. Derse Royalty will always know where the Players are at any given time, making it much easier for them to launch concentrated attacks on underlevelled Players - and try strategising against an enemy that already knows your next five moves.

There might be a leak in their chatlogs, meaning that literally nothing is a Secret. Players can find out dirt on other Players at the drop of a hat, and that can obviously cause a significant amount of tension. 

It would also be detrimental to the growth of the Players if everything is just… so straightforward. Part of SBURB’s struggles comes from trying to work everything out, having to take time, learning and growing as people because you’ve experienced a thousand new things. If all the information is right there, there’s no need to grow, to experience those things; Players can just waltz right up to their Denizens without earning it, and they’ll be awful Gods at the end of it as a result.

As a much more interesting thought, and one that can be taken any way you like, this probably means that something very weird or very wrong is happening with the Incipisphere. It is a place of Void - of Confusion and Unknowing and Hidden things - and yet this is a session that explicitly lacks Void, including in a literal sense.

There might be something in the Medium that means the Void doesn’t work as it’s meant to - some Light-based anomaly that completely ruins how everything runs. Maybe it isn’t intentional, maybe it is; maybe this is some threat to the session like LE is. Whatever the case, it ensures that there is little to no Hiding space because everything is cast in a radiant Light.

This makes the session more vulnerable to outside attacks. This also makes it much harder to traverse the Void itself, because while all the pathways through it might be more obvious and straightened out, there’s doubtlessly Things lurking in the remaining Darkness that can likewise see the Players much easier. That, or the Light-based anomaly will send Beasts after the Players that Know exactly where they will be. 

Once they’ve become Realised, the Knight of Void… doesn’t actually change much. And it’s mostly because a Knight becomes Realised when they realise they don’t need to have their facade up all the time, that they’re good and worthy of wielding their Aspect.

If they never had the facade to begin with, the only true difference is that they’re more accepting of who they are. They let themselves be awash with Confusion, and understand that sometimes there’s going to be things that even they don’t know. They’re happy and content to just let things be, to let themselves fade into the background, to be an observer more than a participant.

By this point, people will notice them unless they don’t want to be noticed - it’s the natural confidence that comes with accepting that you know what you’re worth things. They’re more than likely to have a few good friends that know exactly who they are, and try to get them involved wherever they can. 

It just means that, instead of trying to push the Knight to “be the real them” or the Knight trying so hard to be noticed, everyone involved is much happer to let the Knight slip away if they have to. There’s no hurt feelings, and everyone knows that the Knight loves them still. 

They’ll accept that they are good at and know a lot of things, and that they can’t be great at everything; that Irrelevancy exists, and there’s some ways that they are Irrelevant, but more ways that they’re Important, too. They might never make it into office, or become the most powerful, popular Player, but they’re Important to their friends - they’re Important to that little old lady down the street when they bring her the newspaper each morning - and in some ways that’s enough. 

They don’t need to be Seen. Once they take that pressure off, that’s when they can really live. They’ll keep doing everything from the Shadows, content with who the are, and they’ll live for all the things that Matter to them - no matter how big or small. 

Of course, they’ll still be quiet, still a bit reserved and shy, but they’ll also be more open. If they had no facade, then people will start to see that this really is who they are, and that the Knight (ironically) never once Lied. Despite this, their relationship dynamics will change; people will stop trying to pry in to find this Self that doesn’t exist, and the Knight will be able to realise that, yes, that really is who they’ve been all along

If they did have a facade - well, they’ll drop it, and they’ll feel sheer relief at the fact that a thousand eyes aren’t on them all the time. They’ll accept that Irrelevancy is part of their life and get rid of the people who are Irrelevant to them. There’s no point wasting time on people who don’t Matter, or on a facade that never Mattered to begin with.  

Essentially, they just become more confident in who they are and what they do. 

As an added extra thought for narrative relevance, since that’s been on the blog a lot lately:

They’re Unseen, capable of doing a thousand things without anyone ever knowing it. In a comic like Homestuck, this would probably mean that the Knight is someone we often can’t be, and then when we are, they just… show that they’ve done things off-screen that we’ll never be able to see. They work specifically out of our point of reference, and do Nothing at all when we’re watching them.

[calleo-bricriu]

What I want to see is what over 100 years old Calleo and his cards have to say about Voldemort.

The hell do I need cards for that for? I could just tell you outright but, then, I’m sure you’d be back at me going on about how that’s no fun at all.

In the distant past, they’d described him as a bullheaded, reactionary wank cloth who’s prone to having violent tantrums when he doesn’t get his way–I’m condensing that down rather a lot but that was the gist of it; perfectly charming sort until he gets the idea that you think he’s roughly as interesting as watching paint dry.

But, hey, people change and maybe when he’s ready to try again he’ll have improved somewhat.

Which, in his case, would more than likely manifest as just becoming more wildly unpredictable with his meltdowns and moods but, you’ve asked my cards, not me, so here we go.

I wonder if he still does that thing where he tries to go as long as humanly possible without blinking because he could do it indefinitely with a little transfiguration and charms work.

Where was I?

Ah! The cards.

(( Larger resolution image is here. ))

Hermit’s pretty self explanatory; he’s been isolated, and should you find him and ask him he’d likely tell you that it was on purpose and/or for the purposes of enlightenment, introspection and contemplation–hopefully around why he didn’t account for basic defensive Blood Magic but, most likely not that. I know I don’t like to dwell on it when I miss something basic, I like to forget I did that and move on while also keeping it tucked away in the back of my head so I don’t do it again.

I’m going to go ahead and ignore that, all around, when the Empress shows up it she often signifies a pregnancy and considering Voldemort, unless he gets incredibly creative with trying to get himself back into a body (or just possesses the first thing he can manage that’s human) is not likely the sort to be able to get pregnant, which leaves the third option of someone else…letting him…do that to them.

It can also mean that he’ll just make an effort to be a little more creative and inspirational to anyone stupid enough to show up for a second round and with his recruitment efforts but if I had to have the mental image of somebody not only fucking Voldemort but letting him knock the up so the rest of you–and I say the rest of you because I don’t know specifically which one of you asked for this reading so you all get to suffer.

And I don’t think it’s that second one as the Ace of Cups revolves around beginning again which, fair, if you’re half-resurrecting yourself–but it primarily focuses around fertility and pregnancy. Someone is going to let that man knock them up.

Ew.

Getting away from that horrifying set of mental images, the Eight of Wands indicates he’s going to be about as good at being patient and planning things out (complete with contingencies or alternate plans in case the main one fails) as he was the first time around which is to say, not at all. However, since the Ministry is staffed largely by what I can only assume are tranquilised bonobos in suits, nobody here is going to care. Or notice. I’ll notice, I’ve already noticed, but I have enough benzos from Muggle doctors that I legitimately do not care.Or, if they do notice, they’re going to pretend they haven’t so all the progress speed, action, momentum, all that nonsense, is only going to seem speedy to the people who haven’t been paying attention.

The rest of us will have seen it slowly coming since roughly 1982.

He’s got abandonment issues head to toe based on the Eight and Five of cups, which is a large part of what makes him dangerous as, instead of focusing on the cups that haven’t been knocked all over the place and using those to rebuild, all he’s likely to focus on will seem, on the surface, to be a political revolution but that’ll just be a thin and fragile veneer covering the fact that he’s a desperately lonely, fundamentally unhappy, nearly always frightened basket case and that manifests (as it often does) in violent outbursts and an undercurrent of wanting to make everyone else suffer the way he feels he was made to suffer.

That’s not even all that uncommon, you can see it to a much lesser degree anywhere in Knockturn if you stay there long enough or visit often enough.

Queen of Swords is likely to turn out to be his most dedicated defender, coming from a point of power obsession and pity, though if she’s got any brains she won’t ever mention she pities him as it might get her killed, and wants nothing more than to shield and protect him, keeping him from harm; also indicates that she’s married–well, it mentions it in the inverse as a divorce, which would make sense if she’s one of those sorts that were pushed into a family alliance sort of marriage that she never particularly cared to be a part of to begin with.

And, at some point, he may be able to shake off all that flailing about to somehow manage to convince the general public that he’s not that bad, and he’ll do so through gratuitous shows of generosity, charity, investing in community (the community he envisions, at any rate; some of you will have to be his diversionary scapegoats, after all), and while everyone is distracted by someone who’s likely to be able to walk into the Ministry and buy them off with false gratitude, making them feel valued, paying them well, displaying what comes off as fairness unless you scratch the surface, he’ll get to work doing what he wanted to do in the first place.

And what does he want to do in the first place? Get himself into a position where he’s well liked, respected, viewed in a positive light, as a good leader, as someone who is successful, committed, has clear goals, and will lead the Ministry to greater things. This is someone who wants to be loved without having to leave himself vulnerable in the process.

For awhile, he’ll get it, and it’ll seem solid.

It won’t last, however, not for long, because that Eight of Swords is going to leave him feeling trapped, restricted, and lashing out at anyone or anything who he even suspects of holding dissenting views through harsh punishments, executions, imprisonments, persecution, “trials” in front of the Wizengamot that were rigged from the start, and at that point he’ll be at two distinct paths he can take.

I do love the Two of Wands for letting things go in different directions.

First potential path: If he goes that route, he’ll be able to leverage what little political and social capital he’ll have left after that mess I just described and, with a little creativity, should be able to pull it all back together in a way that cements his socio-political views as the new, accepted norm and any rebellion against it won’t be able to gain the following it’d need to challenge him for decades to come.

Second potential path: Nine of Swords circles back to the Eight of Swords, only more intense. Terror, not just fear, seeing enemies everywhere, being the subject of gossip, the narrative of which he will not be able to control as it will be a moving and largely invisible target that is perfectly willing to martyr itself if it means his downfall. As a result, he’ll fall further and further into paranoia, nightmares, despair, and stress, leaving him with an inability to cope with the reality of the situation which will only circle back to him lashing out at anything that comes within range, regardless of who or what it is, and when he hits his breaking point he isn’t likely to survive it.

The card between those two paths, as I was curious as to which route the deck thought he’d take, is a reversed Star.

Hopelessness, despair, the inability to take responsibility for one’s actions being what led them to where they are, lack or loss of trust in those around him and in himself, feeling as though everyone, even his closest followers, are plotting against him.

Considering that, I suspect he’ll go the second route to hang out with the sword filled guy in an egg costume.

Let’s see if one overarching card will give some closure here, shall we?

Regret, refusing help from those who legitimately want to give it (back up a bit and re-read the bits that mention paranoia) because, as surprising as it may seem, there are people who genuinely do care for him–in their own, strange way–disillusionment, becoming even more self-absorbed and depressed, focusing on the fantasy in which he’s–apologies, but I’m going to jump back to how two of my former Archivists often described him–seen as something greater in terms of charisma, success, skill, and political success than Grindelwald.

I watched that mess rise to power and fall from it spectacularly, and my memory has more than enough clarity to state with certainty that the only things I’ve seen that Voldemort is better than Grindelwald at are:

1) Keeping himself out of prison.

2) Being ballsy enough to apply for that Defence Against the Dark Arts position looking the way he did when he got that interview. He had to have known what he looked like, unless he doesn’t cast a reflection anymore and nobody told him how off he looked. Just to note, it’s not that I think he’d have been unqualified for the position so much as he may have come off as only wanting it to use as a recruiting platform which is–one of those things you really need to hide until you’ve got tenure, or at least a signed contract.

3) Being repeatedly thwarted by children yet still having followers willing to both overlook it, stand there with a straight face while he probably blames his wand for it (because they all do, you find any Wizard over 60 that has a spell fail and the first thing you get is some variation of, “I swear this has never happened before! It must be the wand acting up!”), and continue to follow him despite the fact that all they’d really have to do is walk away and start telling people what he’s really like and it’d kill any chances of recruiting anything with any skill or ability to follow through.

4) Talking to snakes, allegedly. Not entirely sure how useful that skill would be but I suppose snakes probably have some interesting things to say now and again.

At any rate, Four of Cups almost guarantees he’s going the Nine of Swords route so it’ll get a bit hairy for awhile but whatever grip he gets on anything is going to be tenuous at best and even holding onto it with both hands his reach is likely going to exceed his grasp.

I never like to see raw talent wasted like that, and he does possess a great deal of raw talent as well as the intelligence to have made it, with right people around him, into something spectacular; it’s just been–misapplied and left in the hands of people who never did have his interests at heart, and it’s easy to take advantage of a kid like that. See it all the time in Knockturn.

Pity, really.

[paigeshomemadebrew]

Living Dolls

“Living dolls, in my experience, are the sweetest, kindest, and smartest individuals, save for those that are the most horrifying, dangerous, brutish creatures, I have met. An adventurer would be a fool, however, to not keep one at their side, just as any wizard who attempts to create one as a servant is a fool.” – from an interview with Geritoni Rossai, Father of 14 living dolls.

Light, Heavy, Tall, Tiny

Weight and height for living dolls generally depends on stylistic and material preferences of their creators. Ethical guidelines when creating a living doll generally place them between 1-7 feet tall. The lightest recorded doll was made with thin sheets of papyrus and straw, landing at ¾ pounds. The largest doll recorded was over 1000 pounds, and made with an outside shell of metallic armor, and a gooey, insulating filling of clay.

Though they can be any size, each doll is made up of four different components. The first is the mask that the dolls have as faces. These porcalin masks are imbued with innate magic and are the life source of dolls. Each has a face, and though the faces themselves are not animated, they do allow the dolls to speak. The next component of dolls are the inner magical matrix. This acts as the dolls nervous system, and allows the magic of the mask to give the rest of the body power and ability to function. Next is the outer hull. Each doll needs some kind of outer shell to protect the important mechanisms within, just as other creatures do. Most creators differentiate between heavy materials (metal, stone, composite) and light materials (paper, cloth, wood), but some materials (glass, plaster, crystal) have arbitrary classifications and are still up for debate. Finally, every living doll needs some kind of insulating substance within them to keep the magical matrix in place. There are distinctions here as well, based on weight. Some heavy materials include wet clay and gravel, whereas the light materials include paper pulp and straw.

Though the specific weight and size of dolls vary (including body type), they are always humanoid. Many have tried to make beast-like dolls, and are always met with disastrous results.

Toil and Strife

Living dolls were – and still are, to a point – considered highly experimental. It is a magic that essentially entails creating an entire person from essentially basic materials. At first, they were considered laborers by a great many doll makers, however, people shortly realized that dolls have thoughts and feelings of their own.

Regardless of their sentience, many people that are not living dolls still have the impression that dolls will do very taxing work for very little pay, and others still treat them as if they are meant to be property. However, a movement has sparked not only many people to respect dolls, but also has encouraged dolls to self-propagate. Though many old stigmas still stand, plently of dolls have flourished in spite of the aspersions cast their way.

Racial Names

Living dolls, if created by a person that isn’t a living doll, often are named as if they are a member of that race. However, when dolls create dolls, they often have names that form a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, palindromes, or variations and combinations of those concepts. One pattern that appears to be overarching in naming conventions is no more than two consonents together at once. There are some examples below:

Ahirah, Alayah, Bezeb, Cerecarec, Charcir, Fiwfew, Heneg, Jarederaj, Letot, Lequec, Najnaj, Nennun, Nocnic, Paljaraj, Ranrun, Tiktoktek, Tentin Welwil,

Living Doll Traits:

Ability Score Increase:

Size:

·         Tiny: +1 Dex

·         Medium: +1 Str

Insulation Material

·         Light: +1 Dex

·         Heavy: +1 Con

Outer Shell material

·         Light: Stealth Proficiency

·         Heavy: +2 AC

Age: Living Dolls, though not indestructible, could theoretically live forever if they stayed in good enough condition. Kinda like lobsters.

Alignment: Living Dolls have no major tendency towards any alignment.

Size: Can be Medium or Tiny 

Speed: Medium Dolls can move at 30 ft, whereas tiny Dolls can move at speeds of 25 ft.

Tinkerers: Dolls automatically have proficiency in Tinker’s tools.

Self Knowledge: Dolls can regain an extra d4 of health every short rest if they have a set of tinker’s tools on hand, or if a party member is willing to loan tools to them.

Ongoing Construction: Though it would be incorrect to call any differences between living dolls biological, and therefore not “subraces”, there are a few differences based on which materials are used to construct them. At level 3, you can chose one modification, again at levels 7 and 13. You must find a specialist to make these modifications.

    -   Light Insulation: with light insulation, you as a doll can install devices that take advantage of your low weight. These are some of the more popular modifications to add as a light insul doll:

    o   Freerunner Skeleton: you install a device surrounding the magical matrix that allows no longer take falling damage for any fall under 100 feet, and you gain acrobatic proficiency.

    o   Gliders: This pair of wings is affixed to your back to let you direct movement while mid-air, and allows you to fall slowly. Attacks can be made while gliding, however you must also make a dexterity saving throw to continue to glide after an attack. If the wings are active and you have not made an unsuccessful dexterity saving throw, you will not take any fall damage.

    o   Anchor hooks: these devices are spring-loaded magnetic anchors that you have the ability to shoot out from wherever you attach them. If you have fears of being blown away, or pushed magically, you can use your action to deploy these and stay put. If you are falling, you can activate these, and then make a strength saving throw to stop falling. If you fail this throw, you cannot use the hooks until after a short rest.

    -    Heavy Insulation: though heavy insulation doesn’t allow direct access to the magical matrix, it does make you weigh much more, and make you harder to hit. Lean into it with these popular modifications:

    o   The Rammer: This device is a battering ram in place of your non-dominant hand. It allows you to do 1d6 of bludgeoning damage with advantage against any enemy not made of flesh, or with a hard shell.

    o   Matrix Coagulant: This is a mixture of alchemicals that now resides within your insulation. When a successful hit of slashing damage is made against you, your armor class increases by 1. The maximum increase of AC is 3. After battle, your AC returns to normal.

    o   Backburners: These are jets that are attached you your back. They push you forward in a straight line for 45 feet. Any creature in your path must make a dexterity saving throw to avoid you. On a failed saving throw, your enemy takes 1d6 of bludgeoning damage. On your next turn, you can only move half as far as normal. These can be used once a day.

   ·-   Light Outer Shell: your shell is already quiet, but you want more! It’s time to upgrade your style with gadgets that let you better infiltrate and gather information. These are some of the more popular ones:

    o   Inner eye: This allows the wearer to cast detect magic which recharges after every short rest. The wearer can also see thermal signatures at any point in time.

    o   Woven Unicorn Hair: Unicorn hair is woven into your outer shell, allowing you to cast invisibility on yourself. You must turn visible to make attack rolls, and you turn visible if you take damage. This requires a long rest to recharge.

    o   Tele-Optics: This is a device that allows the user to see things as if they were 5 times closer.

    -   Heavy outer shell: Your outer shell is durable, and there are a few different ways to maximize its use, from helping allies, to making yourself even better protected. The top three most popular modifications are as follows:

    o   Tempered Steel Shell: If you are able to be damaged by fire on the start of your turn, or there is a fire attack made against you, you may roll a constitution saving throw to be immune to it. You are still susceptible to dragon’s breath.

    o   The Buddy Bunker: This is a shield attached to your arm that you can place. It has hit points equal to half your health, and gives any ally standing behind it a bonus ¼ of your AC. It regenerates after a long rest.

    o   The Sheild Jockey: This special attachment allows you to place a shield on your arm, allowing you to hold a weapon in both hands and wield a shield at the same time.

Languages: Dolls communicate telepathically, allowing them to speak any standard language. However, they cannot communicate with anyone with intelligence 8 or lower. 

Class Restriction:  Living Dolls can not be druids, sorcerors, as the inorganic structures they are made of cause the natural forces that give druids magic to recoil. 

[infobeanie]

CROW CILLERS S04E01: THE THIN BLUE JOSLYN

Season 4 opens with some pixelated flames. I don’t know what that’s about.

Season 3 opened with the introduction of Final Bloodmaster Alpha, who set the tone for the hypersaturated media overload that tied the various threads of that season together, while simultaneously threatening to uproot them entirely. But Final Bloodmaster Alpha got cancelled, and Lord Marrow, who took control after she got cancelled, got eaten by Lisa Simpson. So there is no overriding voice left, by this point, to give this season any proper sort of introduction. Just some pixelated flames.

The presentation here follows in the vein of the In-a-Dress gang’s commentary on “Fanfic of Horror II”, one of the last pieces created for s3. In the absence of authority, every voice is equal, and begins to speak with a sinister authority of its own. The voices, which started to become dislodged from their characters in the commentary for s3, are now the voice of the comic itself. We need no FBA-style commentator to guide us as we fall again into the screen, like the camera falling into the bed at the start of Mulholland Drive.

In this year’s credit sequence, we get glimpses of characters in their zones. In each zone - by which I mean an area of domestic energy, a space of one’s own - there is something both comforting and sinister: the unseen potentials of a boxed-up warehouse; a private moment in an empty mall’s food court; a self-imposed artistic exile; an absurdly lavish summer home; a room with some things in it. Everyone was looking ahead in last year’s credits, anticipating the next big thing; the momentum of upheaval generated during that season pushed each group of characters to a very different place. Hopefully with this season, we will have a chance to catch our breath, to take a step back and look inward, to see what these changes have brought.

The interstitial credits are pixelated. I don’t know what that’s about.

We’ve been here before. It seemed a lot more ominous last time.

There was also a lot more talking last time. Now, those voices have gone into hiding underground, except for the one that got eaten by the thing that is now hanging out at the mall with That Other Kid, whom we find is called Paisley. The situation is largely the same - girls taking advantage of an untapped subconscious wellspring of psychic energy in order to sneak into the mall after-hours - but everything is chill this time. There are no enemies to fight, no threats to respond to. There is time now to explore those shuttered storefronts. (For a direct ancestor to this scene in vibe and content, cf. “97″ of Wurtz’s ‘90s’ series, which I believe is in one of the Assorted Garbages.)

Meanwhile...

Suddenly we get the feeling we’re being surrounded by horses. Joslyn, still riding a high after her breakout performance as the Oracle, turns out to be a horse lord. In focusing on her backstory, a new narrative force begins to emerge, a balanced and accordant force to the unceasing voice of the media that agitated season 3 to a frenzy: the silent, creeping hand of the market. Not Adam Smith’s invisible hand, per se - something less humanistic, perhaps less human. Really it’s just another manifestation of what we saw at play last season, like a new Ynce Iche puppet formed out of the same raw psy-energy. The media is supposed to tell us what we want to hear. The market is supposed to sell us what we want to buy. That’s what they’re there for; that’s what we made them for. We’re supposed to be able to control it. But if there has been one consistent message in Crow Cillers throughout its entire run, it’s that control is a complex thing. The silent hand has a mind of its own. As do other, less silent hands.

More comparisons: Sour Gummy is the Psy Squad of this season. Psy Squad came out of left field at the beginning of s3 as a campy teen superhero show, and the season followed suit by adapting a pulp format for its overarching plot. The result was the most “comics”-style comic Cate Wurtz had ever written, a good-guy/bad-guy (or rather good-girl/bad-girl) conflict replete with origin stories and a dramatic final battle. The stylistic shift pushed Crow Cillers to its limits, but it was what was needed to properly process the new ideas that were going into it. Without the presence of Psy Squad to familiarize the reader with the language of fantasy/sci-fi tropes, it’s hard to imagine the Matrix episode (which marks the true, heartbreakingly hopeful conclusion of season 3) having the impact that it does. The question, then, is what influence Sour Gummy will have on Crow Cillers.

The Sour Gummy girls feel nothing like anything else in this series; they live in a world on a different axle. Their struggle is not against the Crow, or against a supervillain ex-friend, but against their own icky insides, formed by the incoherent, grasping hands of nuclear family values and the deep web. This world is both less restrictive and much darker than the one inhabited by the Crow Cillers; they are able to roam freely, and make jokes about fucking Brecken, because the rules are different when you carry your enemy around with you in your head, or in your hand. The Order of the Crow dwindles in significance when you’re already invested in destroying yourself, or your lover, or there’s something inside you that wants to destroy the rest of you, or your lover, or you want to destroy that thing inside you, or have your lover destroy it, but it’s secretly the real you, or you’re worried that it is, or you’re in love with someone who’s into that sort of shit, but secretly you’re into it too, or some part of you is.

(Wait a minute - lesbians who eat each other? Used as a metaphor for partially internalized social darwinism?)

(???!)

(!!!!!!!!!!)

Actually, what Sour Gummy reminds me of most is COSM, intersecting as it does the realms of horror and pornography. And while the fact that COSM is an unfinished comic concerning a group of characters’ inevitable descent into utter devastation is somewhat disconcerting in what it implies about Wurtz’s approach to the subject material, I remain cautiously optimistic about CC’s ability to assimilate COSM’s vibe without being totally consumed by it. The Crow Cillers have been through a lot; by this point, they should be able to fearlessly face the burden of lowkey (or highkey) terror and shame that comes with intimacy. Right?

Because they are doing ok, is the thing. In a very real sense, the Crow Cillers are back, and they’re better than ever. We get a full page of purely gratuitous happiness, as ThreeFourOne have their first real reunion since Pistachio fled the Crow in the pilot episode. Their network is large enough to be genuinely self-sustaining now, unlike the tenuous support they were getting from Jill’s brother’s boyfriend’s ex-boyfriend at the start of s3. Emma’s even got a spiffy new outfit! After the tumult of the past year, there is finally time to change one’s clothes, to chill out, and explore all those secret rooms and passages. 

Ok, so maybe the situation is not so perfect. The kids are having fun exploring, but I have to wonder whether it would be worse if they found something dangerous, or if they found nothing at all - if they were truly alone in that labyrinth that could be their home; if the only voices left were their own, echoing off cold metal. They are there together, yes, but the place feels big enough to fill you with its emptiness. Wandering there feels like wandering inside yourself. There are doors that let you in and out, but never open. And there are trapdoors that you can’t come back from.

But if existential terror is beginning to set in, it’s doing so against a backdrop of action which has continued unimpeded since s3. The helpless hell-dress creature that followed Gretchen and Doris back from Ynce Iche is still there, and, enjoying it or not, they’re rearing it as one of their own. Vein has made significant progress on his developments, building on what must be very unstable soil. Marcus is going to get involved again, as is Elaine Jr. X, and presumably Vince, Elayne, and whatever squad they’ve mustered together. Surely Mr. Nail will be asking about that pool he was supposed to get at some point. All those plot threads from s3 are still there, now woven into a larger emotional tapestry. If the new thread that emerged with the Sour Gummy aesthetic can be controlled, if it can be reconciled with the Crow Cillers universe and used to make it stronger, than season 5 will truly be a force to contend with. We just have to survive this season first. 

QUESTIONS:

- I hope I’m not alone in feeling that the Harlyn/Psy Squad battle didn’t seem to signify a full-scale resolution of the PS arc. What is it that Harlyn saw in the Pit? How did it lead to her ascending? Why did she want to return there? What will happen to Jamie and Emma if they find any of this out for themselves?

- Is Elaine Jr. X more a part of Elaine Sr. or of Ynce Iche itself now? How does she feel about the colonization of YI? Where did she get her horn-accommodating hoodie?

- Where is Elaine Sr.?

- Is Brecken friends with Gaige? 

[inventorpaige]

5e Living Doll Homebrew Player Character Race

I’d really appreciate if people would run campaigns as this race to help me test it. Let me know if you’re planning to, and how it goes. 

Living Dolls

“Living dolls, in my experience, are the sweetest, kindest, and smartest individuals, save for those that are the most horrifying, dangerous, brutish creatures, I have met. An adventurer would be a fool, however, to not keep one at their side, just as any wizard who attempts to create one as a servant is a fool.” – from an interview with Geritoni Rossai, Father of 14 living dolls.

Light, Heavy, Tall, Tiny

Weight and height for living dolls generally depends on stylistic and material preferences of their creators. Ethical guidelines when creating a living doll generally place them between 1-7 feet tall. The lightest recorded doll was made with thin sheets of papyrus and straw, landing at ¾ pounds. The largest doll recorded was over 1000 pounds, and made with an outside shell of metallic armor, and a gooey, insulating filling of clay.

Though they can be any size, each doll is made up of four different components. The first is the mask that the dolls have as faces. These porcalin masks are imbued with innate magic and are the life source of dolls. Each has a face, and though the faces themselves are not animated, they do allow the dolls to speak. The next component of dolls are the inner magical matrix. This acts as the dolls nervous system, and allows the magic of the mask to give the rest of the body power and ability to function. Next is the outer hull. Each doll needs some kind of outer shell to protect the important mechanisms within, just as other creatures do. Most creators differentiate between heavy materials (metal, stone, composite) and light materials (paper, cloth, wood), but some materials (glass, plaster, crystal) have arbitrary classifications and are still up for debate. Finally, every living doll needs some kind of insulating substance within them to keep the magical matrix in place. There are distinctions here as well, based on weight. Some heavy materials include wet clay and gravel, whereas the light materials include paper pulp and straw.

Though the specific weight and size of dolls vary (including body type), they are always humanoid. Many have tried to make beast-like dolls, and are always met with disastrous results.

Toil and Strife

Living dolls were – and still are, to a point – considered highly experimental. It is a magic that essentially entails creating an entire person from essentially basic materials. At first, they were considered laborers by a great many doll makers, however, people shortly realized that dolls have thoughts and feelings of their own.

Regardless of their sentience, many people that are not living dolls still have the impression that dolls will do very taxing work for very little pay, and others still treat them as if they are meant to be property. However, a movement has sparked not only many people to respect dolls, but also has encouraged dolls to self-propagate. Though many old stigmas still stand, plently of dolls have flourished in spite of the aspersions cast their way.

Racial Names

Living dolls, if created by a person that isn’t a living doll, often are named as if they are a member of that race. However, when dolls create dolls, they often have names that form a consonant-vowel-consonant pattern, palindromes, or variations and combinations of those concepts. One pattern that appears to be overarching in naming conventions is no more than two consonents together at once. There are some examples below:

Ahirah, Alayah, Bezeb, Cerecarec, Charcir, Fiwfew, Heneg, Jarederaj, Letot, Lequec, Najnaj, Nennun, Nocnic, Paljaraj, Ranrun, Tiktoktek, Tentin Welwil,

Living Doll Traits:

Ability Score Increase:

Size:

·         Tiny: +1 Dex

·         Medium: +1 Str

Insulation Material

·         Light: +1 Dex

·         Heavy: +1 Con

Outer Shell material

·         Light: Stealth Proficiency

·         Heavy: +2 AC

Age: Living Dolls, though not indestructible, could theoretically live forever if they stayed in good enough condition. Kinda like lobsters.

Alignment: Living Dolls have no major tendency towards any alignment.

Size: Can be Medium or Tiny 

Speed: Medium Dolls can move at 30 ft, whereas tiny Dolls can move at speeds of 25 ft.

Tinkerers: Dolls automatically have proficiency in Tinker’s tools.

Self Knowledge: Dolls can regain an extra d4 of health every short rest if they have a set of tinker’s tools on hand, or if a party member is willing to loan tools to them.

Ongoing Construction: Though it would be incorrect to call any differences between living dolls biological, and therefore not “subraces”, there are a few differences based on which materials are used to construct them. At level 3, you can chose one modification, again at levels 7 and 13. You must find a specialist to make these modifications.

Light Insulation: with light insulation, you as a doll can install devices that take advantage of your low weight. These are some of the more popular modifications to add as a light insul doll:

o   Freerunner Skeleton: you install a device surrounding the magical matrix that allows no longer take falling damage for any fall under 100 feet, and you gain acrobatic proficiency.

o   Gliders: This pair of wings is affixed to your back to let you direct movement while mid-air, and allows you to fall slowly. Attacks can be made while gliding, however you must also make a dexterity saving throw to continue to glide after an attack. If the wings are active and you have not made an unsuccessful dexterity saving throw, you will not take any fall damage.

o   Anchor hooks: these devices are spring-loaded magnetic anchors that you have the ability to shoot out from wherever you attach them. If you have fears of being blown away, or pushed magically, you can use your action to deploy these and stay put. If you are falling, you can activate these, and then make a strength saving throw to stop falling. If you fail this throw, you cannot use the hooks until after a short rest.

Heavy Insulation: though heavy insulation doesn’t allow direct access to the magical matrix, it does make you weigh much more, and make you harder to hit. Lean into it with these popular modifications:

o   The Rammer: This device is a battering ram in place of your non-dominant hand. It allows you to do 1d6 of bludgeoning damage with advantage against any enemy not made of flesh, or with a hard shell.

o   Matrix Coagulant: This is a mixture of alchemicals that now resides within your insulation. When a successful hit of slashing damage is made against you, your armor class increases by 1. The maximum increase of AC is 3. After battle, your AC returns to normal.

o   Backburners: These are jets that are attached you your back. They push you forward in a straight line for 45 feet. Any creature in your path must make a dexterity saving throw to avoid you. On a failed saving throw, your enemy takes 1d6 of bludgeoning damage. On your next turn, you can only move half as far as normal. These can be used once a day.

Light Outer Shell: your shell is already quiet, but you want more! It’s time to upgrade your style with gadgets that let you better infiltrate and gather information. These are some of the more popular ones:

o   Inner eye: This allows the wearer to cast detect magic which recharges after every short rest. The wearer can also see thermal signatures at any point in time.

o   Woven Unicorn Hair: Unicorn hair is woven into your outer shell, allowing you to cast invisibility on yourself. You must turn visible to make attack rolls, and you turn visible if you take damage. This requires a long rest to recharge.

o   Tele-Optics: This is a device that allows the user to see things as if they were 5 times closer.

Heavy outer shell: Your outer shell is durable, and there are a few different ways to maximize its use, from helping allies, to making yourself even better protected. The top three most popular modifications are as follows:

o   Tempered Steel Shell: If you are able to be damaged by fire on the start of your turn, or there is a fire attack made against you, you may roll a constitution saving throw to be immune to it. You are still susceptible to dragon’s breath.

o   The Buddy Bunker: This is a shield attached to your arm that you can place. It has hit points equal to half your health, and gives any ally standing behind it a bonus ¼ of your AC. It regenerates after a long rest.

o   The Sheild Jockey: This special attachment allows you to place a shield on your arm, allowing you to hold a weapon in both hands and wield a shield at the same time.

Languages: Dolls communicate telepathically, allowing them to speak any standard language. However, they cannot communicate with anyone with intelligence 8 or lower.

[psychicmedium14]

Earth Angels ~ 31 Signs You're An Earth Angel & What To Do If You Are

The simple truth is that at the core level, we are all spiritual beings of light. There are however certain souls with certain characteristics making up what the Archangels call ‘Earth Angels’. So Wait… What are Earth Angels? Really, all souls originate from the same Divine Source, but there are many different paths and paradigms souls can take which shape their characteristics, missions, and even personalities. Earth Angels are people whose soul origins are from beyond Earth, and who have spent a great deal of time in the higher spiritual dimensions of love and light… Earth Angels are those who have an overarching prayer and wish to bring peace, light and love to the Earth, humanity and all beings. While everyone on Earth now is a spiritual being, not everyone is an Earth Angel. Earth Angels are highly spiritually evolved as souls, they vibrate with an incredible light, and have been called to Earth on a mission to serve as lightworkers. What Does Being An Earth Angel Really Mean? Being an Earth Angel doesn’t mean you are perfect, it doesn’t mean you’re an angel (the angelic path is different from the path of humanity) and it doesn’t even mean that you’re saint like. Like all of humanity, Earth Angels make mistakes, experience challenges, and feel disconnected at times. Being an Earth Angel means that you’re called at the soul level to help others, spread kindness, have compassion and make a difference on Earth by bringing the light and love of the higher spiritual realms into physical reality. 31 Signs You’re An Earth Angel: You always have an idea or solution to offer and love helping people. You are a fantastic support person in the lives of almost everyone you know. You are always looking for a better way to do something. You rarely ask for help because your frame of reference is to serve others. Being helped is sometimes confusing for you. You feel insecure in many of your relationships. You can easily sense if someone is holding back and you feel the need to seek regular reassurance from them. Additionally, you struggle to understand why this approach doesn’t work well. You have a grace that inspires people and you can lift peoples energy and spirit without much effort You accept others wherever they are – even those that some can’t even tolerate You always see a silver lining in every situation and you always see the good in people You think in terms of possibility and potential You have incredible gifts in the areas of writing, art, music, and healing People seem them out to release fears and other painful memories and emotions You aren’t so great about managing responsibilities, time, or boundaries As children, Earth Angels have a tendency to be diagnosed with various cognitive disorders because of their lack of concern for the material world You have no tolerance for anyone in pain. It’s your nature to reach out to those who are suffering. Sometimes this means that you attract people who have a victim mentality. You feel lost when faced with extreme anger and you tend to avoid conflict. You want to experience only happiness so avoid confrontation when possible. You constantly worry that you are bothering others. You frequently apologize and check in with those around you to see how they are feeling about you. It disturbs you when you can’t sense that your loved ones are connected with you. You are not comfortable with your physical body – especially your feet. As an angel, you have trouble staying grounded. Those around you often ask, “Where did you go just then?” because it seems you are often day dreaming or not paying attention. You often provide an alternative or big picture perspective in group settings You aren’t competitive in your personal or work life. You want to see everyone win. You can serve others without drawing attention to yourself. You give without being seen and work as an invisible force behind the scene. You are sensitive to urban settings and the reality of modern life You have a tendency to feel different or even alienated from others. You can remember being teased as a kid because of your different interests and behavior You have a tough time being a part of crowds because you feel overwhelmed by the energy of so many different people. You grew up feeling that you couldn’t relate to your immediate family. You feel less connected with your physical family or you were sent specifically to an emotionally distant or dysfunctional family in order to help them. People you don’t know very well tend to tell you incredibly personal things about themselves. People tell you that you look younger than you are. You have a history of addiction in your family. You have a clear and strong sense of purpose. Even though you may struggle to know how to manifest this purpose on Earth, you know you must work to help, teach, and heal others. You love the idea of freely spreading love, compassion, and guidance. So, Are You An Earth Angel? If you’re an Earth Angel, you’re a powerful being with a long history of helping and healing throughout your lifetimes. You’ve received a divine assignment to come here now and share your energy and spread love. It’s likely that you’ve, at a minimum, got some suspicions about your true origins – and most likely you’ve struggled a bit to adjust to life. Ask yourself these questions: Do you have a talent for helping people and yet struggle with your own personal problems like unhealthy relationships, weight issues, or addiction? Do you feel like you’re from another planet? Or that you’re a lone wolf? Do others seek out your wisdom and guidance, or even vent their frustrations towards you? Did you have a difficult childhood? Are you unable to tolerate violence on any level? Are you interested in energy healing, metaphysical topics, or philosophy? Do you love all of humanity even though you can see our collective flaws? Are you able to notice subtle energies and vibrations? Are you naturally intuitive, empathic, or sensitive? Do you find your overall outlook to be non judgmental and you’re able to see the good in others. Do you strive to support, heal and empower others? Do you worry about the state of life on this planet and know you’re meant to do something about it? Do you have a deep and natural connection with animals and nature? Are you drawn to grow spiritually and uncover your innate soul wisdom? Have you suffered trauma, crisis, or several difficult life situations? Do you feel deeply protective of nature, animals and children? Are you aware of past lives where you’ve suffered or even been killed for your gifts and healing abilities? Do you ever wake up in the middle of night alarmed but without knowing why? Do you have intense or spiritual dreams? Do you find yourself fast to forgive people and give them second chances? Do you encourage growth and accountability in others? Do you seek a bigger purpose in life? Do you wonder why you are really here at a soul level? Have you met your spirit guides, guardian angels, or the ascended masters supporting you in your life? Do you look younger than your chronological age? Do you suffer from pain or disease that doctors can’t explain? Do you know you’ve experienced reality as a spiritual being before? Do you feel a longing to “go home” that you can’t really explain? Do you have an innate understanding of the magic of life, the universe and simply being alive? If you can answer yes to most of these questions, you should know that it’s not because something is wrong with you. It’s because you’re an Earth angel, here on an incredible mission and adventure to spread the light, anchor ascension energy and make a difference in the world. Crystal, Indigo, Rainbow and Blue Ray Earth Angels: Earth Angels often incarnate as crystal children, indigos or rainbow children with an incredibly high vibration, a special bond with animals, plants, and crystals. Earth Angels often encompass all the characteristics defined by the ‘titles’ of crystal, indigo, rainbow, blue ray and more. Energetic Wings of Light: Earth Angels will often have energetic wings that can be seen by many psychics and clairvoyants. These wings represent the ability to carry out Divine will and are a lightwork tool that can help you to tune into energy and environments, block negativity from entering your aura, and they can actually be used for healing and energy work too! Why We Need Earth Angels Right Now: This is a time of intense evolution – for the planet and for humanity. Earth Angels were chosen to incarnate now in order to help both humanity: and Mother Earth during this period of change and growth. If you’re an Earth Angel, it’s part of your job to hold the energy so that humanity can progress. You brought gifts with you into this life and those gifts will help not only the planet, but everyone you come into contact with. Times of transition always feel like uncertain times for those living through them. There are those who help to raise the vibration of the Earth and those who are detracting from it. We need Earth Angels here to help counter balance the negative. Earth Angels live among us and show us how to love each other and our planet. What more important role models could we have right now? Your Role As An Earth Angel: What’s amazing about your presence here now, is that you’re helping all of humanity just by being here. But, of course, what you know is that there is so much more to your purpose and so much more that you can do. In short, your role is very simple. Use your gifts to help others and raise the collective vibration of humanity. Simple, yet crucial. I have no doubt that, as an Earth Angel, you are here at this transitional time in order to help bring about great change in as many people as possible. Your natural gift of loving energy, combined with the action possible in human form is a powerful combination. Many people have lost hope or live in apathy that humanity and Mother Earth cannot be changed for the better. Your presence here is proof that this isn’t true. Your role is about showing people alternatives to hopelessness and indifference. Think about what excites you, or even what worries you, and move in that direction. Think about your own spiritual journey and begin to share it with others. There are so many areas where humanity can be shown how to raise individual and collective vibration – you are here to be a role model for the rest of us. The Divine is asking you to transform your own life and, by doing so, to transform the lives of others. If you aren’t sure what you’re meant to be doing here, I encourage you to access you to simply ask for guidance and then listen for your answer by tapping in to your intuitive knowing. When you are able to be silent for a while, Spirit will speak to you – your purpose is so important and you are not alone. Practical Steps to Become An Empowered Earth Angel: If you’re an Earth Angel, you know that you’re here with a very specific purpose. Your mission to raise earth’s vibration and help humanity is an important one and you’re uniquely suited to carry it out. But that doesn’t mean that the way forward is always clear or that you don’t falter or feel lost from time to time. Particularly if you’re just discovering your role here as an Earth Angel, helping humanity can feel daunting. You might even be asking yourself: What does raising the vibration on our planet even feel like or look like? Being an Earth Angel needs to involve some practical and tangible steps to take. If you’re pumped about having a greater purpose but feeling a bit lost about where to start and what to do, take a look at these practical and every day steps. Don’t worry about taking them on all at once. Try to do one or two a week and you’ll see things start to align and become clear in no time. 17 Practical Steps For Earth Angels: Begin a daily meditation program. If you’ve never practiced or it’s been a while, start with 5 minutes a day and build up to 20-30. Begin connecting with your angels. If you’re brand new to angel communication, start by reading books, taking a course, using angel oracle cards, or listening to channeled angel messages. The more you communicate, the more your purpose as an Earth Angel becomes clear. Set a goal to do something helpful each day. Feel free to start small and build up. Look for opportunities to do a kind deed or give a kind word. Explore your spiritual abilities. Perhaps you already have an idea of what they are, if so, begin to learn as much as you can about how to open up to these gifts. If you aren’t sure, start by working with your intuition. It starts simply by learning to listen to and trust your gut and grows from there. Make a commitment to keep your environment litter free and beautiful. Plant a garden at home or keep plants near you at home or work. When you see a piece of litter on the street, pick it up and throw it away. You are here to help Mother Earth just as much as humanity. Begin to demonstrate the love and respect you feel by actively taking care of her. Get active by writing letters to those in your local community as well as to national organizations. Use social media to post about causes near and dear to your heart. We need Earth Angels who are willing to lead and point toward what is no longer serving us. Be a role model for how to fully embrace living authentically with a larger purpose. It starts small by speaking honestly, by dropping what doesn’t serve you personally, acting on the love you feel in your heart, and by focusing on the things of light in this world. Commit to taking care of your physical body. Earth Angels have a tendency to neglect or abuse the physical body. They simply aren’t used to having them. Eat organic for a week, cut out foods you know don’t suit you for a month, exercise daily, try a week long detox. As always, start small and keep it simple. Learn something about a different culture or country. Make a point to talk to as many different people as you can, try an international dish, watch documentaries… the point is to expand your mind and your horizons and tap into the unconditional love that exists so fully in your heart. Use crystals regularly. Place them in your home or workplace to clear your own energy and the energy in your environment. Learn about the art of Feng Shui and begin to set up your space in a way that is conducive to spiritual growth. Learn a healing art like Reiki, massage, or crystal healing. Even if you don’t feel you have a scientific mind, learn what you can about the research being done with quantum or string theory. You don’t have to get too deep to gain insight and get benefit from this knowledge. There are plenty of things written in laymen’s terms that are accessible and helpful. Throughout the day, regularly ask yourself, “How can I bring more light and more love into this situation?” Make a commitment to service. Whether you give money or time, whether you help many organizations or focus on just one, allow service to others to become a bigger and bigger aspect of your life. When you find yourself slipping into judgement, call your attention to it and shift your perspective. Try to have an open heart and an open mind toward all creatures. It’s not always easy to love the guy who just cut you off in traffic, but spend 20 seconds sending him or her love anyway. If your purpose has already started to take shape in your mind and the universe seems to be sending you message and guiding you in a particular direction, consider writing out your goals, aspirations, and intentions in order to help your angels and the universe help you. When you’re ready, you might even consider writing a mission statement for your newly understood purpose. Give yourself permission. In my experience, most people intuitively know what they need to do or say or be or experience. They just seek assurance, confirmation, or permission first. Give yourself permission to follow the urgings of your heart. If you feel it, believe it. Then do it! The truth is that you are capable, in this moment, of fulfilling your purpose here on Earth. Perhaps you just don’t have the confidence to realize it just now. Wake up each day and remind yourself that today is the day to embrace who you truly are. Even if you falter, keep going. Even if you doubt, don’t wait. Ask your angels for guidance and pray to be open to the messages that are coming to you. Thank you for being here now!