Well here we are

A new moveset for a hypothetical The Adventure Zone platform fighter! It’s our first Graduation entry, Sir Fitzroy Maplecourt!

Fitzroy excels at surprises, partially due to the unpredictable nature of his down special and some of his standard moves, and partially because he is a puppet fighter who can quickly choose between whether his special moves originate from himself or his familiar.

For Fitzroy’s standard special, the first press will summon Snippers. Further presses will cause Snippers to move towards Fitz for as long as the button is held. The two of them will execute standard attacks at the same time, but specials can only originate from one at a time.

Their side special fires off a Thunderwave. It doesn’t do much damage, but has fantastic knockback. Like the rest of Fitzroy’s specials, a quick tap of the button means Fitzroy will attack, while a slightly longer press sets the spell to originate from Snippers.

Skipping ahead to Fitz’s up special, a graceful twirl of his boycloak. It doesn’t give much height, but reflects projectiles, and each projectile or foe hit will give him a little extra air. If used by Snippers instead, he will do a small hop and spin, also reflecting projectiles.

Back to Fitzroy’s down special, Wild Magic. There are nine possible outcomes of equal probability, and each can originate from either Fitz or Snippers. The move can’t be used again until the previous effect wears off. The options are as follows: 1.) Briefly spawn a copy of the user, allowing most attacks to hit twice. 2.) Grow slightly for a bit, raising damage and weight. 3.) Shrink slightly for a bit, raising speed and lowering weight. 4.) Spawn a shield around the user that temporarily reduces damage taken. 5.) Call lightning, damaging anyone above or directly next to the user6.) A necrotic cloud follows the user for a bit, doing slight damage and slightly healing Fitz. 7.) Three magic missiles fire from the user, homing in on nearby opponents. 8.) The user casts fireball, centered on themselves. Damages Fitzroy and despawns Snippers, but does massive damage to anyone nearby 9.) The user very very briefly turns into a potted plant, during which time they take increased knockback.

And lastly, Fitzroy’s finale, which turns all opponents into catfish. The closer they were to Fitzroy, the longer the transformation lasts. While catfish’d, opponents can only vaguely move around and do light slaps.

episode 43 of ethersea gave me those shivers that certain balance and amnesty scenes have but like 5 times in one episode i have whiplash

Finished my piece for last week’s Adventure Zone Ethersea episode. Really excited for where this story is gonna go as we approach the season finale!

MBMBAM: Characters Welcome

I believe in Sydnee McElroy supremacy

exCUSE ME

u ever just crave some mcelboys

Since I've been relistening to the Balance arc because Ethersea is so good it's making me want more TAZ, I am certain that Zoox is the natural progression of where Clint really wanted to go with Merle.

Like, in balance he tries to mind meld with things, but didn't have the mechanics to do it. So much of Zoox is in little kernels of Merle, and it's so interesting how he's exploring identity and self through this character, who's entire powerset is about being part of a collective.

Anyway, zoox might be my favorite TAZ character of all time, and I hope Clint is just having the best time - it certainly seems like he is!

humans need a healthy dose of believing in benign bullshit. four leaf clovers. salt over the shoulder. if you don’t let it out in little ways it builds up inside of you where it rots until you join qanon.

went to the thrift store today there were so many textures there (affectionate)(derogatory)

me, touching a shirt: hee hee hoo hoo texture :D

me, touching a different shirt: OH NO A TEXTURE D:

Be the pond, Danny

Incredibly fucking crucial information for Americans where period tracking digitally is concerned: DELETE YOUR DATA, DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT AND DELETE YOUR APPS

I heard this metaphor growing up, and in my case, it backfired supremely, because I went out into my neighbor's backyard where a rose bush was growing, and the one I tested had like 30 petals (it was yellow, but definitely a rose of some kind), and as a very logical lass, I came to the conclusion that you could have premarital sex AT LEAST ten times before your future husband would even notice something was up. Moral of the story? Test your metaphors on the weirdest and most neurodivergent child you know before writing your weird religious propaganda.

twice now, i have been called by scammers pretending to be bankers telling me i'd been scammed by someone else, and that they, the scammer/banker, would cancel the fraudulent transactions made in my name as soon as i gave them a bit of information to confirm my identity.

the second guy called me from my local bank branch's number and told me "someone in another city is attempting to make purchases with your debit card information" and after i expressed obvious distress he told me "don't worry, this is what i'm here for. we're going to get your cards/accounts cancelled/closed and then we'll all i need you to do is verify the 6-digit code that i've sent to your phone"

that 6-digit code was the code to reset my online banking password 🙃 which i didn't realize at the time. he then got into my online banking account and e-transferred himself $2,800. my bank reclaimed the money but i had to close my bank accounts, then open new bank accounts, cancel my debit and credit cards, get new debit and credit cards, alert two credit unions that i was a victim of fraud, change all my fucking passwords, etc etc

sorry if this shit is obvious to other people but it was not to me so:

if someone calls you, claiming to be from your bank telling you that there are suspicious charges on your account, hang up on them and call the number on the back of your debit card. worst case scenario, you hung up on someone and called a different person back but at least now you know you're talking to someone from the bank. best case scenario, you just hung up on a scammer and are already on the line with someone to report it.

keep your head on a fucking swivel out there

oh that is awful. i actually just had training at my job about how to spot a scam and unfortunately the incidence of phone scams has gone up MASSIVELY over the last several years.

op, i am so, so sorry you went through that and i hope that your funds get recovered. <3 that is a terrible thing to go through.

for other folks who may not know what to look for, here are some things to keep in mind to try to avoid a scam:

is an institution contacting you out of the blue?

even if it's a company or agency you trust, it's generally unusual to be contacted if you aren't expecting a call. and like in the op's case, scammers will often pretend to be from an institution you likely already know and trust. she is absolutely right to recommend that you hang up and call a verified number. any legitimate agency should already have your personal information on file and should not ask you for it by phone, text, or email out of the blue.

scammers can easily spoof the number they call from and the name on the caller id, and will sometimes even create a soundscape in the background to make it more convincing.

are they creating some kind of pressure to act?

this can come in the form of either a carrot or a stick. in some cases, they'll offer some kind of prize in exchange for your help, like claiming abandoned money or getting access to lottery winnings. in others, they need you to help them with a problem, like claiming that they're trying to help a relative but can't do in their own.

are they creating a sense of urgency?

the pressure of a deadline makes it more difficult to stop and think about whether the call is trustworthy--the exact kind of thing that would prevent them from stealing your shit. often, they'll try to ramp up the tension of the situation by putting pressure on you.

i've even heard of cases where they correctly spoof caller id information from a relative of the person they're calling (like a grandchild) and claim that the relative was in a car accident and they won't call 911 unless you send them money.

are they telling you to send money using a specific method?

this doesn't really apply to op's situation, but often, scammers will ask you to send them money using a particular method like gift cards or money transfers. similarly, don't ever deposit a check and send money "back" to somebody--it may end up bouncing and then you are out whatever you sent them.

-

final tips:

it may help to run through some scenarios in your head or read about examples of common scams BEFORE you're on the phone with someone trying to steal your shit, and try to take some time to really think about how you will respond if you get a phone call like that.

and lastly, if it does happen to you, it is not your fault. these people are professional bastards and they make it their work to find vulnerabilities and exploit them.

there's nothing wrong with you for assuming that strangers aren't going to violate your trust. this shit is traumatic, and it may be worth looking into professional supports like therapy if that's something you think will help.

if you have been scammed or think you saw a scam, report it to the FTC if you're in the US (folks in other countries, feel free to add your relevant reporting agency). they can't always recover your funds, but scammers can't be stopped if they don't get reported.

<3

In terms of scams involving Law Enforcement:

First and foremost, a LEGITIMATE call would go something like:

“I’m Officer/Deputy/Detective/Investigator LastName from Department. I am calling you concerning x.”

Request their badge number, if they have not provided it yet. 

If they ask for any of the following, fucking HANG UP.

When in doubt, inform the officer that you are going to call their department back to verify their identity. This is ROUTINE, especially by businesses that deal with secure information like Banks and Insurance. 

If they claim that there is a major Fine or warrants or whatever out for you, inform them that you are going to call the Court directly about it and/or that you want to meet in person at the Department to sort things out. 

Any sort of legal paperwork MUST be served to you IN PERSON. There’s no handling a Warrant or Summons or other court paperwork over the phone. Personal Service is required, so anyone trying to get you to do anything over the phone OTHER than arrange a meeting for Service is scamming you.

Fines are handled through the court, so an Officer is never going to attempt to collect. 

Anyone telling you that they need a code NOW to handle fradulent claims is a liar. The wheels of paperwork turn slow and always need a few days to be processed fully. If anyone is trying to make you give up something, anything, now, hang up immediately and call the institution itself to report fraud.

devo voice: AMBÄÉÎR

today’s Ethersea was just. so fucking good. like I knew this arc was about environmental destruction and generational trauma, but then Griffin was like “the Vestiges came to your world because their world was destroyed” and “if the last spark of hope in your world is overtaken by nihilism, the people of the Ethersea will become the Vestiges to a new world that they, in turn will colonize and inevitably corrupt just as the Vestiges did to them, perpetuating the cycle of greed and loss" and, more implicitly, “it is a horrific and unjust fate that your society, your generation, has been tasked with preserving such hope in a world that so very few of you could be blamed for ruining, but you do not have the right to outsource your suffering to another universe, you do not have the right to sacrifice another civilization’s agency” in the same episode he ended with “oh and also a blink shark swallowed zoox but like, very gently and thoughtfully”

Prepare to be…….. DEHUMIDIFIED! 🦇🩸

Sabertooth!!

GUTTED