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navarresimp · 2 months

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ALL NUMBERS FOR GASTON

You do not know what you have brought upon this cursed website

1. Why do you like or dislike this character?

Genuinely always enjoyed extremely over the top dramatic flamboyant arrogant bastards who get redeemed as a character. I also love that never in the game he is an actual antagonist, he just makes himself very hard to get along with in the first half of the game and makes every fight as a partner extremely frustrating just because you killed a snake before he could once. 10/10 petty behaviour. You actually feel for him when he no longer is crusader captain because you know he's a sucker for attention and cares a lot about how others perceive him. Also spears are genuinely underrated weapons to give to a character. He's the definition of Christian boy guilt. 5 stars most arrogant man in Mikado (alive) would buy again

2. Favorite canon thing about this character?

Him canonically striking a pose when winning against Merkabah is by far the funniest fucking thing. He would absolutely do that again. I like to think he does that after every battle. He probably does it in front of a mirror sometimes.

Also him being a picky eater evident by his hunter association dialogue. Yes autistic king I get it.

3. Least favorite canon thing about this character?

Ik it's not really canon(thank god) as it is like a hallucination by nanashi but like the downright pedo dialogue at the start of the Beach DLC (Ew Ew Ew banana peel banana peel tomato tomato crucify the french boy)

4. If you could put this character in any other media, be it a book, a movie, anything, what would you put them in?

Faith the unholy Trilogy: make this man experience the religious horrors and see how long he'd survive

5. What's the first song that comes to mind when you think about them?

Titanic by Falco (it's about fully giving into decadence and being brave enough to take the fall)

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

Massive ego and flamboyancy

7. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you like?

The insanely scrumptious fanart that people post every now and them. Also everyone unanimously agreeing that he is the worst battle partner and is only good when auto grinding.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

The fandom consists of like 3 people and a bunch of dead shitpost accounts brother there is nothing to criticise when there is nothing to begin with

9. Could you be roommates with this character?

No, I genuinely think he would get very pissed by the way I organise and sometimes forget to pay rent (judging how decked out his family is he would probably be a landlord sympathiser).

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

We are already besties

11. Would you date this character?

HELL NAH

12. What's a headcanon you have for this character?

Most homosexual homo to have ever sexualed but is extremely repressed. Has memorized most of the bible and will drop psalms occasionally (even after killing God it's just that ingrained) Autistic, his first special interest was the bible, but autism wasn't yet invented in 1432 Mikado so everyone thought he was a child blessed by God. Knows how to ride horses, was taught by his father and knows how to cook, taught by his grandmother. After the peace route he discovered a cooking show DVD and rewatches it constantly. Is iron deficient, passed out often during puberty. Has NPD. If he lived in the real world he would be very rude to customer service staff but leave a 100€ tip.

13. What's an emoji, an emoticon and/or any symbol that reminds you of this character or you think the character would use a lot?

Fork emoji

14. Assign a fashion aesthetic to this character.

Light academia: white and brown hell yeah

15. What's your favorite ship for this character? (Doesn't matter if it's canon or not.)

16. What's your least favorite ship for this character?

Literally any ship that ships him with an under age character or him and his brother (I can't believe I have to say this)

17. What's a ship for this character you don't hate but it's not your favorite that you're fine with?

Forget the insanity of angels and the weird time bending shit that went on in Mikado for a minute and Gaston x Jonathan would actually become an interesting narrative of two gay guys who had their gayness repressed by a super religious kingdom and the inherently classist feudal system whose heteronormative structure demands heterosexuality to uphold the godchosen oppressor class and the tragedy of one becoming the very essence of the force that oppresses(angel) and the other bing forced to kill his lover to achieve freedom. Doomed yaoi if you will

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

If the writers knew how to cook they would've utilized the clear parallels they established between Toki and Gaston. Their friendship could've genuinely went hard. It does go hard but only in my head unfortunately.

20. Which other character is the ideal best friend for this character, the amount of screentime they share doesn't matter?

Bestie behaviour

21. If you're a fic writer and have written for this character, what's your favorite thing to do when you're writing for this character? What's something you don't like?

His extravagant speech, that is on the other hand very weird to Google how do you write the past tense of dilly dally

22. If you're a fic reader, what's something you like in fics when it comes to ths character? Something you don't like?

There are like 2 fics I love them all

23. Favorite picture of this character?

These two I made I can't decide

24. What other character from another fandom of yours that reminds you of them?

Apollo Justice Lawyersona Shin Megamitourney Acesei

25. What was your first impression of this character? How about now?

Genuinely don't remember anything that happened between 2013 and 2018 including my first play through. All I know now is that he is literally me.

#smt iv #smt iv apocalypse #gaston smt #smt gaston #you dont know how happy this makes me

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ankhisms · 5 months

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diary comic nov 30th, i didnt do much today and didnt have energy to do a comic yesterday so i did one about yesterday

tried out a different pen with this one

transcript in case you cant read my writing:

on wednesdays i have my martial arts class. i practice kobudo which is an okinawan martial art using weapons. ive been doing it for about five years now. you are here. right now im an orange belt. my dojo is very small and laid back which im thankful for since i have various pain and health issues. my teacher has always been kind and understanding. my favorite weapon is the bō! * bō: a 6 foot long staff. im getting better at sai, but i need more wrist strength. nunchaku are the most recent weapon ive started learning. *sai- 3 pronged weapon. *nunchaku- two wooden sections joined by a rope/chain. kata. white, yellow, orange. each belt level has different kata (a sequence of movements) that we have to learn to do. aside from being physical exercise, remembering the steps of the kata is the biggest challenge for me, due to my adhd/autism (and general memory issues). was it a side strike next? or was it an overhead strike? it can feel frustrating and embarassing to struggle to remember. i should know this... hey its ok, dont get too frustrated, youre improving! thank you.. but my teacher is always encouraging. its not easy, and im limited by my physical and mental issues, but i enjoy doing it and its been good for me to do- even if im often in pain afterwards. im going to try and test again soon. my dojo doesnt just pass you if you test, you really have to do well and earn it. i failed my last test, but i got help on what to improve. phew! and when i do pass itll feel like an accomplishment! yesterday after class: ok washed my hair whats going on whatd i miss. kissinger died lmaoo. yeaaaa my longest hell yeah ever.mp3 war criminal down!!!

#diary comic tag

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a-thirst-for-dunmer · 1 year

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My favorite things about all my Skyrim followers:

KAIDAN

-wicked ass armor and weapon with fucking tigers on it

-realistic cursing in life or death situations

-literally the most realistic male dialogue ever with his corny ass innuendos. ‘This monument, does it remind you of me, love? Just kidding.’

-so goated in battle. Mans can kill a dragon so easy and i don’t need to do anything but look pretty

-ACCENT.

CARYALIND

-his hair is so fluffy. I bet it smells like roses and vanilla bean, what’s your secret bb

-such a sweetheart all the time. No wonder he can’t be Thalmor, he has too much heart for it

-fucking backstory. It’s very Zuko without villain redemption arc, and the fact that he still worries about the LDB thinking worse of him for being Thalmor royalty is just *chef’s kiss*

-ACE REP. I really fucking love how he can dress like a hoe, flirt like a hoe, and look so hot but have no interest in sex. Mmm that’s my jam that’s what I like.

-boob window

-Kaidan interactions! Proving that Altmer can be kind and sweet and not lighting-shooting British assholes

INIGO

-the backstories for everyone are so damn tearjerking but this guy?? Don’t even get me started on this mans scars I will cry

-literally autism. Says everything on his mind. Sir you are me

-blue. And a cat. What else??

-Lucien and him have a bromance that hits so good

-suplexes Nazeem with only his vibes

-sings original songs, where’s his soundcloud

KHASH

-okay first off i was writing a character just like her for the daughter of my LDB and Revyn. Never knew about her but this is Leeta come to life and i crave it

-pottymouth

-Kaidan Big Bro protection dialogue

-so happy when she kills things

-literally exactly what I expected a baby Argonian to sound like. So cute. So grumpy

-her outfit is just on point. If i hadn’t transitioned i would be cottagecore peasant dress woman with cats

LUCIEN

-like Cary, he is just sweet himbo no brain

-kid in a candy shop vibes. He is amazed by the wonders of this world

-the nerdiest mans you know, would probably never shut up about shit with Auryen but i haven’t gotten that far yet

-bottom energy

-AUTISM once again

-also sings!! Can sing ‘Toss a Coin to Your Witcher’ parody!!

AURI

-she is the Moment

-eats people and only meat. Wanna see someone react to ThatVeganTeacher with her as a vtuber model oml

-bullies Lucien (affectionately)

-cool pod

-looks like she could kill you and could actually kill you

-slams ALL haters and unworthy into the ground with her dialogue. Faendal ily but you don’t deserve her

RUMARIN

-a sweetheart himbo

-very Skilled with magic, specifically bound weapons. As someone who uses conjuration as their main line of magic, because dremora and bound bow go brr, I LOVE THAT

-not really good at speaking poorly of anyone tbh

-like lucien, he’s optimistic and fun to be around

-very…earthy. Jank. Grungy. Not what you’d expect from an Altmer, to be living as an adventurer mercenary, and i like that for him

-eats in bed, brain too empty to clean for long periods of time

-polyamorous pansexual King

-says Z like zed, which makes linguistics in Skyrim lore interesting

NEBARRA

-literally me

-sarcasm to the max

-name means ‘foreigner’ or ‘scorned’ or something transgender. anyway, king nihilist shit

-only wants the good wines

-also, the Accent, very good very sass

-Shakespearean insults for days

-also regular insults

-just…insults

-mystery and striking fear into the hearts of all

TALIESIN

-i thought no one could top Revyn in vibes of what Elder Scrolls character i would kin but then ✨he✨ came along

-no idea why Altmer are Brits but with him, i can vibe with it he sounds so good

-giggles evilly in fights

-s a s s

-pansexual!! We are putting queer in the game! (Even tho all vanilla spouses are, in the most Basic sense, bisexuals)

-the spice he can add with Cary as a protector/snarky best friend. I Need their backstory

-afraid of dogs, cat person

-just an absolute bitch to the Dragonborn but like in a way my gay friends are to me

-eyeliner on fleek

HONORABLE MENTIONS FOR SKEEVER AND CROC

-silly voice go brrr

#tes #skyrim #skyrim custom followers

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creacherkeeper · 3 years

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homebrew autism & ADHD mechanics

been thinking about homebrewed disability mechanics for a while and thought i'd make a post with some suggestions based on my experience as a disabled self-advocate and disability coach. i've seen mechanics go around but i haven't seen them broken down by traits! also disclaimer: i am autistic but my experience with ADHD is through friends, family, and clients and i did consult to make the ADHD traits

**i recommend choosing 1-3 of these to emphasize mechanically for your character, and inhabit the rest of the neurotype through roleplay**

shared traits:

special interest/hyperfixation: choose 1-3 interests for your character. you make either intelligence OR wisdom checks about that interest with advantage. if taking an hour or more to engage with the interest, you gain the benefits of a short rest. if you must unwillingly disengage or move away from an interest topic, make a dc 10 intelligence saving throw. on a success, you are able to disengage. on a fail, you will do anything short of harming allies to stay with the special interest, and if there is a person or creature tied to your interest (such as a knowledgeable figure, celebrity, or particular species) you enter the charmed condition for them

time blindness: roll with disadvantage on wisdom and intelligence checks having to do with time, timed events, or order of events. if making an investigation check, you can lose track of time and trade one in-game hour for advantage on the check. add a free 'orb of time' to your inventory - you are unable to tell the time of day while indoors besides use of this item

sleeping issues: if going to bed before midnight, make a dc 10 constitution saving throw. on a success, you fall asleep normally. on a fail, roll 1d4. that is how many hours it will take to fall asleep. while waiting to fall asleep, you cannot be surprised by enemies. on a natural 1, you are unable to fall asleep that night and do not get the benefits of a long rest. you have advantage on saving throws against being put to sleep by magical effects, but may choose to fail them if you wish

sensory processing disorder: as decided by the dm, in busy, chaotic, or loud environments, your passive perception is knocked down by 5 and you have disadvantage on investigation and perception checks, and charisma saving throws. in quiet and calm environments, you get advantage on perception checks involving the senses and you cannot be surprised by enemies

executive dysfunction: **choose 2** 1) once per long rest, roll a dc 10 intelligence saving throw. on a fail, you lose one item from your starting pack. 2) if rolling to recall a list or instructions, make a dc 10 intelligence saving throw. on a fail, the dm may remove 1d4 of the items before telling you. 3) if making an investigation check that takes over an hour in-game, roll a dc 10 constitution saving throw. on a fail, you are too bored or frustrated to continue and auto-fail the investigation check. 4) when approaching a task that will take some time in-game, roll a dc 10 intelligence saving throw. if the check is failed, roll a d4. on a 1 or 2, you underestimate the time needed by one hour. on a 3 or 4, you overestimate the time needed by one hour. 5) prereq: spellcaster. when preparing spells for the day, roll a dc 10 intelligence saving throw. on a fail, use a random number generator to select one spell and take it off your prepared spells list. use the generator again to prepare a different spell at random

autism:

motor issues: choose between athletics and stealth, or acrobatics and sleight of hand. on one set you have advantage, and on the other disadvantage. you auto-fail dexterity saving throws while under the cover of the darkness spell or under the blinded condition

social: you have disadvantage on insight checks to tell if unfamiliar people are lying to you or using sarcasm. when telling an unfamiliar person a surprising truth, your persuasion check is instead treated in-game as a deception check. if you make a saving throw for a zone of truth spell, add 5 to the dc for only yourself. you may add one free language, or tool or weapon proficiency

meltdown/shutdown: make a list of triggers. when faced with a trigger, make a dc 10 wisdom saving throw. any character can use an action to grant advantage on the roll, including animal companions or familiars. on a success, nothing happens. on a failure, the player chooses between three consequences: meltdown, shutdown, or aggression. meltdown: you take on the 'fear' condition. shutdown: you take on the 'stunned' condition. aggression: you must use your action to attack - if the character is a non-combatant, it is a non-lethal unarmed strike. on any of the three consequences, a character can use their action to prompt another dc 10 wisdom saving throw. on a success, the condition is removed, but you take one level of exhaustion (if the condition is entered during a battle, the exhaustion is taken after the battle is over)

ADHD:

rejection sensitive dysphoria: at the trigger of rejection (real or perceived) make a dc 10 charisma saving throw. on a fail, you enter the stunned condition. you or an ally may use an action to prompt another saving throw to end the condition. when the condition is ended, you take one level of exhaustion (if stunned is entered during a battle, exhaustion is taken after the battle is over). the spell vicious mockery always prompts the RSD saving throw, and does max damage if the RSD saving throw has been failed in the same battle. you get max healing from healing word spells, and automatically get a 4 when under the effect of guidance

impulsivity: you auto-fail the saving throw for the suggestion spell. before rolling an attack, you may choose to subtract 5 from your attack roll in order to add your proficiency bonus to the damage. dash is a bonus action for you

focus: **choose 1** 1) inattention: if making an investigation check that takes more than 10 minutes in-game, first roll a dc 10 constitution saving throw - on a fail, you become bored and roll the investigation check with disadvantage. you roll with disadvantage to remember proper nouns. in a combat with 3 or more enemies, if more than one enemy is within your normal movement speed, you must pass a dc 10 wisdom saving throw to attack the same enemy multiple turns in a row. 2) hyperfocus: while making an investigation check, if you spend double the usual in-game time on the check, you will roll with advantage, but if you are interrupted before that time can pass, you roll with disadvantage. if engaged with a task, roll 1d4 - this is the amount of hours that will pass in-game if you are not interrupted - during this time your passive perception is knocked down by 5. in a combat with 3 or more enemies, you must pass a dc 10 wisdom saving throw to switch targets or take a disengage

if you enjoyed or are planning to use these mechanics, it would be totally cool to drop me a kofi but absolutely no pressure! if this post does well enough i'll probably end up making more cause this was super fun!!

#dnd #d&d #d&d homebrew #d&d 5e #actually autistic #autism #ADHD #d&d disability

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kathyprior4200 · 3 years

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Fishy Scientist

“Baxter’s Birth”

February 20 1888 (Aquarius/Pieces) same year that Sir Pentious died

Lower Saxony, Germany.

Robert Wilhelm Bunsen was a German chemist and created the Bunsen burner, a device that Baxter frequently uses in life and his afterlife. Baxter’s real name (fan made) Brenner means “burner” in German. Bunsen was a chemist role model for Baxter. Bunsen died in 1899, when Baxter was ten. Baxter went to the same university, University of Gottingen.

Baxter: white skinned short man, short black hair, ocean blue eyes, later wears glasses, gloves, goggles and lab coats. Frequently wears a dark blue suit with a bow tie, white buttons, black shoes and a round matching hat. Freckles dot his cheeks.

In Hell, he is seen wearing dark gray lab coat with gloves, a top hat and esca light hanging from his head of blue/cyan hair. He has fins and cyan freckles.

Father: Dr. Myron Fischer: tall man with black hair, black beard, glasses. Local fisherman, baker and later scientist after moving to the city. Showed Baxter concepts of a shrink ray, which Baxter would later use as a weapon in Hell.

Mother: Maraia (star of the sea) Fischer: Bread baker, later nurse after moving to the city, studies germs and microbes, leading to Baxter’s obsession with studying small things. Instilled a hard-working, no nonsense attitude to her sons at a young age.

Younger brother: Ryan Solis Fischer: musician (named after fan voice actor Ryan Solis, creator of Baxter’s Science Serenade). Ryan later went to Heaven and continued sharing his popular music. His parents chided him for not working hard like Baxter but Baxter always defending him.

Baxter loves science and solitude but dislikes being touched due to a fear of germs and not being in control.

1893 age 5

Baxter is an innocent little boy who enjoys looking at fish and marine life. His father teaches him how to fish.

At a young age, Baxter was struck by lightning and survived. The strike and his parents pressuring him to work hard led to his genius and obsession over his work. It also led to his stuttering impairment and OCD, which made him a target for bullying. Doctors nearly put him in an asylum after expressing so called “antisocial autism traits.” He was frequently poked and prodded by examiners, leading to a fear/dislike of being touched by others.

1897 age 9

Baxter dissects fish and becomes interested in science. He does science fairs as a kid but is bullied at school because of his stuttering and being a nerd. He is pressured by his parents to achieve perfect grades all the time. When he misbehaves, he gets shocked by his parents.

1904 age 16

Baxter was the leader of the scientist club and was working as an apprentice to a brilliant mind, a fellow mad scientist who got him interested in in-depth experiments and unethical practices. Baxter furthered his studies at the University of Gottingen from 1906-1909.

Baxter soon fell in love with a woman researcher.

Baxter triggered the pleasure and pain receptors of subjects and studied anglerfish intently, dissecting fish, rats and other animals. He was infamously known for producing chemicals later to be used in nuclear warfare.

Over time, Baxter became more neurotic and isolated, wanting everything to be in its proper place. He became obsessed with small things, trying to make a miniature version of himself. He killed many victims via injecting diseases, chemicals, electric shocks etc. all “for the greater good” of progress.

He fell in love with a woman but when she became repulsed by his methods, he grew bitter. His experiment gone wrong accidentally killed his mother, and his father never forgave him for that. The chemical that Baxter made were to be sued in the upcoming World War One.

“Dragged Into The Depths”

April 14 1912 age 24

Baxter dies on a boat (The V.M. Angler) in 1912 (same day as the Titanic) after traveling to the United States in search of a more prosperous life. He was going to bring his dark experiments with him but the boat flooded in a violent storm. Baxter had been studying and abusing anglerfish in particular, trying to use their glow for light. Like calculating anglerfish, Baxter lurks alone in the darkness, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. When he ironically couldn’t swim, he sank to the bottom of the ocean and was promptly eaten by none other than a hungry anglerfish.

Baxter died at the start of World War One and before World War 2 and Nazi Germany.

Hell, 1912: “Fishy Fish Out Of Water”

Baxter arrives in Hell as a blue-teal anglerfish with female features. He can breathe underwater and turn into a giant anglerfish in his demon form. Baxter realizes that he is bisexual, showing a brief appreciation for Niffty and Sir Pentious. (Baxter has a secret on again off again crush on Sir Pentious, Niffty and Helsa…and even thinks Alastor is hot at times, though he denies it to himself.)

Other demons are quick to bully Baxter, but he manages to escape. During an extermination, he grabs an angelic spear and uses its angelic energy to power up his inventions. Baxter travels underwater to Leviathan’s kingdom. Baxter would’ve been lost, but his family managed to get a position as researchers for King Leviathan, the gatekeeper sea monster. The king and one of the von Eldritch family members gives Baxter enough funds for him to build his own laboratory: Baxter’s Laboratory! (The von Eldritch members only helped Baxter and his family because they were Leviathan’s talented researchers)

Baxter’s parents resemble fish in Hell (mother a pufferfish, his dad another anglerfish) and have new names: Myron (after Reducto) and Maraia (Star of the Sea). His father still fishes on sea and captures sea monsters for Baxter to study. Both his parents are still strict and distant from him.

Like the anglerfish, Baxter resides alone in his dark underground lab, seeking victims to prey and experiment on. Ironically, he remains scared of drowning and being trapped underwater. Thankfully, his demon form allows him to swim and breathe underwater.

1915: “The Coldblooded Madmen”

Baxter becomes an ally/rival to Sir Pentious. The snake almost kills him when the fish accidentally steps into his territory. In exchange for Sir Pentious sparing Baxter’s life in turf wars, Baxter helps Sir Pentious create his Egg Bois “They’re alive!” and they exchange inventions.

Baxter grows tired of Sir Pentious’ old time inventions and Vox alerts him of newer inventions on Earth that he later incorporates over the years.

1920s-1990s: “Xirxine”

At some point, Baxter joins forces with Xirxine labs and Annie the cold Zoophobia scientist, where they separately perform unethical experiments on other demons. (lobotomies, electric shock therapy, hunger prison studies, injections of drugs and magic etc.) They use their DNA samples to study all their powers and physical features. Baxter creates his shrink ray “Back off, I say!” as he shrinks demons to capture them and perform experiments on.

2000s: “Potion Making”

After Velvet arrives in Hell, she orders Baxter to create potions, perfumes and drugs for her to sell on social media. Baxter creates drugs and poisonous chemicals. Baxter longs to create Hell into an underwater metallic paradise of his own making. He believes that everyone else is dumb and deserves to be manipulated. Baxter misses his parents but also doesn’t mind being alone…most of the time.

2021: “The Hazbin Hotel Episode 1!”

At some point, Baxter is tired of being watched and observed under the microscopic eyes of the tech Overlords and Sir Pentious. Baxter reluctantly goes to the Hazbin hotel for a place to stay, along with Mimzy and Crymini. He is genuinely curious and skeptical of whether Charlie’s idea of redeeming sinner could work. Baxter meets Niffty, Mimzy, Crymini and the other residents of Hazbin Hotel. Baxter then decides to create another lab…underneath the Hazbin Hotel!

Baxter thinks Niffty is cute in her own way but isn’t interested in any romantic relationship. Niffty, however, follows him everywhere, much to his annoyance. Baxter isn’t happy when he’s forced to go to Charlie’s “group therapy” sessions instead of working in peace. Charlie says that Baxter needs to come out of his shell, make friends and use his experiments for good instead of evil. Baxter then studies everyone, taking notes and considering making A.I.s and more creatures in tanks. He writes down information about all their abilities. Baxter creates demon lab rats but is mad when Niffty eats them up as she cleans.

Like Reducto from Harvey Birdman, and Fu from Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Baxter’s love of science can get him on the wrong terms with people. He wants to study Alastor’s dark powers and use them for his own gain but knows to stay far away from him. Despite being somewhat affiliated with the oceanic Von Eldritch family, Baxter doesn’t care much for Seviathan and Helsa. He doesn’t like them for good reason, they consider sinners inferior. Baxter knows there is tension between Vaggie, Seviathan and Alastor as they all fight over Charlie!

2022: “Villainous Vs” “Back off, I say!”

After Baxter tries to take over Hell by spreading drugs and machines in Pentagram City, he is eventually apprehended by Charlie and company. Baxter’s parents, Niffty and others help him redeem.

Baxter fights the Three Vs but Vox steals his technology, becoming a greater threat. Baxter and Sir Pentious are held hostage in their own inventions. Vox plans to broadcast their deaths on TV: Sir Pentious being crushed by machinery and Baxter being drowned and eaten by Vark, Vox’s pet shark!

Thankfully, Charlie, Vaggie, Alastor, Husk, Niffty and Angel Dust arrive to save the day. This also takes place when Angel Dust tries to break free of Valentino and confront his father Henroin.

Sir Pentious had wanted to be with the “cool crowd” and looked up to Vox as his crush. But once he was aware of Vox’s evil intentions, he and Baxter team up to help Charlie and the hotel.

2023: “Plan to Eradicate The Sinners”

It is later revealed that Rosie, the Von Eldritch family and the angels all have a grudge against sinners and Charlie. They all view sinners as inferior to the Hell-Born elite. They view Charlie and her plan as a threat to the stable hierarchy and plan to crush her dreams with Lucifer’s help. Rosie and the Eldritch family are closely connected since Helsa often buys clothing and antiques from Rosie. Rosie stays on Alastor’s good side until later tricking him. (Alastor then knows what it feels like to be betrayed after he casually betrayed Charlie and her hotel). Rosie aims to make sinners her designer slaves, cannibal food and torture toys while Vox and Valentino plan to influence other demons via brainwashing. The villains all have a similar goal: stop Charlie from enacting her plan so they can remain in power.)

Rosie makes a deal with the Three Vs, they would give each other money and Rosie would allow Vox and company to continue their media, provided they stay out of her way. Now Charlie and all the Hazbins must work together to fight the monopoly formidable foes. Lucifer orders them not to harm Charlie but they could harm anyone else if they put her in danger (aka Alastor). Of course, Charlie doesn’t want her dad to kill Alastor, so she and her friends have to redeem themselves and form other allegiances along the way. (Cherri Bomb, Molly (in Heaven with Angel’s mother), Alastor’s mother (in Heaven), Arackniss, Roo, Mimzy, Crymini, Baxter, maybe Sir Pentious, I.M.P. etc.) Charlie and company must stop the cannibals, Egg Bois, influenced/possessed demons of Vox/Alastor…without losing control of her power and giving into her primal Full Demon Hybrid Form. Baxter spends a lot of time helping Niffty and making chemicals to use against enemies.

2025: “Heaven and Hell War Take Two!”

Baxter would eventually team up with Charlie and the others in the fight against the Von Eldritch family, the Three Vs, and the angels. Baxter would make inventions to fight the Exterminators, becoming less neurotic and more open to people.

Baxter would eventually get redeemed and go to Heaven, but he wanted to go to Atlantis instead. Baxter considers building a rocket and flying through space to another world. He thanks Charlie for all she has done for him and he promises to use his experiments to heal and help advance Hell society…when he feels like it.

Baxter and his family briefly go to Heaven and Baxter shares his work with Niffty by his side. Hell became his more familiar home and Baxter ponders the idea of reincarnation. If Baxter goes to Heaven, he turns into a human-like version of himself with white wings, a halo and features of an angelfish instead of an anglerfish.

#baxter #hazbinhotel

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sunmaylight · 3 years

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TGCF Book 3 Reaction pt.5 - Adventures before Mt. Tonglu, the REDUX

*Sigh* Tumblr crashed at the worst timing. I have to do this all over again. Or at least make a quick abridge version.

I’m just going to try my best, *sigh*

Anyways. Lots of stuff happening before Mount Tonglu opens that it should deserve it’s own post or two considering that there are like five things happening in there or something and like over twenty Hualian moments highlighted in pastel pink. Can’t wait to continue from my last post to this. Cause the ending of that post of the Wind & Water Masters Arc has me realing at times.

QYZ and Xie Lian have go on a mission. They hav to find the Brocade Immortal Robe. But first a short break at Puqi shrine and Lang Ying.

Ch 129: Everywhere Xie Lian looks, he is reminded of Hua Cheng

- Me: Dang. Xie Lian has it bad. He is missing Hua Cheng like a housewife waiting for husband to get home.

Lang Ying: *Eats Xie Lian’s cooking like it’s nothing, helps around the house, basically doing all of the tasks Hua Cheng usually does.*

Xie Lian: I’m going to take a bath

Lang Ying: *Enters and sees a half naked Xie Lian. Runs away. Come back to take away QYZ and runs away again.*

- Me: Oh, so Hua Cheng did switch places with Lang Ying. ((My son! Hua Cheng, why?!))

Ch 130: QYZ’s backstory is revealed.

- Me: Why does that sound familiar? Is it because of the story from the Lantern Festival? Some reference to another book read?

QYZ’s story reveals that a Heavenly Official named Yin Yu was banished

- Me: *gasp* Wait. Is Yin Yu the banished Heavenly Official that Xie Lian saw working for Hua Cheng?

Golden Step-Litter appears to give Xie Lian a ride to somewhere. QYZ sees the Step-Litter like it’s the coolest thing he has ever seen. QYZ wants to ride it, but was pushed off. Xie Lian almost got pushed off, but ‘Lang Ying’ caught him.

- Me: Dang, cause I know who ‘Lang Ying’ is, it feels so sad when Xie Lian was going to call for ‘San Lang’, but it ended up as ‘San- Lang Ying’

QYZ is so chaotic. Does he have ADHD? I feel like he has ADHD and/or some levels of Autism. Though I don’t know cause I’m no expert.

QYZ does something reckless without thinking. Xie Lian, mother hens him and convinces him to stop

- Me: QYZ and Xie Lian reminds me of that one D:BH comic with QYZ as baby Connor trying to put everything in his mouth and Xie Lian is Hank, trying to stop him.

Yin Yu(?) does a good job, looks like he will pass out.

- Me: Yin Yu(?) looks like he needs a vacation and more pay.

The robes move and circle around the two Heavenly Officials

- Me: This reminds me of that one clothing commercial where the outfits were chasing this group of people. Once cornered, they changed the group of people’s outfits.

Xie Lian is the person who grabs the one cursed article of clothing from the donations box out of any other clothing.

- Me: *sob* book. Please stop reminding me of Xie Lian’s E Rank (Cursed) Luck. He needs that curse removed. Please.

Ace Attorney Xie Lian strikes again. Target: Ling Wen

QYZ has taken a liking towards Xie Lian. Like a puppy who follows you home after you give it some food and head pats. He behaves like a young boy from a shounen slice of life anime or a kid with ADHD.

- Me: QYZ, what a person

Xie Lian asks Lang Ying some casual questions. Makes it seem as though nothing is wrong.

- Me: gasp is this when Xie Lian will pull a question like “So, how have you enjoyed everything so far these past few days San Lang?” ‘Lang Ying’: “It could have been better if these Heavenly Officials left you alone Ge...ge....oh.”

Xie Lian corners ‘Lang Ying’ with calligraphy writing until the boy had no choice but to confess he is Hua Cheng

- Me: Now that is smart. Played Hua Cheng like a fiddle somewhat.

Ch 134: Xie Lian: After meeting you, I remember how to be happy again

- Me: QAQ

Xie Lian made homemade meatballs. QYZ eats one and passes out.

- Me: Oh god. Xie Lian. Do you know someone named Bianchi from KHR? I feel like if you two were to meet, you will be knowledgeable in Poison Cooking

Heaven’s Eye to Xie Lian: You! Your lips are tainted. You have kissed evil.

Xie Lian: *sweats* N-no. I haven’t.

Hua Cheng: *Looks at Xie Lian suspiciously*

- Me: ohohoh, Alright Xie Lian. You say that

Xie Lian lies to cover up his status, but his lies crash down on him and harm his reputation with Puqi village.

Puqi Shrine takes hits from two Heavenly Official’s fighting and 40-50 Cultivators striking down it’s door. Puqi shrine, collapse

- Me: Farewell Puqi Shrine. You have served Xie Lian so well.

Xie Lian: Stands straighter, and has a certain expression on his face

- Me: oh, will he finally snap now?

Xie Lian: Yells at the Cultivators. Then weaponizes his homemade meatballs into a poison that can only be detoxed by drinking 80 cups of water

- Me: Xie Lian, are you trying to kill them? You are basically joking that if they drink over a week’s worth of water, they will be ‘cured’. No, what is most likely going to happen is that they will die from too much water consumption.

Xie Lian: Reporting what happened about Ling Wen to Ling Wen.

Xie Lian: *realization*.....oh.

- Me: (QAQ) Now Xie Lian’s group of people he knows in Heaven shrinks again. The amount of people he was close too was really small, after SQX, I think Ling Wen was next. Now who will fill that gap?

Ch 136: Hua Cheng transformed into Hong Hong-Er’s age. Xie Lian: *pinches cheeks*

- Me: Aww. So cute.

Hua Cheng: With Mount Tonglu opening, He Xuan is hibernating

- Me: Black Water =?= Black Bear

Ch 137: Xie Lian crossdress again for safety

- Oh, now that outfit is better on Xie Lian than the last time he had to crossdress.

Random Food Stall owner, gives up on life after his stall is ruined

- Me: Cabbage guy: “MY CABBAGES!”

On the run, Xie Lian and Hua Cheng enters an inn run by Ghosts. They hide in the second floor and the group of Cultivators follow soon after.

- Jeez, I wonder who they could be.

The comedic skit of the Cultivators & Heaven’s Eye dodging from eating Ghost Food just because of their harsh criticism over the dirty dishes.

- Me: Will they fall for it, dang it, they did not.

Ghost lady: oh yeah. We have some suspicious guests on the second floor. Guests on the second floor: Why do I/we feel like we’ve been ratted out?

----

Okay. Going to stop here. Because I’m tired and still a bit salty that my og post was lost. However, I did go farther with this one than the og post. So that’s something at least.

Next time is more of the Inn, some Mount Tonglu entrance exam thing, and possibly a bit of Mount Tonglu...hopefully? Otherwise, I think I will split Mount Tonglu into three separate cause a lot happens in there, more than the Wind & Water Master’s arc.

#sunmay rambles #sunmay reads tgcf #sunmay reads tian guan cifu #sunmay reads hob #sunmay reads heaven official's blessing #tgcf #hob #tian guan ci fu #heaven official's blessing #hob spoiler #tgcf spoilers #tgcf spoiler #okay but #This really does have some sad moments in it that Xie Lian doesn't register because of how long he has been traveling #There are also some light hearted moments that I enjoy from here as well

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phantom-le6 · 3 years

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Episode Reviews - Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 (2 of 6)

Again, this is bit later in being posted than I’d planned, but here’s my second round of episode reviews for season 4 of Stark Trek: The Next Generation.

Episode 6: Legacy

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise, responds to a distress call from the Federation freighter Arcos, which has suffered engine failure and taken emergency orbit around the planet Turkana IV, the birthplace of the Enterprise's late chief of security, Tasha Yar. The Enterprise arrives just as the Arcos explodes, and finds a trail left behind by the freighter's escape pod leading to the colony. Turkana IV's government collapsed 15 years before; and the last Federation ship to visit, six years earlier, was warned by the colony's warring factions that trespassers to the planet would be executed. Because the freighter crew's lives are in danger, Captain Picard decides to attempt a rescue.

Commander Riker leads an away team to the surface, where they find the colonists initially unperturbed by their presence, but soon end up in a standoff with one of the colony's two remaining warring factions, the Coalition. Their leader, Hayne, reveals that the other faction, the Alliance, holds the Arcos survivors hostage, and offers the Enterprise the Coalition's support in exchange for Federation weapons, a proposal that Riker rejects. Hayne, however, after learning of Tasha Yar's service aboard the Enterprise, instead offers as a liaison Ishara Yar, claiming she is Tasha's sister. Picard accepts Ishara aboard; although the crew is initially skeptical, DNA tests support her claim, and she gradually gains their trust. Commander Data, who was especially close to Tasha, becomes friends with Ishara, who seems ready to leave behind her life in the colony.

To find the hostages, Chief Engineer Geordi La Forge suggests using the crashed escape pod's instruments; Ishara recommends that she beam separately to a nearby location as a distraction, because her implanted proximity device will set off the Alliance's alarms. The crew executes the plan, but Ishara is wounded in the attempt. Riker rescues her, and is impressed by her bravery. Later, Ishara privately tells Hayne "It's working."

When the Enterprise receives a message from the Alliance announcing that they are preparing to kill the Arcos crew, Picard's crew decides to execute Ishara's proposed rescue plan: Dr Crusher removes Ishara's proximity device, which she gives to Data as a memento. Riker leads an away team to the planet, where they rescue the hostages, but Ishara disappears in the confusion. Data finds her trying to disable the Alliance security grid; Ishara reveals that a large Coalition force is just outside the Alliance perimeter waiting to attack. Data concludes that all her interaction with the crew was a ploy. Riker arrives to distract Ishara just as she fires at Data, who dodges and then stuns her and reverses her attempted sabotage. Riker notes that her phaser was set to kill.

With the away team and Ishara back aboard the Enterprise, Hayne demands that Picard return Ishara and challenges his jurisdiction. While Riker argues that they have cause to hold her for firing on two Starfleet officers, Picard decides to allow her to leave. As Data escorts her to the transporter room, Ishara claims he was the closest thing she had to a friend. Data considers his relationships with both Ishara and Tasha, as the Enterprise departs. Data then discusses the recent events with Riker; while Riker states that trust always carries the risk of betrayal, and that that risk has be taken to have friendships, Data suggests he is lucky to be spared the emotional effects of betrayal. However, as Data leaves Riker’s quarters, he finds himself still carrying Ishara’s proximity device.

Review:

When it comes to get posthumous mileage out of the late Tasha Yar, I think this is the best effort TNG has offered us so far. Discounting minor allusions in episodes like ‘The Measure of a Man’ and ‘The Most Toys’, the only other episode prior to this to really try and utilise Tasha again was the over-rated ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’, and that was just trying to re-do her death a bit better. This time, however, we get to see something of where Tasha came from and explore her in a more interesting way by having her crew-mates interact with her former home-world and her sister. There is also some allegory to gang violence and gang culture in the episode, but with Tasha’s sister Ishara being involved and having a connection of sorts with Data, that allegory is largely missed behind an inadvertent plot point that the episode brings up.

As I’ve noted in the previous TNG reviews I’ve posted, Data is often a metaphor for many aspects of autism, and the way he above all others is deceived by Ishara in the episode is an inadvertent, ahead-of-its-time allegory of mate crime. For anyone unfamiliar with that term, mate crime involves the offender pretending to be someone’s friend in order to set up that friend to be injured in some way. This can vary from being lured into a physical ambush to being set up to take the blame for something the victim hasn’t actually done. It often depends on the victim of this mate crime not having a full grasp of friendship and/or deceit, so people on the autistic spectrum and with other mental frameworks that make this difficult are heavily affected by it.

This being the case, one can easily see in Ishara Yar the exact kind of person who would commit such an offence in real life; selfish, ruthless and with no real regard for others. What she does to Data is every bit as heinous as any mate crime committed against an autistic person in the real world. It is inexcusable, and frankly I think Picard should have locked her up instead of letting her go. Nothing justifies her being let go at the end of the episode; not being Tasha’s sister, not the crew wanting to see something of Tasha in her, nothing. Honestly, I was hoping for a transporter accident to kill her when she was beamed back down at the end. Overall score for this episode, 9 out of 10; a transporter death some other suitable retribution on Ishara would have netted this episode top marks.

Episode 7: Reunion

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise is met by a Klingon Vor'cha class battlecruiser, and Ambassador K'Ehleyr requests to speak to Captain Picard on an "urgent matter". When she beams aboard, she brings a young Klingon boy; based on his previous romantic experience with K'Ehleyr, Lt. Worf suspects the child is his son. K'Ehleyr warns the senior staff of a power struggle occurring within the Klingon Empire and implores Picard to meet Chancellor K'mpec aboard the battlecruiser. On the Klingon ship, K'mpec acknowledges that he has been poisoned and is slowly dying, and insists that Picard become the Arbiter of Succession and identify his assassin. K'mpec dies shortly afterward. In a private moment, K'Ehleyr confirms to Worf that the Klingon boy is his son, Alexander, and she did not tell Worf for fear he would try to have a deeper relationship with her; Worf, already burdened by his discommendation, fears for Alexander's future, given the stigma of his family name.

The two challengers for leadership of the council, Gowron and Duras, arrive for the Rites of Succession. Worf still harbors hatred for Duras, who had (falsely) revealed Worf's father, Mogh, as a traitor in the Khitomer massacre and stained Worf's family name. Both Gowron and Duras attempt to quickly end the proceeding, but a small explosion erupts in the assembly hall. Picard and K'Ehleyr are safe but decide to draw out the Rites using an archaic ceremony while the Enterprise crew perform a forensic analysis on the explosion. Though both resent the longer form, Gowron and Duras have little choice but to agree to continue the Rites.

The Enterprise crew discover that the explosion came from a Romulan bomb implanted in the arm of one of Duras's guards. K'Ehleyr, aboard the Enterprise, has become intrigued and tries to find out why Worf was discommended. She accesses the Klingon records, and comes across evidence of Duras's father being the true traitor in the Khitomer massacre. Duras, notified of K'Ehleyr's access to the records and already aboard the Enterprise, goes to K’Ehley’s quarters and mortally wounds her. Worf soon discovers K'Ehleyr, dying, just in time for her to reveal that Duras is her killer; then she has Worf promise to look after Alexander. Returning to his quarters, Worf grabs a bat'leth, leaves his combadge behind, and transports to Duras's ship. There he challenges Duras to the Right of Vengeance. Initially, Duras rebuffs Worf, claiming that his traitor status denies him any rights, but Worf declares K'Ehleyr was his mate; since even discommendated Klingons may claim vengeance for a loved one's death, Duras accepts Worf's challenge. Worf easily gains the upper hand, but Duras taunts him; if Worf kills Duras, Worf can never regain his honor. Worf nonetheless strikes the killing blow. With Duras dead and no other challengers present, Gowron is presumably named Chancellor of the Empire.

After the Klingons leave, Picard takes Worf to task for killing Duras. Though Worf defends his actions as valid under Klingon law (as does the Klingon government), Picard reminds him he is first of all a Starfleet officer and places a formal reprimand on Worf's record. Worf and Alexander mourn their loss, and Worf places the boy in the care of his own adoptive parents, Sergey and Helena Rozhenko, finally admitting to Alexander himself that they are related.

Review:

The first appearances of the Vor’cha class Klingon battleship, the Bat’leth, Gowron and Alexander, plus a combined follow-up on both ‘The Emissary’ and ‘Sins of the Father’. This episode has not only huge impact on this series and the wider Trek franchise with all that it does, but it’s also very well-performed and, unlike the previous episode, the villain of the piece gets immediate comeuppance. There are numerous occasions up to now where Trek has been a bit too willing to let their villains off a little too easily, so it was good to see Duras finally go down, and to do so in proper Klingon style.

Now I know some fans were disappointed, upset, even out-raged that K’Ehlyer gets killed off because they all loved the character so much, and some even thought it was a bit sexist of the show to kill such a strong, independent female character on only her second time out. However, let’s put this in a bit of context; first, K’Ehlyer is one of three named characters to die in this episode, the other two of whom are Klingon blokes. This means that actually it’s not all that sexist because the episode’s body-count, and I believe that of TNG in general up to this point, favours male guest characters for croaking in tried-and-true red-shirt tradition.

Second, if K’Ehlyer doesn’t die, Worf has no reason to go blade-to-blade with Duras and ultimately bury his Bat’leth in the petaQ’s chest. K’mpec’s death is hardly going to justify Worf going to such lengths, and I don’t think violent child death would ever be acceptable within the world of Trek. Third, you’re supposed to be upset and out-raged over K’Ehyler’s death, and you’re supposed to direct those emotions the same way Worf does; at Duras. The idea is to be rooting for Worf, to cast aside the normally high, often too liberal sensibility of the Federation ideology and be rooting for Duras to get slaughtered. It’s fine to have a visceral reaction this time round; just focus it on the guest character where it belongs.

My one issue with this episode is Picard’s speech to Worf in reprimanding him for acting against Star Fleet’s code of conduct, or more specifically the line “If anyone cannot perform his or her duty because of the demands of their society, they should resign.” Taken out of the context and applied to real-life military organisations in societies that are highly backwards in their standards of tolerance, this line seems to imply a condoning of societal demands that impede inclusion. After all, if a society frowns upon certain groups of people serving in a military organisation and makes the life of anyone from those groups who tries to serve harder, Picard’s line could be used to justify forcing that person out of the military. Frankly, the idea that people have to ‘leave their culture at the door’ seems totally anti-Star Trek. What’s next, asking Deanna to leave her empathic powers in her quarters? Overall, this episode nets 9 out of 10 for me; Picard’s backwards line robs the episode of top marks.

Episode 8: Future Imperfect

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

Commander Riker's birthday celebration is interrupted as he, Geordi La Forge, and Worf are sent down to a huge cavern on Alpha Onias III, an uninhabited Class M planet, to investigate unusual readings. After their arrival, the cavern suddenly fills with toxic gases, and the three officers fall unconscious.

Riker awakens in sick bay to find that sixteen years have passed. He is now Captain of the Enterprise with Data as his first officer, and Picard has been promoted to admiral, with Deanna Troi serving as his aide. Riker cannot remember any event after the Alpha Onias III mission, which Doctor Crusher explains is a side effect of a viral infection he contracted on the planet, and his memories of the intervening events may or may not return in time.

Riker learns that he was married, is now widowed, and has a son named Jean-Luc (named after Picard). He is further startled when Tomalak, a Romulan commander who was formerly an archenemy of the Enterprise but is now an ambassador, beams onto the ship to negotiate a peace treaty with the Federation. Despite Picard's reassurances, Riker is hesitant to reveal sensitive Starfleet information in negotiating the treaty.

As Riker struggles to adjust to his new life, numerous inconsistencies arise. The Enterprise computer is uncharacteristically slow, numerous systems experience minor technical glitches, and Geordi is unable to correct the problems. Finally, Riker discovers that his late wife "Min" is Minuet, a fictional holodeck character he fell in love with (in the first season episode "11001001"). Riker realizes that the entire "future" he has been experiencing is a charade and confronts Picard and Tomalak on the Enterprise bridge, with more inconsistencies arising as he does so, proving his suspicions. Suddenly, the false future fades away, revealing a Romulan holodeck. Commander Tomalak is revealed to be behind the simulation, the object of which was to trick Riker into giving away the location of a key Federation outpost. The Romulans, Tomalak explains, were fooled by the intensity of Riker's memories of Minuet and had incorporated her into their fantasy on the assumption that she was real.

Riker is put in a holding area, where he meets the boy whose image the Romulans had used to create his "son". The boy identifies himself as "Ethan". Together, they manage to escape and briefly elude their Romulan guards. However, as the two are hiding from their pursuers, Ethan inadvertently refers to Tomalak as "Ambassador", instead of "Commander". Riker realizes that he is still in a simulation; confronting Ethan over it, he demands that the game end immediately and that he be allowed to leave.

Everything disappears once more, leaving only Riker and Ethan back in the cavern on Alpha Onias III. Riker is then able to contact the ship and learns that Worf and La Forge had beamed up without incident, but the Enterprise was unable to locate him. After Riker advises the captain that he will presently report back after learning more about his situation, Ethan confesses that he had created the simulations, using sophisticated scanners to read his mind and create the "reality" they experienced. Ethan's planet had been attacked and his people killed; his mother had hidden him in the cavern for his own safety, with all the simulation equipment, before she died; and Ethan, all alone, had been yearning for real companionship. Realizing Ethan's intentions were not hostile, Riker offers him refuge on the Enterprise. Ethan accepts Riker's offer and after Ethan reveals his true form as a grey alien named Barash, the two beam up to the ship.

Review:

This episode is interesting to start off with; alternate timelines/futures can often be quite fun, and according to Memory Alpha’s page on this episode we also get some uncanny prescience in many of the predictions this episode makes, which would become apparent in later episodes, films and series within the world of Trek. It also very cleverly distinguishes itself from ‘Remember Me’ earlier in this season by having the alternate realities that Riker experiences nested within each other, as opposed to Beverly’s scenario where it was just the one alternate reality. However, once the second layer of deception gets revealed, I became a little disappointed.

Why is this? Well to be honest, I don’t like episodes that try to play on a character’s sense of reality part-way through a TV show that has long since established what its reality is. It can work by implying an alternate future and memory loss as this episode initially does, but the number of illusions need to be left at one and not keep going. I’d rather the rest of the episode been a straight-up action-adventure where Riker has to escape the Romulans with the aid of the Enterprise crew, possibly with some interrogation room dialogue between Riker and Tomalak beforehand as a means for Riker to play his captor, stall for time, whatever.

As it is, the ending ends up feeling like a cliché of Star Trek rather than anything truly Trek-oriented. Certainly there’s no deeper issue exploration or major character development in Riker himself. Overall, it’s really just a bit of a filler episode when taken on balance. I give it about 7 out of 10.

Episode 9: Final Mission

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

The Enterprise has travelled to the Pentarus system where Captain Picard must mediate a dispute among some miners on the fifth planet. Wesley Crusher receives word that he has been accepted to Starfleet Academy and, for his final mission on the Enterprise, he will accompany Picard on his shuttle trip to Pentarus V. A distress call comes in from Gamilon V, where an unidentified vessel has entered orbit and is giving off lethal doses of radiation. Picard orders Commander Riker to take the Enterprise to resolve that situation while he and Wesley travel in a shuttle sent by the miners, commanded by Captain Dirgo.

En route, Dirgo's shuttle malfunctions and they are forced to crash-land on the surface of a harsh, desert-like moon. Though they are unharmed, the shuttle is beyond repair, and its communication systems and food replicators are disabled. Dirgo admits he has no emergency supplies on board, so they are forced to search for shelter and water. With his tricorder, Wesley identifies some caves and a potential source of water some distance away, and the three set out across the desert. Reaching a cave, they find a fountain-like water source, but it is protected by a crystalline force field. Dirgo attempts to use a phaser to destroy the field, but this activates a burst of energy from the fountain which encases the phaser in an impenetrable shell and causes a rock slide; Picard pushes Wesley out of the way but is severely injured in doing so.

Meanwhile, the Enterprise has arrived at Gamilon V, finding the unidentified ship is an abandoned garbage scow filled with radioactive waste. Their initial attempt to attach thrusters to the barge to propel it remotely through an asteroid belt into the Gamilon sun fails, and Riker is forced to attempt to tow the barge themselves using the tractor beam, exposing the crew to the lethal radiation.

As Wesley continues to analyse the forcefield, Dirgo becomes impatient and attempts to breach the field again, but this time the energy burst encases him as well, killing him. Picard, weak from his injuries, gives Wesley advice about the academy, and tells him he is proud of him. Wesley refuses to give up. Meanwhile, the Enterprise, despite the rising radiation levels on board, manages to get the barge through the asteroid belt and on course into the sun. The Enterprise then speeds off to help in the search for the shuttle.

Wesley continues to study the fountain, and devises a plan to disable the force field. He fires his phaser at the fountain to attract the energy defence mechanism, then uses his tricorder to disable the mechanism and is finally able to access the water.

Shortly thereafter, the Enterprise locates the wreckage of the mining shuttle, and Picard and Wesley are rescued. As Picard is carried from the cave, he tells Wesley that he will be missed.

Review:

It’s with this episode that Wil Wheaton finally left TNG as a main cast member in an effort to try and expand his acting career, and given how poorly his character of Wesley Crusher was written in many episodes, it’s not unreasonable or a bad idea that he did so. After all, Wesley had to get off the Enterprise at some point if he was ever going to attend Star Fleet Academy, and you couldn’t do the show that TNG was if it was all about Star Fleet characters on Earth. That said, a spin-off about Star Fleet Academy might have been an interesting thing to see. In any event, this episode is better than most Wesley-centric plots and features a bit of coming-of-age narrative within the story. However, it has a few bits of less-than-stellar dialogue-writing for Wesley in some of the earlier scenes (Wesley coming onto the bridge and the argument with Dirgo by the crashed shuttle being key examples).

The b-plot makes for an ok diversion, but part of me wonders why it took the Enterprise so long with that waste barge. I mean space is three-dimensional and the asteroid belt looked to only be at a certain height, relatively speaking. I therefore fail to see why the Enterprise couldn’t have pulled the barge above the ‘top’ of the asteroid belt, while keeping it on course for the nearby sun (which, being circular and massive, the barge would easily hit even going over the asteroids and not through them). If there’s one thing I really hate, it’s stories where people go through an obstacle instead of round when the only reason to go through is because the story is too short otherwise. Honestly, it’s just as well Wesley gets to return as a guest character a few times after this because it’s not a great episode for him to go out on. I give this one a score of 6 out of 10.

Episode 10: The Loss

Plot (as adapted from Wikipedia):

Traveling through deep space, the Enterprise stops to investigate an odd phenomenon of phantom sensor readings. Meanwhile, ship's counsellor Deanna Troi experiences pain and loses consciousness as her empathic abilities suddenly cease to work.

The crew discovers they cannot resume course, as the Enterprise is caught up in a group of two-dimensional lifeforms.

Without her powers, Troi suffers a tremendous sense of loss, and goes through several classic psychological stages, including denial, fear and anger. Ultimately, despite the reassurances of her friends, she resigns as ship's counsellor, believing that without her empathic abilities she cannot perform her duties.

Lt. Commander Data determines that the two-dimensional creatures are heading for a cosmic string, with the Enterprise in tow, and that once they reach the string the ship will be torn apart. Noting that Troi's training makes her the most qualified to assist, Captain Picard pleads with her to try and aid Data in communicating with the strange creatures.

After attempting to warn the creatures of the danger posed by the cosmic string, Troi posits that they are seeking out the cosmic string in much the way a moth is drawn to a flame. Working from this hypothesis, Data and Lt. Commander La Forge simulate the vibration of a cosmic string, using the deflector dish at a position well behind the Enterprise. The simulations eventually cause the creatures to briefly reverse their course, breaking their momentum long enough to allow the Enterprise to break free.

Freed from the two-dimensional creatures' influence, Troi's empathic ability is restored. She discovers that her powers were never lost, but were instead overwhelmed by the two-dimensional creatures' strong emotions. Troi returns to her old job with a renewed confidence.

Review:

I get that this episode is Next Generation trying to identify with what people who suddenly become differently abled go through when they lose their regularly abled status, and it’s a sound idea in theory. In practice, it’s ruined because they put it across through Troi spending most of the episode being a whiney cry-baby about it. I mean ok, granted, as someone who has been differently abled all their life and who has been aware of that from a very young age, I don’t easily empathise with those who end up differently abled later in life. More often than not, they’ve had experiences and opportunities that someone like me has never had, and for that matter may never have. For instance, having to go to schools away from where I lived means I’ve never been able to grow up with friends I could met outside of school or walk to school with, and being an adult now I can never have that childhood experience everyone else takes from granted.

Moreover, in the episode ‘Tin Man’ Troi notes that Betazoids are born with their telepathic abilities inactive in the vast majority of cases and develop them during their adolescence, so having her lose her empathic powers doesn’t warrant this level of response. She’s only been psychic since she was a teen, for crying out loud, and it’s an extra sense rather than one of the five ‘core’ senses most humans/humanoids have by default. The level of wigging out she experiences would have been far more appropriate if she’d been blinded or deafened, and speaking of the former, why was Geordi not among those who spoke to Deanna about what she was going through? The one time another member of the TNG main crew loses a sense and you don’t have them compare notes with the one TNG main crew member who was born one sense down on everyone else? Talk about a ludicrously squandered opportunity.

Frankly, this episode is a howler of such dire magnitude that it feels like we’ve stepped into a time machine back to the first season. Frankly, I’d sooner go for any Marvel lore featuring Daredevil or the M*A*S*H episode “Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind” for a good sensory loss story than watch this shipwreck of an episode again. 3 out of 10 here, and that’s mostly for Guinan; it’s amazing how good Whoopi Goldberg can be at making even the worst episodes worth something.

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sleepy-verse · 4 years

Text

Name: Joseph Anza Jr.

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Sexuality: Bi

Birthday: Feb 19

Race/Ethnicity: ½ Japanese ½ Italian

Species: Human

Alignment: Neutral Good

Appearance:

Height and Weight: 6'1" & 190 lbs.

Eyes: Silver-Blue

Hair: Short black hair slicked back in a pompadour style.

Outfit: JoJo wears a Brown jacket with a blue shirt underneath, tan pants, and black hightop converse sneakers.

Powers/Abilities/Skills: Trained in forensic science from his mother and an exceptional fighter thanks to lessons from his dad. He’s best at using an Out Boxing fighting-style in which he dodges and counters attacks. He’s an exceptional marksman and also incredibly smart, able to deduce most situations in an instant and even has the ability to tell what a person is gonna say next. He likes to chalk it up to watching detective shows when growing up like Columbo and Monk.

Weapon(s): Fists

Relatives:

Joseph Anza Sr. (Father)

Karen Tehama (Mother)

Background: Born to Joseph Anza and Karen Tehama shortly after they got out of college, JoJo was raised on three values: The value of hard work, integrity, and honesty. In school, he participated in many sports, even becoming a major player on the soccer (Though he prefers to call it “football”) team. However, his favorite pastime was reading books, more specifically crime novels such as Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, and Father Brown. While attending high school, he became a member of the safety patrol as a member of its CSI/Profiling division. Now, as a member of the Asteria, he specializes in profiling, trying to deduce what their opponents are going to do next before they have a chance to strike again.

Personality: While at first coming off as a rough and aloof person, JoJo, in reality, is a very kind person with a gentle heart and loyal to those he likes. He is highly perceptive, intelligent and quick-witted while keeping a perpetually cool, slightly neutral or disinterested attitude. He is a quiet individual, often satisfied with expressing himself in short phrases. This is all mostly due to his mild autism.

If he's spending time around people he likes, he opens up a bit more, becoming more friendly and showing a more confident and savvy side to him.

However, if someone pushes him too far, he'll unleash his anger in the form of a fiery rage upon his opponent.

One thing he can't stand is fighting girls. He feels conflicted whenever he’s pitted against one. Unless they give him grounded, well-founded reasons to hit them, he refuses to fight them completely.

Quotes:

“Good Grief” - Catchphrase

“Even a total bastard like me can smell the stench of evil from miles away!”

“If this were the Wild West, the hero would say “It’s High Noon.” Now get off the ground and draw your piece. You’re getting one shot.”

“Your receipt. You can keep the freakin’ change.”

Trivia:

Favorite Food: Mom’s cooking

Favorite Candy: Gummy Candy

Habits: Often seen with his arms crossed and sometimes speaks Italian when feeling frustrated or cocky. (Ex.: "Hey Bambino! How about you come over here and fight me like a man!")

Favorite Music Genres: Soul, Rap, and all forms of Rock.

Favorite Songs Off The Top Of His Head: “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap” by ACDC, “Heroes” by David Bowie, “Sheer Heart Attack” by Queen, “Tusk” by Fleetwood Mac, “Tough Guys” by REO Speedwagon

Character belong to @lord--zeppelin

#Lord Zeppelins Characters #Joseph #Froppy's Art #Des-the-Girl's Art

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moiraineswife · 6 years

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Okay so I could definitely do with some more queer rep from Sanderson but I will say that I love the richness and complexity of his characters and the fuck that they almost all say ‘fuck you’ to writing gender roles.

‘Strong women’ doesn’t mean ‘woman punches loads of things and is badass’ it means a rich variety, of complex women who are each strong in their own way.

Vin, the street-urchin and constant survivor, whose strength comes as she grows and actually learns, in so many ways, to outgrow that ‘strong woman’ archetype. She learns to be soft. She learns to embrace her feminine side. She learns vulnerability, and love, and trust, and she grows into a better, stronger person for it.

Marasi who finds her strength in knowledge, and in loving herself for the things she can do, instead of loving the idolised version of herself who has all the things she wishes she could do. Who learns to stop revering and living in a man’s shadow, and steps out to cast her own.

Steris who is a canonly autistic woman who is never forced to be ‘normal’, in any sense of the word. The characters around her learn to read her, to understand her, and they fall in love with the woman that she is because of her quirks, because of her differences, because of her autism, and not in spite of it.

Shallan who was a sheltered, naive young abuse victim, with very obvious PTSD and anxiety who has undergone an incredible, uneven recovery journey. She has found herself, her voice, her independence, and her agency. But she is also learning how to accept what has happened to her instead of hiding from it, to heal and grow while retaining her wit, her drawing, and her smile.

Jasnah who, frankly, couldn’t care less about people’s expectations when it comes to her. Her mind is her own, and her strength comes from knowing herself, and refusing to compromise that self even when it goes against her entire culture and society. A woman who presents a composed, cold, blunt face to the world and is allowed to, and is never undermined or ‘thawed’. She is who she is, and that’s final.

Navani as a mother, a wife, a lover, in many ways the embodiment of traditional roles for a female character over a certain age. But she’s also a scholar, an engineer, an inventor, a visionary. A woman who knows what she wants, and inevitably finds a way of getting it. A woman who has deep loves and passions, and pursues them, but never loses sight of the merit of logic and order.

Vivenna, who grew up with the knowledge that she was to be a sacrifice for her people, that her pain and happiness were as nothing compared to her duty. A woman who grew up with deeply rooted prejudices, and a naive, ignorant view of the world. She grew up, she learned her own mind, and followed it to the ends of her earth and into another, where she came to lead men in battle in a notoriously misogynistic/gender-role based society.

Siri the dreamer, the free spirit, who learned that she didn’t have to be like her sister, and didn’t have to ascribe to the things expected of her to have value, and worth, and power. Who becomes a queen in her own right, and matures into a powerful woman who refuses to accept life on any but her own terms.

It’s a common enough critique that female characters get stuffed into one mould that’s described as ‘strong’ and that’s it. Which is almost as limiting and stifling as the traditional expectations of female characters. But tbh I love what he does with his male characters and the complexity and rejection of typical masculinity there, too.

Elend who grew up under the thumb of an abusive father and an oppressive system, but still had the softness, and the hope to dream of building something better. Who was more than comfortable having his wife protect him, and having everyone know that, who took pride in Vin, without ever once having it be hinted as some sort of slight to his masculinity. Who was able to accept the correction and guidance of another woman everyone else scorned and ignored who helped shape him into a better king, and a better man.

Sazed who was portrayed both as the gentle, reserved scholar, but also a rebel and an instigator, who went against his people to build a better world. Someone who was presented as rational, and calm, and arguably nonbinary, and mostly shuns pretty every typically ‘masculine’ trope in the book.

Kelsier who had the fairly typical ‘dead wife, revenge plot’ story, but that was explored in a thoroughly atypical way tbh. A man full of darkness who insisted upon fighting with a smile, and encouraged others to do the same. Cocky, and arrogant, and selfish was balanced by a little flash of sentiment, the hope for a new world, and the picture of a flower he carried with him to remind him what they fought for.

Adolin who’s regarded as one of the best swordsmen in the world, but who talks to his weapon before battle and thanks it for serving him. He wears his mother’s necklace as a good luck charm in battle, and goes against cultural expectations by being physically affectionate with the people he loves. Also has a keen interest in fashion he refuses to be ashamed of, and while his actions characterise him as a womaniser, his thoughts/behaviours display his dissatisfaction with that, and his desire for stability. Also very emotionally aware of those around him, and takes care to look after them when he reads them being in trouble.

Dalinar’s honestly fascinating journey from a bloodthirsty, violent soldier, to a depressed, traumatised alcoholic, to a struggling general, a hero of mankind, and then again struggling with PTSD is honestly so well-written. This man is literally a military legend, renowned for his prowess in war and we see him, in the course of the series: give away a legendary blade that is literally more valuable than kingdoms for the lives of a group of slaves, and consider it a genuinely good deal as he’s learned that all lives are precious. Struggle with very obvious flashbacks and panic attacks as a result of war trauma. Meekly align himself with distinctly feminine things to quietly support his son and stop him feeling awkward.

Renarin, who is a canon autistic character, who cannot be a soldier in a distinctly war-driven society, and is allowed to explore that, to feel bitterness and frustration with his condition. But who is also slowly starting to learn, with the support of his family, that there are different kinds of strength, and that they love him and are proud of him even if he can’t march into battle at the head of their armies. Who is allowed to stim openly, who is largely accepted for his differences, and is defended fiercely on the occasion that he’s not. Who is a goddamn super hero in this world, and is a massively progressive piece of honest autistic representation, in which he is not a character with autism, but an autistic character.

Kaladin who is honestly one of the most visceral, honest portrayals of depression I’ve seen in a fictional character. Who still, three books on, suffers from depressive episodes, who acknowledges that this kind of thing sometimes doesn’t just go away, or get better, that it’s always there, somewhere, and he fights it, and keeps fighting it, with the help and acceptance of those around him. Who is also a goddamn super hero who is warned by his surgeon-father that he’ll have to grow calluses, that he can’t care so deeply about his patients. Who becomes a soldier to support his younger brother, and tries to strike the balance between killing and protection, and to deal with his soft heart that has never truly hardened.

Male characters that have genuine, honestly explored mental illnesses, insecurities, and who are frequently depicted crying, and otherwise being allowed to freely show and explore their emotions and honestly, i could say a hell of a lot more but this is quite long enough so that’s enough of that.

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vortexofdeduction · 7 years

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Dungeons, Dragons, and Neurodiversity

So it’s not surprising that D&D documentation says nothing in about mental illness. Of course, there’s nothing to stop you from giving your character a mental illness for roleplay reasons (whether that’s to experience mental illness or to show other people what your illness is like. Side note: I say mental illness here since most things I list fall into that category, but technically I mean any kind of neurodiversity). However, I’ve been thinking that it would be really interesting to add some game mechanics for various mental illnesses. Note: these are obviously not Adventurer’s League legal, but feel free to use them in your homebrew games (credit would be nice, especially if you share my rules somewhere else). I included several well-known mental illnesses that I thought would work well in D&D. When I could, I tried to strike a balance between positive and negative features so that nothing is too game-breaking. Feel free to tweak as needed, and please provide feedback if you have suggestions of what to change and/or what to add. Under the cut is a list of mental illnesses and their mechanics, as well as the mechanics of coping mechanisms.

Overall things to consider:

How did your character get their disorder? Some people are just born that way, others are affected by mental illness as the result of physical or psychological trauma. Trauma in the world of DnD could be like trauma in our world (abuse, survivor guilt, etc.), but there is also potential for DnD themed trauma (mind-controlled and forced to harm loved ones, trapped in a dungeon for an excruciatingly long time, etc).

How does the disorder affect their personality? For example, people with anxiety disorders may be more anxious and nervous in general, and people with autism may talk a lot about their special interests.

What are their coping mechanisms? Coping mechanisms can can help temporarily ease the negative effects of mental illness. Players and DMs must discuss what coping mechanisms are appropriate to the character but also keep the game balanced. A few examples of positive coping mechanisms:

Medicine: can be bought from most stores in between campaigns (or any time the character can go to a store). Each disorder has its own medicine that diminishes all effects of your illness (positive and negative-- sorry that’s how medicine works) for a certain amount of time (usually one day) until the next dose is needed. However, it’s quite expensive and working as a freelance adventurer probably means you don’t have insurance to cover it. Also, there may be side effects. To be extra realistic, include a withdrawal mechanism which means you just can’t go on and off medication whenever you feel like it.

Meditation: spend a few minutes calming yourself in order to diminish negative effects of your illness. This cannot be done during combat (kind of hard to meditate when you and your friends are being attacked)

Support from friends: have one or more of your party members make a persuasion or performance check as they attempt to cheer you up. On a natural 1, your symptoms temporarily worsen. On a successful check (DM determines DC), the negative effects of your illness are diminished.

Some coping mechanisms are negative and thus have unpleasant side effects in addition to diminishing the negative effects of your illness. For example:

Self harm: make an attack roll against yourself using a melee weapon and take the damage you roll.

How do they feel about their mental illness? Do they hate it, have they gotten used to it and just come to accept it, do they think it makes them stronger, etc.

Do they have comorbid disorders? The more mental illnesses you add to one character, the more complicated it gets to keep track, so you probably don’t want more than 3. But hey, that’s between you and the DM.

OCD

The character may have one or more types of OCD permanently, and/or they may temporarily gain a type of OCD after certain situations. Suggested situations that may cause a character to have OCD: head trauma (waking up after being unconscious or dead), psychological trauma (e.g., watching a friend die), taking psychic damage. However it happens, the character gets an OCD type from the following list. The character may choose to make a wisdom save to try to resist. The first time it is DC 20. The DC decreases by 5 with each successful save and increases by 5 with each refusal to try to resist. (Players can decide whether their character is more likely to resist or to give in and whether the character knows what will be the effect of trying to resist.) The character no longer has that OCD type after the save DC is 0. If the save DC raises to something practically impossible (e.g., 35), the character may permananently have OCD, or the player may need to work with the DM to determine what can reduce the DC (perhaps look at the Coping Mechanisms section)

OCD types

Second-guessing: for every ability check, the player must make two rolls and take the second roll. This doesn’t apply in cases where the player has advantage or disadvantage.

Cleanliness: each time the character takes damage, they must spend their next turn in combat (or the next 5 minutes out of combat) cleaning themselves. No action, movement, or bonus action may be taken. The character also has advantage on perception or investigation checks related to "dirty" things (dirt, slime, blood, etc.)

Scrupulosity: the character is obsessively concerned with morality. The character switches to lawful alignment (good/neutral/evil stays the same) and must act according to a strict set of moral/religious rules. Clerics, paladins, and any other characters bound to an oath or a deity may become so concerned with upsetting their god or breaking their oath that their abilities related to their god or their oath (e.g., a cleric’s spells) may be less effective

Need to tell: the character has disadvantage on any deception checks and has a chance of blurting out information that should be kept secret.

Repeating: the character is compelled to repeat certain actions (DM determines which actions this affects). For example, the character may cross a bridge, feel like once wasn’t enough, and go back to the other side and cross the bridge again. To determine how many times an action is repeated, roll a die (DM determines which dice type).

Lucky/Unlucky numbers: roll two d20 dice (reroll if the number is 1 or 20). The first number is the lucky number; any ability rolls of this number automatically succeed as long as success is not impossible (e.g., a lucky number would succeed a DC 30 check to unlock a door, but fail at an attempt to pick a lock that cannot be picked). The second number is the unlucky number; any ability rolls of this number automatically fail (treat the roll as a natural 1).

Hypochondria: the DM picks a disease. The character now believes they have this disease. The symptoms are psychosomatic, but they do exist. The disease is not contagious. The disease can be cured by several successful persuasion checks from other party member(s) (follow the same decreasing DC rules as stated earlier for OCD types, but don’t increase the DC at any point) or any spell or potion that can cure a disease.

Counting: every time the character sees something countable (treasure, creatures, etc.), they are compelled to count. This could be time consuming and inconvenient. However, the character is better (faster and more accurate) at counting than someone without this type of OCD.

Autism

Poor social skills: the character's charisma score can be no higher than 5 which means the modifier is -3. Note: this does mean those points can be used for other attributes. The character also has disadvantage on any checks involving reading people (e.g., an insight check to tell if someone is lying)

Special interests: the character gains the equivalent of the ranger features Favored Enemy, Natural Explorer, and Fighting Style. Basically, choose an enemy, a terrain, and a fighting style and you are especially good when dealing with these things. For rangers with autism, the DM and player should work together to figure out appropriate features, either different ranger features or different autism features.

ADHD

Attention deficit: to maintain any sustained action (concentration spells, rituals, etc), the player must make a DC 10 wisdom save each turn of combat (or every few minutes out of combat) or lose focus. For players who can cast concentration spells, this replaces the DC 10 constitution save for concentration checks.

Hyperfocus: 3 times per long rest, the player may choose to take take two actions instead of one during a round of combat. After a short rest, one charge of this ability is regained.

Fidgeting: all that fidgeting around has gained the character a permanent +2 increase to their dexterity score.

Phobia

Fear: the character is afraid of a certain type of enemy (e.g., goblins), object (e.g., traps), type of magic (e.g., necromancy), or fighting style (e.g., archery). Whenever possible, the character will avoid the feared enemy or object or anything/anybody using the feared magic school or fighting style. The character will have disadvantage interacting with (using, attacking, etc.) the subject of their fear.

Knowledge: the character has advantage on any ability checks related to the object of their fear. For example, if the character is trying to identify a creature’s tracks, the DM may make another roll in secret and take the higher roll because the tracks are of the feared enemy.

PTSD

Traumatic memories: the rules for PTSD are similar to Phobia, except that the fear comes from a specific traumatic memory rather than an irrational fear. Also, a character with PTSD may have up to 5 triggers (taken from the categories mentioned in the Phobia section).

Flashback: instead of having disadvantage on interacting with one of their triggers, each time the character interacts with one of their triggers, roll a d4. On a 1 or 2, the character has a flashback. In combat, this takes up their turn. Out of combat, this simply means the action is not performed. Flashbacks cause characters to lose concentration.

Hypervigilance: while conscious, the character cannot be surprised.

Bipolar disorder

Mania: at certain times (DM’s choice, player’s choice, random dice rolls, or predetermined triggers decide when and how long mania occurs. DM decides which of these methods to go by.), the character goes into a manic state. During this state, the character may complete every action twice as fast. This applies to actions in combat, any out of combat actions that take a significant amount of time (e.g., ritual casting), and sleep (better than a trance; no “quiet time” needed, they can get right back to work). The character also has an elevated mood, meaning they have advantage on any saves against psychic damage and/or being charmed. They also have advantage on any saves against attempts to be demoralized (e.g., if an enemy tries to intimidate them). However, they are more reckless and thus have disadvantage on any ability checks involving dexterity or relating to impulse restraint.

Depression: immediately after the mania ends, the character enters a depressive state for the same length of time as the mania was. The low mood means they have disadvantage on any saves against psychic damage and/or being charmed. They also have disadvantage on any saves against attempts to be demoralized (e.g., if an enemy tries to intimidate them). For every turn in combat, first roll a d4. On a 1, the character focuses on past regrets and thus misses their whole turn. Before making an ability check, the character or another party member must motivate the character by making a wisdom save or a persuasion check, respectively. On a failed save/check, the character’s self confidence is too low to carry out the action. The character also needs twice as long to sleep.

Dissociative Identity Disorder

Alters: create several different (but significantly different) character sheets, one for each alter (note: it is helpful to pick 4, 6, or 8 alter. More than that is a lot. If you choose a different number, you may need to make a table in which some alters are represented by more than one number). At time intervals as determined by the DM, roll a die to see which alter surfaces. (Optional rule: instead of choosing at random, have the player and DM discuss ahead of time which alter should surface when.) Use that alter’s character sheet. Apply the xp and loot gained from each session to all alter.

Schizophrenia

Hallucinations: at certain times (DM’s choice, player’s choice, random dice rolls, or predetermined triggers), the character experiences a hallucination. The DM rolls on a random encounter table (can be a regular random encounter table, or a table full of encounters that that specific character is likely to hallucinate). The character believes the hallucination is real and acts accordingly until either the hallucination finishes (after a predetermined amount of time) or the character succeeds on several wisdom checks to determine it is a hallucination (following a decreasing DC mechanism like with OCD).

Delusions: the character is living under one or more false beliefs, or delusions. These delusions have a significant impact on the character’s way of life, despite the fact that they are not true. Any attempts to convince the character that they are delusional will fail. However, the character may sometimes be convinced to act in opposition to their delusions.

Disordered: the character’s thought and speech patterns are often disordered and may be confusing to other people. The character has disadvantage on ability checks relating to attempts to communicate with others (persuasion, intimidation, etc).

#dnd #dnd 5e #d&d #dungeons and dragons #neurodiversity #mental illness

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mysteryshelf · 6 years

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FRIDAY SF & FANTASY - The Sight of Demons

Welcome to

THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF!

DISCLAIMER: This content has been provided to THE PULP AND MYSTERY SHELF by YA Bound Book Tours. No compensation was received. This information required by the Federal Trade Commission.

The Sight of Demons by Darin C. Brown

Genre/Keywords: Young Adult Loners and Outcasts, Superheroes, genetic engineering, auras, autism spectrum disorders, bullying, healing energy

Release Date: October 16th 2017 Beaver’s Pond Press Summary:

Hunter Miller sees demons. The terrifying shadows engulf him and everyone he knows—yet nobody else notices their presence.

Hunter can’t escape them, so he sets out to understand them. Why do they follow him? What are they trying to tell him?

In this first installment of the Master of Perceptions series, pre-teen Hunter discovers that every sensation the demons produce—whether it be sight, sound, texture, flavor, or smell—has a different meaning. And that by breaking this code, he just might be able to harness their power.

Buy Links: Amazon | Createspace

Excerpt:

Prologue

The gigantic blue demon swims around me, engulfing my entire body with its long tentacles.

Other demons of varying colors sparkle beyond, but the horrifying blue apparition occupies all

my attention. I open my eyes, hoping the sights of the everyday world will make it go away, but it

still slithers around me, unwilling to loosen its grip. In a panic, I jump back into the nothingness,

certain I’m fortunate to escape with my life.

* * * * *

The world of the demons appears, and again I find myself in the clutches of the blue monster.

The pungent smell makes me gag, and I am assaulted with harsh tones that amplify my fear. My

own body parts are useless against these threats; the more I kick and scream, the more the

crackling sounds and oppressive odors increase. Beyond, I feel more demons, grating against my

skin and calling me with eerie voices. Words, with meanings I don’t understand, sound foreign

above the din of the demons. I seek the place of nothingness, and with profound effort, I plummet

into it.

* * * * *

Icy cold strikes my face—the world of the demons knows no mercy. Overhead, a warm yellow

outlined in a gigantic mass of blue shimmers in the distance. More demons, surely, but they’re

too far away to trap me. My feet move under my body, seemingly of their own volition. The blue

demon encircles me, but for some reason, it lets me run. It’s toying with me. Or is this my chance

for escape? I take conscious control of my own legs, and run as fast as I can, hoping to get away

from the demon’s clutches. No matter how fast I go, the blue shadow glides easily, never once

breaking contact. I head off onto uneven ground, feeling the other specters chasing behind,

coming for me, trying to catch me. My anklebone snaps as I lose my balance and trip over

something, and my face smashes into the rocky terrain. Blood-red demons erupt from the

ground, grasping my leg and my face, producing an avalanche of stale odors, raucous noises,

and pinprick sensations. Without control of my legs, I take the only pathway available; I fall

back into the emptiness.

* * * * *

I awake to find the blue demon throttling me with its mere presence. While sitting at a table, I

spot an object whose sharpened end catches my eye. A weapon. It lies just within reach,

unguarded by demons. Although my ever-present companion bathes my arms and hands in its

blueness, it doesn’t stop me from slowly moving my hands toward the item on the table. I can’t

outrun the beast, but maybe I can kill it. The demon always seems to know what I’m thinking, so

I’ll have to be very fast. With blinding speed I steal the pointed object off the table and thrust the

tapered end through the demon’s tentacle, puncturing my own hand in the process. The demon

shrieks, losing the blue color at the point of impact, but another, angrier, red-hot demon fills in

the space, adding a painful peppery taste to the sensory assault. A purple demon engulfs me,

calling out words laced with thrumming pulsations and a dank odor. Unable to withstand the

three demons at once, I cascade into the oblivion beyond this world.

* * * * *

During every waking moment, I feel the blue demon. I can’t escape it. The purple one visits often

too, but never alone. Another presence, not a demon, appears trapped by the purple hue, much

as I am by the blue. The entity shrouded in purple brings warmth and calming sensations, and

makes me wonder if the demons aren’t all out to harm me. Although I rarely stay in this world

long enough to give them a chance, I know that with one brief constricting motion, they could. It

is better to escape to emptiness than die of suffocation. Still, they haven’t managed to kill me so

far, and I am getting bigger. Perhaps it’s time to find a way to defeat the demons.

I tried to eliminate the blue one by stabbing it, but that didn’t work. Instead of dying, it

morphed into a more dangerous and frightening menace. What if cutting off its air supply would

destroy it? It might be vulnerable through the air I breathe. If I could block off my nose and keep

my mouth closed, it might die. Then I might be able to stay present in this world, rather than

being continually forced to retreat into the nothingness. I need to be in control. If this doesn’t

work, I don’t know what else to do. Today is the day.

Before the purple demon can react, I grab two small spherical objects and shove one up

each of my nostrils. I clamp my mouth shut, making sure no air can get through.

“Hunter, NO!” yells the individual with the purple demon, and they both rush to protect

the blue demon. They carry me, thrashing wildly, to the place where I always go after trying to

destroy the demons. I lost again. The emptiness takes me without remorse.

Hunter

I keep my eyes closed, but it doesn’t help. They’re here. I still see the sparkling colors. My empty

hands feel textures. I smell odors and taste flavors even though my mouth is empty. I can’t stop

any of it. If I open my eyes, the sensations superimpose themselves on the sights all around me.

The demons. They’re out to get me. But I never let them; as soon as they get close enough, I

retreat inside myself, where they can’t follow. Safety awaits me in the emptiness, and I go there

whenever the fear grips me. I visit this world—the one outside myself—infrequently, because the

demons are always there, ready to pounce. They bombard me with their myriad of unwanted

sensations. Falling off into my own private universe happens automatically.

* * * * *

Today I stayed in the world of the demons.

“Are you his mother?” asked the voice with the orange radiance seated behind the

protective window.

“Yes,” the one with purple answered.

“Fill out these forms and wait over there.”

“Yes, certainly. Thank you.”

My mother emitted a harsh sound that made my skin tingle, spoiling the warm purple

glow. The demon around me, mostly its normal cool blue, contained an additional spicy, blurry

red splotch near my wrist, which hung at a strange angle in relationship to the arm above it. I

knew something was wrong, but I didn’t remember what happened or why it looked like that

now. Thoughts of any kind barely registered amid the uproar of activity that attacked my senses.

The pandemonium only worsened when a woman dressed in loose-fitting pajamas approached.

She brought warm demons of white and orange. When she called, “Hunter Miller,” my mother

responded with a wave.

We walked away from the dozen or so demon-infested people to another room, which

made it slightly easier to think. The shock of surviving in this chaotic world so long rattled

through me just like the demons themselves. I rarely lasted more than a few moments in this

terrifying universe, and it felt like hours already.

The woman looked at me. “Hi, Hunter. How old are you?”

I didn’t look at her. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t speak.

“He’s nine,” my mother said.

“What brings you into the Emergency Department?” the woman asked as she turned

toward my mother.

“Hunter is a special-needs child, and he fell off the bed, landing on his hand. Like this,”

my mother said, as she held her arm out in front of her, miming a fall onto her outstretched hand.

About the Author

DARIN C. BROWN spent the last twenty years saving lives as an emergency medicine physician in New Hampshire and Maine. His master’s degree in biomedical engineering and PhD in biophysics helped him conceptualize Hunter’s astounding capabilities. When he’s not writing, he directs Murder Mystery Dinner Theater, including the biannual shows on the Conway Scenic Railroad. In addition to his varied academic interests, he competes at the national level in master’s track. He currently resides in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with his wife, Dr. Sandra Brown, and their many pets.

Author Links:

GIVEAWAY: a Rafflecopter giveaway

FRIDAY SF & FANTASY – The Sight of Demons was originally published on the Wordpress version of The Pulp and Mystery Shelf with Shannon Muir

#shannon muir #pulp and mystery shelf

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