#need a name for this story hmm

[wyrm-likes-objects]

oc posting time. i came up with all of these literally today-

Ice Bag (they/them): A plastic bag of ice of somewhat short height. The top half of the bag is tied up in a sort of pony tail. ice water pools in the bottom of the bag. their left arm is torn off, and where it should be there is a patch of duct tape to patch the hole. after waking up one day missing an arm and with no memory as to how they got there. this is especially strange as they are a plastic bag in a magic world with a notable lack of plastic or anything resembling the 21st century we’re all familiar with. Now, with several other objects alongside them, they must figure out what happened to them, and where they even came from. 

WyrmScale (he/him): A dull, red, scale, just like that of a Greater Wyrm. The scale is very very tough, and while still marked with several scratches, actually destroying the scale would be very difficult.  It’s one word, not two. The Scale part is capitalized though, make sure you get it right. Otherwise you might meet the sharp end of WyrmScale’s sword. WyrmScale is a high ranking adventurer, known for several great feats of killing monsters. While his skill with a sword is undeniable, being nearly indestructible makes an easy confidence boost, although maybe a bit too much, as WyrmScale will gladly rush into even the most dire of fights. he does technically have magical ability, however he uses all of it to boost his combat strength. 

Tome (she/they): A mystical tome of the dark arts. The cover is a light purple, with strange, hypnotic patterns that seem to move if you look at them too long. contained inside are many dark and evil spells that are not for the faint of heart. Tome would rather be ruling the world as an Evil Empress right now. And they totally would be, if they could actually read the spells inside of herself! since her eyes are on her front cover, she can’t actually read the spells written on her pages, but they hope to someday find a way, since nobody really wants to take a look for her. Despite not knowing the spells inside of her, they are quite brushed up on other magic for the day when they do actually learn their own contents, and they are the group’s spellcaster. 

Broom (he/they): A simple wooden broom, with a sweeper at the top end.  Broom isn’t a particularly skilled fighter, nor are they exceedingly great at magic, but at least they’re fast! Broom has a natural ability to fly, a gift going back generations in their family. Broom really would rather avoid all fighting, but considering that nobody can catch them, he makes a quite good scout, which is their purpose in the group. 

Potion (she/her): A round flask with a stopper at the top. contained inside is a green fluid. drinking this fluid would give the user the ability to jump quite high, although Potion has never let anyone do this. I wonder what it tastes like...? A disgraced alchemy student, Potion has set out on a journey to prove themselves to the academy. While her own contents are strictly forbidden for anyone to touch, the other potions she can make are all vastly helpful to the group. She is additionally skilled other buffing spells, so while she doesn’t fight directly, her trinkets and spells make the group significantly stronger. she also contributes many of the plans for the group, because running headlong in to danger will get anyone but WyrmScale killed quite quickly

wow this was a lot uh. yeah :thumbsup:

[zillychu]

I really like your “ghosts treated as natural disasters” au! It’s super cool! I wonder how people get around the fact that phantom has never been seen sucking anybody’s life force out? Do they think he’s building up to something big or just protective of the population center he’s found

That's a great question! I tried to keep that post as short and sweet as possible but oh man do I have a lot more nitty gritty details in mind.

For one, ghosts aren't restricted to Amity Park. They have haunts (territories) but they have lairs in the ghost zone as well, so they tend to go back and forth between the worlds.

However, only the Fentons have a portal with a fixed location, and they rarely have it turned on. (Fun fact: the Fenton portal is made after ghosts explode into the human realm in this AU!) There are areas on earth with higher portal activity, but where they pop up and how long they stay is pretty random.

So, ghosts naturally wander. They pop back into the human realm as they wish, but it's not always close to their haunt. Lots of lesser ghosts don't even have haunts, too mindless for intelligence and more like roaming animals. Smarter ghosts can be curious and explore other parts of earth. They tend to only get defensive of their haunt if they sense other ghosts hunting there excessively, or trying to lay claim on the haunt.

So, in short, Phantom isn't always in Amity. He's there most frequently, but does appear elsewhere on earth at times. There's basically no way to tell how many ghost-related deaths are Phantom's fault.

Not only that, but slowly devouring a human's life force over time isn't uncommon! More intelligent ghosts will do this in an effort to prolong the duration of their "meal", and indulge in the terror it incites. A lot of people simply get very ill and exhausted over time, until there's not enough life left in them. But since this happens to humans naturally all the time, well... it's often hard to tell if the decline in health is from natural causes, or a ghost. (Lesser ghosts don't eat as much, but they have no intelligence to keep them from stopping till they're full. They get full quickly though, so you're less likely to die if one catches you. Just watch out for multiple encounters.)

Danny does take this to an extreme, though! Humans do replenish their life force naturally over time--it's just that ghosts that eat slowly still overcome that natural regeneration. Phantom is literally the only ghost that takes so little over such a large population that it's barely perceptible (unless he messes up, which, oops--that's happened).

But there's simply no evidence that this is probable, or even possible. Ghosts have no reason to do this, it's not as satisfying to them if their prey doesn't experience the terror that comes with knowing they're being drained.

(Also, just another fun little factoid: haunts are usually small! Lesser ghosts will haunt a single item, stronger ones will haunt a building, the strongest on record will haunt something like a park or complex. No one has figured out yet that Phantom haunts all of Amity because that's unheard of!)

Another factoid: ghosts don't need life force to survive! They lived in the ghost zone all this time just fine.

Life energy simply gives them more power, and better ability to stay in the human realm longer, and more corporeal. And it's instinct--it tastes good.

Danny, however, does need that life energy to survive. He needs his ghost half strong enough to stay attached to him, or it could detach and leave his human half dead. Then he'd just be another ghost.

(Also, The more sentient a life is, the stronger it is. So ghosts could technically drain the life of plants and animals, but it's gonna be mostly empty calories.)

[isbergillustration]

Further world building thoughts

[saltspill]

lmfaooo thinking how fucking funny it would be to put Arling and their squad in a casino heist

[grokebaby]

So basically I think I'm gonna have my Pokémon characters be based on the plushies I have, and the personalities I gave them. However the key word is Based here. To give myself as much creative freedom as possible (and also bc the plushies are very personal very comfort items to me), they won't be one and the same, and the character versions will likely form into their own thing. Kinda like if these ocs were an alternate universe version of them where they're not plushies. Base personality but have their own story. Alright? Alright.

[isekyaaa]

Speaking of faceless extras, it'd be fun to write a story from the perspective of essentially a faceless NPC. Like literally when they look in the mirror, they don't have any eyes or a nose. Only a mouth. They're only attracted to clothes that literally every other NPC wears. Their hair color is a muddy brown. Honestly they are not sure they even have a name.

That being said, they know they are in a story. They know who the main characters are. It's hard not to. The main characters have faces, bright clothes, and funky hair styles and colors. The NPC don't know what the story is, but from their place within it, they are able to watch everything unfold. They aren't upset though. They know their role is to fill up blank space and they're happy with it. It's safer that way.

Then on a very random day that something very small ends up interrupting their schedule. They realize at the end of the day that they forgot their umbrella. One of the kind protagonists notice and lends them her umbrella. The NPC doesn't give it much attention. That character is known for being kind and helpful, after all. But then everything slowly starts changing from there.

Soon seats are changed and the NPC finds themselves sitting beside the girl. They don't think much of it at first. The girl is still preoccupied by her main and side character friends. The only time she addresses them is when she greets them in the morning or when she picks up an eraser they accidentally drop. But then it becomes more. One day the girl is absent and she comes back a few days after and asks to borrow the NPC's notes. Then she starts making conversation with them when her friend group is busy during lunch.

The NPC tries not to think too much about it all. While the girl is starting to befriend them, she doesn't belong to the same class as the rest of the main characters. It wouldn't be like the NPC's interactions with her would be broadcast in the story.

But then a haircut gone wrong one day occurs, and the NPC begins to stand out a little bit more. Just a tad. The girl says it looks nice. The NPC tries not to think about it. Then on an errand to buy clothes, they almost find themselves purchasing a jacket that's slightly more saturated than they normally go for. They find their interest beginning to grow in accessories and piercings. The NPC tries to ignore it.

It all culminates one afternoon where the NPC is returning from their club to their classroom. They find themselves passing the clubroom of the protagonists, and from there floats the sweet voice of the girl. She's talking about someone rather cheerily. Then she mentions a name, one that the NPC has never heard before. And yet, they know this name. They know it horrifyingly well.

It's their name.

Panic overtakes them. Sweat drips down the back of their neck as they take a step back in fear. They run.

They're not seen at a school for the few days following. They know it'll only make them stand out more, but they're too afraid. They don't want to face her. Their purpose is being torn away from them and they're terrified to know what'll result because of it. They weren't supposed to be destined for more. And if that meant locking themselves in their home until the danger passed, then so be it.

But a knock at the front door interrupts their frenzied thoughts. Their mom calls for them to answer it. She is busy putting on makeup, but she mentions she is expecting a package. They trudge to the door, but the person that meets them isn't a deliveryman. It is one of their classmates, an NPC like themselves. He stands before them alone. The girl, their neighbor, one of the protagonists—she is nowhere to be seen. The classmate tells them they were missed at school. He brought the homework they missed, as well as notes from their various classes.

It's almost shocking how normal everything is. Were they freaking out over nothing? If they were changing, it would've been either a main or side character at their door, right? But instead, it was someone like themselves.

So, in relief, they thank their classmate for bringing them their homework and turn to leave. But before they can do so, they notice their classmate staring at them oddly. Before they can ask, the classmate speaks.

"Has anyone ever told you you have an interesting eye color?"

Their body acts before their brain does, and they turn to face their reflection in the glass door. They don't know why they find themselves staring so intently when it's the face they have seen their entire life. But at the very least, their classmate is right.

It is an interesting color.

[drainbangle]

OK I HAVE LOOKED AT THE MODIFIED AU STUFF AND!! yeah ive felt for a bit that aini's twists often felt less... grounded? than aitsf's. like i can still accept that they would happen, it just doesn't feel as natural, ESPECIALLY the particular twist you're tackling. i love the tack you took, i think it feels far more cohesive with ryuki's narrative

Modified AU post

YEAH... yeah like I like Bibi fine since she's just, really up my alley in terms of personality and backstory but her existence retconning a lot of what made Mizuki such a strong character in AI1 is genuinely so unfortunate.

It's been a while since I plotted for Modified AU but I remember I still wanted to keep the narrator/POV character twist... IIRC, the flowchart would initially be a single vertical line, with Ikue having some segments as narrator while actively impersonating Kuruto to investigate into the genetic modification stuff from their childhood.

But near the middle part of the game, Kuruto would find out that 1) Ikue, who he honestly thought was dead for several years was alive, and 2) was impersonating him, and after she's fully unmasked and stuff, you would see the true flowchart:

This would all take place in the same era, but you'd be able to play through previous days as the other twin you weren't controlling, and then use information from those to make choices you otherwise wouldn't know you could. Without player interference (using info from the other twin's POV), I imagine it'd just be like... another Annihilation ending?

(Another nitpick I had with AI2 is that I didn't really get that same sense of like... despair as I did with AI1 Annihilation ending OTL)

I don't really know what the like, in-universe explanation for this would be. Maybe developing the Frayer further, explicitly stating that they're motivated by the desire to have a better outcome at the expense of Kuruto's happiness but that's def subject to change

[koro-is-caffeinated]

I am so distracted from my lore I promise if I ever get back to it it'll be so swag but my brain has been thoroughly absorbed by a shrimp-shaped war criminal

[mintjeru]

keeping myself busy by posting wip screenshots

[datastate]

speaking of nao i’m still so mad we hardly got any reference to her in ch3. nao & sara supporting each other was so important to ch2 and yet ! and yet ! :[

[barnabyboppins]

I'm going to assume your favorite animal is some type of bird, but what type of bird? And other than you favorite type of bird what would be your next favorite animal that isn't a bird?

Bird

Bird

Bird

Owls 100% I love owls. I have a pair of OCs I totally didn’t make while watching all of the Harry Potter movies with my family who are a snowy owl avian dude and his qpp shapeshifter who favours phoenix and dragon wings (not simultaneously.) right behind owls would be ravens and seagulls, maybe the blue heron. On a shelf somewhere below Ravens, seagulls and blue herons are mandarin ducks, hooded mergansers, peregrine falcons, and budgies

Favourite team in Haikyuu? Owl team (for reasons lutside of owls.) favourite twitch stream? Owls. One of my favourite OCs? Owl man (his name is Jameson)

My next favourite animal is probably either foxes or horses. Horses are really hard to draw but very fun and satisfying, fun to stick into any fantasy setting (especially if it’s inaccurate to what horses are actually capable of) and foxes are all sly and tricky and some can be poofy and round and others are generally styled to be slick and smooth. Btw this is all based around how I feel when I draw them and how often I draw them or their physical traits. Other animals I think about often are Canadian Lynxes, goats, and cats

[apawture]

Last night at work I made a pmd ref template, made a bunch of copies, and started making simple refs of some of the main characters

Have our hero! I have so much I want to say about her, and I will, later

[chloenadine]

"i don't care if this character is gay or not which is why i'm gonna write an entire essay about why they can't possibly be gay"

[herstoriies]

Cuz I’m still thinking about this new plot/arc/sub-AU…

Imagine Pris “William Mark” went to sea as a ships boy and expected when they returned ashore after all the adventures (even if she managed to keep her identity hidden the entire time) that would be all.

Imagine her surprise to be given the promotion of midshipman. She’s!! A junior officer!! (Who cares if she’s a twenty-something woman disguised as a early-mid teens boy smh it’s the admiralty’s own fault)

Imagine her dread wondering how much longer she can pull this off, but also how exciting because she earned this promotion in an actual career! but also how much more dangerous this is, but as a midshipman she’s going to learn, and if her dear Rear-Admiral Uncle Charles rose the ranks, then so can she.

And then one day she’s like realizing, oh haberdashery! I have responsibilities now!

[homunculus-argument]

And speaking of scurvy, I am eternally amused by the thing where some ancient form of healing that was born in a time where people didn't know exactly how the human body works, or what causes it to stop working sometimes, that still somehow worked. Like how so many old folk medicinal plants were listed as a cure for various ailments that - from a modern view - are clearly just symptoms of scurvy, and the plant itself is rich in vitamin C.

I recall reading some story, no recollection of the exact time or place, where the king of a large empire suffered from constant horrible headaches and was incapable of falling asleep unless drugged or blackout drunk. Sick of taking temporary fixes to dull the pain and having to be sedated every night, he called up some old sage healer who was said to know how to fix things nobody else could explain, and the healer heard his symptoms and went

"Hmm. You spend too much time being a king. Your skull is packed so full of kingly thoughts that they don't all fit in there and that's why your head is in pain. You need to spend time not being a king." And prescribed him to schedule three days every month where he must go to a peasant village where nobody knows he's the king, live with a family there under a fake name and identity, work in the rice fields with them, eating the same food and sleeping on the same mats. Absolutely nobody is allowed to address him as the king, speak to him of any royal or political matters, and he himself is not allowed to think any kingly thoughts or think of himself as the king.

And naturally, this worked. Taking a regular scheduled break from a highly stressful office desk job to completely decompress, paired with physical exercise in the form of hard but simple physical labour, plain and simple food and Just Not Thinking About Your Fucking Job All The Time does help chronic stress, which here was worded as "spending too much time being a king clogs your brain."

Sometimes you do have ghosts in your blood, though I'm not entirely sure whether you should do cocaine about it.

[daydreamerdrew]

Fantastic Comics (1939) #7