Save in the name of true love.
-
-
to raise money, Wikipedia should do that thing CNN did where they sold shirts with headlines on them. I would kill for a shirt that had the article title and Wikipedia layout for Homosexuality in Medieval Europe
no killing necessary, you can get any wikipedia page on a shirt from wikishirt and 10% of profit goes to wikipedia
(via haropla)
-
this Grail Castle event was good, well for a lot of reasons, but the main one is for the final boss has disadvantage vs Foreigners so i got to throw Kukulkan at it and have her basically turn into Superman (friendly flying space alien in a spandex(ish) punching a larger alien threat)
-
-
-
-
These violent delights are awesome I bet they’re gonna have dope as fuck ends
(via kc5rings)
-
-
in light of recent laterano race privilege discussions thanks to masses travels, I just want to emphasize how awesome enforcer was in guide ahead (and still is)
This normal ass guy, average conforming citizen who works for the very government upholding the status quo that benefits him by default, guy whose goal in life was just ‘do my stable office job and go home’, when his beliefs in the structure of his society were challenged he actively re-evaluated his biases and started questioning them instead of pushing back or simply ignoring those faults
It’s so significant because he has no real obligation to do so, which is a point even andoain and oren make to him. He could easily have stepped away at any point and returned to his comfortable ordinary life, but no he locks in and fistfights authorities for the sake of helping this little half-sarkaz girl he met like a day ago. I also have to point out how even when he first discovers cecelia’s half-sarkaz, his first instinctual response isn’t disgust at her being sarkaz but rather concern over how she might be treated by the state
and speaking about him and cecelia I love these two and how they interact so much, especially in the wake of how we know 'defective’ sankta tend to be normally regarded thanks to MT
Despite cecelia lacking empathy, throughout GA enforcer is always incredibly considerate of her and takes the time to acknowledge how she feels; when she asks about what 'passing away’ really means he doesn’t avoid telling her but instead explains carefully by sharing his own experience of loss, empathizing with her in the true sense of the word without the need for halo empathy. actually phenomenal how emotionally aware he is in retrospect with what we now know about sankta society
AND after everything goes down he’s willing to leave his stable job and safety in laterano to walk straight into instant-death-for-sankta territory (kazdel) both for cecelia’s sake and so that he can continue overcoming his prejudice he’s so goated and I’m mildly annoyed that he’s so overlooked amidst the other laterano ops
(via zeravmeta)
-
Me right after fumbling her vs. Me when I enter a state of manic delusion about how she’ll take me back if I dye my hair like her new fling
(via zeravmeta)
-
Berserker: Ghul-i-Biyaban
- Other Names: ‘Demon of the Wastes’
- Attribute: Earth
- Region: desert wilds in and around Iran and Afghanistan
- Source: Arabic folklore, the Quran, writings of Marco Polo
- Height/Weight: variable, often grows to heights twice that of normal humans
- Alignment: Neutral Evil
- Gender: Male
Looming at almost 12 feet tall, with ghastly grey skin, legs and hooves like that of a donkey, and foot long sharp nails extending from his hands, the Ghul-i-Biyaban has emerged from the shadows of Arabic ghost stories and into a Holy Grail War, manifesting as a Berserker class Servant!
Skills
Morph B+
The ghuls of Islamic and pre-Islamic folklore are known for their ability to shapeshift at will, often into the form of beautiful women in order to entice weary travelers. However, the ghuls legs and feet, resembling those of a donkey, are unable to be changed and can often reveal the ghul’s true nature if not carefully hidden. Subtlety is not a concern of Berserker’s.
Additional resistance to fire and flame attacks is granted, due to the nature of the ghul’s creation, having been smote with fiery comets for attempting to reenter the heavens back when they were demons (šayāṭin).
As he lacks a weapon, his primary method of attacks is via his large size and clawed fingers. Capable of harming Servants, due to ghuls being classfied as a type of Demi-Human Phantasmal.Monstrous Strength A
A Skill that temporarily grants a rank-up to one’s Strength Parameter for a limited time determined by the ranking of this Skill. It originates from the holder’s nature as a monster or Demonic Beast.Battle Continuation A
A Skill that allows for the continuation of combat after sustaining mortal wounds and reduces the mortality rate from injuries. This Skill represents the ability to survive and/or the mentality of one who doesn’t know when to give up, consisting of one’s strength of vitality under pressure. The Skill works best when combined with a resilient body.
The permanent slaying of ghuls may be accomplished if it is done in a single strike or blow, but if it is struck a second time after that, it is likely to revive and continue fighting. This happened in the Ḥamza-nāma, when it’s hero Hamza was drawn into a protracted fight with a ghul, ending only when he struck it dead down and did not strike a second time.Madness Enhancement D
Despite being a Berserker monster of legend, Ghul-i-Biyaban is capable of rational speech and thought.Parameters
Strength: A+
Endurance: A+
Agility: C+
Mana: E
Luck: D
NP: CNoble Phantasm
- Sandstorm Prison: Demon’s Hunting Night
- Anti-Army
- Rank: B
A magic-focused Noble Phantasm that initially seems incongruous for a Servant whose strengths come from brute force, yet complements Berserker’s skills well. The Noble Phantasm starts by designating a large circular area around Berserker as a ‘desert’ and begins constructing a Bounded Field, temporarily sealing it off from the rest of the world, locking his opponents into a midnight desert with the ‘Demon of the Wastes’. ‘A place from which the can be no escape from the ghul’.
A sandstorm begins to whip up, buffeting opponents with stinging sand, obscuring visibility, and masking the sounds of Berserker’s approach (continuous debuffs). Distant flickering fire lights appear around, but they are only an illusion, serving to distract enemies as the ghul stalks his prey. The ‘fear’ of his prey is as much a weapon as his claws.
Escape is prevented and can only be accomplished through compatible Noble Phantasm or Magecraft usage. Skills or Noble Phantasms that remove or mitigate mental debuffs or interference can serve as a counter to this Noble Phantasm, as well as strong Reality Marbles that properly overwrite the world around them.
Personality and Role
While the word “ghoul” typically brings to mind a sort of combination zombie and vampiric cannibal monster, that is largely due to the influence of works like “Arabian Nights” and those of H.P. Lovecraft, while the 'actual’ ghuls of Arabic lore were more than that, being capable of helping and harming humans in equal measure. As such, this will be one of the first questions Biyaban asks his Master upon summoning, whether they desire Life or Death. The Master’s answer will affect Berserker’s disposition and actions over the course of the Holy Grail War. Despite this ominous question, appearance, and class, Berserker has no desire to betray or harm his Master.
Despite their reputation, Berserker is not a particularly hungry Servant, even if ‘Death’ is what their Master requests. They do not need to eat human flesh to survive, they only do so because it is their nature, and what humanity believes them to do.
However, Berserker does desire, before this materialization of theirs ends, to have a taste of each other Servant in the War, claiming that he will remember their tastes even when he is returned to the Throne.
Born as a monster, lived as a monster, Berserker does not particularly care what other Servants think of him and will not be easily goaded, although Servants who exploit his/ghul’s specific weaknesses (such as the name of God) will earn his ire.
The ghuls, as a mythological group, have largely faded from the world, with not many left in existence, and their very origins changed by works such as Thousand and One Nights. Ghul-i-Biyaban is not a non-human with a very stable existence, but in acting as a sort of representative for ghul-dom as a whole, his power has increased beyond his original. Furthermore, his inscription into the Throne of Heroes serves as proof that the demons, fallen angels, and assorted monstrosities known as “ghouls” really did exist.
——-
Developer’s Notes: NP name was the hardest to come up with and is subject to change. Had been toying with a 'full monster’ style Fanservant for a while before I eventually landed on ghuls, after seeing the name 'Ghul-e Biyaban’ mentioned on their wikipedia article. Finding an actual source on him was really difficult, but i managed to meander: wikipedia-> the vampire book (2011)-> the dictionary of fabulous beasts (1971)-> travels of marco polo (the previous biblio cites a 1923, version, ive only found a 1903 version)-> mention of Ghul-i-Biyaban in a postscript note (book 1, page 202)-> scholar called Mas'udi-> french TL of his work “Les prairies d’or”-> book 3, chapter XLIX (49). Plus Marco Polo-> Account Of The Kingdom Of Caubul Vol.1 (1819) page 351. Encyclopædia Iranica’s article on gul’s was also the most helpful in this little research expedition.Character-wise, I wanted to avoid the modern pop culture bastardization of them where they’re basically just another type of zombie or cannibal freak. So while he’s a Berserker, he’s not particularly crazed or ravenous, he won’t go the 'soul eater’ route of attacking people for mana, but he can and will feed off enemy Servants should he get his hands on them.
Most of my Fanservants (this is one of the first ive posted in this format) are designed independently of each other, not in the same Grail War, but my mind is kinda toying with Biyaban going up against my Archer class Doc Holliday.
Also decided on Berserker being the first one of these i finish/publish because. he’s a monster. it’s October. happy halloween? -
Honestly, original D&D measuring everything in table inches kind of rules. Yeah yeah I know later editions kind of assume a grid for doing combat but like: a grid is different. Table inches make movement even more granular and freeform. They make even smaller discrete movements important. They immediately resolve any issues with diagonals. They allow for movement in angles other than increments of 45°. You can use all that cool terrain you use for your wargames to do fantasy fights in the wilderness.
People who decry older editions of D&D as being “glorified wargames” and talk down about players interested in mechanics and system mastery as “wargamers”: consider that wargames actually kick ass and that you’re a boring nerd?
-
-
the New York mayoral debate was one of the funniest things I have witnessed in a long time when divorced from the horror
Curtis Sliwa is the sort of character the writers of The Sopranos wish they had thought of first
Cuomo was like a rotting dead salmon on the debate stage and I know all moderates had to go outside and cry after that one. Mamdani’s holding back giggles every time his opponents spoke because what they kept saying was so utterly ridiculous or lackluster they lowered the bar for him to subterranean levels. Cuomo was fighting for his fucking life on that stage because he was being beaten into a pulp, Mamdani was fighting for his life because he was on the verge of hysterical laughter and Silwa has been fighting for his life on the mean streets of New York for all of his 71 years, apparently.
debate host: Have you ever purchased marijuana from a dispensary?
Mamdani: Yes and the longer this debate goes on the more I wish I had smoked that joint before I got here.
Cuomo, who famously prefers uppers: No.
Sliwa: BACK IN THE 70S THERE USED TO BE THIS BROAD WHO STOOD OUTSIDE OF RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL AND SOLD BROWNIES, I ATE 3 OF THEM AND ENDED UP IN THE TRUNK OF A DODGE CHARGER IN RENO NEVADA. AFTER I WAS SHOT 5 TIMES IN 1992, SHE SHOWED BACK UP AND STARTED TRYING TO HAND ME ONE OF THEM, I SAID “DID THE GAMBINOS SEND YOU? ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?” SHE SAID NO AND SHE BECAME MY 5TH WIFE.
(via haropla)
-
-
