#we will rival the wizard councils

[local-pickpocket]

Alright. There’s like too many thieves.

Rephrase, Disorganized thieves.

As such, I propose… something special.

[The Tumblr Thieves Guild]

We work together, pick apart peoples posts for all they’re worth, and revel in the profits.

Essentially, when we find a post we like, we call the guild, and everybody does their gimmick on that post. We get shit from their post, they get mass interaction, fun is had by all.

Here’s some tags:

• #tt guild - overall posts about the guild

• #passerby - casual conversation/plotting with guild members

• #signed letter - some cool post that’s free for the taking

• #golden goose - a complicated post requiring additional help/ some different gimmick

• #burnt spot - someone needs to be… “Taken care of”. For the good of the guild of course.

• #honor among - take from a thief or guild member to better the guild. Or to do a funny.

So yeah, wacky idea, right?

Needs people though.

So I’m going to ping a bunch of thieves.

And if they (or you) reblog this, they are a member of the guild. Probably.

Oh and no cops.

@gimmick-thief

@gimmick-thief-thief

@anti-gimmick-thceif

@stealer-of-gimmicks

@gimmickbardthiefmulticlass (I can respect it)

@gimmick-thief-theif-thcief

@your-gimmick-has-been-stolen

@gimmick-remover

[knightyoomyoui]

UPCOMING SET 6 (...AND FINAL?) LINE-UP

HERE’S MY UPCOMING SET 6 LINE-UP TO BE RELEASED IN THE FUTURE!!! Just a reminder tho, Set 5 isn’t done yet. We still have two one-shots for Chaeyoung, one each for male and female readers. I just released this earlier because I had these prepared quicker than I expected. Notes:  - All individual and unit one-shots will be gender neutral from now on.  - This is probably my final line-up of upcoming one-shot works, I'm not sure yet but... I'll just place it like this because I've been thinking of ending the book now for some reasons. - Some of these stories were requested by my readers. Again, thank you so much for helping me come up with new ideas to try. - For the first time, I wrote a summary so that you all would get a sneak peek of what to expect in each of the new stories I’ll be writing, except for the Cry For Me series. I’ll keep it hidden because I already started it on Set 5 anyway, so it’s up to you to learn what’s going to happen in the upcoming parts.

 1.) Tzuyu x M & F Reader - “The One That Got Away” (Fluff, Angst)

- 70-year-old Chou Tzuyu revisited her love story with her husband/wife YN to share with her grandchildren on the day of their anniversary. 

 2.) TWICE x M Reader - “Cry For Me” : PART 3 (Angst) 

 3.) Nayeon x M & F Reader - “No Problem” (Fluff)

- It follows YN who lost his/her job after the company where he/she works officially shuts down their service. His/her girlfriend, Nayeon who is getting suspicious of his/her mood, learns about the news, and proceeds to take action immediately to cheer him/her up. 

 4.) Jeongyeon x M & F Reader - “Won't Go Home Without You” (Fluff, Angst)

 - YN and his/her group embark on a mission to attempt to bring back their former teammate and old friend who switched to the dark side, Yoo Jeongyeon. 

 5.) Momo x M Reader - “Crazy Stupid Love” (Fluff, Angst) [Requested by: Dumbledore_1]

- Following the events of "Somebody That I Used To Know" from Set 4, YN and Momo cross paths once again a few years later; where the improved and matured character of YN takes it as his/her opportunity to apologize for what he/she'd done to his ex-girlfriend in their past relationship. 

 6.) TWICE x M Reader - “Cry For Me” : PART 4 (Angst) 

 7.) Sana x M & F Reader - “I Want It That Way”  (Fluff, Angst) [Requested by: ShaShaSha029]

- A story between the student council president and the school’s princess. After a bad break-up with his ex, YN finds him/herself alone with Nayeon in the Council room. She ask him/her to be his fake boy/girlfriend so that the school jock could leave her alone. 

 8.) Jihyo x M & F Reader - “Opposite Attracts”  (Fluff, Angst) [Requested by: ShaShaSha029]

- The heirs of two conglomerate corporations, YN LN and Park Jihyo are to be wed in an arranged marriage. Only problem is that they don’t have a thing in common, they are literally the opposites of each other. Can they make it work? Or will they be forced to be together by their parents? 

 9.) Mina x M & F Reader - “Bewitched” (Fluff, Angst) [Requested by: YourHeartStation]

- The story revolves around the rival students YN LN and Myoui Mina who studies and trains their magical powers in a wizarding academy. Their bickering and outshining each other came to a point where they accidentally unleashed chaos around the academy, and it's up to the two unlikely allies to fix their mess together, which unknown to them; it would open the possibility of them getting enchanted more to each other's unescapable charms. 

 10.) TWICE x M Reader - “Cry For Me” : PART 5 (Angst) 

 11.) Dahyun x M & F Reader - “The Second Coming” (Fluff, Angst)

- YN is a retired superhero who has a tragic past, as he suffered guilt and despair due to the loss of his/her friend and sidekick after failing a mission. One day, he met a fan who idolizes her named Kim Dahyun; who is also a secret superhuman just like him/her; proposing an offer of partnership with him/her when a new foe emerged to annihilate the city of Seoul. 

 12.) Chaeyoung x M & F Reader - “Presa Prinsesa (Strawberry Princess)" (Fluff, Angst)

- The story follows the fanboy/girl story of YN, a die-hard ONCE and a huge TWICE Chaeyoung stan. He/she loves everything about the idol a lot, even considering her as his/her celebrity crush. The admiration causes him/her sometimes to imagine being in a relationship with the idol despite already saddened by the early acceptance of a reality that it's too impossible to happen. 

 13.) Tzuyu x M & F Reader - "The Red Thread Of Fate"  (Fluff, Angst) [Requested by: ShaShaSha029]

- Two childhood friends were separated when Y/N had to move to Australia. They see each other again at JYPE when Y/N was casted. However, when they meet again they’ve forgotten each other, especially Y/N doesn’t remember as he had amnesia from when he got into an accident when he was a kid. 

 14.) TWICE x M Reader - "Cry For Me" PART 6  (Angst)

 15.) NaSaMi (Nayeon, Sana, & Mina) x M & F Reader - "You Belong With Me" (Fluff, Angst) [Requested by: misamomixmaknae]

- Two women who have a history with YN from his/her past relationships, Im Nayeon and Minatozaki Sana; have to encounter another contender when they learn that YN met an artist named Myoui Mina, who shares the same interests as him/her that develops their closeness to one another. With this, the three of them must compete to win YN's heart. 

 16.) TWICE x M Reader - "Cry For Me" PART 7 (FINALE) (Angst)

[rosie-love98]

Snape's Past And Hobbes' Reaction:

It's hard to start this. Frankly, this had to do with my finding where Snape is brought back to life through mysterious means. As the story goes on, the readers learn that he had married Constance Hardbroom (1998 "The Worst Witch") from 1985-1987. The product of this secret marriage was another "Worst Witch" character, Nick Hobbes who appeared in the spin-off, "Weirdsister College". This leads to the dilemma; Snape’s Death-Eater past and Hobbes' reaction to it.

Here's more context–

Hobbes At "Weirdsister" (MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS):

Throughout the show, Nick Hobbes serves as an mysterious, cold, selfish, troubled, introverted, greatly antagonist. As a result (possibly?) of being bullied during his school years, Hobbes fears being betrayed and “destroyed”. Hobbes yearns for immortality and was desperate to become a powerful wizard. His megalomania would later take an ugly turn when he frees an ancient wizard, The Whisperer who causes havoc among the campus. Fortunately, a reformed Hobbes would help the main characters in re-imprisoning The Whisperer. This success even leads him to befriending his rival Ben Stemson (they were fighting for the heart of the main witch, Mildred Hubble).

Unfortunately, “Weirdsister College” only lasted for 1 season. Thus, leaving Hobbes’ true backstory up in the air. Which leads to this-

Hobbes' Given Backstory:

Ever since ancient times, the Imperiums (“Harry Potter” wizards) and Ex-Codices (“The Worst Witch” wizards) have differed in magic. Though they are allowed to intermix with each other, there are rules from the Ex-Codice’s Grand High Council Of Wizards. For one, the Imperium must either be a Squib or non-magical. Either that, or the Imperium must undergo a dangerous Magic Erasure Ritual to dissolve themselves of their magical abilities. And, should any children be produced from an Imperium/Ex-Codice union, the “breed” would fall on the maternal side. As his mother was an Imperium and his father was an Ex-Codice, the legendary wizard, Merlin, was an Imperium by law.

Then we have the Imperium Half-Blood, Severus Snape and the Ex-Codice witch, Constance Hardbroom. Through a series of incidents (from 1977-1985), the pair would fall in love and eloped in strict secrecy in 1985. All while Constance knewSnape’s past with Voldemort, his role in Lily and James Potter’s deaths and his true loyalty to Dumbledore. When told of such revelations Constance was horrified, shocked and angry with Severus. But, after the two battled a foe, they patched things up and married. Then in 1986, Nicholas would be born.

About three months later, the forbidden union would be discovered when baby Nicholas was gravely ill. Under different appearances and names, Snape and Hardbroom (or “Basil Brennan” and “Sophronia Maidenhair”) were forced to seek help at St. Mungo’s. Yet, upon learning that the infant is half Ex-Codice, the healers brought in Ex-Codice specialists to help. While Nicholas would make a full recovery, Snape/Brennan and Hardbroom/Maidenhair were brought before the Grand High Council Of Wizards.

From this private trial, Grand High Wizard, Mortimer Mistletoe had spoken out against the mixed union. Doing so by saying that Nicholas’s ailment was brought on by incompatible DNA; especially as the two wizarding groups cannot even touch each other staffs, wands and brooms without feeling immense pain.

Then there was the reveal that Snape/Brennan bore The Dark Mark. While Ex-Codice are against Muggles, they do not dislike them as much as the Imperiums do. And as Ex-Codice tradition is strictly against mindless murder (even in combat), they detest the ways of Voldemort. Albus Dumbledore pleaded in Snape/Brennan’s defense, but the Grand High Council made up their minds. The marriage of Snape/Brennan and Hardbroom/Maidenhair would be annulled quietly. As for their baby, he’d be taken from them. Thanks to Grand Wizard Egbert Hellibore, Amelia Cackle was allowed to have baby Nicholas be taken by Orbana Hart, founder of Orbana’s Home For Magical Children (an orphanage for Ex-Codices).

Years later, and a young-adult Nicholas would be more curious of his birth parents. With the help of his friends (Ethel Hallow, and Mildred Hubble), he’d asked the orphanage questions that would lead him to Egbert Hellebore recounting the sad case to him.

As a result of finding out his father’s past, Hobbes…well…

This is what I’m stuck on. I mean, it’s natural for Hobbes to be upset about Snape’s past as a Death-Eater. Granted, it’s doubtful Snape had killed anyone but there’s also the possibility of him tormenting people, or teaching his cohorts Dark spells to do harm. And then there’s what had happened to both the Potters AND the Longbottoms. Yet, there’s the reminder that Hobbes became a temporary minion for The Whisperer. Wouldn’t Hobbes be a hypocrite for being angry even though no one died or got too injured from his mistakes? Would Hobbes break up with his girlfriend, Ethel Hallow as her rich family wouldn’t want their daughter to be with a Death-Eater’s son? Would the revelation drive Hobbes to quit magic and/or leave Weirdsister College? Would Hobbes resent or even hate Snape? Would Hobbes hate Hardbroom for still being with Snape despite his past?

With a character like Nick Hobbes, what’s the most realistic outcome?

@worstwitchstudent @theworstwitchforever @yaviae @tinyvoidwinnerpeach @severitus-for-coping @snapeaddict @severussnapemylove @constancehardbroompics

[another-heroine]

The Baroness as a Companion (Pathfinder Kingmaker)

Good gods, I've waited SO LONG for this moment.

The original idea was from @dragonologist-phd about the Commander of WOTR, but I saw some people adapting to Kingmaker and so did I.

IT'S LONG AND SELF INDULGENT, but I'm suffering with a brainrot, then here we go anyway. Not less important, the sidequest idea belongs to @smuglyankabrazilyanka I just change one thing or another.

And again, the art is by @sinizade I'M IN LOVE HOW IT TURNED OUT!

Name: Andrine Vanfell

Race: Half-elf

Class: Bard (Thundercaller)

Appearance: A young almond-skinned half-elf, with a long white hair, and golden eyes. She is probably the same age as Octavia. Her bard clothes are fuchsia and bluish green, and she wears a lot of jewelry.

Favored Weapon/Equipment: Rapier and Light Crossbow

Top Skills: Mobility, Trickery, Knowledge (Arcana and World), and Persuasion

Alignment: Chaotic Good

General Personality: Impulsive, reckless, spiteful, trustworthy, reliable, and cheerful.

What traits/values do they admire? Kindness, bravery, standing for the weak and helpless.

What traits/values do they disapprove of? Bloodlust, greed, betrayal, broken promises.

Are they affiliated with any deities? No, she is kinda atheist like Valerie.

What do they think of their role in the Stolen Lands, and of sharing the Barony’s responsibilities? What are their reasons for joining the Baron/Baroness’ party? She knows that everybody has their role to transform the wilderness into a civilized place. She was born in the Stolen Lands, knows the dangers better than she wished for. So Andrine decides to join the Ruler’s party because who is better than a Stolen Land’s person to guide and advise them?

Who are their friends among other party members? She gets along with everyone, although before Jaethal and Jubilost’s personal quests she is a bit sarcastic around them. Her besties are Linzi, Octavia, and Nok-Nok.

What about rivals? Not exactly a rival, but she’s tired of Regongar’s bullshit trying to convince her to sleep with him. Boy, she doesn’t like that fruit you have to offer!

Are they on any councils? If so, what sort of advice do they give? She can be a Curator if the Baron/Baroness asks. Andrine strongly believes that everybody can do art and deserves to have accessible knowledge.

Where do they hang out in the Capital? If she’s not at the Throne Room, Andrine certainly is at Elina’s tavern.

What are their idle animations? Tossing hair, adjusting her belt, looking around like she saw a butterfly.

If they are taken to Nyrissa’s house, what is their cutscene? Nyrissa shows her family caged and at the verge of death, begging to her to make a pact with the nymph.

Do they advise the Baron/Baroness to abandon or keep their crown? Depends on their relationship: if the ruler is good-aligned, Andrine will support them until the very end, defying Irovetti and anyone who stands between them and the crown. But if the ruler is evil-aligned, she will have doubts about that, being evasive towards the question.

How/when do they join the Baron/Baroness’ party? At Aldori mansion. She came there to find a new patron. If the future ruler answers Jamandi with chaotic and good replies, Andrine will join the party. Otherwise, she will appear after the defeat of the Stag Lord, at the coronation feast.

Describe their companion quest:

An Echo from Beyond

Either she joins the party at the beginning or after Stag Lord’s defeat, Andrine will tell you about her family when the barony is finally constructed. She will request an audience at the Throne Room, but asking to talk to you privately.

“Differently from Octavia, I know who were the elf and who were the human between my parents. Mother was a Varisian, human warlock, tied to an Eldest known as The Lady of the Lake, and my father was a wizard and noble from Kyonin. Their names are Elen and Fionn. And I suspect they are still alive.”

Her mother disappeared when she was a child, and her father followed the wife into oblivion. Andrine received a letter from an anonymous ‘friend’ who asked her to come to a village in the middle of a swamp (the same place where is the witch’s hut from the question ‘Lost Child’) because they have news about her family.

Going there, you meet Falchos and Tiressia. If Andrine is in the party, the dryad stops to argue with her lover and points to her.

“It’s you! Amanita told me to deliver you this message!”

In this moment, the Baron/Baroness finds out that Andrine was raised by three First World inhabitants in her birthplace while her parents were away; the gnome Amanita, and the dryads Orsolya and Juniper, who for some reason can’t come back to the Golarion for indeterminate time.

When the group returns to the Barony, Andrine talks to the ruler privately again and shows the old letter: it’s her father calligraphy telling her the truth about his surname—what was Kaellin and not Vanfell—, and that he was seeking for his wife with the help of a relative called Gladverion. Then you have the option to help her to locate this relative or not. If you help her, although the searching will be fruitless anyway, you will gain 1 loyal point.

“How are you feeling about this?”

“Well, I always thought that I could be a princess, but not like that. Though it’s useless either way; elves see half-elves like wrongful experiments. I’m not so different from an abomination for them. Then screw it. I just wanna find my parents.”

Tea with Problems

After the Season of the Bloom, there are rumors about fey rummaging through the Capital by daylight. Following the leads, the Baron/Baroness will enter Andrine's house and find out she’s having tea with a red-haired gnome. She is Amanita.

“So, is this your patron? What funny, I thought they were… taller. Anyway, Amanita Muscaropple, at your service, Your Grace! Join us!”

Amanita confessed she burgled some houses, but because she was looking for her ‘Little Bird’, Andrine. She didn’t want to bother the Baron/Baroness with their troubles—causing more problems in the way. Somehow the gnome escaped through a portal to Golarion, just to talk to her niece as soon as possible before returning.

“As I was telling her, Juniper and Orsolya are working on finding a way to rescue her parents. Did you know that not every Eldest hates Nyrissa, Your Grace? She and the Lady of the Lake are very close friends. And they believe that you, after the Eldest who cursed Nyrissa, is the First World’s enemy number one. I mean, number two, but yet dangerous. *Finishes her tea* Oh, it was nice. Thank you for receiving me, girl. But I have to return. I came to give you a gift. Hope it will be useful…”

Then Amanita gives Andrine a silver magic mirror. It can help to see invisibility and find ways hidden before mortal eyes. After she leaves, Andrine asks the Baron/Baroness if they are angry with her about the mess caused by Amanita. If they agree and argue with her, Andrine will ask for forgiveness and promise that it won’t happen again. If they do not, she thanks them for understanding. Here is the second chance of the three to conquer her loyalty.

“Your aunt is very… eccentric.”

“C’mon, I know you want to call her weirdo *chuckles*. But yes, she is unique. I was missing her. I would like to see my other aunts too, but I guess that I have to wait a little more.”

The Witch’s Daughter

After Irovetti’s defeat, a noble from Kyonin comes to the Capital and requests for an audience with the King/Queen. He is Gladverion, Fionn's uncle. He heard about Andrine thanks to Nortellara—if you let her live; otherwise, he will hear about her because of the cultural progress of the kingdom. Their first meeting is not very warm; Andrine is suspicious about him, especially after the elf affirmed that Fionn never came to Kyonin to they went down to the business.

Then he asks for a chance to prove he is on her side, “Meet me in Candlemere. There are many spots for portals. This can be our one and only chance to do something to rescue Fionnirel and your mother.”

When arriving there, a portal opens in the banks and Amanita appears. She will suggest entering the portal with her; Andrine’s family is on the other side. Here there are two options: if you go with Amanita, you won’t have help from Gladverion, and if you go with Andrine’s great uncle, will find her aunts there and have his help in the mission.

When landed at the Lady of the Lake’s realm, there is a battle roaring between the dryads and a water jabberwock.

There people can breathe and walk straight underwater. If Jubilost is present, he and Amanita will spite each other eagerly—they are old rivals. If Kalikke is present, anytime she will get distracted and you have to look for her.

In the Throne Room, Andrine is shocked; there is a shadow of the ruler of that realm. The Lady of the Lake isn’t as stunning as everybody told her before. The giant entity is bowed in front of a dry water-mirror. The fey reveals that she was drained by her ‘friend’, and Nyrissa took Andrine’s parents as soon as she knew the bard would come to them.

Looking into her eyes, the Eldest confesses,

“I tried to get rid of you, I won’t lie. I thought that if I took what you love most, you would die like a flower in the winter. But then… I was mistaken. I was so afraid of being ruined by a mortal and, in the end, I was stabbed by someone of my own kind.”

“But why? Why did you do this? Because I spoiled your ‘toy’? My mother was NEVER your property!”

“No, foolish girl. Beyond this. I can… I could take anyone to be my newest servant. I’m not jealous. I’ve had many of them around your world. But I saw you coming… in a dream…” Her face turns to the dry water-mirror. “You came to slay me, with your eyes on fire and face so similar to your mother. So confident and fierce. Guess we can’t fight against destiny, can we?”

Depending on the way you handled Andrine’s matters until now, she could do one of the two things: kill the Eldest by cold-blood, becoming Chaotic Neutral and teleporting herself to Nyrissa’s realm (you will find her when go there, been tested by the nymph); or she will forgive her mother’s patron, and the Lady will help the party to go exactly where her parents are, triggering a battle against some Nyrissa’s servants and rescuing Fionn and Elen.

Back to the Capital, Gladverion could be pleased or not with the expedition (depends if you took him there and Andrine didn’t vanish in thin air). Amanita will be there too and her mood also depends on her niece's presence and if Elen is safe and sound. If everybody is in the Throne Room, Gladverion will try to convince Fionnirel to come back home, but the man refuses and says, “They are my home.” Pointing to his daughter and wife. Andrine will do a counter-proposal and suggest that he stay for a while. The old elf thinks a bit and finally gives in.

“Your Highness, I would like to say ‘thank you’. I couldn’t succeed if it wasn’t for your help. Since we talked to the Lady, I was wondering about some things. She said that we can’t fight against destiny, but I have to disagree. We make our destiny. And mine was laid next to yours when you allowed me to serve you. Thank you. You are a dearest friend and I will follow you wherever you go.”

Are they romanceable? Describe their romance quest/scenes if you want!

Yes, she is, but only if the ruler is a woman. Look at here:

First opportunity: after finishing ‘An Echo from Beyond’. If you go to talk to her, there will be this line, “I don't believe your family abandoned you. You are a jewel. I could never.”

Andrine is stunned for a moment with your words and blinks surprised. Then she stands again on her feet and giggles, “Oh please, don't make me blush.” She smiles warmly, looking into your eyes. “Thanks for supporting me.”

Second and last opportunity: it could happen at a camp or at the gates of the Capital when you return from a mission. Andrine asks you if you want to go to a walk with her. If you accept, you both go to a clearing or to the viewer point.

“Did I tell you that I learn to play with one of my fey aunts? Aunt Juniper fell in love with a skald a long time ago, in the Land of the Linnorm Kings. But something happened and she had her heart broken. I don't know if he died or got wed to someone. She never talks about this. But because of him, she learned to play hurdy-gurdy and teached me too.” Andrine thinks for a moment, don't looking for anything for a while, until she gazes you and says, “Music is very important to me. It gave me peace in many times. And I like to sing about things I love or... people I respect.”

You could tell she is blushing again. Andrine tries to disguise, rubbing her nose and finally questioning, “Do you mind if I write a song about you?”

[If you show interest in any of these two scenarios, buckle your belts!]

The Confession: Right after the Season of the Bloom. Linzi comes to you and asks if you also noticed that Andrine is acting awkwardly lately. When you go to talk to her, she tries to deny and fails.

“What do you have on your mind?”

She can't look into your eyes. Andrine fiddles her fingers and bites her bottom lip nervously. Noticing that you won't leave, she sighs and murmurs, “Did you ever want something that you can't have? Because... I guess that's my problem right now.”

You wait patiently. It's ironic a bard tripping on her own words, but Andrine doesn't look shy. Actually, she is scared of something.

“You can tell me,” you insist.

She exhales like she was defeated. For the first time since you arrived, the girl look at you. “Ok, that's it. You asked for this.” Andrine inhales as to catch courage in the air and shoot, “I think I'm in love with you but it's pointless!”

“Why?”

“I don't know, you are beautiful, kind, brave, wise...”

“No, I mean why do you think it's pointless?”

Her eyes sparkles with surprise and astonishment. Andrine stutters, “Because... you have to marry someone to ensure your title, right? I'm just a bard... And can't give you heirs—”

[Here there will be the option to shut her up with a kiss lol]

The first morning after:

“Umm where am I? Did I die? Or am I drunk? You are so beautiful, this should be a dream... You know, I don't want to play with you, I hate this kind of games. When I say that I adore you it's entirely true. And if you don't believe it yet, fight me! *chuckles*”

The wedding proposal: After ‘The Witch's Daughter’ (if she didn't vanish chasing Nyrissa). Fionn wants to talk to you about your intentions with his daughter. If you show that you really want to stay with her, he gives you an engagement ring. Then you have to plan how to ask her hand. Linzi and Elina can help you. They organize a romantic dinner and set the bait the same way you all did to Ekun.

“So, Kyonin Wine, tasty delicacies... What are we celebrating?” She stops confused and whispers worried, “Did I forget your birthday?”

After you denied with a giggle, you kneel down and finally proposes. Andrine don't have idea what to do. She shakes her hands excitedly. “I... Me... You... US! Of course I do! Oh, I love you so much, but... what about the suitors? For the kingdom?”

Then you have two options of answer:

1 - We do our own destiny as our rules. And I choose you to rule with me.

2 - To the Abyss all of them!

[the third is totally a CE saying "it was a joking!"]

Before the fight against the Lantern King:

“I won't lie, I'm scared. For your. For the kingdom. Even for the world. But if you will be right there, leading the battle, I can't help but follow you. You are my muse and my northern star, and I love you so much that it hurts. Never forget it, okay?”

What would their ending slides be like?

No Bard Like You (Good Ending): After all mishaps and sorrow, Andrine finally could give a true smile. Her family was reunited after many years. Of course it was not in a blink of an eye that they engaged themself perfectly. Her mother lived a kind of grieve’s phase because she lost the opportunity to see her little girl become a woman, and her father felt like a fool for being deceived by fey. But in the end, with love, music and patience, they all lived happily ever after. And it got better years later, after Galt left our lands, because Elen announced she was carrying a child. From afar everybody can see how excited our bard is about having a little sister or brother. She is still working to improve the kingdom and sometimes someone caught her slipping into some lady’s room. Sometimes she borrows me without the King/Queen notices and takes me to the tavern. Like the good old times.

No Bard Like You 2.0 (if you complete her romance route): They say that good things come to those who endure. I guess Andrine could say it's true; her family is with her again, and she can protect them along her beloved wife. Be a princess consort isn't easy, but she doesn't mind. She and the Queen goes to many adventures together, protecting the kingdom from any kind of invasion. She even played at Varn's wedding! And when she has the opportunity, Andrine carries me with her. Soon her little brother—or sister—will born. Maybe there is a candidate to the sucession of the throne.

Come Back Home (Neutral Ending): We don’t know where Andrine has gone. Her parents are bitter with the lack of news and her aunts are looking for her tirelessly. I imagined she was really pissed off with the King/Queen, but not at all! I hope she is fine. Some people relate dreams about a fey queen underwater, singing sadly in an empty hall. If I still have a body, certainly it could give me chills!

Nobody’s Fool (Bad Ending): I can’t even imagine how it’s lost all hope. That’s what happened to Andrine. She couldn’t bear the King/Queen’s methods and flew away. Without family or any trust in the kingdom, she wanders in the frontiers, singing bitter songs. Thank gods she still has Amanita and her other aunts trying to keep her away from troubles, but I’m afraid it won’t take long until the Little Bird sings her last song. After all, what is a bard if he loses the grip on life?

Any other fun facts?

If you don’t romance her or Octavia, there is a chance of them becoming a couple, and in Octavia’s epilogue Linzi will tell that they went together to Numeria to free the slaves.

If you take her to ‘Reveal my Destiny’, before Nortellara says her farewells, she will look at her and comment that she knows who Andrine is, because she has her father’s eyes. Then she will discover Jaethal’s daughter was fiancée of Fionnirel before he fell in love with Elen and broke the engagement.

If you take her to ‘Rushlight Tournament’, she will flirt with Annamede.

If she becomes Chaotic Neutral and sees Linzi dying, she could attack the Horned Hunter immediately—and friendly-firing everybody with thunder.

Also, she never forgives Nyrissa, first for her parents, and then for Linzi.

Provide some dialogue/bark examples!

Selecting her: “Follow my lead!”, “Want help?”, “Yes? Me?”

Spotting danger: “Be careful, we are not alone”, “Wait, I heard something”, “Look! Bad guys ahead!”

Spotting traps/locks: “Hey, I saw something there!”, “Hold on, there is something ahead”, “Um, my little eyes saw something interesting”

Trickery (success): “Easy peasy!”, “Something else?” “Hah, I was smarter than you [to the lock]!”

Trickery (failed): “Dumb lock!”, “Um, maybe I need a little hand here”, “Damn it!”

Random comments: “*spotting some fluff animal* Aww, what a cutie!”, “Beware the stairs. I can see in the darkness, but not everybody here can”, “A fey enters in the tavern, the owner barks ‘We don’t serve fey here!’ and she replies, ‘Perfect, I prefer raw humans’”.

Winning: “To the victor go the spoils!”, “You should have run!”, “Shall we dance?”

Losing: “I can’t bear anymore…”, “Mother, I’m sorry…”, “No, not yet!”

Ruler Anniversary: “Well, well, guess who is getting more crunchy today? Happy birthday, [name]. I’m glad to be by your side. And you didn’t kick me out for my babbles! I will always be flattered by this.”

Been rescued in Nyrissa’s house (good ending): “For a moment I thought it was true, but then I remembered that you were there to help me and saved all my loved ones. I could go into the Abyss with you, despite my trembling legs. Lead on, Your Highness. Let’s kick some fey butts!”

Been rescued in Nyrissa’s house (bad ending): “You know what? Forget about me! You treated me like I was a buffoon. You gave zero fucks about my feelings and objectives. Why should I stay? No, I had enough. Deal with Nyrissa as you please, but I’m not taking part in this.”

Provide some examples of companion banters!

Amiri

“Hey Amiri, are you ok? You look grumpy today.”

“Why, of course I’m ok. Why should I not? >:[”

•

“So, you and Nilak…”

“I already told you, we are just friends. Save your tongue if it’s that important to you.”

Ekundayo

“I’m really sorry for your family, Ekun. I lost mine too…”

“Only those who suffered that kind of loss know how deep the hurt is. Thank you, my friend. I’m sorry for you equally.”

•

“Andrine, do you know why your artist colleagues at the tavern always smile at me when I go there?”

“*chuckles* My dearest ranger friend… What can I say? We love a good slowburn and can’t help it.”

Harrim

“Harrim, why are you so obsessed with death? You are still alive! Look how beautiful the sky is tonight! Breath, enjoy!”

“Oh, Andrine, if only you could understand how meaningless all of this… But indeed, it’s a beautiful sky.”

•

“I don’t know if I should admire or disapprove your persistence, Andrine; you lost so much and yet endured.”

“Well, I’m still alive. My parents should be anywhere as long as we know. If I stop to fight, then I’m dead and sending my greetings to Groetus.”

Jaethal

“I don’t understand; you have had the possibility to live for a long, long time, feeling all the emotions possible, but choose the undead path. Why?”

“Well, as you just said, half-blood; you would never understand.”

•

“Who could say you would become a Pharasmite?”

“And who could say the reason for my daughter’s broken engagement is the same person who is helping to save the world from a maniac fey? Everybody can be impressive in some way.”

Jubilost

“Damn, a bedbug bit me!”

“Oh no, now he will start to complain about his allies bedbugs, calling them simpleton and beginning to lecture!”

•

“Now I understand why you don’t like me, Andrine; it’s Amanita’s fault!”

“For your information, before I connected the dots, I just thought you were very annoying per se. And to be honest, I never imagined aunt Amanita could be so right about someone.”

“Kaessi”

“My, my, why are you so beautiful? You could make success in Qadira.”

“Thanks. Ask my parents about the recipe… *laughs nervously*”

•

“*Kalikke humming a folk song from Qadira*”

“Hey, can you teach me the lyrics later? I like it!”

Linzi

“So, what's it like at the Academy? I tried to join, but I was rejected.”

“Oh, you were blessed. There is a major concentration of Irovetti’s licker-boots by square meter. But I’m not gonna lie, it could be nice if you were my classmate.”

•

“*Linzi humming a merry song*”

“Hey, I know this song! How about we play a little bit before rest?”

Nok-Nok

“Theres dog inside box. Nok-Nok scared.”

“*giggles* No, Nok-Nok, there isn’t. This is the sound of hurdy-gurdy when I spin this—Wait, come back here, it’s ok!”

•

“Nok-Nok small. Not sure if can be hero anymore.”

“Height doesn’t matter, you know. Your heart is as big as your ambitions. Have faith in yourself! Because I have.”

Octavia

“You didn’t deserve what happened to you, Octavia. You are so kind. If that’s any consolation, I can lend my parents to you... when we find them *sighs*”

“Oh, don’t worry. Now I have you all. Especially you. Maybe your parents could be my future parents-in-law… *laughing* I’m joking! *stops* Unless…”

•

“Um, Andrine, by chance have you found something mine in your room?”

“Umm, maybe. How do you want me to give it back? *wink wink*”

Regongar

“What a waste…”

“If you are talking about me, Regongar, listen to my advice: go fuck yourself.”

•

“Regongar, why don't you understand? I like women! If I was attracted to boys, I would probably marry my childhood friend!”

“Err, sorry, I just spotted something on your hair. Nevermind.”

Valerie

“Valerie, tell me; aren’t you tired of following rules all the whole time?”

“A true warrior needs to have a sharp sword and a sharpest mind. Discipline must be over everything.”

•

“I left the noble life behind to live my dream. I guess that I’m not the best person to give advice about being blue-blooded.”

“I know. And that’s why I want your help: I wanna know how to tell my dearest Kyonin relatives to go fuck themselves in a politely way.”

Tristian

“I’d like to have your patience, Tristian.”

“Thanks. But sometimes I wish to go to the woods and scream like you do.”

•

“Then you are an angel… literally. How is it to have wings?”

“If only I could describe… Maybe ‘freedom’ is the right word, but being a celestial being is beyond mortal comprehension. Unfortunately. *sighs sadly*”

[gamesception]

let's read rgu, chapter 13

Last time we ended off here, with Utena and Miki snooping around Touga's mansion, and stumbling through a trick-cubbard into his secret wizard chamber. What is this big calendar thing?

So Miki's suspicions have been confirmed. EotW is definitely showing Touga some serious favoritism, not just issuing obscure orders via post, but communicating in detail about both the past and the future. This is stuff you could kind of figure Akio was sharing with Touga in the manga, enabling his manipulation of other characters and even the dueling system itself via Saionji in episode 9, but it is interesting to get something closer to Touga's view of things here.

According to the calendar, next month Miki will duel Utena. Miki and Utena are in the middle of insisting that would never happen when Touga catches them and

Woah, Touga, personal space please.

Miki accuses Touga of endangering Utena, someone he claims to love, with this whole duel business. Unable to take part in something like that, he asks to quit the student council altogether.

Touga says Utena doesn't need protection and throws Miki out of the room, living Utena trapped in there with him.

At first Miki tries to bust back in and help Utena, but he gets distracted by the same thing anime Miki always gets distracted by. Kozue. Apparently Touga had brought Kozue back to his dorm? For presumably illicit reasons - unless he knew Miki and Utena were breaking in and brought her specifically for this.

Miki & Kozue's whole deal in the anime is pretty compelling. In the anime all the rival duelists serve as different reflections of the princely archetype, challenging Utena's worldview or her relationship with Anthy or presenting themselves as more suited to save Anthy, and Utena only defeats them after meeting their challenge or after their innate inadequacy as a prince for Anthy is revealed. Miki's weakness isn't Kozue specifically, but it's revealed by Kozue. I'm glad to see she's still here in the manga, even if I don't expect her to be used exactly the same way.

Meanwhile, Utena is afraid Touga will try to force a kiss on her like he did in the greenhouse a few chapters back, but instead he just approaches her. She asks if Touga's calendar predicts a duel between Touga and her, and he answers...

Where as I expect he's actually waiting for her to become weaker - specifically to develop feeling for him that would prevent her from fighting him effectively.

But at least he didn't, like, assault her this time, and just ushered her out of his secret room.

This isn't my favorite take on Kozue, but it's not like this /wasn't/ an aspect of her anime character, and regardless, eh, different story. Manga rgu is playing out more as a shojo romance so this is the version of Kozue who exists as a barrier to a romantic pairing between Utena and Miki, in the same way that manga Juri exists primarily as a barrier to a romantic pairing between Utena and Touga.

I'm not mad about it - at this point I'm honestly past the point of even being disappointed. It does again highlight the extent to which what I love about rgu is the subversive, deconstructionist elements of it which seem to have mostly been injected by Ikuhara and the anime development team. Without those elements is much closer to a regular Shojo romance story, which partially feels weird to me, and is not something I'm super into. Which isn't a criticism or complaint, I'm far from the target audience for that genre

Anyway, the next day Utena and Wakaba are discussing the situation with Miki and Kozue when Anthy interjects...

Coming from the anime, that's chilling. Even just from the manga so far, I'd imagine this page would feel a bit odd, given how little this Anthy normally talks, which the text calls explicit attention to.

Yes! Show interest in Anthy! Manga Anthy's such a cypher to this point. The plot revolves around her, bring her more into it!

Is she bad at math? Does she just not bother anymore, since she's been trapped here a thousand years and it's not like she could ever graduate or be expelled? Who Is She?

Anyway, we're in Miki arc now, with Kozue plays the part of bully revealing Utena's low score to the class, giving Miki a chance to step in as the white knight, correcting Utena's test so she can use it as a study aid, and even offers to help her study.

Utena tries to bring Anthy in, in a version of the hilarious scene with Utena, Anthy, Miki, and Nanami. But Nanami's not there, and Anthy's not interested, so we end up with Miki, Utena, and Kozue instead.

study session's going well actually, with Kozue pulling none of Nanami's weird antics. Only when they pause for a break and Utena nods off, Miki...

Not cool, Miki. This is hardly any different from that bullshit Touga pulled in the greenhouse.

Don't get me wrong, I get that this version of RGU is a romance fantasy, and I get the appeal of the non-consensual kiss as a romance fantasy - the excitement of the kiss without the socially mandated guilt for seeking it out or accepting it. But the trope has been thoroughly deconstructed enough that it hardly needs me to call it out as hashtag problematic.

Of course Kozue comes back with the tea just in time to see the uninvited kiss, and gets mad at Utena in a little minicosm of the entire Rose Bride concept - the prince does something impure and at least in this case wholly uninvited with a girl, and society lashes out at the girl for tarnishing the princes purity. Not that I think that's necessarily a deliberate parallel happening here, since this entire scene was also a perfectly predictable shojo romance cliche that we knew was coming from Kozue's introduction, regardless of any wider plot structure happening around her subplot.

Anyway, the chapter ends here. We still don't have any indication why manga Miki is destined to duel Utena. If anything, Kozue seems the more likely duelist, fitting the pattern of jealous one sided romantic feelings set by Sionji and Juri so far. In the anime Miki got jealous over Anthy, and in particular projected his false image of a young Kozue yet unsullied by knowledge of sex onto her, and that's why he challenged Utena, and the manga doesn't seem to be going there at all, since this Kozue is too hung up on her brother to be sleeping with anyone else, and Miki has hardly interacted with Anthy at all, though I suppose coming chapters could still change that.

So I'm honestly curious how we're going to get to the point of Miki dueling Utena. He's clearly got a crush on her here, maybe he'll decide that if he can beat her that will save her from getting hurt in later duels? Or maybe he thinks that if he breaks her connection to Anthy - tenuous as that connection is in the manga - that he'd be able to get her to date him instead? I don't know.

[ahno-nimus]

Wizard Council in Big Trouble!

WIZARD NEWS: --- 22-10-04 page 9.175

Wizard Council in Big Trouble! written by investigative reporter [redacted]

Recently, the Wizard Council has been pulled into a protracted legal battle concerning their potential regulatory overreach into a multiverse and the spaces between that, in the accusers words "would not fall under their jurisdiction even under normal circumstances."

Initially, it began as a simple complaint, but escalated when the Wizard Council representative @wizardscouncil attempted to cast "tax beam" upon the aforementioned accuser @hummbirb.

After an standard initial punishment of having the famous Giant Murderous Nuclear Moth transported to their office, the representative cast the dangerous and dubiously legal spell of “Ketamine Tax Collector”. This is when our team noticed the story and released a preliminary report.

The representative likely will not be fired until the Moth is dealt with.

Currently things are at a stalemate, with little progress being made by either side.. Here are some quotes from the wizard on the street.

@ratazom had this to say: "This was the inevitable conclusion of their recent regulatory overreach. I've always said that the only good council is the smallest possible council. More government cannot solve our problem because government is the problem.

As a bonus, I'm now able to use Ketamine Ape as a research subject to improve my homunculi."

Unfortunatly no other wizard, even Ratazom's nemesis, @gavamont . We will update as news appears.

We have also reached out to the Council's greatest rivals, the Warlock Union, and we are still waiting on a response.

Next edition releases whenever the Editor gets around to it.

[thetaurusgeminisystem]

Spellbound Serendipity

Incubus! Trafalgar Law x Witch! OC

Fandom: One Piece

Pairing: Trafalgar D. Water Law x OC

Magical world AU

Rated: M (For later sexual content)

Summary: AU: Imagine a universe where all pirates are either one of four things; A monster, A demon, A witch, or A human.

What happens when a rival coven member pranks the newest coven "The Straw Hats" by causing the spell Melodia was supposed to perform for initiation to go horribly wrong?

Chapter 1: The mistake

It wasn't fair. Out of all the pranks that could be played on her by the Clown coven, why did it have to be something so damn serious? 

Melodia had been so excited. This year was finally the year that both her and her twin brother Luffy would be able to get their familiars and form their own coven at the Grand line school of magic. They already had their group of friends who all agreed to join them to create this coven. Each one was either without a coven before, or was not happy with the current one they were in. 

Of course though, someone always had to pull a foul prank on the misfits. It shouldn't surprise her all that much right? Well the thing was, she didn't expect for this prank to go so far! It almost didn't seem like just a prank anymore. To her it wasn't because now she's forever bonded to grumpy, albeit handsome looking Incubus! 

"Look, can you just stop scowling at me?" She snapped up at the hovering male demon with many tattoos. Melodia did think he was pretty handsome, she would give him that. If he wasn't one of the most dangerous kinds of demons to be attached to, then she would have been a lot more happy when he showed up from the summoning circle.

"What kind of stupid witch are you? You do know that you've bound us together for all eternity right?" He scoffed back, rolling his eyes at her. 

"How many times do I have to tell you? This wasn't my fault! Someone else in this school pranked me! I was trying to summon my familiar for the initiation ceremony and you came out of the summoning circle" Melodia shot back and glared up at the demon. She then sat back in her chair and waited still for the school's council of elders to call her in. 

Melodia hoped that with them being some of the most powerful witches and wizards in the world, they could find a way to undo her current predicament. She closed her eyes and did her best to hold back her tears. She was at least happy that Luffy's initiation spell had gone correctly. His familiar ended up being exactly what she thought it would be, a Monkey. She was so proud of him and she knew their older brother Ace was probably proud of him too. 

Then this happened to her. She was standing on stage in front of her summoning master, Red Haired Shanks. She concentrated with all of her might to summon her familiar, but instead got this Incubus. Familiar's usually took on the form of a favorite animal or magical creatures of the person summoning it. It was very rare for anyone to get a demon and usually if they did, said demon would only be an imp. Not a full blooded Incubus! 

"Yeah well, you're pretty weak for letting someone push you around like that. I certainly wouldn't, they'd be dead meat!" The Incubus retorted, bringing Melodia back out of her thoughts. 

"Is this gonna be a constant with you because, trust me, I didn't ask for this either buddy" Melodia seethed back, this time she didn't even look at him. "Why do you think we're here huh? These elders can usually get students out of sticky situations. Hopefully if we're lucky they'll be able to undo this," Melodia added after a moment. She then turned her attention to her spell book and looked through it to see what might have gone wrong. 

As she peered into the creatures section, she couldn't find a single page about any type of demons except imps. It didn't really surprise her as most demons were off limits except to the senior students and professors. Cubi demons were usually forbidden to summon on school grounds because of how powerful they were. 

When her friends watched what had happened, they all believed her when she told them that she didn't do this. Zoro was now on a mission to hunt down evidence of who might have done this cruel thing to her. Nami believed wholeheartedly that this wasn't just a prank, but literally someone out to get Mel for some reason. 

Mel didn't want to believe that Nami could be right about someone being out to get her, but she also knew that it wasn't impossible. She just hoped that her master would be able to convince the elders that what happened during the ceremony was not her fault. 

"Yeah well… I hope I'm not bound to you either. I happened to like my freedom thank you very much. Now I can't so much as fuck anyone else without my genitals falling off" The Incubus grumbled crossing his arms over his chest. 

Melodia found herself flushing a deep shade of pink when the Incubus mentioned that. "TMI man! Geez!" She squeaked, nearly dropping her spell book.

"What it's only the truth. Because of this stupid bond, I'll never be able to have another orgy again. Do you even know anything about how my species works stupid?" The Incubus shot back glancing up and down at her curvy form. 

"I have a name ya know. Call me stupid one more time and I will deck you with this spell book," Melodia snapped, her blush draining back out of her face.

"Fine. I guess if I'm stuck to you then I guess I need to know your name. What is it Stupid?" He growled back, not even taking her challenge seriously. That was until a heavy spell book smacked him upside the head. "Ow! Hey!" He groaned, rubbing where the Spell book had hit him. 

"My name is Monkey D. Melodia, but you can call me Mel. Now then, what's your name HellSpawn?" Melodia asked, trying to hide her smirk as she wanted to laugh at him. 

He got his bearings back by the nickname she had called him. He sent another icy glare back at her. "Don't ever call me that again or I will maime you in your sleep," He threatened and then he looked down at the floor he was hovering over and let out a deep sigh. "My name is Law," He finally said after a long pause. 

Melodia then smiled for the first time since the initiation ceremony went wrong. "See, now that wasn't so hard was it?" Melodia replied, earning yet another scowl from Law. 

"Yeah whatever. Still hate you, you stupid human," He answered flatly before it went quiet between the two of them for a moment. 

The silence was interrupted by a familiar looking boy with pink hair. Melodia remembered how her brother had rescued him from a warlock clan at the beginning of their first year. Sadly she didn't see the boy too often so remembering his name was a bit of a challenge. 

"U-Uh… Melodia? The council will see you now," The boy replied standing in front of her. 

Melodia sighed and nodded. "Thanks… um…" 

"Koby, I'm Koby" The boy finishes for her and fiddles with his thick purple glasses. 

Law studied the boy as he began to float after Mel. He then chuckled to himself. "Heh… dweeb" He mumbled as he followed her into the large chamber room. 

"Just be nice for once huh?" Mel shot over her shoulder, she didn't even bother to look and see if he was following her. She could already feel he was. 

The bond between them that was already forming was weird. It seemed like Law could not venture very far from Melodia's side whether he wanted to or not. In return it seemed like Melodia could always feel exactly where he was even if he was using his powers of invisibility.

As much as Law hated to admit it, he realized that at least he seemed to be bonded to a pretty witch. So what if she wasn't the smartest? Her Raven flowing hair looked so soft and fun to run fingers through, her lips looked so incredibly kissable. Wait what? 

He shook his head trying to rid himself of thoughts like that. He lost the ability to truly fall in love years ago when he was turned into this demon. He was an Incubus god damnit! Incubus don't have romance, they're all about sex. 

What would he give to be a human wizard again. He made the mistake of making a deal with a powerful demon known as Doflamingo. The deal was to save his little sister's life, but in the end his entire family died anyway. The price that he had to pay was to become an Incubus and feed off the sexual desires of the human world and give their energy to Doffy. 

What sometimes hurt him most was that he left his master Corazon behind. Cora was probably very angry and disappointed with Law's decision, but at the time Law had felt that he had no other choice. Now he knew that not only was his family fated to die, but he had betrayed the master who taught him everything he knew about healing magic. 

"Hey Law… Law? Hey Hell Spawn!" Melodia called to him, sounding concerned and a little annoyed. 

Law blinked and then glared "I told you to never call me that again you stupid witch!" He growled at her. 

"Hey I wasn't the one acting like a space cadet here. I was just trying to see if you're ok or not, but that's fine I guess. We're here" Melodia quipped and then she turned and bowed respectfully to the elders. 

The elders included Master Hawkeye Mihawk, Lady Boa Hancock, Master Crocodile, Master Buggy, and Master Rayleigh Silvers. Each member owning powerful magic that encompassed the many fields of study at the school. 

"My, My Miss Monkey, what trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?" Mihawk asked first, noticing the Incubus floating over her shoulder. 

"Well you see sir…" She begun before she was signaled by Boa to be quiet for a moment. 

"Just a rhetorical question dear, Shanks has already informed us of your predicament…It is not something usual to happen, but we have reason to believe that another student sabotaged your initiation ceremony." She spoke after a moment causing a little relief in knowing now that the council didn't find her at fault. 

"Why in God's name did Shanks teach those hooligans the old spell? It's so easy to get it wrong and so close to an Incubus spell," Crocodile added flatly, taking a drag from his cigar. 

"Who the hell cares about that? Please tell us if there's a way to fix this!" Law shouted impatiently earning an eyebrow raise from Rayleigh. The white hair elder got up from his seat and wandered over to Melodia and Law. 

"An interesting connection, it's as if it was meant to be…  hm it can be rare that someone has the ability to tame an Incubus. I'm afraid there currently isn't a way out of your bond… at least not one that is known." He spoke as he lifted Melodia's wrist to study the bond mark burned into her skin. "If another student did do this as Shanks is led to believe, then we will punish them justly. For now you will be under careful watch and you must wear this Melodia as a precaution," The old man added, tossing Melodia a collar looking necklace. "On school grounds you must wear this at all costs,"

"In the meantime my dear, we will do what we can to find a way to break the bond. For now it is impossible," Boa spoke. 

Melodia felt the world crashing down around her feet. She would be made even more of a pariah being forced to wear this stupid collar. She hid her tears and nodded. She knew there was only so much the council could do without straying into dark and forbidden magic. She sighed and nodded. She then bowed respectfully to them. "Thank you for time, your graces, We'll see ourselves out," She spoke up and then she turned and dragged a gaping Law behind her. 

Once they were back out into the hallway, Law became livid. "WHAT DO THEY MEAN IT'S IMPOSSIBLE?" He shouted angrily, his tail swishing violently now. His eyes glowing red and he actually looked pretty menacing. 

"It's exactly what they said Law. We're stuck like this whether we want to be or not. Again I don't like it either, ya know since I'll look like even more of a freak now," Melodia snapped glaring icy daggers up at him. 

This made Law pause for a moment and look at her. Somewhere in the pit of his stomach he actually felt bad for her. Especially now knowing that she really didn't do this on purpose. "You get bullied a lot?" He asked her, his voice a bit calmer than a minute ago. 

"So what if I do? My twin brother and I are always getting picked on by people. This wouldn't be something new. I'm sorry you got dragged into this," She apologizes and begins to walk again. 

This made Law feel even worse. He remembered what it was like comforting his little sister when she would come home crying because of a bully. He blinked again. What was that? He only met this human witch a few hours ago. What was wrong with him? Maybe he was exhausted from being dragged out of his home in the underworld? 

"Where are ya going?" He asked as he began to follow after her again. 

"To my dorm room or where we're living until I graduate from this place, might as well show you home I guess," She answered sounding defeated and a bit sad at this point. 

"Well… showing us to a bedroom huh? I could turn that frown upside down if you want me to," Law replied in an almost flirtatious tone. 

"Don't even think about it, mister. I may not know every thing about you Incubi, but I know not to fuck one!" Mel groaned and hid her face behind the hood of her cloak. She then led the way back to her and Law's new living space. 

[selamat-linting]

i've been postponing my homestuck read for days now, focusing on other work and stuff. it was only yesterday that i stop doing my little break. here's my thoughts :

-post scratch world are fascinating. everyone is 15 and the parents are now the kids and vice versa. it seems like a mix between alternia and earth! Lusus exists but concentrated on jake's island, i've seen a lot of callbacks to earlier dialogues and certain troll only things like the quadrants being mentioned, and im pretty sure the rival baking empire was headed by the troll empress who found her planet destroyed.

-anyway, the parents?!!?!?! theyre now the kids? how does that work? dirk and roxy did mention their parents are dead so maybe the sburb alpha version of dave and rose just isnt in the picture but man i wanna see i wanna i wanna see. and now everything i know about the alpha kids makes me want to go back and look back on the beta kids interaction with their parents to go Hmmmmmmmmmmm

-that being said it would be extra screwy is the alpha guardians (grown up beta kids) are actually still alive theyre just absent cunts so the alpha kids resent them and believe the real ones are dead. Oh roxy, just wait until you see your child / mother.

-my thoughts on jane crocker : heartbreaking. the AU version of your favorite beta kid is a billionare 😭. to be fair all of them becomes rich kids in this alpha timeline lol. Okay jokes aside, im very concerned for her and use of crocker tech. Im with dirk and roxy on this. She's a pretty pleasant fellow though. Most normal person out of the crew. There is something very sad about them. Like, they dont get to have a semblance of a normal life or even participate in society for reasons related to the game before the game even arrived. Theyre prepped for this one grand adventure only and its more traumatizing than actually fun. if they won, the world still ends.

-roxy is so. she reminds me of my neighbors' kid who bragged about drinking CT (a local very strong alcoholic drink) but a girl genius. im just fascinated in general. a rogue of void? sleepwalking? owns many cats? she would have been a popular wizardposter on tumblr. i can tell her favorite banned wizard council spell is greater baja blast.

-but mostly im interested in the areas she sleepwalked in. im pretty sure i saw dead dreamself terezi or nepeta and karkat with a knight of blood godtier outfit but no eyes, indicating he's dead. and ofc gamzee and equius but he's still alive. wait he's wearing glasses so i have no idea. I thought this is one of those dream bubbles thing but im even more weirded out with dead godtier karkat. is the void is more of a place for abandoned possibilities? or did i just mistook things over here? rose was there but somehow thats to be expected. she's trying to awaken roxy right? what will roxy do with her access to the void? what will she stole from the depths of the abyss?

-and dirk. wonder what he finally saw at the skies of derse. he's the prince of heart right? the only heart player i know is nepeta and we never really see her powers in action. i cant wait to see whats in store for him. also, he's actually gay? AND A BRONY???? A BRONY??? i mean yea he fucking love puppets but we knew that since act 1. i have no idea how he became friends with everybody like he cares but he's also abrasive as hell to everyone, esp when he likes the guy a LOT. im so sorry for jake.

-jake is a lot more naive than john. which is saying something. and an accomplishment because he's like constantly hunted by literal monsters and death robots. everyday he's fighting demons barehanded but stay silly. i wonder how jade and jake could even get to know each other like, theyre not even in the same timeline.

-and UU. who the fuck are they? is it lord english minions trapping the kids? or what here? They look nice and cheerful but im very skeptical here. couldnt wait to see more of them

[bonjour-rainycity]

Late in the Night | Part Four

Previous part

Prompt: Friends have a bet how long it will take the ship to get together (Content Challenge Day 7)

Pairing: Legolas x Female Reader

Rating: PG-13

Word count: 1602

Warnings: None

Challenge participants: @game-ofthe-company @grunid @themerriweathermage @errruvande @the-reformed-ringwraith @awkwardkindatries

^^ Hey! If I haven't commented on your post(s) yet, it just means I haven't gotten the chance to read them. School has been ramping up, but as I have free moments, I'll be going back and looking at all your challenge posts <3

A/n: You guys...IT'S THE LAST PROMPT OF THE CONTENT CHALLENGE! What?! Thank you so much to everyone who participated and interacted with our posts. I had such a blast creating this past week and getting to know each and every one of you. I think it would be fun to do something like this again in the future, so let me know if you would like to be involved in planning/get updates! 

As always, I encourage you to check out the accounts tagged above and our masterlists! You can find the challenge masterlist here and my personal masterlist here. Okay, enjoy :)

Aragorn waits, keeping an eye on the trees.

The minute his friends from the eastern inn arrive, they will leave town.

He had a pleasant night — private room, hot bath, well-prepared meals — but is ready to get back on their journey. For all he knows, the brief rest he allowed them could have already cost them vital time.

That thought causes him to pace.

“Calm yourself, dear friend, they will be along shortly,” Gandalf councils.

Aragorn tries to heed the wise wizard’s advice. Sure enough, he soon hears the light sounds of feet crushing grass and twigs, and knows they are close.

The four of them break into sight at roughly the same time, and Aragorn notices two things:

One, Legolas and Y/n refuse to look at each other.

Two, Gimli wears a grin bright enough to rival the sun.

Aragorn knows he must speak with the dwarf as soon as possible.

Something has happened.

Merry, who doesn’t get enough credit for his observation skills, notices the oddities too, and elbows Pippin in the side. Their eyes grow wide, and it takes everything in them not to shout guesses as to what this means.

It is a good while before Aragorn, Pippin, Merry, and Gimli have a chance to convene and discuss the new development. All four of them, though of course dedicated to the task at hand, desperately want a resolution to their ongoing bet.

It had started innocently enough.

Merry made an off-hand comment about how well Legolas and Y/n seem to get along. Gimli noticed the lass was a clumsier fighter when Legolas was watching. Aragorn realized his friend seemed nervous around the human woman. Pippin saw how each of them smiled brighter when the other was near.

Somehow or other, the four of them had put together their observations, and the rest is history.

The bet was born.

Each of them had put down fifteen coins and a deadline, losing the coins if Legolas and Y/n did not become a couple by the deadline, and winning coins if they did. Knowing his friend’s shy nature well, Aragorn had given the two the lengthiest allowance — six months. Pippin and Merry recognized the bold nature of humans, and guessed it would only take four months for Y/n to speak her mind and Legolas to reciprocate. Gimli, on the other hand, thought the two were already head-over-heels for each other and wouldn’t be able to keep quiet about it, and had given them only a month and a half.

Each participant, knowing his deadline was drawing nearer, had taken steps to push the two in the right direction.

The hobbit friends moved Legolas’ and Y/n’s bedrolls closer when they weren’t looking.

Aragorn put them on watch together. A lot. To the point where he actually felt bad about the bags under Y/n’s eyes.

But Gimli, perhaps, had been the boldest of them all, and proudly tells his friends so the moment they are alone much later that evening.

“Quickly, they are suspicious why it took four of us to gather firewood and herbs,” Aragorn mutters, darting a quick glance in the direction of camp.

“Yes, just get on with it,” Pippin squeaks, then throws a hand over his mouth, knowing he might alert Legolas with his volume.

“Alright, listen up lads.” Gimli grins and proudly tells his tale. “Boromir and I got to the inn first, as planned, and the innkeeper asked how many were in our party. I said two, and the innkeeper made a comment how it was good we didn’t have more folk waiting outside, as his inn was almost full. Well, that got me thinkin’, so I inquired how many more rooms were available. The innkeeper said two, not including the ones Boromir and I purchased. So I whipped out my velvet pouch and paid for another room, fibbin’ a bit and saying I might have a lady friend visiting and wasn’t sure if she would want to sleep in my room or not after our activities.” He wiggles his eyebrows in response to the stunned looks of his friend.

Aragorn shakes his head slowly, a bemused smile setting in his lips. “So you paid for an extra room just to force Legolas and Y/n into sharing?”

“Right you are,” Gimli grins, placing his fists on his hips. “It wasna even that expensive — I’ll make it back three times over, now that I’ve won this thing.”

“Ah, ah, ah, hold on,” Merry holds up a hand, halting Gimli’s gloat. “You can’t prove they did or said anything to start a courtship, so you haven’t won!”

“They won’t even look at each other and the elf’s as red as a strawberry, of course something happened,” Gimli practically shouts.

Aragorn, reliably a voice of reason, intervenes. “We shall have to inquire then, but be smart about it. We do not want to jeopardize their potential courtship with our game.”

The companions agree, then quickly turn to the forest, gathering firewood and herbs to supplement Sam’s soup and their cover story.

{***}

Back at camp, Legolas sits on a low tree branch, keeping watch over all his friends.

But mostly Y/n.

He cannot pull his eyes from her face. She sits on a rock, staring into the fire, absently cleaning the mud from her boots. Without permission, his mind goes back to the way he held her this morning, tucked against his chest, her leg wrapped around his. It was wildly improper, and he should be ashamed of himself.

But he doesn’t feel ashamed. Because the way they woke up this morning didn’t feel improper, it felt natural. With all his heart, Legolas wants to wake up like that every morning — his favorite person kept safely against his side. He wants to guard her and give her a wonderful life and bring her home and have his people adore her, too.

Legolas’ resolve hardens, because he knows he can no longer keep this to himself. Y/n has a right to know how he feels, because it affects her too.

He pushes himself from the branch, landing on the ground in silence. With four long strides, he stops beside her, reaching down a hand. “Will you talk with me?”

She looks up at him, nerves like she’s never felt before erupting within her. But she gathers her courage, forces what she hopes is a smile, and takes Legolas’ hand.

She wonders what he’ll say.

All day, she had been lost in embarrassment. Somehow in the night, she’d thrown her leg over his and practically attached herself to his chest — who does that?! And he’d said nothing when they woke up, only got up and went about his routine like normal.

So obviously, he doesn’t feel anything for her.

And that’s what this conversation has to be about.

Briefly, though, she allows herself to remember what it felt like to be in his embrace, and knows that she will cherish that feeling forever.

The warmth of his hand in hers helps her hold on to that memory and, to her surprise, when they reach a secluded spot, he does not let go. No, he takes her other hand in his, clutching both tightly.

Legolas nearly shakes with nerves, and he wonders if she can tell? Does she know how he feels like he might be sick? Oh, he has never felt anxiety like this before, and desperately wishes for it to be gone.

So he wastes no time in putting himself out of his misery.

“I want to be with you.”

Y/n blinks. Surely she can’t have heard him correctly? “What?”

Legolas sighs — her reaction gives him no indication how she feels either way. He bolsters his courage, and tries again. “I feel affection for each member of this Fellowship. But whereas I love the others as if they were my kin, I am unable to deny that how I love you is different. Elves live long lives and thus take matters of the heart very seriously. And, well,” he shrugs, all eloquence leaving him the moment he sees the shy, hopeful smile spread across her lips. “My heart is with you.”

Y/n can hardly believe her ears. She thought that he didn’t…that there was no chance of…but rather than dwell on all her miscalculations, or the myriad of dangers that haunt their future, she decides to just enjoy the moment. She throws her arms around Legolas’ neck, and he grips her tightly against him.

She turns her cheek to rest on his shoulder, unable to contain her grin. “You hold mine as well. I love you, Legolas.”

He pulls back only to rest his forehead against hers, head swimming from the joy of her acceptance and at being this close to her. “And I love you.” She lets out a giddy laugh and he closes his eyes, soaking in the sound. But then he focuses again, for there is something important he still must ask. “Will you accept my offer of courtship?”

Y/n can’t help herself from bumping her nose against his affectionately, and it feels so wonderful, so free to be with him this way. She has no desire for her future to continue without him, and so, her answer is found easily. “Of course.”

Relief settles in Legolas’ bones, the nerves finally leaving him and being replaced with happiness.

Just as their lips meet, the four friends break through the tree-line, back from collecting supplies.

Gimli’s triumphant shout can be heard for miles.

“Pay up, lads!”

A/n The end! This is the last chapter of this mini-series! Thanks for sticking with me as I had some fun with this one. I keep tag-lists, so at any time, just let me know if you would like to be tagged in anything. I’m in the planning stages of a Haldir x OC fic, and while I usually stay away from OC’s, I just cannot fathom typing “Y/n” for the length that I’m planning on making that story. So be on the lookout for that! Hope you all are taking care of yourselves and please know that my inbox is always open. Lots of love!

LITN tag list: @angelic-kisses13 @lainphotography @anangelwhodidntfall @sheriffgerard @themerriweathermage @k-llama-llama @hirokosoul @wellfuckmyexistence @ipsychosocial @anjhope1 @my-lotr-obsession-is-unhealthy

[books-in-a-storm]

Paranormal Star Review

Title: Wolves at the Door(Paranormal House Flippers #2)

Author: Lidiya Foxglove

Pages:240

Rating:⭐⭐⭐(3/5)

Synopsis: Since I walked away from my rich and royal family and became a house flipper of haunted and magical homes, life was nice and simple. Until I met Byron, the sexy ghost of an incubus... with some intriguing secrets. Now I'm in possession of one of the most dangerous magical artifacts in the world...although I'm still figuring out exactly what it does. What I do know is that I don't want this in the hands of the corrupt magical council. It's not just me tangled up in this. There is also Graham, another sexy incubus who had no idea of his true origins, and the Sullivan twins, two scruffy and charming werewolf contractors. We're planning to buy Greenwood Manor and find the next artifact before the wizard council does. But talk about a wrench in the works. We get to Louisiana just to find a rival witch buying the old southern mansion right out from under us! I have a bit of a history with Billie Pruitt, but it seems like she might need us as much as we need this house, so me and my crew will have to find a way to work with her and keep our enemies at bay...

First And Last Sentence: Here

[davidmann95]

I've been pondering the three-movie arc that the Fantastic Four would logically go through, if Marvsney should ever get around to it. Obviously the third is Galactus, and the first is Doom, hopefully not involved in the Richard's family origin (which itself could be handled in like five god-damn minutes to let the rest of the movie breathe), but what's the middle? Negative Zone shenanigans? The Mole Man? Skrulls? Wingless Wizard, god help us all?

I’d actually have Galactus first, basically opening with ‘hey folks, we were out in space since the end of the 60s having cosmic adventures, we didn’t age much due to time dilation but we’re back, also BATTON DOWN THE HATCHES GALACTUS IS COMING’: you can’t really do Galactus as The big threat post-Thanos but he’s still a great enemy and way of establishing the scale and strangeness they deal with (plus as ultimately a nebulous cosmic force he lets the first movie be all about the protagonists). Doom is movie 2 setting him up as the big final villain of the MCU while remaining their rival first and foremost, and movies 3-4 I’d have be a sprawling loose adaptation of War of Four Cities so you can do Namor, Mole Man, and Annihilus in one shot along with taking a mulligan on the Inhumans (and maybe keep the Council of Reeds if that could work?). Somewhere in there I imagine there’ll be an MCU version of The Kree-Skrull War so they can fit in that with their associations there, and again Doom pops out throughout these movies and the end of the MCU as we know it is Secret Wars.

[ehrhys]

The Phoenix Court: Chapter 3

Dramione Medieval Fantasy AU

Rating: M for later chapters

Summary:

A long standing tradition in the kingdom of Alban is for royal heirs to be chosen from amongst the Alban noble houses. Presumptive heirs are fostered by the king at his court and the heir is chosen at the formal event, the Declaration. Two rival princes vie for the throne, and a young woman arrives at court to seek knowledge. Will ambitions be realized and love grow while enemy kingdoms and civil war threaten to tear the kingdom of Alban apart?

When Hermione’s father is given the position of advisor to King Albus Dumbledore, the Grangers come to court. Hermione hopes to find a teacher to help her master the magical arts, but she must balance her dreams with the ambitions her family has for her.

Prince Draco hopes to become the heir to Alban’s royal house and spends his time honing himself to become the perfect successor to the throne. Familial pressure and his own ambitions drive himself to succeed in The Declaration, but one obstacle stands in his way, his rival Prince Harry.

LINKS: FF.NET & AO3

Hermione slept only a few hours before she was awoken by an incessant tapping sound. Groggily, she rose from her bed to inspect the noise and found an elegant looking eagle owl perched on the window ledge. She opened the window to let the bird in and it dropped a single white rose onto her bed. Having completed its task, the bird gave a self-satisfied hoot and flew back out the window. Hermione inspected the rose, tied to its stem was a green silk ribbon upon which a small folded letter was affixed with wax. Upon closer inspection she saw the wax seal showed the crest of the Malfoy family. 

Her heart skipped a beat and she felt giddy as she ran her fingers along the soft petals of the rose, thinking of the prince. His warm hand in her’s, the feel of his lips... She moved to break the wax seal to read the letter, but she hesitated. She was happy to receive the rose, but she had to be realistic. A more logical part of her rationalized that as a member of the ancient house of Malfoy, and being a prince, he would never seriously court a woman who was a minor noble. 

Even with her father’s contributions to the crown and kingdom, the courtiers still whispered about the upstart Lord Granger whose ancestors were not all that long ago herding sheep. Even if status meant little to the King, many high ranking nobles did not share his sentiments, especially Lord Lucius Malfoy. He was a supporter and patron of Hermione’s father, but Hermione was sure he would rather see his son banished than married to someone of her station. In the eyes of Lord Malfoy she could be a dalliance, but never a bride for his son. 

No, she thought, Prince Draco would marry a woman from his inner circle, perhaps one of the Greengrass sisters or Milcent Bulstrode. As much as her romantic heart disliked it, Hermione needed to be realistic. She had been foolish to be so familiar with the prince, despite how much she enjoyed her time with him. It was better, she thought, to content herself with enjoying the flirtation while it lasted. She wouldn’t let herself become a conquest or the prince’s mistress. She sighed and placed the rose by her bedside. She would leave the letter unopened and return it and the rose later. 

Resolved, she readied herself for breakfast. She washed and called her lady’s maid to help her dress, all the while she kept thinking of the rose. She stared at it, then frustrated with herself turned away, only to have her eyes slowly creep back over to the flower. Hermione silently chastised herself. She had to stay firm. 

But as she was leaving her room, she gave the gift one last glance. “It won’t do any harm...”, she said to herself, and her will crumbled. 

She broke the wax seal, “H.G., Moonlight becomes you. D.M.” 

Hermione left her room with a small smile on her face.

------------------- 

Her parents were In the middle of enjoying a late breakfast when Hermione joined them. The smell of fresh bread and bacon caused her stomach to grumble as she took her seat opposite her mother. “Hermione, sweeting, a letter arrived for you,” Lady Granger said, passing the letter to her daughter.

The letter contained an invitation from Hannah Abbot to walk about the palace gardens that afternoon. Hermione was happy to hear from Hannah. She hoped that her little matchmaking scheme was a success. She wrote Hannah a quick note of acceptance and handed it to a servant to deliver. 

Lady Granger hummed with delight at the exchange. “Oh, sweeting, how wonderful that you’ve made the acquaintance of the young Lady Abbot. She is from such a prestigious family and I hear she is counted among Prince Harry’s friends.” 

Her mother gave her daughter a wide eyed and excited look. “Now, If you were to meet Prince Harry! Oh, I can just imagine it!”

Lady Granger sighed and closed her eyes, as if imagining the encounter. She laughed and covered her smile with her hands. Hermione frowned. “Mother, Lady Hannah and I have only just met. I would never take advantage of her friendship like that.” 

Lady Granger looked taken aback. “You misunderstand me, Hermione, darling! I would never suggest you use your friend. I’m just musing to myself!”

Apologetic, Lady Granger grasped her daughter’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind helping me with your father,” she said, eager to change the conversation.  

Lord Granger started at the sudden attention, and looked sheepishly up at his wife and daughter. He had been silent all throughout breakfast which was very unusual for him. Between bites of porridge, he pored over a design for his newest invention. It seemed that whatever he was working on was not good. “Sorry, dear heart,” he said to his wife, “the king has tasked me with a new invention and I just don’t know if it can be done.”

“What does the king want from you, father?”

Lord Granger looked hesitant, his eyes moved from his daughter’s curious expression to his wife’s deep frown. “I really shouldn’t say,” he said, looking around the room, squinting in suspicion, “but… there are—rumors, of sorts, that Mordum is planning another attack. The king ordered us to create weapons to help our army protect our borders.” 

“Another attack? When? And who said this?” Lady Granger asked in a hushed voice. 

He gave her a grim look. “That information is for the King and advisory council only.” 

Hermione pushed away her food and sighed. “I knew the peace couldn’t last, but I didn’t think it would end so soon.”

“Take heart, daughter. These rumors may come to naught. Our king is just taking precautions.” 

Hermione gave him a weak smile, she rose from her seat to embrace her father and her mother  followed. The Grangers stood in the embrace, silently hoping that whatever the future held for them and the country, that they would survive it together.

Breakfast was a subdued affair after that. Hermione’s father left soon after eating to meet with the king’s other advisors. Hermione’s mother, still tired from the previous night’s festivities and the morning’s bad news, returned to her bed to rest. Hermione, who usually enjoyed these moments of solitude, tried to occupy herself by drafting letters to send to the Masters Slughorn and McGonagall, in hopes that she would be able to apprentice for them. 

The task proved more difficult than she would have hoped. Her mind kept wandering back to thoughts about the possibility of another war. Her father and other countless citizens would be sent to fight and die. She reasoned that while her father lacked an affinity for magic, his wit and ingenuity were a power of their own. His machines and inventions proved useful in not only protecting soldiers who had little or no magic, but also provided them with a means to combat against the soldiers and wizards of Mordurm. But no machine was perfect, a well placed spell or arrow could easily leave her and her mother alone in the world. 

Hermione groaned and ran her hands through her hair in frustration. This wouldn’t do, she needed to take a break. She rolled up her parchments and placed them carefully inside her writing desk. Upon checking the water clock, she realized it was almost time to meet Hannah in the gardens. When she left her family’s apartments, she tried to leave her worries behind her as well. 

------------------- 

The palace gardens were just as beautiful in the daytime as they were at night. The hedges were immaculately maintained, sculpted into prancing unicorns, not a leaf was out of place. Red, orange, and yellow flowers had been arranged to create images of flaming suns and soaring phoenixes, the symbols of the house of Dumbledore. Hermione made her way to the maze entrance to wait for Hannah, and it wasn’t long until she saw her friend waving at her as she approached from a distance. Hannah was elegantly dressed in a golden yellow gown trimmed with white lace, a scarlet ribbon tied in her hair. She carried a small woven basket covered with an embroidered cloth. 

The two women embraced, then Hannah took Hermione’s hands in hers and placed a kiss on each of Hermione’s cheeks in greeting. “Lovely afternoon, isn’t it?” Hannah said beaming at her friend. 

“It’s good to see you so happy. Did you have fun last night?”

Hannah blushed. “Oh, stop it, Hermione!”

Hermione gave her friend a look and laughed. “Fine, fine! Where do you want to go? Should we go exploring in the maze?”

Hannah scrunched her face as she gave the maze a critical look. “Hmm, if it’s alright with you let’s walk through the flower garden. I don’t want to get lost—again.”

“You won’t get lost. You have me.” 

“I had you last time, but we got separated,” Hannah pouted, “thankfully Lord Neville was there.” 

She paused and her cheeks blushed a lovely rose color, “Anyway, if we get separated again, I’ll be lost for...well, until the Winter Solstice at least.” 

Hermione laughed, “We don’t want that. The flower garden it is!” 

The two women linked arms and walked around the flower garden, enjoying the brightly blooming flowers and the sunshine. After some time, the two friends decided to stop and rest under a large oak tree, where Hannah presented Hermione with a basket of freshly baked meat pies and fruits. The friends enjoyed their snack while discussing Master Pomona Sprout’s gifts with nature and Herbology. Discussion eventually returned to the maze and Hannah gave Hermione a searching look, “What happened to you after we got separated?”

“I made it through to the lake on the other side. There's a trick to the maze, a hidden pattern in the tiles.” 

Hannah laughed, “I never thought to watch the ground tiles. Show me next time?”

“I will, and oh, Hannah! The lake was so beautiful! It looked like a dream with the moon and the Prince!”

Hannah stopped midway between taking another bite of an apple. Her eyes grew large and shone with excitement. “Prince!? You saw a prince? Which prince?”

“The Malfoy prince, his highness Draco,” Hermione said, trying to sound nonchalant but the light blush on her cheeks gave her away. 

“Prince Draco!?” Hannah exclaimed, dropping her apple and turning her full attention to her blushing companion, “ohh look at you! You’re blushing! Tell me what happened! I have to know.“

Hermione sighed, “Oh, we walked together and talked together...his friends invited me to a party of sorts.”

Hannah looked astounded for a moment, then a deep frown settled on her face, “A party with all those Greens. What a snake pit that must have been.” 

“Be nice. What do you mean by “Greens”?” 

“Supporters of prince Draco. The Reds are for prince Harry.” Hannah said, gesturing to the scarlet ribbon tied in her hair. 

Hannah nervously licked her lips, then not meeting Hermione’s eyes, asked, “So, are you a Green then?”

Hermione gave her friend a long look. She could see the discomfort in Hannahs posture, her shoulders slouched. “I’m neither,” Hermione said, “I don’t have an opinion on who should be declared the heir.”

Hannah seemed to relax at this and gave Hermione a small smile, “It’s not that we hate the Greens. It’s just…”

Hannah looked away in contemplation, her hand moved this way and that, as if she was leafing through different word choices in her mind. Hermione finished the sentence for her, “Complicated?”

“That’s a friendlier way to phrase it,” Hannah said with a large sigh, “thinking about the Declaration gives me a headache.”

“Everyone is unhappy when the topic of the Declaration comes up,” Hermione said, taking in Hannah’s sour expression and thinking of prince Draco’s demeanor from the other night.

Hermione reached for Hannah’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. 

“It’s supposed to be a time of celebration,” Hannah said, “the heralding of a new era, but the war with Mordurm complicates things. And I think the house of Malfoy will not be—satisfied unless prince Draco is declared the heir.” 

“You don’t mean to imply that the house of Malfoy would contest… Would do something against  the King’s wishes?…”

“Lord Malfoy is very ambitious. I fear that there is a rift in Alban. Look at the Reds and Greens. The court is already divided.”

“Let’s hope that our country is stronger than that.” 

The two women sat in silence staring at their half eaten food, hands still clasped together. 

------------------- 

As the days passed Hermione became more aware of the Reds and the Greens. She would notice a man with a red ruby on his finger, or a woman with a green accent on her dress. Hermione also noticed the rift. The two groups, following the lead of their respective heir candidates, tended to avoid each other. When a Green and a Red did meet, interactions ranged from coldly civil, to outright fighting. Hermione marveled at how grown adults could let dislike lead their every action, as if they didn’t have a brain in their head. She tried her best to avoid these fights, and avoided wearing the colors red and green. 

Hermione only saw prince Draco from a distance, never having the opportunity to speak to him. He was always busy, attending official court meetings as the king met with citizens of Alban, advisory council meetings, and training in sword fighting and battle magic. Whenever she saw him, her mind would wander to thoughts of the rose by her bedside. Even though she had resolved not to develop serious feelings for the prince, she couldn’t help but feel a longing to meet him again. She comforted herself by justifying that she missed his company and nothing more, he was a friend after all. She busied herself by spending time with Hannah, and occasionally lunching with Pansy and Daphne, practicing her magic, and writing letters of introduction to the master wizards and witches at court. 

One sunny fall day, Hermione was invited to join a hunting party with a group of Reds, Hannah and Neville among them. The aim was to obtain a few strands of hair from the unicorn spirit that resided in Kingswood forest at the edge of the castle grounds. It was rare to encounter the spirit in the forest, with only a handful of people having seen it over the centuries, this didn’t deter the group of wishful young nobles though. They retold the legend that said that if the spirit bestowed its favor upon a person, they would be blessed with luck and prosperity all their life. Although in this case, the young and adventurous courtiers wanted the glory that came from encountering and obtaining a piece of such a rare spirit. More practically, in Hermione’s opinion, the unicorn hairs would be a powerful potion ingredient that made the hunting trip worth the unlikely and considerable effort. 

The hunting party set off in the early morning, taking baskets laden with food and wine, enchanted nets, and other traps along with them. The courtiers were dressed in their finest, eager to show off, no matter how impractical satins and silks would be. To everyone’s surprise, just as the hunt was about to begin, the party was joined by prince Harry. He was dressed in simple black velvet and leather, trimmed with red. His wild black hair blew about his face in the morning wind and the cold made his cheeks rosy. He had a warm and welcoming face that seemed to put all the courtiers at ease. He rode towards the hunting party on a fine black destrier, accompanied by his closest friend, Sir Ronald Weasley. The two were flushed with excitement ready to find their quarry. 

The prince signaled to the kennel master to release the hounds and the hunt began. The dogs dove into the forest barking as they went. The prince gave a whoop of excitement and spurred his horse forward, closely followed by Sir Weasley. Sir Weasley released the falcon that had been perched on his arm. The bird soared into the air and shot like an arrow towards the heart of the forest.

The other courtiers trailed behind the prince, with Hermione, Hannah, and Neville at the rear. Hermione rode on the brown palfrey that her father had gifted her on her last birthday. Her horse had a gentle and calm nature, which made Hermione feel reassured that she would not encounter an accident in the forest. She stayed close to Hannah and Neville, who were keeping a close watch for signs of the unicorn spirit. They kept their ears open for the distancing shouts and laughter of the other courtiers, as the forest’s trees and brush grew steadily more dense. Neville, anxious to follow the action, spurred his horse on to join the prince’s main party with Hannah and Hermione trailing behind him, trying to keep pace. 

“You know,” Hannah said, pulling her horse to ride side by side with Hermione, “in the time of the four kingdoms, the Kingswood used to be called the Forbidden Forest.”

A spark lit up in Hermione’s eyes, “I remember my father telling me that! I loved listening to his stories about the Founder’s era. He said that the forest used to be home to all kinds of dangerous creatures, giants, gorgons, chimera…” 

Hannah looked around in mock distress, then laughed. ”The only monster out here will be Sir Cormac, when he realizes he’s wasted his best clothes on a sweaty ride through the forest.” 

The two women laughed and continued on. The hours passed and the party was no closer to finding the unicorn spirit. The dogs were still frantically barking, sniffing and searching for a scent of their quarry. The falcon had returned to sir Weasley, unsuccessful in its search. Frustrated, the group decided to make use of the downtime to enjoy a lunch of savory meat pies, salted beef and cheese with bread and butter, and goblets of wine and cider. A small party, including prince Harry, Sir Weasley, Neville, and a few other close companions of the prince, decided to continue on after eating a hurried meal.  

Despite its infamous reputation for being haunted with monsters, Hermione found the forest peaceful. The birdsong and the gentle rustle of the wind blowing in the leaves calmed her. As she sat on the soft grass, Hannah at her side, she could feel all her worries melting away under the crisp Autumn sunshine. She shut her eyes and breathed deeply. Oh, if only she could be a little bird asleep in the hollow of a tree, no worries about war, the Declaration, and the princes. 

She laid her head down in the soft grass and started to fall asleep. Her rest was prematurely broken by the sound of panicked and angry shouting. She sat straight up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. “It sounds like...a battle,” an amused and slightly nervous courtier said.

“The prince couldn’t be in trouble, could he?” Another courtier asked the first. 

A tension ran through the group as they gave each other anxious looks. Then, the shouting grew more frenzied. Moments passed and a few courtiers ventured forward to investigate, weapons and wands at the ready. Suddenly a sandy haired man broke into the clearing. His doublet was torn and he was bleeding from a gash on his arm and face. “The prince!,” he shouted, between panting breaths, “we—we were attacked! Followed Weasley into a nest of giant spiders!”

Dread ran through the group of courtiers and a cacophony of shouts filled the clearing. “Giant spiders!? But what about the others!? What do we do? We need to help!” 

The buzzing of voices grew louder, but the courtiers made no move, feeling very vulnerable. Hermione stood up in a flash, she grabbed her wand from her skirt pocket and fired off a round of sparks that boomed loud in the clearing. “Everyone! We need to go now! The prince and the others need our help!” 

Some courtier’s grumbled, some looked afraid. “We might not be warriors, but we can’t leave our friends to die!” Hermione said, the sandy haired man shouted in agreement. 

Hermione looked at Hannah who steeled her gaze and raised her wand, “Let’s go! NOW!” 

The courtiers rushed into the trees, swords and wands drawn, some more reluctant than others. Hermione and Hannah lead the pack. They fought branches and twisted underbrush, hacking and blasting obstacles away as they advanced. The forest shrieked, or was it the prince and his friends? There was no time for thought. They needed to keep moving, faster, FASTER! 

Finally Hermione saw a break in the trees, light filtered through a gauzy white substance that coated the tree branches and forest floor. She realized it was webbing, thick and sticky. “Watch out! Don’t get caught in the webbing!” 

With those words, Hermione blasted through the spider’s webbing, to join the fray.

[useless-slytherclaw]

Grand Magic Games

“Six of the eight teams have entered the arena.  Who will be next?” Jason yells into the microphone.  “Are you all ready?” 

The crowd cheers in response.  On the stadium floor, Scarmiglione, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Quattro Cerberus, Mermaid Heel, and Fairy Tail all turn their eyes to the next gate.

“Can’t believe we got third,” Natsu mutters, Erza elbows him to shut him up.

The official announcer, Chapati Lola, leans into his microphone.  “Coming in second during our preliminary rounds, we have, competing for the very first time, Fiore’s new favorite bad boys: Crime Sorciere!  Officially pardoned by the Queen herself for service in the Alvarez war, are they ready to make a name for themselves in the Grand Magic Games?”

“Soooo cool!” Jason yells.

Despite the announcers’ excitement, the reaction from the crowd is decidedly mixed.  Many people keep screaming, some start screaming louder.  There are even some with Crime Sorciere banners.  But there are others who have gone completely silent, either in shock or something like fear. 

The gates open onto the stadium ground and five figures walk out.  They do not hold their hands in the air or wave for the crowd in expectations of cheers.  They enter the arena as a group, serious, but confident.  Erik and Macbeth move with their usual lazy confidence with Racer, managing to keep a regular pace on one side, and Meredy, smiling brightly, on the other side.  Richard walks behind them.  They don’t look at the other teams on the field, even though they are being watched.

Lyon clenches his fists, and the Trimen instinctively huddle together slightly. 

“Not competing, we have Guild Master Jellal Fernandez, former wizard saint and council member, recognized during the Alvarez war for destroying Nineheart of the Spriggan Twelve.  First up in the competition we have Macbeth, and he’s more than a pretty face!  He’s the former guild master of the Neo Oracion Seis, and he’s credited with devising the way to Acnologia to the harbor where he could be trapped.  The second guild member competing is Erik, a previously unknown dragon slayer who faced down Acnologia himself.  Beside him is Sawyer, a real speed demon, and former member of the Oracion Seis.  The young lady on the field is Meredy! But don’t be fooled by her sweet exterior, she’s a former member of Grimoire Heart, and her sensory link magic allowed everyone in Fiore to band together and trap Acnologia during the final battle!  The last man on the team, former member of the Oracion Seis is Richard Buchanon, it’s said he fought Wizard Saint Jura himself!” 

“Are we paying them for positive PR or something,” Sawyer says with a laugh.

“They don’t want people to panic,” Erik says, looking bored “it won’t look good for them if people think they’re letting dark guilds compete.”

The announcer continues, “Our guest judge today is Jura Neekis, member of the ten Wizard Saints and member of the magic council.  What do you have to say about Crime Soricere?”

“I am very glad they are on our side,” Jura says.  “It is always good to see people turn onto the right path.  Not to mention that Crime Sorciere was instrumental in the Alvarez war and have spent the last year helping the Magic Council deal with dark guilds and evil artifacts.  I look forward to watching them compete.”

“Why are we doing this again,” Sawyer says, shifting restlessly under the eyes of the entire stadium.

“Trying to convince people to see us as just another guild,” Macbeth mutters.

“Jura,” the announcer says, “you’ve dealt with the Oracion Seis in the past.  Are they as powerful as the rumors say or are they nothing more than ghost stories?”

Macbeth snorts at that.

“They are worthy opponents, and I think they will be serious contenders in this game.  Eight years ago, it took a team of twelve members, including myself, and the combined strength of Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail, and the now-disbanded Cait Shelter to take them down.  And it wasn’t easy.  Anyone thinking they are little more than ghost stories may be in for a rude awakening.”

“Wild!” Jason shouts.  “Old enemies meeting on the field as friendly rivals? So exciting!!”

“Whatever happens,” the announcer continues, “it’s bound to be interesting.”

“AND NOW, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, the guild who came in first place for the preliminaries.  The one, the only, Sabertooth!!”

[notyourfathersdungeonmaster]

How to Make Powerful NPCs Interesting Again

We all know the trope: the powerful wizard hires the party to go run some minor errand, which inevitably leads to them stumbling onto the World-Ending Plot, which they have to solve, alone, with only the occasional advice from their wizened mentor. It's a trope as old as time; even Hercules got occasional boons from godly beings to help him on his quests. It's a great narrative device, until some player stops and asks, "If this wizard is able to stop time with a snap of his fingers, why doesn't he just stride into the field and shove a ninth-level fireball into the Lich's cranial cavity?"

This simple bit of cognitive dissonance can really ruin the fun and undermine the urgency of an otherwise great adventure. If the party knows that the only reason they're on this quest is because Randalf the Off-White can't be bothered to deal with the horde of undead outside his tower, it can make them feel like chumps or patsies, and undermine any sense of gratitude that comes later during the campaign's denouement.

There's a few simple ways to fix this, though: tricks that can help you, the DM, keep your high level NPCs while also explaining why the great powers of the world are relying on this band of scrappy adventurers to solve all their problems. Below are just a few.

The Balance of Powers

This principle is a great one, but is often sadly overlooked in many campaigns. Simply put, in the above example, the wizard mentor doesn't get involved not because he can't, but because doing so would bring in a whole host of other powerful beings that would complicate the conflict. Perhaps there's a council of archmages who have all agreed, for the sake of maintaining the fabric of reality, that they should keep their Ninth-level spells in their pockets unless they all agree it's necessary. Perhaps the BBEG has a patron on the Council, and the mentor can't interfere on his own without dragging his evil opposite into the campaign. This can actually make for a great part of the climactic battle: the mentor decides he can't stay on the sidelines anymore, and joins the fray, participating in an epic wizard's duel.

This can also be used with deities bestowing boons on the party: they can act indirectly by helping the party, perhaps because one of their rival deities is already helping the BBEG. Thus, the conflict of the campaign turns into a proxy war for a larger divine conflict that can't be fought, because it would annihilate all of existence. If you do take this path, make sure your NPC stresses to the party how essential it is that they solve this issue, because if the major players themselves join the fight, no one will survive.

The Protector of Reality

Similar to the Balance of Powers, this rationale places the Epic NPC in a conflict from which they cannot afford to divert their attention or resources, even for a moment. Perhaps there is a constant threat of otherworldly incursion for which they need all (or almost all) of their capabilities; after all, you don't want to be caught with your pants down and your spell slots expended when Tiamat bursts through the material plane like an alien parasite from a man's stomach. Even the threat of such an apocalyptic event would mean that, like a missile in a silo, an epic level NPC would have to sit dormant, never expending his magical capabilities because he never knows when they may be required. This is actually a great archetype to use for the Wizard in the Tower trope; they may have built themselves a convenient magical retreat at great cost because they couldn't afford the spell slot to cast Mordenkainen's Magnificent Mansion everyday, not while that same spell slot may be needed to banish an archduke of the Nine Hells. So, they sit in the tower, separated from the affairs of the world by necessity - but, still caring about the world and wanting to make sure it's not a shit place to live, they can find and recruit adventurers to handle the more mundane threats that don't shake the foundations of the universe. This is also a great twist finale to use on the party: perhaps the Wizard in the Tower joins them in the final boss battle, expending all his magical power -- only for, at that moment, the threat he's been guarding against for centuries to finally arrive, and now it's up to the party to stand against them where he cannot.

The Otherworldly Being

This works especially well with warlock patrons, but it can work similarly well with questgivers and friendly NPCs that have an otherworldly or spiritual bent. The key idea is that the force recruiting, motivating, and rewarding the players is not located on the material plane itself and is therefore unable to act on it; they need to find a local agent to handle the problem. There is plenty of inspiration throughout myth and folklore; dream visitations, whether by angels, fiends, fey, or Lovecraftian horrors, are particularly common as an impetus to get an uncooperative character to fall into line. There are more tangible methods of communication as well; perhaps they are a being of immense power that is trapped in every mirror in the world and needs an agent to eventually get them free, or perhaps they can only manifest through signs and omens that require interpretation. If you want to pull from Greek mythology, there's also the possibility of a dedicated oracle who acts as the voice of the gods, but gives only vague, ominous prophecies that won't reveal their true weight until later. In all cases, a clear distinction is established between the power of the questgiver and the limitations of their abilities to influence the mortal realm, making the party the ones with agency in the situation.

The Hidden BBEG

You'll want to be careful how you use this one, because you only get one shot to pull it off with a given group, and once the players suspect something it is really, really hard to recover from it. The basic premise is that the powerful NPC who recruited them, who sent them off to fight against the Big Bad Evil Guy, was secretly a villain themselves, trying to bring down their rival or clear the way for their own scheme. Think of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars, sending the Jedi across the galaxy to deal with the Sith and the CIS, only to betray them all. Unfortunately this has become a major trope, and given how paranoid players typically are, it's very hard to pull off. There's a couple of tricks to making it work, and some of them may seem counterintuitive.

Do not make the Hidden BBEG perfect or flawless. Establish a set of motives for their actions, ones that may seem prosaic but also have a selfish bent. The high priest wants to rid the land of the evil king who is oppressing the population, but who is also stifling the priest's ability to build his church. The noble ruler wants to defeat the opposing empire that threatens the peace and stability of his lands, but also is motivated by revenge for the war crimes committed in the past. Create a pretext that puts them on the same side as the party, but a subtext that leaves the party slightly uneasy. If the party is concerned about their ally having selfish motives, they'll be expecting selfishness, even recklessness, but not duplicity and betrayal.

Do not reveal the full capabilities of the Hidden BBEG. If anything, they should appear to be about mid-level; capable, but not able to handle world-shaking threats. Most often they are hiding their capabilities until some final piece is brought into their grasp. One excellent example would be Fraz-Urb'luu, one of the demon princes of the Abyss, who is obsessed with recovering his staff of power; as a Hidden BBEG, he might pose as a friend to the party, waiting until they recover all the pieces and bring them to him before he strikes, showing his true might. Another excellent example is the Heirophant from the classic geek movie The Gamers: Dorkness Rising.

Show genuine conflict in the Hidden BBEG. Let them display passion and inner conflict, moments where they are troubled by the methods the party uses and the methods they and their followers are forced to use. There's an old adage that every villain is the hero of their own story; if you can make that ring true for your Hidden BBEG, to make the party invested in not just their cause but in maintaining their moral character, then the betrayal will hurt even more.

The Common Crowd

This might seem counterintuitive, but sometimes the best Epic NPC isn't epic at all, but just a collection of ordinary folk. If your campaign originates in a specific village or town, especially one full of colorful, memorable NPCs with personal ties to the party, then the collective needs and will of that settlement can become a questgiver NPC in its own right. The town is suffering from an unnatural drought? Send the party to seek out aid or a magical cure. The town is displaced following an invasion? Keeping the town safe and finding them a new home becomes a priority. This can also become a source of individualized side quests for the PCs; they're likely to be far more concerned about seeking out the rare medicine required to save the orphan girl who the rogue took under wing than they are about exploring a random tomb for loot drops. Plus, if the PCs invest their time and effort into protecting the town, it can make for an amazing final battle when the townsfolk come to support the party in battle, armed with everything they can get their hands on, ready to die for their heroes (a.k.a. The 'Mass Effect' Effect).

I hope these provide some good inspiration for your campaign! Let me know if there's any tricks you've used on your campaigns that worked particularly well, or any that you think should be added.

[cosmicolorfuture]

Another Toonami night is done! We finally get a new episode on the block with the return of My Hero Academia after a few weeks of delays! Tonight’s goodie was a music video for “Seductive Fantasy” by The Sun Ra Arkestra. It was a good time overall, so now it is time for the recap:

My Hero Academia starts off the night with several happenings: Eri comes to live at UA with the rest of the students and faculty, the students and pro-heroes look on to the semi-annual hero rankings and are introduced to the top 10 heroes (we’re even introduced a few new characters such as Mirko and Hawks) and Hawks and Endeavor take on a fight against a Nomu called High-End. Paranoia Agent shows us how gossip takes form and shape as four housewives share stories they’ve heard about Lil’ Slugger, varying from the strange to the questionable. Mob Psycho 100 has more high school gangs appear to challenge “White T Poison”, the student council blackmailing more delinquents in order to have more order in the school (although Kamuro does get his comeuppance by Ritsu for his plans), Ritsu learns and improves his own psychic powers with Dimple while also including an attempt to fight Teru and fighting against other middle school gangs and Mob deals with con-artists who try to make him pay for a vase he broke but Reigen shows up to save Mob and turns the situation around. Black Clover has Astra, Marie and Secré being judged against the Magical Parliament, with the court trying their best to make Asta guilty. However, Yami and the rest of the Black Bulls come to their defense to prove Asta’s innocence. With help from the royals and the Wizard King, Asta and the Black Bulls must investigate the devils. Ballmastrz 9009 has one episode where a stink bomb problem falls upon the team. However, it works towards their advantage as their able to fight against a rival team due to their immunity and take out Dieter, a former fan of Gaz’s. The second episode covers the team getting back Gaz’s old embarrassing Holo-Cards she bought up after leaving them with her ex and facing off against the security of the estate. Unfortunately for Gaz, the new Holo-Cards are just as embarrassing too. Naruto Shippuden ends the night with Temari’s teams facing off against the Third Raikage using Wind Style. When it proves difficult to pierce the Raikage’s armor, Naruto get’s help from Killer Bee and the Eight Tails Beast on how to defeat him.

That is all for now! Until next weekend, have a good night/good morning, have a great rest of the week, stay safe and healthy and take care of yourselves!

Later

[thecreaturecodex]

Skull Lord

Image by Steve Prescott, © Wizards of the Coast. Accessed at the Monster Manual V Art Gallery here

[Commissioned by @justicegundam82​. The skull lord first appeared in the Monster Manual V in late 3.5 edition, but has appeared in both 4e and 5e since then. The 3.5 and 4e versions have mechanics where it loses skulls as it takes hit point damage, losing access to some of its abilities. The 5e version does away with that, but also does away with most of its unique powers, just giving it spellcasting. We already have liches for that. This version has abilities inspired by all three takes, although my flavor text is most strongly based on the 5e take. Something about a whole species of Starscreams just appeals to me.]

Skull Lord CR 8 NE Undead This skeletal figure is humanoid, except it has three leering skulls where one should be. It is clad in a breastplate and antique finery, and clutches a staff made of bone in its thin fingers.

Skull lords are undead tyrants. They gather and animate armies of skeletons, zombies and stranger undead to serve them, waging war against rivals both living and undead. They are sometimes their own worst enemies, however—each of their three heads has its own personality, and their bickering can lead to self-destructive and futile schemes. It is said that this legacy is from their creation—the first skull lord was created when a powerful lich killed three of his treacherous generals and then animated them as a single undead horror in an attempt to make them cooperate.

A skull lord is a terror in combat, preferring to lead their armies from the front ranks. They emit an aura that saps the strength from the living and bolsters the dead. Their bone staves emanate powerful cold, and they can fire shards of bone from their mouths like darts. A skull lord prefers to target enemies weaker than it in order to exult in its power—strong combatants are likely to be crippled with its bonewrack ability in order for it to leave them behind and pursue vulnerable fare.

Skull lords are usually found as the heads of their own organizations, as they do not trust others or work well in any position other than leadership. A few skull lords may occasionally meet in order to negotiate terms in their endless wars, but such meetings are often covers for treachery and ambush. If forced to work for a stronger power, either through magic or coercion, a skull lord will often seek to weaken their master’s authority if they can get away with it, all while plotting a coup. A skull lord can wriggle free of magical compulsions, although they sometimes pretend to still be so affected in order to access their controller’s resources.

Skull Lord           CR 8 XP 4,800 NE Medium undead Init +3; Senses darkvision 60 ft,, Perception +15 Aura thanatoic (20 ft., DC 19) Defense AC 24, touch 13, flat-footed 21 (+3 Dex, +6 armor, +4 natural, +1 shield) hp 90 (12d8+36); fast healing 5 Fort +9, Ref +9, Will +12; channel resistance +4 DR 10/magic and bludgeoning; Immune cold, electricity, undead traits; SR 19 Defensive Abilities all-around vision, slippery mind Offense Speed 30 ft., 40 ft. unarmored Melee bone staff +13/+8 (1d6+3 plus 1d6 cold) or bone staff +11/+11/+6/+6 (1d6+3 plus 1d6 cold) or 2 claws +12 (1d4+3) Ranged bone shard +12 (1d4+3) Special Attacks bonewrack Spell-like Abilities CL 12th, concentration +15 3/day—animate dead, command undead (DC 15) 1/day—create greater undead Statistics Str 16, Dex 17, Con -, Int 16, Wis 15, Cha 17 Base Atk +9; CMB +12; CMD 25 Feats Double Slice, Improved Two-Weapon Fighting, Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Two-Weapon Defense, Two-Weapon Fighting Skills Bluff +11, Climb +11, Intimidate +14, Knowledge (arcana) +14, Knowledge (history) +11, Knowledge (religion) +14, Perception +15, Sense Motive +15, Spellcraft +14, Use Magic Device +11 Languages Common, Draconic, Infernal, Necril SQ bonecobbler Ecology Environment any land or underground Organization solitary, council (2-4) or army (1 plus 12-48 HD of undead) Treasure standard (masterwork breastplate, masterwork quarterstaff, other treasure) Special Abilities Bonecobbler (Su) A skull lord may use its animate dead spell-like ability to create necrocrafts out of corpses without them having been previously undead. It also does not require make whole in order to construct necrocrafts. Bone Shard (Ex) As a swift action, a skull lord may fire a bone shard from one of its mouths. Treat this as a ranged attack with a range increment of 30 feet that deals 1d4 points of piercing damage, modified by the skull lord’s Str bonus. Bone Staff (Su) A skull lord’s staff is treated as a masterwork quarterstaff that deals 1d6 points of cold damage per hit. If a skull lord’s bone staff is destroyed, it can reform it as a standard action. Bonewrack (Su) Once per day, a skull lord can cause the bones of its enemies to grind and tear out of position. This effects all creatures in a 20 foot radius, centered on a point up to 120 feet away from the skull lord. A creature in the area must succeed a DC 19 Fortitude save or take 6d8 points of damage and be staggered with pain for 1d3 rounds. A successful save halves the damage and negates the staggered effect. This ability can affect the undead and constructs, as long as they have a skeleton or contain bones. The save DC is Charisma based. Slippery Mind (Ex) If a skull lord fails its save against an effect that controls the undead, it may attempt that saving throw again at the same DC 1 round later. It only gets one attempt per effect, but it can attempt to escape multiple compulsions per day. Thanatoic Aura (Su) Living creatures within 20 feet of a skull lord must succeed a DC 19 Will save or take a -2 penalty to all saving throws as long as they are within the skull lord’s aura and for 1d4+1 rounds after. Undead creatures within this aura gain a +2 resistance bonus to all saving throws and channel resistance +4. These benefits also apply to the skull lord and are included in its statistics above. This aura cannot be dispelled, but is suppressed in the area of a consecrate or hallow spell.