#same with the radiant damage he deals

[adorablebanite]

I'm new here, but have we yet talked about why Gortash coins himself "Lightbringer?"

I know "Enver" translates to "shining one" in Turkish, or something of the sort, and "Gortash" means "stone" (not sure which language, I literally googled this for 2 seconds don't come at me!)

My assumption is he rebranded himself after rising in the underworld as someone more front-facing and politics-friendly, so of course "Flymm," being associated with poverty/bad business decisions was not an option (not to mention he'd want to separate himself from his parents for obvious reasons).

The funny thing to me, is while Bane is known as "The Lord of Darkness," "The Dark One," "The Black Lord," and Gortash, his right-hand man (metaphorically and literally) essentially brands himself as a beacon of light.

Is it because it looks and sounds good politically and socially? I'm assuming so, but it also has a cheeky practical connotation to it: infernal weapons.

The Fabricated Arbalest is no doubt an infernal weapon of his own design, and that cute little fucker decided to tune these things to do radiant damage:

So not only is he presenting himself as the antithesis of darkness while simultaneously worshipping a dark god, he's dealing "light bringing" weapons of destruction in the same stroke.

Maybe he's being annoyingly poetic, as light is required to cast a shadow-if he opted in for FULL darkness, he might as well be a Sharran. But tyranny requires balance to prevail- the subjugated masses need hope to avoid fully revolting against a tyrannical leader, and toppling regimes- the best way to enact a tyrannical edict, is to convince one's subjects they love their tyranny by pretending to shield them from some terrifying threat (when in reality the true threat is tyranny). Banites know the intricacies of this delicate balance. Gortash can be that hope- he can be the light that reminds the subjugated he's the one to guide them through the darkness.

It highlights his meglomaniacal and duplicitous nature.

He's also paradoxical in nature, because not only is he completely self aware of his own intentional deception, but he also appears to fully subscribe to his own intentions as the correct way to resolve the world's problems.

I don't even think the "Lightbringer" title is supposed to be in the spirit of trickery- he's being literal and sincere when he calls himself such.

I wouldn't even doubt that with his penchant for technology, he would quite literally seek to "bring light" to Faerún. How long has Baldur's Gate been using candles and torches? Why haven't they progressed passed that since...forever?? When you look at the Iron Throne, it has actual lights- not flame!

I don't doubt he honestly planned on progressing Faerún into a technological age that has drastically been held back by what he sees as inefficiencies in leadership, and a lack of unity. In his own fucked up way, he wanted to jumpstart the evolution of technology - not particularly for altruistic reasons, but because he knew he could.

I hate him very very affectionately.

[controld3vil]

keepin’ it honest

PAIRING: MIGUEL O’HARA X SPIDER!READER SYNOPSIS: you were dead in his universe. but in yours, he wasn’t... NOTES: - im sorry i think i just like oscar isaac a lot. spiderverse was fun to watch though!! but lmk any ideas/requests you guys want for a continuation. - this is inspired by too many nights - metro boomin & don toliver

You knew you were dead in his universe.

Every time he looked at you, Miguel would have a remorseful look on his face. It feels as though his heart shatters the moment he lays his eyes on you. And sometimes you could feel it. The way you sense his longing stare from afar. You can’t help but feel guilty for him. Even if you had no part in his world, that small fragment of your existence makes for it in heartbreak.

Jessica recruited you after one of the first few anomalies emerged. That night, the AI-generated by Lyla was monitoring the busy highways of Earth XXX. New York in your world was much darker, more grim. In clouds of thunder and everlasting rain, your city operated like an old junction train. It had a roughness to it. Everywhere you looked was shattered and torn apart. You could even notice the hot puffs of smoke in apartments. Every structure was distinct with its barred markings and wounds. It carries curiosity for outsiders. With its unpredictable weather and extended nights, numerous events could occur.

Dusk is where danger becomes alive. People were conscious of that. So when Lyla concluded her examination, Miguel and Jessica cautiously tried to locate their Spider counterpart.

You were skeptical of them. Your uncanny sixth sense never failed you. It’s so accurate that sometimes you hoped it was wrong. But in cases like these, you heeded your intuition. The concept of there being alternate versions of oneself, like Spiderwoman, is truly mind-blowing. In all of the same, you were all Spiderman. And there you stood in a back alley, introduced to a woman with a big afro, wearing a black and red suit. And a man with identical attire of dark blue and radiant red markings.

Through a great extent of compromise and explanation, you agreed to help them on their mission.

“When we’re done, you two have to go.” You recall saying with a look of agitation furrowed between your brows. Not that they could see your cold expression - you kept your mask on. But like all Spider men and women, they knew. Miguel and Jessica dart at each other and reluctantly nod, meeting your gaze. 

“In and out.” Spider-Man 2099 answers in a mellow fashion. You could sense something was on his mind. His thoughts scattered in an array of emotions. And you do not miss his last second glance at you before Jessica moved to exhibit a miniature hologram. 

The mission was finished a couple of hours later, three hours into the new morning. What you foresaw to happen quickly came and ended within minutes in your head. Because by four in the morning, the anamorphic creature had been sedated and taken in by an abundant amount of nets. Strings of bright red and white enveloped them. And as they struggled, the tighter the webs contracted. 

Luminous portal morphs behind you like the sunrise. It’s bright and colorful, similar to a coloring book in a children’s library. The altitude of rays glares against your webbed mask eyes. It takes a few seconds to readjust to the brightness as you blink continuously. It’s beautiful. Spiderman 2099 yanks the mindless anomaly across the floor toward the portal. His shoulders stag from fatigue and wounds. His partner took damage as well but heeds reluctantly. 

“We appreciate your help back there.” Spider-Man 2099 coughs not so subtly to catch your attention. “Without you, we would have had bigger things to deal with.”

“Sure,” You started, allowing some softness into your voice. “Helping you guys out is the least I could do.”

“You did more than help us out,” Jessica Drew swoops in, crossing her arms authoritatively. “You saved an entire universe. Your powers…” 

“How long ago did you say you were bitten?” Her male counterpart interrupts, flexing his shoulder perpendicular to you. Your Spider eyes arched upwards in a confused manner. 

“Why is that important?” You could feel the anticipation of what they wanted to request. Do you want to join us? Earth XXX always had its issues, the mistreatment of superheroes, alienated beings coming from outer space, and now alternative versions of Spider-people. New York XXX was your domain to rescue.

Most of your life, after you got bit, was already messy. You were weary. Your job slowly evolved to being a hassle. Every heist and bank robbery felt redundant and pointless. You felt like you were not changing the city for the better good. Although it seemed like an extraordinary possibility, you had a city to handle, a planet to protect. You were the few to endure numerous foreign and military raids. There was so much you would leave behind. You would leave Miguel behind, whom you have driven to protect since your debut as Spiderwoman. 

The other Spiderwoman glances at her partner in hesitation until he reciprocates with a nod. “Anomalies have become a huge problem for the last few months. It’s been tough to track them down since there aren't not many of us yet. But we could use all the help we can get. With your abilities, you won’t only be saving a couple of planets but the entire multiverse.” 

Spider-Man 2099 eyes down at you. You were in deep thought. He understands and has seen it all. Every Spider person he has met contemplates the same questions and morals. Should they risk it all and follow? What would happen to their world? Should they trust them? For some odd reason, he’s willing to be more understanding. Perhaps he feels strangely nostalgic whenever he looks at you. Because the more he stares, the more he feels a tinge of sorrow in his heart.

“I appreciate what you two are doing. But I’m afraid I can’t.” And just like that, his heart deflates pathetically like a balloon. “I’ve got a whole city to look out for. I can’t leave them behind.” 

Both of them sympathized with you. They were the same before assembling the Spider Society. 

“You won’t—“ 

“We understand. Thanks again for your help.” Just like that, he disregards you and pivots to leave. His response was brief with a hint of distraught. On the other hand, his partner shakes her head out of displeasure. Between the two, she was more in tune with her emotions with people.

Jessica offers you a painful grin. “Thank you for everything. Truly I mean it. And if you ever reconsider, always keep a sharp eye on us. We might come to visit sometime.” When the sun waked from its slumber, they were gone. The multicolor doorway was no longer there. Yet every fragment of their fight was still present.

Jessica had hoped to see you again. There was an underlying thread that told her you would join someday. You were a great fighter with capabilities that she and Miguel didn’t have. You were clever with your attacks. On top of that, you were standoffish and did terribly with jokes. For a short exchange, you became someone she dearly looked forward to. And if she didn’t know any better, Miguel’s too. 

Gwen was keen to get to know you. Why? With every waking hour in the Spider Society, she notices you. The cafeteria, in the peripherals of her conversation, and every other encounter with other Spider-people. You were there. In the corner of her eye, Gwen detects her sixth sense every time. It’s bizarre but something the teenager picks on. She’s curious about you and your presence. After months of training and going on missions, she becomes quite enamored in your existence as Spiderwoman. Seeing that not many female Spider individuals were reluctant to greet her, all Gwen had was Jessica.

Even with Jessica, her mentor and role model, she wants to be friends with you.

You were just you. It was a surprise that the mass majority were frightened of you. Your background was something that caused many eyes to divert. But Gwen did not mind their avoidant stares and hoped to learn more about you. People say Earth XXX was a disastrous universe with greater casualties than any other. And by assumption, people considered you a bold and terrifying warrior that endured more than you wanted. You’re broody like Miguel and don’t make conversation often. The only time you converse is for missions. In your line of position, you were unjust and tyrannical to most. But to her, you were a strong and dedicated leader. 

Gwen fears you. More so petrified if she ever finds you infuriated. There were always whispers and gossip about what you did to your victims on missions. Or forbid if one of the Spider-people violates a direct order. You would be livid to no end. Miguel acts on impulse, and so do you. People don’t know whether you would rip them apart or chuck them out of the building. Yet all the times she’s been to the Spider Society, she had never seen you angry. She thinks she’s not familiar yet to comprehend the nuances of your personality. 

After some time, Gwen confirms you do have a heart. It’s crude of people to believe you were raised and born to be this way. She recalls greeting you once. She was returning from another dimension and wanted to speak with Miguel. Her time at the Spider Society was short-lived. Yet she always made it her mission to catch you.

“You’re here to report back to Miguel?” Your soft-spoken voice almost startles her. It’s not as aggressive as she imagined it to be. Her pupils widened, mirroring back at yours. Your dark purple mask was on. The illuminating design compliments your entire suit. 

“Yeah! Uh, I just finished another mission,” the blonde nervously chuckles, already internally scolding at her behavior. It didn’t seem to bother you, more so you looked curious.  

“How’d it go?” She was almost frightened by how different you were from all the rumors. Your tough exterior was not always apparent, but it did exist. Gwen is impressed by your calm and composed demeanor.

She unconsciously rubs her neck, taking off her hood. “It went well! The anomaly wasn’t very complicated to track. I caught them in a jiffy.” 

“That’s… good to hear.” You expressed pondering what to say next. Casual conversation was never your thing. Moreover, interacting with others wasn’t your strongest pursuit. “I’m sure Miguel will be pleased.” 

Quickly the young teenager blows a raspberry. “Even if I did everything exactly as he told me, he’d still find a way to blame me.” Miguel was relentless and reticent. He’s extremely particular on missions since he constantly reminds everyone of the risks. Bargaining with the multiverse was treacherous. It concerned considerable unexplored opportunities and what-ifs. If someone did change a canon event, more anomalies would appear to wreck the universe.

You don’t laugh but hum in understanding. It was as if Gwen could discern your smile under your mask. “Uh, so what are you up to with Miguel?” 

“I have reports to give back.” You casually respond, dialing the area code. When the lights ensure green, the dark passageway unlocks. It’s eerie and has no source of light coming through it. A few times Gwen has gone through the hallway, shivers traveled down her spine. By now, she’s used to the benign deficiency of light. 

A few seconds passed by as you two walked down the hall. The only prominent sound came from the footsteps of your patted suits. A few beeps from computer monitors beam in the alertness of your presence. For a huge office, it lacked capacity. It’s quiet, the luminance of red rays flashing occasionally.

Miguel did not like bright lights, she’d assumed. Because anytime he would be present, little to no brightness came through the building. Even in the long dark hours, he hides in the shadows. In contrast, in the daytime, her leader rarely leaves his office. What catches her eyes is his suit. The red blood linings blaze dangerously. With his mask off, he stands in a rigid position. He’s organizing something on his computer, a report likely.

“Report 82B Lyla,” you command the AI to pull up a document. Gwen is slightly behind you, crossing her arms patiently. 

“Gladly.” The auto-generated woman winks at you and waves at the teenager. A yellow screen that the blonde presumes is the data script next to you. You start typing away, already slowly melding into the backdrop.  The young Spider can hear murmuring coming from Miguel as he concludes his last paragraph on the monitor. The screen suddenly fades, and Lyla appears back at his side, reorganizing everything per his request.  

“Gwen,” he starts before his eyes flicker to you typing. You glance at him before reading over the information on the digital file. He stretches his arms tiredly. “What’s your status?”

“Doing great sir!” She tries to reply jokingly but then coughs out of embarrassment. “The anomaly capture was successful.” 

“And the casualties?” Her boss draws up her file before skimming back at her anomaly report. Spiderman 2099 then walks back and forth as a way to focus. He reads what Jessica had remarked on her performance. 

“Little to none.” Gwen reaffirms with more emphasis. “He wasn’t difficult to track either. And I caught him easily.” Miguel hums and swipes away her profile. He nudged Lyla to show the screen recording video of the anomaly his associate managed to record of Gwen. The blonde teenager notices he gives her a satisfied look.

“You did good, kid.” With a yawning sigh, Miguel dismisses her before nodding back at his schedule. “You’re good to go. You’ll get notified when your next mission is.” Excitedly, the young Spider girl bounces with a hopeful grin. Even under the mask, you could sense her relief and satisfaction. “Oh, and next time stay hidden.”

“Sure thing!” The young teenager offers him an awkward thumbs-up before backing up to face you. You return her gesture with a little wave. Immediately the file you had in front of you was transferred to your leader. “I’ll see you around.”

The sound of rushed footsteps swiftly evaporates into the void behind. As mentioned, Miguel’s office is dim and gloomy. It was one of the few rooms where no one visited. But it was a great advantage as Gwen shuffles closely by the doorway. When the entrances shut, the lively ambiance she radiated gradually decays, and tranquility immerses. 

Your relationship with Miguel bothered her. Because, for the last three months, she has felt an unwanted feeling. She wasn’t sure if it was her intuition or her natural Spider senses tingling to be more wary whenever the two of you were in the room. It was typical for people to consider you and Miguel O’Hara were the same person from different universes. Maybe you were associates from one dimension and knew each other. Gwen did not know for sure. But through persistent questioning from Jessica, Hobie, and Pavitr, she became concerned that the two of you might be something more. Something more personal or private, there was an underlying truth that you came from a parallel background as Miguel. Everyone knew his story, but not many completely understood yours. 

Moreover, you scarcely mention your home universe. The most conversed with was the primary details of New York XXX. With its contaminated zones and corruption, your universe was horrific enough. Not once had you been keen to chat about life on Earth XXX, you were avoidant. However, Gwen gathered some details of your personal life. For example, you did part-time at Stark Tech and graduated with a master's degree in Biochemistry. She would have to thank Jessica for that part. 

But with no context, Gwen hypothesized something terrible happened to your planet similar to Miguels, if not worse. Did you have a family? You did not care to mention one. With such little information, all she could do was pester her friends. Because she truly wanted to get to know you. You, Spider-woman, the head of security and offensive danger of Neuve York.

So she attempts to attend to your conversation with Miguel O'Hara. If you two even had one, you both were born from the same pod of awkwardness. 

“Mission was successful.” You spoke without thinking. It felt automatic for you at this point. It has become a routine for you to report back to him daily. 

Lyla pulls up the report file in front of him. “And how did the new Peter do?” Miguel swipes from side to side and scans the content of what you have written.

Between the barricades, Gwen presumed you tightened against the discomfort felt in the room. “He did all right for his first mission,” She could almost imagine the lilac radiance from your suit against the scarcity of sunshine. “The guy’s new, what’d you expect?”

Miguel's face morphs into a scowl, evidently troubled. “I want your personal opinion,” he maintains forcefully, still not making eye contact with you. “Was he adequate for the job?”

Jessica made it a known truth that you were observant of many things. You had a knack for using your super hearing to take in intel and conversations particularly inclined to your line of work. Miguel’s comment about your prestige perception was a “particular asset” for their team. You were good at reading people because he always paired you with recruits. You knew what to say about their character and expertise.

“Like every other Peter, he’s fine,” You redirected your weight to your opposing leg out of irritation.

“Fine,”

“Great,”

“Come on guys! Lighten up the room here!” Lyla emerges on a more oversized screen, raising her arms in the air. “No offense.”

“Look, I just want you to stop giving me recruits for a while, okay?” Out of vexation, you crossed your arms. The grudge you had was beyond a minor nuisance. Not many saw it, including Gwen. 

You were aware of the unspoken friction between you and Miguel. It’s become a regular occurrence that reminds you so much of him. But this Miguel was different. What he was capable of and his background was separate. Yet with everything you had given him, Miguel could never look past it. He’s stubborn, something you could never shake off. Nonetheless, you knew you should not bring it up. But your patience was growing thin by the minute. 

It was the same dispute with Miguel. A suggestion would come up and be ignored by his eternal night schedule. It’s become a problem for you as you’ve continually sent messages to him in the past, stating your schedule change. Yet he never replied nor mentioned it in person. You did not have time to train recruits. You had other places to be. 

“Someone else can train them.”

“I think it would be better if you took them,” the brown-haired male sneers under his breath. His snarky remark does not bypass Gwen or your ears. “You’re in charge of security for a reason.”

“Head of security means I have more things to take care of,” Your wide arachnid pupils contracted in a sarcastic arch. “You’re holding me here.”

“So what if I am?” What was he getting at? Gwen did not understand what her boss was thinking. There was a quick pause until your padded feet strode forward. Your suit’s soft footing made a minimal sound that not even Gwen could hear. What she could concur was your jagged breathing. 

“What if you are..?”

“You’re the only person who knows Neuve York better than anyone else! I need you here for the time being,” Your leader whispers your name as if it was a last resort. He rarely calls you by your alias matter of fact, no one did. “Look, we have bigger things to deal with right now.” 

“Funny, you never mentioned these "things" before.” It sounded like a scornful blow. Because while you were one of the more skillful Spider-people, you rarely participated in group settings. You preferred to work alone or sometimes with another person. There was never an in-between with you. Perhaps it's the reason why Miguel was persistent in your mentoring.

“I want you to stay here all right!” Miguel snaps as he frustratedly pinches the bridge of his nose. A tense silence surged through the room. The walls tremble as though they were alive. With no one around, it feels like you were walking on edge with him, where the world revolved only around you and him. Empty and dull. In his domain and lab, Spider-man 2099 sulks and does not say another word. You ponder what he says, it's difficult to put together. You were disappointed in his loyalty and trust. However, you were also unhappy. A bizarre combination.

You realize the pitiful emotion of regret. Your heart cracks at the sound of his tremble of words. It seems like he said it for his benefit. It's complicated as it is to follow orders from Miguel. Regardless, you look back at his face. A fleeting flash in his eyes tells you of his remorse. His beating pulse from afar is rapid. The room suddenly feels hot, your hands clench together. 

The older Spider-Man grips his hair as a way to calm his nerves. “An anomaly breach has been spotted. Peter B confirmed it. And it should be me and Jessica’s responsibility to oversee it. So I need you here, in charge.”

It sounded like he was pleading, the teenager thinks. When has Miguel been this desperate in a situation? Everything she was hearing made Gwen reflect on everything you two discussed. The way you spoke to each other is distant and discomfiting. You particularly were stiff every time you saw him. And Miguel acted as though you were never there in the room. Like he was purposely ignoring your presence. Yet Miguel was never a person to plead for someone.

You inhaled slowly out of your nose. It is challenging to meet the gaze of your leader as you contemplate his comments. Above all else, you must prioritize what's at stake. Sudden breaches were serious threats. You consider Miguel's course of thinking. It was always he and Jessica to take over when things became chaotic. And it's you that comes last as a backup. It's the way and standard they have decided on. Your leader claims it's better to limit their troops before heading into danger. And Jessica can't help but agree. But you knew, still, you think of his personal feelings as well. Apart from every mission, you know Miguel's true intentions about you. The reason? The answer was as frank as it always has been.

But how insistent he has become and how sullen you felt afterward. With that, you stare up at the platform. “Fine.”

Gwen stops in confusion. This wasn’t the person she knew you as.

Lyla, who has been spectating in the background, observes her boss’s reaction. He seemed out of breath and tense. The very presence of you makes him uneasy. Even so, she could tell he wanted nothing more than to do what was best for Neuve York. If that means making you stay longer, you’d have no choice but to obey. And she wants the best for you. Lyla also hopes and pleads for you guys to reconcile someday.

“Are we done?” 

“Yeah… We’re done.” Miguel could his racing heart slow down. He pierces his lips together, his shoulder relaxing.

You hold a grim cast, swiftly turning to march toward the double doors. The atmosphere is heavy from the strained tension. Yet you stand your ground and continue out of the room, never sparing Miguel a glance. Reluctantly, the curly-haired man’s eyes soften in a moment of vulnerability. Your immediate departure left a bitter taste in the room. With no one else in the room, Miguel is finally alone. Again, in his thoughts, in darkness. His heart thumps steadily to know you're away from peril. Even if it meant you would be resentful of him, Miguel's content.

You vanish into the darkness. Your suit has a camouflage characteristic to it. Because you stray further from the doors, you can feel your whole body basking in the absence. And finally, you snatched your mask off in one swoop. With no eyes glaring back at you, your body trembles slightly. You didn’t realize how hot and sweaty you were at that moment. Like a breath of fresh air, you gasped full breaths continuously. Miguel could never see you without your mask. It was a secret in his presence, for his sake and yours. 

Out of a fearful situation, Gwen speechlessly heaves in astonishment. Unbeknownst, her hands and body shake. Her big discovery was making her head explode. How couldn’t she have known? You two hid it so well. She believed your dynamic was natural for your similar personalities. But the multiverse was more cruel than she thought. 

He cared for you.

The next morning, you were gone. Back onto your universe for a checkup. Because every so often, you receive information from Stark Tech or national news of Earth XXX's well-being. According to Stark, you may be considered reckless because you have an overextended work schedule. Your universe was a different problem. Your body and soul were born in this world. It holds a special spot in your heart.

You were not a full-time superhero. You occasionally helped Iron Man or Black Widow on scouting missions. Though you would say most of your work was predominantly independent. You relished in tranquility in what your jobs provided. Here is your small apartment in New York, where you did not have busy associates bugging you. 

Your city was quiet tonight. It brought you joy and ease. After Miguel’s little chat, you wanted to avoid the Spider Society. The heated conversation left a bad taste in your mouth. Now as you flee from Neuve York, you're welcomed to a more comfortable setting. The skies were majestic in your world. Its eternal darkness settles you back into your old life. The stars were out tonight but so tiny. And the honks of pedestrians frazzle your ears. A familiar tune plays outside of your dorm casually on the side of the building. In a world where terrible things happen, it's so peaceful tonight. 

Neuve York was never home to you. The people are indeed welcoming and sweet. But it's nowhere near how you feel with New York XXX. 

In opposition, Spider-Man 2099 commonly resides at Neuve York. After you decided to join the Spider Society, meeting Miguel became a usual thing. You learned many things about him. Such as his preference for food, whom he tolerates, and his story. Spider-man 2099 is a gruesome man with a tragic background. Disregarding your quarrels, Miguel was the one to recruit you. He was the same person who created the Spider Society and made Neuve York their main base. It was all thanks to him for your tremendous efforts.

Thus, when you walk inside your apartment, you try not to think about him. You flicked the light on and you relished in its comfort. It had been months since your last arrival. You had not felt relief in months due to your recruitment business. Apart from that, you occasionally did missions per Jessica's request. You were the head of security, many things had come up to you in the past year. All else aside, you weren't working right now. You were finally home. In a place where you could find solace. You stroll around, familiarizing yourself with the place. The decorations and furniture lead you back to old memories. Fresh and prepared to do anything. In your younger years, you would be ready for the worse. 

Eventually, you changed into pajamas. They were loose but comfortable. The sheer difference from your civilian wardrobe to your Spider suit is two completely different styles. But you weren't Spider-woman right now. You were just you. You were just a lonesome neighbor, wanting to eat.

You discovered there were leftovers in the fridge and reheated it. A random movie was playing that allowed your mind to rest. The concrete table you had in the kitchen had a beautiful set of gray colors. It's marble which compliments the cupboards next to them. You feel nostalgic thinking about it. When you first moved in, nothing in your apartment was the same. You had to renovate everything to satisfy your vision. And as it turned out, your kitchen was one of your accomplished projects.

You look back on the fond memories you had as a young adult. Now years later, your mind and thinking have matured. Many things have changed since you became Spiderwoman. Your life now was on a constant radar. And as you sit down on your couch with a bowl of rice and teriyaki steak, you sigh. Your life was not going to get easier. It would not get more difficult from here. The movie playing on your television catches your attention. A single line from the main character reminds you of what your uncle had once told you.

With great power comes great responsibility. 

The morning ran by rather quickly. You didn’t realize how much time had passed until your eyes slowly registered the fluffy covers on top of you. The natural illumination coming from your window displays next to you. You can see the small particles of dust in the air. The world is a blur for you for a moment. Until you awakened in your bed, the scent of vanilla and blueberries distinctly attracted your nose. Your legs slowly lifted themselves to the floor. You note that you don't remember showering or cleaning after yourself last night. You'd assumed you were carried straight to bed.

The sun was so bright and delightful outside. For once New York was not raining today on its cool morning. And rubbing your eyes, you casually walk toward the scent. “Morning,” You yawn clumsily, leaning towards the nearby counter. Unfortunately, you slipped and failed to catch the edge of the table.

Luckily a fast hand reaches out and holds onto your forearm. “Morning, mi amor.” 

You blink up and give your savior an adorable smile. “Morning.” In return, he laughs at your drowsiness. Your hair, most likely was a mess. And your face was probably droopy from sleepiness. Not to mention the sweat and dirt you endured from the previous mission. 

You were guilty. Even after returning home, you did not take the time to shower yet. “Sorry, I was exhausted yesterday.” 

“No need, amor,” your fiancé gives you a sympathetic look, squeezing your bicep, “I didn’t know you would come home so soon. I should’ve set up dinner for you.” 

“It's all right.” You wave a hand in reassurance before sitting on one of the stools. “I had some leftovers.” 

Your partner flips a pancake and grins. “Yes, I could tell.” There was an underlying teasing tone you sensed. “But don’t worry, that’s why I made you breakfast.” At the word, he places the last pancake on a white plate. Grabbing fresh blueberries from the sink behind, he sprinkles the rest onto the pancakes. Adorningly, you giggle at his gestures of courtesy. In casual clothes, he wears your cute little apron. It has little pink hearts on it. His stature looms over you easily as he leans in with a charming look. 

With the maple syrup in hand, you eagerly look at the pancake and then back to him. “Thank you, Miguel.”

[catcas22]

My first attempt at dnd homebrew. Feel free to steal!

Oath of the Penitent

            The Oath of the Penitent is an oath not for a faithful servant of the light, but for one returning to the light. These tarnished paladins seek absolution, to right some past wrong or to earn forgiveness for an unforgotten sin. The penitent fights without a thought for his own life, for the path to redemption is often painted in blood.

            While one sworn to the Oath of the Penitent clings to the hope of redemption, she acknowledges that apologies are but empty words. The penitent proves his resolve through deeds, atoning for past wrongs when atonement can be made, and suffering punishment with stoic resolve when no restitution can suffice.

            It may be that one who has walked in darkness will see the light all the more clearly.

Tenants of the Penitent

            The tenants of the penitent are unyielding, for these paladins understand the price of moral weakness. They judge themselves more harshly than any priest or king.

Atonement. If one hopes for redemption, the same chance must be extended to one’s enemies. While no quarter is owed to an unrepentant evildoer, the penitent must extend mercy to those willing to walk the long road of atonement.

Restitution. Remorse does not blot out action. When encountering those harmed by his past misdeeds, the penitent must make every effort to make restitution for his crimes.

Penance. The life of the penitent is no longer her own -- it is a second chance, offered only so that she might set right her mistakes. The penitent does not shy away from hardship and danger. If the cause is just, the penitent must fight on whatever the cost.

Piety. The penitent understands the wages of sin better than most. While the penitent might be forced at times to choose the lesser of two evils, he acknowledges that the lesser is still an evil. The penitent will not bend her morals for the sake of expediency, or even to preserve his own life.

Oath Spells

3rd - Compelled Duel, Ensnaring Strike

5th - Blindness/Deafness, Crown of Madness

9th - Life Transference, Fear

13th - Freedom of Movement, Death Ward

17th - Hallow, Dawn

Channel Divinity

Stigmata. Draw upon your life’s blood to strike down the wicked. As a bonus action, sacrifice 10 points of HP from your Lay on Hands pool to add 1d8 necrotic damage to each of your weapon attacks. You may gain a number of die equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1). This effect ends when you die, are incapacitated, or take a long rest.

Rebuke the Wicked. If an enemy within 10 feet of you does damage to an ally, you may use your action to lock eyes with that enemy. Your target must make a Wisdom saving throw. On a failed save, the enemy takes 2d6 radiant damage and becomes frightened of you for one turn. On a successful save, the enemy takes half as much radiant damage and is not frightened. This ability may be used a number of times equal to your Charisma modifier (minimum of +1).

Aura of Affliction

            Starting at 7th level, your unfaltering resolve in the face of affliction inspires your allies to greater fortitude. So long as you remain conscious, you and any creatures of your choice within 10 feet add your proficiency bonus to any Wisdom or Constitution checks.

            At 18th level, this aura extends to 30 feet.

Divine Judgement

            At 15th level, your Channel Divinity abilities are improved. Stigmata now provides 1d12 per 10 HP sacrificed. Rebuke the Wicked now deals a total of 4d6 radiant damage.

Final Atonement

            At 20th level, you can call upon the desperate courage of one fighting his final battle. Using your action, you undergo a transformation. For 1 minute, you gain the following benefits:

Whenever you cast a paladin spell that has a casting time of 1 action, you can cast it using a bonus action instead.

When you take the Attack action on your turn, you can make one additional attack as part of that action.

When taking damage that would otherwise reduce your HP to 0, if you are not killed outright you may make a DC 10 Constitution saving throw. Upon success, your HP is instead reduced to 1. Upon each use of this ability, the DC increases by 5.

            This effect ends early if you are incapacitated or die. Once you use this feature, you cannot use it again until you finish a long rest.

[cerastes]

Hey, is Ebenholz good? I heard that he was kinda trash at first when he came out on JP but no real specifics. What's his niche?

I'll hit you with the cold water and tell you off rip that he is a relatively weak 6*, yeah. Not useless, really, weak in the Your Resources Would Be Better Spent Elsewhere(tm) way, not in the This Guy Sucks And Loses Often way, he still does his job and you can definitely build him.

His main niche is boss killing, with his S3 being the conductor of this particular symphony, but it requires some real precise timing and map knowledge so you don't waste stacks on trash mobs so you can actually see the fireworks go off. When executed properly, though, his damage is Pretty Damn Insane. Problem is, you can get damage on the same level without jumping through flaming hoops with plenty of other boss killers, so this is mostly a If It Appeals To You, Go Ahead kind of gameplay thing. Seeing a big number go off and a health bar deplete is very fun, after all.

For general use aside from that, it's a toss between S1 and S2, and here's the thing with Ebenholz: His kit is fun. Not meta, but it's fun. S1 is a short-lived, 5 second long funeral dirge wherein Eben forgets he's a Caster and pulls out a machine gun. He blasts the absolute hell out of whatever is in a line in front of him for a truly absurd number of attacks. Of course, it lasts 5 seconds, because he then remembers he's a Caster, but it's a very fun 5 seconds. Upkeep is manageable (19 charge Lv7, 15 charge M3), but I would use his more consistent S2 instead. Eben takes a look at what that weird W chick is doing, says "I can do you one better", and spends his accumulated stacks (+1 freebie) as landmines in his range, which explode and pull enemies towards them. S2 in particular gets pretty nutty returns out of Masteries (15% damage each mine per Mastery for a total of +45% profits at M3, wau!) so if you want to M6 the guy, S2 and S3 are my recs (S2 basically turns his Atomize This Guy stacks into more serviceable Half-Atomize These Guys stacks, with very good upkeep 14 charge at lv7 13 charge M3). The machine gun is fun, but remember that it turns his range into a line, ISN'T AoE, and ultimate overkills the crap out of a small number of foes or deals respectable damage to something with bulk, instead of killing a bigger number of foes (S2) or absolutely atomizing something if done right (S3). In other words, his S1 is the Middle Of The Road skill that tends not to fare well in Arknights (as opposed to the Master Of The Entire Road kind of skills that fare well in Arknights like Thorns S3 or Saria S3, or the Extremist Specialist skills that also fare well in Arknights, like Schwarz S3 or Radiant Knight S2).

I rate him He Really Wanted To Be Sniper Evidently out of ten, and give him an A for effort and style.

[werewolfpdfs]

never mistake being a hater for being a hater. contrary to my posts i love stormlight let me talk about how i love it now. under the cut bc there’s so many

“For my honor? Unquestionably.” and like. Dalinar’s whole deal in WoK

Sorry for being basic i love Kaladin and Syl they’re my silly little guys

the Navani researching light scenes were written for me <3

Rlain is!! he’s sooooo. I also like his Shen era actually especially with the later context of why he’s there <3

Obviously the duel everyone loves the duel

Szeth paintball

The psychic damage of the Shallan backstory chapters. Girl….

Have to put Moash on the list but specifically his Oathbringer chapters. Dramatic irony ough.

I don’t care I still think Adolin having to investigate a murder he committed is the funniest shit ever. When he’s like “guys…i don’t think this other murder is by the same guy….i just have a feeling” lololol he’s so stupid <3

Unironically war crimes era Dalinar was also so funny.

i care about Taln a normal amount (lying)

Renarin’s whole deal….also his little fidget box.

im easily emotionally manipulated which is why every Hoid story can bring me to tears.

big big fan of crabs

Eshonai backstory chapters if you don’t like Eshonai do not @ me you are nothing

i like the books being silly and cheesy actually. i like the radiant ideals <3

i don’t care about power creep or whatever when Shallan got shot through the head by a crossbow and walked it off that was funny.

Kaladin horse scene

When Kaladin clocks Roshone in the face. Sometimes violence solves problems

that interlude with the shoe guy. also the one with the ardents researching spren but they behave differently when observed i loved that

bridge four stew <3 bridge four love <3 relevant to me <3

[enbyleighlines]

Leigh plays Tellius prt 22

It's time for part 2 at long last! Though, I can't help but feel like "intermission" is a more apt name for this section, since it's far shorter than the 3 other parts. But name aside, I am happy to see some familiar faces.

Elincia's struggle to gain respect and recognition from the nobles is so frustrating to watch. I do not blame Ike and company from nope-ing out of that situation. Even so, while their intention was to help Elincia, instead they've essentially abandoned her. Thankfully, Elincia has plenty of friends who are there to support her, such as Marcie.

I didn't use her in PoR, but I think I might use her in RD, depending on her growths. Historically, I have a hard time keeping pegasus knights alive, but I love Marcia as a character too much to not at least try to keep her on the team.

Can Haar actually talk to his wyvern, or is he being funny here? Can all dracoknights talk to their wyverns? Why is this aspect of the game never explored? We really never learn much of anything about wyverns and pegasi. How are they chosen? Also, we learned from PoR that pegasi can live a long, long time. Is the same true for wyverns?

Anyway, I breezed through this map with ease. Elincia is basically invincible during the prologue, and Marcia didn't deal much damage, but she dodged nearly every attack aimed at her.

*Gagging noises*

I can only imagine what Ike would say if he was around to hear that. Yeardley, you are very, very lucky he wasn't.

It's the lesbians!! Poor Nephenee took such a rough beating here, but I was determined to get her to talk to Heather as soon as possible. I took my time on this map, mainly because I wanted to get Neph as much exp as possible. Also, I love those cows up on the righthand side of the above pic.

It's Ludveck time! I'm sad we don't get to brutally murder him the way we did Jarod, but whatever. Also, because of Jello's playthru, I couldn't help but read all his lines with a Southern gentleman accent. It just fits him so well. I hate seeing him flirt with Lucia here, especially knowing what will happen later.

Though, I do have to wonder why Lucia thought this plan wouldn't rouse suspicion. She brought several laguz (of different types, no less) to Ludveck's territory for the sake of sampling their berries? Yeah, sure, nothing suspicious about that.

I also have to wonder why Ludveck is keeping confidential documents in a random cave outside of his manor. Surely his manor would be better guarded?

Oh, Elincia...

I really feel for her here. She's just been put into this impossible situation. But I suppose that's what makes her character arc so compelling.

Aaaand that's the first half of part 2 of Radiant Dawn completed. I can't believe it's almost over.

But I'm excited, too. I am missing the Greil Mercs so badly.

[cosmermaid]

I can't stop thinking about a potential radiant Syl. It would make so much sense for her character arc to go in that direction, especially if she gets bound to the physical realm like I think she probably will in book five.

One thing about her I see people criticize her for is how she pushes Kaladin to keep to his oaths rather than sympathizing with his justifiable anger towards the system that oppressed him his whole life. I mean, she can't sympathize with him on that, if he allows his anger to drive him to break his oaths, Syl will die. She loses a lot of cognitive function just when he's being wishy-washy about them, so it's kinda hard for her to be empathetic when his actions cause her to have magical brain damage.

At the same time, I get why it's frustrating. Because it places the burden of what Syl needs and expects of him on Kaladin's shoulders when he already has enough to deal with, and is completely justified in his anger.

So imagine Syl getting shoved into a situation that destroys her nahel bond with Kaladin. If she wants to continue the fight against Odium following her own ideals, she'll have to do it herself for once.

Also she'd best fit being a Lightweaver. Syl already has a weird fixation on Shallan, admires her lightweaving abilities, and has a lightwoven humansona that Shallan had given her previously. Syl is also a bit strange among other honorspren, so it would make sense for her to bond a Cryptic when other honorspren don't even like associating with them.

IDK, I think the forshadowing is pointing towards a future lightweaver Syl. I think it would also be kinda fun if Shallan took her as a ward the way Jasnah took her under her wing.

[archivestarlyht]

adding to 5e spells that would probably effect lex (aside from identify evil and good and protect from evil and good):

magic circle (3rd level)

can be used to trap the fey creature and would protect people outside from fey creature. prevent fey creature from entering a specific area, teleportation requires a charisma save. fey has disadvantage on attack rolls against people within the area. no being charmed, frightened, or possessed by the creature.

planar binding (5th level)

can be used to bind fey to follow you as an ally until the effect fades, if the creature fails a wisdom save.

dispel good and evil (5th level)

break charmed, frightened, or possession by fey. disadvantage on attack rolls. caster makes melee attack that would attempt to dispel fey to feywild.

hallow (5th level)

cannot enter area that is Hallowed. creatures that are charmed, possessed, or frightened by a fey are no longer when entering the area.

forbiddance (6th level)

can make an area that damages fey total of 5d10 radiant or necrotic damage unless a password is spoken if fey is chosen to enter it.

temple of the gods (7th level)

if chosen, fey must make a save or be unable to enter area for 24 hours. if successful save, any saving throw, ability check, or attack roll is subtracted a d4.

basically, assume if the spell effects fey, he has the same vulnerability. these spells usually do not effect humans. however, he has gotten both an easier deal than others and a far more difficult one, in that spell effects recognize him as fey due to how the feywild left its mark.

that said, you might notice that he can't be charmed. spells like crown of madness, fast friends, hold person, or dominate person if used on him will always fail. dominate person always fails, but planar binding does not. he's infuriating in some ways but it's easy to balance if you figure out his deal.

he also has a wizard's / human's general weaknesses otherwise. armor is too distracting so he has to rely on casting mage armor on himself, or shield as a reaction, otherwise he's very easy to hit and down in a fight. without his spellbook he needs to start from scratch. if his hands are bound he cannot cast spells with somatic requirements. spells like silence, or anything that prevents him from speaking, will not allow him to cast spells with verbal components.

[talenlee]

How To Be: Sothe Pathofradiance (In 4e D&D)

In How To Be we’re going to look at a variety of characters from Not D&D and conceptualise how you might go about making a version of that character in the form of D&D that matters on this blog, D&D 4th Edition. Our guidelines are as follows:

This is going to be a brief rundown of ways to make a character that ‘feels’ like the source character

This isn’t meant to be comprehensive or authoritative but as a creative exercise

While not every character can work immediately out of the box, the aim is to make sure they have a character ‘feel’ as soon as possible

The character has to have the ‘feeling’ of the character by at least midway through Heroic

When building characters in 4th Edition it’s worth remembering that there are a lot of different ways to do the same basic thing. This isn’t going to be comprehensive, or even particularly fleshed out, and instead give you some places to start when you want to make something.

Another thing to remember is that 4e characters tend to be more about collected interactions of groups of things – it’s not that you get a build with specific rules about what you have to take, and when, and why, like you’re lockpicking your way through a design in the hopes of getting an overlap eventually. Character building is about packages, not programs, and we’ll talk about some packages and reference them going forwards.

Who are we looking at this month? Well, since this series was started off by Hilda from Three Houses, it seems positively rude on my part to not reach once more to the Fire Emblem well, with its wonderfully varied names and … embarrassingly limited mechanical scope.

Let’s look at a character from a Gamecube game about fighting a dragon, or a god, or the black knight, or something.

Examining Sothe

Setting aside the way he shows up in any other ‘this relates to Fire Emblem’ media like Fire Emblem Heroes, Sothe is present in two games: Fire Emblem: Pool of Radiance and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. After doing extensive research into the Fire Emblem franchise, and built an extensive understanding of the game’s existing lore and general play fantasy, I have gathered information about the importance of this plot-vital character. As best I can tell, there’s no actual reason to care that much about keeping Sothe around. He’s the second thief you get in a game where you don’t need any thieves. In Path of Radiance, Sothe is there to set up his appearance in the second game, where I understand he’s much cooler. Poor guy got it rough.

Know what is cool though about Fire Emblem? It has a bunch of systemic information about the character. At a glance, I can tell that Sothe has a starting strength of 5, but a skill of 7 and a speed of 11. These are not the same stats as you’d see in D&D but you can interrogate what they’re meant to represent.

Sothe’s strength adds to his physical damage, but his skill and speed improve his critical hit rate. Critical hit rates aren’t something you can do a lot with in 4e D&D, but that’s still a sign that this character might not be the most powerful, aggressive fighter, not someone who can deadlift things, but thanks to his ability to hit things at the right time and the right place, he can do a lot of damage. Sothe doesn’t have any meaningful magical ability, and it doesn’t improve that well.

Also, in terms of what he does badly, he doesn’t have good defense or resistance, and those things don’t improve much either. In Radiant Dawn, he gets to be more or less the same thing, but moreso, with a special skill for dealing more damage to shapeshifting monsters. All of this mechanically indicates pretty much what you’d expect at the idea of a ‘sly thief’.

Alright, then, Sothe is a thief, mobile, able to engage in fights but not an individual who can pick up a horse and throw it. Light armour seems obvious, since that would be good for mobility, and he uses knives. All this stuff is covered pretty conveniently in most of our optional builds, so there’s no concern there.

Sothe’s beast-stalking seems… kind of hard to do anything with. That can be covered in D&D with silvered weapons, which are low priority in my opinion.

Glossary Note: Conventionally, the term used in D&D for this mechanical package is race. This is the typical term, and in most conversations about this game system, the term you’re going to wind up using is race. For backwards compatibility and searchability, I am including this passage here. The term I use for this player option is heritage.

Light armour, some strength (if you can spare it), good dexterity (so picking a class and heritage that amplify those options), and skills that let you sneak around and steal things.

I mean I’m not going to lie to you, I started thinking ‘this guy is just a thief, right?’ and I’m not wrong. An added challenge for Sothe, though, is the question of how do you add variety to a build for a character who at his heart is a game piece designed to slot into the spot of ‘a thief’?

Idea 1: The Rogue

Well duh.

Idea 2: The Ranger

If you like the idea of being a sneaky damage dealer like Sothe, but for some reason, you dont’ want to be ‘a thief’ – I mean why, how, what is it about Sothe that pulls your attention here, I do not get it – another good option is the Ranger. Rangers can be built with a lot of dexterity, and with attacks that use Dexterity to attack people. The best Ranger attack, Twin Strike, is a good example too, where you can (say) throw a pair of daggers at someone’s face with your knives. The skillset mostly lines up too and you can use themes to pick up more skills that fit your vision of this thiefy character. Amn is a good one – it gives you Streetwise and Thievery, which

I mean

Sothe is a Thief. You probably want Thievery, right?

Idea 3: The Warlord

Alright, now I know I’m pushing towards the edges, but bear with me here.

Sothe does not ‘heal’ people in Forced Femblem. Healing in that game is a very specific mechanic that works a particular way. But there is a build of the Warlord that cares about making opportunities and not making its own attacks.

The idea is a ‘Lazy Warlord.’ Fire Emblem is a game where units sometimes spend turn after turn not attacking and just waiting for things to engage you. You can, in fact, just idle on a map but be there, necessarily, because of some plot reason or another. I’ve watched enough Firey Wirey Emblemy Wemblemy to know that the core of the game is very much often about parking plot-relevant characters where they can’t be accidentally critted to death by randoms and turning the map into a kill box.

For that, I would suggest, a lazy warlord. Sothe is there, but Sothe isn’t there to fight. Sothe is there to enable your fighting, and to take advantage of opportunities.

In just heroic, you can do this with the following powers as you level up:

Commander’s Strike (At Will)

Direct the Strike (At Will)

Overwhelming Force Trap (Encounter)

Powerful Warning (Encounter)

Friendly Fire (Encounter)

Destructive Surprise

Scent of Victory

With this power layout, you literally don’t need to be able to attack on your own at all. You can even take Fey Beast Tamer as your theme, and have a pet that can do your opportunity attacks or granted attacks. This is a build that doesn’t need any magical weapons at all, and that’s pretty wild!

Junk Drawer

Within the limits of a martial, non-magical character type that is lightly armoured, Sothe pretty much taps it out and reaches his goal immediately. Once you’re willing to expand a little bit, the Avenger becomes immediately obvious as an option for a weapon-wielding character that isn’t high strength, and cares about light armour and mobility. If you’re willing to allow some arcane magic into your Sothe’s life, you could also turn to the Skald, wielding a knife and letting people heal themselves while you attack around them.

I’ve talked about it before, but some characters line up obviously in what they do and how they do it. The trick then is to look for the next thing.

Check it out on PRESS.exe to see it with images and links!

[ojirocardigansniper]

experienced shallan& emotion after thinking about how ill always be right even if ya boy branderson shows himself to be wrong. ramble off the dome. its so sick and twisted that he did that to veil when she was literally same shit as our beth (2017!! oathbringer was 2017 that was her last era...) and then she fused w me and we had to deal with that missingness. VEIL DESERVES BETTER..... i literally think veil could have a 'babe you deserve to exist too you're more than your internal purpose' resurfacing arc but cowards using the DSM instead of narrative & healing (More relevant irl to even traumagenic plurals than CLINICAL ASSUMPTIONS 🙄) would not write this. pointing at him threateningly that fusion was nonconsensual (shallan was NOT READY!!) and thats damaging and you have to acknowledge this. Losing one of her support team because they decided for her that it's 'good for her' doesnt help shallan actually gain a stable sense of identity (healing goal for both final fusion AND functional multiplicity!) OR process the traumatic memories she just got dumped on her. Radiant is not a sufficient support on her own she's struggling herself with rigidity & shallow sense of identity & lack of relation to others!! And shallan is better than she was in OB re: distress tolerance for existing as herself but i cannawt even conceive that she won't backslide after learning what she did when she was tiny. Little split/surface or emerging age regression IMMEDIATELY!! That shit needs resolving!! radiant(+shallan if inner child is separate) internal mom arc i can envision it. shallan& 'responsible for the deaths of HOW many parental figures now' needs reparenting like MORE than she needs air (literally. stormlight will let u simply not breathe awhile <3) ANYWAY IM LITERALLY RIGHT ABOUT THIS AND I DONT DARE TRUST HIM TO NOT SIDELINE HER PLURALITY. Better to be jaded and right than hopeful and devastated.... But of course BEST to have 'oathbringer 2 : cathartic sobbing again' if he manages to surprise me by giving this WHOLE system some genuine dignity & healing as their own characters, rather than sacrifices to the Real Shallan's identity formation. aka how it is looking right now. Hire ME as your sensitivity reader 🔫 I have SO many community perspectives in brain and accessible to me im like fifty readers in one <- RIMSHOT

[lapdogmabari]

So, here’s where we’re at in Undermountain now.

>The Onyx Dog got poofed. By default this means Gracious is out for blood. >Caspian isn’t great. He’s in Undermountain so that was a given, but he’s trying to hold it together. King. >The Pink Thing that Mara’s hunting is in the same room as us and they’ve been throwing barbs at each other, but we only barely escaped the Zhentarim with their help, so. >Mara’s got a lot of blood on her. Don’t worry, it’s not hers. >It’s Oliver’s. A Zhentarim shot him and he caught it in his back. >There’s a weird old man with eyes on his robes. >Again, we’re in Undermountain. >Eye Robe Wizard in Undermountain. >It’s probably not Halaster, we’re probably fine. He’s dead. Right? ... Right? >We haven’t found anything to bring back with us. We need two cool objects. One to pay Durnan for information, and one to be formally recognized as a party. >On the bright side, Ollie’s gun works fabulously. He landed a decent Branding Smite on Pink Thing and learned that something about it makes it weaker to radiant damage? So that’s something. >Right there’s still Zhentarim in the dungeon with us. >They have Ollie’s ex-boyfriend’s artifice with them, so they’ve definitely been raiding the old filing cabinet. Ollie wants to go home and read up on his old projects in case the Zhents stole anything ELSE from him.

Did I not mention that Ollie’s Weave Engine designs got stolen and are being used by the Zhentarim to control Waterdeep? Because that’s a thing. And the constant stress they’re putting on the Weave could potentially cause a second Spellplague. So we gotta deal with that soon too.

OH. And Mask, and potentially other gods? Are just. On the Material Plane again.

[peregrineggsandham]

Do I have far, far too much work to do that I am not doing? Yes.

Have I gotten to Absolute Radiance and am now practicing her in the Hall of Gods? Also yes.

The screen is so bright gold and white it hurts my eyes. I am ready and willing to murder the sun.

Y'all. Y'all I'm so proud of myself. I am demonstrably not good at platformers - I still routinely fall trying to jump onto the one (1) platform between the two floors of the Hall of Gods. I don't track multiple moving objects on the screen well. I have a collection of facial tics that tear my eyes away for seconds at a time, largely out of my control. (I recorded most of my first playthrough and there are so many times where I just pause the game and wait for my eyeballs to cooperate again.)

And yet. And yet. Our little friend (Ghost? Ghost. I embrace this fan name wholeheartedly) and I made it through, on only the second attempt that actually reached the Pure Vessel.

I don't remember if I made a post the first time I got to them in the fourth pantheon. But. Man. The silent boss scream got me. I got chills! I love that fight, honestly - it's not easy, though I'm pretty consistent with it now, but it's got that same dance-like rhythm of Grimm and the Mantis Lords that I adore so much. I was so excited when I realized that, and figuring out how to deal with each attack reliably was so, so much fun. (Though I still can't quite time dashing through their parry strike, and get hit maybe every other time.)

And then, it was time to ascend. Just like Gorb said. He was right all along. I'm sorry I ever doubted you, Gorb. (...I had been calling him Discount Radiance because of his nail spread attack, but now that I'm dealing with Absolute Radiance I've decided she's actually just Knockoff Gorb.)

And now we're here, a tiny thing, shell of wyrm and root, filled with void, pointing their little nail defiantly at the dream of the sun.

I don't know exactly how many attempts it was - though I took note of where I died, I didn't write down when I died to the same boss multiple times in a row, so the list I have likely isn't all attempts... though honestly that didn't happen all that often, since I'd Hall of Gods anyone I died to until I could beat them three times in a row comfortably and with health to spare. And preferably at least once on Ascended, though I haven't tackled the nailmasters there yet. I don't know I'll ever go for Radiant everything, but Ascended everything should be doable one day. Maybe.

...we don't talk about Markoth.

Recorded deaths: Oro&Mato > SoB [so much fun to practice, I love them so much] > Marmu [what have we learned? kill the child, quickly] > O&M [again] > Collector [easily dealt with via strategic charm rearranging] > Uumuu [after much Hall of Gods ascended hell I renamed them "Ohno"] > Sheo [whoops] > No Eyes > Traitor Lord > Lost Kin > Failed Champion [...dang it] > Flukemarm […yeah I have no excuse for that one] > Pure Vessel.

...actually the only reason I think I haven't died to Markoth in the last pantheon is because I went through practicing all the dream warriors on ascended after I realized that the pantheon uses those arenas, reached him, realized I was doomed, but got to where I could consistently get to his second phase. Turns out that translates to consistently beating him in pantheon, where it's the ascended arena but he doesn't do double damage. So. Nice.

It was definitely less than 20 attempts, maybe a solid 15. Got a decent spell-friendly charm setup now, with a little juggling on the bench after Sheo (swapping Quickslash for Unbreakable Strength to oneshot the Collector's aspids) and Hornet Sentinel (grabbing Quickslash again, and Quick Focus).

Anyways. I'm rambling. Point is... I did a thing! Hurrah!

.............................

........I am very tired.

[makoblue]

@sanctiichor--

Light not sure if he is even permitted to reach out to the other anymore, not after being away for so long--so long without a word, without an inkling if he was alright. It was sudden, it was heartbreaking but ... what more could he have done? Put Cloud in more danger than he could already be in, after all, the blonde had more than enough on his plate, dealing with Sephiroth and his own ever lingering darkness...so who was the Warrior of Light to burden him with his own?

So he did not expect fanfare or the weepiness of long lost lovers finally reunited that one would read in romance novels...

Light didn't deserve that.

But the itch was there, to reach out and cradle the blonde's cheek in his worn hands, to kiss him, to hold him-- to let him know he's here--that he's returned, truly and wholly--but alas, his right to that warm touch was gone the moment he left Radiant Garden.

When he left Cloud.

He couldn't even muster a smile due to the heaviness of his heart but the corners of his eyes did shift some, warmth creeping it's way to them as they always did in the other's presence--as they always will even if Cloud no longer would want it...

" I suppose this is where I am supposed to say 'hello' but..." he offers softly then but finds himself trailing off...what can he say? What can he do? Nothing he does will fix the damage he has done.

Time does not stop just because the people in your life disappear one day, seemingly out of the blue. For those who leave, and those who are left waiting. Cloud knows that better than anyone.

That's why, when Merlin comes to him one day, asking where the Warrior of Light has gone off to, Cloud can only tell the wizard that he does not know. The question comes as much as a surprise to him as Light's absence from Lea and Kairi's morning training session came to them. Maybe he had grown too complacent, too readily accustomed to the warrior's calming presence to notice that there had been some subtle shift in Light's otherwise unshakeable composure.

The irony is not lost on him. He has done the exact same before, until his friends bludgeoned him into staying with their woes and their concern for his well-being.

Radiant Garden is quiet. The newly finished buildings cast long shadows in the late evening, and they stand as darkened silhouettes in the outer borders of the town. Volunteering for patrol, naturally, gave him the strongest odds of spotting if and when the Warrior of Light decided to reappear.

He’d be lying if he said he never felt angry. That’s not how he feels right now, taking Light’s hands from where they hang at his sides and clasping them both in his own in the space between them.

"I'll say it for you," Cloud says with a low laugh and slight cant to his head as he peers up at Light from underneath the fringe of his bangs. “Hello.”

[mrstsung]

Some kuai liang sub zero self ship abcs i did.

I hope you guys like them. I put a lot of thought into it. Maybe a bit more than i should have but i love them.

Cw: some nsfw content. Fluff too. So if you dont like that. Plz dont read. As always 18+.

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A - Act naturally (to play naturally) - How do they behave when they realize that they are in love with you? How do they act when they find out that you have feelings for them?: ok i hc kuai isn't as stagnant or stoic as some proclaim. At least after a certain point. Especially when the lin kuei were restored and the cyber automation projects were shut down. He saw thru the errors of previous grandmasters,his own even. He knew a new way had to be made. One with more understanding,and less bitter chill towards the future students and members. Many who traveled and sought refuge from the harsh cold mountains of the tundra. Could rest and seek sanctuary in the lin kuei temple. Some traditions survive. Some reformed anew. Like a fresh virgin snowfall. But kuai is that type if he found someone. He would be rather sweet,honest with his feelings. Not to say it wouldn't be awkward,i would be no exception. Because of past traumas. But he's moved past that for the most part. I hc he was just upfront. Nervous to hell. But honest and direct. He seems like the direct,no bullshit type guy. Honest and sweet tho. When he found i felt the same. You could see him smile. His face was warm and radiant. It could melt the coldest glaciers.

B - Broken heart (broken heart) - How will they behave if they find out that you cannot love them back? That you're in love with someone else?: now. I aint that kinda girl. If i was with kuai. Im a down,ride or die binch. But if some how. For some reason it had to end. Oof. He would take it fairly well at least on the surface. But deep down kuai would be hurt. Eventually he will come to terms. But it would always hurt him that there could have been something more. Honestly why would anyone hurt this mans heart is beyond me.

C - Communication - How do they communicate with the one they are in love with?: he actually communicates well with me. He makes sure that I've slept well,ate well,hydrated,etc. He also makes sure I'm well emotionally,mentally,etc too. He is good husband material ok? He also makes sure to let me know when he needs to have time for himself and also when its time to train his students. And any other lin kuei affairs. He isnt perfect tho. He does have messy days. This is where i help him lighten the load and take over for a short time if needed be to the best of my ability. Or even have him genuinely get some much needed r&r. But overall he tries his best to keep communication open.

D - Damage  (damage) - How will they react to your wounds or bruises?: honestly kuai kinda like hanzo gets worried easy. Who did this to me?! Where are they? But unlike hanzo. Kuai i feel wouldn't get as well heated. But you can feel still the anger seething from him,but he would tend to my wounds and discuss if he wants him to pursue the person or not. But if it was by accident,or even my own doing. Kuai i feel would be much more calmer. He would tend to the wounds. Kissing them tenderly. Tell me to be more careful next time.

E - Excuse (forgiveness) - Which of you is the first to ask for forgiveness after a quarrel?: look its not often we fight. If we do its over something that might be reasonable. But we do actually have healthy communication. I made that clear as ice for him when we got together. I wanted kuai to feel safe to trust and honestly given the shit he went thru. Yeah. Communication is hella important to him. Always touch base. Even if its simple as "hey i dont have the spoons to deal with this rn maybe later" thats hella sexy of him. But it would more likely be me but it could be both. Depending on the situation. Overall we never stay mad. (I honestly don't think i could no matter who im with)

F - Furious (furious) - How easily can they be pissed off? What can they do in such a state?: ok look don't piss off kuai. I mean for the most part he's a chill dude. But don't push him. His anger is cold,precise,and deadly. He'd never take his anger out on me tho.

G - Gaze (stare) - How often do they watch you? How do they react when you look at them?: he is the type to stare when im not looking. But oh boy is it full of love and admiration. If he caught me tho,he'd be a blushing mess. But he still loves it.

H - Hugs (hugs) - Do they like to hug? How do they hug?: kuai used to be a bit iffy with hugs before me. But now he's actually quite accepting to them. And hugs as often as he can. (Again like hanzo,kuai had to learn to feel love and compassion again. But for him it was hard because he had to unlearn that cold emotional shoulder that was taught to him for so many years. Oof) he still always asks tho. Because he's polite. But he gets a bit giddy when i wholeheartedly accept. He has bear hugs and despite being a cyromancer. His hugs are warm and comforting.

I - Intimacy (intimacy) - What is your intimate life with him?: ok sexy times or general intimacy? A sexy times hc is kuai likes temperature play. He will form a smal ice ball and run it up n down my back. Or just use the tip on his finger. But his fave thing to do it lightly blow a bit of cool air on my pussy when he eats me out. Or on the back of my neck. Non sexy times hcs is he like to cuddle together in our bed chambers and read with me. Sometimes he likes to watch me doodle too. Asking what im drawing. Sometimes we doodle together and play fun drawing games. Or even do puzzles together. He actually got a chessboard from Johnny as a gift. He was very greatful for it. Uses it all the time. Even solo. Sometimes he mourns to play with his bro bi han. But these feelings can come n go.

J - Jealousy - Is it easy to make them jealous? How do they behave in this case?: tbh kaui isn't the jealous type truly. But if he does feel these feels. Its fleeting. He wouldn't act upon it tho. But he will give an ice cold stare at whomever decides to earn his anger.

K - Kiss (kiss) - How often do you kiss each other? How do the characters kiss?: kaui kisses are sweet,passionate,and invigorating. He tries to give kisses as often as he can. His fave kisses to give are hand kisses,forehead kisses,a quick cute kiss on the cheek. And if he's in a more private setting. Then kisses my lips. Not that he couldn't in front of others. He just likes to be private to be more intimate most of the time. (Again i hc kuai over time became more lax with the restoration of the lin kuei when it came to affection. Because he had to unlearn that trauma from the old grandmasters. But especially after he got in a relationship)

L - Letter (letter) - Would they dare to write a love letter? What would he write about?: i. Think he would write a cute love letter. I dunno what it would be about specifically tho.

M - Main (main) - Who will have a dominant role in your relationship?: we both are equals. There is no power play here.

N - Need - How much do they need your presence and touch?: kuai can do without. But he doesn't enjoy it. He actually craves physical affection a looooot. He may not always say it. He will ask for it if he can. Look he's baby ice guy ok? Kuai is baby bro. (Bi han was waaaaay more tsundere)

O - Objective (goal) - How will they pursue you?: he was unsure how to feel at first. But he actually found me endearing. And everytime we had a conversation,sometimes he would get lost in thought. Any cold feet he was getting would just melt away. After maybe of a month or so, i hc kuai was very upfront about his feelings. Nervous but also ok even if he got rejected. He didn't but still. He was quite happy when he knew i liked him back.

P - Pace (tempo) - How fast can they get close to someone?: it takes him a bit. But be patient with him. He's trying. Again he needs to sort things out. Give him at least a month. He's hella open with me tho

Q - Quizzcal (quirky) - How often do they joke? Do they like to have fun?: tbh before he met me he wasnt much of a joker. But over time he got to losen up a bit. He's a big teddy bear deep down. Tbh he loves snowball fights. And to make ice sculptures. Sometimes to show off. Sometimes because he wants to train with me. Look he tries. He's tired a lot of the time.

R - Relax (rest) - How often do they rest? How do they like to relax?: he tries whenever he can. Hot spring baths,meditation,and if im around sometimes he will ask for a massage. But if he's really stressed,a nice romp will work.

S - Saviour (savior) - Will they be able to protect you in case of danger? What will they do if your life is in danger?: he would most definitely. Tho i am capable of handling myself for the most part. But honestly if he was that pissed. And someone done fucked up bad. He would stop at nothing to end that person who hurt me.

T - Teach (teach) - Can they teach you something? Who will take the initiative?: oh course. We both have something to teach each other.

U - Uncertain - What is their reaction when they find out that you doubt yourself?: he actually is very sweet. He talks things out with me. He gives solid advice. But he knows i love hugs and physical affection when im not feeling so good. Also humor gets me thru. So he tries to make me smile. Dad jokes galore. You'd never know but he's actually quite funny.

V - Vaunt (bragging) - How often do they brag about something? Do they like showing off to you?: he's not the bragging type. Tho he is very proud to call me his lover. If he shows off its more in a private setting.

W - Who is first (who is the first) - Who is the first to confess their feelings?: i hc actually he did he was upfront about it. But we both had mutual pining. Lol. I confessed after he did.

X - Exxx (ex) - How will they react when your ex shows up all of a sudden?: ok in this au i dont have one. But hypothetically he wouldn't be angry or harsh. He would keep a close eye. But like i said he isnt the jealous type. Nor would he do anything unless i am am obviously in harms way or he needs to step in.

Y - Your teasing (your teasing) - What activities make them turn on? How can they turn you on?: a surefire way is actually subtle and sweet things. Or a simple wink. I hc He actually is hella touch starved. So hand holding,stroke to chin as you pass by,really gentle somft things. That makes his heart melt. But its not easy to make him come undone in front of others,not impossible but difficult. But in private. Oh boy. As for me its not really that difficult.

Z - Zzz (sleep) - How do you prefer to fall asleep?: kuai always loves a cooler room but tons of blankets. He likes to cuddle. He's a big teddy bear like i said. He's almost always big spoon. But sometimes he's little spoon. But that's usually when he needs a little tlc. But if he's in a good mood for the most he's big spoon. He has fuzzy blankets. He has a small throw that's made of snow hare fur. Its uber soft and silky.

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[charaday5e]

DND 5R Nerf-Boost vs Boost-Boost

It's official. 5e 2024, aka 5.5, aka 5R, released yesterday and I barely got out a post.

In my world, reviews are mixed. Between DMs who can't afford to buy the new PHB2024 and players who are still "New" to 5th Edition, the most common critique I've heard is either 5R is "Nerf'ed' or "Broken". Theses major complaints are usually aimed at a single spell that became restricted in the new revision.

Example #1, Spiritual Weapon So many 5e clerics got comfortable being the healbot, buffing on their turn, healing on their turn, standing in the back taking the dodge action, contributing as support. Well Spiritual Weapon allows the Cleric to do all that and deal 1d8+Wis damage as a bonus action. Does this extra damage seem fair? Well, that really doesn't matter. Spiritual Weapon became a Standard among 5e clerics. So any changes to the way this Standard works, fundamentally changes the way clerics work. Let's look at the spell and compare it side by side with Legacy versus 5R

Legacy 5e Spiritual Weapon Duration 1 minute At Higher Levels damage increase +1d8 for every two levels above 2nd

5R PHB 2024 Spiritual Weapon Duration 1 minute with concentration At Higher Levels damage increase +1d8 for every one level above 2nd There are two main differences. Adding concentration seems like a "nerf," a penalty, or a restriction. Legacy 5e clerics could concentrate on common spells like bless and benefit from spiritual weapon at the same time. But when it came to boosting the spell power of spiritual weapon, they received no benefit from casting it from a 3rd level spell slot. Not until the cleric reaches 7th level can he cast from a spell slot of 4th level and then the boon is only 2d8+Wis. Compare this to the 5R cleric who can, at 5th level, cast from a spell slot of 3rd level for 2d8+Wis. That's a lot of damage at 2 levels lower. Not to mention that at 7th level, from a 4th slot, 3d8+Wis, I think the only thing missing here is to allow you to cast at a 1st level slot for +Wis damage.

But it's this critique of 5R that has me writing this rant-post. The Nerf was not a nerf alone. There was a significant boost as well. And I'll be posting more rants as I learn the new revisions. Example #2 True Strike No one is complaining about this cantrip, which is seen as a boosted spell, elevated, enhanced. Not only does this spell allow you to make an attack, the attack can use another stat to deal damage and you can change the damage type but you can also leave the damage type the same. Legacy 5e True Strike Range 30 ft enemy target Component somatic only Duration 1 round with concentration Effect advantage on your next attack against this target 5R PHB 2024 True Strike Range self Component somatic and material a weapon 1 cp or higher Duration instant Effect make one attack with the weapon using your spellcasting ability to-hit and for damage. You can make the damage type Radiant. At 5th level +1d6, at 11th level +2d6, at 17th level +3d6 Dropping Spiritual Weapon for True Strike If you use a Bonus Action to cast a 1+ level spell, then you can use your action to cast True Strike and use your spellcasting ability as a cleric to deal damage with your Action, all while maintaining concentration on Bless. It's almost like they took away one Standard and created another. The trade off when compared this way is that your support spells must be bonus actions because your damage source now comes from a cantrip.

[abarn82]

Here is my D&D 5e character, Static, a demon who, alongside the angel Unix, created the powerful Nephilim named Venditti. Static is a demon with a surprisingly genuine and organized demeanor, often presenting himself as approachable and good-natured. He can get easily flustered or stressed out but enjoys engaging in friendly banter and making light-hearted jokes, which contrasts his fearsome nature. However, Static’s more intimidating side surfaces when situations become serious. Static and Unix share a toxic and codependent relationship.

Race: Demon

Gender: Male

Age: Unknown

Alignment: Chaotic Neutral

Class: level 20 Barbarian: Berserker

Background: Hellspawn Brawler (Build Your Own Background: Background Features)

Tool Proficiencies: Woodcarver's tools

Languages: Abyssal, Celestial, Common

Proficiency: Acrobatics, Intimidation, Perception, Stealth, Survival, Athletics (Expertise)

Feats: Speedy, Manifested Power, Charger, Tough, Skill Expert, Grappler

Boon of Irresistible Offense

Epic Boon Feat (Prerequisite: Level 19+)

You gain the following benefits.

Ability Score Increase. Increase your Strength or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 30.

Overcome Defenses. The Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing damage you deal always ignores Resistance.

Overwhelming Strike. When you roll a 20 on the d20 for an attack roll, you can deal extra damage to the target equal to the ability score increased by this feat. The extra damage's type is the same as the attack's type.

Fiend Race Traits

Ability Score Increase:Increase one ability score by 2 and a different score by 1, or increase three different scores by 1. No score can be raised above 20.

Creature Type: You are considered a Fiend for the purposes of spells and effects.

Size: Your size is Small or Medium.

Speed: Your base walking speed is 30 feet.

Hellish Fortitude: You have resistance to fire damage and immunity to non-magical fire damage. However, you have vulnerability to radiant damage.

Divine Vulnerability: You have disadvantage on saving throws against spells and effects cast by Celestials or that deal radiant damage.

Darkvision: You can see in dim light within 60 feet as if it were bright light, and in darkness as if it were dim light. You can’t discern colors in darkness, only shades of gray.

Otherworldly Physique: You do not age and do not need to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. You cannot be put to sleep by magic. You complete a long rest in 4 hours through a trance-like meditation, remaining conscious.

Wings of the Strange: You gain a flying speed equal to your walking speed (this speed is lost while wearing medium or heavy armor).

Hellish Grasp: You possess two special appendages (such as prehensile tails, extra limbs, malleable horns, tendrils, spectral arms, or prehensile tongues). Each is a natural weapon with which you are proficient. On a hit, they deal 1d6 + your Strength or Dexterity modifier in bludgeoning, piercing, or slashing damage (your choice). After hitting, you can attempt to grapple as a bonus action. These appendages have a reach of 5 feet, can lift objects, manipulate items, and can be used for shoving or grappling. These appendages can only wield a weapon that has the light property.

Feat

Manifested Power

Prerequisite: Otherworldly or Fiend race, 8th level or higher

Ability Score Increase: Increase your Constitution, Strength, or Dexterity score by 1, to a maximum of 20.

Gifts: Choose one feature from the Otherworldly Gifts or Fiendish Gifts sections listed in the Otherworldly or Fiend racial traits. If your chosen feature grants spellcasting or spells, you must select an additional feature that does not grant spellcasting or spells. (Barbed Hide: As a bonus action, you can cause small barbs to protrude all over your body or cause them to retract. At the start of each of your turns while the barbs are out, you deal 1d6 piercing damage to any creature grappling you or any creature grappled by you.)

Size Change: You have learned to manipulate your size at will, allowing you to adapt to various situations. As a bonus action, you can either Enlarge or Reduce your size. You can use this feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus, and regain all expended uses when you finish a long rest.

Enlarge: Your size doubles in all dimensions, and your weight is multiplied by eight. This growth increases your size by one category. If there isn’t enough room for you to double your size, you attain the maximum possible size in the available space. You can add a 1d6 bonus to Strength checks and saving throws, but you subtract 1d6 from Dexterity checks and saving throws. Your weapon attacks, natural weapons, and spell attacks deal an extra 1d4 damage. 

Reduce: Your size is halved in all dimensions, and your weight is reduced to one-eighth of normal. This reduction decreases your size by one category. You can add a 1d6 bonus to Dexterity checks and saving throws, but you subtract 1d6 from Strength checks and saving throws. Your movement speed increases by 5ft. 

Anything you are wearing and carrying changes size with you. Any item dropped by an affected creature returns to normal size immediately. This effect lasts until you use your bonus action to revert to your normal size or until you are reduced to 0 hit points. 

You can use your Size Change feature a number of times equal to your proficiency bonus and regain expended uses after a long rest.