#this is a brainstorming post after all

[ersetu-gazette]

Brainstorming the Mother of Learning TTRPG

So every once in awhile there are forum posts or questions asked about what tabletop roleplaying system would be best for playing in the Ersetu universe. Usually I say that something like Pathfinder or D&D 3.5e would be best because they are the most popular rpgs that MoL at the very least alludes to, with a crunchy gameplay style that the narrative references. There's obvious deep complexity and lots of magic spells. At one point Zorian wonders out loud why some first circle spells aren't 0 circle spells because they don't seem to be more complex and the other character says "marketing" (read: a joke about spell balance). And any missing components could easily fixed with homebrew and hacks (my opinion at the time).

But as I explore more indie ttrpgs and otherwise step further outside of D&D hegemony I realize that it might be that there is a more appropriate ttrpg out there for Mother of Learning. So let's go over the wishlist of what I think might be needed for the system to emulate the world of Ersetu correctly:

Core Mechanics:

Spell points instead of spell slots, no vancian magic.

Partial spell point regeneration in about an hour, mages have options other than needing a full 8 hours to recharge.

Class and character options are mostly magic user focused. No fighters with normal swords. The only martial users of note is a sword user using an obviously magical sword (and also did magic themselves iirc?), and the gun users that individually can't do much: they're only a threat in numbers.

Crunchy and extremely deep range of spells.

Magic item crafting that allows for simple things like spellcasting aides up to complex stuff like automatons.

Counterspelling and dispelling is a core thing most mages are expected to do.

The more the better wishlist:

(These mechanics aren't all necessary but at least some are needed)

Bloodlines and unique abilities reducing spell point cap (how it's done, whether that's through the "vanilla" classes just being assigned more or that taking bloodline feats outright reduces, doesn't exactly matter. As long as it's balanced somehow)

Magic defenses being divided into body, mind, and soul.

The expectation for players is that they're all humans. Shifters and Morlocks seem to be types of humans, cultures and races (shifter might be a class), as opposed to a fully different species like an elf.

Capped base ability scores and spell point growth. No Hercules with a magic pool that continues to grow after hitting the cap. Instead progression past early levels is using what you have more efficiently.

Epic/Mythic optional system to represent the divine abilities/items. (ex. Zach's special mana reserves, the divine crown, high level angels with access to divinity, etc.)

And a skills system that can be invested in.

So, is there a "perfect" ttrpg system we can use for Ersetu? Or are there systems that work better than others that we might need to homebrew?

[angrycloudcrown]

i think the idea that the concept of devotion or attachment in fiction HAS to be romantic is stupid. yes i do enjoy the devotion of two unhealthy romantic lovers who love each other more than anything BUT. friends devoted to each other because they have no one else who understands them? friends willing to both die for and kill for each other, and will go down with each other if one friend dies? friends who would never want to engage in anything romantic or sexual with each other, but would give up everything for each other in a heartbeat? friends who would sacrifice their lovers and family for each other? friends who would sacrifice themselves for each other? i feel like boiling complicated dynamics to "oh theyre just in love" sometimes takes away certain things, not all of the time but in a lot of cases. idk anyway platonic devotion/attachment trope ily

[function-heartbeat-sync]

would yall get mad if we added like... one more edit to failure condition before we post the next fic

[as-dreamers-do]

i was in the woods for less than ten minutes today at training for my LARP-adjacent event later this year, HOW is there dirt under ALL of my fingernails

[crossbackpoke-check]

the work is certainly not in progress, but it is wednesday !!

[transingthoseformers]

Brainstorm doing unto others as you would have them do unto you when building Sex toys is great. Especially since Whirl can match his level of freak even if the two of them aren't compatible with eachother.

YEP

Yes

It'd be a fascinating dynamic

[luck-of-the-drawings]

THERES SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENING IN THE TOWN OF GOLDEN GULCH The miners have been in the mines for months, when they should have gotten a chance to come home by now. The mayor says they found something great within the earth! Something magical and powerful and the miners cannot return until it is thoroughly unearthed! He cannot say what it is yet, but this new discovery will usher in a new age of progress and technology! Meanwhile, the mayors guard has been increasing in numbers and fire power. The sheriff and his crew now only patrol at night, and the weapons his soldiers carry are getting stranger and stronger. What otherworldly influences are infecting this town? Perhaps it is an unlikely crew of rebels that will uncover these secrets

[goldshitter]

so perks of growing up watching cdramas set in imperial courts and harem hougong politics, i have the hugest respect for the genre and so much of my writing/fascination with my heritage comes from this respect that led to me promising myself id never write my own harem story because its been done so well already by folks much more well versed in my culture

BUT

i am embarrassingly obsessed with claudeleth these days and just finished an amazingly conceptualized fic by runic and i know historical imperial china and vaguely inspired almyra are complete different cultures but im gonna be honest i want to write that harem drama story i told myself id never write

[cobra-creampuff]

The Burden Easy: Ed/Izzy + Omegaverse (1/16)

Summary:

Bitching is one of the worst things a person can do to a fellow human being, tantamount to rape even if they don't force a mating bond while they're at it. The transition is painful, the dominance of the act humiliating, but beyond that an alpha who is forced to become an omega will almost always succumb to dysphoria and despair and, unless prevented, will take their own life.

But Izzy's always been a fucking contrarian.

CONTENT WARNINGS TYPICAL OF THE GENRE APPLY

Excerpt:

Izzy fights him hard enough he manages to get Blackbeard off of him, Blackbeard's larger size be damned. He leaves red scratches down Blackbeard's one bare arm, clawing to him even as he pushes him away with the other hand. Deliberately leaving a mark. He growls again, loud and rough through those familiar teeth, to warn Blackbeard to stay back once he's got enough distance to breathe. But he doesn't come off the wall Blackbeard had him pinned to. He doesn't submit, he doesn't try to dominate. Always trying to have it both ways, but if someone else fucking dares- Blackbeard is back on him again without another thought. He yanks Izzy off of the wall, then grabs him by the hair so roughly he can feel strands pull out in his fist. Izzy snarls and fights him again, kicking his right foot at Blackbeard's shin, clawing again at his vulnerable arm, snapping his teeth in the scant, humid air between their bodies. Blackbeard doesn't feel any of it. He pulls Izzy's head to the side sharply enough to bare his neck, despite his buttoned up shirt collar and cravat. So close, Blackbeard can pick up the smaller details of Izzy's scent - the sharp, slightly sour spike of stress, the eye-watering spice of an alpha in a fight. Izzy realizes what Blackbeard is going to do a split second before he does it - a split second too late. He gasps and fights harder, pulling out more of his hair in Blackbeard's hand. His snarls turn into whines again and he pleads, "Wait! Not li-" Blackbeard's teeth closing on his neck shut Izzy up halfway through the word, whatever it was going to be. The unfinished sound fizzles out in his throat, a fitting accompaniment to the taste of blood and something much more bitter, almost medicinal blooming against Blackbeard's tongue. The secretion that contains Izzy's alpha pheromones, spilled prematurely from the scent gland behind Izzy's ear where Blackbeard's sharpest tooth has sliced into it.

Read on AO3 ->

@saphoblin @bazjack @izzyspinkytoe @thorasreblogpile @izzyhandsdefender @someoneiwasnt @thecryofthegulls @orangesandunicorns @astralwashboard @thewhovianspirit Sign up here to be tagged when I post OFMD fic.

[javierduffy]

is there anyone else out there who has so much respect for people who make insane, out-there aus/ships that are so far from canon that all of the content for it is supplied by their own mind and if yes do yall see ME as one of those people

[i-am-sleepyzz]

What digimon would gary oak have?

Cause im Tempted to just give him gabumon and call it a day cause it would work well with ash having agumon

But that's got more to do with agumon being the mascot and ash having Pikachu im not sure if I would choose him for that otherwise? Maybe but there might be a more Interesting digimon I could have given him

I tried to stay away from just picking digimon we've seen as partner mons over and over

Doesn't mean I succeed but I tried not to

Anyway yea wondering what other people think he should have

[themissingnumbers]

you said its fine to ask for hints so- are there things we're missing from the latest images? can we get pointed in the right direction?

{I think we can indulge a hint! You've all been chipping away at these quite diligently.}

You've gotten pretty close when it comes to Colors, I'm sure you've noticed what the ciphers have in common. Peut-être un changement de perspective ? La musique existe dans de nombreuses langues.

Not all treats are good for you- Maybe you need to review your notes?

Some say grass is greener on the other side- maybe you just need a closer look?

[sysig]

Hm ok what's your favorite or a really cool worlbuilding thing you've done? For any fandom or original or even an unimplemented idea

Hmm well at least in the past decade, my big worldbuilding projects have mostly come down to three-ish stories: Other Side of the Gun, Adventures of Gæilo and Ethon, and Just Desserts

OSG was an Invader ZiM fancomic concept I started around 2013 to justify every single Irken headcanon I ever came up with lol - I never finished it, or even really started it, but I put a lot of time and energy into its roughs back in the day :)

^A stick figure recap of Ch. 1, inspired by - what else - the Vargas stick figure recaps lol

One that you can see over here is all the work I did for my DnD campaign, AGE! (Though its sideblog hasn't been updated in a while haha - the AGE tag over here works just as well) I basically homebrewed a pantheon and had an absolute blast designing all the gods and their forms before they became gods and even things like architectural differences in their churches and the BBEG and his motivations and just ah <3 Such a fun project :D

It also laid the groundwork for things like Pokemon Homestyle, specifically all my papercrafts! You can really see how I leveled up haha

And my latest has been Just Desserts! Even with less time under its belt, it's still pretty expansive, as evidenced by my icon and theme and the backlog lol, and it's the one I have the most AUs of! (Though OSG does come close actually haha) There are still some thorny details I'm trying to iron out, especially to do with the magic system, but all the characters and creatures and the fact that I made my own fighting minigame, ah, pleased! I've never been so happy with a sona before Charm! ♥ From the very beginning it's been so fun to work on and I still want to improve!

[sylustra]

So Mephisto having an actual consciousness/soul IG:

- I'm assuming Sylus obvi can't make souls, but maybe he placed one? Or more likely perhaps;

- Stolen data/research from one of the Ever consciousness upload projects that Sylus took pity on and gave a body in the form of Meph in return for loyalty and keeping a covert eye on MC?

- Stolen tech from his space banditry/spaceship fleet hoard, like an AI he decided to not leave behind? This is kinda boring unless we tie it into a new myth with their time conquering space being pirates or whatever, even still not compelling enough so perhaps, considering...

- we have also seen references to androids now in game, which makes sense as an attempt for a longevity project with Ever trying to overcome mortality and potentially entropy itself etc. Androids couldn't be an endgoal bc tech will degrade, but clearly they have dabbled.

- Did Ever farm through MCs memories of her other lives before she forgot them? I debated at one point if Meph could be connected to MC more directly like an imprint of her mind or something Ever made, but that seems probably too convoluted, despite that the timeline for this game is already so convoluted lol. But Sylus clearly has a deep affection for Mephisto and is open about it versus his more guarded affection even for the twins.

- Seems a little too coincidental that MC pulled the eye out of the android to deactivate them, with it being protocore technology and Sylus having his in his eye as well, allegedly. I'm only 85% certain it's an aethercore in the same manner as MCs, frankly he's noncommittal when she mentions it initially "you could say that" I believe. I think if Sylus had a similar eye/tech it would probably provide a more believable path at integration with Mephisto than maybe just "soul magic" or whatever.

- we know Sylus has a keen mind for tech and engineering/hacking at times in the story/memories -- maybe Sylus hacked and reprogrammed/enhanced the addition out of necessity? He wouldn't leave something that could be a vulnerability, but also repurposing something could maybe be beneficial to him, especially since with Mephisto he's able to see MC easily.

[arolesbianism]

There's smth rly fun abt having stories based off of dreams because you just have a bunch of dream based worldbuilding that you just sorta have to work with now. Like oh a ring of infinite dragons run through the earth eternally consuming eachother? Guess I have to explain that now. Also that's sick as hell why didn't I think of that while awake

[johndonneswife]

😍 finally listening to the album stoned out of my mind like louis intended 😍