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fanboyzuko · 2 years ago

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How much is a royal title worth in LTF? Dragons Wings seems to imply that it was a really big deal having Lu Ten as a figurehead for the movement, does that importance extend outside of the Fire Nation as well? Outside Ba Sing Se he immediately became a valuable target the moment the wrong person found out his location.

I'm extrapolating from available information mostly to try to figure out how careful the Sazanami needs to be when traveling outside Fire Nation controlled waters with two royals on board. And how dangerous it might be if information about their location and mode of transport were to spread. Would the Earth Kingdom generals consider them a worthwhile target to chase after if that information became known? Would the South Water Tribe fleet?

And depending on the answer to those questions, would the Wings mention having royal backing in any eventual future meetings with other factions? or would they keep it quiet to not risk a repeat of what happened to Lu Ten? (The more I think about it, the more Zuko's Hui-persona seems to offer a vital layer of protective camouflage, allowing him to become insignificant to those who would go after him. How much does Zhao know about the details of that identity? that's the only weak point I can see at the moment.)

TL;DR Royal title has significant political weight in LTF. However, threat levels of being specifically targeted not too high for Zuko&Iroh while sailing about even outside of FN waters. No different than any other FN vessel. Wings will definitely start establishing they have someone suitable to take the throne if they overthrow Ozai, at least to FN allies. To possible foreign allies? Proooobably not after they were burned so hard last time... Hui should be safe from Zhao.

Long rambling answer:

Oh maaan you always ask them hard hitting questions. I really had to think on this one.

So perhaps the first thing I really sat thinking about is how in canon, the political weight the noble class is very... light? Understandably so, as this is a Nick cartoon, not some Game of Thrones style type shit. I feel like that pretty much extends to general fandom perception and content? Like I feel most the time when I see focus on the importance of say Zuko's royal standing, it's to deconstruct it and show him 'breaking norms.' But what ARE the norms?

Zuko may have been banished and (presumably) taken out of the line of inheritance until he found the Avatar, but Iroh still had his title as a prince of the FN. Even disgraced after the siege, he has standing. But it doesn't come off that way at all! And then Azula, Ozai's only heir while Zuko is banished, is sent off to capture Aang. And sure she's a powerful firebender but?? She really had meager guards and protection being IN THE MIDDLE OF ENEMY TERRITORY! And gosh the whole King Kuei running off into the wild with his pet bear is bonkers. No matter how much of a puppet king he was, he's still a whole ass king. Buck wild. But again, kids show lol.

So then turning to LTF... The politics are a litter messier and hold more weight. The Fire Nation royal line 'traces back to the first Fire Lord' and it is a Big Deal. There's probably a lot of nobles who take immense pride in their connections to the royal line. "I'm the great-great grandson of Fire Lord X's youngest sister!" type shit. And it's a big deal who is then brought into the royal family. Hence Ursa coming out of nowhere was such a huge upset in the court.

As far as the commonfolk go, I'd say that ties into the spiritual significance of the royal family. The FN gives off the 'divine right to rule' vibe to their politics, with the original Fire Lord being a Fire Sage and the throne being tied closely to the Fire Sages in its beginnings. Even after the Fire Lords started pulling more power to themselves and from the sages, the Fire Sage clearly still have strong social and political sway. I hinted a bit at it with Ju Long at one point, how the Fire Lord is supposed to be a representative of the FN's spirits of sorts.

So it is important that if there's a faction going against the throne, they have someone from the royal family backing them. No matter how radical the group, they know that if they're going to usurp the Fire Lord and keep someone else on the throne, they need the support of the nobles and commonfolk. Only way to do that is with someone in the royal line. Also touched on that briefly with Bun Ma's conversation with Iroh before she left, about the Fire Lord who was overthrown by the clans who had to marry their candidate to rule to someone in the royal line to secure their place.

Which now gets me thinking, it'd be SO interesting if the Earth Kingdom tried forcing Zuko/Iroh to marry an EK noble and making a claim to the Fire Nation throne.... Oh man that'd be so interesting. Bc honestly, with Zuko's banishment and Iroh basically abdicating the throne, they aren't high profile targets to foreign powers. Lu Ten was targeted because his worth to Iroh was well known, and it seemed like the best move to end the siege. There's no benefit to targeting Zuko or Iroh other than reparations in regards to Iroh (like what almost happened in the show when he was taking his bath lmao), a shot in the dark Ozai isn't as heartless as he seems and would care about a ransom, or the secret third option I just thought of, of trying to upset FN politics from the inside...

I'm losing the thread some maybe... I've been thinking about this all day can you tell haha.

Okay so for the Wings, if they want to have any hope of making significant waves in the FN political sphere, they need that royal backing. So as they start pushing harder, they will need to disclose they have someone suitable to take the throne should they overthrow Ozai. But they'll be playing it safe of keeping it vague just who they're putting their money on. If anyone outside the Wings starts hearing of their movement and mission, they could think it's Iroh or even a noble with direct lines of descent from the royal family.

Coordinating with foreign allies, they'll be keeping their cards even closer to their chest. After Lu Ten they're not going to take any chances. So they'd definitely imply their royal backer isn't in the immediate royal family. Or that they're completely breaking FN norms and saying fuck it. After a century of conflict and isolation, EK and WTs wouldn't necessarily know the political and cultural climate of the FN. They could probably accept and believe a rebel group hoping to overthrow the throne without royal backing, unlike FN allies.

As far as Zhao goes, he definitely underestimates the power of Hui. Even if he did learn Zuko's undercover name, he hasn't remembered it. He just vaguely knows that Zuko's been posing as a scholar. What a waste of time and resources, but go off banished prince, is his mindset. Last he's met Zuko, he went to the library and came back without seeming to have learned all that much. Whoopdeedoo.

If he actually knew just how much shit Zuko's gotten up to as Hui and how many connections he's made, it'd be a different story. But he doesn't, so Hui's safe from Zhao's interference.

#bookwyrmie #atla #jam talks #i had a lot of thoughts lmao #this is stupid long

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paragonrobits · 3 years ago

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there’s no evidence that the Fire Lady has any political power or influence whatsoever, particularly as the Fire Nation is an imperialist conquering nation that implicitly only allows women to serve in the military (AKA the entire focus of their nation at the moment) domestically and NEVER in the proper armed forces, so the fandom refrain of ‘X would make a great fire lady’ doesn’t really address the point that the Fire Lady probably doesn’t have any actual political power other than what she gains by proxy through the Fire Lord

the fire nation isn’t some exemplar of egalitarian-ness that also happens to be a genociding state fueled by supremacist ideology; there’s no real reason to assume that the Fire Lady has any real power through what we see in ATLA; indeed, we have every indication of precisely the opposite, based on what became of Ursa

and this pans out because, according to creator commentary, the Fire Lord was originally just the head Fire Sage; the Fire Lady (or presumably a different title, if they were married to men or such) was more or less just their spouse, and thus there’s nothing to say they would have any power beyond what they personally accumulate, and going by real life examples, they would have to be very subtle and wield it like a scalpel, presumably working through intermediaries to do anything at all

#atla #the fire nation is curiously prone in fandom interpretations to be this kind of beacon of #equal rights or something like that #'x would be a good fire lady' is missing the point because the role doesn't seem to allow them to actually do anything #we barely hear of ANY of them and the closest we get is Ursa #who explicitly did everything in secret and thne immediately fled #this is admittedly not a lot to go on #but just by ATLA's canon its all we have to go on at all #the fire lord and lady thing is NOT an equal power dynamic at all #in any case the fire nation follows the route of an imperialist nation growing more conservative #so they'd be hostile to a Fire Lady that wants to make change even IF this is politically a thing that happens in the FN

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aprettyweirgirl · 3 years ago

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Izumi going off on Raiko for treating Lin like a slave.

ohh this is a good one

Izumi doesn't like Raiko in general, but she contains herself from call him out for his shitty leadership... that until she sees him treating Lin like shit and threating her with replacing her as the chief, Izumi all like "oh no lil bitch u not messing w my wife" but she doesn't say it, instead, she uses it as an excuse to call him out

#every once in a while #Izumi calls Raiko saying that she needs to have Lin at the FN #and he's absolutely terrified of her #so he just lets Lin go #lin beifong #fire lord izumi #linzumi #lin x izumi #the legend of korra

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recovery-zine · 4 years ago

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For any of you people on mobile, here is what our site looks like on the desktop! We made it pretty!!! <3 Be sure to check it out and let us know which zine you’re more interested in seeing in 2021 (and send it to all of your Avatar friends, your fellow Fire Nation stans, and any Discord servers you’re in to help make sure this happens)! Thanks @shudesigns for sharing your lovely templates with the world.

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unfriedough · 3 years ago

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hi can i order zuko hcs with a waterbender or a forgotten one? sorry if you got confused, it's just that english is not my first language

‘Watergirl & Fireboy’- Zuko x female!reader

Masterlist <3

An: GOOD DAY FRIENDS. AHHH. tbh this is my best title yet.

I'm not sure what you meant by the forgotten one, but if you want to resend another ask, I can write you something again <3

(Your english was pretty good tho anon! good job!)

Summary:

Water bender gf firebender bf, yes. (Fn is fire Nation I used that at some point haha)

Warnings: mild comic spoilers.

Dating Zuko is super wholesome.

And the dynamic of water and fire is so chaotic

At first, it was a bit of a shocker, as you’re complete opposites

But also made sense

Opposites attract

Anyways

Honestly nothing interesting happens in the gAang part of this story so I’m going to slide right past it

Fire lord and his lady

Notice the his

You’re not married yet haha

So you’re just his girlfriend for the time being as he’s adjusting

The peeps of the fn are definitely surprised

And not happy

Why is there a water SCUM here 🤨🤚

Some like the idea

Like ‘oooh diversityyy’

But others like the new ozai society opt to say you suck

Smh

It’ll be a super new concept

I’m talking a mixed wedding

For example

The ring or whatever would have aspects from your culture as well as his

For example a blue dragon, pretty cute idea

He definitely had Sokka/Katara’s help with it though

For fighting and stuff, you guys are the dream team.

I mean like

Water and fire

Ugh goals

But yeah

Y’all are a force to be reckoned with yk?

In the palace, water tribe decor would for sure be incorporated

Some blue some red some dragons some penguins etc

It’d be such a vibe

Other rulers now not only look down on him because he is a CHILD, they now also feel superior as he married someone from outside his nation

Katara and Sokka would probably take on your protective siblings role.

So like, Zuko would get lectured anytime he was annoying to you

He’s just a baby-

Sparring would be kinda fun

Cuz like fire v water

Like you do the octopus arms and he’s like shooting at you

All in good fun ofc

And training

You would probably have an important role in his life

Like his advisor

So your next to him in all those boring meeting he has to sit through

You accompanied him on the search for his mom

We’re ignoring the promise comic because that's not my baby, he kinda was weird in that one?

Yikers 😒

Travelling to the watertribe would be so funny because you are more used to it so can like wear less coats but Zuko’s got his AND your coats all piled up and looks like a little marshmallow 😩

The watertribe siblings would 100% make fun of him

Trying each others foods like culture wise would be such a blast

Like he has some water tribe delicacies and you the same with fire nation

He would be evil and give you the ones he doesn’t like too just to see your cute face get annoyed

He’s secretly evil guys

The fact that you’re like always cold and he’s always WARM is funny, because he would heat you up, But you

Being the little gremlin you are

😈.

Place your COLD hands on his stomach or arms and stuff and he like shivers.

“Hey Yn did yOU - STOP” literally squealing

Anyways, yall opened up new opportunities for biracial marriages in the fire nation and water tribes. 😌

But yeah, fireboy and watergirl

An: This was so short and written late at night and yeah okay I’m tired. As always, hope you enjoyed reading, SEE YA! <3

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butterflybuckethat · 3 years ago

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Wildflower

Notes: Gregory Bridgerton x Reader - I made a 🌾moodboard🌾 lol

Request: gregory pls

🦋 Masterlist 🦋

You pulled open the mahogany double doors of Gregory Bridgerton’s wardrobe as he argued with his mother downstairs. Violet chastised him for overworking her maids with all the tears and stains he returned home with in his white chemises. She wanted him to look presentable this evening for dinner, we were having guests apparently. It was a simple enough request but Greg always found the need to argue back. You were typically amused by these interactions but, when it came to Violet, you preferred he just do what she asked so you took the initiative upon yourself. You paid careful attention to the hems as that was where they were most often torn. You could still hear them exchanging words when you found the right one and were going to rush it down to them when a number of letters, with your name on them, scattered onto the floor.

“Gregory,” you spat, desperately holding back tears you would only allow to spill once you were alone, clutching the crumpled stack of letters “how could you?” You and Gregory had always been close, him being the Bridgerton closest to your age. Your families frequently summered together. You both resided in England, of course, but you mother felt as thought you could benefit from the camaraderie siblings afford, even for just the summer, as you were an only child.

You fit in well, slotting right in as Gregory’s twin menace. You ran amuck, the two of you, arm in arm-picking on the Bridgerton siblings and, if they weren’t available, your parents. Though this was the perfect dynamic for you both, it didn’t always mesh with the larger English society. You were always a little too loud, a little too sun-kissed, with muddy hems and bare feet. Gregory was your best friend, your other half, and you could forgive him anything, except this. This was unforgivable.

A few months ago, you and Francesca had join a little salon of sorts. The women who comprised it were mostly older, treating the gathering as an escape from their familial responsibilities, and politics were seldom spoken about but it was, nonetheless, incredible. They would exchange baubles and gossip as if it were air, playing cards and complaining about their husbands. Sometimes they would give you and Francesca instruction on how to attract a husband, teaching you how to handle a fan, drop your handkerchief, and take a turn about the room. You took to the advice slower than Francesca. A wicked streak ran deep in you both but she was something you definitely weren’t: malleable. She took to instruction like a fish to water, all while maintaining her wit and precocious air, and you were stuck in the mud.

Your carriage was late one evening. Francesca had offered to drop you off but you were certain it was just around the corner. The salon was in relatively low attendance so the two of you spent the majority of the evening speaking with that nights host, Lady Francis Eve. She was a rather eccentric woman, well adorned and always the first to know all the secrets of the ton. Lady Francis was widowed early in her life and produced no offspring, though she did have a truly incredible number of nephews. You were standing in her foyer, apologizing every so often for the tardiness of you ride, when she tapped her chin and said, “my nephew Peter would simply adore you.”

Three weeks later you received a letter addressed from Viscount Peter Bough containing only two lines: I sincerely hope you are the Lady Y/FN Y/LN my beloved aunt speaks so fondly of. If not, please disregard. You indulged of course, scribbling a little something in return, and so began a months long correspondence.

“Gregory,” you said again, weaker this time. It had been over a fortnight since you had last received a letter but you did send three. Your were left in something of a lurch. You had yet to meet Lord Bough in person, and he had hinted at perhaps coming to London, “with a ring” Eloise had joked. You thought that perhaps he had fallen ill, or his home had caught fire, or was killed in the ricochet of a duel.

��Please,” Gregory whispered, his large eyes wet. You felt a pang in your chest but steeled yourself, snatching the letters out of his hands and storming off into the gardens.

Though the Bridgertons keep their lawns and gardens well-manicured, but you preferred the tall grasses by the creek. That sliver sat between the Bridgerton property and the next, left completely untouched. You lied down, uncharacteristically uncaring of the wildflowers you crushed beneath you, and hid from the world. You couldn’t open the letters, not yet. You had always shared everything with Gregory and he must have hidden the letters for a reason. You stared at the sun until your eyes hurt and all you could see was purple.

“Y/N,” Gregory cast a shadow across your face, barefoot and collar untucked. He sat next to you, twiddling blades of grass between his long fingers. “My mother wanted me to tell you to get out of the sun.” You looked up at him, deadpan. “She didn’t, actually,” he coughed.

“You must be kidding.”

“You haven’t opened them,” he pointed at the stack of white envelopes scattered beside you.

“I don’t yet know why you hid them.” You still trusted him. How could you not? He was the one who snuck you sweets from the kitchen when you were kids, stood in front of you when the governess would chastise your muddy smock, kept you from feeling completely alone when you were ignored at luncheons and balls.

“Do you detest me?”

“I haven’t decided yet.” You knew why you were upset. It wasn’t so much the violation of your property and privacy, but because you felt as if this were your shot. Never had any man in the ton shown you any genuine affection or interest, at least not one you would ever consider marrying, and you did want to marry. Lord Peter Bough was interested. This was the first time you had hope that you weren’t going to die an old maid. Only Greg knew of your guilty pleasure of trading the most ridiculous novels with the maids.

You sat in silence as the sun set, letters burning between you both. But you could feel him sticking little purple flowers in your hair, across the crown of your head and tucked into the loosened tresses from that morning. “You should read them,” Gregory said.

“Why?” you turned to face him, “what do they say?”

“I never read them.”

“Then why did you take them?”

“It’s been a month,” he shrugged. You waited for him to continue, building the silence until it forced him to speak, “Eloise...” he cleared his throat, “she made that comment,” he did it again, “about the ring.”

“Greg-”

“I haven’t seen you-”

“You have.”

“Not really, not like before.” He stuck his hands in his pockets, “you’re in your room, writing.”

“That’s how Eloise-”

“Found a husband!” he finished for you. You were going to say ‘spent her summers.’ Your cheeks burned red. What you were too embarrassed to admit, even to Gregory, was that you were hoping that you would. Eloise was also wild and outspoken but she, unlike you, had the cushion of good breeding. Not that you weren’t well bred, but not in any way that was comparable to the Bridgerton name.

“I am a woman, Greg. It is my prerogative to be married.” This might be the closest you would ever get to admitting your desire. It was embarrassing, craving romance to such a degree.

“Not you.” Your eyes burned and watered as you stood, so quickly you were likely to fall back down again. Gregory grabbed your wrist before you could run off, “wait.” You yanked your arm but he held tight. “I didn’t mean-”

“How-” you choked. It was as if a dam had broken, all the whispers and disapproving glances from the mamas, scoffs from your peers, disappointed looks from your own mother, just confirmed by the one person you trusted most. “How-” you sobbed. He moved to wrap his arms around you but you pushed him back, hard enough that he stumbled. “Why would you say that to me?” All that fear and pain was replaced by rage. Why not you? What made you less worthy of love than anyone else?

“That’s not-”

“I am deserving of love, Gregory.” You dug your finger into his chest, “is that so hard to believe? That a man would be interested in me? I am funny and kind and well-read...for the most part.” You lost steam pretty quickly. It was always like that, large bursts of emotion that fell just as quickly as they came. Gregory’s face broke, as if he were seeing you for the first time in years. He stepped toward you, snaking his arm around your waist and his hand on you cheek.

“You are deserving of more love than any one man can offer.” He pulled you close enough that you could feel the warmth of his skin seep into yours. “Certainly more than little Petey Bough can offer.”

It was dark and you could barely see one another but you knew what he looked like. The only lights were the distant one of the house and the yellow and green flickers of the fireflies that surrounded you. Your hear beat so loud you could hear it in your ears as you tentatively placed your hands on his chest. You could feel it steadily rise and fall.

“There is not a moment I do not think of you,” Gregory pushed a loose strand of your hair behind your ear. “I took the letters-” he took a breath. “I took the letters because if Peter had any sense in the world he would ask you to marry him the moment her stepped foot in London,” he paused again, “and I don’t think I would be able to stomach it.”

You wanted to kiss him. You wanted to kiss him more than you wanted anything in your entire life. But he was all you had and you weren’t sure if you were ready to let go of life as it was.

“Greg?” Violet shouted from the house. You could make a life with Greg, you knew that, if that’s what he wanted. And you did want love, so so badly, but part of you was terrified, wondering if a future as an unwed maid would really be so bad.

“Master Gregory,” the deep voice of Smathers the butler startled you both.

“Smathers!” Gregory had jumped nearly two feet into the air, “make some noise next time, I beg of you.”

“My apologies, sir. Dinner is awaiting your presence.” You walked ahead, not waiting for the two men to catch up.

#Gregory Bridgerton #gregory bridgerton ff #gregory bridgerton imagine #gregory bridgerton x reader #gregory bridgerton x you #Bridgerton #bridgerton ff #bridgerton imagine #bridgerton fanfiction #Wildflower

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caseykeshui · 5 months ago

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mmmyes I love giving my favorite skins more outfits . . . The face I've designed for him will someday be revealed 🫡 Fortnite skin: X - Lord , Chapter 1 season X (10) Outfits were inspired by FN's current season!...and much Pinterest scrolling was also involved -

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batarella · 4 years ago

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The Prince of Gotham (Jason Todd x Reader)

absolutely love love love this one. Thank you again for the suggestions from my dearest friends in the taglist. You are all so amazingly talented.

PRESENTING THE DAMNED PRINCE OF GOTHAM. I MEAN IS THERE EVEN A HOTTER VERSION OF JAYBIRD THAN THIS????

WORDS: 4509 WARNINGS: UNPROTECTED SEX. ORAL SEX FEMALE RECEIVING. FUCKING AGAINST THE AQUARIUM IN HIS ROOM. THE POOR FISH.

Masterlist

Call him damned, or whatever the tabloids call him as Bruce Wayne’s forgotten son, the son he almost never talks about. Jason Todd will be damned for all that was left of his second life.

The glass was cold on his lips, even colder between his fingers. The Falcones were here again. At least one of them running their mouths at another million-dollar loss. He placed the glass onto a waiter’s tray and placed his firm hands into his jacket pockets.

Miguel came over to him, whispering about a blackjack table with an unruly foreigner throwing the cards at the other players. Surprised it wasn’t of the Falcones, Jason whispered something back. And the next thing he knew, Miguel was taking the culprit into the suite.

No one has crossed him too much. Yet. And not much has happened, either. At least by now, something should have happened. Penguin’s goons. Two Face’s. A worthwhile encounter with any of the beautiful women catching his eye. But there had been nothing. Nothing worth thinking twice about.

A crime lord. In Batman’s fucking city. It’s a death wish not many can escape from, not many can succeed in. The Dark Knight will eventually find some dirt on you, but him? His son? He’ll take it as a free pass. He smiled at a photographer taking a quick photo of him, straightening his jacket. The papers have been all over him tonight, more often than the past week. Just yesterday he saw an article about how he’s now up against Dick Grayson as the most sought-after Wayne bachelor.

The nightly performance should be up soon. He was told they’d bring in a number of beautiful women who usually danced at the bars on the outskirts of Gotham, so it should be something these strip club enthusiast pigs haven’t seen so often. Jason walked over behind the booths.

“Mr. Todd!” A man came to him with a crouched back, ginger hair and freckles that covered half his face. Stretching his hand out that wasn’t holding his camera, Jason firmly shook it. “Jimmy Olsen from the Daily Planet. Is it okay if I ask a few questions?”

“Ask away.”

“Proprietorship over the Iceberg Lounge costs millions of dollars, Mr. Todd. Did you have any financial assistance from Mr. Wayne in your investments?”

He wanted to scoff.

“No. I’m all on my own.”

“Are you involved in any of Wayne Enterprises’ operations, then?”

“Not in the slightest.”

“Then what other means of income did you have prior to the Iceberg?”

Blackmail. Robbery. Decapitating drug lords’ heads. Among others.

“My father taught me how to invest in the stock market with more accurate predictions than the average person.”

“You’re not so often mentioned by Mr. Wayne.”

“Well, I am the second eldest son. And there may have been a falling out at the time I was wrongfully declared legally dead. But now? I assume Bruce will have plenty of good things to say about me.”

“Mr. Wayne has not released any statement about your ownership of the Iceberg, Mr. Todd. The media has gone rampant after the Mr. Wayne’s absence in the Lounge’s opening ceremony.”

He wasn’t invited.

“I’m sure he was busy.”

“And your siblings?”

“They should be as well.”

“Last question, Mr. Todd. Will all eight of Mr. Wayne’s children have an equal share of his wealth?”

Huh. He’s never thought of that. “Perhaps. What are people saying?”

“Mr. Wayne is currently worth eighty billion dollars. That would mean you’d inherit ten billion dollars along with your other siblings.”

Shit. Maybe threatening Bruce with his identity a few days back wasn’t the brightest idea.

“Right now, I’m worth more than any of my siblings,” Jason smiled at the camera. “And if Mr. Wayne does give me an eighth of his fortune, I’d be sure to give you guys a first at an interview as the youngest new billionaire.”

Kylie Jenner can suck it.

The music started blaring out from the speakers. Burlesque music. He took another glass of champagne from a waiter and nodded at Jimmy Olsen. “Thank you.”

“Thank you, Mr. Todd!” he exclaimed.

Jason’s eyes were on stage. Five women with feathers around their arms twirled, moving their legs so gracefully to the music. They only had so much clothes on. Sipping into his glass, he moved closer to the stage.

A kiss may be grand but it won't pay the rental

On your humble flat, or help you at the automat

Men grow cold as girls grow old

And we all lose our charms in the end

But square cut or pear shaped

These rocks don't lose their shape

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

You caught his eye more than anyone else in the damn room.

You were staring right at him, then with your soft, lace covered hands, you ran it over the side of your cheek, over your red-stained lips. You were covered in red. And the wig you had, a short blonde one, you had that Marilyn Monroe look he always had a thing for. You reminded him of Isabel, the flight attendant he once dated. But you? On stage with your legs covered in the most intricate fish nets, you were definitely something else.

You looked at him again. Perhaps you knew who he was. Your mouth so slightly parted, and the feathers grazed against your glistening lips. Jason smiled at you. You didn’t smile back. At the next move, you moved to the other side of the stage and faced away from him.

Jason then walked over to your side, standing beside a booth. You were looking at the business moguls drooling over you at their table. But then your eyes darted to him again, this time with the slightest smirk. You turned around, along with the rest of the dancers, and bent over.

Jason’s eyebrow quirked up at the sight of your ass, but he kept silent, drinking his wine. Your eyes were immediately on him the moment you stood back up. He held his glass up at you, smiling, and you ignored him once again.

Biting his lip, he watched you throw out your feather scarf over your shoulder, holding onto another dancer’s waist as you grinded onto her, so slowly with the song changing to something a bit more seductive. You then walked off the stage and continued your choreography holding your scarves over people’s necks.

You walked over to the Falcones, avoiding their grabby hands. You almost kissed the best looking one in the group, your chest so close to the tip of his nose. Rolling his eyes, Jason sipped on his glass.

But then you turned to him, your lips subtly curving up. You were making your way to him, most probably knowing he owned the place, because you walked ever so slowly to his way, cheekily winking at all the other men fawning over you.

And when you’d stood in front of him, smelling like sweet, yet strong rose petals in a garden, the tension was immense. You were absolutely gorgeous. And his eyes were all over you.

Slowly, ever so slowly, you put your face so closely to his while your delicate fingers drew a line across his shoulders, his collarbone, over the muscles on his arms. He pretended not to be so shaken, standing still with the glass between his lips.

You were enjoying yourself just as much as Jason did. But he was practically growling in hunger as you swayed your hips, momentarily pushing your ass to his crotch but not near enough to actually touch it. Jason couldn’t care less about all the other people around him. As far as he knew, you were the only one in the room.

Then you placed your scarf around his neck, your forehead so slightly brushing against his. Your breath was hot, too hot, and your body was glistening under the pale blue light. Jason licked his lips before you left to go back on stage.

Looking down at the red feathered scarf around his neck, Jason walked over backstage just before the number came to an end.

-----

“Mr. Todd!”

A large woman with a fur coat big enough to have been from an actual bear came up to him. “Did you enjoy my girls?”

“I did,” Jason said. “Where are they?”

“They’re just about to finish up at the dressing room. Would you like to meet one of them?”

“Send them all out to the casinos for the night. I’m sure all the guests would be delighted to have them around at the lounge,” Jason said. “If they want to, of course.”

“They would love to. If you can excuse me, Mr. Todd.”

Jason nodded at the woman who then walked into the dressing room. He waited outside, just by one of the slot machines.

The girls walked out of the room, now dressed in long gowns, their backs bare and the slits on their legs high up to their thighs. You no longer wore your wig, but your natural hair looked even better on you, if Jason had to say. You were the last to come out, and the seductive, shameless demeanor you once had was now replaced with a shy, silent, yet beautiful disposition. Your dress was the same color red as his Red Hood mask. He loved it.

You caught his eye, stopping your tracks, then you brought your purse up to your torso as if you were covering yourself from him.

Jason walked over to you, stretching out his hand. You looked at his arms, then at his face. You didn’t smile at him, but slowly, you held his hand for a firm shake.

But he didn’t shake it. Instead, he brought it up to his lips, delicately pressing it against the back of your hand as if you were so fragile. But you sighed at his gesture, and you couldn’t help but step closer.

“Jason Todd,” he said, still not letting go of your hand.

“Y/FN.”

Your voice was sweeter than your scent.

“You were amazing out there, Y/N.”

“I didn’t realize I was dancing for the Iceberg’s new owner, Mr. Todd.”

��Call me Jason. Please.”

So you didn’t know who he was, and still you danced for him like no one else. Interesting.

“A drink?”

You nodded. Jason motioned for a waiter to his direction and he took two glasses from the tray, handing one out to you. “Walk with me, Y/N.”

Your lips stained the glass’s rim with a faint coral. He looked away before you’d catch him staring too much at it.

“How do you find the place?”

“It’s perfect, much better than when Mr. Cobblepot owned the place.”

“So you’ve danced here before?”

“A few times. I didn’t like it as much. Who knew a handsome young bachelor such as you would turn the place so much more interesting?”

Your eyes were piercing. And every so often, as you walked past the crowd, he’d catch you looking at him longer than you should.

“Being one of Bruce Wayne’s wards has its perks.”

“You are definitely different from your siblings.”

“In a good way?”

“In the best way.”

You’ve reached the dance floor, where drunken socialites had a glass on one hand while holding onto some businessman or crime lord half their height with the other. The live band was playing jazz music for now, and with the lights coming to a dim, Jason stretched out his hand for you again. “Dance with me, Ms. Y/N?”

Placing your glasses onto a waiter’s tray, you took it, and he placed his hand on your waist, yours on his shoulder. And with the other, he held your fingers with a slight brush against your thumb.

“You must do this with a whole number of women, sir.”

Sir. You didn’t say it the way you called him Mr. Todd. You said it seductively. Oh, he definitely had that kink.

“On the contrary, I don’t.”

“So the Prince of Gotham isn’t a stud after all?”

“Not at all. But women don’t hate me, that’s for sure.”

His grip on your waist tightened, and you were pulling him closer. “I sure hope you like me, Ms. Y/LN.”

“Call me Y/N, and I think I like you just fine.”

The smell of rose petals yet again. Your faces were so close, and you danced at a slower pace than everyone else in the room. “I’d like to get to know you better. You have a show tomorrow night, Y/N?”

“Why do you ask?”

“Dinner. With me at the rooftop lounge. I’ll reserve a special table with the best view.”

“Just thought you should know, I cannot be reeled in over wealth and gifts.”

“Not that kind of woman, huh?”

You smirked. “I don’t think so.”

“Is that a no?”

“If you weren’t so rich, or if you weren’t so alike to your playboy father, maybe I’d immediately say yes.”

He twirled you around so skillfully you almost squealed. “Then let me prove to you I’m no rich playboy.”

“You have the whole night.”

He pressed his forehead against yours, smirking as you looked into his eyes. You were warm, and even if you weren’t so immensely sexy, he was still so drawn to you, he’ll make sure to make the night worthwhile.

The song ended, and reluctantly, he pulled away from you, but not without a kiss to your hand once again.

“You may not be that kind of girl, but what if I take you up to my room?”

He watched your face, looking for any signs of hesitation. Even at just the slightest bit of pressure, he wouldn’t push it. But the wide smile on your face and the enthusiastic nod reassured him. “Lead the way.”

Jason held out his elbow for you to take, and you wrapped your hand around your bicep as you walked to the back of the room, to the elevators no one was supposed to go into. He heard whispers from socialites left and right, how he was taking a burlesque girl up to his room. They’ll call you cheap, for sure. But even if they had half the charm you had, he’d pick you in a crowd of hundreds in a heartbeat.

You didn’t seem to mind. You walked into the elevator, still holding onto his arm, and you walked out into a hall of glass walls and crystal statues. At the end of the hall was the door to his room. And with no one around, Jason led you inside.

You placed your purse on a console table, marveling over the immensely luxurious bedroom. The walls were still of the same crystal-like glass, blue all over the walls. There was a couch and living area to the left, and right in front was his own liquor bar, which he walked over to immediately after pulling out a seat for you to take. Behind it was a beautiful aquarium, large enough to fill up the whole wall. Walking over to it, watching the fish move around the corals and seaweed, Jason took out a bottle of champagne and poured both of you a new glass.

“You have quite the exquisite taste.”

“I’m hoping that doesn’t turn you off as much.”

Handing you a glass, you clinked it against his and sipped. “Your charm makes up for it. I take it you weren’t born with a silver spoon up your ass?”

He laughed. “No. Glad you should mention that. I grew up in the streets, in fact.”

“You and I both.”

Another lipstick stain on the rim of your glass, and your eyes still on the fish of the aquarium. He had to stop staring so much.

“Where’s your next performance?”

“I’m not so sure yet. Our manager usually tells us of our performances on the day.”

“Call me. I’d love to watch you again.”

Smiling as you walked over to the liquor bar’s stool, Jason put his arm on the bar’s surface. “Why me?”

He was flustered. “Well, other than the fact that your beauty absolutely captivates me, red happens to be my favorite color.”

“A way with words, you have, Jason Todd.”

You both placed your empty glasses on the table, and Jason started to put his face nearer to yours, leaning towards you from the other side of the bar. You were pushing your ass out, leaning towards him in turn. With a brush of his fingers against your cheek, you bit your lips.

“May I take another step at convincing you over that date?”

“Take as many measures as you want.”

You were first to lean in to his lips, and you were warm, so soft, and incredibly addicting. That rosy smell was now mixed with the faint remnants of champagne. He breathed in, walking over to your side at the table so he could roam his hands around your hair, your neck, your waist. He stopped, and you went on to kiss his neck, and he leaned over to push on the lever under your seat so you’d be elevated up to his height. Wrapping your arms around his neck, you kissed him again and you felt his hand snake up your thigh.

“You sure those-“ you breathed. “-socialites downstairs wouldn’t mind?”

“I don’t care.” He smiled at you. Jason took off his suit jacket and you worked him off his tie. His red dress shirt was a shade lighter than your dress, and all you could think about were the thick muscles he had on under his clothes, how huge he was compared to any other man you’ve ever been with. Your hands on his face, you spread your legs so he could settle himself between them.

Shit, this was hot. Your heavy breaths, your gasps, the slight mewl when he’d bite into your neck, he lifted you up on your thighs and carried you to the other side of the liquor bar. Now sitting taller than him, he could nip at your chest easily, biting into your collarbone. Your legs were hooked around his waist and with neither of you fixing the straps of your dress falling down your shoulder, you moaned in delight when his hands squeezed onto your thighs.

With your help, he fiddled with his belt buckle and unzipped his pants, never leaving your lips while he was at it. Hiking your dress up to your waist, he groaned when your hand suddenly started to pump his length.

“You really got it all, Mr. Todd,” you winked.

“Like what you see?”

“Yes, sir.”

He swore his dick twitched.

Then he started attacking your neck, the top of your breast. He pushed your dress down so he could bite into the skin of your now exposed breasts. Of course you weren’t wearing a bra. He didn’t know what he expected. Eyes closed shut, moaning even louder, he tipped over a few glasses when he leaned his weight over you. Your legs were in the air, and you were holding onto him so you wouldn’t fall off.

Kneeling down, your fingers locked onto his hair, Jason looked up at you as he pushed you further toward the edge of the surface, your exposed ass cold against the bar. He kneaded your thighs, so skillfully well you could probably cum just as that, then the cheeky bastard started biting at the hem of your stockings.

Smiling down at him, you watched him pull them down your legs with his teeth, before he’d traced his burning hot tongue up the skin of your inner thighs. Your thongs were thin enough for him to know you’d feel his breath if he ghosted his mouth over you, so that was exactly what he did. And watching your reactions, and the way you pulled even tighter into his hair, he stood back up to pull your lips back to his.

You bit at his lip, feeling the tip of his warm cock play with your folds.

And when he’d slid inside you, your nails raked onto his back, nevermind his shirt to protect him. You weren’t so shy anymore when you suddenly tore his shirt open, the buttons flying to whatever direction to the ground. Smiling as he thrusted inside you, your nails traced the outlines of his abs. So fucking hot…

He probably heard another glass break, but he didn’t care. Jason picked you up once again, turned around, then pushed your back flat against the aquarium’s glass. The fish were frantically swimming around in panic, especially when he started pounding against you and the window shook in loud thuds. You screamed, and with a bite onto your neck, the tip of his cock hit that side of your tight walls clenching around him to hard, he wanted to break the glass.

He moaned into your ear, effortlessly keeping you up with his hands on your thighs. He thrusted into you, gaining speed the more you screamed and moaned his name. He caught your lips, bit onto them even when he didn’t want you to be quiet. This was fucking hotter than anything he’s ever experienced.

And he didn’t want this to end so quickly. Not with you. Something to captivating within you made him want to take his sweet time, enjoy your body he was lucky enough to have at the first night. He didn’t want this to be just for tonight, no. He wanted you to come back, to make you feel so good you’ll have to say yes to that date. So he lifted you up once again, his cock still lodged inside you, and he carried you into bed.

Fuck, you were so hot splayed out on his bed like that, your thighs drenched and your hair a mess. Jason took his dress shirt off, throwing it to the floor, then he helped you slide off of your dress, your thongs, your stockings, and fucking hell, you were beautiful.

Jason took off his pants, and before you could pull him in, he leaned over to the side of the bed and pressed on two buttons. One of them dimmed the lights to a sexy, seductive red glare, and the other put on some music. Some slow rap song he didn’t have the liberty of choosing, and it made you giggle. You obviously didn’t want him fiddling around with more buttons, so you pulled onto his shoulders and hooked both your legs around him.

Moaning, your hands gripping onto the sheets, Jason kissed your breasts and midriff so breathily slow that it made you a writhing mess. He leaned over to your cunt, breathing against it to make you jolt, then he lapped his tongue over you so gently your back arched high up to the air. He inserted a finger, then another, and you were screaming his name over and over, shaking each time he thrusted inside you. “Fuck,” he moaned, before lapping at your clit with the tip of his tongue.

Yes. Moan. Scream. Twitch at his touch. Just watching you would’ve been enough to get him off. The lights, the room, the music, it was all perfect. “Is that a yes on that date now?”

“If you don’t continue fucking me right now, I might never call you.”

He laughed and went back up to your lips, grinding against you so deliciously slow, his shaft grazing up your cunt, he held onto you as you jolted up. Suddenly, he flipped you over, and you squealed as he held your ass up, licking his fingers as he played with your pussy. You buried your head against the soft pillows and moaned as he slid back inside you, hands roughly gripping onto your hips.

“Oh! Oh! Oh!!!” you screamed, and with his arm holding onto your shoulders, he held you up, keeping that sexy arch of your back intact with his other hand, and with your head falling to his shoulder, he pulled you up for a kiss. Hands all over your breasts, skin so flustered and over stimulated, you felt burning. Jason bit your lip too hard when he felt your already tight pussy clench around him. Forehead against yours, he looked right into your eyes and snapped his hips into your ass, making you shriek.

“Fuck! Do that again, sir!”

Fucking hell.

He did it again. And again. And again and again.

He’s never been so intimate with a stranger, never took so much time to make them feel good. And even when he’d just met you, something didn’t want him to make this a single night of quick, meaningless sex to keep him going through the day. Something wanted him to make this more than that.

So he kissed you, long and hard. And with your limbs trembling and shaking hard enough to make you fall, he held you up, holding himself back from the immense pain and pleasure that went with you clenching so hard around him, he hissed and gave in.

He came, and you both fell to the bed, his chest pressed against your back, he sloppily kept up with his thrusts and rode out his high. He shuddered, spilling so much of his load inside you. Fuck, this was too good for him. He kissed your shoulders, your back, then your cheek. You looked amazing, and undoubtably grateful. Jason turned you around, legs around his body, and kept kissing you all throughout the night.

Fucking a stranger, sure. But making love to one? Not exactly what people would have in mind. But somehow, with you, nothing has ever felt better. Nothing felt so right.

And eventually, when the ripe beginnings of sunshine had met his window, you kissed him once again before walking back over to pick your clothes from the ground. “My phone’s over there,” you pointed to your purse. “Give me your number.”

Pinching your butt cheek, Jason took your phone. He then gave you his and you put your number with a little heart next to your name.

“I don’t think I’ve ever had a night like that with someone I barely know.”

“Neither have I.”

Smiling, and with your clothes back on, you leaned over to him and kissed him, before walking out of the room. Biting the inside of his gums, he put on his clothes, walked over to the liquor bar, then turned over to face the fish.

A push on the remote he had opened the screens behind the aquarium. His hand in his pockets, he watched as the glass unfolded.

“You alright there, Cobblepot?”

“You. Fucking. Tool,” Penguin growled from behind the glass, his clothes and hair a mess. Probably from almost tearing them out from his skin in frustration.

“Shut up. At least I had the decency to shut the glass and the one way mirror. You didn’t see anything.”

The stout man looked absolutely traumatized. “And you just forgot to turn the sounds off?”

“Oh,” he sipped on his wine. “Whoops.”

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kingedwardvi · 3 years ago

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29 Octobers 1551 -Richard Dobbes, skynner, Mayor, ye 5 yere of Ed. 6. [5th year of Edward VI’s reign]

..”that vppon ffrydaye, beynge ye 30 of October, a newe proclamacion cum forth for sondrye newe peces of money both sylver & golde of dyuerse valewes, viz. souereignes of fyne gould at xxx. s., angelles of fyne golde at x., & dyuerse other peces of gold of lesser valewes, a pece of syluer v.s, & a pece ii., vj.d., ye sterlynge shillinge of xij.d. & sondry other small moneyes. (fn. 45)

Note also yt uppon ffrydaye, beynge ye vjth. daye of Nouember ye quene of scottes (fn. 46) rode throughe Chepesyde wt a greate companye of englishemen waytynge on her, after she had lyen iiij. dayes in ye byshope of London's palace besydes Poules churche.

Note further yt vppon Tewesdaye ye first of December ye duke of Somerset was areyned at Westmynster hall, & was then & ther acquyted of treason, but he was condempned of felonye by vertue of acte of parlyamente made agaynst conventicles & vnlawfull assemblies. (fn. 47)

Also vppon ye Mondaye after, beynge ye vijth. daye of December was a generall muster of ye horsemen, wh. were in ye wages of ye nobles of this realme, & for ye wh. ye kynges majesty allowed yerely for each man xx.li., the wh. muster was made vppon ye brod cawsey ouer agaynste ye brode causaye ouer agaynst ye kinges place (fn. 48) at saynte James: & as yt was reported ye nomber of ye horsemen was a thousande.

Note yt vppon ffrydaye, beynge ye xxijth. day of January, ye duke of Somerset was broughte vnto ye skaffold vppon ye Tower hyll, & ther was beheaded.

And vppon Satterdaye ye xxiijth. daye of Januarye ye parlyament began wh. ye lordes assembled.

Also about this tyme ye flud of ye ocean & flemyshe sea of ye Temes swelled so hyghe yt yt dyde greate hurte vpon all ye cost of Flaunders, & ouerflowed Lesynge (fn. 49) mershe besydes Wolwytche, & ye mershes beyond saynte Kateryns.

Also aboute this tyme ther was found dead in ye mouth of ye Humber in ye north a greate whale of vij. or viij. cubites.

Note, yt vppon Fryday, beinge ye xxvjth. of ffebruary, one sir Raffe a Vane, & on sir Myles Partryge were both hanged [at] ye Tower hyll vppon ye gallowes, & sir Mihell Stanhope & sir Thomas Arundell were beheaded vppon ye skaffold ther: all wh. foure were condempned by vertue of ye acte of vnlawfull assembles as accessaryes to ye duke of Somerset. (fn. 50)

Note, yt vppon good Frydaye ye xvth. of Aprell ye parlyament was cleane dyssolued & broken vpp, wherin were many goodly lawes & statutes ordeyned & stablyshed.

(fn. 51) The third day of August in a towne called Myddelton Stony in Oxford, there was borne a double child, whiche was two children from ye brest vpwarde, in all partis perfyte wt one body, one navle, & one ishew where out passyd both ordure & water, havynge ij. legges growynge out of ye one syde of ye belye, & one ye other, one lege havynge ij. bones in one skyne, ix. toes, & ij soles of ye foote, callyd & christenyd by ye mydwyfe Johan Joane: thone always slepynge whiles ye othar was wakynge, in August anno 1552. (fn. 52)

Also in ye same monythe of August began to gooe forwarde ye great provysyon for ye poore, towards ye whiche every man was tributorie & gave a certayn wykelye, & also somewhat to begyne ye same on hande: ye first hous which was begon was ye graye fryers in Newgate market, wh. wente forwarde wt all spede. (fn. 53)”

Link: https://www.british-history.ac.uk/camden-misc/vol12/no1/pp17-27#p27

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sirpoley · 4 years ago

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On the Full Plate Threshold and the Nature of Money

"Can I buy a magic sword?"

This is a question that seems straightforward, but is actually fraught with follow-on implications that are not obvious. It is also one that's asked at some point in any D&D campaign. You might be thinking, as GM, that you're making a choice about the setting of your campaign (is this a high-magic or low-magic world, a desert island, a major trade city, etc). While you are making this decision, you're also deciding (perhaps without knowing) what money is in this game. You're deciding whether your adventuring party will build castles or not, whether they'll hire armies or not, whether they'll go adventuring or not, whether they'll be greedy or not, and whether they'll care about rewards at all after the fighter gets her hands on a set of Full Plate.

In my experience, money in RPGs is used for one of six things: character power, narrative power, oxygen, skill, XP, or nothing.

Money as Character Power

This paradigm is the one most familiar to 3.x veterans such as myself, and is the direct result of allowing magic items to be purchased freely for money. This allows players to invest money in their character's powers and strengths in the same way they do with skills and feats. There is a slightly different set of constraints on how money is spent than skill points (which is to say, the party must find a city), and may be further restrictions still (such as 3.x's limitations on the most expensive items that can be bought in each size of settlement), but at the end of the day, players can pretty much buy whatever they have money for.

In essence, if a player can convert currency into better stats, damage, armour, etc., then in your system, money is character power and should be treated as such. The GM should keep a close eye on how they hand out treasure and quest rewards, as too little or too much money can easily result in difficulty balancing encounters. Third edition D&D came with a table stipulating how much money each character should have at each level (the (in)famous "Wealth by Level" table) and balanced monster CR based off of this assumption. In my younger years, I GM'd several campaigns in which I restricted purchase of magic items because of campaign setting reasons (it was a low magic setting, or the party was far from civilization, or whatever), and then was shocked as the party struggled against ethereal monsters or monsters with damage reduction, yet with CR far below their level. Additionally, such restrictions won't affect all characters equally—a 3.5-era sorcerer, for instance, can operate just fine despite absolute poverty, while a fighter will really feel the lack of a level-appropriate magic sword. Monks, despite not using weapons or armour, are ironically among the classes most dependent on magic items because of their dependency on multiple ability scores.

Determining whether your system assumes money as character power may not be immediately obvious, but as a GM, it is crucial that you find out. D&D's modern-era spinoff, D20 Modern, does not use money as character power, as you can't simply buy better and better guns as you level up—once you've realized that the FN 5-7 pistol and the HK G11 rifle are mathematically the best guns and you've bought them (which you can easily do as a first-level character), you're set for the rest of the campaign. However, D20 Modern variant campaign settings, such as D20 Future and Urban Arcana, do allow you to directly convert money into character power, as the reintroduction of D&D-esque magic items of Urban Arcana and the "build your own gear" gadget-system of D20 Future allow unlimited wealth to be converted to unlimited power.

What to Watch as a GM: Ensure a steady trickle of monetary rewards that increase as the players level, realize that players will be increasingly antsy to reach town the more treasure they have, keep an eye on any game-provided wealth-by-level suggestions, and be wary about player-driven "get rich quick" schemes and item crafting systems. Be very cautious about allowing a PC to borrow money from an in-world bank or other lender, as they could quickly invest that money in magic items and destabilize the game balance.

Advantages: Combing through books to find perfect magic/sci-fi items is very appealing to some players, and it allows the GM to dangle money in front of his or her players to hook them on adventures.

Disadvantages: Can lead to very hurt feelings (and huge game imbalances) if a character is robbed/disarmed in–game, as it is functionally equivalent to erasing a feat from their character sheet. Further, the game can break down very quickly if there is a wealth disparity among the party, as there are more than simple roleplaying repercussions to playing a "rich" or "poor" character. Some players find this system "video gamey," and others feel that it overwhelmingly encourages players to steal everything not nailed down.

Best For: Combat-heavy games in which a "build" is important, high magic/soft sci-fi settings.

Money as Narrative Power

When money sees its most use bribing officials, hiring mercenary armies, building castles, or funding large-scale operations of any kind, money in your system directly converts to "narrative power." Players can use cash to influence the game world and the direction of the story, but not necessarily to deal more damage in combat (or heal more, or buff more, or whatever). This is where D&D 5e tends to get to after low levels (see "Crossing the Streams" for more on this). Many gritty, film noir-esque stories rely on key characters being dangerously in debt and are called to adventure by motivation to pay off said debt. Depending on the details of the campaign world, however, Players might stop caring about money entirely if it doesn’t directly relate to the plot or some kind of scheme.

What to Watch as a GM: If you come from a legacy of "Money as Character Power" games, you might have to remind yourself to loosen your grip if one or more characters seems to be accumulating "too much" money. Just because money doesn't have direct applications in combat and adventuring doesn't mean it isn't an important game resource—be sure to provide opportunities for players to use their money to solve problems, or else they'll quickly ignore it entirely.

Advantages: Allows a host of narrative options restricted by "Money as Character Power" games, such as managing businesses, organizations, or fiefdoms. Allows a wealth disparity between party members with only moderate issues. Additionally, allows stories involving borrowing and lending money without breaking balance in half, and overall can feel quite freeing.

Disadvantages: Can still cause problems if one PC is notably wealthier or poorer than the rest, depending on the players themselves, as they might end up driving the story. Unless finances are baked into the plot, using money as a reward is unlikely to garner much interest on behalf of the players.

Best For: Gritty realism, power politics, games that will eventually result in characters becoming lords/ladies/CEOs/etc.

Money as a Skill

In some ways, this is the exact opposite of "Money as Character Power"—when money is treated in your system as a skill, players have to sacrifice combat power in exchange for wealth. For instance, in the Fate-based Dresden Files RPG, if a player selects Resources to be one of their better skills, they are consciously giving up choosing, say, Weapons or Fists as a good skill. In such a system, a character's wealth is abstracted, and largely unaffected by major purchases or sales. Similarly, monetary quest rewards are pretty much off the table unless similarly abstracted.

This system strongly encourages huge disparities in wealth between party members, allowing rich and poor characters to solve problems equally well, just in different ways.

Note that "Money as a Skill" doesn't just mean that purchases are handled by skill checks, but rather that the wealth of a character is as core, internal, and untouchable as their other core stats, like Strength, Agility, etc. D20 Modern uses a system similar to skill checks to handle finances, but a character's Wealth score fluctuates hugely when they buy or sell things, so doesn't entirely fit in this paradigm.

Sometimes these systems do away with money altogether, such as the mecha rpg LANCER, which exists in a post-scarcity world entirely without money. Equipment is earned by getting progressively better "licenses," which authorize PCs to replicate increasingly powerful weapons and mecha shells.

What to Watch as a GM: You'll have to find ways to motivate players without monetary rewards, and be sure to find opportunities to reward players who invested in their "money" skill, either through narrative or scenario design, just as you would ensure to place a few traps in every dungeon for a rogue to disarm.

Advantages: Allows (and, indeed, almost requires) large wealth discrepancies between characters, and greatly reduces bookkeeping.

Disadvantages: Tends to be highly abstract, which can lead to a mismatch of expectations (such as if players start looting bodies to sell, with absolutely no mechanical impact, or being unsure if "+5 wealth" is middle-class or Bezos-class).

Best For: Narrative games without much focus on accumulating wealth and treasure, but in which money still matters.

Money as XP

This is the oldest of all old-school approaches, and in many ways the logical extreme of "Money as Character Power." When money is used as XP, acquiring gold directly leads to characters increasing in level. Sometimes this requires spending the money (i.e., donations to charity, training, or spell research resulting in XP gains), while other times, it only means acquiring the money (in which case, you have to answer the question of what players are to do with all this accumulated wealth after its primary purpose—giving them XP—has been achieved). This approach has largely been left by the wayside, and many modern players will discount it out of hand, but I'd encourage you to stop and think about it: we already accept that fighting more powerful monsters and overcoming more difficult challenges lead to greater XP and greater material rewards, so why not cut out the middleman and just say the material rewards are XP? One caveat is that, even moreso than with "Money as Character Power," this can result in PCs doing anything to get their hands on cold, hard cash—but, conversely, by removing (or downplaying) combat XP, it can also result in encouraging peaceful or stealthy approaches to solutions. This would lead into a whole conversation about when and how to give out XP, and what behaviours this decision encourages around the tabletop, but such a discussion is outside the scope of this essay.

This system works well for GMs that want their players to be treasure-hungry, like in Money as Character Power, but don't like the inevitable proliferation of magic items that results.

As with "Money as Character Power," under such a paradigm, GM's must keep a close eye on PC's pocketbooks. Taking away their treasure, either through in-game theft, a rust monster, or similar, will lead to frustration and hard feelings. Similarly, anything that lets players turn a profit without adventuring, such as item crafting or simply by getting a day job, could destabilize the game unexpectedly—many systems specify that only treasure found while adventuring counts towards XP, though determining what counts as "while adventuring" can be something of a headache (albeit not an insurmountable one). Additionally, this system strongly discourages wealth imbalances between PCs, as they directly result in some PCs being higher level than others.

Given how out-of-style this is in tabletop games, it's perhaps surprising that several modern video game RPGs fall into this category in the late game. In Skyrim, for example, after I'd bought the best weapons and armour that could be found in shops, future resources went into buying all the world's iron and leather to grind up my Smithing skill again and again, giving myself easy levels.

What to Watch for as GM: Same as with "Money as Character Power."

Advantages: Eliminates post-battle XP calculation entirely, encourages players to avoid direct confrontation, and gives players a very strong monetary motivation (which can also be a disadvantage) without resulting in a high-magic world.

Disadvantages: Can strike some players as unintuitive, and strongly encourages desperate treasure-hunting (which can also be an advantage).

Best For: Games involving treasure-hunting and exploration.

Money as Oxygen

With Money as Oxygen, money becomes something that players need a steady stream of just to survive. Maybe they're deeply in debt, have to make rent payments, have to maintain their equipment, or just have to feed themselves. The reason for their regular thirst for wealth might be narrative (rent, debt, etc.) or mechanical (equipment maintenance, etc.) in nature. In Traveller, a huge source of motivation for the party is just trying to keep ahead of mortgage payments for your starship. Money becomes the same as food, water, and air—a vital necessity that you simply always need more of.

With Money as Oxygen, players constantly have to eye their dwindling bank accounts and do cost-benefit calculations before accepting a mission, or else disaster could strike. This is a very, very different genre from "Money as Character Power" or even "Money as Narrative Power," as it rarely results in the party spending their money on anything other than survival. Unless they really hit a gold mine, they won't use money to upgrade weapons or armour, or to buy land and power, because doing so runs the risk of starvation/bankruptcy/etc.

This probably isn't the paradigm to use for most D&D-esque campaigns, as it can (and should) result in players actively avoiding heroic archetypes—if survival depends on a paycheck; the crusade against evil is someone else's problem.

What to Watch for as GM: This paradigm is bookkeeping-heavy, so make sure the players understand that from the get-go. Also, anyone expecting "Money as Character Power" might find themselves frustrated by their ever-dwindling resources. Make sure you have a very good handle on the math of the players' survival (that is, exactly how many gold pieces/dollars/credits they need to survive a week) or you might accidentally underpay them and lead them to ruin. Not that this shouldn't happen; it just shouldn't happen by accident. If you accidentally give them too much money, feel free to timeskip ahead several months until they're broke again, or dangle another moneysink in front of them, like a one-of-a-kind, now-or-never opportunity to buy a shiny magic item or spaceship upgrade (dipping judiciously into Money as Character Power).

Advantages: Makes the players feel poor, desperate, and downtrodden.

Disadvantages: Both the players and the GM have to keep a very, very close eye on finances in order to maintain tension. If paired with a mechanical system that doesn't result in substantial character progression from XP (such as skills, feats, etc.), then players can feel stuck and lacking motivation.

Best Used For: anything that can be accurately described with the words "seedy underbelly."

Money for Nothing

We've all played games in which money is straight-up useless. In many Zelda games, for example, like the classic Ocarina of Time, monsters drop rupees all through the game. In addition, there are secrets, hidden chests, and puzzles that pay out rupee rewards as if the game thinks they would make you happy. After the first hour of the game, it becomes blindingly obvious that there's no point to this money, as the things you would buy (arrows, sticks, bombs) are just as freely dropped from monsters and bushes. Many other video games hit this point after the early game as well (like Diablo II, where monsters continue to drop thousands and thousands of gold throughout the game, but there's nothing worthwhile to spend it on).

I personally can't see any advantages to this system, as I don't think it's chosen by design.

Crossing the Streams

Of course, few games fall strictly into one of the above categories, and most aim to do two or even three, which can lead to some common pitfalls. For example, the 3e splatbook the Stronghold Builder's Guide allowed players to spend tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of GP on elaborate castles and mansions. These was very cool, and the rulebook is one of my favourites from the edition… but I've never seen it used in actual play, because any player who did so would find themselves handicapped for the remainder of the campaign, as they hadn't invested their gold in magic items, as the system requires you to. (Again: the math of monster design in 3.x assumes and requires that player characters gain magic items at a set rate).

Some of the paradigms play nicer with each other than others. For example, many variants of "Money as XP" practically require a secondary output for money. Unless the XP is only gained by spending the money, all of that accumulated loot has to go somewhere—typically either into magic items (Money as Character Power) or into strongholds (Money as Narrative Power). Games that have large-scale battle rules (which, I've been told, ACKS does, though I haven't played it firsthand) blur the lines between Narrative and Player power, because the castles and hirelings a player buys actually do something, mechanically, though they typically don't help you in an actual dungeon. "Money as Oxygen," similarly, may require temporarily dipping into another paradigm to bleed off surplus money from the party to keep them permanently poor (something Traveller does gracefully by allowing incredibly-expensive spaceship upgrades).

The Full Plate Threshold

The Full Plate Threshold: once the players have bought the most expensive item available to them, the nature of money permanently changes.

One very common dynamic is for games to have Money as Character Power in early levels, and transition to another paradigm (or fall into Money for Nothing) at later levels. This is particularly common in video game RPGs, where after the early game, nothing anyone sells in stores is of any value whatsoever (or if they do, the price is trivial), yet despite this, monsters continue to drop thousands upon thousands of gold. If these games have a multiplayer aspect, players usually settle on a rare item as the de facto "currency" for trades.

This is also the dynamic that results when the sale of magic items in D&D-esque games is restricted, as in early levels, players save up to buy half-plate to replace their breastplates, warhorses to replace their feet, composite bows to replace their shortbows, and so-on. Once the most expensive upgrade has been bought (in D&D, the last character to make this transition is typically the fighter, as the best mundane armour available is a steep 1,500 GP in 3.x and 5e—a friend of mine dubbed this the "Full Plate Threshold" after my 5e paladin bought full plate, and we all suddenly stopped caring about gold), money is no longer convertible to Character Power. At this point, which can happen between level 3 and 7 depending on character class, system, and GM generosity, the nature of money in the campaign will change. This could result in the widening of scope in the campaign, as players invest in land, armies, and castles, or it could result in money piling up like in Diablo or Final Fantasy, totally meaninglessly. Similarly, many campaigns that start with "Money as Oxygen" can escalate into "Money as Narrative Power" as players finally hit the jackpot, and no longer need to worry about maintenance/mortgages/etc.

As a GM, handling this transition can be tricky. If it sneaks up on you without realizing (many 5e D&D GMs might not know (because they weren't told), for instance, that the nature of money changes dramatically the second someone buys full plate), they might suddenly find their players disinterested and bored around the table even though seemingly nothing else has changed. Their adventures are just as gripping, their monsters just as scary, their dungeons just as unique... but the players seem to be just going through the motions If your system or campaign doesn't have an endless supply of increasingly-expensive bits and baubles for players to buy, you're going to have to manage this transition, whether you want it or not.

Wrapping Up

There is no objective "right" or "wrong" way to handle money in an RPG, but some methods definitely work better for certain genres than others, as changing the "rules" of money in your campaign will massively change the feel and pace of the game. On the same note, be careful of follow-on effects from changing the rules: simply saying "magic items can't be bought," without making any other changes, will lead 3.x campaigns into a series of very predictable roadblocks (weakening martial characters, unevenly and unpredictably increasing encounter difficulty, and potentially eliminating motivation to go on some adventures) that you have to have solutions to. Similarly, adding a "magic item store" to a system not initially designed for it, such as D20 Modern, can lead to massive imbalance and weird behaviour. For instance, due to bizarre math, even relatively powerful magic daggers fall below the threshold at which rich characters lose wealth points in that system, making them literally free, while buying an unenchanted, off-the-shelf AK-47 (which is just above that same threshold) permanently drops the wealth bonus of any character. This leads to the system incentivizing any problem that can be solved with thousands of +3 Daggers being solved with thousands of +3 Daggers in a way that neither GMs nor (I assume) game designers intended.

These incentives matter. If a game penalizes one option and incentivizes another, that second option is just going to be taken more often. Maybe a lot more often. If you can align your campaign's incentives with desired behaviour for your players, you'll save a lot of headache, frustration, and counter-intuitive behaviour for everyone involved.

#D&D #D&D5e #d&d 3.5 #RPGs #TravellerRPG #Traveller

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