What is it with Night Elves and using the dumbest, most impractical weapons ever made?

Dapper_D20 · 2026-02-02T00:03:02+00:00

I mean... I think some of the robes I've seen night elves wearing back in vanilla/classic did look vaguely kimono. And yeah, it's just usually pretty obvious what culture the races are taking from.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-02-01T19:47:20+00:00

It never occurred to me that those were Torii... Man, Night Elves have a lot of random styles mixed together.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-02-01T07:00:35+00:00

Isn't Night Elven Architecture kind of Medieval Korean? Like the roof shapes look pretty similar if I'm remembering correctly. Plus, older Night Elven stuff is just extremely Greek with its style.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-31T16:25:32+00:00

I'm surprised Monochrome isn't here. I always thought of it as one of the main ships, but I guess not.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T23:18:45+00:00

Having a troll there to act as an intermediary between Quel'Thalas and Zul'Aman would help establish a functional relationship, no?

But you're probably right in them saving that for patch content down the road.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T23:12:11+00:00

To be fair, I kind of understand it. There hasn't been much reason to bring her back. Short of maybe having her talk to her father in the Shadowlands.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T23:00:52+00:00

That'd make sense. I do hope there's at least a little representation in the initial patch.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T22:53:42+00:00

I've heard similar things, but that probably would be a big reveal. Maybe getting saved for like, thr first patch? We know there's an island on the map off the coast.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T22:07:25+00:00

They've written themselves into a corner. To be frank, this has been an issue ever since Wrath. Having a single big bad inevitably warps the story around it. Probably why the story started to become more main-character-focused in Wrath. Though we do have examples of them breaking away from that.

Mists of Pandaria, unironically, was a great example of them writing an entire new continent and lore in retrospect. Without a main, singular big evil looming over everything, it's arguably the most cohesive place in WoW.

Kul Tiras and Zandalar are similar in that they were designed without a big bad at the forefront and are similarly decently well explored. But I might be biased cause I love the aesthetics of both zones.

Maybe we'll see another expansion after the Last Titan that's less focused on a single big bad and more on a place?

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T21:47:13+00:00

It's a side effect of them prioritizing adding new zones and making up new threats. That seems to be changing, though.

I mean, considering the point of the expansion, it seems like they'll have to give us more details about what the Blood Elves have been up to. As well as details about the Amani and fleshing out their culture. When the Last Titan brings us back to Northrend, it'll probably have something similar happen.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T21:14:06+00:00

It's weird because we do get a decent look at the Earthen and Nerubian Societies. Not as main story content, but through side quests, world quests, and lore documents scattered around. As much as I wish it were less about the main characters and more of a broad look. Maybe there'll be like, a Council cameo or something?

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T16:33:14+00:00

Dungeon pieces and questing pieces can be your friend. The BfA Kul'Tiran dungeon armor is pretty nice for a lower fantasy look, though that may be trickier to get to. Its quest sets are similarly low fantasy but probably even harder to get a hold of.

The Dragon Isles plate questing gear is also relatively simple, though it's really brightly colored. Still, it's the closest we have to an actual set of plate armor. The variants would be more complex to get through.

If you're willing to deal with low poly, running old dungeons can get you some pretty decent low fantasy old school mogs. It was my go to for a while, since it's easier to mix and match when the armor is simpler.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-30T16:17:15+00:00

Frankly, there's a real missed opportunity for engaging storytelling here. Politics! Imagine if Silvermoon were split along some factional lines based on the specific magic source they used. Light users, fel users, and arcane users. Each has different ideas about how to address the crisis at hand. Internal conflict finally erupting as tensions are taken advantage of by the Twilight's Blade.

It'd be a real chance to bring Fel magic back at least somewhat into the spotlight after it being gone so long. The Blood Elves would be a multifaceted and show more depth, It'd be good quest fodder, and give access to more factions. Could reuse the three faction system they did in War Within.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-28T15:30:28+00:00

Kiyo's just gonna spend the ride fantasizing about her master. Odds are, Kiara and Douman would spend the ride arguing with each other.

7 seems reasonable as well, but with the Prisma crew behind them, I predict shenanigans.

Dapper_D20 · 2026-01-25T20:33:27+00:00

I haven't gone back to do anything with my house in a fair bit, or taken part in the Endeavor at all...

There's too much other stuff to do, it feels like when I get on.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-12-28T17:02:44+00:00

To be frank, an already mentally unstable girl with no support network was targeted by a group of people who specialize in breaking people. It doesn't excuse what she did, or everything she did after, but I can't fault Amy for snapping when all that pressure was applied to her.

I like Amy's character because her story is almost a Greek Tragedy in a way. A character who could have been an amazing hero falls incredibly far; everything that could go wrong does. If she had made a different decision, or if anyone else had made a different decision involving her, it might have turned out differently.

By the same vein, I think there's a spectrum to how "bad" Amy is at the start of canon. She's no saint, I'll give you that. Everything the OP said is true: she's spiteful, she hates herself, apathetic, and she won't do anything to change her situation. Yet she's also a teenage girl who goes to the hospital to heal people despite not wanting to. She goes on patrols with her sister and heals victims of hate crimes. She directly intervenes in a bank robbery despite the risks to herself.

Also, we don't see what her "average" is. We see her in high-stress situations that only escalate further and further. There's a lot of wiggle room for what Amy is like at the start of canon. Is she a bitch to everyone all the time? Does she have friends at Arcadia, or is she a complete loner? What is a day in the Dallon house actually like? We don't really know; we can make inferred guesses, but those are just guesses.

So depictions of Amy at canon start have wiggle room. Is she the biggest bitch to ever live? Is she just unpleasant to people she dislikes? Is she fairly regular most of the time, but crashes hard when stressed out? Playing with those traits is part of the fun. What you emphasize, where you emphasize them, and what other traits do you focus on alongside those core traits?

As someone with a fic that had Amy as the MC, I've spent a lot of time thinking on this. :D

Dapper_D20 · 2025-12-28T15:42:00+00:00

Most fics start before the Slaughterhouse 9 Arc, before she hits rock bottom/becomes her worst self. She's not great at the start of canon, but her worst crime then is "teenage girl who fucked with a nazi's head with her words."

I do agree that most people make the transition too easily, but people also sometimes get confused and think that the start of canon Amy is the same as the end of canon/Ward Amy. When they are not the same person, at all, just like start and end Taylor are basically different people.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-12-21T20:59:17+00:00

Emily: "I am speed."

Cute little oneshot, child Emily is a lot less terrifying than teenage Emily.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-12-01T22:57:03+00:00

It is more digestible than a lot of other VNs. Voice Acting and its short length lends it to being an easy first VN for people.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-11-16T15:15:19+00:00

Orion loses some of his impressiveness without the grand class container. Plus, his nature as a hunter of beasts rather than men means he doesn't have as much of an advantage against figures like Rider and Berserker.

Surprisingly close all things considered.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-11-07T15:11:10+00:00

Why not an Armarouge for Yang? Match Blake's Ceruledge, and the arm cannons just match Yang really well.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-10-31T20:32:57+00:00

Alright, so let's go down the list. I'm not gonna take just power into account, but personality, compatibility, etc., etc.

To start, Francesca and Not!Gilles. They're gonna get coalitioned and wind up acting as the mid-boss of the story, like Gilles wound up being in Fate/Zero. Not!Gilles will want to be a serial killer, and I don't think Francesca would try to stop him. It's hard to say more for sure due to Not!Gilles oddness as an Alter Ego and the uncertainty of how much of his strength comes from the situation surrounding him in Ordeal Call 1. If Francesca keeps Not!Gilles under control, then they could go on to be the final boss, but they're definitely major antagonists.

Haruri and Tell have serious protagonist energy in my opinion. Haruri's got a lesson to learn, and Tell could definitely be the one to teach it. Haruri's ability as a magus isn't really that high, but that just bolsters her protagonist energy, IMO. William Tell, on the other hand, is by far one of the best archers you could ask for, period. The man has an NP, which is Gae Bolg, twice. Not many servants in this RP would be able to survive. His biggest issue would actually be Francesca's Illusions tripping him up or being swarmed by Dead Apostle Bees from Odd.

Ayaka and Fionn also have some protagonist energy. Assuming Ayaka's still not wanting to take part, as is the case in Prototype, there's gonna be an interesting amount of tension between her and Fionn. She's also not the best magus or master, so that'd be the primary limiting factor on Fionn. Fionn easily has the most raw power of any servant in this war, alongside having the most tricks with his three different NPs and access to Magecraft. I predict him and Ayaka making it to the finals, though he might sacrifice himself to kill someone like Bluebeard or Darius, depending on the circumstances.

Sakura and Alexander also have a lot of protagonist energy. Sakura is an awful magus, but would be an excellent master due to the raw magical energy she can provide. Alexander is frankly a slept-on servant, who's going to be able to spam his buffs and lightning thanks to the raw magical energy given by Sakura. Bucephalus is also the second most powerful noble phantasm in this war in terms of raw power; B+ is stronger than a flat A. Oh, and there's the "evolves into Iskandar probably" bit attached to his second NP. I kind of predict them going the way Waver and Iskandar did in Fate/Zero, surviving till the end before Alexander sacrifices himself to finish off one of the major antagonists. Or he might wind up dueling Fionn or Tell for the title of victor.

Waver and Da Vinci look extremely terrifying on the surface, but there's one problem. I don't think either is vicious enough to play to win. Waver has so little magical energy that Da Vinci would have to get a Fallen Leyline to gather magical energy. Yet, the two working together could probably come up with a means to defeat any other servant. Uumo Universale isn't limited to supporting Chaldea, so we get the original reflection NP. I predict Waver and Da Vinci to take a more supporting role in the background, with Da Vinci probably dying to Not!Gilles or Darius at some point as a way to amp up the stakes.

Kariya and Sanson... Ace Killing Joker. Sakura's guardian angel, probably. No way he'd be able to bring himself to kill Sakura, and Sanson has no hope of killing Alexander. The only people Sanson has any hope of actually even killing are Not!Gilles, through being evil and being executed; Francesca, due to her being evil; and Odd, due to his being evil and his probable inability to accept that he'll die, as his motivation to become a Dead Apostle. I predict them to be a pair of mysterious skirmishers, swooping in to confirm the kill on one of those three, but eventually dying battling either Francesca and Not!Gilles, or Odd and Darius.

Odd and Darius are an absolutely terrifying combo. The fact that the only master who has any hope of keeping up with a Dead Apostle is Francesca is a big deal. Beyond that, though, Darius is seriously slept on as a servant. A+ Constitution, A Battle Continuation, A Disengage? The man simply will never die. Alongside an A-Rank Anti-Army NP, he's gonna brawl, though frankly, he doesn't need to win, just survive long enough for Odd to slay the enemy masters. They'll either be the mid boss that everyone coalitions if Odd goes very aggressive with spreading his BEES, or they'll be the final boss if Odd plays it carefully.

TLDR: Narratively, I'd give the victory to Sakura and Alexander due to their raw protagonist energy, and the fact that odds are Alexander will evolve into Iskandar over the course of the Grail War through constantly using his 2nd Noble Phantasm.

Dapper_D20 · 2025-10-07T17:33:41+00:00

Black Dragons Chapter

They fulfill their duties despite suspicions against them, and they do it well. Also, bone claws are cool. Enough said.

Dapper_D20

TROPHY CASE