This has been Sweet and Elite, folks! I hope you enjoyed the ride.
Fallout is Dragons Session 21 is coming. I've been pulling another all-nighter to get this thing done, but it'll probably be another hour for the podcast version and two for the video.
Session 21: LibsynYouTube
At this point, I am very, very tired. I'll be taking a two-week break, but friend of the comic frostedWarlock has graciously offered to help fill the gap with a small guest arc, so that should be fun. And when Friendship is Dragons returns on the 23rd, we'll get started on Luna Eclipsed. See you then!
And, of course, Luna Eclipsed was an episode where Rarity doesn't appear (although apparently the writers had a scene planned but they cut it for time), but her voice actress is still front and center as Luna. Very nice touch. This is going to be interesting.
Twists in a character's personal story arc, I like it! Sadly, I have so few PCs that I only recently been experiencing something like that.
In a Pony game, my character was built to be the team tank and draw away aggro from the others. Unfortunately, two other team members have taken up the melee fighter role so I've been less-than-effective in defending the other PCs. Recently the engineer of the group has been getting into melee.
So my character is in a quandary over how to advance because her original role is now useless. Since her hobbies included singing and lore, she's started into taking up the role of Bard. Suddenly a new direction has been acquired! :D
I like Twist. She's a friendly filly who makes candy! And she was best friends with Applebloom, up until Twist got her cutie mark. Then Applebloom began to shun her and never hung out with her again.
It depends on the twist. In m character's case, becoming the team bard was actually better than team tank. I've been Rocking the Charisma skill checks and have become the unofficial team leader with my newfound Diplomacy.
Now, if the twist didn't turn out to be fun, then yes it could be a disappointing thing. Like the one Star Trek game I was in. I had an android doctor who's arc was that his original design was that of a spy/infiltrator. However that never got brought up, instead my character had to deal with another android (not related) who was out to kill organic life and kept bothering me to join his cause like a door-to-door salesman. Since my arc never came up, the party didn't know my skill potential and I got regulated to a band-aid dispenser.
"Tank" is not a valid party role in Dnd, the difference in HP between casters and melee is trivial, Healing is too expensive relative to damage taken and Aggro management is non existent. Of course a high social stat, master of all skills rockstar with mind control spells is going to be more fun than a "tank" especially since you're fighting just as well as one and all it cost you is 1 hp per lv (on average).
My party-hard, pesh-smoking Tengu had such a twist come: faced with an orphaned Aludemon (whose family the Tengu had helped killed), he had to decided between killing it too, letting a Paladin kill it 'cause EVIIIIIIIL, or letting the little thing run free.
I decided he would adopt the little bugger and make her an apprentice sorcerer!
Of course, a party-hard, pesh-smoking popcorn baron can't responsibly train an apprentice, so he KICKED THE HABIT. He also had most of his scars healed up (nothing charms the ladies more than a smooth-talking bird with battle scars, I guess?) so he looks more respectable.
Before, he was Lord Kobsworthington Esquire the III, popcorn baron-in-exile. And now...?
Still Lord Kobsworthington Esquire the III, popcorn baron-in-exile, but now he has a sidekick. To paraphrase Batman: "I got into this to murderhobo criminals, not children."
Haikus I've thought were Lame.
I never could get into this game.
Limericks, though are nice,
And now you pay the price,
of this rhyme's inexplicable fame.
+1 The transition between those panels is fantasic, as they share the lavender backgrounds and light rays. An animated version could just pan left from Rarity to Luna.
It would seem you are something of a legend around this comic... I decided to go back a read from the begining and read the comments and saw your first ever post which had been saught out by others. You sir are legend
Yes, he is a legend. My one dream is that someday I will post before him. Well that and that I'll have my own web comic and someone like Raxon will haunt it.
That first one is possible. That second one, however...
Actually, I have my suspicions that Newbiespud has a sock puppet to introduce ideas and theories into the comic.
But that would be ridiculous! He'd have to mask his style of writing, and conceal his opinions somehow. He would need a different avatar. Something with a mask, I would think. Perhaps with some flavor of insanity to hide his presence.
...you magnificent bastard. Now we'll never know the truth, for what you said could be exactly right, or merely another one of your legendary mind games.
I salute you, Newbiespud/Raxon/Whoever you are. o7 For now until the end of time this secret will pass with thee and only thineself. Even if one account or the other says anything on the issue, we may never know because Raxon. BECAUSE RAXON.
I'm going to use that as an excuse from now on. Because Raxon.
From what I've seen, Spud would have to care more about what the commenters here think than he does, and respect us less than he does, to have a sock puppet.
...now I'm wondering if Pinkie's player is going to manage to work in that crazy cat lady joke as Rarity returns.
I imagine cat hair could get to be problematic for a seamstress.
Rarity: I was thinking about doing a sort-of one-shot character. At least until I can get Rarity sorted out.
DM: Hmm. What about Lotus Blossom, the spa pony? You guys seemed to have taken a liking to her.
Rarity: Goodness gracious, no. While Lotus is certainly a capable individual, she's understands that she provides an irreplaceable service to Ponyville. She simply can't go gallivanting around fighting monsters; she's more of a "mission control" type.
DM: ...And you know this how?
Rarity: It's called reading between the lines, dearie.
Pinkie: Oh! I know, I know. You should play Wilfred.
DM: Wilfred?
Rarity: Who's Wilfred?
Pinkie: You know. You cut off your tail and gave it to him.
Twilight: Wait, you mean the sea serpent from the first session?
Pinkie: Yeah!
DM: Wait, you named him "Wilfred"?
Thank you. I have actually been noticing that too (I am pretty aware of my lack of skill). I theorize I get better by studying the habits of others and to adapt their writing into my own skills (i.e. I am a leech).
Specter, that's not quite "leeching" --that's "practicing and studying the masters."
It's how just about anyone learns an art--mimic other people until you get a good idea of how to do it yourself, and can start adding your own touches.
And you have definitely improved. One suggestion that I feel like throwing out there--if you're linking to a video, try to lead into it a bit more gracefully than saying "Video!" (or a variant thereof). That gets a bit dull after a while.
This is the scene that brought me into MLP, Rarity's.. wallowing in whatever ponies are supposed to wallow in. With this, Rarity went from a pony who I would normally dislike because of her drama antics to one of my top 6 ponies because of her hilarious drama antics and her erhm, obaa-san mannerisms.
...Hold on, the person who voiced Rarity also voiced Princess Luna?!?!
For me, it was the "THIS is whining!" scene that clued me in to just how good Tabitha is at acting. Still middle-of-the-road on Rarity (the prissy types always leave me cold), but nothing but awe for her voice skill.
That cemented in my mind that she's a drama queen, but she knows when to turn it off. I hate drama queens, because they tend to be extremely irritating and one dimensional. They are almost always self absorbed bitches with no redeeming qualities. Rarity's redeeming qualities, to me, are that she's a large ham, she's entertaining and funny, and she immediately drops it when she realizes that someone else is upset or in pain.
So... am I the only one who sees this whole situation as Celestia deliberately, with one totally unrelated visit, clipping Rarity's thief chops by making it obvious that she's publically known, and the charming sweet act is her way of getting Rarity to think that wasn't her plan all along?
I HATE WHEN PCs DON'T RECOGNIZE A PROPER SOCIAL CHALLENGE JUST BECAUSE IT STARTS WITH TAKING AWAY HALF THEIR RESOURCE
Okay, yeah, sure, she just lost access to the guild... until she can prove she isn't under scrutiny. Among the various solutions I see- telling the Thieves Guild that her position as Element of Generosity has placed her more-or-less above scrutiny(Putting her in the perfect position to siphon a little bit of information that might clue the guild in to potential raids and such), agree with their decision, but use whatever drops she had before to request a go-between- someone so implicitly trusted that the investigation wouldn't focus on them(cough cough Twilight Sparkle), regardless of how suspicious their actions might be.
I mean, personally, if I were a member of the thieves guild, I would NEVER have cut her off- she's in a key position in relation to the ruling class, has shown her worth an insane number of times, and you don't have enough info to prove that talking to her is a threat to you. You would just need to be more careful than ever before- and you're a thieves guild. Surely that's enough?
Oh, and Rarity could always tell Celestia that she needs some 'show' (subtle enough to not arouse suspicion, but still enough to be noticed) that she's not under investigation, or her resources(and thus her ability to help Twilight and defend the nation) will be severely hampered. Perhaps something like Celestia having a few of her under cover guard removed from Ponyville with the explanation that she 'trusts her student and their friends to keep things well enough in hand'.
Then, on the Thieves Guild side, she tells them that it's a delicate balance, and they need to be careful in the area, because overt action will lead to increased scrutiny- 'After all, they suspected me once, we hardly want them to look more closely, now do we'?
Argh.
Seriously, situations like this are spring boards for social tanks. RARITY, WHY YOU NO SPRING?
As this comic shows, Rarity's player does like the twist and the challenge it represents. She only reacted the way she did because she isn't sure where she wants to take her character's story now and is trying to figure that out. So in the meantime, we get Luna.
You'd never start a physical challenge to the barbarian by paralyzing them and having their weapons confiscated all with no save or attack roll then expect them to bounce back to the challenge.
I suppose, but it seems to me the most in character solution to a problem such as this is the first idea that comes to mind.
Also, a social challenge can't be properly equated to a physical challenge. She still has all her social skills, she's just had her access to some of her physical tools removed. Remind me again why she needs resources to roll diplomacy?
Money for bribes and purchases, Reputation that can be leveraged into distractions to enable clever plans, Clout that can be used to shift Investigations away from fruitful areas, Contacts with both above and below ground sources that can get you in to see the one person who can change the mind of someone in power. All of these things were suddenly and without reason taken away from Her and the GM has already shown herself willing to make entire Diplomacy Immune adventurers, Rarity has so far been a Very good sport about things but concidering how the last 2 arcs have been solely about crushing her gameplay style She's got to be near the breaking point.
So, when I read the comic I totally thought that Rarity was thinking of hitting up Nightmarity from the DLC comics. Then I read Newbiespud's author notes. I was sad, but I'd rather like to see how this plays out.
In a Pony game, my character was built to be the team tank and draw away aggro from the others. Unfortunately, two other team members have taken up the melee fighter role so I've been less-than-effective in defending the other PCs. Recently the engineer of the group has been getting into melee.
So my character is in a quandary over how to advance because her original role is now useless. Since her hobbies included singing and lore, she's started into taking up the role of Bard. Suddenly a new direction has been acquired! :D
I don't think Applebloom is a very nice pony.
Now, if the twist didn't turn out to be fun, then yes it could be a disappointing thing. Like the one Star Trek game I was in. I had an android doctor who's arc was that his original design was that of a spy/infiltrator. However that never got brought up, instead my character had to deal with another android (not related) who was out to kill organic life and kept bothering me to join his cause like a door-to-door salesman. Since my arc never came up, the party didn't know my skill potential and I got regulated to a band-aid dispenser.
I decided he would adopt the little bugger and make her an apprentice sorcerer!
Of course, a party-hard, pesh-smoking popcorn baron can't responsibly train an apprentice, so he KICKED THE HABIT. He also had most of his scars healed up (nothing charms the ladies more than a smooth-talking bird with battle scars, I guess?) so he looks more respectable.
Before, he was Lord Kobsworthington Esquire the III, popcorn baron-in-exile. And now...?
Still Lord Kobsworthington Esquire the III, popcorn baron-in-exile, but now he has a sidekick. To paraphrase Batman: "I got into this to murderhobo criminals, not children."
She's one of my favourites.
But then, they all are.
Did you do that on purpose?
So what prompted this?
And Luna is best princess.
It speaks for itself.
I never could get into this game.
Limericks, though are nice,
And now you pay the price,
of this rhyme's inexplicable fame.
Free from imprisonment moon.
What will she do now?
Video!
I have every right to expand my creativity, I thank "guy" for the opportunity. yay.
But sometimes it might make sense
a Purple Monkey
An option presents itself:
"What's Luna up to?"
This one is gonna be good.
Enter night's princess!
it feels like something is missing.
Hey! Wait! where's Raxon?
He is a gentle stallion.
Naughty pony bits.
I prefer one pink and dead.
But Luna's cool too.
Who can pull her from darkness?
Luna of the night.
Rarity cries out;
"My life is surely over!"
This mare is grounded.
Inconsolable,
Rarity hides from the world.
Locked inside her room.
Marshmallow pony,
Seasoned with such bitter tears.
Someone fetch my spoon.
Rarity is gone.
Spike is the new Rarity.
Go, be fabulous.
Too many haikus.
I must write until they're gone.
Guy, you are an ass.
Why, I ask you, why?
From where do these haikus come?
Someone make it stop.
Crawling in my brain,
These words, they won't stop flowing.
Beer is what I need.
A most frightful thing,
Imagination unbound.
You unleashed the flood.
There's no end in sight.
These haikus will end us all.
There is no hope left.
Guy, you were a fool.
See the horror you let loose.
I can't bucking stop.
We are all doomed now.
There is no escape for us.
I must survive all.
Raxon log, day one.
The haiku apocalypse.
It came, and they're gone.
Raxon log, day two.
I alone still have my wits.
The others are lost.
Raxon log, day three.
They try to speak, but no dice.
Their minds have broken.
Raxon log, day six.
Their incoherent babbling,
It is but gurgles.
Raxon log, day eight.
These are no longer my friends.
I must find more food.
Raxon log, day twelve.
Guy was the first, hostile now.
I must fight to live.
Rax log, day sixteen.
What once were people are beasts.
My belly cries out.
Rax log, day twenty.
It is no longer safe here.
I run in darkness.
Log, day twenty four.
I killed Demonu today.
I mourned long ago.
Rax log, day thirty.
I could not waste the bodies.
I'm the real monster.
Log, day thirty five.
The cheetos have long been gone.
Tell myself I must.
Rax log, day sixty.
The last of them is dead now.
Must ration with care.
Log, day sixty eight.
I am hungry, no more food.
I must find a store.
Log, day seventy.
The haikus taint the water.
My last filter died.
Day seventy four.
The haikus are twisting me.
My mind is going.
Day seventy eight.
I don't fell so gud know, joe.
I just can't eat you.
Rax Log, day eighty.
ate joe splinters in my face
my belly is full
Log, day eighty five.
have new friend new friend is joe
i wont ate this joe
Log, day eighty six.
joe was et now by haiku
i et more joe now
Log, day ninety two.
joe many leggs crunchy bites
stig my hand oll red
Log, day one hundred.
haiku et al jo mak frend
i am al haiku
Why so long I do not know.
Maybe crazy too?
The syllables are too hard.
I might have screwed up.
So Rarity's player... is going to play Luna? I can't wait to see this.
It would seem you are something of a legend around this comic... I decided to go back a read from the begining and read the comments and saw your first ever post which had been saught out by others. You sir are legend
Actually, I have my suspicions that Newbiespud has a sock puppet to introduce ideas and theories into the comic.
But that would be ridiculous! He'd have to mask his style of writing, and conceal his opinions somehow. He would need a different avatar. Something with a mask, I would think. Perhaps with some flavor of insanity to hide his presence.
...Its clearly a pet rock.
I salute you, Newbiespud/Raxon/Whoever you are. o7 For now until the end of time this secret will pass with thee and only thineself. Even if one account or the other says anything on the issue, we may never know because Raxon. BECAUSE RAXON.
I'm going to use that as an excuse from now on. Because Raxon.
I imagine cat hair could get to be problematic for a seamstress.
DM: Hmm. What about Lotus Blossom, the spa pony? You guys seemed to have taken a liking to her.
Rarity: Goodness gracious, no. While Lotus is certainly a capable individual, she's understands that she provides an irreplaceable service to Ponyville. She simply can't go gallivanting around fighting monsters; she's more of a "mission control" type.
DM: ...And you know this how?
Rarity: It's called reading between the lines, dearie.
DM: Wilfred?
Rarity: Who's Wilfred?
Pinkie: You know. You cut off your tail and gave it to him.
Twilight: Wait, you mean the sea serpent from the first session?
Pinkie: Yeah!
DM: Wait, you named him "Wilfred"?
It's how just about anyone learns an art--mimic other people until you get a good idea of how to do it yourself, and can start adding your own touches.
And you have definitely improved. One suggestion that I feel like throwing out there--if you're linking to a video, try to lead into it a bit more gracefully than saying "Video!" (or a variant thereof). That gets a bit dull after a while.
I mostly do the Video! thing so I can easily find that I did a video for the page. But yeah, I should be more discrete.
I haven't been allowed to contribute to a regularity of this comic since the fiber brownie incident.
I might just have a few videos, not yet. Next weekend, I think. For full exposure.
...Hold on, the person who voiced Rarity also voiced Princess Luna?!?!
And Suited For Success was my first episode of MLP, and I too became a fast fan of Rarity largely because of this episode.
And then I watched Green Isn't Your Color...
Then A Dog and Pony Show...
All of that was unintentional, but I ended up binge watching Rarity episodes. Is it any wonder she's in my top 3?
That cemented in my mind that she's a drama queen, but she knows when to turn it off. I hate drama queens, because they tend to be extremely irritating and one dimensional. They are almost always self absorbed bitches with no redeeming qualities. Rarity's redeeming qualities, to me, are that she's a large ham, she's entertaining and funny, and she immediately drops it when she realizes that someone else is upset or in pain.
You thought Rarity was a Diplomancer, wait till you see LUNA!
I HATE WHEN PCs DON'T RECOGNIZE A PROPER SOCIAL CHALLENGE JUST BECAUSE IT STARTS WITH TAKING AWAY HALF THEIR RESOURCE
Okay, yeah, sure, she just lost access to the guild... until she can prove she isn't under scrutiny. Among the various solutions I see- telling the Thieves Guild that her position as Element of Generosity has placed her more-or-less above scrutiny(Putting her in the perfect position to siphon a little bit of information that might clue the guild in to potential raids and such), agree with their decision, but use whatever drops she had before to request a go-between- someone so implicitly trusted that the investigation wouldn't focus on them(cough cough Twilight Sparkle), regardless of how suspicious their actions might be.
I mean, personally, if I were a member of the thieves guild, I would NEVER have cut her off- she's in a key position in relation to the ruling class, has shown her worth an insane number of times, and you don't have enough info to prove that talking to her is a threat to you. You would just need to be more careful than ever before- and you're a thieves guild. Surely that's enough?
Oh, and Rarity could always tell Celestia that she needs some 'show' (subtle enough to not arouse suspicion, but still enough to be noticed) that she's not under investigation, or her resources(and thus her ability to help Twilight and defend the nation) will be severely hampered. Perhaps something like Celestia having a few of her under cover guard removed from Ponyville with the explanation that she 'trusts her student and their friends to keep things well enough in hand'.
Then, on the Thieves Guild side, she tells them that it's a delicate balance, and they need to be careful in the area, because overt action will lead to increased scrutiny- 'After all, they suspected me once, we hardly want them to look more closely, now do we'?
Argh.
Seriously, situations like this are spring boards for social tanks. RARITY, WHY YOU NO SPRING?
Also, a social challenge can't be properly equated to a physical challenge. She still has all her social skills, she's just had her access to some of her physical tools removed. Remind me again why she needs resources to roll diplomacy?