#specifically me but a harpy pirate

[luffyvace]

Her brook Idk if your req are closed so read this at your convenience 🙏

I wanted to ask for a male harpy reader strawhat hc or if not just hc with luffy, more specifically based off a bird with heavy feathers like a snowy owl cause I’d love to imagine that he complains about the heat a lot and wonders why he’s sweating more then usual but it’s just luffy hugging his legs cus he’s so soft

Love your work brook 🙏☺️

nope! Still open lovely anon<3

when I tell you I did NOT know what a harpy was 🤦‍♀️ I had to do research for accuracy 😅😋

but don’t worry it’s all good I’ll be more than happy to do your request!

I’m telling you right here right now luffy would most definitely be interested in a reader like this!! You know how many unique animals and such he tried to recruit into the crew that weren’t even human?? 😂💗

and thank you!! I’m so happy you enjoy my headcanons :) that makes me very happy!

Okay I’m just saying…….like chopper…if you look more animal than human….his first thought is to eat you

”you think he tastes good?” 😋

😭😭

IT JUST IS !!

moving on…♡

He thinks your wings are really cool

I mean a 6.5 ft wing span…….I do too!!

definitely wanted to measure them to check after he learned that

to which he got himself wrapped up in the measuring tape

Both you and luffy eat “strange” animals

such as sloths, monkeys, porcupines, squirrels, opossums, armadillo’s, anteaters and sometimes parrots…..other birds too 😋🍴

No animal is safe 😭

every island you go to the two of you immediately start scouting for whatever variety of yummy foods you could find

”I’ve got news for you two—normal people don’t eat those animals”

- Nami ♡

it taste absolutely delicious to you!!

honestly you probably got Luffy into eating them

which so funny because he already loves eating all types of weird things

which is probably why he was so easy to convince him to eat it too

like he would normally see a monkey and go oh cool a monkey!

but now….😈😈

not all the time tho

mostly when he’s hungry

……….so I guess I lied, yes all the time 🤦‍♀️🤷‍♀️

he saw you eating a armadillo with some sloth on the side and was like

oooo I gotta try that 🤪🤪

you might dislike for cats seeing as though a harpy’s predator is a jaguar

Least baby harpy’s anyway…

still! 😠

it’s good for you that the sunny is big once y’all upgrade from merry

it has plenty of rooms with shade for you, since a harpy’s natural habitat is rainforests

and they mainly stay in the shade anyway :)

franky probably had a room built that simulates a rainforest for your comfort 💕

like how he simulated the grass

once Luffy found out harpy’s are rare to find and you found the tori tori no mi - model: harpy- it was pretty much settled for you to join the crew :)

like he loves rare stuff!

it’s like treasure!

and you know darn well a pirate will fight for his treasure! 😼

you use your high pitch bird call to reunite the strawhats whenever you guys get separated (which is like- every time you go on an adventure 😀 besides the point-)

it’s loud enough and ranges far enough to the point where it’s more efficient than yelling

very much so comes in handy when your in danger too

also not to mention luffy is 100% gonna wanna fly on your back since you have wings

he probably won’t even ask

he’ll just rocket onto your back while your flying one day and refuse to get off cuz it’s fun

it likely ends with him spotting something cool, telling you to go over to it and getting you two into trouble

just be ready for the

😬😁 ✊😠 💥💥 😖😓

sequence again

flying also comes in handy when saving the strawhat’s BUTT!

You and Robin like 🦅🦅

LOLLL

but no fr you literally just swoop in and save the day 🦸

SUPERRRRRRR M/N!! *super man pose* better yet *franky pose*

Zoro will also appreciate it if you catch him while falling because I swear that man is always getting smacked around-

same with Nami 🧡

another time

Robin was stating facts about harpy’s when the strawhats first met you, and you were confirming

she mentioned that they typically lived 35-45 years (but she was talking about the ANIMAL.)

Luffy—of course—mistook this

“WHAAAT?! YOU MEAN TO TELL ME OUR NEW NAKAMA’S GONNA DIE SOON?!”

*Nami steps in*

”CALM DOWN IDIOT THATS NOT WHAT SHE SAID!!” 💥💥

“……..and besides..! M/n’s not an animal! He’s still a person you know?! Sheesh…..of course he’s gonna live the lifespan of a human”

Sanji will of course cook any animal of your request into your meal

if it’s more nutritious for you—then certainly he’ll do so!

he always prioritizes nutritional value in his meals, and thats different for everybody!

Luffy however….he will get annoyed with 😂

”GO AWAY STUPID *kicks across room* YOU DONT NEED THIS TO SURVIVE! THIS IS FOR M/N!”

your like one of the few men in his life Sanji doesn’t hate

okay I know that was more harpy facts related so now I’ll get into the scenario you mentioned 😅💗

Luffy uses you for warmth in the winter (all the strawhats do)

like chopper ;P

especially with your large and soft wings

”M/n…spread your wings out..we need your warmth..”

-Zoro

you’ve been complaining about the heat all day

You felt like you were ON FIRE.

like seriously?! What was gon on today?!

it’s not like birds need to shed……so why are you burning up!??

”mmmm…your so warm M/n!”

”LUFFY?!”

”shishishishishi!”

”no wonder I felt heavier than usual!! Get off me Luffy!”

”awwhhhh WHYYYYYY?”

”what?! Why?! Because I’m burning up! I already have all these feathers! You’ve got to get off of me Luffy!”

*whines* “but mmmmm/nnnnnn! Your so waaaarrrrm!”

*sighs and face palms* *attempts to pry him off*

“noooooo m/nnnnnn! I don’t waaaaanna get ooofff!!”

Luffy practically had you in a literal choke hold

he was not about to let you go.

and you know he’s got himself wrapped alllllll the way around 😂😂

once again thank you for the compliment my dear!!

Hopefully I did your hcs justice and that you enjoyed them! <3

#anime #anime and manga #luffyvace #anime headcanons #fluff headcanons #one piece #one piece headcanons #one piece x reader #straw hat pirates #luffy #luffy headcanons #one piece luffy #straw hat luffy #monkey d luffy #strawhats #with: luffy #monkey d. luffy #luffy x reader #luffy one piece #luffy x male reader #x male reader #male reader #masc aligned #dear anon #anonymous #answered #asks #anon ask #request #reqs open

[painting-warhammer]

Lelith Hesperax in the style of Sylvanas Windrunner (Warcraft)

To date, my greatest failure painting. Commentary under cut.

The Lessons Learned

#1: Don't Base Your Model Right Away

While the nook where the skeleton lies isn't what people will pay attention to, it still needs to be covered up by paint. The way the model is tilted too made painting her left leg absolute hell, in addition to the glyphs beneath it.

#2: Citadel Paints Are Not The Best

I had twelve-year-old brain and thought gold would be much cooler than her silvery-white accents. And as if that weren't bad enough, I decided to get the Citadel version. Which by all accounts, is the worst one you can get.

Mentally, I was in a position that I wanted everything to be as "official" as possible. To get everything from Citadel meant I had to be doing something right, almost as if I could get "customer support" if my figure looks like shit.

Now that's not to say Citadel doesn't make good paint as a whole. Most of my paints are still from there. But as time went on, I branched out to some Vallejo, Stuart Semple, and Green Stuff World. More than that, there are "formulas" for mixing paints.

I would eventually get a really good gold that I'll post a sample of when I do my main army reveal, but so as not to bogart the secret, I'll drop it here.

#3: Get Rid Of Sprues, But Learn To Love Battle Damage

I didn't think much of sprues initially. What's the big deal? I was too afraid of accidentally shaving off detail. Moreover, if you look at the Vriska post (specifically the shoes) you'll notice something is missing.

Yep, that little jewel.

I was cutting this outside and really struggling to get that little nub free when my clip blazed through and sent it flying. I had been working outside, and it went right into the tall grass where I suspect it remains to this day.

While I definitely freaked out, my best friend had friends into gunpla and mini painting that told me about "Battle Damage", which is the affectionate way of describing the chips and dents and errors you made painting. It is representative of all the violent campaigns your figure has been in and it makes them more unique. In the end I was okay with it, as honestly it would have made Vriska look dumb if she had some cowboy spur on one foot.

You know what can't be explained by battle damage, though? The giant horn of leftover sprue extending Venom Snake-style out of Sylvesperax's ponytail.

#4: You're Going To Have To Paint Everything, Especially The Parts You Don't Like

So in my last post, I said that I kinda didn't dig the Harlequins all that much--at least, not enough to commit to them. But I had a good idea for all the parts involved.

To this day, the Drukhari are my favorite faction. I saw them as the fun kind of michievous and devious, although I'm quite aware they are a lot, lot worse than that. Sylvanas Windrunner is also one of my favorite characters, and so I thought I would be okay with painting up a whole army of devious space-pirate Sylvanii.

Here was the reality: The only ladies are the harpies, Lelith Hesperax, the Succubus, and less than half of any given Wyches unit.

On first glance, that's not too bad. But then I realized that they had individual guns I'd have to paint. Spears. Swords. Knives. Utility belts. Some were less important than others, if they were in scabbards. But things like swords held aloft, I couldn't get around.

With Sylvanas, I panicked because while she does have a sword (in some cutscenes) it was just a basic, boring silver thing. I thought I knew better and tried to remake the Twin Blades of Azzinoth from Illidan.

When they looked as bad as they did, I pretty much called it quits then and there.

The guns would be their own beast; with Vriska Solitaire, I at least could just make the Warhammer of Vrillyhoo to reference, but I didn't know what to do for a sudden army of all this. I was suddenly adrift because I was relying a bit much on source material and beginning to mix the things that shouldn't be. Illidan looks good holding the twinglaives, his color palette reflects that. Sylvanas does not.

It made me realize that this wouldn't be the first or last time I encountered this problem, so I decided to spend more time thinking about who my main faction would be (especially since I did and do still have some Drukhari Boxes of Shame™ in my cupboard already, and I didn't want to go deeper before it was too late.) For the time being, I would just paint what I wanted to paint and when I came up with something that I could commit to (which I would!) then I would commit to that army.

This is to ultimately say that if there is something you consistently dread doing, and it's less of a skill issue and more something like "but I don't even have any idea how to make this interesting," then don't hesitate to shop around until you find something you like.

#5: Understand How To Catch The Eye

The last brief point I'll mention is knowing how color contrast also means you should catch your viewer's eye.

You want it on the figure. The only thing I could day I did right is that Sylvesperax is very dark so you could argue she is stealthy and fast, and nothing but a blurry shadow on the orange Martian surface I placed her on. But that's a complete and total cope, lol. And I fucked up the glyphs again: I wanted a yellow glow to a reddish background, but the flow messed up and it stood out too much.

Going at this a second time, I think what I would do is try to make her brighter, i.e. less shade paint, and the ground duller; an ugly orangeish-brown clay like in Minecraft. Also, smaller detail brushes I would get in the future would be a godsend. In addition to her overly shaded blue form, you might see her eyes seem stylistically darkened when in fact, they were supposed to be red and I could never get the shader out.

So, big bummer with this one, and a step down from the Vriska Solitaire, but definitely a bigger learning experience. And a humbling moment, where I realized just how many mistakes I could make in one sitting. But no worries: the next one would have even more mistakes, and I would be a lot better at coping with them and I'd definitely start to develop more as a painter thanks to it. See you next time on that post!

#Painting Warhammer #Games Workshop #The Twin Blades of Azzinoth #Sylvanas Windrunner #World of Warcraft #Warhammer #Warhammer 40K #WarhammerCommunity #Warhammer 40000 #WH 40K #WH40K #Warhammer40K #Warhammer Painting #Miniature Painting #Painting Miniatures #Mini Painting #Drukhari #Dark Eldar #Lelith Hesperax

[givemethesleep]

👀👀 i don’t know if you’ve said enough previously for me to be able to ask a specific question, so please talk about your original projects!!

OMG HIIII

yeah honestly I haven't chatted about it much (on a previous blog I think I did but. That's lost to the void) because I literally had no idea how to chat about it without annoying people but also my creations deserve to take up space, just like every other beginning creative, yknow??

I guess since there's not much to go off I'll give a vague overview!!! A lot of names are also being rewritten at the moment so they may change in future posts lol. My actual response is below the cut!!

We have a world!! Current name is Streidal*, inhabited by your fantasy usuals, your humans and like 6 diverse races of elves plus their shunned siblings, the Iilae (catfolk), the Amrat (lizardfolk and dragonborn adjacent) and Evira (bird folk and harpies). Something something the elven mother Goddess is not happy at the erased history of the groups named above but the internal politics of the various -kyyn/elves mean that this oppression and erasure continues to fester until it results in war. And of course, humans are trying to get involved and/or profit from it!!

The humans, of course have their own ongoing issues where the push for technological advancement has resulted in a group (currently unnamed) that are hoarding information and also people!! Unfortunately these people are being experimented on, helping to create realistic automaton spies. All about how the hoarding of knowledge to further technology can negatively impact society as people loose themselves or something along these lines!!

I also have two different casts for each of these interwoven plotlines, including a runaway givokyyn (wood elf) princess turned criminal overlord, possessed assassin and the physical manifestation of all his problems, a blind child who may or may not be connected to the Godess Kyyn herself and more!

The other is literally my fistful of Pirate101 ocs but I stripped them from the Spiral and made their lives worse, captains, pirate lords and a dysfunctional council consisting of Lenora-Jane Yearling, Zhuri Amin, Carter Reed, Nimble Flint Silved and Ulysses Castillo, alongside "sidekicks" like Oran Albescu and Fiorenzo Adathan!! They've all got their own things going on that impact how they interact with eachother, help eachother or actively make eachother worse to reach their own personal and collective goals. Currently the stories seem to be running parallel to eachother but that can always change. I'm also building a world building bible right now complete with maps, so I might share some more in the future!! Hopefully by talking about it here it can keep me motivated to chip away at planning and writing, plus potentially share some cut scenes or something. I'm always open to more asks about this OR my other wiz/pirate/tes ocs too i am a bit of a chatterbox lol. Thanks so so much for the ask!!! <3 <3<3

#sleeptalks #sleep writes #??? i guess #i need a tag for my original work lol I'll get to that #thanks so much for the ask ily <3333 #ALSO P101 OCS MENTIONED P101 ENJOYERS CHECK THIS OUT

[paragonrobits]

Hey everyone im thinking of developing even more OCs and I'm thirsty for inspiration but I can't think of anything and I usually need help coming up with ideas so I'm declaring open season on asking folks to suggest ideas for me

Specifically I want ideas for sexy OCs; the things you rethink are hit, bestow them unto me

I'm open to characterization and aesthetic ideas (mad scientist, goth, pirate, and so on), general personality vibes (ultra feminine visuals, classic paragon, theatrical villain except not actually evil, and others), builds or body types that would be cool (MILF, super buff, whatever the howling mechanoid has going on), species and monster types (vampire, werebeasts of whatever kind, harpy, anthro, robot, energy being, whatever else) or whatever ideas seem neat, such as mashing up characters you like as the basis for a personality

(Reblogs are preferred; I can't currently answer inbox messages or asks, and doing it through reblogs would be the easiest way to jot something down for later reference)

It is preferred that the OCs are wholly iruginal or at least not tied to a specific setting. You're free to use settings and canon beings or species as inspiration but I would most likely spin it off into something else entirely!

#oc inspiration #open prompts

[bluezey]

I still have A LOT to go through! I haven't even opened the cards yet, read the character sheets, and only skimmed through the books. I also haven't played a table top RPG before, but I found an intro to table top RPG class at a local bookstore, so I should check it out, and maybe bring QoY with me

But I do have a couple ideas for the game:

Make quests that take place in modern New Mushroomton. Either characters adventuring through ancient ruins, or modern campaigns in modern cities and suburbs

Make new species, creatures, spells, etc. I want to fill the flora and fauna of the world's ecosystem, especially with cryptids and magical creatures. I'd also like to make new sentient beings such as cecelias and harpies, and maybe some angels and other spiritual creatures. I also have some OCs that I'd like to put in this game, but examples of my OCs include one is a human with a giant magic sledgehammer, one is a metahuman with specific abilities and a tail, and one is basically a demigoddess

I made some posts of Alberto, Luca and Giulia having characters in Quests of Yore. Alberto is a sea monster pirate, Luca is a sea monster shepherd/academic student, and Giulia is a human warrior/defender. I'd like to make character sheets of their characters, and one for Ian perhaps, it might inspire me to make stories of Ian and the underdogs adventures in Quests of Yore

Maybe for more practice in making character sheets and new additions, I could try to make character sheets for other characters such as Miguel, Mei and the Emotions from Inside Out

#pixar onward #pixar luca #quests of yore barley's edition

[acidmanticore]

Let's talk about Thalia?

Medusa curse is the thing done by Fey, right? She's said that?

In this world Feywhild is a planet, and it's probably not the "classic" Feywhild?

What kind of creature was she before? Her eyes aren't full colour, so not a high elf (they aren't children of Aerois, I think, only Aaracokra was created there, others were brought there? Aerois is kind of safe haven for random races?) but probably also elven. Can be human? Humans are universal cockroaches, they are everywhere and hard to get rid of. Whisperwind is an interesting family name, and I've noticed Mark loves to use talking names for his NPCs. So I think it's kind of native to the Feywhild. Can be changeling? Idk how they work in dnd, I think, it's a very specific thing there, but you know. Mark could totally do what he wanted, because he's the DM and it's his world.

So why was she cursed? Given her personality, she could've pissed off some powerful Fey being, but she's a princess? And she ran away? I mean, her parents could probably easily understand it and just say "yep, that happened, but she's our daughter and princess", and given the fact she's still keeping her royal clothing (I bet it was exactly what was in that chest in her room on the Twin Star, but Sentry is too nice of a mom to look through children's stuff), she's probably had good relationship with them. So I think it may be Quill situation: after being turned into Medusa, Thalia never told anything and ran away, so they probably think she's dead. Or hope for the best and looking for her? Royal family probably have access to magic or makes who can at least look if she's okay? At this point in time they probably know what happened, but they didn't even try to call her? If you can't Scry through the planes, you can cast Sending, IT WORKS. Or they did, but she didn't answer? Or answered something like "yeah I'm tired of being a princess is boring I went adventuring a be a space pirate"?

It really reminds me of Quill. Who STILL DIDN'T TELL HIS FAMILY HE'S ALIVE, because what? He still thinks he's not good enough? Because he's lost wing, even though now he has a new one? Because he didn't become the best messenger he was going to be, and his family was so proud of him then, and what will they think now? (If when they'll finally meet they tell him something about not fulfilling his family duty and ruining their expectations, I'm teleporting on Aerois to slap them).

She has so much fucking pride (well, she's a princess) and so many insecurities! Like... She drinks to be able to look at herself. She's loud and obscene, and this is her "fuck you" to the world, that can't take her, that she can't say to herself. Or she can.

This story is not about acceptance and finding a new way to live, I think. Unlike Quill's. Not everyone can do this. Not with everything. She loved who she were. And though she kind of adapted to a new look, she didn't accept it.

If she did, she wouldn't drink all the time.

If she did, she wouldn't be so ashamed after realising she probably overstepped in her drunk fake confidence and scared Nova. It would've been funny joke, it would've been an easy "sorry, babe, didn't want to scare you... Btw, did you like it?"

We've almost never seen her without this mask. But what we can say about real her?

Her crew were a scholar imp, a harpy with scopophobia and a Big Cat. Bunch of outcasts, thrown away or not accepted by their own. And she loves them. She's loved all of them. Where did she find them?

They are a bunch of dumpster kids. Much like Stormchasers were. And right now they are lost. And fucked.

But I love that we can see more sober Thalia, probably, that episode was a realisation that things can't go on like this anymore. It looks like she really likes Nova, but I don't think it's the only reason. Maybe there's hope. Finally.

#idk how many typos I've made #probably a lot #but I'm not rereading this again #it's 2am #also it's probably really inconsistent #sorry for that #high rollers #rollonsunday #aerois #highrollersdnd #high rollers aerois #thalia whisperwind #qillek ad khollar

[majoraop]

The Cold Doesn't Bother Me Anymore

Monet had been a secretary, a spy, and more. Everything she had done had been for the Young Master, to repay him for saving her and her sister. However, even a busy woman like her needed some time for herself after yet another day of hard work.   Monet tasted her matcha milk shaved ice while observing the world from above. She sighed, content. The bittersweet dessert had a relaxing effect on her, and her mind started recalling the events that led her here… --- When offered the opportunity to eat a Devil’s Fruit, Monet had not hesitated. Then, sometime later, she had infiltrated the Dressrosa Royal Palace so the Young Master could reclaim the throne that had once belonged to his family. It had been easy for her to keep a low profile, hiding her true intentions behind her thick glasses.   However, she had soon discovered a feral side to her character. It was then that she had also understood why she had picked that specific Devil Fruit: the Yuki Yuki no Mi. She had wanted it not only to be able to turn into snow and never suffer the cold anymore, but also to be a powerful fighter like most people who had eaten a Logia—the strongest kind of Devil Fruit.   After that, new possibilities had opened for her. And when an old member of the Donquixote Family had come back, Monet had asked him to use his powers to modify her body and attach harpy wings and talons to it.   Finally, Monet had felt she deserved her role as a Donquixote Family pirate officer. --- Monet sipped the remaining melted ice and then flew back to Punk Hazard: she had an important job there, and intended not to make mistakes.   However, despite all her efforts, things took a turn for the worse not long after his return. Nevertheless, Monet could still do something for the Young Master… The harpy woman closed her eyes to collect her remaining strength and resolve, inspired deeply, and then raised of her wings to push the button: after pressing it, the chemical plant on Punk Hazard would blow up and the traitor to their family—the same person who had given her her bird features—would be stopped.   Feeling a newfound sense of purpose, Monet moved her feathered hand over the auto-destruct button. It was snowing, and she recalled a time when she could still feel the cold touch of the snow. --- Monet had fought to protect her sister, but she had been weak and they had fallen prey to people who had wanted to enslave them.   Before long, they had found themselves locked in a cage. Monet’s hands had been so cold she couldn’t feel her fingers. Still, she had managed to encircle Sugar in a trembling embrace, shielding her from their kidnappers' smirks.   Then, the Young Master had appeared: a tall angel with pink wings who had saved her and her sister from a terrible fate. --- Now, it’s my turn to protect you.   Monet smiled, happy to sacrifice herself for the sake of her family.

My Monet fanfic for the @womenwantedzine. This story is accompanied by Marti’s amazing artwork in the fanzine, and among other things she also illustrated the matcha ice-cream recipe I wrote for the One Peace self-care mini zine (recipe “presented” by this same character)!  ^^

#onepiece #one piece #opfanfic #opfanfiction #monet #punk hazard #donquixotefamily #donquixote family #donquixote pirates #majoraop #queued

[movedtooh-westly]

Heyo, your ocs are so interesting! I already love them. Do you have a story line for the characters? What are some facts about them? Have a good day and don't forget to drink lots of water :)

Okay for starters, thanks for the ask! hope you’re well too! it makes me happy when people are interested in whatever i’m working on :D (it’s a long post, strap in)

A general plot to the story (mind you, it’s still in it’s early stages of being created):

Alinsky Cross, a dangerous combination between a kleptomaniac and a genius, is a master at orchestrating large scale tests and thefts, stealing items like priceless objects and large sums of money. However, he becomes increasingly confident and lets his guard down during a specific heist. The people he was stealing from were called the American Artefact Collection Committee (AACC). The AACC were able to pinpoint who stole their most prized artefact (which is a little acorn-looking thing with origins that are not human, dubbed ‘tenebrarius’), as Alinsky underestimated their security. However, they ruled out the possibility of Alinsky being the thief and instead, captured his father, Ernst Cross, in retaliation. Alinsky is unaware that it was the AACC who captured him or that it was even his fault to begin with. After about a year since Ernst’s abduction, Alinsky starts to explore different methods of finding him. Running out of new and successful ways, he turns to more mythological ideas. While Alinsky believes it was natural for his brain to wander into hypothetical territory, his actual influence came from a connection to the magic world he is unaware of. 

This magic 6th sense came from an encounter with a demon (which are part of the magic world) when he was barely five. He escaped it, only suffering a scratch on his left hand. wounds inflicted from Faefolk to humans leave the human with a connection to the magic world, which is why Alinsky can sort of sense magical presences. 

This leads him into capturing Esther Snowe, a member of the Faefolk council, in exchange for the secrets to fairy technology. Ernst is brought home a year after Esther is released with the tech, but the reunion isn’t a happy one. 

Facts about the characters: 

My main character lineup consists of 

Alinsky Cross

Bear (Harding Dietrich)

Esther Snowe (Elf)

Farley Coven (Harpy)

Odessa Dew (Elf)

Elisabeth Cavey (Dwarf)

Rooney Pelph (Centaur)

I’ve made a post about Alinsky already here. It has some general info and fun facts about the gremlin boy.

Bear is a martial-artist and had been training since he could walk, basically. When he graduated, he pursued an education in becoming a butler, before becoming bored and instead ending up on the wrong side of the law. He was employed by gangs and other underground companies as a tank or bodyguard. Bear also worked as a contract-killer for a while before deciding it wasn’t for him and instead used his 30s to travel the globe. He was finally employed by Ernst and Vivian Cross before Alinsky was born and the three became rather close friends. When Alinsky was born, Bear became his personal bodyguard. He’s a big softie but that’s usually only revealed after you get through the walls of blank faces and reserved nature. 

Bear facts: 

He used to be in a swing band (he played BARITONE SAX)

Bear likes to bake and can make one mean quiche

Bear is a big fan of ABBA 

Esther Snowe is the Elf Representative in the Council. She is one of 13 Reps (each corresponding with a Fairy race) and the only female to become a member in five centuries. She was apart of the FAE (Federal Army and Enforcement, hehe) and had actually made lieutenant before she quit. She had witnessed the death of some civilians and believed they were her fault and she found it easier just to run. She couldn’t properly let go, however, and often visits her old friends during breaks and stuff. Esther was a role model for aspiring members of parliament and her unexpected abduction was pretty tough on her. Esther is an optimistic and strong individual with a fighter’s spirit and one hell of a social butterfly.  

Esther facts:

Esther likes to collect knives and is quite skilled in knife combat

She’s scared of small spaces

Esther makes little pompoms just for fun

Farley Coven is the FAE’s technical person. They had upgraded the interfaces, tools and gadgets to their liking and it’s pretty much useless to try and use it without their help. Farley is a big fan of human TV shows and often watches famous sitcoms during work. They had been a bit of a nerd during their schooling years but had really come to grow on the FAE’s troops and atmosphere, especially since Dew is such a joy to tease. Farley is a cool and relatable individual with too many jokes and not enough time. 

Farley facts:

Farley is incredibly smart but likes to hide their intelligence under a laid-back facade

They have that ✨shrimp posture✨

Friends is definitely their favourite sitcom (they also probably watch buzzfeed unsolved tbh)

Odessa Dew (or just Dew, Commander, your highness, etc) is the Commander of the FAE’s 1st precinct. She’s a skilled fighter and takes a lot of pride in her job. Dew’s first job option was a teacher but found herself rather unfit for teaching (i.e she might have thrown a kid across the room). She’s well respected and is part of the family in the FAE. Dew specialises in retrieval missions and loves field action. she also may have a small crush on Esther but we repress that stuff don’t we . Dew’s a tough and enthusiastic person but has that that “i would fistfight god behind the 7eleven” energy. 

Dew facts:

Dew has a hoarding problem with plants

She likes watching sports

Her and Farley are best buds, even if she won’t admit it

Elisabeth Cavey is a competitive digger, which is a popular sport among the burrowing races of the fairies (e.g. gnomes, dwarfs). It’s mostly a hobby but she’s gained some popularity in the recent years. Elisabeth had started out wanting to become a nomad and live on the surface but had decided to become a sport star while she was in senior school. She’s pretty competitive but rather shy and spends her spare time gardening. Elisabeth is also quite sensitive and has a tendency to take things personally. 

Elisabeth facts:

She has totally thought of just bailing and living secretly on the surface

With help, she pirates human novels to read

Like Dew, Elisabeth is also a plant hoarder

Rooney Pelph is a national racer and competes in races and obstacle courses. He’s very hyper and barely sits still. He doesn’t really sleep much either. Rooney is a big fan of games (like tag and whatnot) and dreams of playing with others his age, but centaurs usually give up on games once they hit 60. Rooney is also a big fan of video games but due to his stardom, doesn’t really get to do much gaming. He’s quite a calculated individual and is a deep thinker but is pretty bad at converting his thoughts into words. 

Rooney facts:

i totally didn’t name him after the headmaster from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

He’s a big fan of feminine clothing! he loves frills especially :J

Rooney will consume entire cans of mints in under an hour. 

if you got this far, great job. hope you enjoyed my ramblings. my inbox is always open if you have any questions about my OCs, story or anything else :]

#oc ask #woo that's a lot of text #long post #the documents of alinsky cross #so... this is them :)

[starfaring-princelotor]

The Prison Kingdom

Chapter 1: The Empty Legacy

-

Summary: The world is becoming more and more dangerous, both on land and sea. It’s time for you to face this fight, and dragon, on your own terms. Even if it means siding along with the kingdom who would condemn your kind without mercy.

Warnings: Mention about decapitation. 

★ Disclaimer: I do not ship Lotura and I respectfully ask that this story to not be tagged as Lotura. This is a Lotor x Reader/Self-Insert OC story which is in no way related to Lotura at all. Please be respectful of my chosen pairing. ★

A/N: It’s a medieval-ish AU with dragons. What more could you want?

1 . 2 .

-

[There’s an old saying among renegade sea folk: The pirate that counts their booty are mere thieves. 

War and death have pillaged the water and dirt of the planet for centuries, costing innocent lives from both sides. It was easy to paint the enemy as the enemy, as the one who needs to die before their sword cuts down your soul. It was easy to defend what you righteously believed needs to be defended, whether that be gold or the treasures that come with family and friends. It was easy to embrace that the laws of the sea were, at best, just rumors among the free people. 

And such laws, such rules whispered by the dead man, don’t apply to the mystical wildlife. They don’t apply to creatures who have no loyalty, who have no other moral besides kill and eat for survival. From the trolls of the mountains, to the mermaids of the sea, to the fae of the forests, to the very dragons who control elements with ferocity matching the epitome of death itself, it would do well to remember that a set of fangs have no set order to kill. 

But while beasts and monsters roam, and kingdoms rise and fall to the tests of time, and legends become lingering myths by the breath of the wind, it is the folly of prideful ignorance which murders countless more than the culmination of every bloodthirsty demon known in existence. With that in mind, tread carefully around those you would call allies or friends or like-minded folks. The Codex of Life may preach all-for-one and one-for-all, but deep down, it is a beautifully written lie for the over-eager martyrs. 

Do not fall for such false speech regarding the dichotomy of good and evil. 

Severing a hydra’s head will not kill it. Mana spells are useless against the naga’s of the Ice Plateaus. Beware of the volcano whose smoke takes form of two lovers, for no weapon or mantra can quell their rage should you cross them on a full moon. This collection of knowledge will help spread death, strike fear and hope in the hearts of many, and I leave this to you, my child. 

You will have no legacy to follow. You are the bastard child I left behind to reach that unreachable freedom. You will make your own name amongst the farthest edges of the sea with every gale that blesses your sails. 

You are a pirate.]

Closing the leather-bound journal, you skimmed your thumb over the pressed design of crossbones and cutlass’ on the cover. A legacy forgotten and one you would never know about? Dead men tell no tales, indeed. But regardless, this book would help with the bounty you were debating on facing. The paper was flimsy, hastily ripped off the pole to save for later, but the words were clear as day. And if you were able to complete this task, pocket enough shiny coin to support your entire crew with all the rum and pleasure they could want for years on end, leave behind your own legend, then that’d be enough for you. 

“Seeking Dragonslayers of all kind! Report to Altea, Blessed Kingdom of Oriande!”

Then, hastily scribbled at the bottom.

“Speak to Paladin Takashi of the Black Mane Guild.”

Hefting yourself from your seat, you downed the rest of your mug reeking of ale and moist wood. The jovial band played, the patrons danced, the entire room was filled with fighting life, and it was impossible to not let it flow through you. It felt wrong to hold such a book in this place, the taboo writings from death’s bleeding quill. And so, with a tip of your hat and a silver doubloon for the ever so diligent barkeep, you stumbled out into the chill of the night with nothing but your guns, your sword, and the magical warmth of ale to keep you steadfast and eager towards your freedom. 

But freedom always came with a cost and you paid a leg to chase it. 

When you passed through the heavily fortified gates of Altea, shimmering in that pristine metal forged only by the elves of old, nothing came as a surprise. This place, this kingdom, the people here, were rich with elegance and practically congested in an air of royalty. Prim and proper. Clean, lethal, and ready to strike while looking mystical by default. Alteans, they called themselves. A long generation of the ancient Elven deities, granted with the dwindling power of magic. 

The book states they do not share their secrets with outsiders. Not even to those stupidly loyal to them. 

Imagine the raised brow of confusion when you saw their captain, that Takashi fellow, was a werewolf. So far from his pack, this one. Though, it made sense. Ferocious, fierce, werewolves were not meant to be trifled with, full moon or no. The loyalty of the wolf combined with the logical reasoning of man? Smart. Now, the real question was where did his allegiance lie? 

“Paladin Takashi, I presume?”

Grey eyes, like the foggiest of winter nights, met yours and you saw him size you up with but a flash. Not lecherously, no, more like how a soldier would assess a fight, a situation, a potential ally or enemy. With amusement glistening in YOUR eyes, you found that he couldn’t pinpoint you down. A pirate on land? Joining the fight for a good cause? Yes, yes, you heard it all before. Walking ironies were always meant to be suspicious. 

But pirates had charm and you knew when to use it. 

With a flourished bow, both exaggerating in mock and respect, you spoke through a grin, “Allow me to introduce meself, ser. I be known as Peg-Leg the Kegmaster, cannon crafter and duelist extraordinaire of The Mermaid’s Doom, here at yer service.”

 “A pirate?”

“Aye, a pirate, and if ye gunna be needin’ a slayed dragon, then yer gunna be needin’ what I have’ta offer.”

“To be honest, I’m surprised the guards didn’t detain you at first sight. But, desperate times call for desperate measures,” he replied freely, not at all with a judgmental tone but one of legitimate concern for you, for a stranger.

“An’ I be the perfect one fer those desperate times, mate.”

You placed the bounty parchment on the table in front of him then slid into the seat, onlookers tending to their own business. Coming here, to the central command of the vigilant army, there were all sorts of different kinds of folks around. Some wielding spears and donning turtle shells on their backs, others like Shiro with ears and tails and even fangs of werewolves, feathered harpies whose talons looked lethal enough to kill a shark, and even dwarves armored with fine metal from top to bottom. 

A ragtag group of people, all coming together to fight one monster which has been blighting their landlubbing surface for who knows how long. An honorable cause, but as they say, there’s no honor amongst thieves. That’s why proving yourself right now would be pivotal to your aligned goals. 

“By order of Her Majesty, Princess Allura, I have been bestowed the task of ridding the quintessence raged dragon of the north. Because of this, we can not allow magic-wielders to join our group. I know Peg is not your real name - “ you grinned cheekily, not at all affected by the admonishing tone in the truth, “ - but if you use quintessence to fight, I’m afraid you’re of no use to us on the frontline.”

“Nay, I t’aint one for hocus-pocus witchcraft. You start mutterin’ curses and voodoo gobbledee gook, I scatter like-a flock o’ gulls fleeing from the slimy tentacles of kraken itself.” With a nod to the paper, you continued, “If I were to be speakin’ the truth, matey, I’m here fer the gold. Nothing more, nothing less. Anything to do with yer kingdoms rubbin’ elbows with ya fancy silks are of no concern to me.”

Shiro leaned back, arms crossed, then tilted his head just a bit, not at all unlike a puppy trying to understand some strange phenomenon. He wasn’t a fresh soldier from the pack. Battle scars under his fur showed that this isn’t the first time he’s faced a foe bigger than himself. It was only by his strong connection with his righteous virtues and a debt owed to Altea, more specifically Honerva, that he was appointed captain of this draconic crusade. 

But his trust in his instincts were always on point. That made him invaluable and right now? With watching you smile that smarmy smile, his instincts told him that, yes, you were good. Rogues were a recipe for trouble, add that with the lot of pirates, and you get chaos. An ace up the sleeve, a random boon that benefits all based on the law of uncertainty. Shiro would take a draw rather than a loss any day. 

And he’s dealt with pirates before. Closely, in fact. 

The Paladin rubbed his chin with his prosthetic arm, the smooth surface of quintessence run mechanism offering a small calm for his thoughts. “Where’s the rest of your crew?”

“The wind in the sails took ‘em to the sea. I chose t’stay. ‘Tis only a matter of time before this dragon o’ yers starts roosting in other lands and I ain’t one for facing more monsters below and above the waves,” your voice trailed off for a moment before your eyes snapped from his arm to his face, “Nor am I lookin’ to be noosed by yer masters. If this alliance can not be, I’ll be on me merry way an’ ye won’t need ‘ta worry about one more pirate on your plate.”

But he was no fool. Word of the growing stress between kingdoms reached even overseas in the last decade. News about the alliance between Altea and Daibazaal falling out with King Alfor’s death, or rather, “assassination.” It was rumored that the Galra leaders unleashed an ancient dragon, created of pure quintessence, to attack the Elven empire and cripple the nation. After the destruction which nearly annihilated the royal family, it fled to the Kral Zera holy lands, never to be seen again. 

Until now. Shiro repeatedly told himself that perhaps this was just a dead end, a fairy tale told to keep kids safe and sound inside. A story meant to induce fear that the evil dragon can sense wrongdoings and will come eat you to gain more power. All leads he followed led to different answers, and this may be an unaccomplished quest in the end, but if that were the case, then he will serve to protect the innocent at the highest cost. 

“The Black Mane work with several nations, not just one. If you can prove to be useful, be battle ready when needed, and are willing to help all, then consider yourself part of the pact,” he pulled out a folded paper from his pouch then slid it to you, “It’s a contract, rules to be followed while commissioned by the guild.”

“Yer giving me a set o’ rules?”

Now, this is where he let slip a grin hiding familiar mischief, “They’re more like guidelines should you choose to follow them, for your safety and the successful completion of this quest.” 

“Tell me something, cap’n,” you asked, eyes reading but mindful of his attention, “Have ye ever broken one o’ them rules of yers?”

“Yes.” Straight answer with a tone of finality, a tone of that is all I’m saying on the matter.

You signed across the line, temporarily giving your time and life over to this noble cause, “Then do we have an accord?”

Shiro shook hands with pirates before. He’s taken more hands before, too. But what most people would suspiciously think about making deals with pirates were wrong. Honor and loyalty weren’t definitions they followed by their very soul, not like he did, yet as he firmly grasped your offered hand in agreement, his instincts told him one jarring fact.

This deal was empty, but oddly promising. 

#spacestories #lotor x reader #hoist the colors!!!

[phoenotopia]

2019 October Update

Woops, I slipped by my stated blog date since I thought September had 31 days for some reason. So here's the end of September update, 1 day late.

--------------------------

Writing... And more writing.

That captures the majority of what transpired the last 2 months. The biggest cutscenes have been scripted as well as most towns, so we're really close... I estimate that the writing will conclude within the next 3 *weeks* and we will actually have a game that can be played from start to finish... Don't get too excited though, because then begins the game's vigorous playtesting phase and more polish. And since I've never launched a commercial game before, the next steps (PR, marketing, lot checking, ESRP rating application, trailers recutting, release date finding, etc) are uncharted territory. The only experience I have is launching a flash game 5 years ago, and that was a lot quicker and a lot less complicated... And so, I can't gauge how long it'd take nor give an accurate release date yet. However, as soon as I do know, it'll be sure to post it here first!

--- COMPUTER BROKE DOWN ---

Among the events that transpired in the last 2 months, my computer actually broke down. It would manifest as the computer shutting off about 10 minutes after turn on. And this was really worrisome because if my computer croaked, it would be a huge blow to the game's development. The time it would take to restore the specific dev environment I had set up would be considerable...

Luckily, it was repaired after 4 days of intense troubleshooting. I'll spare you the long list of events that transpired, but eventually my brother and I were able to narrow the problem down to non-spinning fans on the graphics card. I was able to zippo-tie two chassis fans together, and insert them below the Gfx Card's heat sink. Much cheaper than replacing the whole graphics card!

(please hold until the game's done)

--- MORE PLAYTESTING CHANGES ---

I'll discuss here some additional fixes/changes to the game based on my brother's previous playthrough (still going through that list, heh...)

F. Remember you can climb roots

I remember from a public demo I attempted (3 years ago?), that a lot of people got stuck at these roots, not realizing they could be climbed. Since then, we did a few things to ensure that the first encountered roots would be climbed. The roots' colors were brightened so they would stand out. A character, Ernest, comments that others have climbed the roots. And finally, standing in front of the roots will cause the "Press UP" tutorial prompt to appear.

So how did my brother fare when I did the playtest 2 months ago? He climbed the roots, thankfully. He climbed the next few sets as well. However, later on, in a dungeon, he forgot that climbable roots were a thing. Back to square one. So there's a lesson here... Even if you teach a player something, there's no guarantee that it'll stick.

So in the picture above, you can see my next attempt at an invisible hand to remind the player. In the red circle, notice there are 4 blue dots. These blue dots pulsate wherever there are climbable roots (They're a lot more visible in motion). The idea is to tie an unusual image to an action. I anticipate when the player sees 4 pulsating dots, they'll react by attempting a variety of actions, before eventually concluding that you can only climb them. And that this experience will be more memorable for it - to be conjured up whenever the player sees 4 blue dots. I look forward to observing what happens with the next blind playtester. (Btw, in reading this blog, you have disqualified yourself from playtesting :P)

G. Instant Food Eating

As stated in a previous blog post, the player can't eat from the menu. Food must be eaten in real-time. It's up to the player to find a safe spot to eat, away from interruptions. Some foods can be eaten more quickly, proving more valuable in a fight.

However, what about on the world map?

You can't use tools or items on the world map, which means no healing at all! I saw my brother opening the menu and tinkering around, confident that it could be done. Because why couldn't you?

Indeed... he didn't say anything, but I wrote it down as a feature to be added. And after adding it, found that eating from the menu was  fun! After years of using the new system, to have the old flash system's implementation of healing again was refreshing.

And so I decided to add it as a possible new characteristic of food. There's now a special class of food, "candy", that actually can be used from the menu (world map or no). Rest assured, candy items will be balanced - costing more than regular food, and their healing effects will tend to be less than other more timely items.

(the “eat” subcommand appears for "candy" class items. The candy icon on the bottom-right denotes a candy class item)

H. Fishing Hud finally updated

This wasn't something discovered through playtesting, more of an unfinished task that sat around for far too long. 

(Old fishing hud on left. New fishing hud on the right)

In the old fishing hud (perhaps an example of minimalism taken too far), the fish's health is represented by 10 white dots. In the new fishing hud, the fish's health lines up and mirrors the player's own stamina. Whoever outlasts the other wins!

I had actually been sitting on the finalized graphics for over a year. For some reason, the last 10% implementation of a feature tends to be the most boring. In game development, I find myself jumping around often, working on whatever can catch my interest. That's good for ensuring that the game's development is always moving forward in *some* capacity. But now at the tail end of development, only the most boring tasks are left...

--- WRITING ---

So I mentioned writing. One of the things written in the last 2 months was the entirety of the "monster" village's NPCs. This time I also roped in Pirate (formerly artist, now also writer), since she's quite familiar with their lore having drawn them and their town.

When I wrote trolls, I wanted to give them a unique speech, not unlike the Mr. Saturns from Earthbound. My idea was to capitalize all words and then strip away as many unnecessary words as I could, while keeping the meaning identical.

Pirate then took the result and improved upon it, establishing rules their language could follow to be consistent:

Simplified negatives (no instead of not/don’t/can’t/etc);

Object pronouns replace subject, possessive and reflexive pronouns (me/name instead of I/my/mine/myself). 

No ‘be’ verb or it’s conjugations (am, is, are).

No verb conjugation.

No articles.

(A sample of troll language. Harpy language is similar, but no caps, and a few other variations.)

Another neat thing that happened naturally over the past two months was a construction of a "timeline". The timeline takes the form of a 2D chart, with the major players lined up on the left, and the years up top. There are new characters this time around, and having the timeline as a reference, helps to make sure the lore is on point.

(the timeline, blurred. An internal tool to aid writing)

--- FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY ---

Speaking of which, it was the game's 5 year anniversary this past August 20th. Thank you to Firana for reminding me!

Five years... Five Years... T_T (I thought I'd be done by now)

It'd be neat to do a longer in-depth retrospective on this game's long development, but I'll wait for the game to be properly finished first.

--- FAN ART ---

We have 3 lovely fan arts that came in the past 2 months.

(Art by Amaury Lorin)

I like how this picture selectively colors the night sky, comet, and fire. Very artistic! Amaury also submitted a poem (in French). Here it is!

Parmi cette clarté que la nuit seule émet, Au-dessus des radis géants qui s'épanouissent, Nonobstant sans souci les herbes qui frémissent, Sous un ciel calme et sombre, un village dormait.

Éprise de liberté, une puki part Là-bas, quelque part où des prés plus verts la tenant. "Oh, s'écrie un enfant, une étoile filante!" Veille, enfant : pour tes grands yeux curieux seuls, ce soir,

Indifférente au sol précipité sur elle, L'étoile tombe... Écoute, enfant, elle t'appelle; L'étoile : "Suis-je un ange, un messager du ciel?

Avec mes feux, suis-je augure, ou suis-je étincelle? Gloire d'un monde haut, d'une nuit éternelle... Et j'arrive!" --Dors, enfant, tes yeux ont sommeil...

                                                         ...mais demain...

(Art by LittleLys Owo)

Gale smiling and flashing the peace sign. Nice! I like the skillful use of vectors to draw the lineart.

(Art by Shafiyahh)

Shafiyahh, who also drew fanarts in the last update, returns with this cool picture of Gale sporting the katana, a hidden weapon that... JK. I Love the composition of characters, and the flashy background - very anime-esque!

That's all for now. Next update will come at the end of November!

[dmsden]

Denizens of the Deep (But Not Too Deep) - Low-level monsters for a seafaring campaign

Hullo, Gentle Readers. This week's Question from a Denizen is from an Anonymous source who asks a very practical question. They want to know what some low-level monsters for a seafaring campaign might include. And I am happy to oblige!

When dealing with seafaring campaigns, there are two environments to keep in mind - Coastal and Underwater. There are plenty of creatures that can fill the ranks of either place. I'm going to specifically look at monsters up to Challenge Rating 5, feeling that Levels 1-4 are really what comprise "low level" adventuring. Once you hit 5, your wizards get fireballs, your clerics get revivify, and everything kind of hits the next level.

The most obvious choice, in my opinion, is Bandits. Any seafaring campaign is going to involve pirates at some point, and, especially at levels 1 & 2, Bandits and the Bandit Captain make wonderful choices for enemies to face. The scimitars they carry even stand in well for cutlasses, the quintessential pirate weapon choice. If you want to add a crazy pirate champion in there, throw in a berserker as well, or, to give them some spellpower, throw in the Druid stat block. If you want them to have a really tough member, or you want a pirate king, the Veteran and the Swashbuckler stat blocks are excellent choices.

For other intelligent foes, you might look at Merfolk or Sahuagin. For a particularly ruthless and dangerous foe, look at the Merrow. Just make sure you keep the rules for underwater combat handy, because I can see Merrow harpooning PCs, pulling them into the water, and then fighting them on their own turf.

For the "Boss" of your low level adventuring, I can strongly suggest a Sea Hag...preferably a trio of them forming a coven. This will give the party a really powerful foe to face...one they may have to negotiate with rather than fight...and hag bargains never work out well.

Because of the way they were presented in the original Greek mythology, I will always associate harpies with desolate seaside cliffs. I think an encounter with harpies would be both in the correct challenge range and the correct flavor for a low-level ocean-going adventure. Perhaps the party wants to find something that was lost in shipwreck below a harpy aerie. Not only do they have to deal with treacherous rocks and dangerous seas, but they have to face harpies that can potentially subdue a crew, if they have one, and make the journey that more dangerous.

Turning to more monstrous opponents, I think sea cliff dwelling manticores are a good choice. Having to deal with flying opponents that can attack from range can be quite challenging for a low-level party. Keep this in mind, as such a foe might very well be too tricky for them to match.

When you get underwater, a whole new slew of threats awaits. A lot of them are simply giant versions of normal creatures. Giant constrictor snakes, giant octopui, and giant moray eels are all very good choices. Hunter sharks, killer whales, and swarms of quippers wait to take a bite of unwary adventurers. And if you deem it appropriate, a plesiosaurus is an excellent foe.

Needless to say, if you're running such a campaign, I strongly recommend getting a copy of Ghosts of Saltmarsh. Not only are there lots of new sea-based monsters in there, but the rules on ship-to-ship combat and running a sea-based campaign are invaluable. Oh, and, like, there's a whole bunch of awesome adventures in there too that you can run separately or as a linked campaign.

I hope this helped, Anonymous. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have this odd craving for seafood...

#d&d #dungeons and dragons #dungeon master #dungeons & dragons #dnd #d&d 5e #dnd 5e #dnd stuff #d&d 5th edition #dnd shenanigans #dm advice #gm advice

[obeetlebeetle]

Uh you know I'm asking you to do all those asks bro

aight bro u kno there’s gonna b equal exchange tho1. if you were to have Hanahaki disease, what flowers would you cough up?

hm. full disclosure i’ve never read any hanahaki fics. is this supposed to reveal something abt me or the person i love? i guess if it means a flower that symbolizes the type of love, red or pink tea roses

2. if someone were to catch Hanahaki disease for you, what flowers would they cough up?

maybe daffodils?

3. if you were any historic trope, what would you be? (i.e., the knight, the town baker, the witch of the forest, etd.)

either the knight pursuing courtly love or the lazy good-for-nothing scribe jkdshds

4. tell us about your ideal battle outfit.

ok well ideally i could use magic so like. a short, hooded cloak over a comfortable tunic and practical trouser. with sturdy boots. you know, just google erk from fire emblem.

5. what would you be a god/goddess of and what would people sacrifice to you?

i would be the god of just counsel, and people would sacrifice things they made to represent the person they wished to reconcile with to me.

6. name five iconic quotes that make you feel things.

idk how iconic these are but here goes --

"You do this, you do. You take the things you love and tear them apart or you pin them down with your body and pretend they’re yours." 

— Richard Siken

“Because, you see, it is only when one is at the end (of tenderness or of any other force) that one recognizes its inexhaustibleness. The more we give, the more we have left; as soon as we give prodigiously — it flows forth! Let us bleed ourselves—and here we are, a source of life!" 

— Marina Tsvetaeva

“ANTIGONE: And also because - Oh, my darling, my darling, forgive me; I’m going to cause you quite a lot of pain.” 

— Jean Anouilh

But Sophie and Howl were holding one another’s hands and smiling and smiling, quite unable to stop.”

— Diana Wynne Jones

"He has a longing in him: for death by  drowning.And he has a longing in him: not to go down."

— Bertolt Brecht

7. scythe, battle axe, broad sword, spear or trident?

axe babey!!

8. what combination of natural scents would you use as perfume?

hm. the smell of a forest: moss and pine, the ground wet from rain, the smoke from a campfire, the wild roses crawling in vines up the tree-trunks.

9. ancient scrolls or leather-bound books?

books babey!!

10. describe yourself as if you were a storm.

florida summer storms tower on the horizon, tall and purple and moving in fast. the thunder is so loud you can feel in your chest. the rain falls so thick you can’t see down the street, but the lightning is clear in its twisting lines. and it’s over before you know if, just an afternoon of heavy weather leaving sunshine behind.

11. what type of flower (other than a rose) would you offer someone you were trying to court?

this question is oppressing me specifically. probably sunflowers tho

12. honey in milk or cinnamon in tea?

honey in milk babey!!

13. cabin in the woods, apartment in the city or mansion in the suburbs?

cabin in the woods ofc

14. curtains of beads or lace?

lace probably?

15. vocal or instrumental music?

vocal, im a sucker for good lyrics

16. describe your ideal fantasy outfit

...see question #4 jksdfh

17. of all the fantasy races to ever exist, which one would you be?

dwarf!

18. hard candy, fruit preserves or spice cake?

spice cake dude the others Sucks

19. show us an a picture of your ideal crown.

20. tying your hair up using ribbon, yay or nay?

love the idea, never quite got the hang of it. 

21. an evening in the forest with elves, a night in the caves with vampires or a morning in the garden with fae?

bring on the vamps!

22. tell us, in detail, about a curse a witch would put on you.

hm. hmm. she use daffodils and narcissus flowers, falling stars and ashes, and she would harden my heart. i would be cursed to forever seek out love, but the moment it was returned, i would be repulsed.

23. talking with sylphs or singing with nymphs?

im tone deaf, let’s have a chat

24. mint, rosemary, basil or sage?

mint babey!!

25. favorite childhood story? (doesn’t have to be a fairy tale)

o *highkey* stellaluna

26. tell us about an experience you’ve had that seemed unreal or supernatural. (doesn’t have to be scary)

my college campus has a cryptid, ive seen it twice and i swear by it. the first time was april of my second year. i was down by the bay with friends, and i saw it running across the grass between us and college hall. it was about the size of a cat, with an elongated face and no tail, tall on its legs, and it ran weird. that’s what caught my attention. have you ever seen a person try to walk or run on all fours? it ran just like that, shuddering unnatural movements, but it was so fast. the second time i saw it was april of the following year, walking back up the promenade from the bay to the dorms. it darted across the promenade about ten feet in front of me, and it turned its head to look at me but i didnt see eyes or a face.

27. would you rather have poison or healing ointment in your traveling pack?

healing ointment babey!!

28. tell us three sayings that you live by.

done!

29. vials or mason jars?

mason jars are just more useful.

30. describe your ideal masquerade ball outfit (mask included).

a three-piece victorian suit, with coat-tails ofc, all in shades of silver and white. i start the night in a full moon mask that rises above my eyes; throughout the night i subtly mark the passing of hours by changing into a half-moon mask, a crescent that curves across my face, and finally a band of darkness speckled with stars to show a moonless night.

31. splashing around in a river with mermaids or flying through the sky with harpies?

o send me to the waves

32. what would you end up in the dungeon for?

being rude to someone w a lot of power and little patience

33. if you were a fairy, what color would your wings be?

blue or green!

34. if you could have any magical item, what would it be?

a crystal ball that imbued me with powers of true divination

35. what song would the bards sing about you when you passed by?

asdkhkjsdf idiot by sure sure, bardic cover i guess

36. would you rather be a pirate or a king/queen?

a king but like. really a prince who doesn’t have to do anything.

37. would you spend more time in the field of flowers, the tavern, the docks or the marketplace?

um. the tavern. i know me.

38. would you have a painting of yourself?

absolutely not.

39. what skill are you famous for?

diplomacy?

40. if you could live any fairy tale, which one would you?

beauty and the beast but im the beast and beauty just shows up w some scooby snax n it’s very chill

41. stained glass windows or fairy lights?

both are *so* good tho :(

#shadiekid

[worldsentwined]

Pride Drabbles!

Oh wow, it’s June already! Which means it’s Pride Month, at least here in the US (in case you missed the flashing rainbow banner on the top of the page, haha). I won’t be around for the local Pride stuff due to travel (I figure flying to Germany to visit the gf is plenty gay). But since this is the first Pride I’ve been even slightly out, I thought it would be nice to celebrate? So let’s do an ask thing!

Send me an ask with a prompt, and I’ll write you a drabble - 100 words. Prompts can either be for specific characters or pairings in one of my fandoms, or even general character tropes. So for example:

Emil/Lalli - this parade is too noisy but you’re really hot

Tuuri/Any - disaster bi

Harpy/Mermaid (F/F) - long distance

Wizard/Knight (F/NB) - “no man” can do this quest

AroAce Space Pirate Captain - my crew keeps flirting with aliens

For fanfic, I’m fine with any character headcanons as long as they don’t contradict canon identities (for instance, the creators of No End have spelled out specific identities for their characters so I wouldn’t want to go against it, but for stories like SSSS where it’s not spelled out that’s totally fine.) The prompts also don’t have to have anything to do with identity stuff - could just be a cute moment between girlfriends or something. 

As with all prompt-type things, I won’t write anything explicit or excessively violent, but I don’t mind angst or h/c stuff. 

#ask memes #sort of #send me prompts! #or send me questions if something isn't clear #I should probably have just found a prompt list to reblog #but I don't know of anything that works like this #so we'll see how it goes

[fyrapartnersearch]

OC+Fantasy Land? (What I Am Looking For - Updated)

Hello, everyone! My name is Ven and I am an girl of 18 years attending college in California. I am an English major and a novel writer and rping is my favorite anti-writer’s block activity! I have a good few years of both novel writing and rping under my belt and I am looking to continue adding to the latter here!

More About Me

I only roleplay with original characters; I don’t feel comfortable attempting to imitate any canon characters in any fandoms I enjoy, but do love inserting my own characters and plots in them. There’s a list below with what I’m interested in!

I write past tense, third person and typically multiple paragraphs, but that often depends on the scene and how much my partner writers.

I prefer to cut to black when it comes to smut (mostly due to my own inexperience in writing it), but if you think you can muster the courage to read it and want to, I can surely try my best!

I should be able to write up at least one reply every two days (or maybe multiple times in one day!), but this depends on my workload and the such. If I can’t reply for more than a few days, I will give you a heads up!

I reallllly enjoy doubling as a male and female character as it gives me more breadth to work with when writing. I can play a single character, be it male or female, but that’s just my preference.

My main character(s) will be at least 16+, and if they are below 18, they will not be engaging in any smut.

And going off that restriction - I do not rp any bestiality, pedophilia, incest, and all those other generally-agreed-on limits

World building is the air that I breathe, so I will make up side characters for our story, whether they appear for only one scene or pop up throughout.

Who I Am Looking For

People who are 16+ (Obviously, no smut if you are underaged) - I remember how difficult it was to find rp not too long ago due to age restrictions; I have no problem with rping with someone younger than me as long as they apply to the following points.

Respectful people - No flirting please! I write to have fun, not find a girlfriend or boyfriend. Open communication is also appreciated if things get busy on your end, or if the plot/characters aren’t working for you - I’ll understand!

Someone with a similar schedule - If you can reply multiple times a day, fantastic! But if you reply only once a week, I don’t think we’ll mesh too well, unfortunately.

Someone who can double - It’s not really something I need in an rp partner, but it is appreciated!

Someone open to OOC and hype - I do like getting to know who I’m writing with, aaaaand I do love making moodboards and memes and suggesting songs that go with our characters and story!

Long-term partner - Hopefully we can make it past the initial, two week get-to-know-each-other-and-each-other’s-characters periods, but yes, the longer we go the happier I am! And the harder I fall head-over-heels for the story.

What I Am Looking For

A lil romance - What can I say? I’m a sucker for it. I don’t like forced relationships, but you’ll have to pry the good ones from my cold, dead hands (and on that note, I’m most familiar with MxF, but I also love MxM and FxF).

Plot!!! - Unfortunately, I do not do slice of life rp; I like my rp with a solid plot for characters to follow, no matter how general it is.

Fandoms (OC inserts only)

LOK/AtLA - any time period!

FMAB - I have a big thing for fantasy early 1920’s and the system of alchemy

Harry Potter - only with an overall plot though! Staying in class all day long, while realistic, doesn’t always make for the best rp

Princess Mononoke/Howl’s Moving Castle/Spirited Away/etc. - any Hayao Miyazaki really

FFX - we can do the summoner gathers the aeons and defeat sins but I’d like to plan something that may throw a wrench in the tradition to spice things up!

BoTW - Can take place in an AU or maybe Link is gone? Or maybe everything is fine and our characters are dealing with a different problem not named Ganon

Originals (If any genre/idea catches your eye, email me and we can plot!)

Superanturals and more - Vampires, pirates, spirits, witches, demons, harpies, mermaids, hunters, etc.! Lighthearted tone or grungy tone, modern or medieval or Victorian, it’s all good stuff to me!

Medieval settings - And I don’t only mean the typically European medieval (which I am open to, on that note!). I’m talking feudal Japan and medieval middle east. A faux, mirror of these settings since, I’ll admit, I’m no history buff.

Mythology - Greek and Egyptian, to be more specific; I know the most about those two, but I’m open if you have another type of mythology you’d like to share!

Moods - Just to give you an idea of some things I enjoy if you’d like to suggest something to me (I don’t think I have enough knowledge to OC-fandom rp them): Castlevania, Bloodborne, Grisha Series, LotR, Dragon Age (though I’m rusty on the lore), FFXIV, Nier Automata, DnD (I’ve literally only listened to like 10 episodes of CR though), What We Do in the Shadows, BNHA, Okami, and probably more that I’m forgetting.

If anything I listed didn’t entice you and you think (judging from this small show of character) that you have something I might be interested, feel free to shoot me an email at [email protected] and if you are interested in anything I’ve listed, do the same! If you’d rather rp/OOC over discord, email me first please!

#independent roleplay #oc rp #multiple paragraph #long term #email #messenger #submission

[edream93]

I don't know if you are still accepting prompts but here it goes: write a prompt inspired on what's my name but like Uma and Harry are singers and their record label have the idea of releasing a song Uma feat. Harry Hook and they just meet on the video clip day. Also Uma is Harry's celebrity crush...

Hi anon! Thank you for being so patient! When I first got this prompt, I actually laughed because I had been thinking of something similar literally days before. I’m glad that I was able to put some of those thoughts into an actual prompt. I do want to apologize though, if you’re a Mal fan, there’s a bit of Mal bashing in this one (I don’t necessarily hate Mal. I actually think she’s has the potential of being a really great character, but the last movie just dropped the ball on that. It was just the only way I could think of to make the story work).

Anyway, I hope you still enjoy and obviously, you should totally listen to “What’s My Name” at some point before, after, or while you’re reading.

After the media horror show that followed after Mal very publicly broke up with him (who the hell breaks up with someone right in the middle of an interview, he thought), singing artist Harry Hook wanted nothing to do with collaborating with another wannabe diva. 

(He and Mal hadn’t even been dating, but when Mal had hinted that after their last project together - which had been an auto-tuned disaster - that they were something more than just colleagues and one time collaborators, his manager - also known as his harpy of a sister Harriet - had told him to neither confirm nor deny the rumors. After all, Mal’s manager/mother had been in this business long enough to squish his blossoming career with one snap of her red manicure fingers if he angered or insulted her daughter. With her beautiful features but caustic personality, Maleficent made The Darkest Fairy, sound more like a fact than a former stage name.)

“I’m not doing another song with some harpy who doesn’t even know the difference between B flat and A sharp,” Harry murmured darkly as he followed his oldest sister into the elevator that quickly took them to his record label’s, Second Star, recording studio.

“You’ll do what I tell you, little brother,” Harriet growled, over her shoulder, her black with red accented business attire doing nothing to lessen the air around her that practically declared that she was not one to be messed with. “And stop being a pretentious emo music nerd.”

Harry rolled his eyes but kept his mouth shut. Harriet may be annoying, but she had made a promise to help him reach his dreams when they were just wee tots and as she always did, she kept her promise. There weren’t many people in his life that Harry could trust but Harriet was one of them, despite how much she nagged.

As they entered the recording studio where Jonas was already setting things up, Harry took a moment to glance at the music that Harriet had handed him. He held in a groan when he saw the song’s name.

“What’s My Name? Seriously, Ettie? How self-entitled is this lass? This…Uma?” he questioned annoyed before he paused. “Wait. Uma? Where do I know this name from?”

“She’s Mal’s former ghost writer, man,” Jonas supplied from where he was checking sound levels. “The one that hacker, Son of Hades, revealed was actually behind all the award winning songs that Mal claimed to have written herself. After he broke into Spinning Needle Records database, he revealed all their fraud and creative theft they’ve been doing of small independent artists for years.”

Harry nodded. He vaguely remembered that. It had happened while he and Mal had still been “dating”. He did remember Mal stomping around in a rage after her stylist, Evie, sent her a message, muttering something about shrimp and “That bitch thinks she can go against me? I’m the fucking queen!” (The fact that this Uma seemed to inspire so much anger out of Mal definitely gave her a point in Harry’s book.)

“Maleficent let Uma go immediately despite how much obvious success she could have brought to their record,” Harriet continued, not looking up from her phone. “But her loss. Our gain. Uma left with a book full of songs she never showed that dragon bitch and Second Star swooped in on the opportunity and signed with her just a few weeks ago. The process is going a bit faster than usual for a new artist,” his sister said glancing up at him, “but Pan wants to capitalize on the media controversy, hoping that’ll help put Uma out there as a singer and give Mal some real competition.”

“And he loves messing with Maleficent,” Jonas added.

Harriet nodded, a wicked grin on her face. “Who doesn’t?”

Harry looked down at the music again, this time looking past the song’s title and to the actual lyrics.

“Not bad,” he muttered shifting the pages as he continued to glance at the obviously handwritten song sheets. “I’m guessing this is a big ‘fuck you’ letter to Mal?”

“You could put it that way,” Harriet shrugged before frowning. “Though not in public!”

Harry grinned, mischief woven into his smile as he headed towards the sound booth. “Maybe this collaboration won’t be so terrible after all.”

—

“This is terrible,” Harry moaned.

Unsympathetic giggles responded back as Dizzy Tremaine, his stylist, leaned around him to also take a look at the mirror in front of him.

“Didn’t you tell me that you wanted to be a pirate, once?” she continued to giggle.

“When I was a wee lad!” he exclaimed turning around to face the much younger woman. “Not now! This is just ridiculous!”

“It’s Pan just being cheeky,” Harriet said stepping into his dressing room, unannounced. “You know. Because of-

“Because of Da,” Harry said cutting her off. “I know, I know,” he sighed trying to not imagine what type of scathing criticism their father, the lead singer and guitarist and also co-founder of the of The Jolly Rogers along with Second Star current executive producer Peter Pan (and thorn in Harry’s side), would give him if the man was still alive.

He sighed, taking care to not wrinkle his pirate inspired costume. A production assistant had just stopped by a few minutes earlier to let them know that Uma’s makeup was taking a bit longer than expected and that he had a few extra minutes before he was needed on the set. He pulled out his phone and earbuds to tune Dizzy and Harriet out, quickly scrolling to a downloaded audio file. It wasn’t the best quality since the audio had been taken from a recorded video but Harry had found himself listening to it almost religiously every day since that day in the sound booth.

The audio was from a recording of Auradon Got Talent that was done years ago. As he closed his eyes and listened to the music, Harry imagined the stage in the video and the young and oh so small girl with teal hair that came onto the stage as if she was born on it. Her voice then had been powerful for such a small lass and now…he couldn’t help but shiver at the memory of her voice that he had heard when he was recording his part in her new song a week ago. Her talents had definitely been wasted forced into Mal’s shadow.

He felt an earbud being pulled from his ear and for a moment he thought it was Harriet who always had a bad habit of wanting to know what he was listening to, mother hen that she was despite her preferred edgy style.

“Huh. Haven’t heard this song in a long time,” a voice that was definitely not his sister’s startled him to open his eyes to look at the calculating expression of his current collaborator (and, if he was being perfectly honest, his current crush). He glanced around the room, seeing that Harriet and Dizzy were no longer there. (Damn, them.)

As he scrambled for something to say, Harry couldn’t help but appreciate how breathtaking and not to be messed with Uma looked in her own costume. Once he had taken her in, he nearly wanted to smack himself for staring but if the small little smirk on her face, as well as her own appreciative look she threw him, she didn’t mind and also liked what she saw.

“Uh…hi?” Harry squeaked under her gaze, wondering where the hell his usual smooth, suave bad boy persona went.

“Hey,” she returned. “I just wanted to introduce myself and thank you for agreeing to do this, especially with, ya know, me not being on the best of terms with your ex, currently.”

“We never dated. All just a rumor,” Harry found himself saying before he could stop himself. (Harriet was so going to kill him.) He had the strongest urge to tell her everything, to fall to his knees at her feet and assure her that there was nothing between him and Mal, ever.

Uma surprised him though.

“I know,” she said simply and it was like a weight he hadn’t been aware was on his shoulders was lifted. “That’s why I asked for you specifically. I’ve always wanted to work with you. Even before Mal. I’ve…I’ve kind of been a fan of yours for awhile. Even before you and Jay went separate ways musically,” she continued and it was like she had both drowned him and allowed him to fly. The experience was dizzying and wonderful all at the same time. And were his eyes deceiving him or was she…her cheeks had definitely looked like they had darkened, right? “Besides, Jay was adorable but he could never tell the difference between a B flat and A sharp,” she smirked, trying to hide her embarrassment by flipping her hair casually over her shoulder.

That was it. Harry’s brain seemed to implode at that moment as he sighed adoringly, “Will ye marry me?”

Uma’s eyes widened, caught off guard, and it took everything in Harry to not just walk out of the building where they were currently in and just hop into the trash where he belonged.

Before he could salvage things, he heard the most beautiful sound: her laughter.

“Sure, but let’s get through this music video first, first mate,” she winked cheekily using the song’s character description for him.

A beat didn’t even past when he responded back with “Don’t you mean, first date, Captain?” he grinned back.

The two both broke out into loud boisterous laughter, that seemed to follow them even when they made their way onto the set where their other collaborator DJ G3., or Gil, who they were both surprised to find out was a mutual friend to the other, was waiting in his own pirate inspired garb.

And the laughter from that day followed them all the way to “What’s My Name” rising to the top of the charts, beating even Mal’s most popular songs for weeks on end (it was so satisfying seeing Mal’s newest song barely even make it on the top 100 list only to be pushed off after a week) to years later when, once they both had multiple Grammy’s and other various international music awards under their belts, Harry got down on one knee, his mother’s ring held in his hand.

All Uma could do was grin. “I already said yes the first day we met,” she said before kissing him deeply, and not for the first time Uma made his heart sing.

(AN: Also, if you’re wondering, there’s no difference between an A sharp and a B flat. They’re the same note.)

#edream93 answers #edream93 fanfic #disney descendants #descendants fanfiction #huma #harry hook #uma #descendants au #uma x harry hook #mal #harriet hook #jonas #gil #dizzy tremaine #Peter Pan #what's my name #singer/celebrity au #edream93 fanfiction

[altalksaboutstuff]

Shantae and the Seven Sirens First Impressions (Insert I whip my hair back and forth joke here)

No spoilers?   Well ok, I'll try.   I suck at knowing what is or is not a spoiler though.   I'll give it my best go.

… or should I say my best Ret-2-Go! 

First some back story to frame this:

Shantae and the Seven Sirens is probably the game that I've been looking forward to playing all year and it was about a year ago now that we first got the teaser trailer/opening for this game too.   I've watched that trailer over and over. on my birthday I saw the Studio Trigger movie Promare and the Shantae and the Seven Sirens trailer (also animated by Studio Trigger) was shown with the other movie trailers.  Its really good, both the movie and trailer, so good that after seeing the trailer my wife asked me if the games were based off the anime (They didn't know that Shantae isn't an anime at the time.)   This was also after spending pretty much the whole summer of 2019 playing Shantae Half Genie Hero again and again.   I think I mentioned that on my last video game related post about that game, where I was essentially shilling for Wayforward for free.  

I'm typing this out on a keyboard on a Shantae and the Pirate's Curse desk mat.  

On my right by the mouse is a very enthusiastic Rotty Tops.  

My current wallpaper is Shantae.   

I like this series, a lot.   I think about this series a lot.   I hold myself back from going on tangents when talking to others except for Tumblr and perhaps one day I will make a Youtube video (previously I had made one out of my last post for Half Genie Hero but it won't render correctly. I think it is corrupted so I essentially have to make a new one, maybe at a later time)

Basically I'm a huge tool or as some others would say I’m a huge fan of the Shantae videogame franchise.

I could also write about how now how Games with Gold has Shantae and the Pirate's Curse available for download, since it is available to claim until June 30th, 2020 but I'll mostly touch on that game later.   Lightly.

I pre-ordered the physical version of Shantae and the Seven Sirens for the Switch, I got the Collector's Edition with all the bells and whistles and I was going to wait for it, but I caved.   I just couldn't wait for the release so I got the digital version on Xbox One back on May 28th, 2020.   I paid for the same game twice.   I don't do that often, I can't even think of any other time that I've done that except for maybe with remakes or re-releases, but never for a new game.   I think.   I justified it as the Xbox version has achievements that I can get to show off my digital e-Peen.   I also have digital versions of Pirate's Curse and Half Genie Hero on Xbox One while I have physical copies of the games on Switch but those digital versions were from Games with Gold.   While I did pay for the Gamepass Ultimate Service, $1 for three years, its not really the same thing.

Well the other day at around 3AM I finished my first play through of the game clocking in about 10 hours and 40 minutes and these are my first thoughts.

I think the most succinct comparison for this game to another is Tomba! For the Playstation One.   There's “comparisons” between the two – like Tomba! has seven evil pigs, Shantae has Seven Sirens, both are platformers and while Shantae is a Metroidvania Tomba! is … kind of one too, I guess?

The main comparison to Tomba! that I can think of being that you get directives with spoken keywords and you go to the corresponding area on the map to complete the objective and along the way you get power ups to better help you explore and fight bosses.     

Unlike the other Shantae games I've played, there isn't a real central hub.   I think that the first town you go to is supposed to be the de facto hub, Arena Town, on Paradise Island but they did away with that for a teleporter room to make fast travel easier.   You no longer have to talk to Sky to grab a flight on her bird but you feel like an outsider visiting these towns.   And hey, that makes thematic sense since you are visiting the island on vacation but the other games had that home HUB level. That feels like a weird point to mention missing when I played the game because for one it fits the universe a lot better and two it makes actual sense to do that but what I've come to expect in a Shantae game something about it just doesn't feel right.

I think that's the best way to describe this game, its not bad it just doesn't feel right.    A lot of this game just doesn't feel right to me.   This is my first take of this game and is why I wanted to specifically make this a first take and not a real “review” review.   I just to say that something about Shantae and the Seven Sirens feels off.   I don't know how else to describe it so I don't want to imply there's some kind of quick fix rather this is an issue with the heart and soul feel.   I've talked to friends when discussing media in the past – video games, movies, etc. and when dealing specifically with sequels and prequels -   I think that it's really hard to make a good sequel.   A game, movie, book, etc can be great on its own and sometimes even better than the original but how it fits in as a sequel can be its undoing or even a miss-step.   In that way its almost easier to make a new intellectual property.   You have to put enough of your IP in the game (or whatever media) so that it feels like it fits in the universe and that's the long and short of what makes this game not feel right.   To be fair this is very much a Shantae game.   You've got Shantae, Bolo, Risky Boots and the others, you've got familiar enemies, you have dances and genie powers, you collector heart squids to make heart containers and there's in universe references to things that happened in the previous game, heck you are there on vacation as mentioned you would at the end of Half-Genie Hero but I just don't feel that magic, that Shantae magic.   Its frankly kind of unfair to describe my biggest issue as a feeling and describe it in terms of magic.   How is that fair to say or any kind of constructive feedback at all?   Well I will try to break down and it is what I kind of missed from what I expected going into the game.

First thing is my problem with the transformations.   That Studio Trigger trailer (that I mentioned earlier) shows Shantae turning into a monkey.   Shantae even mentions how she can turn into a monkey at the beginning of the game.   But all those animal forms she had previously are gone.   Poof.  

That in and itself isn't a problem since this game does have new animal transformations that are pretty cool and satisfying to use like a Newt, a Tortoise, a Squid, a Gastro Drill (think a hermit crab that can drill through the earth/sand) and a frog but my dumb brain up until the end of the game was expecting to unlock some of her classic animal transformations.   Like I was expecting to fly around as the harpie and shoot up walls as the monkey and swim around as the mermaid in addition to dashing around as the Newt or barreling into enemies as the Tortoise.   These new forms sounded like they were going to be bonus: both in the sense of what Shantae says at the beginning of the game and how they are presented to you as gifts when you save the other half-genies.   Same with the dances.   This game has four dances that you acquire from Fusion Stones. The dances don't transform you into an animal but you get dances that do things like heal the surrounding environment and enemies or charge electrical devices.   And that’s neat, but more on that later.   That’s a positive.  I’m in my nit pick section now.

My next issue is: What does Shantae do? I don't mean the character in the avatar sense because you need someone to control, but specifically why am I Shantae?   You have your hair whip and the ability to dance but none of the power or transformations are yours.   I think part of the reason my brain was like “Cool, I can't wait to get the mermaid transformation to use in tandem with the squid triple jump” is because all the powers you get are borrowed from the other half-genies but it doesn't come across like you won't be able to later use your classic abilities. Is it another being on vacation thing, like Shantae just didn't pack her harpie form?   Other than Shantae being the main character of the series and possessing the ability to use magic as a half-genie, what is the reason why it is Shantae we are playing as?   What in particular is important about Shantae having this adventure?   I worry if I have conveyed what I mean here since it does sound a bit unclear.

I don't want to be too hard on Shantae and the Seven Sirens because this isn't just a Shantae franchise problem, to be fair, take Metroid for example.   In a typical Metroid game it starts with the protagonist Samus Aran tripping and she then will lose all her powers as they roll out of her and fall down a sewer drain for example.  

The idea that you were previously powerful canonically but have to start again at square one isn't always framed smoothly in video games but with Shantae and the Seven Sirens it makes it a point during a few times to tell you that your powers are all borrowed especially at the end.   But to go back and contrast that with a Metroid game - I feel like the power-ups still fit Samus Aran and are hers to use (until presumably the next game), and sure someone else could use them - they generally fit to what we understand the character to use for attacks and abilities.   I think that's why in this instance it sticks out so much in my mind.   I feel like any of the other half-genies could have done this adventure just the same.   Zapple could have gotten Fusion Stones and borrowed the other half-genies powers for example to save the day.   

At the end Risky tells you that she got Shantae specifically to go along as a contingency plan in accordance to what happens during the ending but like, what happens is ultimately a mistake involving one of Shantae's non-magical friends.   I assume from the towns that I visited in game that the other half-genies have non-magical friends too.   It wouldn't be a stretch for them to have a similar happen stance occur.   

The other big problem, and maybe this is a   for me problem, was Risky Boots role in this game.   Risky Boots just oozes a larger than life villainess personality - I absolutely love Risky Boots as a character.   In Half-Genie Hero though, Risky wasn't really in the game.   You thwart her in the beginning and she doesn't show up again until the end game.   In Shantae and the Pirate's Curse, Risky Boots is there for pretty much the whole game and you develop a really good frienemy rapport with her.   This was a hole that I thought that this game would fix but it doesn't … at least not really.

What you get is there is a lot more of Risky Boots on screen in this game than Half-Genie Hero (and you realize there was even more once you get further in the game) and yet it feels like there was a lot less Risky Boots in this game.   You see Risky Boots time and again and you have multiple fights with her (they are set up and paced like the mini-boss) and she will tell you something about why she is there.   But then run off, rinse and repeat.   There are also a few other moments where she shows up and at the end of the game but its an issue of quality over quantity.   Like you de facto see Risky Boots more in this game but its always in short doses to advance the plot.   She also has a moment at the end of the game (which is kind of lackluster in my opinion) that feels hollow.   Like she's there but not really and without spoiling too much its because she is unconscious.   I haven't played this game through a 100% and I assume that maybe she has something to do with the better endings that I haven't unlocked yet but first time through she feels like an afterthought to piece together what is going on with the Sirens more than anything.   Like, oh hey Risky Boots is in Shantae, remember?   Much like with Shantae, I wonder why is Risky Boots in this game other than that its because it is a Shantae franchise game?   It kind of breaks my man-child heart.

Also Jake Kaufman didn't do the soundtrack which kind of explains why none of the in-game tracks really got stuck in head.   I liked Arena Town and the Dungeons theme, Armor Town's music is ok too.   But while Half-Genie Hero and Shantae and the Pirate's Curse soundtrack really wowed me with noticeable tracks that stuck out, this was more “It's ok” with a few noticeably less meh tracks.

If I had to guess why this game feels the way it does, its this one review I saw on the Xbox Marketplace inadvertently nailed it on the head but I think what they found as a positive, I took as a negative.   Shantae and The Seven Sirens mixes Pirate’s Curse with Half-Genie Hero, but I think they took what was wrong and mixed it.   Its from a review by ExcitedData11 entitled Good stuff!

That is ultimately what I think lead this game to be what it is – it's trying to fix Shantae Half-Genie Hero by mixing in what it was perceived to be missing.   On the one hand, I totally get it.   When Shantae Half Genie-Hero came out it got some less than charitable reviews. Thankfully it was successful and overall praised by those fans who Kickstarted it.   Shantae Half-Genie Hero game was coming hot off Shantae and the Pirate's Curse which is to a lot of people – the best Shantae game.   And I honestly think that falls into what I was saying earlier – its hard to make a good sequel especially since the previous game in the series was the most beloved.   Its really hard to capture lightning in a bottle the same way again so they did something different.  

Now this is just my opinion (Duh! the whole thing is, but I want to re-iderate here especially since I'm extra talking out of my butt in this part)   but to me with Half-Genie Hero they didn't put as much emphasis on the story as with the Pirate's Curse, and in a way went back to the drawing board.   The in-game jokes about the game being a soft re-boot of the Shantae series specifically call this out - Shantae and the Half-Genie Hero was largely about who Shantae is and where did she come from?   Who is Shantae's mother?   What happened to the Genies and the Genie Realm? The games dances and transformations were all of Shantae's classic animal forms with some new things mixed in too.   

When I wrote earlier about Shantae and the Seven Sirens and how its a Shantae game but why does it have to be Shantae I feel like Shantae Half-Genie Hero in stark contrast HAD to be about Shantae, its all about her.   In Shantae and the Pirate's Curse I feel like it had to be about Shantae too, the real main character of that game was Risky Boots but her relation to Shantae as Shantae's rival was important to understanding Risky Boots.   Shantae is important in that way.   That's why in Shantae and the Seven Sirens, Shantae just being on vacation story continuity alone doesn't really do it for me.   Its also why Risky Boots wanting the power of the Island and falling back on Shantae as a contingency plan doesn't do it for me either.   Mixing what is wrong with Half-Genie Hero also mixed out part of what was right with the game.   

But at this point, I feel like I've been way to uncharitable to this game.   Its mean.   I'm kind of being a big meany and misleading you.   “Well why don't you just say it? This game must be terrible! -3000 out of 10!”

I feel like I'm saying this game is bad and pointing and prodding over essentially an intangible essence. This game is actually good but if I lead with just that and didn't say my other piece I feel like it would also be wrong.   Its super easy (and popular?) to just lay into a game as being bad on the internet.   This is the post video game review culture that we have for better or for worse from things like the Angry Video Game Nerd (the better) and Gamer Gate (the absolute worst.)   Despite my earlier comments - I did like this game. Really, I enjoyed playing it and I think over time as I replay it I will like it more and more or at least I assume that I will based off of my previous gaming tastes and experiences with this franchise in particular.

Like sequels, reviews are tricky.   For me I think I realized this when I was in the 5th  grade and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time got a perfect score from Gamespot.   It still kind of irks me but at the time I felt like that was big mistake, a HUUUGE mistake.   Especially now when looking back at the game, its faults are a lot more glaring but at the time I can now think –   This was a 3D Zelda, the first grand adventure of its time.   People were waiting for this forever it probably felt.   

In contrast I also think of games I really like that when I first played them I didn't really care for – namely No More Heroes.   I really enjoy revisiting that game and its probably in my favorite games of the 2000s decade but I first played it, meh.   I didn't really like it.   Now a days I could go on and on talking about it.

Tastes change, initial impressions change, where we are in the world changes things and our relation to media too.  I've seen a few reviews really laying into this game and then give it a 6 or 7 out of 10.   That is kind of bizarre but I also feel like maybe right?   Numbers seems inherently trivial to me now.   This game could be a 6/10 but it also feels like it could be an 8/10 too based off of my impression.   What I can say that is more concrete is that its good. I would recommend you play this game

Ok first impression is over -

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First off, though I want to say that the game mechanics are more streamlined for play.   I love the animal transformations but stopping to dance pulls you out of the game play and immersion especially since that is so pivotal to playing the game especially when more than one is used in tandem.   This also gives the other dances more of an ump especially since they have powerful effects on the stage/level/enemies.   In Shantae Half-Genie Hero you have the destruction dance that blows up the whole stage but it takes some time to get to.   With the dance function, you cycle through about 4 sets of possible dances to get to it.   You are essentially just waiting to use a really powerful move, which I feel like if you need to use it, you probably want to do it right away and in the meantime you are a sitting target.   You also have to wait to use the monkey transformation or harpie or mermaid transformations.   That's kind of a pain when you use them just to move around.   Its not long a long waiting time, its not like a load screen where you are doing nothing but still you have to wait.   Its a lot of waiting.   You had to wait to use anything.   The game does sort of correct that with a metronome power up to speed up the time between available dance cycles but you still wait.  

With only four dances total you still have to wait a beat to get to them but then all of them are available to use at once.   And outside of that as previously mentioned each one of the animal transformations is used in tandem with a button press and the environment.   While something like the frog requires water for use or sand for the Gastro Drill, you can also dash whenever you want as the newt or charge up and smash into things as the tortoise the same.   None of the animal transformations seem out of place or missed and they flow better this way with the game play.   I never once missed a platform, hit or moving around in any of the animal forms except on rare occasion which every time was from my own input. Shantae is a platformer too so ease of mobility is definitely something you want while you play.

Expanding on the point of mobility - travel between points on the map is also easier.   No longer do you have to walk to Sky and ask to fly to a location.   As you play you uncover warp rooms and you can warp at will to any of the open locations to fast travel around the island.   As previously mentioned I do miss the HUB town from Half Genie Hero but this is markedly an improvement that also thematically makes sense too.   While I miss Scuttle Town that decision was good.

I also like the characters in this game a lot.   Outside of the series mainstays (Risky Boots ♥_♥ ) we meet other Half-genies (Well... more on that some other time) such as 

Harmony 

Plink

Vera 

Zapple 

and ...Fillin (or Ima Goodgirl or … hmmm?)

I also have to say that I was totally de-lighted to meet Armor Baron.   Any adjective less than delighted undercuts this character and I absolutely had no idea going into this game that he was in it.  My reaction was pretty close to Skys in-game reaction.   Just trust me your going to love Armor Baron.

While the meetings with Risky Boots are less than my ideal, I really, really like how the fights play out similarly to how you fight Risky Boots at the end of Shantae: Half-Genie Hero.   It feels like a genuine Risky Boots/Shantae battle and I really like that level of polish.   Going back to my point of why is this a Shantae game and the difficulties of making a sequel this is really a tick in the good sequel feel column.   I just wish I felt this more.

Lastly when talking about characters and maybe this is a spoiler or not (Sorry. Maybe sorry?) Bolo is voiced by Ross.   More specifically the Newgrounds/Youtuber Ross O'Donovan also known as Rubber Ninja   (formerly Rubber Ross uhm... errr, I guess that's his Gameplay channel on Youtube now?   So maybe he is still Rubber Ross?) and also a former Game Grump.   I don't know Ross personally but from what I do know about his personality from reading his Tweets and watching his animations and videos from when he was on Game Grumps 

that is a perfect choice Wayforward.   10/10 and that's keeping up with all of the other characters voices too.   Christina Vee (Valenzuela) returning portrayal of Shantae and Risky Boots (and also Harmony) is also very good.   This series has always brought a lot of talent in that department.

Aesthetically this game is gorgeous, the high definition character sprites/graphics from Half-Genie Hero all return and there are new character portraits that look really nice like the next step in terms of polish.   Studio Trigger did the opening animation and the other in game cutscenes put together in house look really, really good.

This game is wonderful, truly.   I don't want you to take away anything else.   It is absolutely worth your time and you will have a good time playing it but it just misses the mark.   I would love to say that this game is Shantae perfected but its not.   Not yet anyways.   It is some combination of a step forward and a step back.   I think I still have more to experience and definitely more to say.   My first completion was way over the time limit for a notable clear time and I didn't complete the item collection 100% either.   I am reasonably sure that once I finish this game with a faster time, higher completion, on new game plus and a combination of all 3 of those criteria combined I will find out more about the story.   I'll get the “Good ending” -s and I'm also sure I will also get better and more efficient with playing the game. Maybe then some of my not great first takes will change too.   Shantae games (and Metroidvania games in general) get better with replaying and when you learn the in and outs.   I still have a pretty good memory of Half-Genie Hero even though I haven't played it in a few months.

Maybe I'm a sucker but I also want some DLC.   Give me a version where you play as Risky Boots (please, I miss her) and what could also be fun is a game from the perspectives of the other half-genies in game where you switch between them all at each point before they are captured and play a sort of soft redesign of each dungeon and boss and the end can be the lead up with a particular Siren.

There's a lot that I look forward to this game and this series future.   I plan to look up the achievements I missed and collect them.   I also need to go back and play the original and Risky's Revenge sometime too.   I would like to do a proper review of this and the other games in the future.

Now if you'll excuse me, there's a Speedrun of Shantae and the Seven Sirens that I have to go fail a few times.

(Note this post originally had pictures and GIFs for visual aid/jokes but after trying to post it about 5 times with no luck and coming back, I just deleted them all.  I’ve come back and edited some things that look weird and I think I’ve gotten them all, but apologies if I missed some.  WOMP)

#shantae #shantaeandthesevensirens #shantae and the seven sirens #videogames #video games #wayforward #firstimpressions #xbox #xbox one #switch #metroidvania #platformer #hashtag