#So if that is how the dungeon works in this game and it takes place after the main story

[zandraxofnebulon]

A dungeon meshi rpg-style video game adaptation wouldn't work unless it had extremely dedicated systems for cooking the monsters you slay. I'm talking the ability to cut apart the monster in any way you want, any part of the monster that could conceivably be edible can be cooked if you find the right way to do it, with every part having pre assigned ideal cooking methods to give the best flavor and nutrition. (The cutting apart and cooking would have actual physics and gameplay, no simple cooking animation/minigame.) The better you cook the food, the better your stats are for the next part of your journey.

The actual rpg combat could be fleshed out or barebones, but the meat (lol) of the experience HAS to be in the cooking. Maybe you start out only knowing a few very basic cooking methods and learn more as you go through the game (if you come back to earlier areas after getting far into the dungeon, you can cook parts of monsters you couldnt before, create new recipes, etc.)

Maybe there could be a whole bespoke system for keeping track of/labeling each recipe you make (breath of the wild style), with records on the nutritional values (the stat octagon) for each. The nutrition would generally be enhanced by how good the flavor is, with penalties if things are burnt/cooked incorrectly/etc.

Story wise, maybe you wouldnt play as laios' party during the events of dunmesh, but as a group of adventurers post-epilogue who're exploring a dungeon at king laios' behest, and, taking inspiration from his adventure, decide to survive by eating monsters. Maybe laios would gift them a copy of the Dungeon Gourmet Guide, with notes and corrections from senshi here and there. As the party progresses into the dungeon, they unlock more entries in the guide, adding their own notes as they go. Idk where the story would end up going but if ryoko kui is involved it would probably be pretty sick

[prokopetz]

I apologise if you've already answered this, but I tried searching your blog and I'm unsure if you haven't or if it's another example of Tumblr's amazing search system.

I was talking with a friend recently about how much of a culture clash the Monk Class is compared to the rest of Dungeons & Dragons and was wondering if there is a coherent reason for their original inclusion. I'm aware that they're largely influenced by Shaolin monks as depicted in Hong Kong cinema in the 70's/80's as compared to the Sword and Sorcery stuff most of the rest of D&D takes influence from.

Basically, my question ultimately boils down to, "Is the Monk Class there purely because of an original player wanting to rule of cool their way into playing something wildly out of genre, or is there a stronger link between Sword and Sorcery and Hong Kong cinema that could have organically resulted in the Monk Class joining the rest of the classes?"

A lot of the link between the two was simply a matter of time and place. The kung fu craze hit North America at just about exactly the same time as the sword and sorcery revival that gave us films like Clash of the Titans and Beastmaster and The Sword and the Sorcerer and Dragonslayer and Krull – not to mention the Arnold Schwarzenegger Conan adaptation, which revived popular interest in first-wave sword and sorcery literature – so there was a lot of it going around. Analysis of early Dungeons & Dragons as a product of its media influences often overlooks that it was largely drawing on what was trendy in American popular media in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Even the tonally incongruous Lord of the Rings references weren't a deep cut; while the books were originally published in the 1950s, they'd experienced a strong resurgence in the 1970s, putting them firmly in the popular consciousness at the time that D&D was being developed. All this being the case, it's not surprising that early D&D was also substantially influenced by Hong Kong action cinema.

That said, the reason the monk character class in particular (i.e., as opposed to kung fu media influences more generally) is there is allegedly because one specific guy in one of the game's early playtest groups really, really wanted to play as Remo Williams from Warren Murphy and Richard Sapir's The Destroyer; several of the class's signature abilities are direct references to powers Williams exhibits in the course of the novels. Remarks from folks who worked at TSR at the time have pointed the finger at Brian Blume as the Remo Williams fan in question, though accounts are conflicted whether Blume was actually an uncredited contributor to Dave Arneson's Blackmoor (1975), in which the class makes its first proper appearance, or whether Blume's interest merely prompted its inclusion.

This is the case for the character archetypes in a lot tabletop RPGs of that era; instead of trying to work out what classes "ought" be be present, authors would simply start with the types of characters their playtesters actually wanted to play, often based on specific popular media characters, then work backwards to derive an IC rationale for why those were the setting's standard adventuring professions. Other examples from D&D in particular most obviously include the Ranger (based on Tolkien's Aragon, naturally), but also the Paladin (principally inspired by Holger Carlsen from Poul Anderson's 1961 isekai novel Three Hearts and Three Lions, also the source of D&D's goofy regenerating trolls), the Assassin, back when it was still a separate character class (probably mainly based on the Assassin Caste from John Norman's Gor), and even the Wizard to a large extent (less Gandalf than you'd think: a large portion of D&D's iconic wizard spell list is lifted directly from the 1963 Vincent Price film The Raven).

(I often think that modern indie RPGs could benefit from reviving this approach. Like, fuck textual consistency – just pick half a dozen of your favourite popular media characters without regard for the compatibility of the source material and work backwards to explain why these six random assholes are your game's playable archetypes!)

[scribeofmorpheus]

Why Dragon Age Veilguard isn't a "Cathedral"

Concept art by Matt Rhodes

"To disinherit the storylines of past games goes directly against the notion of building cathedrals."

What is inherent with Veilguard that keeps bothering me is the fact that the world's choices truly didn't matter--and it doesn't simply bother me from a player perspective, it's not simply a grievance borne of frustration to what I (as a longtime fan) have lost. It's about the very culture of the arts under capitalism's new media habituation cycle [x][x].

Yes, I spent hours of my life playing and replaying each instalment of Dragon Age. Yes, I painstakingly curated a 'canon' world state by replaying what came before in preparation for Veilguard. Yes, I am even more unsatisfied with the end product--time hasn't helped, it's just widened the divide. But, and I can't stress this enough, these very personal gripes aren't what hit home the most. It's the inherent disregard of legacy. A legacy that the previous writers and game developers were building towards.

In the DAV artbook, "cathedral" is the word used to describe the process of making a game. Matt Rhodes' exact words are: "One artist can make a painting, but it takes a team to build a cathedral." Cathedrals took centuries to build. The architect who drafted the first blueprints would likely never see his work realised, he had to rely on those who came after him, like-minded and passionate, to see it through--for the culture, for the future, for legacy. Painters took on several apprentices for this reason too--giant frescoes were not completed by one man's hand, even if it is one man's name that immortalises them. Similarly, if you weave a narrative around choice, what good does it do to take it away at the final act if not to fall to caricature?

To disinherit the storylines of past games goes directly against the notion of building cathedrals.

Late-stage capitalism and profit-margin-obsessed game producers forcing developers to churn out meager content, to make a known brand into something it's not, to chase a fad or a popular trend... o, how reductive and cliche you've been forced to become Bioware. We have lost the cultural thought patterns relative to Cathedrals. We know only of barn-raised churches--done in a day but unlikely to last the turn of the seasons.

And don't even get me started on the music of Veilguard either. From Origins to World of Warcraft to Everquest to Baldur's Gate to Dungeon Siege, you can hear the intricate interconnected weave of sounds inspired by the Dungeons and Dragons-esque fantasy genre. You hear it in the repeated use of certain instruments, in the harmonic weeping notes of a bard-like singer or the foreboding echoes of drums as if of war. In tavern songs. But then, rather than hire someone who loves these worlds and this genre, who is a hungry artist looking to make a name, a legacy if you will, for themselves with a spectacular score, you hire any already sated composer, one well-into the encroaching years of career fatigue, whose notes repeat in countless projects, who feels less concise and more uninterested with each new project. One who has long since cemented his legacy. Someone in it for a paycheck and nothing else! And, to top it off, you let him compose something so minimalist? I am offended actually.

Cathedrals! We should have witnessed the final tile being placed on the Dragon Age cathedral. Instead, some architects walked up, tore down the interior and installed IKEA furniture and called it authentic before having to call the previous architects to come and fix the "load-bearing issues", forcing them to rush and add a coat of varnish and a few 'aged' details for authenticity.

[imwritingthefout]

after session hangout

basically you fall in love with the dm of your campaign in college: Ford pines, smut ensues

This is crossposted to ao3 so if you wanna go read it there, here’s the link:

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

Waking up each day to the same old ceiling was starting to bore you. 

Ever since moving out of your parents house for college you felt like a stranger in the dorm you now called ‘home’, and It didn't help that you refused to decorate it. 

Getting out of your plain old bed, you stand up and push away the blinds with a tug, the light from the early morning sun blinding you temporarily. You glance down at your clock; 6:30am, thursday. The time isn't the part that excites you though, it's the day. Today is the day you look forward to all week: Dd&md day! 

You go to get ready for your morning class, excited for what the future of today may hold. You love dd&md, its been your favourite game since you were a child -even though you had no one to play it with back then, you got creative (no goat was harmed in your past attempts at playing the game).

Your classes went by in a blur. Of course you were taking notes and whatnot, it was important to pay attention! But in secret, you were drawing your character all over the side of your notebook and thinking of strategies on how to defeat the next dungeon your dm set up for you.

And then there was your dm. 

One of the many reasons you adored thursdays was because you got to play dd&md of course, but other than that there was another big reason you liked thursdays.

To put it plainly: your dm, Stanford Pines was Hot. like, capital H Hot. you couldn't get over his warm brown eyes that sparkled with passion whenever he detailed the characters he was playing. His hands that moved with his every word, adding to the description of the imaginary world he was building. God you wanted to feel those hands on you. What would they feel like, intertwined with your own, on your hips while he-

You decided to stop that train of thought. As much as you liked him, you also respected him enough to know that he would probably never feel that way towards you, and you shouldn't fantasise about him like that (even though it was hard not to).

And though he was Hot, that wasn't the only reason you liked him. You liked him because he was smart, compassionate, funny and so very cute.

What can you say? You had a thing for nerds.

As your last class of the day finished finished up, you quickly packed up your things and rushed to the old building next to the dorms that housed your favourite room in the whole campus: the old meeting room you guys used to house your dd&md sessions! 

The room wasn't glorious, it was just an old meeting room that's been out of use for years. But to you, that room was the home of your imagination. It held a special place in your heart, and you were sure it was the same for the rest of your party.

Speaking of which, you saw Fiddleford approach you down the old hallway, little puffs of dust kicking up with each of his steps. “Hey Fidds! You ready for today’s session?” you yelled to him slightly as he approached. “Ready as I'll ever be! You won't believe what I have planned in order to kick that sorcerer's butt!” he gave your shoulder a weak punch and opened the door with his key.

Usually, the old building was out of commission. But since Fiddleford knew a guy who works as campus security and convinced him to give him the key, you had full access to the building to do whatever you pleased. Of course for you, anything just means playing dd&md, not causing a mess and cleaning up after yourselves as much as possible in order to not inconvenience anyone. You knew that other people your age would throw huge parties and wreck the place, but you weren't that kind of person, really. You just liked having a quiet place to play your games and hang out with your friends. Fiddleford was like that too, that's how he got the key in the first place; because his friend trusted him not to mess up the place.

As you walked inside, you saw the table set out just how you guys left it last week: the long rectangular table set up in the middle of the room, with seven chairs set out all around the table, one for each player and one for your dm. A whiteboard behind the dm’s seat that shows the map of the fantasy world you are currently in the middle of exploring, and cork board on another wall with a bunch of graph paper pinned to it.

You walk around the table, taking your regular seat across from Fiddleford. “So what do you think Ford's planning for this session?” you ask Fidds. This is your usual routine: get to the building early, wait for Fidds and ask him if he has any intel for the session since his roommate is Ford. “like usual, i can’t tell you, it'll ruin the fun!” Fidds exclaimed, although the grin on his face told you he likes this familiar back and forth. 

You eased into a casual conversation from there, talking about your days as you waited for everyone else. You liked coming early because then you had more time to talk with Fidds and, of course, with Ford.

You met Fidds on the first day of the semester, when you sat next to each other in the freshman orientation presentation, and hit it off from there. you became friends rather quickly, bonding over the fact that you were both far away from home with no friends in town. You decided to help him move into his dorm after the presentation, and that's when you met Ford.

At first, you were a bit speechless at the guy in front of you. His outfit was the usual scholar's outfit of a white button up shirt with a brown vest on top, but then he was wearing jeans in order to look more ‘casual’ as he put it. His hair was neat and tidy and his glasses framed his face perfectly, at least in your opinion. You introduced yourself awkwardly, and once he introduced himself as Stanford Pines, a parapsychology major with aspirations for 12 phd’s in the next five years, you knew you were in over your head. You can't have a crush on a super-genius! What if he turns out to be an arrogant asshole? But you couldn't help developing feelings for him as you got closer. He wasn't just a super-genius, he was also kind and compassionate, understanding and just a good friend. That's when you decided to just stay friends with Ford, you couldn't afford to lose such a good friend.

Speaking of which, the man himself comes into the room, holding a stack of books detailing the rules and monsters of dd&md, a satin sack full of dice and his dm screen. You can barely see his face behind all of the things he's carrying, and immediately you jump up to help him carry everything. He silently thanks you for the help and starts setting his stuff up while you go back to your seat. “Hey guys, how've you been since last week?” Ford asks you two. “Oh i've been well, you know. Dealing with you every day can be challenging but I manage somehow” Fidds says dramatically and you stifle a giggle. Ford gives Fidds a death glare before turning to you “and how are you?” he asks with a smile that makes your knees weak. “I'm good!” you proclaim a little too loudly and cough to hide your blush “yes i'm good, just the usual classes and such” you say in a normal voice (or at least what you hope is a normal voice, it doesn't help that Fidds looks at you cheekily, already knowing your secret crush on his roomate) “how have you been?” you ask him. 

“Just the usual: doing homework, studying and building up today’s session” you catch on to the last part as a potential way to continue the conversation. “Well, what do you have planned for today?”. “Oh come on now, it wouldn't be fun to just spoil the game for you, would it?” he says and points to you to emphasise his point. “You can't even give us an outline? Something?” you pout a little and Ford gives in “fine… I may have something up my sleeve for today, and I can guarantee you won't see it coming this time! That's all I'm going to say for now though” he jabs his finger at you, trying to seem angry that you caught onto his plans last time, but his little smile gives him away. 

Soon your other party members start filing in and you all start the session. 

It goes as usual, you all mess around for a bit before getting serious. You can confidently say you saw the twist Ford put in this session coming, it was obvious how the wizard was actually a party member’s son, they had so many similarities! After another successful session, everyone leaves for their respective houses, leaving you, Fidds and Ford alone in the room to clean up.

“I can't believe you saw that coming again! I swear you're like a sorcerer in real life” Ford chuckles and Fidds adds “that would also explain how you get here before me every time! I swear I ran to get here today and you still beat me here!” “well what can i say guys? I'm just magical in every way!” you strike a silly but confident pose as Ford and Fidds laugh at your antics. “Oh shoot! I promised my friend i’d go on a blind date today, could you guys lock up this time? Ford you can just give me the keys tomorrow morning if i get lucky” Fidds winks and Ford rolls his eyes “alright, we get it, you can go”. Fidds leaves the keys on the desk and almost sprints out of the room.

You and Ford clean up the mess on the desk in silence before Ford decides to break it “how do you keep predicting my twists anyways? I swear it was supposed to come out of nowhere but you're too smart” you blush a little at the compliment “thank you, i guess i’m just good at guessing twists. But you do make it kind of easy. I mean, a secret relative of someone close? It’s kind of a cliche don't you think?” he pulls at the collar of his button up shirt and you can immediately tell something is wrong.

“Yeah.. I guess it is kind of cliche, but it's what fits the character, don't you think?” he says with a guilty tone. “Ford, what's wrong? I feel like you're hiding something” you get close enough to put a reassuring hand on his shoulder “you can tell me anything, i wont judge” you add, trying to coax him into telling you what's wrong.

“Well… I guess I brought the secret relative from my own life because… well… I have a twin brother….” the sentence doesn’t completely shock you, but it is still somewhat of a surprise “why do you never mention him? Did something happen between you two?” he chuckles a bit before saying “still as perceptive as ever, huh?” you blush a bit as he continues, looking out into the middle distance in thought

“Me and my brother were really close when we were young, we would do everything together. But as time went on, we grew apart. He didn't like the fact that I wanted to go away to a fancy college, especially because he knew he couldn't follow me there. I was working on a machine to impress the college, but on the day of the showing it stopped working. My own brother sabotaged my future. We had a big falling out over it and that’s why I'm here instead….” you empathised with Ford, but you couldn't help but question some things about his story.

“I know it must have been hard to deal with the fact you lost your ticket to the college of your dreams, but do you really believe your brother would sabotage you? If he loves you, wouldn't he want to support you? Maybe it was an accident and he didn't mean to destroy your project?” Ford looks lost in thought again before replying “i… it's foolish but i never thought of it that way…” he looks at you with thankfulness in his eyes and you can't help but smile up at him “you should maybe sort this out with him? Talk to him about what actually happened and if he meant to hurt you?” 

“God you're right… Thank you! This changes everything! I'm so glad I could just kiss you!” 

….

It takes him a second to realise what he said and blush at the thought of actually kissing you. You just stare at him dumbly for a second until your brain processes what he said.

He wants to kiss you?

Well this took a turn for the better.

“Do you really mean that?” you ask him with hope in your eyes

���Well… yeah, of course. Why wouldn’t i? Look at you” he finds that it's suddenly very important you understand how much he wants to kiss you. “Wow… i- i didn't know you felt the same…” you say softly and look down. He says your name and puts his hand on your cheek and lifts up your face to meet his eyes “i like you. More than as a friend. Would you… let me kiss you?” he looks at you nervously for a moment before you close the gap between you two and kiss him yourself.

The kiss feels electrifying. As your soft lips meet his you put your arms around his neck to pull him closer. You realise he smells exactly how you thought he would; of old books and aftershave. His hands find your waist and rub gentle circles with his thumbs into your skin. You pull away after a little and touch your forehead with his “you have no idea how long i've wanted to do that” you whisper gently.

“Me too” and he goes back to kissing you, this time he takes the lead. You tighten yourself around him until your chests meet, his hands move down to your hips and he pulls you onto his lap in one swoop. You gently bite his lip as he groans into your open lips. He then moves down to kiss from your jaw to your neck, leaving the occasional love bite. You sigh at his bites until he gets to your collarbones. “Do you…. Want to do this?” he breathes the question against your skin, the feeling of him against you makes you shudder. “Yes. im sure”. He straightens up from excitement and goes back to kissing you collarbone, now more eager than ever as his hands travel past the hem of your shirt and up to your bra. Meanwhile your hands go down to feel him underneath you.

“Someone is excited” you smirk as he breaths heavily against you. 

“Very” his response falls heavy against you as he unclasps your bra (with only a little bit of a struggle) and his hands move to massage your breasts. You moan as he pinches your nipples in between his fingers. You lower your head to bite at his shoulder to stifle another moan from falling out of your lips- “No” he says and moves his shoulder to get you to stop muffling your sounds. “I want to hear you”. The thought of him wanting to hear you like this makes you blush and sends a bolt of pleasure down your spine. “Y-yes’’ 

You intend to start massaging him through his pants but he beats you to it, moving his hand down into your pants. You help him take off your pants and underwear (with a lot of struggle because of your position) and he suddenly picks you up and places you on the table. The cold desk underneath you only adds to the pleasure as he caresses your side before moving his hand down to finally touch you. 

His hand caresses your folds and feels how wet you are, and you moan from the feeling of his thick fingers on your sensitive skin. “Damn, you feel so good” he whimpers at how you feel before kissing your breasts and plunging his index finger inside you. “A-ah~” you sigh as he moves his hand so his thumb is circling your clit. 

He continues pumping his finger inside of you for a second before adding a second one and speeding up the pace. If he continues like this you wont last long. Almost as if he can hear your thoughts, he stops and goes down onto his knees, his face in front of your core. “Can I please taste you?” he asks innocently, as if his request isn't the most dirty thing you've heard him say. Thinking about it makes you even more aroused -if that's even possible at this point- and you hastily agree.

Not even a second after he sees you nod does he jump into your pussy, his tongue plunging into you and licking you from the inside. His nose bumps into your clit as he moves to taste and lick you even more. Your breath hitches and you moan loudly as he begins sucking at your clit, toying and teasing it with his tongue. “Please F-Ford” you manage to say in between moans. He groans against you and the vibrations send a wave of pleasure through you.

He suddenly brings his fingers back into you, curling them just right, hitting that spongy spot inside you that sends you over the edge. 

You briefly hear him let out a broken “Fu-uck” as your orgasm ripples through you in waves. Ford helps you ride out your high as he continues fingering you and licking at your clit. You have to push him off of you as it becomes too overstimulating

You try to pull him up to his knees, but he seems embarrassed by something. He looks up at you with his chin and nose glistening from your wetness, a guilty smile on his lips and his glasses fogged up and crooked. You then look down and notice it. A wet spot against his jeans

oh.

He got off on pleasuring you. He turned into a mess from just tasting you, feeling you on his lips and fingers. “That's the hottest thing i've ever seen” you say suddenly and lean down to kiss him passionately. He pulls away “really? You think so?” he looks at you in shock. “Yes! Now let me kiss you” you bring him up and kiss him passionately. He takes the hint, grabs at your hips and grunts. You can feel him already hardening again so you pull at his belt and pull down his pants and underwear. You softly grab him and start moving your hand up and down as he whimpers against your lips. You bring up your hand and spit onto it in order to create less friction when touching him.

“Please Ford- fuck me” you moan into his ear and he leans his head back in pleasure. “But i don't have-” you cut him off “there's some condoms in the front pocket of my bag, please” you emphasise your point by giving his cock another stroke. This seems to fuel him on to run to your bag and get the condom. He opens the packet and rolls it onto his member. He rubs his cock against your folds to collect your juices and as his head rubs against your oversensitive clit you moan. “Please put it inside” you hold onto his shoulders as he follows your request and pushes his tip in slowly.

He slowly pushes himself inside you until he's bottomed out inside you and you both groan. You move your hips experimentally and he whimpers at the feeling of you around him. He slowly starts to pull out and then thrusts back in with a moan of your name. You dig your fingers into the soft skin of his shoulders as he continues thrusting inside of you slowly. 

He continues gently until you decide to whisper in his ear something that changes his attitude completely “harder- please~”. He understands the message and suddenly picks you up and flips you around -while still inside of you- and bends you over the table. You moan at the sudden change of positions but you have no time to get used to it as he starts thrusting into you at a killer pace. He moves his hips sharply into you, with an almost mechanical pace as he pushes your chest onto the table with his broad torso. You can't help the sounds you let out each time he hits that deep spot inside of you. He grunts into your ear at each thrust and it makes your eyes water from all the pleasure.

You're suddenly pushed over the edge for the second time when he wraps his hand around your body and starts playing with you clit. You scream his name as you cum around his cock. His pace stutters a bit and he curses in your ear as he cums too for the second time.

He slowly eases you both down with some gentler thrusts and then exits out of you with a sensual pop. 

You lay down for a little while with your ass out before you gather some strength to get up. As soon as you do, your legs start to shake and Ford catches you in his arms and chuckles a bit with pride. “So…. did you like that?”  

You dead-pan him and say “no. i didn't like that. Of course I liked that you doofus!” he laughs a bit and kisses you again. “I just wanted to make sure!” he says against your lips. You giggle and pull him even closer “well, i enjoyed that a lot” you give him a small peck on the nose and then pull away to put your clothes back on. He disposes of the condom and goes to put on his pants but pauses. “I can't go out with a wet spot on my pants…. What should I do?” he looks terrified at the thought of walking around campus like that.

“Don't worry, i always carry an extra sweatshirt around in case the ac is too much in class” you laugh as he looks at you like you just saved his life “you are an angel!” he comes up to you and kisses you again before going back to putting on his pants. You hand him the sweatshirt and he ties it around his waist in order to hide the evidence of what happened.

He then comes up to you and hugs you. “You know i meant what i said, right? About liking you” you blush and then respond “i meant what i said too”

“Then can this not be a one time thing? I want to -if you’d want of course, there's no pressure if you don't want to do anything more than what happened today but-” you cut him off to spare him from rambling even more “i’d like to go on a date with you, Ford. i want to go out with you and be with you” he sighs with relief. “Great! Are you free tomorrow?” you check your calendar “yeah i should be- do you want to meet up?” 

“I would love that” he kisses your forehead before picking up your bag and the keys to the room.

You go out but as Ford locks the door, he realises something.

“Why do you have condoms in your bag?”

You immediately flush a deep red as you remember the fact that after first meeting him, your horney brain convinced you to put some condoms in your bag. ‘Just in case something happens’ you thought to yourself

“No reason” you yelp out and pull at his bicep so he continues walking and change the subject.

He chuckles at your antics but goes along with you.

He’ll just have to ask another time.

[eggueggueo]

Shadowvanilla in Dungeons & Dragons...

Que me yapping under the notes

I would like to say, uve created a special kind of brainrot in my mind with this ask

Ive wanted to write a whole fic off this now with how much it inspired me gjcjch

For now though, have this! Im still drawing the outfit designs for them (smilks is done but pv is taking foreeeever) but i really wanted to do something silly in the meantime hehe

I thought for days how to approach this idea since the ask was pretty vauge and open to a lot of interpretation (/not complaining!!) And pulled inspiration from bg3 since thats one form of dnd im familiar with. Then i thought about the owlbears in the game and that itd be silly to draw something related to it (even though idk how to draw animals at all ☠️)

Now onto info for this au!!

For the setting, initially it takes place in ep7/8 ish (since atp 8 hasnt come out but its gonna be hella canon divergent anyways so shrugs) where pv and smilks have their final confrontation. Pv wins, but takes pity on smilks and spares him. Smilks in a fit of desperation and delirium, tries one more trick to beat pv, but it backfires terribly and both their magic (since they pull from the same soulgem) does some weird wombo combo effect reaction which alters time and space and! Poof they both get pulled into the rift/distortion

When they wake, all that they experienced (in their canon world) is like a strange dream. I wont say more since id like to elaborate and explore the idea more

And erm,,,it might change a bit since the ideas are still being worked on

But!!

Pure vanillas class is a cleric (shocker) and shadow milks class is a sorcerer

Its a running gag in my head that everytime shadow milk tells someone hes a sorcerer, they look him up and down and say, "your....a sorcerer?? You dont dress the part"

To which he will roll his eyes in annoyance and tell them, "their clothing is too boring to wear!"

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Calling Ultima the single most consistently groundbreaking, pioneering, influential series of videogames in the history of the medium would be kind of an understatement (Akalabeth and Ultima I pioneering the idea of adapting tabletop RPGs to the medium of videogames in a way that established so many elements that would become intrinsic to the identity of the genre for decades, like the concept of grid-based first person dungeon crawling and tile-based overworld travel, later games establishing the mold for isometric top-down RPGs, Ultima Online being a critical tipping point in cementing the popularity of the MMORPG), but even among a series that consistently pumped groundbreaking videogame after groundbreaking videogame it's just completely impossible to overstate how massive Ultima Underworld's legacy stands over a huge chunk of the gaming medium, even if its effects manifest in subtle ways nowadays like I legitimately believe no individual videogame in the history of the medium has been as influential as it.

It's legitimately insane how many seemingly unrelated videogames can be directly traced back to Underworld in some form or another. Like, to get the obvious out of the way first, it established the DNA of the immersive sim genre, so if you like games like System Shock, Thief, Deus Ex, Bioshock, Dishonored, Prey, all of those games were either made by people who worked on Ultima Underworld (sometimes by the same studio even), or otherwise directly influenced by games that were.

But also, if you like any first person shooters influenced by Doom and other ID Software games? John Carmack was there when the demo of Underworld was first shown and decided he could create a faster texture-mapped first-person 3D engine. Which he did, at the cost of sacrificing true polygonal 3D environments in favor of the pseudo-3D that he would use for Catacombs 3D and Wolfenstein 3D, eventually resulting in the creation of Doom. RPGs like the Elder Scrolls or Gothic? It would take all day to list off how much they directly owe to Ultima Underworld. That videogame trope of finding out what happened to the occupants of a place through finding in-game logs and documents? It was established by Ultima Underworld and popularized by one of its successors.

That's without mentioning how many games directly cite it as an influence. Some already mentioned like Bioshock, Deus Ex, and Elder Scrolls, but also like. Half-life 2? Tomb Raider? Gears of War? Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines? All cite it as a direct influence in their game design.

Like of course a lot of these things are by virtue of being one of the earliest free-moving 3D first person videogames, when you're that early in the history of the medium you'll inevitably end up being the first to do *something* that otherwise someone else would eventually have ended up doing anyway, but no other game has a "first videogame to do [thing]" list anywhere as long and important as Ultima Underworld's.

[azrielbrainrot]

Haunted

Pairing: Azriel x F!Reader

Kinktober 2024: Prey/Predator

Description: You and Azriel play a not so innocent game of hide-and-seek.

Warnings: Smut, vaginal sex, rough sex, sex in the dungeons, bit of fingering, dirty talk, bit of cum play, slight (almost non existant) dom/sub dynamics, tiny bit of degradation and a praise kink

Word Count: ~2,1k

Rating: 18+ MDNI

Kinktober 2024 Masterlist

The silence was deafening in between the stone walls, making you far too aware of the sound of your own breathing and how hard your heart was beating. You wouldn't be surprised if he could hear it through your chest even if he was on the opposite side of the dungeons, it was certainly loud enough in your ears.

Moving was difficult as well since you were terrified of alerting him with every step you took, making you move even slower than probably necessary. Not to mention the darkness that set in the dungeon, the moonlight filtering through the small windows not nearly enough to allow you to see even the end of the hallway.

Azriel's dungeon wasn't entirely unknown to you, having been here on multiple occasions for work or even to come find him when he got too immersed in his duties, but you definitely should have prepared better before asking him to hunt you here. It should have been the least you could do after daring the Spymaster of the Night Court to a game of hide-and-seek.

“I have to say I'm impressed, princess,” his deep voice calls out, making you freeze, heart dropping onto your stomach. It takes you entirely too long to realize his voice sounds far away enough, echoing through the walls. “Seasoned assassins haven't managed to hold out this long.”

When the shock dies down a bit and you regain control of your body once again, you keep walking down the hallway slowly, carefully setting one foot in front of the other. As far as he sounded just now, you knew he could walk through these walls effortlessly without making noise and if you stood in the same place, he would catch you before you'd even get the chance to run.

The sound of his knuckles knocking against the wall as he walks makes you jump out of your skin again, and you almost want to curse out at him, knowing he's having entirely too much fun while you sit close to a heart attack.

“Maybe I should have you work for me. You could still be a great spy.”

The relaxed tone of his voice only worsens your nerves. It also annoys you, which you know is his objective, but you won't give him the satisfaction of making a wrong move just so he could find you more easily. You had brought up this game with a clear view of the end, but now your competitiveness wouldn't allow you to simply give up. The reward would be far more delicious if you gave him a good fight too.

Making your way to one of the open cells at the end of the hallway and getting inside, you look for a place to hide. Every cell had been emptied and cleaned before you came, you really wouldn't have expected anything less from Azriel, even during this dirty game of yours he wanted to keep you protected and sheltered.

The room was mostly empty save for a table by the iron bars, a chair and chains on the furthest wall and a box sitting by the side wall. It was full of cleaning supplies by the smell of it which would be perfect since it could mask your scent as well. You quickly duck behind it, sitting on the floor and making yourself as small as you can so you're not visible at all behind it.

A shadow moving in the corner catches your attention, startling you for a second, but with a harsh glare at it you manage to send it away. Azriel had promised not to use them - if he did the game would be over in seconds. His shadows had a tendency to cling to you though, since they were extensions of him and acted on his feelings, so even if they didn't run to tattle on you, seeing them gathering around the box would be like an arrow pointing in your direction.

“How long do you plan on hiding for, my love?” His voice was a lot closer now, it sounded like he was walking down this same hallway. Covering your mouth with your hand, you do your best to calm your heart and not make any noise at all, trying to remember the breathing exercises he taught you. “We both know how this will end.”

Counting down the steps in your mind, you peek out slowly when you're convinced enough time has passed for him to be around the opposite corner of the dungeon. You find the hallway empty and take the moment to start walking in the direction he came from, maybe find another place to hide back there if you're lucky.

“Caught you,” a voice whispers directly in your ear, making you jump and attempt to move away only to be held by your waist against a familiar leather clad chest. Your heart was racing, the sound so loud in your ears that it takes you a moment to remind your body that you weren't actually in danger.

Azriel simply leans into your neck, breathing in your scent, humming into your skin when your body starts relaxing against his. His shadows start crawling up your body as well, happily moving around the two of you after being denied your touch for so long.

“You said you wouldn't use them,” you whisper, scared your voice would give out on you. Fear had fully transformed into desire, the whiplash of emotions and adrenaline running through your veins threatening to make you lose your mind.

“I didn't,” he murmurs, biting into your skin, “I'm a little offended that you think so little of my abilities.” You didn't, not at all, but your next words turn into a moan as he licks at the bite mark. “Now, be good and let me enjoy my prize.”

When his hands reach to the hem of the short dress you wore for the occasion and pulls it off in one swift movement, you thought he would turn you around and finally kiss you, maybe lift you up into his arms and fuck you against the wall, but instead he guides you back to the cell you had been hiding in, letting you know that he had simply been indulging you for a bit longer when he walked away, and bends you over the table you had been eyeing earlier, the cold surface coming in contact with your overheated skin sending goosebumps all over your body.

You can't see him in this position, can't see the appreciation in his eyes as the hazel rakes over your body, or the sick desire when he spreads your legs and finds your underwear soaked through. His thumb delves under your underwear without warning, running it over your folds before tugging at the fabric once, giving you time to stop him if you wanted to, and then tugging harder a second time when you didn't, ripping it clean off your body.

Two of his fingers are inside you before you have a chance to prepare yourself, finding no resistance whatsoever as your cunt greedily sucks them in. Azriel chuckles, a dark sound that makes your toes curl.

“Don't tell me you got this wet running from me,” he muses, fucking his fingers into you faster, “Were you thinking of what I would do when I caught you? Did you imagine me fucking you over this table like this?” The obscenely loud moan you let out is the only answer he needs. “Such a dirty girl, so perfect for me.”

His fingers leave you entirely too soon, prompting a whine of protest out of you, one that gets silenced quickly when he gently kicks your feet apart as you hear him unbuckling the leathers you had specifically asked him to wear. You don't even have time to beg before he enters you in one smooth motion, setting up a punishing pace that has you holding onto the cell bars in front of you.

His hands were gripping onto your hips hard enough to bruise, bringing your body to meet his thrusts. Your moans were echoing around the empty dungeon, leaving your mouth unattended as you got lost in the pleasure, and if it weren't for the spell cast around it to make it soundproof, you would be waking up everyone around.

The feeling of his leathers hitting your naked skin was turning you on more than it should, but seeing him in his Spymaster attire while chasing you around his dungeon could have probably made you cum without him ever laying a finger on you. The thought makes you clench around him, getting rewarded with a deep moan of his own.

Between the adrenaline of the chase and the way he was fucking you so well, you were already impossibly close, trying your best to hold back and enjoy the moment as long as you could, your cunt squeezing around him wildly - you had fantasized about this too many times for it to end so soon. It seemed he had a different idea though, his thrusts hitting all the spots he knew would make you lose control.

“Why are you holding back, my love?” His voice was clearly affected, it sounded like he was holding back himself. “Want to feel you cum on my cock. Come on, show me how good I'm making you feel.”

There really wasn't a chance of denying him even if you wanted to, he was hitting you too deep, too hard, so so good. You were cumming around his cock just like he wanted as soon as the words left his mouth, a silent scream stuck in your throat, entire form trembling against the table as your body struggled to handle the sudden amount of pleasure.

Azriel fucks you through it, his thrusts becoming more erratic and his groans echoing louder around the walls, a telltale sign of how close he truly was. But he surprises you once more, pulling out of you before you even have the chance to really come down from your high, and spins you around, dropping you on your knees. Luckily even through the haze, your body knew what to do, parting your lips and sucking his cock into your mouth just in time for him to cum down your throat, fingers tangled in your hair and head thrown back as he fucks every last drop into your mouth.

It takes him a while to pull out, and judging by the way his cock refused to truly soften, you almost thought he would keep fucking your face, but he does so gently, tucking himself back into his leathers before squating down to your level when you pout up at him, smirking at the mess he made before kissing you, licking any remnants of cum and spit that trailed down your chin.

“Think you can still stand?”

The question makes you take note of the way your muscles still spasmed, but you still nod up at him, albeit a bit confused. He could just winnow you straight to your room, no need to walk all the way back or anything.

“Alright then,” he says with a hint of pride, holding onto your waist and helping you stand, studying the way your legs wobble for a second before letting go and deeming you steady enough on your feet. It's not like he hadn't fucked you way harder before, you were almost a little offended he thought you would be out of commission so easily.

Azriel leans down to kiss you one more time, letting you indulge yourself, hand finding the back of his neck, only to pull away and take a step back, a sadistic smirk playing on his face, sending a chill down your spine.

“Now I want you to run for me again, princess.” His smirk only widens when he sees the excitement replacing the confusion on your face. “Next time I catch you, I'll chain you to the wall.”

A million thoughts run through your mind, one more filthy than the former. He nods his head to the door in encouragement. “Go on, I'll give you a headstart.”

It was going to be a long night.

[heliosunny]

LUCKY EGG

Yandere!Dr.Ratio x Reader

The egg sat ominously on the table, smooth yet pulsing with an eerie glow. You had won it from a bizarre machine. The moment it hatched, you were expecting... something monstrous, something draconic, anything. But what actually emerged...is a statue.

Or at least, that’s what you thought at first. The figure before you was unnervingly still, clad in intricate blue and black robes with golden embellishments, a stone mask covering his face like some ancient artifact. You blinked. He remained unmoving. The air crackled with an unspoken tension.

“...How did a statue come out of an egg?” you blurted out before you could stop yourself.

A faint chuckle echoed through the room. Slowly, the figure’s fingers lifted to remove the mask, revealing sharp eyes, a smirk playing at his lips.

“Charmed, truly.” His voice was smooth, laced with amusement as he placed the mask aside. “Though, I must admit, I wasn’t expecting my first impression to be likened to a mere sculpture.”

You took a cautious step back. “So... you’re not a statue?”

“Not quite.” He stretched, joints cracking, as if shaking off years of immobility. “I assume you are my first observer. A pleasure.”

His tone was lighthearted, but something about the way his gaze dissected you, scanning every inch of your form, felt calculated—like he was assessing you.

Over the next few days, the man who introduced himself as Dr. Ratio—settled into your space with unsettling ease. He observed, questioned, and tested you in ways that left you both intrigued and wary. Chess was his weapon of choice, each match less about winning and more about how you thought, how you reacted under pressure.

“A move made in haste” he mused one evening, watching as your knight fell to his trap. “Tell me, do you always act on impulse?”

You frowned, realizing too late that your strategy had crumbled. “Maybe I just don’t take chess that seriously.”

“Ah, but you should. Every decision you make, no matter how small, is a reflection of your core nature.” He leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming. “And I am most interested in uncovering yours.”

It wasn’t just chess. He subtly tested you in conversation, in mundane activities, noting every hesitation, every lie, every truth you didn’t mean to reveal. It was a game to him, a puzzle where the final picture was you.

You had assumed Ratio was more of a strategist than a fighter—until you saw him in action.

The moment you both stepped into the dungeon, creatures lunged at you from the darkness. But Ratio didn’t flinch. With a single powerful strike, he crushed an attacking beast beneath his fist, his movements fluid yet devastating.

Intelligence and strength. A terrifying combination.

A hulking monster towered before you, only to be obliterated by his attack—its body dissolving into pixels before it could even land a hit.

“Did you think I was all talk?” Ratio smirked, watching your stunned expression. “Brains and brawn are not mutually exclusive.”

You swallowed hard. It was one thing to know he was calculating. It was another to realize he could just as easily overpower you if he so desired.

Despite his sharp wit and overwhelming power, he seemed to genuinely enjoy your company. On the way back from the dungeon, he spotted something that caught his interest, a detective game challenge set up in the town square. Intrigued, he suggested you both participate.

At first, you assumed he’d solve everything effortlessly, but you soon realized the game was designed to be tricky, requiring not just logic but an understanding of human nature and intuition—something even he struggled with. You noticed a crucial detail he overlooked and gave him a small but significant clue. He paused, considering it, before smirking. "Ah... so that’s how it is. You’re sharper than I thought."

Working together, you cracked the case, winning a special dinner prize. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but as you sat across from him, enjoying the meal you had earned together, you noticed something different in his gaze. Satisfaction. Not just from solving the game, but from being beside you.

Morning light filtered through the curtains of your shared apartment, casting soft shadows across the wooden floor. You stirred awake, blinking against the warm glow. The quiet hum of the city outside signaled the start of another day. As you stretched, the thought of breakfast crossed your mind, and you climbed out of bed to prepare something simple.

The sound of sizzling eggs filled the kitchen when Dr. Ratio emerged, still looking somewhat drowsy, his usually meticulous appearance slightly undone. His eyes flickered toward you, then to the food.

"You're up early" he noted, rubbing the back of his neck before settling into a chair at the small dining table.

"Someone has to make sure you eat properly" you teased, setting a plate in front of him.

He chuckled, shaking his head as he picked up his fork. "I could survive just fine without you, you know."

You raised an eyebrow. "Really? Last time you tried making breakfast, the kitchen nearly caught fire."

He clicked his tongue but didn't argue, instead taking a bite and humming in approval. "Fine, you win this round."

As you both ate, the morning news played in the background. The casual chatter between you ceased when a sudden alert blared through the broadcast. A news anchor appeared, expression grave.

"A dangerous fugitive has escaped custody late last night. Authorities urge citizens to remain indoors and travel cautiously."

You frowned. "That's concerning…"

Dr. Ratio leaned back, his gaze sharpening. "You're not going anywhere alone, then."

You blinked at his assertiveness. "I can take care of myself."

"Mm." He twirled his fork between his fingers. "Humor me."

True to his word, he stuck by your side the entire day, even for trivial errands.

Eventually, the evening news announced that the fugitive had been captured, and life returned to normal.

"Well, that’s over" you sighed, stretching. "You can stop hovering now."

Dr. Ratio smirked but didn’t deny the accusation. "I just got used to keeping an eye on you. Can’t drop habits so easily."

"You form a habit that quick?"

"Yeah, someone just asked to get into a bath with me earlier and now they're questioning me."

"That was a joke!" You blushed

"I take everything coming from your mouth seriously."

"You-"

With things settled, you both decided to head back into a dungeon the next day, expecting the usual trial of combat and strategy. However, when you reached the deepest floor, instead of facing some grotesque beast, you were met with an unexpected sight.

A massive stone structure stood at the center of the chamber, engraved with intricate carvings and glowing sigils. A podium rested at its base, a single parchment laid upon it. Dr. Ratio approached first, picking up the paper and scanning its contents.

His lips curled into a grin. "A quiz? Now this is interesting."

"A quiz?" You peered over his shoulder. "That’s… new."

"Indeed," he mused. "Seems like the dungeon master was feeling creative."

The parchment detailed a series of puzzles, some mathematical, others riddles, and a few logic-based challenges. At the bottom, it read:

"Only those of sharp wit may claim the treasure beyond."

Dr. Ratio’s confidence was palpable. He rolled his shoulders before settling in, his keen eyes dancing over the first question.

"Alright, let’s get to work."

The first riddle was deceptively simple:

"I speak without a mouth and hear without ears. I have no body, but I come alive with wind. What am I?"

You hummed in thought before answering, "An echo."

Dr. Ratio snapped his fingers. "Correct."

The next question involved a series of logical deductions, tracing paths from one point to another. He breezed through it effortlessly, his finger gliding along the diagram as he mapped out the solution in mere seconds.

"Impressive" you admitted.

He smirked, not looking up. "Naturally."

As the quiz progressed, the difficulty increased. One puzzle had numbers arranged in a cryptic pattern, another required translating an ancient dialect. There was even a section that tested memory recall, flashing sequences that had to be repeated perfectly.

One question in particular stumped you:

"There are three doors. Behind one is a deadly trap, the second holds a monster, and the third leads to safety. You can ask one yes-or-no question to a guard who always tells the truth or a guard who always lies, but you don’t know which one you're speaking to. What do you ask?"

You hesitated, but Dr. Ratio simply exhaled, his expression unreadable. "Simple. You ask either of them, ‘If I were to ask the other guard which door leads to safety, what would they say?’ Then, you pick the opposite door."

You blinked, piecing it together. "Oh. That’s… clever."

He tilted his head toward you. "Wouldn’t have expected anything less from me, would you?"

The final test required a combined effort. It displayed an intricate cipher, shifting symbols that changed every few seconds. You managed to catch the repeating patterns, pointing them out, while Dr. Ratio swiftly deciphered the hidden meaning.

When the last answer was submitted, the stone structure rumbled, and the sigils glowed brightly before fading away. A hidden compartment opened, revealing a well-preserved chest.

Dr. Ratio glanced at you. "Shall we?"

You nodded, and together, you pried it open. Inside, various treasures gleamed, but what caught your eye was a neatly wrapped package. Unfolding it, you revealed an ornate board game—engraved with intricate designs and shimmering pieces, it looked centuries old yet perfectly preserved.

"A rare strategy game" Dr. Ratio mused, turning one of the pieces between his fingers. "Now this is a worthy reward."

You smiled. "Guess you’ll have to teach me how to play."

He let out a soft chuckle, a glint of something unreadable in his eyes. "Oh, I intend to. And I won't go easy on you."

You had no doubt about that.

Dr. Ratio had barely stirred when you left the apartment that morning. He was still recovering from the last dungeon run, a particularly grueling battle that had left both of you drained. You figured he could use the extra rest, so you slipped out quietly, not wanting to disturb him.

But by the time he woke up, something felt... off.

He reached for his communicator, half-expecting a message from you, but there was nothing. No update, no location ping, no casual remark about what you were up to.

Frowning, he stretched, rubbing the back of his neck as he got out of bed. Maybe you had just gone to the market? Or taken a walk? But something gnawed at him—an irrational unease he couldn’t shake. He reached out again, sending a message this time.

No response.

His brows furrowed. He sent another. Then another.

Still nothing.

His fingers clenched around the device as he tapped into the dungeon trackers, scanning for recent activity. His heart nearly stopped when he saw it—your name, registered in a dungeon… alone.

And you hadn’t come out.

Without a second thought, he grabbed his coat and bolted out the door.

The entrance of the dungeon pulsed with an eerie glow. The system confirmed that you were still inside. His jaw tightened as he stepped forward, conjuring his spellbook in one hand while flexing his other. There was no time to hesitate.

The moment he crossed the threshold, enemies lunged at him. He struck hard and fast—raw power and refined technique in perfect balance. A crushing blow to one, a well-placed incantation to another. His eyes were sharp, his mind sharper, every step calculated.

He moved like a storm, tearing through the opposition with a mix of brute strength and precise strategy. His body ached from the previous battle, but he didn’t care. His only thought was you.

Then, he found you.

Trapped behind a collapsing barrier, you looked up at him, relief flooding your eyes. “Dr. Ratio—”

The moment he saw you—alive, safe, his breath hitched, but his face remained composed. He reached out, fingers barely brushing the edge of the barrier before it sparked violently. He clicked his tongue, analyzing it in an instant.

“You’re lucky I’m a genius” he muttered, his voice tinged with something almost… desperate. “Stay back.”

With a swift motion, he activated the spellbook, feeding calculations into the structure. His eyes darted over its runes, deciphering, manipulating, deconstructing. He worked fast—faster than he ever had.

A crack formed. Then another.

And then the whole thing shattered.

You barely had time to react before he pulled you forward, crushing you against him. His grip was firm, almost bruising, like he was making sure you were real.

“You...” he exhaled, his voice low, tight with emotion, “are never going into a dungeon without me again.”

You blinked, startled. “I didn’t mean to—”

“I don’t care.” His hold tightened, his forehead resting against yours for a fleeting second before he pulled back. “It won’t happen again.”

There was no room for argument. And as he led you out, one arm wrapped around you protectively—you realized he wasn’t just saying that as a precaution. He meant it as a vow.

[rpgsandbox]

I drafted a legal argument against Wizards of the Coast - and you can too!

WotC is trying to pull off a licensing clawback just two years after the OGL Debacle, and I figured out how to punch back.

If you've played Dungeons & Dragons for any length of time, you've probably heard of the legendary "Deck of Many Things" – one of the game's most iconic magical items. It’s a lot of fun, and it has always been something associated with brand-name Dungeons and Dragons.

This article is about the legal usage of “Deck of Many Things,” and about how Wizards of the Coast seems to be trying to take it back in 2025 after giving it to the community in 2023. And it’s about how you can hit them where it hurts.

The History of the Deck

The "Deck of Many Things" has been a staple of D&D since the earliest days of the game. It's been included in every edition and is as much a part of D&D lore as dragons themselves. For years, this term was effectively the property of TSR and then Wizards of the Coast/Hasbro.

But something important happened in January 2023. After the massive backlash to their proposed OGL changes, Wizards of the Coast – through Executive Producer Kyle Brink – announced that they would be releasing the Systems Reference Document version 5.1 under a Creative Commons license:

Kyle’s announcement goes on to say: “This Creative Commons license makes the content freely available for any use. We don't control that license and cannot alter or revoke it. It's open and irrevocable in a way that doesn't require you to take our word for it. And its openness means there's no need for a VTT policy. Placing the SRD under a Creative Commons license is a one-way door. There's no going back.”

This was huge news! For those who don't know, releasing something under Creative Commons essentially means giving it to the public with very minimal restrictions. In this case, they used the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which allows anyone to share, copy, redistribute, adapt, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially – as long as appropriate credit is given.

The SRD 5.1 document, which spans hundreds of pages, explicitly includes "Deck of Many Things" on page 216, along with a full description of what it is and how it works. By releasing this under CC 4.0, Wizards effectively released this term into the public domain, allowing anyone to use it in their own works.

The gaming community praised this move as a step toward rebuilding trust after the OGL debacle. It seemed like Wizards had learned their lesson and was committed to supporting the community that had grown around their game.

The Betrayal

Fast forward to April 2025. WotC announced that they were revising their SRD 5.1 with a new and improved SRD versioned 5.2. For 5.2 they listed a bunch of milquetoast fantasy terms that I’m sure they’re very proud of, and kind of squeeze in a couple of footnotes. Those footnotes say that they’re going to be clawing back the term “Deck of Many Things,” as well as “Orb of Dragonkind.”

Well lo and behold, on the USPTO’s trademark search database, Deck of Many Things is in fact a pending word mark, with the latest application updated in April of 2025.

The serial number is 97260475, and you can look it up yourself on the USPTO website. This is what it looks like:

So here’s the problem. This application effectively attempts to claim exclusive rights to a term that Wizards had already released under Creative Commons just two years earlier.

Why They Can’t Do This

So why can't Wizards of the Coast trademark "Deck of Many Things" now? Let me break it down:

The Creative Commons 4.0 license they chose is explicitly IRREVOCABLE. Here's what the license actually says in Section 2(a)(1):

"The Licensor hereby grants You a worldwide, royalty-free, non-sublicensable, non-exclusive, irrevocable license to exercise the Licensed Rights in the Licensed Material."

That means once Kyle Brink proudly published the SRD 5.1 under this license on that fateful day in January of 2023, they could never take any of it back. The license explicitly prohibits imposing "additional or different terms or conditions" on the licensed material.

Attempting to register a trademark on material you've already licensed to the public represents an attempt to impose additional restrictions on that material, a violation of a term of the Creative Commons 4.0 license. Specifically it is a violation of Section 2(a)(5):

“No downstream restrictions. You may not offer or impose any additional or different terms or conditions on, or apply any Effective Technological Measures to, the Licensed Material if doing so restricts exercise of the Licensed Rights by any recipient of the Licensed Material.”

My Attempt to Challenge the Trademark

When I discovered this trademark application, thanks to Dark Kelsey, I decided to take action. The USPTO has a process called a "Letter of Protest" that allows anyone to submit evidence showing why a trademark shouldn't be granted.

I drafted a carefully formatted Letter of Protest following all the USPTO guidelines. My evidence was straightforward:

The official announcement of SRD 5.1 being published under Creative Commons

A copy of page 216 through 218 from SRD 5.1 showing "Deck of Many Things"

The full text of the Creative Commons 4.0 license highlighting its irrevocability, etc.

I TRIED to submit this through the USPTO's electronic filing system, confident that the evidence was clear and compelling.

The Setback

Unfortunately, when I tried to submit the Letter of Protest, I received this error message:

"This form cannot be submitted because it has been more than 30 days from the date the application published in the Official Gazette."

I had missed the narrow window to submit a Letter of Protest. The USPTO only allows these submissions either before publication or within 30 days after publication in their Official Gazette. By the time I discovered the application, this deadline had already passed.

This was frustrating, but it doesn't mean the fight is over.

The Path Forward

If the USPTO does grant this trademark – which they shouldn't if they're properly interpreting the prior Creative Commons licensing– there's still another option: filing a Petition for Cancellation with the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB).

A cancellation petition allows anyone who believes they would be damaged by a trademark registration to challenge it even after it's been granted. The filing fee is $600, and the process typically takes about three years.

For this specific case, the grounds would be:

The mark doesn't function as a trademark because it was published under an irrevocable Creative Commons license

The applicant's actions in seeking the trademark contradict their prior grant of rights

The process is more involved than a Letter of Protest, but it's completely doable even without an attorney. The TTAB provides clear guidelines, and everything can be filed electronically through their online system.

Conclusion

What Hasbro and Wizards of the Coast are trying to do here is repugnant but not surprising. They're attempting to double back on a license they've already granted – something they've developed a pattern of doing every couple of years now.

First it was the OGL controversy, where they tried to revoke a 23-year-old license. The community pushed back and won. Now they're pursuing trademark terms they explicitly released under Creative Commons, trying to AMEND a creative commons license that they just published (5.2 amending 5.1), perhaps hoping no one would notice or care.

This is more than just a legal technicality – it's about trust. When a company publicly garners praise for licensing away intellectual property, only to sneakily try to reclaim it later, they're betraying the very community that supports them.

The irony here is that Wizards didn't even need to do this. They could have trademarked specific implementations or product lines featuring the Deck of Many Things without trying to claim ownership of the term itself after releasing it to the public.

So why am I telling you all this? Because you don't need to be a lawyer to challenge corporate overreach. The systems exist for regular people to participate in these processes. Whether it's a Letter of Protest or a Cancellation Petition, the tools are there for you to use.

If you care about not getting bamboozled by incompetent, dishonest corporations, consider getting involved. Watch for these kinds of trademark applications, be ready to file your own challenges, and spread the word when companies try to walk back their commitments.

Simon Says: An Addendum

After publishing this article, I received some valuable feedback here from Simon, an academic lawyer in the UK who teaches trademark law. Simon pointed out an even more straightforward legal issue with Hasbro's trademark application that deserves attention, one that transcends the Creative Commons argument.

The fundamental problem? "Deck of Many Things" likely isn't even eligible for trademark protection in the first place.

Under trademark law (both in the US under the Lanham Act and similarly in the UK), a valid trademark must be distinctive – it must have the capacity to identify goods as coming from a specific source and not another. But here's the kicker: "Deck of Many Things" products have been created by numerous publishers over the years, not just Wizards of the Coast.

This widespread use means the term has essentially become descriptive or potentially generic within the gaming industry. It no longer primarily signals "this is a WotC product" but rather "this is a type of magical card deck with random effects" – a concept that's been implemented by countless game creators.

Think about it – when you hear "Deck of Many Things," do you automatically associate it exclusively with Wizards of the Coast? Or do you think of the general concept that's been part of gaming culture for decades?

This distinctiveness requirement exists for a good reason. Trademark law isn't supposed to give companies monopolies over common terminology in an industry. It's meant to prevent consumer confusion about who made a product, not to let corporations fence off widely-used concepts.

So beyond the Creative Commons issue, there's this even more basic problem: Hasbro is trying to trademark something that likely fails the fundamental "distinctive" requirement of trademark law.

This remains an example of a corporation trying to claim exclusive ownership over community cultural elements that have been widely used and understood for decades. Whether through Creative Commons “revisions” or by ignoring basic trademark principles, the effect is the same – an attempt to monopolize what should remain in the public sphere.

[peachigummi]

bite 𓆚 tom riddle. p1.

summary: dearest tom made a promise to celebrate your birthday, but ends up forgetting. you low key give him the cold shoulder and threaten to break things off.

pairing: tom (if you squint, he's rather sensitive! and insecure!) x fem!slytherin! reader

warnings: nothing too crazy that I can think of. moderate angst. mentions of alcohol, intoxication.

note: reader is almost a like female version Tom in terms of being a brat with feelings. baby nagini appearance! no mention of "y/n", actually just once. indirect mention of Dune by Frank Herbert! (This is part 1 of 2! 😈 next part, with smut coming soon! hehehe)

word count: 6,554

(trust i will never perfectly proofread my work at this point)

please reblog, like & comment ! my god. ive had major writers block. but hey...please talk to me...tell me how you feel!

You hurriedly made your way down to the dungeons after your last class. You were excited to see Tom. You hadn’t seen him throughout the day and that wasn’t too unusual. Actually it was quite normal, but today was your birthday. 

Over the recent years, the celebrations dwindled for you. There was barely anyone who congratulated you, let alone acknowledged it. Everyone was so engrossed in their own hectic lives, including yourself. There was no place to blame. It was something you cared less and less about. 

Although, this year would be different, you had Tom. You had someone! You had been together for a handful of months, though it felt much longer than that. It was difficult to tell when it was official, especially with Tom, he never wanted to make it known if it was exclusive or not. He was always hesitant, distant even. 

There was a point where you couldn’t handle the pull and push games, so you would try to move on from him. You quickly found that after you went on dates, the other person would miraculously turn up injured or afraid to approach you the very next day. It was a very stern talk with Tom after that pattern emerged.

It was your first serious relationship, hell it was probably his too. You cared for him, and you were pretty sure he cared about you even if he wasn’t the best at showing it. You would even go so far as to try and even say you loved him. Tom always stopped you from talking about your feelings aloud especially if it pertained to himself. 

You had been studying with Tom on some mundane day when he suddenly asked when your birthday was. You looked curiously at him, no one had asked about it in a long time, but you didn’t hold out on informing him. “Good. Clear your schedule that day. Let’s do something special, just us two. I want to celebrate the day you graced this forsaken planet. I want to do something for you.” That was almost a confession of love from him. You had nearly lunged at him across the table to smother him in kisses. Instead you just nodded and continued on your paper, with a not so subtle smile. 

Ever since that day you felt excitement for your birthday to come. You had your own personal countdown going in your head. 

...

Tom opened the door, you almost could see the faint smile he had, fade. “Oh, hey. What are you doing here?” He starts to close the door, not so subtly. Alarms go off in your head. 

“What?” You place your hand on the door, counteracting his movement. 

He doesn’t even fight it, letting you open it. “Invading my space I see..” He mutters, and takes a slight step back, you see Mattheo and Draco, with what looks like shot cups in their hands. Mattheo raises his other hand to greet you. “Doesn’t matter, we’re about to leave.”

“Oh?” You say dumbfounded. You look around the room subtly, maybe this was an idea of a joke. He was horrible with jokes. You really had expected him to be alone, so you were surprised. You try to shake off the feeling. “Where are you guys off to?” You ask blandly, waving to his younger brother and nodding to Draco.

“Hogsmeade. To drink.” Tom, looks out into the hall before closing the door and facing you.

“Hmm…really?” You walk towards his desk, picking up a random item and just looking at it from different angles. “And the occasion?” You almost rolled your eyes at the item.

Tom eyed your every movement. The corner of his lip twitched, but he maintained his usual bored expression. “Is having a reason a necessity to drink?” 

Draco snorted, “someone’s in a sour mood.”

“Just curious.” You ignore Draco. You hated the feeling you got in your chest. It was as if a cold gust brushed up against your heart, scrunching it into a raisin. There was a pause. “Can I take Nagini out for a walk then?” You ask changing the subject, “you hardly ever let her bask in the sun.”

Tom’s eyes almost softened at the mention of his precious snake. He looked at Mattheo and Draco briefly before returning to look at you, “I suppose. Just be careful and don’t go out too far.” 

You push past Tom to get to the dresser where Nagini’s enclosure was settled on top of. You smile at the rather little but chunky snake. “Hi Nini, let’s get you some fresh air. Just us two.”

Tom couldn’t help but love watching you talk to Nagini in that way, but it irritated the way you emphasized ‘just us two.’ Almost as if you were deliberately pushing him out. It was his snake. 

“C’mon Tom. She’s just taking the snake for a walk. What? Think she’s going to run off with it?” Draco breaks the silence once more. Tom shot Draco a look that made him pour himself another shot and turn his whole body away. Mattheo nearly smacked him.

“Might just.” Your back was still turned towards them. You got on the tips of your toes so you could open up the top of the tank and let Nagini wrap herself around your hand and up your forearm. “Since he’ll be out drinking on no special occasion.” You nearly roll your eyes again, but you do snort.

Clenching his jaw at your snarky comment, the anger began to brew inside Tom. He was about to bite back until he was interrupted by Mattheo. “Alright, we’re going to miss happy hour.” His younger brother put a hand on his shoulder and practically dragged him out of the door. Tom pushed Mattheo’s hand away from him.

“Don’t get into trouble.” Tom turned around, looking at your back.

“Ditto.” You mutter dismissively, not turning to look at them. Your full attention on Nagini, stroking her soft under chin where she liked it the most. Still, your chest ached. You hear the door shut with a bit more force than usual, making you flinch.

While the guys walked to Hogsmeade, Tom’s mind began to race. He couldn’t explain why he felt so irritated at that moment. He suspected it might be because you came barging in and asking too many questions, already seeming accusatory. 

You on the other hand had stayed in Tom’s room for just long enough to make sure you didn't bump into his group while you thought of a route to take Nagini on. 

You sigh, leaving your bag, then walking out the door. You watched as the little snake peered around in the hall curiously, “when was the last time little Tommy fed you?” You ask. “Let’s get you a nice field mouse shall we?” 

Nagini looked up at you, her long tongue flicking. She coiled herself in a way so she would be more comfortable in your arm. She hisses in a way which you assume would be to say ‘thank god someone is going to feed me soon.’

You open your eyes and lean up on your elbows when you hear a rustling. You watch as Nagini makes her way back to you, the blades of grass slightly parting as she comes along. Her middle was much more full than before after her free hunt. “Looks like you got a good one.” You smile when she lifts her head up. You set your hand down so she could climb back up onto you. You sigh. 

Nagini seemed to study your face. As even a snake could tell that you were upset. She flicked her tongue out, giving a soft and sweet little hiss.

“Would it surprise you to know that it’s my birthday?” You ask, petting the top of her head. You noticed a bit of blood on her mouth, with your sleeve you wiped her clean. “Our Tommy said he would plan something for me today. But I guess it was a lie. Or he forgot.” You knew, he wasn’t one to easily forget.

Raising her head slightly, Nagini gazed with a mixture of knowing and sympathy. Especially when you mentioned Tom.

You shrug, looking off into the distance. You were running your finger from the top of her head to her belly. “I mean, I don’t expect anyone to do anything grand…or anything at all. Especially for me, my birthday. But…” Sitting up straight, you take a deeper breath, an attempt to self regulate. “Tom said he had wanted to do something for me, and just poof he forgot it was my birthday.”

Nagini seemed to pick up on the change in your tone. She looked up at you with concern in her little reptile eyes. She let out another soft hiss. Curling up tightly against your wrist like a bracelet, she seemed like she wanted to provide comfort in a way only a serpent was allowed to. 

The sun finally settled and disappeared, “I mean… imagine if I could be like the sun? Disappear for a while.” You shift on your knees and carefully get up. “We should get going, without the sun you’re going to get terribly cold.” You hold open the pocket of your hoodie, carefully inserting your arm inside with her clinging on. You smiled as her head poked out, keeping a watchful eye on you as you walked back into the castle.

...

It got colder as we descended back into the dungeon. You heard familiar laughs and snickers. “Speak of the devil.” You whisper, sticking yourself in a darkened dip in the wall, waiting for the guys to pass.

Tom, Mattheo, and Draco were making their way back to the Slytherin common room after maybe a few too many drinks. They were all laughing and stumbling, holding onto each other for dear life.

They turned down the same hall where you were hiding, you could hear them getting closer. You dared to take a peek, Tom looked somewhat cheerful, happy even. You felt guilty with how much it irritated you. You couldn’t make out the snippets of their conversation, despite how loud they were being. It was much too slurred. You ducked back in the corner, turning your face away from the light so they wouldn't notice you as they passed. Once their footsteps were past you you turned back. Tom movements were replaced with one that is loose, that he rarely lets show, much too fluid. Clearly he was inebriated, not so precise. You watch as they disappear through the Slytherin common room door.

You felt Nagini nibble on your finger, pinching it. You almost let out a sound, silently cursing. You knew the reason why she had done that. She was growing impatient, uncomfortable. “Alright, alright I’ll go now.” As much as you really didn’t want to, Nagini needed to get back to the warmth. You didn’t want to see Tom, not now.

Stubbornly making your way through the same door, you watch as they clumsily go up the stairs to the dormitories. You tensed, sensing how Tom would feel upon noticing that Nagini wasn’t back in her tank yet. What about me? You thought, if he’d even care to notice that too.

You carefully and lightly tapped on his door, not wanting to take him by surprise again. Looking down at Nagini, she barely had her head out of your pocket. One little ember eye, peering back at you. 

The door opened. 

Tom looked at you with an annoyed look, as if he was trying to process your presence. He studied you, not saying anything, taking in the sight. His eyes landed on Nagini’s little head. Tom turned his head to look at the empty tank on his dresser. Seemingly like he totally forgot you had taken her. So unlike his usual self. He turned back to you, his features hardening. 

You didn’t say anything back to him, you only glanced behind him. Mattheo and Draco were near to the point of wrestling to take over Tom’s bed. You barely touch him when you slide into his room. 

Tom didn’t like that you wordlessly walked past him, watching as you pulled Nagini out of your pocket. How you pull open her habitat, how you softly smiled at her as she slithered back down. He felt a mix of annoyance and something else he couldn’t pinpoint. 

“Thanks for listening.” You say to Nagini. She flicked her tongue out, as if saying ‘you’re welcome.’ You watched as she coiled up comfortably under the lamp, settling for a slumber. You turn around, Tom was still standing near the door. “What?” You feign obliviation, “have a nice night out?” You ask him, noticing how he is trying to disregard just how drunk he was. You could tell by how he kept slightly swaying on the balls of his feet. His eyes were slightly glossy.

He smirked, but internally he felt like you were almost accusing him, as if you were challenging him with that question. He didn’t like it. “Nawh da it’ss any of yourp buzzziness, but yes.” His voice came out more slurred than he expected, he shook his dead and tried to really focus on the oncoming ordeal. “I did have a nice night.” He tried again, successfully locking in.

“Ouch, okay then.” You hold your hands up defensively, saying ‘my bad for asking.’ “I had a nice night too. Thank you very much.” You hold back a snort.

“Oh, did you now?” Tom took a step closer to you, not amused by your attitude. “Do, pray tell, what did you do on this ‘nice night’.” His voice began to drip with sarcasm.

He set himself up for this. “Not that it’s any of your damn business.” You copy his own words, but you still respond to his question, “I watched the sunset with Nagini on my birthday.” You cross your arms tightly. In your peripheral vision you saw that Mattheo pushed Draco in a manner to shut up and pay attention. 

Tom’s eyes widened ever so slightly at the mention of your birthday, realizing dawning on his inebriated mind. “It’s your birthday?” he repeated.

“Yes, Sherlock.” You look up at him annoyed.

“You don’t need to be such a smartass.” He looked down at you, amused with how you weren’t afraid of being a bratty with him. Amused, but alas, he didn’t like it. “I knew it was your birthday. I just forgot to mention it. Big deal.”

“Oof.” You dramatically grab at your chest in outward pain, as if you had been impaled, “clearly.” You were actually hurt, irritated with how he turned against his word that he wanted to plan something special. Fucking liar. 

You had cleared yourself of your schedule, of course beside your classes. Tom would never let you miss a single one. You could have attended one of your many clubs. You could have had dinner for one. You could have just spent the day, so much better off than how it was turning out. Day wasted indeed. You would have been much happier even had you both just ended up studying in the library, not acknowledging that it was your birthday. At least then you would have spent it together. Not fighting. 

Tom rolled his eyes at your gesture, “Oh, don’t be like that.” Words coming out a bit sharper than usual. Mattheo and Draco remained silent, eyes bouncing back and forth.

“I’m not, but whatever.” You shoulder bump him a bit roughly this time, walking towards the door.

Tom stumbled a bit as you went by, he was already unsteady by how much alcohol he’d consumed. Scowling he turned, “where do you think you’re going?!” He snapped. 

“To my room, it’s just another day after all, hm? Just any other regular night.” You rolled your eyes despite him not being able to see it, your back was facing towards him. You didn’t dare look back or else you might actually break this careful facade. That it didn’t bother you as much as it really did.

“Oh, so now you’re going to just storm off like a petulant child?” He taunted, his jaw twitching. He wouldn’t admit it ever, but you definitely had a way of getting under his skin.

“Fuck off.” You whisper, grabbing your bag and sling it over your shoulder. “‘Night Draco, Matty.” You say just to point out that they were still there, and that Tom was making a scene in front of them.

Tom’s eyes narrowed as you completely dismissed him, while addressing the other two in the room. It started to crawl up to him, that he was basically being challenged in front of them. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Happy bir-” You heard Draco begin to say, before a muted thump followed. Mattheo had smacked the back of his head, clearly taking his older brother’s side. You ignore Tom’s comment while fighting the urge to just slam the door behind yourself, so instead you carefully clicked it shut.

Tom wasn’t one to chase after someone, but he did debate whether or not to go after you. Though, with his mind and body not being at peak condition, he struggled to make a decision. 

You quickly went down the stairs and up the other side to the girl’s side of the dormitories. Your eyes began to sting. Merlin, why did I bother with Tom? You thought all the way to your room. We were such a weird couple, but he was even more odd by himself.

...

The next morning you headed off to breakfast as soon as you could just to avoid Tom. You went to your usual classes without so much notice, even taking different routes to each. Not wanting to risk bumping into him. 

All that effort just for nothing since you shared the last class with Tom. It was one of the few classes you shared with him throughout the week. It was potions and Tom was your only partner, everyone else was too afraid of him to share the brewing table. But it was their loss, you two were the best in it. You hoped he would ruin his perfect attendance. 

Class had begun and Professor Slughorn looked curiously at the empty spot next to you, but began anyway. The sliver of hope you had dissipated when you heard the door barely creak, virtually unnoticeable to anyone who isn't expecting it. You felt the hair on your arm prick as you continued to stare at the front of the class. It was Tom. Of course it was him. Who else? It was a stupid hope to have. Mr. Perfect. You look down to rearrange your station as Slughorn kept talking. 

Tom made his way over to you, a shadow in the midst of his peers. Tom’s own irritation flared up once more at your sight, acting as if you hadn’t noticed his arrival. He took the spot next to you, his presence ever so looming. “Why are you avoiding me?” he didn’t hesitate to ask, voice low and slightly hoarse from the previous night's drinking.

You didn’t bother to look, nor answer him. You just pull out a vial from your pocket and push it to his side of the table. “Drink it.” You mutter.

Tom hated that you continued to refuse to address him directly. He looked down at the vial, already knowing what it was. Tom begrudgingly snatched it and downed its contents, trying his best to keep a neutral expression. He nearly slammed the empty vial back down.

Despite how pissed you were, you were glad he didn’t question what he just was ordered to drink. You snatched the empty vial back. 

“Mr. Riddle, if you were trying to get answers from a person who is avoiding direct questions, what potion would you make them consume?” Professor Slughorn brought Tom’s attention forward, walking towards our station.

Now that the effects of the hangover subsided, thanks to you, Tom was able to return to his usual razor sharp focus. “Veritaserum, sir. The truth serum.” He replied without missing a beat. 

“Correct. How can one counteract its effects Ms. [Y/L/N]?” Slughorn looked expectantly towards you. 

“Taking an antidote or being a gifted Occlumens.” You curtley answer. 

“Precisely!” He smiled wide, “how many know about Occlumency or Legilimency?” He turned to face the class as a whole. A few of the students raised their hands. Tom, of course, knew about both and was beginning to be well practiced in each, but he chose to not raise his hand. 

Slughorn briefly explained both, before continuing the lesson. “The truth serum can be dangerous if used for the wrong purpose. Not only that! But it takes a month to brew, and it’s critical that the conditions must be right.” He laughed. 

Tom glanced over at you, yet you weren’t giving him the time of day. He wished he didn’t vow to keep himself out of your mind. How ironic that Slughorn would bring up Legilimency. You were the only one who knew he could do it.  He would use it to get to know you better, up until you realized how he was getting the information. 

Tom so badly wanted to use this power at this moment to know how you were feeling. What was keeping you away from him, apart from his fuck up. He hated this. How you were being cold to him. He wanted to see your smile. He wanted to be the reason behind it. 

“For today, I would like each table to develop a potion to your liking that could be an alternative to the antidote to Veritaserum.” Slughorn pulled the chair at his desk so he could sit. “Once you present it to me, you are dismissed from today’s class.”

The class stirred with excitement. It was a rare opportunity to be able to work on their own potions, to experiment, and it was a bonus to be able to leave early.

Tom leaned slightly towards you, his voice low as he spoke. “Ideas?” He already had a couple, but he wanted to hear your voice. To follow your lead.

You closed your eyes briefly upon feeling his warm breath hit the side of your face. You almost hummed. “I don’t suppose you’d be able to sneak a wand in a scenario where you’d be forced into taking Veritaserum.” You began without looking at him so you didn’t notice how Tom’s shoulders slightly relaxed when you answered him. “Maybe something that will cause the same effects as Silencio. Something that could semipermanently shut the user’s mouth, or something to cause them to go mute.” You kept your voice low, it was a habit you two had. You both liked to keep your voices down so others wouldn't be able to follow your lead, to copy you. It almost felt like a regular day. Almost.

Tom raised an eyebrow, impressed by your slightly dark natured suggestion. He nodded, his mind already formulating ideas and ingredients based on your suggestion. “Temporary muteness could be useful. What about something to make their tongue swell? Might be quicker.”

“Quicker? More like risking the user in causing themselves to choke the whole time and eventually asphyxiate by blocking their own airway. So no.” You bent down to get your textbook, you hated using your textbook, usually you’d share Tom’s. He had amazing notes in the margins. Added pages dedicated to things he’d created and discovered by himself. It was incredibly helpful. 

When he saw you open your own textbook, a small, almost unnoticeable smirk played on his lips at this decision of yours. He took his out and pushed yours out of the way. You roll your eyes, but open it up to the page you were looking for, “here this one.” You point at the page, shoving the book back towards him so he wouldn’t have to get in your space again. “Though, I think we can alter it. If you’re going to be in a situation where someone might dose you with Veritaserum…they can’t know that you will try to temper beforehand.” You explain, getting out the appropriate ingredients. 

“Right. Something fast-acting. Imperceptible.” He nodded following where you were going. “Almost like a-”

“Tablet.” You both say in unison, causing you to look up at him before telling your body not to. Your eyes met, Tom’s softened immediately. You looked away, but you did feel the tips of your ears start to heat up. 

“Yes, a tablet form instead of a clunky vial. It only takes a single drop of Veritaserum to work, and that’s a complex potion. So in theory, for something to just make you mute, you need even less of a dose.” You shrug, but it kind of made sense. “Even something small as a sprinkle on a cupcake could work.” You felt like Tom was about to interrupt you, but you didn’t allow it. Remembering a book you read once in which a character had a fake tooth that could release a poisonous gas to assassinate his enemy, if he were ever captured. “Something that the user can bite into at a given time, something that won’t dissolve until that moment.” You finish. 

Tom was lightly drumming his fingers on the tabletop, “we’ll need some sort of binding agent.” You felt him look back at you.

“Yeah, don’t think about it too deeply. It’s kind of like making candy.” You finally say, it shouldn't be too complicated to do. Not at all. “We follow the regular steps, but then yes, add the binding agent at the end. Then figure out the correct dosage and then shape it.”

“We’ll need to test it.” 

“I wouldn’t mind if you took it.” You snort.

“Very funny. You’d enjoy that wouldn’t you.” He grumbled, starting to handle the ingredients. But he actually was always the tester between the two of you. He didn’t dare make you take anything that could possibly make you sick or make you suffer through undesired effects if a potion was made incorrectly. 

You begin to crush and roll some of the ingredients before adding it to the cauldron he had started. You become aware of how some of your peers were looking at you two. You look up, the majority seemed to still be at a loss to find something to brew for the assignment.

“Ignore them.” He muttered, his voice low. You nod, but it wasn’t a new thing. With how fast you and Tom worked, either in ideas or just brewing, people were jealous. 

You conjured what looked like a piping bag, similar to what is used for pastries. “Do you remember what this is?” You dared to look up at Tom as he stirred the cauldron. It was a gamble to remind him of the muggle world.

Only his eyes moved to look over at you, “Of course I know what it is, id-” He almost called you an idiot but stopped himself, remembering how you aren’t on the best terms currently.

Your eyes narrow at him, “Well once the potion is finished, and after you add the binding, pour it in the bag and i’ll do the rest. I have a much steadier hand.”

He was going to challenge you, but it was nearly a fact. He was nearly always buzzing with anger that it minutely affected his movements. You had more of a delicate touch than him. The cauldron began to simmer, the liquid taking on almost a metallic appearance. He whispered something into the cauldron to let it rapidly cool down. He held the cauldron out towards the bag you held, “are you sure?” 

“Pour it, Riddle.” With that, he did. The potion slid down slowly like honey, already coming together.

Professor Slughorn went to your station in curiosity, he didn’t ask anything, just watched. Once Tom pulled the cauldron away, you leaned in to tie the bag off and squeeze its contents towards the narrow end, cutting the tip off with a knife. With a steady hand, you start to make small steady rows on the surface of the work top. You heard Slughorn finally ask what you were doing, Tom briefly explained while you concentrated. 

Tom looked away from Slughorn, watching you with satisfaction.

Since they were so small, the rows dried quickly. Tom handed you a small jar, just as you finished scraping them off the work top. They really did look like silver sprinkles. You gathered and poured them into the jar, returning the lid. Tom took it from your hands, slapped a label and handed it over to the professor. Not before holding a single small tablet, Tom was already anticipating Slughorn’s question if the little wonder worked or not.

You watch as Tom placed the tiny tablet between his front teeth, showing Slughorn and the class, who was now watching, before biting into it and swallowing. He opened his mouth to show it was gone. He made a motion that he cleared his throat, then his lips parted, as if he was explaining something, but not a single sound came out. 

“Fascinating!” Slughorn said excitedly, looking down at his own personal jar Tom had given him, he held it up. “Class! Class!” He turned and explained to the class what you both had done once more. Returning to look at the pair of you, “I have to say, this is certainly ingenious.”

“Thank you professor.” You reply for the both of you. Tom still wouldn’t have said it if he wasn’t under the muted effects.

“You two are free to go off, just clean up yourselves.” He waved off, still saying how amazing it is to himself. You couldn’t help but smile and look at Tom, almost forgetting how mad you were at him.

Tom, on the other hand, began to feel a mix of frustration at his inability to speak. He looked at you with a slight glare, but it lessened when he saw your smile. Tom cleaned the station up with a flick of his wand. Then thought about the way you worked together so effortlessly. He bent down grabbing your bag and handing it to you. Your skin brushed against each other, his cold touch lingered on your skin like a searing burn. A stark contrast. You both went out the door, unsuccessfully avoiding the looks of the remaining classmates who longed to be dismissed early.

The hall was empty, with all the other classes still in session. Tom wanted to say something in the silence, but was forced to simply look at you with mixed emotions. He was leaning against  the wall, arms crossed over his chest as he eyed you. 

You look up at him, “I kind of like this, you all quiet and moody. Instead of being snappy and moody.” You shake your head, “we just had to give away all the tablets we made huh? Shoot.” You snicker, adjusting the strap of your bag on your shoulder.

He rolled his eyes, letting out a huff of air, mouthing ‘shut up.’ 

“I don’t recall what the recipe said about how long the effects last? A couple of minutes? An hour? Hours? Days? Weeks?” You walk past him.

Tom pushed himself off the wall and followed you. Hating how he couldn't respond to your irritating commentary. You looked at him. ‘Hours.’ You read his lips again.

“Shame.” You respond by climbing up the steps. Your mind went back to last night, and you slowly began to get agitated. You sighed. Despite how badly you wanted to shut down, and shut him out. It was unhealthy to the relationship.

He easily kept his pace next to you, his eyes occasionally glancing at you. He saw the shift in how your body got rigid. Tom knew he needed to apologize, to try and fix the mess he made. He was caught up in his own thinking, his eyes widened when he felt you pull at his robe, guiding him to sit with you at a fountain. 

“I’ll be fully taking advantage of this opportunity that you can’t talk. Okay? Okay.” You took a deep breath. You had to be the bigger person and try to explain your feelings. Why were we so terrible at it? Tom’s jaw clenched, sitting there silently, waiting for you to begin. Trying to steel himself for an expected onslaught. 

“You were a massive jerk last night, Tom.” You say upfront, crossing your own arms. “A complete asshole, especially in front of Mattheo and Draco. This should have stayed private.”

He felt the irritation grow at your straightforwardness, but he appreciated it. He knew you were right, there was not a single thing he did that wasn’t out of line. He shifted uncomfortably, nodding. It was a conversation he couldn’t escape. A conversation that you both needed to have. Tom let out a frustrated breath.

“It was my birthday…” You say it much gentler in contrast. You unfold your arms, reaching one hand down to graze the flowing water of the fountain. “I hate telling people about my birthday, because I don’t think it's something that should be celebrated.” You felt your chest ache again. 

Tom’s own heart sank, no it is something to be celebrated. He wanted to say. 

“You said you wanted to do something, just us two.” You continued playing with the water. “I was looking forward to it for once.” You felt Tom shift, you saw him carefully gripping the edge of the fountain tightly. He wanted to desperately reach out to you, but he resisted.

“So when I…when I went up to your dorm and saw Mattheo and Draco there…or how you were surprised to see me or saying that it didn’t matter…that despite there being no occasion, you were going to get shit faced..” You rambled, unsure if you were making any sense at your recollection of the events. You stole a glance at him before turning back to look at the water. “It hurt my feelings.”

The guilt was starting to take a hold of Tom, his breathing became ragged, he desperately wanted to say something. He opened his mouth to say something but nothing came out. But what could he say to you? No one ever celebrated his birthday. Though he didn't care about it.

“But it felt even worse…hearing you say that you did know it was my birthday, but that you just forgot to mention it.” You snort, “like it was just some other day. Some regular day.” You hate that your voice almost betrayed you by cracking. “I mean…it kind of is.. Nothing really to celebrate..but still.. I told you about it Tom. You gave me your empty words.”

That hit him like a ton of bricks. He really had brushed aside your special day. He wanted to say it was a mistake, that it didn’t really mean anything with his intoxicated state. But he couldn't even convince himself, so how would he convince you? Tom stared at his own hands, his knuckles white from gripping the edge. 

“So..yeah..you jerk..” You take a few deep breaths, closing your eyes. An attempt to get yourself together. You look up at him, you pull your hand out of the water and flick him with the droplets. “Also feed Nagini some more, I took her to hunt for field mice but she ended up taking a bird I think. Her belly was huge.”

He gave you a confused look when you also brought up his dear snake, wiping the water off his face. 

“So now that I got that off my chest, I wish you could say something back.” You confess. “It’s kind of awkward just having you be brooding there.”

Tom’s mouth opened once more, thinking sheer willpower will counteract the effects of the pill he took. He wanted to apologize, to explain himself, to make you understand his stupid, stubborn, and selfish mindset. He hated this feeling…the feeling of having no control. He hurt you.

“Maybe we…we should maybe take a..” I lingered on the thought.

Tom knew what you were going to say, and he didn’t like it. The idea of taking a break, of giving you space, made his heart twist with dread. He didn’t know if it was truly a break or something definite. Tom couldn’t risk being without you, not now, not ever. But he knew that you needed space to process your feelings. He had no other choice but to stare at you.

You finally looked at him, he just sat there, his expression giving nothing away. Making it hard to tell what he was thinking. He was always so goddamn blank. Cold. He was a shell of a person sometimes but - “God Tom, I know you can’t talk but…but show me something..anything..” Your voice finally broke. “Hug me, touch me.. At least try and reach out to me..” You pleaded.

His eyes rounded at the sound of your voice, the raw vulnerability in it. He scooted closer to you, his body tense. He didn’t want to hurt you further. Tom hesitantly reached out his hand, his fingers trembling with built up emotion. He tentatively touched your shoulder, patting it awkwardly. As if he was a stranger asking her to move over. 

Your eyes fluttered at his touch, you looked at the point of impact. You’ve been together for how long now? And this was all you got when you tried to bring up the idea of taking a break. A hesitant touch. As if you were going to shatter, break even further. It irritated you, knowing Tom wouldn’t have done it if you hadn't asked him to. The idea hurt. He definitely would have just stayed gripping the stone if you didn’t call him out on his behavior. “Tom…” You whimpered.

Tom’s heart sank even further at the sound that came out of your mouth. The raw pain cutting through his exterior. Why had he needed to be prompted to show kindness, especially to you? His fingers finally gripped your arm, his touch becoming more possessive, as if pleading with you to not distance yourself from him.

The sounds of footsteps, creaking doors, laughter, and sighs began to erupt. The sounds of classes being dismissed for the day. Tom immediately reacted by pulling his hand away because God forbid him being caught in public showing any minute sign of affection. His hand was back at his side in a millisecond. His usual emotionless expression firmly in place as he avoided looking at you. He couldn’t face you.

The reaction made your heart cease to exist. You shook your head, getting up quietly yet swiftly, rushing in the direction of the dungeons. Leaving Tom at the fountain. You disappear with the rush of students who were thrilled to start their weekend plans. Everyone was too excited to notice the tears rolling down your cheeks at a rapid pace.

Tom had cracked his neck to watch you for as long as he could, his own heart heavy. His feet were like lead, completely rooting him in place. All he could do was sit there, feeling the weight of his stupidity. 

[in-case-of-grace]

Alternatives to "GM" in TTRPGs

Spurred by a recent post from @imsobadatnicknames2 that found its way into my feed by way of @anim-ttrpgs' addition (this post got too big to be a reblog sorry), I've been thinking about the influence of the terms we use for the host-and-narrator role in a TTRPG. Each tends to carry some connotations and implications as to what the role might entail, and these can influence how people play your game.

At best, this may enforce your intended roles for the game, alongside its themeing. At worst, your chosen term for this role may create false assumptions, and lead to people approaching it in a way that makes it unfun for them.

There's also an aesthetic component to consider! Having a term that matches your genre and vibe can go a long way! It's gonna be a balancing act— does the term change how people interact with your game enough to become a problem? Does it match and enforce your themes and aesthetics strongly enough to balance some of those problems out?

Below, I'm gonna go over a couple common (and uncommon) terms for this role and what I think their connotations, implications, and best usecases are here. These are gonna be beholden to my own biases, of course— and you may see different connotations entirely! Maybe it'll help folk think more about what terms they want to use!

---

"Game Master" is very gamey. It implies that this person is setting up a bunch of specific, pre-made mechanical challenges-- like an obstacle course. I will admit that it does have the weakest connotations of all the commonly used terms I'm aware of, though-- simply by virtue of it having become so commonplace across all sorts of games.

I think it works best with chunkier, mechanically heavy games. Due to it having a weak connotation, though, it won't hurt your game if you use it elsewhere, it is kind of the baseline these days, after all.

---

"Storyteller" implies that this person is sitting everyone down and telling them a story. Like putting on a play. There's an implication that they are going to be controlling most of the narrative here-- and that the players don't have as much say in it.

It's also technically incorrect, given that...well, the players are storytellers too! The point of these games is to tell a story together!

It can work for more narratively focused games, it has some lighthearted, cutesy vibes that can be a good fit for some-- but its connotations can lead to this person taking more control than you may actually intend for them to have in your game.

It's one that I don't think accurately fits a lot of games, and is chosen more for its aesthetics and vibes. (Something I have done before, and with time it bothers me more and more.)

---

"Narrator" is the opposite of Storyteller-- it implies, to me, that this person has less say in the narrative than the players. They are there to impartially narrate and describe the world's reactions to what the players do, little else. A passive observer, almost.

I think it can still work fine for plenty of games-- especially those with contemporary settings. It's the sort that, to me, feels more suited to sandboxy games that are more focused on providing a bunch of simulationist tools for players to poke and prod the world with, rather than on telling a structured narrative.

---

"Dungeon Master" is particularly genre-limited. It carries a lot of the same implications that GM does, but for fantasy games in specific-- especially dungeon crawlers.

Only making a special note of it here since it is tied to A Particularly Big Game in the community. Its connotations are much stronger than GM's, though, and it feels out of place in rules light games— unless they are specifically set in a dungeon.

---

"Director" is one that can have drastically different implications depending on the background of who reads it. If they're a film buff, they'll think it implies that this role has final say on everything, and retains high levels of control that the players do not share. Very much akin to Storyteller.

However if the person reading it is more familiar with video games, and the Left 4 Dead series (and games inspired it) in particular, they'll see the Director role as something more reactive and behind the scenes. They may think this person is responsible for improvising and presenting the players with challenges and scenarios that match their current situation— be it narrative or mechanical.

There may have been a specific plan made ahead of time, but it is filled with a ton of contingencies, with an expectation that improv will fill in the gaps.

Though like Narrator, the L4D type of Director implies a somewhat passive, observer role that isn't meant to have a say in the story.

I think most people will see it with film connotations rather than the Left 4 Dead connotations— which is unfortunate, considering that the L4D type of Director is actually really well suited for certain types of TTRPGs. I think "Game Director" vs "Director" may help alleviate this somewhat, but I'm unsure how effective it'd be as I don't think most people share the L4D brain association I do.

---

"Referee," "Arbiter," "Judge," and "Moderator" all share the same problem as Narrator-- but 10 times worse. These are all heavily laced in passive connotations-- and imply that this person is there simply to determine the outcomes of mechanical situations, but has no say in the narrative.

They can work nicely with like, sports or competition TTRPGs in specific, though.

---

"Master of Ceremonies (MC)" implies that you're not playing a game, but that this person is about to lead you through an awards ceremony, drop some bars, or host some stuffy 500 year old regal event called "the Ceremony of the Ballet Fish" or something.

I don't think this one fits in TTRPGs like, at all, frankly. I just cannot imagine someone in that role being referred to as an "MC" unless we're talking about a game that is specifically about a ceremony, or rap.

---

"Caretaker" implies that this person's role is to maintain and care for the world, game, and story. It implies that they not only facilitate the garden you're all playing in, but that they also trim or rearrange it to suit everyone's needs-- including their own.

I actually think this one is very nice. It doesn't imply that they're an absolute monarch, nor does it imply that they're a passive observer. It also manages to encapsulate the amount of background work the role can often require, without taking away their say in the resulting narrative.

A Caretaker has agency in the story, while remaining cognizant and receptive of the players' agency, too.

This works really well for games focused on telling collaborative narratives, but I think it can also work fairly well for mechanically focused ones as well. It feels pretty versatile!

This one is new to me and I honestly might start using it for my games going forward, unless someone knows of a common connotation I'm unaware of!

---

"Facilitator," and "Host" both imply that this person provides the space and tools for the game, and nothing else. They handed the players the keys, told them to lock up after they're done, and left to go do sick flips in their motorcycle or something nerds do.

To me, the term by itself implies this person has very little to do with the actual game. I don't think these work any better than, say, GM, without a thematic justification.

Host could be amazing for some sort of bio-horror game— or for a game show RPG. Facilitator feels DoA to me. Both, however, could work if your game really is set up so the Facilitator/Host just provides tools to the players and does little else.

---

"Guide" implies that this person takes on a fairly hand-holdy role in leading the players through the game and its narrative. Maybe not quite railroading, but they definitely do a lot to keep the players on track.

This one, I feel, carries some "teacher" connotation— as if this person is responsible for teaching the players the rules. It's on them, not the players, to read and remember the actual rules.

I feel that this connotation largely ruins what good this term could do.

But, it can still work well in certain cases. If your game really is meant to have a focused, linear narrative, it can work quite well. The same goes for specific genres or settings— such as anything dealing with camping, national parks, or tourism.

---

"Overseer" taken at face value, actually could be pretty apt. They'd be someone who oversees the game and does what they can to keep things fun.

Unfortunately, due to the word's use in workplace environments and dystopian fiction— it has some pretty heavy cultural connotations that turn it more into a dictator role. They have complete and total control over the game and its narrative, even if the players disagree with their choices.

I think it can work well for games that deal with dystopian or corporate settings, where this person might actually be meant to have more control, or simply for the flavor— but not a ton else.

---

"Producer" is vaguely similar to the film-style Director-- in the sense that it comes from film. However, unlike the Director, a Producer coordinates and works together with the players to tell their story. It's a more collaborative role that shares power and agency more evenly with the table.

This also somewhat accurately implies the amount of work that goes into the role, much like the Caretaker.

However, given its origins, it doesn't imply they're playing a game— I can't entirely explain why, but it feels similar to MC in this sense. The term is very heavily entrenched in its origins, and carries strong film connotations— even though, yes, video games have producers too!

I think it'd be rad to see games using this, though. In time the strong film connotations may shake off! Like Caretaker, I think it's fairly versatile and could be well suited for a wide variety of games.

---

Niche terms such as keeper, warden, overlord, president, deity, and fixer are always worth considering, too! These tend to just be one-offs used in a specific TTRPG, that suit their setting and tone in particular.

Now, each can and does have its own implications and connotations to consider— weigh those against how well it serves the vibes of your game before you lock in!

---

"Host and Narrator (HAN)" implies the same things that these terms do separately-- but combines them to offset (some of) their downsides. This implies that they host and provide the tools needed for playing the game, yes, but also that they actually stick around to narrate and respond to the players.

When Narrator is combined with Host here, I think this also transforms into something a little closer to the Caretaker— as the Host and Narrator both, they have more of an active role in maintaining the space (and story) they've provided.

It feels similarly versatile, as a result. I just made this one up and don't know if there are any games that use it already, it could have legs— it is a little dry and flavorless, though. This may give it a potential leg up on Caretaker, which does have a lil bit of a lighthearted vibe that may feel off in, say, a horror game.

---

Honorable mentions - Scenestress - Conductor - SOUP (Story Overseer United (with) Players) - Their Majesty - MOMMY (Mediator Over Making Mythic Yarns) - JOE (Joe Ojoe Ejoe) - Representative (REP) - Doormat

---

Again, these are all just according to the implications and connotations I find in these terms— you may find others! What you pick is going to depend on you, your game, and your intended audience!

I don't know if perfect terms exist, and it's wise to explain whichever you use within your rulebooks— just to ensure that someone else's biases and assumptions don't lead to them misinterpreting things.

Is there anything I missed? Any terms you like to use? Do you have a vastly different set of assumptions for one of these terms? Please share!

[anim-ttrpgs]

Why You Should Try Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy Part 5: It Revolutionizes Investigation and Mystery Solving in TTRPGs

This is part 5 of a multi-part series of posts about the awesome features of Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy, in no particular order.

Find the earlier parts here:

Part 1 Link: We Worked Hard on It!

Part 2 Link: It's Easy to Learn!

Part 3 Link: It's Easy to GM!

Part 4 Link: It's Easy to GM and Supports Narrative and Roleplay!

Finally, we’re getting to some actual game mechanics here.

It’s called Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy for a reason. The party investigates. They’re not cops, and it’s not a police procedural. They could be private eyes, investigative reporters, meddling kids, you name it. The PCs are normal people like you and me who come together to solve some kind of mystery that involves them or their friends and loved ones, and these mystery investigations can take place just about any time between the late 1800s and the present day.

A lot of Eureka’s main mechanics are about investigating, and they solve the #1 problem that mystery investigation campaigns run up against: Getting stuck.

Dungeons&Dragons 5e is not a game about investigating, it’s a game about combat, and so when you try to run an investigation or mystery in it, you’ll find that PCs have a Skill called “Investigate” and a Skill called “Senses” and the whole rest of their abilities are dedicated to combat. This isn’t a bad thing if you’re running a campaign focused on combat, but for whatever reason (marketing), most people aren’t. So, the party rolls Investigate, and they fail, and they roll Senses, and they fail, and then they have exhausted all of their options for continuing the campaign. So, the GM has to pull a deus ex machina to make the clue fall into their lap. That isn’t satisfying or fun for anyone, what was the point of even rolling the dice?

Call of Cthulhu is has been one of the top contenders in the TTRPG scene for investigative gameplay for nearly fifty years, and it does investigative gameplay much better. (Eureka takes a lot of inspiration from Call of Cthulhu, if you want to evolve and advance, you have to look to the past.) PCs have a whole slew of Skills related to investigation, unfortunately often too many. New players tend to be unsure where to put the skill points, and it’s a frequent occurrence that they simply won’t have a high enough rating in (what they didn’t know would be) an important skill to find an important clue relating to it, so they fail, and then they have exhausted all of their options for continuing the campaign. So, the GM has to pull a deus ex machina to make the clue fall into their lap. That isn’t satisfying or fun for anyone, what was the point of even rolling the dice? Besides, is that really congruent with Lovecraftian horror? The assurance that the universe cares about your success and no matter what, it’ll all work out somehow? Delta Green has this exact same issue.

Gumshoe, a more recent contender, also does investigative gameplay a lot better than D&D, but also kind of has the opposite problem from Call of Cthulhu, not enough mechanical guidance. It’s easily possible for a PC not to have the skill required to get any information out of an important clue, even though they can’t fail the dice roll if they do have it.

Eureka’s design goals are to improve on these, and learn from previous attempts in the design space to make advances in how investigative gameplay in TTRPGs is done. We really think it should not be the GM’s responsibility to bend the universe over backwards to make sure the party succeeds (or at least fails in a satisfying way). The game itself should be doing that.

Eureka PCs have a base set of 21 Skills, each of which is broad enough to encompass many different use cases, and then an assortment of “Write-In” Skills that are optional, and often more specialized.

Like Gumshoe, there isn’t really a roll for finding clues. When PCs walk into a room, they simply see/hear/smell everything that they would be able to from where they’re standing. If the gun is on the floor, they just see the gun on the floor. If the gun is under the couch out of view, but a player says “My character gets down on the floor and looks under the couch.”, then they just see the gun under the couch.

Dice rolls are used in investigation, however, and all Skills are investigation skills. If the PC is trying to determine if the gun is chambered for the same caliber of bullet that killed the victim, that might be a Firearms roll (the same skill that determines their ability to effectively use firearms in combat). (If the investigator doesn’t have the relevant specialized Write-In Skill, they can still make a skill check, they’re just very very likely to Fail it.)

Eureka has three degrees of success for dice rolls: Full Success, Partial Success, and Failure. It depends a lot on the context and the clue itself, so I won’t get into Full Successes and Partial Successes in this post, we’re going to focus on Failures. If they Fail, they usually get no useful information.

Above, I criticized Call of Cthulhu and D&D5e for allowing dice failures to halt the investigation completely, forcing the GM to pull a deus ex machina to keep things going. So, is that a problem in Eureka? No!

When PCs in Eureka make skill checks to investigate things, they always build up Investigation Points.

1 for a Full Success

2 for a Partial Success

And 3 for a Failure

These points represent the PC themselves going over the facts of the case in their mind at the same time you are. For every 15 Investigation Points saved up, the PC gets a Eureka! Point. Eureka! Points can be spent on a wide variety of things depending on the PC’s build, but there’s two universal Eureka! Point abilities that all PCs have, and one of those is to have a “Eureka! Moment.”

This is exactly what it sounds like. Something clicks in their brain, and they finally understand something that they had been trying to piece together this whole time. This reverses one of their previously Failed (or in some cases Partially Succeeded) investigation rolls of your choice, providing the information that roll would have granted with a Full Success.

This serves as an “un-stucker” or “rubber-band” mechanic that keeps the PCs in the mystery without the GM having to pull anything out of their ass, but at the same time doesn’t make Failure meaningless. If they’re stuck, it encourages them to pursue other avenues of investigation and keep racking up those points until things start to click into place.

This also still doesn’t mean that the PCs are guaranteed eventual success. Time pressure and mortal danger also stand in their way, which we will get to in future parts of this series, you and your PC will have to use your brains if you want them to get out alive with the answers they seek.

[forlorn-plushie]

Styles of Prep - Games that Care

Yet another of the lies that Wizards of the Coast has sold TTRPG players, which they've bought into wholeheartedly, is that there are different styles of preparation, and all are valid for every game (because both are valid for D&D, and D&D is right for every game, of course.)

I'm gonna go over a couple games I've run, and explain that actually they all care about the type and level of preparation the GM does.

Indie games are often honest and open about what they want. To take a high-prep example, I recently ran Eureka: Investigative Urban Fantasy. It is not subtle! In the narrator section, right after the introduction, it says "We cannot advise you strongly enough to use prewritten adventure modules". It's not just there - throughout the rules, there's an emphasis that the situation, the state of the world at the outset and thus at every time that follows, is known and rigid. Eureka is a mystery game - the who, what, how, why, and more are all set in stone. The narrator is forbidden to change the scenario on the fly.

Eureka is very forceful of this because the authors, writing a game for mystery investigations, are well aware that it's damn near impossible to make a coherent mystery up on the fly. I'm sure they've tried. I've tried. It's impossible. Something will contradict, and you won't notice until well after the players have reasoned from that contradictory information. It can be done, but not well, and the mental load on the GM is going to kill them.

It's not a genre thing - Eureka is a game about the act of solving mysteries, but so in Brindlewood Bay. I don't have experience with Brindlewood Bay myself, but I do know that the GM doensn't have a real mystery ahead of time - there's a move which is rolled to determine whether a theory is correct. Both are mystery games, but they approach them differently - and each makes a vastly different demand of the GM's preparations.

On the opposite end of the spectrum from Eureka, more in line with Brindlewood Bay in fact, is just about every Powered by the Apocalypse game. Apocalypse World is very clear about what to prepare, and it's more or less the opposite of Eureka: "Daydream some apocalyptic imagery, but DO NOT commit yourself to any storyline or particular characters."

The rules actually tell you to start on what would typically be 'prep' during the first session: "Work on your threat map and essential threats". It's more like note-taking, at that point, just placing the names of stuff that gets mentioned in the session. After that first session, and between each other, you do some real out-of-session work, solidifying the notes you made into Threats.

I won't go into it at length, but Dungeon World is much the same - though there's no 'map' for threats, as characters are expected to be far more mobile, the system of solidifying problems that were mentioned in-game into problems with some mechanically attached descriptors is much the same.

Now, on to the elephant-sized dragon in the room - Dungeons and Dragons. The game itself is, truthfully, quite honest about this. It's the marketing team and the community, having fallen for their propaganda, who pretend low-prep is a valid way to play Dungeons and Dragons.

The 2014 DMG, correctly, focuses on prepared play. It asks DMs to consider "Do you like to plan thoroughly in advance, or do you prefer improvising on the spot?", but everything in that book is either rules text or preparation guides. Mostly the latter.

D&D, as it has existed since 3rd edition, (this is what I have experience with - I can't speak to earlier editions, except to note that there are alot of modules in their time and in the OSR tradition) is a game that thrives on prep. Even if that prep is procedural - tables of encounters and wandering monsters for an area, for example - it's impossible to run the game from nothing, without a lot of background, and have it work.

Imagine not knowing D&D, at all - you pick it up, read the non-list rules (so skipping most of the classes, races, spells, feats, backgrounds, weapons, etc) in the PHB and DMG, and try to run a game entirely improv from the rules and vibes. You'd quickly end up scouring the monster manual for appropriate encounters - and the game, by the rules, demands appropriate encounters! There's a budget system! It's a game about killing monsters and does a lot of math to try and make sure it's challenging without killing player characters.

D&D, at least in the books, is pretty honest about what it wants from preparation. It wants a lot! The playerbase pretends otherwise, but they're wrong. I've yet to find another game that tries to lie like this. Eureka wants you to use modules. Apocalypse World wants you to wing it. I have yet to find any game that actually doesn't care.

[celestiaras]

‧₊˚✧ ❛[ a shot of lust ]❜

ft. claude clawmark x f! reader — ttt, nijisanji en

╰₊✧ while testing out potions, you take an experimental sip gone wrong & your friend isn’t half as innocent as he seems┊2.2k words

contains: smut!! dom reader & sub claude┊slight dubcon, reader is mean but claude is into that, unintentional (high-key nonconsensual) drugging with an aphrodisiac, kinda unrequited feelings but requited lust, making out, marking & biting, slight masochist claude, spit as lube, degradation, unprotected piv on a chair (because you guys are nasty like that), implied multiple rounds

➤ author's note: oh my god, i’ve been starving you guys again, i’m so sorry, i’ve been hit full force with squid game brainrot. this isn’t my best work, but i’m slowly getting back into niji because it’s my first vtuber family and i miss them :( 

potion-making is a refined art that is desirable to all with its effectiveness in battle or healing properties yet mastered by few with how dangerous or explosive results could be with something simple as an extra drop of dragon’s blood becoming fatal. personally, you’re willing to take the risk of the deadly consequences when it comes to elixirs of speed to slay your opponents before they could even blink.

for these very reasons, you study the craft under your fellow adventurer and close confidant claude clawmark. admittedly, he wasn’t your first choice regarding mentors with his messy workspace and questionable habits, but he was willing to teach you for free so you agreed. even victoria and kunai were unsure of your decision but figured that if anyone could handle the eccentric cleric, it would be you. even though this was something you took upon yourself to learn, you really didn’t like being cooped up in his shop all day while taking orders from customers and spending all day mixing strange components. you miss going out and looting dungeons with your guildmates, but learning through experience would certainly be worth it in the amount of gold you could save by making your own potions (people really pay for the expertise of a professional rather than the collected common loot dropped to make them).

the wooden table in the center of the room had a batch of roughly fifteen glass vials filled with strength potions for a customer, a finished half of the order while working on producing the other half of invisibility. you placed a sealed jar of fermented spider eyes on the table for your partner to brew and went to go grab some night vision potions for the base, but you noticed an odd bottle filled with a shimmering pink liquid that stood out among the batch of dully-colored royal blue potions on the self. it clearly wasn’t organized on the right shelf, but it didn’t have a label nor did its appearance match any of the others. “hey claude, do you remember what this is supposed to be?”

he turned his head to examine it for a second before continuing his work, “eh, i’m not actually sure. maybe you should test it out.”

oh yeah, another thing about potions is that if you aren’t sure what it is, you have to try it out yourself. there are tons of healing medicines all over the place in case someone got poisoned, so you drank it without hesitation like you’ve done plenty of times before. it tasted artificially of strawberries and cream, not an uncommon flavor to mask the usual strange medley of ingredients, but it left a weird aftertaste of bittersweetness on your tongue. you didn’t feel any different nor see any change looking in the mirror so perhaps it was simply a base potion that didn’t have any magic added yet, leaving you to go on with your day after placing the empty glass into the sink.

it didn’t hit you full-force as soon as you swallowed it, but the effects were slowly but surely taking hold of you. it started with you feeling warm, taking off your jacket and touching your face, wondering if there was a sudden change in room temperature for some reason. your breathing steadily became more labored even though you weren’t moving around much, trying to take deep breaths through your mouth in a futile attempt to clear your fogged mind and soaking a towel in water to pat away the perspiration beginning to form on your forehead.

were you ill and coming down with a fever? it didn’t feel like any virus you’ve ever had, felt more like… it was definitely from that unlabeled potion you drank earlier, but why would he leave such a thing lying around if it was really what you thought? this was really why you were warned to get a proper tutor instead of a cleric known for fumbling his belongings. the sun had begun to set and the shop would close in about fifteen minutes anyway, so you decided to wait it out even though it felt borderline unbearable. leaning back on the table, you think there must be an antidote or something somewhere to counter it, but you were interrupted before you could get up and look for it.

“are you okay? you look sick,” claude mentioned, taking off his tool belt equipped with various gadgets and moving away from his station to check in on you. “do you… need help with anything?” he took off his glove to gently press his hand against your forehead followed by your cheek to test your temperature, suddenly feeling conscious of his presence with the proximity and feeling his breath on your skin as he stared intently at your face.

you never paid too much attention to his looks, but you suddenly found yourself studying his appearance now that he was so much closer to you: his long opalescent locks that were neatly tied in a ponytail tossed over his shoulder, his sleepy eyes that shifted from magenta to aquamarine, how built he actually was with his broad shoulders that well defined his frame— was he always so handsome?

“hey… claude…” you felt like a living furnace with lit coals that were bursting at the seams, fire burning into desire at your core and could only be quenched by the man standing in front of you. vivi and kunai aren’t the best at keeping secrets (especially when it’s past midnight at a sleepover), you knew he had a crush on you or at the very least found you attractive. either way, he wouldn’t reject you at the moment unless he considers the friendship on the line, and you were willing to bet everything on that.

his eyes met yours, staring deeply into them while waiting for you to finish your sentence. the tension was so palpable that it could be cut with a knife and you sighed, closing your eyes and leaning forward to break it with a kiss. you couldn’t see his reaction, but he didn’t flinch nor did he pull back, instead reciprocating it once he seemed to process it.

it took some of the edge off, but you still felt insatiable and starved for more of him. slipping your hand to the back of his head and intertwining it with his hair, you deepened the kiss and began to dart your tongue out to ask him to part his lips. you had no way to know what he was really thinking, but he seemed to be understandably confused about the whole thing and yet he didn’t deny you or offer an ounce of resistance. he obediently followed your motions and let you take the lead, just how you liked it, even whimpering slightly when your tongue gently brushed against his and felt the cool titanium pierced through it.

oh, when you heard that sound escape his lips, something feral awakened within you. “fuck…” you placed your hands on her shoulder and swung him around, roughly shoving him down onto a nearby chair and splitting his legs apart with a knee in the middle while continuing to kiss him roughly. fiddling with the hem of his clothing, “is this okay?”

he blushed a deep red as if the gravity of the situation was only hitting him now that you were requesting for content, “y-yes! of course! totally!” he mentally cringed, his ass did not just say ‘totally’ when his crush of over a year was asking if it was okay to fuck him.

thankfully for him, you didn’t seem to mind in the least bit and fervently began to strip him of his clothing, pulling his black top over his arms and tossing it haphazardly on the floor. his strapping frame was even more evident with his bare chest exposed to you, pretty unblemished ivory skin that was just begging to get marked up and bruised. you were quick to leave one last kiss on his lips before lowering your head to suck on his neck, watching a dark purple-red hickey bloom on the spot. you repeated this process a few times before outright sinking your teeth into his tender flesh, finding yourself unable to refrain from behaving like a wild animal even though you were trying your hardest to hold yourself back. 

meanwhile, claude felt like he was dreaming and was almost light-headed by your touch. he allowed you to use his body as you pleased, like a doll for you to play with and abuse. the pain didn’t even register as such to him, feeling more like ecstasy shooting through his veins wherever your mouth found itself as his eyes rolled back like the pathetic fool he was.

“fuck, i feel like i’m going crazy,” you groaned, adjusting your position to sit on his lap and pulling back his pristine white pants to reveal his leaking cock before holding out your palm. “spit.” he complied, taking a moment to gather saliva in his mouth before spitting a clear glob into your open hand which you smeared all over his dick to act as makeshift lube.

the heat was really beginning to get to you like the wrath of a thousand suns, prickling at your skin and causing you to pause your actions to remove your own clothing. you didn’t notice until you were fully nude the way he was staring at you like he had just witnessed the unfiltered beauty of a goddess for the first time. maybe if it was another day under different circumstances, you would have felt soft at his obvious affection and admiration towards you, but unfortunately, you were feeling nothing but irritation due to the effects of the drug.

you extended an arm to push him back so he was sitting properly against the chair instead of slouching, moving to straddle him and finally, finally, lined up his angry red tip with your entrance before sinking into it. claude gasped as he buried his face into your chest, unable to rut into you as he so desired with your purposefully straining your weight on him. 

despite not being able to think straight, your dominance over him was made clear as you set your own pace, ignoring the strain beginning to form in your thighs as you worked your way up and down his length. his size was perfect, not too difficult to take, and also able to hit all of the right spots.

despite not being allowed to put in any work, claude’s heart was hammering in his chest like he was running a marathon with strands of hair sticking to his face thanks to the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead. he struggled to find a place to put his hands with your hips moving too fast for him to grip and the little groan you would let out in the precipice of pleasure and disdain each time he tried to touch you elsewhere led to him simply gripping the sides of the wooden chair he was seated on, basically hold on for dear life while chasing an orgasm to snap you out it. 

“you did this on purpose, didn’t you, you little freak?”

“h-huh?”

“you wanted me to drink that potion, didn’t you? so that you would get fucked like a whore, just how desperate are you?”

he opened his mouth to deny the accusation but found himself unable to and let out a pathetic whimper instead. how could he deny it when it was completely true? he didn’t think you would actually drink it, only planted it on the table and allowed for chance to take the reins, but he didn’t think anything was actually going to happen.

still, there wasn’t a single ounce of regret in his body, even if you were being a little mean to him. he didn’t mind how your sharp words cut into him, it made him dizzy if anything. 

you began to slow down as the ache of constant bouncing was catching up to you, moving your hand to circle your clit and crying out when you felt yourself unravel at the contact. feeling your velvety walls pulse around him had him following shortly after when you lifted yourself off of him, causing him to finish on your lower stomach in pretty white splatters.

both of you were exhausted at the exhibition of energy on top of the long day before this situation occurred, breathing heavily as you got off the chair in favor of leaning against the table with your shaky legs. 

he couldn’t read your reaction, if the gravity of what just happened had sunk in yet or if you were still basking in the satisfaction of your climax. it made you glow in a way, making him dumbfounded and unable to meet your eyes. “i-i should go…” in a matter of minutes thanks to his stupidity, he just went from a good friend to a lowly slut in your eyes all because you were able to see right through him like glass.

however, you grabbed his wrist and pulled him back towards you, nude bodies pressed flushed against each other, kissing him fervently again with a slightly crazy edge to your actions. “yeah, no, you aren’t going anywhere. you started this mess, you’re going to help me out until the potion wears off or until we both pass out.”

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Pog Champ

Fandom: Stranger Things (Gamer/Streamer/Modern AU)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x F!Reader

Summary: You're a Twitch streamer and have been looking to collab with other streamers. You decide to message some of the streamers you watch and follow. To your surprise, some of them reply and agree for a collab. One of those people being Eddie Munson. Based off my imagine here.

A/N: I guess it's a mini series because I didn't want this to end up being a long ass oneshot! So it'll be like 3-5 parts....

Eddie Munson Masterlist

Now that you've grown in your following and viewership, you've hired a team to help you work through the industry. Your manager and publicist both suggested that you start reaching out to streamers that you watch for some collaborations.

You've dm'ed many streamers and influencers. Some have declined, which was a little disheartening. But there were also some that agreed and you worked to schedule something.

One of them was EddieTheBanished aka Eddie Munson. He was big in the RPG community, playing games like World of Warcraft, Dark Souls, or even streaming his own D&D campaign with some of his friends and mods.

You've always wanted to get into D&D but didn't know anyone who played. You took this opportunity to message him on twitter:

CyberCat: hey! I've been following you for a whi-

You pause and start deleting your message and restart again:

CyberCat: hello! i'm messaging you to talk-

No no. It's giving "I wanna take a minute to talk about your car's extended warranty."

"Uuuuggghh!" You throw your head back onto your pillow, staring up at your ceiling.

Just be casual. It's no big deal...except it was because you're kind of a fan of Eddie's and you enjoy his streams.

You just decide to type out:

CyberCat: Hi Eddie! I'm a streamer and I enjoy your content. Wanna collab some time?

Send.

You toss your phone to the foot of your bed like it was on fire. Okay. You did it.

You decide to slide off your bed and head to your streaming desk in the corner of your room. Time to play some games and stream just to drown away your anxiety and anticipation.

__________________

It's Thursday which means it's Eddie's day off from streaming. However, he's still in his streaming room, but he's sitting at his desk strumming his guitar trying to figure out the next verse of the song he's working on.

He's been stumped on this song for a while. He started it weeks ago, but still hasn't finished it. Aside from streaming, music was another one of his passions. He didn't really share this side of himself too much online. But everyone who knew him in real life knew about his love for music, specifically metal and heavy rock.

Eddie lets out a long, deep sigh as he erases another line of lyrics. Frustrated, he places his guitar to the side and picks up his phone.

He taps on twitter and immediately goes to the mentions tab. He sees that he's been tagged in a tweet of a Twitch clip.

He taps on it and it's you, a streamer that he watches and follows, talking, "Yeah so I DM'ed a few streamers for collabs because my team says I should start dipping my toes into collabs." You pause and read off chat, "Who did I DM?"

You cover your mouth with a smirk, "I don't think I should say." You read chat again, "Give you some names? Okay, fuck it, I highly doubt they'd see this! So, I DM'ed Tinakitten, CinnaBrit, MayaHiga, oh, and EddieTheBanished! And tbh, guys, I was the most nervous about DM'ing Eddie. Because I really-okay I watch all of the streamers I named, but I resonate more with Eddie's content. He's cool and funny and he plays Dungeons and Dragons! I've always wanted to learn how to play. So yeah, I don't think he'll see my DM though."

The clip ends and Eddie immediately goes to his DMs. He taps on the "Verified" tab and sees that your DM is the first one at the top. He sees your message and can't help but smile. You're a fan of him and he's a bit of a fan of yours as well. So this is a little surreal for him.

Before he responds, he wants to see if you're still streaming. He pulls up your Twitch account and you have a little under three thousand viewers. You have always had a good amount of people in your community.

Your face pops up. You had just started stream and so you're just chatting with chat.

"Okay, so we have a few things on the list of what I can do for these collabs. What else do you have for me, guys, come on! Lay it on me!"

You're wearing headphones with cat ears on them, an homage to your Twitch username CyberCat.

Your eyes are skimming through the messages that are coming through and your eyes widen, "Wait, why are you guys saying 'Hi, Eddie'?! Please don't tell me he's here!" You hide your face with your hands for a moment, "Oh God. You guys sent him a clip, didn't you?!"

Eddie chuckles and decides to type in chat:

EddieTheBanished: people tagged me in your clip on twitter.

"Goddammit! Guys, I told you not to! You fucking traitors!"

Eddie snorts and types another message:

EddieTheBanished: so about this collab, what did you have in mind?

"What did I have in mind? Well, I mean, if you're down, maybe you can hold a D&D oneshot campaign with me? I've always wanted to play and I don't know anyone who's played. You're also like the number one Twitch streaming DM, in my opinion."

EddieTheBanished: I'm down. I'll reply to your twitter DM with my discord and we can flush out the details there.

"O-Okay! Sounds good!"

EddieTheBanished: have a good rest of your stream!

"Thanks so much! Have a good day!"

Before closing Twitch, he decides gift a hundred subs.

"Holy fuck! Eddie??? What the fuck! Thank you for the one hundred subs! Holy shit! You didn't have to do that!"

Your praises can't help but make Eddie feel pretty good about himself.

He simply sends a winky face in chat and then leaves.

_______________________________

You end stream feeling like you're floating. EddieTheBanished, aka Eddie Munson, agreed to collab with you and you're STOKED!

You check your DM's and see that he replied with his discord. You add him as a friend and message him:

CyberCat: so you're serious about the collab right? because if you're not, then i'm gonna be super fucking bummed.

EddieTheBanished: I am serious! Are you serious about dipping your toes in D&D.

CyberCat: absolutely. i've watched your campaign streams and it looks so fun and chaotic!

EddieTheBanished: Alright. I'm going to send you a character sheet for you to fill out. If you have questions, just let me know, or we can set up a time to call and I'll walk you through it.

CyberCat: I'll fill it out the best that I can and then hit you up when I'll need help.

EddieTheBanished: [thumbs up]

You stare at your computer in amazement. You just scored your first collab and it's with one of your favorite streamers. Holy shit!

____________________________

For the next few weeks, you and Eddie were messaging each other back and forth. It was mainly you asking questions about the stats of your character, which would be best pertaining to the species you chose, etc.

He was very kind and helpful, not to mention he was funny. When you weren't streaming, you often found yourself giggling at your phone because of something Eddie texted.

What started off as a superficial crush started to develop into a real life one, but you couldn't let yourself become delusional. Eddie is, if anything, just an acquaintance, and he would probably never see you as something more. Especially since you two never even met in person and have only been chatting for two weeks.

No. This can't become something more.

___________________________

Eddie's face appears on screen and he waves, "Sup losers!" he exclaims while Metallica plays at a low volume in the background.

"Okay, so that oneshot D&D session with CyberCat is happening today. So be on your best behavior!" he points at the camera with a stern look, "We wanna make a good impression, right?!"

PreciousBlorboBoy: if she can handle you then she can handle us.

Eddie narrows his eyes at the screen, "Blorbo, what the fuck's that supposed to mean, huh?!"

There's a bunch of KEKW, LMAOs, and peepo laugh emotes in the chat.

TearStainedGuitar: isn't she a fan of yours? so she should know how we are!

"Regardless! I wanna make sure she has a good experience here, okay?! This is her first collab as a streamer so it's a big deal. Plus...she's cool. So we have to be cool too."

MysticBiter: dude is so stressed about this collab

"I'm not stressed! I just wanna make sure CyberCat's first collab stream is good!"

PreciousBlorboBoy: guys he's blushing so hard.

"I'M NOT BLUSHING!"

He hears the familiar ding from Discord letting him know that you joined the call.

"Who's blushing?" you ask.

"No one! No one's blushing!" He quickly replies.

You chuckle, "Okaaaay?"

He nervously clears his throat, "SO you wanna introduce yourself to my chat while I set this up?"

"Sure!" You clear your throat and begin the introduction, "Hi everyone! I'm CyberCat. You can call me Cat or Y/N. I also stream on Twitch. I'm a variety gamer and I like to play games like Fortnite, Animal Crossing, Infinity Nikki, Valorant, stuff like that. Other than gaming, I love blind boxes, reading, going to cafes, and thrifting! Uuuuhhh, was there anything else you wanted me to say, Eddie?"

"I'm still setting up the screenshare sooo, uh, tell us what you're currently reading?"

"...I don't think I should say."

Eddie pauses and smirks, "Is it fairy porn?"

"HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FAIRY PORN?!"

Chat is flooded with "?????", "HUUUUUH?" and "AYO??"

He cackles, "I've seen TikToks, I know that some of you book girls are into freaky stuff."

"TO BE FAIR, I don't explicitly read fairy porn...I read other stuff like-"

"Alien porn?" Eddie finishes with a snicker.

"No! Oh my God. Stop it!"

"Relax, Cat. I'm just messing with you. You ready for this?"

"Yeah! Let's do this!"

______________________

Your POV

"Hello hello!" you wave at your camera, "You guys ready for my first ever collab stream?"

Your chat fills with emotes of chibi you cheering and smiling.

"Good! I'm glad! So, this goes without saying that we need to make a good impression. So if you chat hop, don't be weird or mean. Gotta make a good impression with Eddie and his community. Got it?"

EchoKnight: you nervous?

"Kinda! I mean, Eddie and I have been messaging each other on the side. He helped me create my character and answered all my questions. Oh God, I was being SO annoying to him. Just bombarding him with questions! But he was always so nice and understanding, so I don't feel as nervous as I felt when I first asked him to collab with me."

ZeniPenny: is it weird since you'd watch him on twitch and now you're collabing?

"Not really? I mean, I've gotten to know him more than like just what he's showed and talked about on stream. So that's cool. Anyway, it's getting close to the start time so I'm gonna hop into the Discord call."

"-BLUSHING!"

Your brows furrow, "Who's blushing?" you ask.

"No one! No one's blushing!" He quickly replies.

You chuckle, "Okaaaay?" You click around, setting up the video call on Discord. You have a duel camera setup. One on your face and one pointing down at your desk, focusing on your deskmat and the various dice.

He nervously clears his throat, "SO you wanna introduce yourself to my chat while I set this up?"

"Sure!" You clear your throat, sitting up in your chair more, staring at the screen, "Hi everyone! I'm CyberCat. You can call me Cat or Y/N. I also stream on Twitch. I'm a variety gamer and I like to play games like Fortnite, Animal Crossing, Infinity Nikki, Valorant, stuff like that. Other than gaming, I love blind boxes, reading, going to cafes, and thrifting! Uuuuhhh, was there anything else you wanted me to say, Eddie?"

"I'm still setting up the screenshare sooo, uh, tell us what you're currently reading?"

You pause, rolling you lips inward, "...I don't think I should say."

Eddie asks, "Is it fairy porn?"

You slam your hands on your desk and exclaim into your mic, "HOW THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THE FAIRY PORN?!"

Your chat floods with question marks, LMAOs, and a blushing peepo emote.

Eddie cackles in response, "I've seen TikToks, I know that some of you book girls are into freaky stuff."

You shake your head, "TO BE FAIR, I don't explicitly read fairy porn...I read other stuff like-"

"Alien porn?" Eddie finishes with a snicker.

"No!" you run your hands down your face, "Oh my God. Stop it!" you could feel your cheeks heating up in embarrassment.

ZeniPenny: ...i'm getting secondhand embarrassment

You mute yourself on Discord to scold chat, "Chat, shut the fuck up! We're not bringing this up ever!"

You hear Eddie, "Relax, Cat. I'm just messing with you. You ready for this?"

You unmute yourself to respond, "Yeah! Let's do this!"

[girl-next-door-writes]

And Everything Changed

Characters: Eddie Munson x reader

Summary: Eddie Munson’s D&D game takes a surprising turn when a new player arrives, leading to unexpected romance and vulnerability.

Word Count: 1527 words

Prompt: ‘Now Kiss her.’

A/N: This is for @caplanbuckybarnes Disney Celebration

Eddie Munson sat in the dimly lit room, drumming his fingers on the table, waiting for the Hellfire Club members to arrive. This was their big campaign night, the night when their characters would either emerge victorious or face unspeakable doom. But there was a problem—Gareth had dropped out last minute, flu. A replacement was required, and fast.

When Dustin suggested the idea earlier in the caffeteria, Eddie had balked.

"Are you sure about this?" Eddie asked, his fingers still tapping a restless rhythm. "She's never played DnD before."

"Trust me, Eddie. She’s cool. Plus, she's into fantasy stuff," Dustin replied, already confident that this would work out.

Eddie sighed and ran a hand through his untamable hair. It wasn’t that he doubted your ability to grasp the game—it was something else. You’d been hanging out with them more lately, joining their lunch tables and occasional after-school hangouts. And as much as Eddie tried to play it cool, there was something about you that made his pulse race and his thoughts jumble. You were... different. And maybe that’s what scared him.

"Alright, fine. Bring her in. But if she can't handle the pressure, it's on you," Eddie said, pretending to be casual, even though a small part of him was excited at the thought of spending the evening with you.

When you walked into the session that evening, Eddie’s breath hitched. You looked a little out of place, unsure of what you were stepping into, but still radiating confidence. Dustin had given you a brief rundown of what you were getting yourself into, but nothing could have prepared you for the theatrical spectacle that was Eddie Munson running a Dungeons & Dragons campaign.

"Welcome to the Hellfire Club," Eddie said, his voice deep and theatrical as he gestured to the table. "I hope you're ready for the most intense adventure of your life."

You smiled, a little shy but intrigued. "Thanks. I hope I don’t mess up too much."

"Nah, you'll be fine," Dustin chimed in. "Eddie's a good teacher."

Eddie shot Dustin a glare, as if to say 'don't oversell me,' but then he turned back to you and gave you one of his trademark devilish grins. "Alright, sit down, newbie. Let’s get started."

As the game kicked off, Eddie watched you carefully. You were picking things up quickly, asking questions when needed but mostly diving into the story with surprising enthusiasm. The room was buzzing with energy as everyone got lost in the game, but Eddie couldn’t help but be distracted by you.

It wasn’t just your character’s quick thinking or the way you seemed to take to the fantasy world so easily—it was you. The way your eyes lit up when something exciting happened in the game. The way you leaned forward when your character was in danger. And how, when you laughed at one of his ridiculous voices, it felt like a little victory.

As the campaign progressed, something shifted. The game wasn’t just a game anymore—it became a stage for something bigger. Every glance between your character and Eddie’s NPCs seemed to carry more weight. Every time your characters interacted, it felt like the two of you were playing out something just beneath the surface, something neither of you had the courage to confront directly.

And then it happened.

The group had just survived a major battle. Your character, an inexperienced mage, had managed to cast a spell that turned the tide in their favor, saving everyone from certain doom. Eddie, as the dungeon master, described the aftermath in vivid detail.

"The smoke clears, and all that’s left are the charred remains of your enemies. But as the dust settles, you realize something—your companion, Sir Andor," he said, referring to the noble knight NPC he’d been playing, "is badly wounded. He falls to the ground, bleeding."

You looked at Eddie, your brow furrowing. "I rush over to him. Can I do anything?"

Eddie leaned forward, the intensity of the moment pulling everyone in. "Sir Andor looks up at you, his breaths shallow. 'I fear... this is the end...,'" he said, dropping his voice low to play the character.

"No," you whispered, your voice filled with genuine emotion. "It can’t be the end."

The rest of the group was watching in silence, completely wrapped up in the drama unfolding between your character and Eddie’s. Even Dustin, who usually cracked jokes during the game, was unusually quiet.

"I want to... try to heal him," you said, almost hesitant.

Eddie’s heart skipped a beat. He wasn’t sure if it was the game or if it was you, sitting right there, your eyes locked with his. For a moment, it felt like everything else fell away.

"Roll for it," Eddie said, trying to keep his voice steady.

The dice clattered across the table. It was a high roll—just enough to succeed.

Eddie cleared his throat, slipping back into character. "Sir Andor looks at you, his eyes softening. 'You... you saved me,' he says, his voice filled with gratitude. He reaches out and touches your hand."

The room was thick with tension, everyone waiting for what would happen next. Your character had saved him, but the moment felt bigger than the game.

Dustin, sensing something in the air, leaned forward with a mischievous grin and whispered, "Now kiss her."

The table erupted in laughter, breaking the tension. But Eddie, instead of laughing it off, looked at you. He wasn’t sure why, but he couldn’t pull his eyes away. His heart was racing, and the playful comment had hit a little too close to home.

You looked back at him, a small smile playing on your lips. "Well, Sir Andor?" you teased, breaking the silence.

Eddie chuckled, but there was something different in his laugh now—something real. "I think Sir Andor... owes you more than just a kiss."

The rest of the game played out smoothly, but the dynamic between you and Eddie had changed. What had started as a game had turned into something far more personal. By the end of the night, as the other players packed up their things and said their goodbyes, you lingered behind, waiting for Eddie.

"I had fun tonight," you said softly, your voice carrying more meaning than just the game.

"Yeah? Even though you got thrown into the deep end?" Eddie asked, trying to sound casual, but his nerves were betraying him.

You shrugged. "I think I did alright. Plus, I had a good teacher."

Eddie smiled, but there was a vulnerability in his eyes now. He wasn’t sure if it was the game, the way you’d thrown yourself into the character, or the fact that you’d stayed after everyone else had left—but something had shifted. He wasn’t just crushing on you from a distance anymore. There was a real connection here, something deeper.

"I, uh..." Eddie started, his voice faltering. He wasn’t sure how to say what was on his mind, so he just blurted it out. "I’ve kinda liked you for a while, you know."

Your eyes widened slightly, but instead of pulling away, you stepped closer to him. "I know," you said quietly.

Eddie blinked, surprised. "You do?"

You nodded, a small smile tugging at your lips. "I’ve noticed. And... I kinda like you too."

Eddie’s heart skipped a beat, the world around him fading into the background. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say. He wasn’t used to feeling this vulnerable, this exposed. But at the same time, it felt right.

"I, uh... I don’t know how to do this," Eddie admitted, his voice softer now. "I’m not exactly the guy who gets the girl, you know?"

You reached out and took his hand, your touch grounding him. "You don’t have to be perfect, Eddie. I don’t want perfect. I just want someone who sees me, who’s willing to stick around even when things get messy."

Eddie looked at you, his heart swelling with something he hadn’t felt in a long time—hope. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," you said, stepping even closer. "I want someone who can love the parts of me that aren’t always easy."

Eddie swallowed hard, his eyes searching yours. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It was like you were speaking the words he’d always longed to hear but had never dared to hope for.

For a moment, there was nothing but the two of you, standing there in the dimly lit room, the echoes of your words hanging in the air. And then, without thinking, Eddie leaned in and kissed you—not in the way Sir Andor would have kissed your character in the game, but in a way that was real and raw, like it was the first time he’d ever truly let himself feel this way.

When he pulled back, his heart was pounding, and he could barely catch his breath. "So... does this mean you’re coming back to Hellfire next week?" he asked with a teasing grin.

You laughed softly, still holding his hand. "Yeah. I think I’ll stick around."

And just like that, everything changed for Eddie Munson.