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capn-twitchery · 8 days

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do you have any tips for drawing expressions? it’s one thing that I always notice about your art, I love how expressive your characters are.

thank you so much!! it really means a ton bc expressions are one of the things i've focused & worked the hardest on over the years :D ♥

which ALSO MEANS--HA, YOU ACTIVATED MY SPECIAL INTEREST TRAP CARD i am now going to talk at you all for far too long about it >:) buckle up!

prefacing this by saying i Love animation, this makes me biased as hell with where i get my sources + how i study art. anyway!

i think my biggest #1 tip is don't be afraid to get goofy with it--characters don't have to look cool and stoic all the time, they can be silly! if an expression reads better, but looks a little off-model, do it anyway! make that guy look weird!

i draw little thumbnail expressions a Lot, whether for actual art or for just fun doodling. i don't have any recent ones to hand-- but here's some from a while ago. they help a ton to figure out what works quickly without worrying about actual facial features

they also help to see if i can push an expression further, it's easier to test out weird things on a tiny round doodle and then translate that into an actual drawing later on. pushing expressions To The Limits is a really good exercise in itself!

gonna put the rest under the cut bc it's getting long & i have a lot more to say

ok this in itself is a whole topic i can go on about for hours, but i'll try to keep it semi brief--i Love considering how different characters would show emotions! how one character would express sadness, how that would be different to another, how one character would smile vs. another, stuff like that!

related, giving characters individual expression quirks. twitch's :3 mouth & lazy lidded eyes if you could see them anyway & Very Smug Eyebrows, while grace has heavy low eyebrows & sad puppy eyes & usually looks at least 10% unsure at all times. it makes every single twitch smile look slightly not genuine and makes grace look. well. you know. the quirks are really fun to think of, and it makes drawing expressions feel a lot more fun when you personalise them!!

expressions can be easier to think of when you put characters in scenarios & consider how they'd react. it can also help to think of the character Moving/talking, instead of as a static image. mini comics or just adding dialogue to art helps a lot with this, i've only just started doing it and i'm having a blast!!

ok this one is weird and hard to explain and might only be applicable to me bc i can't see images in my brain-- but i'll throw it out there just in case! lots of artists make faces in the mirror to reference their own expressions, but it's never worked for me

i Do still act stuff out in my brain & make faces irl, but instead of doing it in the mirror, i just make the expression & consider how my face is moving in Words? ok for example This Comic, last panel for twitch--i'd run through the dialogue in my head and move around how i feel like they would, and list it off in Words--raised eyebrows, closed eyes, tilted head, etc etc. then i have a framework to base the expression on! and i don't need to stare into my own face in the mirror for reference. no mirror needed at all, actually. win/win. i do this for body language too

(yes this makes you look insane btw. sorry. if you do it too long best case scenario you get very dextrous eyebrows and worst case scenario you might start making cartoon character faces irl (or both) (i'm both))

not sure how much it helps specifically with expressions outside of animation, but it's a fun exercise--learning the limits of a character's face, animation calls it squash & stretch. drawing a face in the two most extreme states. so on character expression sheets you'll see weird faces like this⤵️ that's what that is

another exercise, i always have a ton of art saved that i like the expressions of. usually a lot of concept art for films. i'll do studies of them & redraw them, and/or take ocs and redraw them with those expressions! it's a great way to look at how other artists do stuff and yoink bits you like.

you'll hear this a lot if you look up Any art tips, but references & studies are great. i get a lot of inspo from disney concept art bc their artists are very talented people, but currently i hope disney studios' own hubris eats it alive. i want to see mickey mouse buried in a hole, the rat bastard. anyway some places i personally take inspiration from:

i look at a lot of animation concept art, some good sources are characterdesignreferences, livinglineslibrary, there's pdfs of animation art books all over the place too.

specific concept artists i like are jin kim & shiyoon kim !! they do Great expressions.

outside of film industry, tealin and tracy butler of lackadaisy cats are some inspirations! tracy butler has a great expressions tutorial here

if you find this stuff interesting & like reading, the illusion of life by ollie johnston & frank thomas is an incredible insight into the thought process behind stuff like this! there's a pdf here, unfortunately just a scanned copy but worth a read if you like this stuff!! specifically chapters 'character development', 'animating expressions & dialogue', and 'acting & emotions'

sorry that was an essay and a half but hopefully it was a little bit helpful!! i always love talking about this stuff so if you want anything clarified/just wanna talk about it more i am Always ready to go off >:3

#inquiries #solreefs #i have no idea how to explain these things in a way that feels Tangibly Helpful but i do love talking about it #hopefully it helps a Bit!! ty for giving me the excuse to go off hehehe #i wanted to do doodles to go along with stuff but my arms are achey today #alas. words will have to do #fredspeaks

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sylph--scope · 4 months

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pros of making detailed reference sheets: contains all info you need in a neat little package, satisfying to complete, can be personalised to fit the character :]

cons of making detailed reference sheets: it has been 60 years , please let me see my family ple

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summerwarlock · 26 days

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Hello 👋

Howdy, I'm SummerWarlock. I'm an artist and game developer. Very into BG3 right now in case that wasn’t immediately obvious. :)

I mainly post art here, you can find it under the tag #my art

Requests:

Got ideas for what I should draw next? I’d love to hear them. You can drop requests in my ask box or message me. I can't promise to get to every one but I'll do what I can and I always appreciate prompts.

Commissions:

Commissions are open!

If you'd like to me to draw (or animate) something for you, please get in touch.

As well as art I also make VIDEO GAMES. So if you ever want a self indulgent personalised dating sim just sayin 👀

Rules for commissions:

All payments through PayPal. NSFW is fine. (Doesn't have to be BG3 related, OCs and other stuff are all fine)

Pricing:

I'll have a new comms sheet linked here at some point buuut I keep procrastinating on it so in the meantime just message me, let me know what you're looking for and we'll work it out. General guidelines: Quick sketch - $20 B&W character - $50 Colour character $90

Extra $ for additional characters, backgrounds, other complex stuff. Discount if you're a returning customer 💕

Contact:

Message me here or email me at [email protected]

Support:

If you wanna help me keep making art (aaand the top secret video game I'm working on) you can support me on KO-fi. It's super appreciated. :)

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eliasmendoza · 1 year

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HPHL Character Sheet - Elias Mendoza

Oh hey hello! I would like to introduce my boy, Elias, to the world. I must point out that everything is still a work in progress, especially the plot but here we go.

Information under the cut!

I. THE BASICS

Name: Rafael Elias Anastacio Mendoza y Mangubat Nickname: Elias Gender: Male Birth Date: 31 May Myer Briggs Personality Type: ISTJ Species: Human Blood Status: Half-blood Sexuality: Gay Alignment: Neutral Good Ethnicity: Asian Nationality: Filipino Residence: Laguna, Philippines / Brighton, England

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II. MAGIC

Wand: Elder, Phoenix Feather, 14 1/2 inches, Hard

The truth is that only a highly unusual person will find their perfect match in elder, and on the rare occasion when such a pairing occurs, [Ollivanders] take it as certain that the witch or wizard in question is marked out for a special destiny.

Phoenix feathers are capable of the greatest range of magic, though they may take longer than either unicorn hair or dragon heartstring cores to reveal this. They show the most initiative, sometimes acting of their own accord, a quality that many witches and wizards dislike. Phoenix feather wands are always the pickiest when it comes to potential owners, for the creature from which they are taken is one of the most independent and detached in the world. These wands are the hardest to tame and to personalise, and their allegiance is usually hard won.

A wand of [hard] flexibility is very difficult to work with and its loyalty is not won easily. Hard wands are great for complex and advanced levels of magic, so beginning wizards and witches may find extra difficulty with this wand when it doesn’t perform well for simple magic. As such, this type of wand is best suited for wizards and witches who are gifted, stubborn, and never give up. Owners of this wand also have a tendency to view things in absolutes; black or white. Some people may find them intimidating or difficult to approach.

Animagus/Patronus: Philippine Eagle

Patronus Memory: Christmas in the village with his mother

Bogart: The deaths of his friends and family in the hands of the Spanish friars and militia

Ridikulus: Lavish and hearty parties with his friends and family

Miscellaneous Magical Abilities:

Legilimency and Occlumency Legilimency and occlumency have long been hereditary powers passed down each generation of the Mendoza family. Elias was able to harness his abilities to its full potential by the time he turned 12 years old.

Animagus (Philippine eagle) It becomes tradition in the family and the village that every successor to the title of Supremo becomes well-versed in every type of magic detailed by the predecessors of the title. One part of this tradition is to become an Animagus by the age of 10.|

Wandless magic Elias, like the rest of his family, learned to harness their magic without wands at an early age. However, at Hogwarts, he was required to use a wand, which he had initial difficulty with but managed to use.

Celestial divination Every Supremo aspirant has to be a master of the art of divination. Elias’ best application of the craft is in the field of celestial divination. Living in a mountain village grants him wider access to the nightsky compared to living in the city.

Amortentia (What Elias smells like vs. what Elias smells):

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III. APPEARANCE

Faceclaim/Voiceclaim: Atom Araullo

youtube

Singing Voiceclaim: Josh Groban Singing Vocal Type: Tenor Height: 6'0 Weight: 175 lbs. Physique: Mesomorphic Eye Colour: Brown Hair Colour: Black Skin Tone: Tan Body Modifications: None Scarring: Scar on his right eye area from his escape with his mother from their village during the Revolution

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IV. PERSONALITY

Intelligent - Elias is intellectually gifted with a natural need to satisfy his thirst for knowledge, which comes especially handy when it comes to wanting to explore various aspects of magic.

Charismatic - Elias's gentlemanly charm and aura somehow draws people to him (even the people he doesn't care for very much *ehem Leander Prewett ehem*) but

Gentle - Around people he’s closest with, Elias comfortably shows the kind and gentle person he is. He does the same thing with his patients whenever he volunteers at the Hospital Wing alongside his mother. The head matron of the Hospital Wing once told Ma. Aurora that Elias’ bedside manner was admirable for someone his age and that could be a great Healer one day if he chose to become one because of it.

Self-Reliant - In order to help his mother worry less about him at Hogwarts, Elias self-enforces a self-reliant attitude to make sure she worries less about him. He does, on rare occasions, show light frustration about his seeming inability to indulge. On the other hand, during troubling times, he tends to close off his problems from others so that he doesn't bother others with his problems. Elias tends to repress his emotions in order to put something else that he believes is more important first like his duties to learn and to help his mother when he can. It comes to a point that he forgets that being able to be in touch with how he feels is part of taking care of himself. At worst, his emotions bottle up until they blow up and he lashes out at others.

Hardworking - In relation to his self-reliance, Elias works hard whenever he has a goal he wants to achieve. He maintains his dilligence constantly and does all that he can to make sure his goals are met ethically.

Grateful - Because he was given refuge at Hogwarts with his mother, he makes it a point to excel in his education at school as a sort of debt of gratitude for the Board of Governors allowing him and his mother to reside at the school. This “debt of gratitude” ideology and can at times push Elias beyond his limits to a point that he forgets to take care of himself.

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V. ALLEGIANCES Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw Affiliations/Organizations: Ang Konseho ng Mahika ng Nayon ni Maria (Tagalog, lit. “The Council of Magic of Maria’s Village”), previously

Professions:

Volunteer at the Hospital Wing (during Hogwarts years)

Curse-breaker for Gringotts

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VI. HOGWARTS INFORMATION

Class Proficiency: Astronomy: ★★★★★★★★★★ Charms: ★★★★★★★★★★ DADA: ★★★★★★★★★★ Divination: ★★★★★★★★★★ Flying: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Herbology: ★★★★★★★★★★ History of Magic: ★★★★★★★★★☆ Magical Theory: ★★★★★★★★★★ Potions: ★★★★★★★★★★ Transfiguration: ★★★★★★★★★★

Electives: Alchemy: ★★★★★★★★★★ Ancient Studies: ★★★★★★★★★★ Arithmancy: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ Care of Magical Creatures: ★★★★★★★★★★ Music: ★★★★★★★★★★

Best Subject: Defence Against the Dark Arts His adeptness at martial magic can be credited to his skill and learning from back home. He uses his knowledge from then to build on what he learns now to come out with more powerful offences and defences.

Favourite Subjects: DADA, Charms, Transfiguration, and Magical Theory

Favourite Teacher: Professor Eleazar Fig. Fig has been with Elias since the start of Elias' journey in Hogwarts. In a way, Fig became a sort of paternal figure to Elias, which the latter deeply appreciated.

Worst Subjects: Flying Elias isn't bad at flying on a broomstick, but it's not his best class either. He's just meh.

Least Favourite Subject: History of Magic As much as Elias understands the importance of history in any field, the way this class is taught throws this course right to the very bottom of his list.

Least Favourite Teacher: Professor Cuthbert Binns. Enough said.

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VII. RELATIONSHIPS

Mother: Ma. Aurora Leonor Mendoza y Mangubat Ma. Aurora is the current Supremo and shaman (also known as babaylan in Tagalog) of the village coven who taught Elias everything he knew about magic. Ma. Aurora is extremely proficient in charms, transfiguration, divination, herbology, potions, alchemy, martial magic, and most especially, healing. Medical magic has been her greatest strength as a wielder of magic.

Ma. Aurora is a single mother. Her husband Victor Saturnino Mendoza y del Rosario, died in action when he succumbed to his wounds mere minutes after being severely injured by Spanish guards in a battle to free one of the nearby non-magical towns when Elias was only a toddler. (NOTE: ”Ma.” is short for “Maria”)

Love Interest: Sebastian Sallow

Best/Closest Canon Friends:

Sebastian Sallow

Anne Sallow

Ominis Gaunt

Amit Thakkar

Natsai Onai

Poppy Sweeting

Garreth Weasley

Imelda Reyes

Samantha Dale

Best/Closest OC Friend: Cassius Shade (made by my closest friend uwu)

OC Friends:

Daniel Gibson (@catohphm)

Maya Catapang (@sallowslytherin)

William Sherrot (@thisconfusedginger)

If you guys want to be friends with Elias, hit me up! I'd love that. Elias is a sweetheart who deserves friends. 🥹

Other Acquaintances:

Leander Prewett NOTE: Elias doesn't particularly care for Leander, to put it lightly; Leander has an unrequited crush on Elias.

Andrew Larson

Everett Clopton

Enemy:

Ranrok

Victor Rookwood

Theophilus Harlow

Dormmates:

Cassius Shade

Amit Thakkar

Everett Clopton

Andrew Larson

Pets: Cesar, a stray kneazle he found on rainy day at Hogsmeade in Year 3.

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VIII. PERSONAL TRIVIA

Elias developed a liking for hot chocolate in Britain as it reminded him of tsokolate tablea from back home in the Philippines. (More on it in the miscellaneous section).

Elias is a talented musician. He's especially gifted on the piano, guitar, and the bandurria (as in Marcin Patrzalek levels of gifted). Elias also has an incredible tenor singing voice. He trained in music as a child but still plays music once in a while to release stress. He'd never admit to it, but he uses these talents to make potential lovers swoon. *ehem Sebastian ehem*

Speaking of Sebastian and music, Elias once played music for Sebastian on his guitar. He played Frederick Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 on the guitar because Elias thinks this song describes the joy and love he feels for Sebastian. 🥹

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IX. BACKGROUND/HISTORY (WORK IN PROGRESS!!!!)

WARNING: Canon revisionism and mentions of the Spanish colonial period in the Philippines are in effect. If you feel strongly against it, well, kindly submit a complaint to 1-800-I-DONT-CARE.

Pre-Hogwarts:

Childhood

Elias Mendoza was born and raised in the village of Ang Nayon ni Maria (Tagalog, lit. “Maria’s Village”) located in Mount Makiling in Laguna, Philippines. His mother, Ma. Aurora Leonor Mendoza y Mangubat, the current Supremo (Tagalog, lit. “Supreme”) of the coven of the village, was among the last magical users of their village and the keeper and teacher of the knowledge of the ancient magical arts of their ancestors. Ma. Aurora, his mother, acted as his teacher in the various disciplines of magic.

At an early age, Elias was capable of using magic and was able to develop his powers. Manifesting those powers and being the only child of the family meant he would one day take over for his mother and bear the responsibility in his village and his bloodline of being the next Supremo. At this time, he was taught various fields of magic that would be essential to his ascension to Supremo, such as transfiguration, potions and alchemy, divination, healing magic, caring for magical beasts, charms, and even the dark arts and how to defend against it.

Pre-Philippine Revolution

When Elias was 10 years old, the foundations of the Philippine Revolution were being put into place. This was putting everybody in danger, even the village his coven was part of. Because any sort of “witchcraft" and "magic” was persecuted by the Catholic clergy, Elias and Ma. Aurora became targets. (The erasure of these parts of the country's precolonial culture and beliefs were kindling to the motivations for the eventual Revolution in 1896.)

The village council heard that soldiers from opposing and oppressive Spanish forces against the Filipinos were planning to kill Elias and Ma. Aurora,. they decided it was best to have mother and son flee the country and seek refuge with allies abroad.

Before they left, Elias and Ma. Aurora packed some of their most valuable items and memorabilia from their house, including multiple volumes of manuscripts on Philippine magic, family trinkets and tokens, and many more. Elias also chose to save his father's glasses and use them as his own.

While they were escaping, Elias sustained an injury on the area of his right eye after he was shot at by a Spanish soldier. The soldier missed and shot a window by accident, but the glass from the window scratched Elias' face and left him with a permanent scar. His eye did not sustain any injuries.

Life in England

Elias and Ma. Aurora were taken in by their coven ally Marcelo Roman de la Iglesias y Alonzo. Marcelo is a newspaper illustrator, and Herbology author specializing in the magical properties of Philippine flora. Marcelo was also an Ilustrado, a member of the Filipino educated class during the Spanish colonial era, who was living in Brighton, England.

It took 3 years for Elias and his mom to adjust to life in England but they learned the British ways of life enough to get by from being able to use British currency to speaking basic English. To pass the time in refuge, he spent his time in Marcelo’s library, reading all the books he could find on herbology, ancient history, and everything about magic. He also helped out his mother with taking care of Marcelo’s greenhouse while Marcelo took good care of them.

Another Filipino and coven ally residing in Madrid, Fernando Realonda de Guzman, visited Elias, Ma. Aurora, and Marcelo to deliver the grave news that the village has been destroyed by the Spanish militia and that there were no survivors.

When Marcelo realized that he can no longer keep Elias and Ma. Aurora safe in his residence because rumors were afloat of the Mendozas’ survival and whereabouts in Brighton, he reached out to friends in the British Ministry of Magic and in the Hogwarts Board of Governors to help secure refuge for the mother-and-son duo at Hogwarts, believing that they will be safe at the castle while Marcelo began to pack up and move to Madrid with Fernando for the time being.

Hogwarts Years:

Year 3

When Elias turned 13, the Hogwarts Board of Governors granted refuge to Elias and Ma. Aurora, thanks to Marcelo’s connections to the school. In exchange for refuge, Elias must enroll at Hogwarts and complete his education all the way to Year 7 without failing his classes, while Ma. Aurora must use her abilities in healing as an assistant matron in the Hospital Wing.

Hogwarts sent Magical Theory Professor Eleazar Fig to help Elias adjust to western magic and even with the use of a wand. Elias only had a few weeks to learn before he, his mother, and Professor Fig departed for Hogwarts.

Elias was the last to be sorted in the Sorting Ceremony as he was the oldest and was sorted into Ravenclaw.

In the first few months of Hogwarts, he had a hard time adjusting to life at Hogwarts. Sure, he managed to even defeat a classmate (*ehem Sebastian Sallow ehem*) on his first day of class at Defense Against the Dark Arts but it was still difficult to manage using a wand. He also had a difficult time making friends as well since he entered his Hogwarts education very late. He even felt like none of the three years he spent adjusting to British life prepared him for what life at Hogwarts would be like. On the plus side of things, he was on amicable terms at first with his dormmates, which grew into a brotherhood he needed to keep going at Hogwarts.

Anne Sallow was actually one of Elias' first friends. She made the first move and pretty much integrated Elias into all of her friend activities with her twin brother Sebastian (whose ass Elias whipped in a duel quite earlier) and her other best friend, Ominis Gaunt. Initially, Ominis was rather guarded around Elias but warmed up to him when Elias was playing some rather beautiful Ave Maria in the music room one day. Elias and Ominis bonded over classical music and eventually became friends.

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Year 4

The news of Anne Sallow's cursing broke Elias' heart. Anne was such a dear friend and a kind soul that he couldn't understand what sort of monster would want to harm Anne. Anne's absence from school left a hole in Elias' friend group that was noticed by everyone.

Elias realized that he was falling in love with the charming, intelligent, and charismatic Slytherin by the name of Sebastian Sallow. Sebastian was his best friend ever since Elias bested him within 10 seconds during their first duel at DADA on Elias' first day. Sebastian was one of the few people kind enough to reach out to Elias and be friends with him right off the bat. It was also Sebastian who made the most effort to get to know Elias and spend time with him as much as he could.

One fall afternoon from a trip to Hogsmeade, as they sat near the waterside and enjoyed some sweets, Sebastian and Elias had a conversation that led to an accidental revelation of love (from Sebastian). Elias was scared, knowing that he felt the same for Sebastian but didn't know if reciprocating was the best idea. For once, Elias chose to act with his heart and kissed Sebastian. Sebastian kissed the boy back as they held on to each other, not wanting to let each other go. After a while, they decided to give the idea of them a shot and become boyfriends.

Because Anne was still ill from her curse, Elias felt a bit of guilt for, as he would put it, indulging in a relationship with his friend's brother who was worrying over Anne on another level. Anne, however, had a feeling Elias and Sebastian would somehow end up together. Her being right was perhaps what made her crack a smile the day that her brother and her best friend visited her in Feldcroft.

Ma. Aurora knew of Elias’ relationship with Sebastian through her mother's intuition and the fact that Sebastian suspiciously started volunteering at the Hospital Wing after the two boys got together. He expected his mother to berate him for such a taboo, but was surprised that his mother did not care that Elias fell in love with a man. She knew that her relationship with her son mattered more over what society had to say about Elias and Sebastian, especially during a time when she knew she could lose her son at any time. She chose to be there for her son no matter what.

Year 5

At age 15, the world around him began to change as he started developing (quite rapidly) a different form of magic that had been rather latent: the use of an ancient magic that has never been seen for centuries. He learned that he had this ability on his journey back to Hogwarts after visiting London with Professor Fig to help secure his school supplies for his fifth year.

When Anne Sallow, Sebastian's twin sister, was teetering into a critical medical condition and was losing her life slowly but surely, Sebastian was at a tipping point and was close to using an ancient dark relic that may or may not have the ability to save Anne at the expense of Sebastian's humanity.

Ma. Aurora, Ominis, Amit Thakkar, and Natsai Onai, through the ancient manuscripts that the matron was able to save, found an ancient Filipino ritual that would allow a curse to be transferred back to its caster as long as the caster is living. Elias chose to participate in the ritual with his mother in order to save Anne Sallow, while Sebastian and Ominis waited outside the Hospital Wing anxiously. The ritual produced a specter of an dark and mangy street dog, ridden with ticks that carried the curse that haunted Anne. Ma. Aurora commanded the dog to find Victor Rookwood and infect him. The curse was successful, given how Victor Rookwood was constantly in pain upon his final confrontation with Elias outside Olivanders.

Solomon Sallow was obliviated, removing any memory he had of the battle at the catacombs, to protect Elias' and Sebastian's enrollment status at the school. Matilda Weasley was made aware of the situation but chose to shelf the incident, happy that Anne Sallow was saved but concerned over Elias and Sebastian's journey to achieve it. Professor Weasley granted mercy to the boys but warned them that she will not take future dalliances with dark magic as leniently next time.

Elias' final battle with Ranrok was watched by Sebastian (who was anxious the entire time and frustrated over not being able to do anything to help), Amit, Ominis (who relied on Amit's narration of events), the wheelchair-bound Natty, Poppy, and Garreth in the Map Chamber with the other professors. When the professors moved in to help battle the goblin armies, Herbology professor Mirabel Garlick and Deek the house-elf were tasked to watch over Elias' friends as they all watched the battle unfold on the floors of the Map Chamber. It seemed all hope was nearly lost when Elias sustained a critical hit from Ranrok's dragon, but Elias was able to strike back and win the battle for good.

To this day, nobody knows if Elias took the power of the repository for himself or if he let it lie where it lay.

Elias' victory over Ranrok in the final battle of the repository cost him his mentor, Professor Fig, who died peacefully in Elias' arms. The professors found them and were shocked and heartbroken to see their colleague and friend dead. Elias grieved, feeling as if his only father figure has been ripped away from him.

Eventually, Elias and Sebastian found time to process all the events that happened to them together and talk about their future. After everything they went through, they decided to stick together and keep going.

Post-Hogwarts:

Elias eventually graduated at the top of his class and found a job as a Curse-breaker for Gringotts. He and Sebastian eventually decide to move (with Ominis) to London to be closer to work. The trio, along with Ministry poacher hunters Natty and Poppy, astronomer Amit, chaser Imelda, and the rest of the gang, would get together once in a while to catch up and have fun like they were kids again.

Given how he and his mother no longer had the Village to return to, they decided it was best to have new lives in England. Ma. Aurora stayed at Hogwarts and continued her work as an assistant matron and eventually became the head matron of the Hospital Wing. She couldn't place a finger on it, but working as a healer seemed to give her more peace than when she was the head of the coven; and so, she chose the more peaceful path in her life. She eventually tutors Anne Sallow, who chooses to become a healer herself at Hogwarts after much work experience at St. Mungo's. Elias still kept in touch with his mother.

Elias eventually married Sebastian and they had three children: two boys (Eleazar Alfonso and Santiago Vittorio) and a girl (Leonora Anne), with the latter two being named after Eleazar Fig; Elias' father, Victor; Elias’s mother, Ma. Aurora Leonor; and, Anne Sallow, respectively. Eleazar and Leonora were sorted into Ravenclaw while the middle child Santiago was put in Slytherin.

After exciting careers that took them around the world, the two settled in Brighton. They settled in the home that was previously owned by Elias' old family friend, Marcelo de la Iglesias, after the latter chose to settle in Paris, France permanently.

When life calmed down for Elias and Sebastian as the kids grew up, It was during this time that Elias decided to turn all of what he learned of the ancient magic he learned from his former coven and from his time as a Keeper of ancient magic at Hogwarts into a book, supported by Sebastian and his intensive habit cross-referencing. The notes have been completed and a manuscript was finished, shelved away with hopes to turn them into a book.

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X. ETYMOLOGICAL/REFERENTIAL TRIVIA

Elias’ village, Ang Nayon ni Maria (Maria’s Village), is hidden remotely away in Mount Makiling in the province of Laguna. The village acted as a place of refuge for many magical families. The name Maria is a reference to Maria Makiling, the mountain guardian and deity who protects the aforementioned mountain and its bounty.

Elias developed a liking for hot chocolate in Britain as it reminded him of tsokolate tablea from back home in the Philippines. Tablea are (literally) tablets of roasted, ground, and molded fermented pure (100%) cacao beans. Preparation for tsokolate tablea is different from European hot chocolate, in which the end result of tsokolate tablea is a thicker and richer beverage compared to the European version.

Elias’ “debt of gratitude” is a reference to a common Filipino trait called “utang na loob”, which literally translates to “a debt of one’s inner self”. In Filipino psychology, “utang na loob” is an “accomodative surface value” wherein one accommodates what the world wants. “Utang na loob” is rooted in the essence of obligation to repay a debt that is beyond an ordinary debt or the Western notion of owing a favor. In Elias’ case, he’s attempting to repay debt that is impossible to quantify (ie. his being granted refuge at Hogwarts).

The ancient Filipino ritual Ma. Aurora uses to heal Anne is inspired by the 2022 Filipino-Irish psychological thriller film, Nocebo, directed by Lorcan Finnegan and starring Eva Green and Chai Fonacier. The film revolves around a children's fashion designer being plagued with an unknown illness and turns to a Filipino nanny who uses traditional folk healing methods "to reveal a horrifying truth" to her illness.

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WRITER’S NOTES:

Hi all! So, thank you for making it this far. I’m sure to edit a bunch of stuff along the way so yeah. Plus, I’m literally fucking with the timeline here because I… honestly could not care enough about it lol.

I also couldn't bear the thought of Anne Sallow dying without a cure. I don't have the heart to just let her die like that so I did research on possible ways to cure Anne in Philippine mythology.

Again, if anyone wants their HPHL be friends with Elias, just hit me up or reblog this post and let me know!

#hogwarts legacy mc #hogwarts legacy oc #hogwarts legacy profile #hphl #hphl mc #hphl oc #hogwarts legacy playable character #hogwarts legacy fanart #oc: elias mendoza #sebastian sallow #sebastian sallow x mc #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x m!reader #so there hahaha that's that on that for now #i have tried and i hope this bodes well uwu

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sorcerous-caress · 3 months

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My writing used to be really descriptive and environmental, but I've abandoned that for more a narrative heavy storytelling where a narrator is your window for the world.

And honestly idk, the narrative comes naturally to me, and the descriptive has to be actively put in, I have to train myself to write it each time and squeeze my brain.

It also gets dull with time. there are only so many ways and times I could describe the sun shining in the morning before it gets redundant. but the same can be said for how much I love narrating longing and end up resusing the same phrases.

So far I only describe what I think is important to the environmental telling, unless it has a purpose then I leave it up to the reader to imagine what colour the couch was or what sheets the bed had.

But I didn't realise that readers' default response is just... to keep it blank. if I don't tell them there are curtians then they'll never imagine it, If I don't spell the way the food smelled then they'll never find it delicious, if I don't describe the ways the tree swayed then they'll never get a meter of how windy it is.

I never got criticism or hate comments for it, the opposite, I got compliments on my descriptive works saying how much they could imagine the world clearly, praising how well I've painted it. And those compliments motivate me to try more and put in more effort than a wall of criticism ever could.

I guess I need to hit a balance. "a beautiful webbing" was one of my works where I hit that perfect spot of balance between narration and environmental telling, but also that fic was a special case, a project I held immense passion for and it seems exhausting to have to do that to each fic especially with how i need to post at least once every three days.

ik quality over quantity and all but let's be realistic, this is fanfiction and not every story is a one I want to be top tier quality. not everyone wants to read an S tier fic, sometimes the B and C tier are absolutely preferable and easier on the mind. like a snack, there are many of them and they get to the poin faster.

I hate people who claim they're hard to please in fanfiction and only read completed works with 20+ chapters and 60k words. Who demand perfection for free and are proud of it whilst being willfully ignorant of how each type of fic shines differently. Not everyone wants to tell a story the same way, one shots are not less superior than multie chaptered works.

Your preference isn't superior to everyone else's, that one shot you glossed over could've been the most in character thing every written in the history of the fandom. Could've told a complex story through a couple lines. I've always admired people who can say so much in so little, who can summerise long paragraphs in multiple words.

It could also just be an average normal one shot, and that's fine and okay and is absolutely someone's preference. A lot of people like comfort snacks to enjoy.

Anyway the point is. I will try to get more descriptive, i try to avoid watching writing guides or reading about writing tips and tricks. The advice they give is really generic and I find that it boxes you in this regressive view of how writing should be. No matter how good the advice is, If it gets too overwhelming and it feels like you're doing nothing right then please take a step back and ignore everything everyone else has ever said.

Art is you, it's expression and communication. You want to feel it so you make it, you want to tell it so you share it. That's all, that's the end.

Be it erotica, crack fics, alternative universe or whatever. No one in this world can make it like you, it's fully personalised to your own mind and no one in this life could tell that story but you.

Oh I also have a clear lack of dialogue, I feel like it's one of the trickiest things to write because how easily it could break characters. How I have to keep spreadsheets analysing the way each character speaks.

Which, there are no spreadsheets, btw. I keep it in my mind.

Take Minthara for example, she is direct, forward and orders things. She never says "I think" or "maybe" she never asks either, she demands.

She wouldn't say "I hope we don't lose" instead she'd phrase it as "We will emerge victorious."

She likes using complex or flourishy words but never like Gale or Wyll, their type of flourish is entirely different and means to honey the words, whilst Minthara's mean to make the sentence more regal, aristocratic rather than noble. She uses them deliberately to show off statues while Gale uses them to show off intelligence, and Wyll does it for charm and theatrical poetry.

She doesn't take shortcuts either. She doesn't say "don't." Instead she separates it to "Do not." And forces you to listen to her long phrases, a small form of power play where she never makes herself or words smaller, she always uses them fully as they are.

And I have to do this for each character, you see how exhausting this easily can be. How every character also speaks as if they're from a different time. Karlach speaks more modernly but it's never like the common people talk in bg3, so she just...has access to modern dialogue and phrases for some reason?

Astarion never speaks like he is 200 years old either, not like an elf either. Halsin speaks like an elf, Cazador speaks like an elf, but not Astarion for some reason, and I have to keep that in mind.

Wyll is the easiest to write because his way of speech flows so well with my own writing, they compliment each other. Unlike how jarring Karlach dialogue in one of my fics.

Shadowheart is a character who uses filler words a lot, stalling or just uncertainty? She uses "I think, Maybe, is that so, I don't know but, I guess." Inbetween her sentences.

Maybe it's bc of the gaps in her memory? But it works in her favourite because I just need to remove the filler words whenever I want her to appear serious or whenever I want to flush out an important moment, it brings attention subtly to how reassured she is of her self.

Lae'zel speaks her heart in a way, she vocalises her observations to others and they take it as either criticism or praise when it's most likely that she meant neither and is just observing. Honestly to make it simpler, Lae'zel speaks autisticly which I relate to a lot, and which is why so many misunderstandings happen around her character when people assume she is mean or making fun of them when in reality she is indifferent and saying her thoughts loud and clear as they are.

People don't usually do that, they don't express their feelings as directly as Lae'zel. They hint it at, subtly or they play it down or exaggerate it. Lae'zel does neither, she speaks directly from the source and every word is deliberately chose and is exactly what she meant it.

But people aren't used to that, taking words at face value. And because they're used to people exaggerating or down playing their words, they assume Lae'zel is doing the same and filter her words through the same social protocol which ends up making her look too horny or too mean when she is neither. They needlessly attach meanings to her words that weren't there and complain about the results that they themselves made up when she already delivered the final results herself.

Astarion speaks like a 13-year-old who just learned what irony and sarcasm are. But put it through a modern dracula adaptation Snapchat filter, and you get the final results. He thinks he comes off as smooth, and sometimes he does, but it mostly falls flat and he comes off as johhny bravo.

His looks are what's important here, since they more than make up for his failure in words. Much like most of Edward Cullens lines were absolutely wild but because a sexy vampire was saying it then suddenly it becomes palatable.

But Astarion has his moments in relatablity. He is by far the most relatable character in dialogue. He says what we all wanted to say, but we didn't just to save face. He makes the crude jokes, he makes the sex innuendos andpenis dagger lame puns.

He also screams at the word and calls out. He also curses back at the gods who dammned him. He embraces his rage and resentment and expresses it without any shame. He lets the smooth facade fall and claws at the other performers on the stage of life as his own masks start to crack down. The only thing Astarion has ever been fully honest about is his own wrath, it's the single unpolished spot on his perfect surface, the single crack in his procline mask.

And there is something about how a one can't describe Astarion without resorting to poetry, how it writes itself at certain points because just like the sea, he is as beautiful as he is ruthless, as tender as the crashing waves against the jagged rocks, as fleeting as the dissipating sea foam receading back from the shore.

He can never be broken much like the fluid water can never snap. And it's this burning flame behind his failed flirting that pulls you in, the sparks of his passion that slip through that make his lame lines actually work, that make him so enticing.

#♡writing #♡character study #♡Astarion #♡Dialogue study #♡Minthara #♡Shart #♡Wyll #♡Gale #♡karlach #♡laezel

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glitterfiasco · 6 months

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i found this ramble in my drafts from february and it makes some reference to dated news but I wanna post it anyway bc nothing has changed about the issue itself

it really baffles me how dndbeyond does cosmetics.

there's a whole host of currently existing options - varying theme colours, pretty artwork to make your background, cool frames for your character profile! i play with all of these on my character sheets, and they're funky, really help you personalise your sheets and connect them to your characters!!

the main problem? the *only* way you can get a majority of the cosmetics is through pre-ordering books. now, pre-order bonuses are a good marketing strategy, sure, and with pre-order bonuses comes the nececcity for those bonuses to be exclusive. but when those cosmetics are a big majority of those that exist? you have a problem.

on a whole, of course i dislike the overall sentiment behind Cynthia Williams' notion that dnd is 'under monetized' - and the whole money-hungry mess that things have seemed with wotc lately. yet, i think in this specific matter i actually agree that it's a shame players don't have many options to spend money on the game. but...maybe let's give them some reasonable ones?

i am a DM, and have, as per Williams' observations, probably spent more on the game than the average non-DM. wotc can care about that discrepancy, but i really dont. what i do care about is that i am also a player and i *want* to be able to also spend on player things - like making my sheets look cool! and i actively cannot! in fact, the cosmetics i do own are primarily from pre-ordered books (some kindly gifted!) that i had interest in because i was a DM! it's not worth as a player it to pre-order a book you won't use for only the pre-order bonuses, and though a DM can awkwardly share those bonuses with their players, currently the only primary way players can get cosmetics is the few unpredictable monthly reward of a subscription. and we'll get back to those.

another downside to the pre-order bonus model? how fucking specific those cosmetics are - and i move to focus primarily on the frames here. they're of course themed to the books, but so often in a way that makes me wonder how few characters these would really fit the sheets of.

here are some frames from the Tasha's and Ravenlost pre-orders. the art is nice enough but...who wants these? i dont want these.

to get back to the subscriber frames, one might expect these to offer the more universal range of options. there are a couple nice vague frames, but the very few options are, once again, largely very specific, as season-themed frames. the subscriber frames include such all-applicable options as these.

you'll also notice a trend of heavily obscuring the character portrait itself (most obvious with my first two examples, and i promise there are other similar instances). overall it's just...frustrating that it's so difficult to find a frame that actually fits a character, nor obscures them beyond readability.

for so long, I've been baffled at the lack of a cosmetics shop where one can buy generic and specific frames for pocket change. It seems so obvious, and hardly outside dndbeyond's current setup. give me leafy frames for naturey characters, music note frames for musicians! frames themed after signature spells - magic missile, mage hand, crown of stars. frames designed after the types of damage, after different subclasses, after different weapons! frames with varying levels of complexity - both simple designs that can just match a character's colour scheme, and detailed animated frames!

when we got these frames, and I was estatic! It really seemed like a step in the right direction with simple, useable, non-obscuring frames. they're great!

but since, though frames have gotten a little better in readability and specificity, we see no indication towards any change. occasionally, a book like the wildemount book will have some lovely generic frames, but then then the subscriber rewards are right back to weird and specific. can only keep fingers crossed, i suppose.

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ghosttownwherenoonegoes · 11 months

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I HAD A DREAM ABOUT THE HAWKINS CREW, CORRODED COFFIN, HELLFIRE, JOYCE AND HOPPER

ohmyGOD okay so all of us were playing some kind of campaign where we had to sleep in sections of twenty minutes and Eddie had written out a very long very precise set of instructions for everyone to follow. He didn't print out copies, he handwrote ALL OF THE ABOVE CHARACTERS their OWN copy of the instructions and personalised them with his own doodles. And we had to follow them to the letter, all of us, or the campaign wasn't gonna work.

So anyway, everyone sort of split up into their own groups and naturally, I went up to Eddie and I asked him if maybe he'd want to partner up with me? Eddie's response wasn't verbal, he just wrapped his arms around me, waited until I did the same to him, and then started humming Master of Puppets under his breath and it was so sweet and gentle😭 I swear, I could FEEL his arms around me.💔

All of us follow the instructions as best as we can, everyone is paired off nicely, and then Joyce and Hopper come looking for their kids. Will shows Joyce the instructions and she's confused but supportive (same impeccable energy as when she told Will she needs to buy him new crayons because it looks like his character is shooting cabbages🤣) but Hopper is like "this doesn't make sense". And he and Eddie go head to head in a very... They're challenging each other in a friendly way and having fun with it. Eventually, Hopper concedes and so does Joyce and they sit down to watch all of us play D&D, and we get a third of the way through the page before Eddie notices that the younger kids are all starting to find it hard to follow the incremental twenty minutes of sleep because they just want actual uninterrupted sleep, and he calls the session off so that they can get some rest.

Everyone kind of... Disappeared after that, I guess my imagination ran out of juice but it was me and Eddie in the end and I asked him if he was tired and he nodded and we laid down together surrounded by all the campaign props, character and instruction sheets, chalices filled with Mountain Dew, and then I asked him if... If maybe he would want to date me. We have chemistry, right, so how about it?

JUST AS EDDIE LEANED IN TO GIVE ME AN ANSWER, I WOKE UP.😭😭😭😭

I'll take that as a very graceful no 😂💔

#eddie munson

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arkenforge · 1 year

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What does OGL v1.1 mean for VTTs?

Hey folks! You’ve probably heard that a draft of the OGL v1.1 from WotC has been leaked. We’ve heard what this means for publishers thanks to folks like The Rules Lawyer and Linda Codega. We haven’t heard much about the VTT side of things. As a VTT developer, we’ll be weighing in on this issue from the digital TTRPG side of things. We’ll be explaining how this is a clear attempt for WotC to consolidate power in the digital TTRPG space at the expense of independent (and some large) publishers.

If you aren’t sure what the OGL is, we’ll let Wikipedia do the work on this one.

Before we dive into how this will affect the VTT space, we need to look at the context for the OGL v1.1 release.

D&D Beyond

D&D Beyond is by far the most popular tool for character management in D&D5e. It contains a fully searchable and filterable repository of all game rules, classes, races, spells, etc. It also does character management, encounter building and dice rolls, and hosts a digital copy of all official 5e adventures. Essentially, if you’re using any official content from Wizards of the Coast, you can find it on D&D Beyond.

Last year D&D Beyond was purchased by Wizards of the Coast for $146.3 million. At the time of purchase they had amassed almost 10 million users (now ~13 million based on a recent investor call). We learnt recently that WotC is using D&D Beyond as the cornerstone of their new digital D&D offering. All of the content and automation that is needed to play 5e can be managed through D&D Beyond except for one key element – interactive maps. That’s where the recent announcement of Wizards’ new VTT, OneD&D, comes into the picture.

But why male models VTTs?

For those that haven’t heard of the term before, VTTs are virtual tabletops. They allow people to run their games digitally, either online or in person. VTTs tend to provide tools and/or automation to make running your games smoother and more immersive. They are also very useful for those who have party members in multiple locations.

VTT use is at its highest point ever. After two years of global isolation, players flocked to online VTTs such as Roll20, Foundry, Fantasy Grounds, and Owlbear Rodeo. This led to millions of players who typically play around the table to experience digital tabletop tools for the first time, and by far the most popular game they were playing was D&D.

Playing D&D online

Right now 5e is played everywhere, and could make up as much as half of all TTRPG games played globally based on information from last year’s Orr report. This is a huge market, and right now it’s spread over every VTT out there. Wouldn’t it be great for Wizards of the Coast if everyone was playing on a platform that they fully owned and controlled? GMs could buy all their content from WotC directly, without needing to revenue share with those other VTTs. The famously under-monetised players could customise and personalise their characters with purchaseable cosmetics or character sheets that are provided by WotC directly, not by independent artists.

Wizards of the Coast certainly seems to think that this is a great idea. Enter OneD&D.

OneD&D is a new VTT being built by Wizards, slated for a 2024 release. Early footage from the announcement trailer shows it as a highly detailed 3D platform that provides all the standard VTT features. However, with everyone already using all the other VTT platforms competition would be quite fierce. That is, unless they had a way to shut out others from the market.

We think that’s one of the primary purposes of OGL v1.1 – to deliberately remove the competition for digital D&D tools, leaving WotC with the monopoly on all future D&D content through D&D Beyond and OneD&D.

Consolidating Power – OGL v1.1

The primary thing we need to worry about in the VTT space is covered by the following excerpts. We’ve bolded the important bits:

From the recent OGL post on DnDBeyond: “those materials are only ever permitted as printed media or static electronic files (like epubs and PDFs)”, and

This section from Linda’s Gizmodo article: “[The updated license] only allows for creation of roleplaying games and supplements in printed media and static electronic file formats. It does not allow for anything else, including but not limited to things like … virtual tabletops or VTT campaigns … You may engage in these activities only to the extent allowed under the Wizards of the Coast Fan Content Policy or separately agreed between You and Us.”

The mostly overlooked takeaway from OGL v1.1 is that it only covers static electronic files. That is, content that can not be altered in any way, and content that is in transferrable file form. No websites. Even if you’re putting up a single static web page, if it’s got text from a 5e book it’s illegal.

Creating a form fillable PDF? Not allowed. Building your own 5e character manager? Illegal. A 5e compendium? Do not pass go, do not collect $200 (ironically also a reference to a Hasbro product). Nothing that is both digital and interactive can be published without a special ‘custom agreement’ with WotC.

The forbidden content

Here’s a few examples of things that are both digital and interactive that OGL v1.1 forbids:

A fully searchable and filterable repository of any 5e content. If you can show or hide content based on a set of filters, it’s not static

Character management

Encounter building

I don’t know about you, but that sounds pretty close to all the things that D&D Beyond does! What else could you consider digital and interactive I wonder?

Interactive maps

Automation of 5e rules and combat

That’s sounding quite a bit like the features a VTT might provide! How awfully convenient that WotC is releasing one in 2024!

“But VTTs already have agreements, so OGL v1.1 won’t affect them”

This is an argument that WotC has already made, and no doubt will continue making until the release of OneD&D. This is specifically what they’ve said:

“The top VTT platforms already have custom agreements with Wizards to do what they do.” (source). This is a handwaving a lot of issues.

Firstly, note here that the top VTT platforms are specifically Roll20 and Fantasy Grounds. FoundryVTT, who at this point we would very much consider a top VTT, does not have a custom agreement with WotC. Arkenforge (who we consider a pretty great VTT) does not have an agreement with WotC. The vast majority of VTTs don’t have an agreement with WotC.

As Foundry founder and developer Atropos himself said recently: “We’ve been actively monitoring this situation and we’re going to be proactively working on a path forward that will cover our use case and allow us to support One D&D. We are not, however, in a position to do so already under the terms of today’s post. There is work to do“.

This isn’t a surprise

We alluded to this in our previous article about the D&D Beyond purchase: “The bigger implication here though is the continuation of ‘unofficial’ D&D Beyond support. …there are a large number of tools out there that are currently skirting an incredibly grey area of licensing. Neither D&D Beyond or WotC have approved these tools…. Knowing WotC, it’s incredibly likely that as the release of the VTT draws near, the creators of these tools will start receiving Cease and Desist letters and takedown notices”. It’s why we’ve deliberately shied away for putting anything even remotely close to 5e into our software. We’d love to have functionality that allows us to pull D&D Beyond data, but it’s a dangerous area.

There’s a very long list of VTTs that have appeared in the last few years that primarily serve 5e content. Too many to list here. All of these VTTs are risking cease and desists under OGL v1.1. Tools that pull content from Beyond, or even tools that allow for easy browsing of the 5e ruleset are also illegal under OGL v1.1.

Independent releases on VTTs

The other elephant in the room with Wizards’ statement is that this agreement is with VTT platforms that release their own versions of 5e books. VTTs are also an excellent marketplace for independent creators. They can publish their content for people to play directly without needing to worry about printing and distribution. Many Patreons also offer VTT content for their higher tier patrons.

Content that independent creators create and sell on these platforms is not part of the VTT agreement. Most likely the OGL v1.1 will prevent them from creating interactive digital versions of their products to sell on VTT marketplaces. This is going to force anyone wanting to create online D&D content to OneD&D, who will more than likely provide plentiful tools to publish your content through their own platform.

The ability for WotC to revoke any license with only 30 days’ warning can put a strain on those VTTs with marketplaces. We could very well have a message from Wizards that we need to remove a certain product at once. Not only does this put stress on our the people managing our marketplace, it can also annoy users who could see any D&D-related purchased content vanish from their libraries with no warning.

OGL v1.1 overreach

As you read above, we expected the heavy-handed crackdown on 5e content. It’s only natural that WotC would try to reduce competition and move as many players as possible to their own platform. What we didn’t expect however, were the changes to OGL publishing.

Wizards is trying very hard to have OGL 1.1 be the only publishable license available. They’re already trying to claim that the existing OGL is now unauthorized, which would prevent anyone from publishing under it.

If you think this will only affect D&D, here’s just some of the popular Publishers and TTRPGs that are published under the previous OGL.

Paizo – Pathfinder, Starfinder

Evil Hat Productions – Fate, The Dresden Files RPG

Pinnacle Entertainment – Pathfinder for Savage Worlds

Green Ronin Publishing – Mutants and Masterminds

This leads to one big question for publishers and VTTs alike. Can these publishers publish VTT versions of their systems and adventures? The new OGL says no.

A digital graveyard

Under the new licensing, Mutants and Masterminds can’t decide to put their content on any VTT without consulting WotC first. We likely can’t get official Pathfinder or Starfinder content on our own Arkenforge store because those new products may violate OGL v1.1’s ‘no interactive digital content’ terms. Despite a publisher already having a deep library of content, converting an existing adventure module for a VTT can easily be classified as a ‘new product’ that OGL v1.1 covers. No third parties could create digital content for these systems either. Many people will likely try to continue releasing content for open VTTs such as Foundry under the Fan Content Policy, but that’s treading into an incredibly grey area and will most likely be forbidden.

If this interpretation is correct (and all signs so far point to WotC trying to push this as the correct interpretation) then there’s a lot more than D&D that will be affected by this change in the digital space. Several independent creators will be unable to keep up releases with new VTTs unless Wizards allows them to. This simple change in the OGL gives Wizards of the Coast complete control of the digital future of several popular roleplaying games. We sincerely hope that this isn’t the interpretation that they end up going with.

Conclusion

Wizards of the Coast strongly believes that online, digital tools are the future of tabletop roleplaying. They’ve structured OGL v1.1 to try and monopolise this space for all future D&D content. Both large and independent publishers can only release digital content on Wizards’ terms. These terms will likely come with either OneD&D exclusivity requirements or some level of royalties. They can also choose to shut people out of the digital market entirely. OGL v1.1 gives WotC the ability to stop Paizo releasing any future Starfinder content on any VTT. There’s a couple of other tricks that they have up their sleeve that we unfortunately can’t discuss for legal reasons.

OGL v1.1 in its current form will undoubtedly be disastrous for the future of independent creators for 5e content. Wizards is unhappy with the lack of control they’ve had over independent creators in the past, and they’re now tightening their grip too hard. We can only hope that enough people speak out to make these Wizards break concentration.

#dnd #onednd #ogl 1.1 #ogl #opendnd

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