#but thank you for the starter x

[kit-just-kit]

She jumped, just a little, at the sound of the voice. Not that she was scared, only surprised. Kit had thought she was alone. Not in the entire library of course. But at least in this area. The 'Classics' section wasn't for everyone, particularly at this time on a Saturday evening. Most were out dining, dancing, maybe even dating. But not her. She could've been, possibly........yet a choice had been made to steer herself away from that life and instead, concentrate on things that wouldn't ultimately disappoint her.

And whoever was disappointed by Bronte, Austen, Shakespeare and the like?

"Oh.......um hi, just something.......familiar and comforting. 'Pride and Prejudice' would be my first pick but if you haven't got that in, then 'Mansfield Park' or ' Emma' would do just as well?".

| plotted starter | @kit-just-kit

On one fine evening, as the dim light of the library flickered softly, Mordecai Voidwalker drifted silently between the towering shelves, his ghostly form blending with the shadows. The scent of aged parchment and dust enveloped him, a familiar comfort amidst the chaos of his existence. It was then when he noticed a woman, her eyes seemingly wide with wonder as she wandered through the aisles- clearly lost in her own world. Mordecai felt a twinge of curiosity; new visitors often brought fresh energy, and perhaps a chance for mischief?

A particularly ornate book rested on the shelf, its cover shimmering with gold leaf, Mordecai saw this and materialized just behind her. “Looking for something in particular?"

[jasminexbaudelaires]

Kids today…I swear. I always thought I was a smart, inquisitive kid growing up. Even when I worked at the hospital, I almost always had the answers to their random questions. But now this kid legit just made me question everything I know with one simple question. We were grooming the horse at the end of our session, he put the brushes up, and then he turned around and out of the blue asked me whose name was Bingo - the farmer or the dog. I just…I think I need to go lay down.

[i23kazu]

HIII YING, CONGRATS ON 1.5K AGAIN!! You deserve it all and more, and hopefully we all get to watch you grow some more <33 Keep going and slay like how Xiao slays his demons <333

Speaking of which, there's that sentence starter thing, right? Would you mind if I requested a "You came..." "You called." with Xiao + Romantic? Honestly, hurt/comfort sounds pretty good but I'm interested to see what other big ideas you've got from it 👀

“you came.”

“you called,” he pointed out, mask dematerialising as his hands once again become free to hold yours.

“i thought you were on a mission?” you held him close, fingers meeting his shoulders in a tight grip. you buried your head into his crook of neck — the ache in your heart wishing you could stay there forever.

“you know already that i’d drop everything for you. the call for war is weaker than your call for me.”

the two of you stay like that for a while — your hands intertwining and untangling and twining together as it takes time for the pieces to fall naturally into place again, after so long.

“i wish you didn’t have to go again, xiao.” your face contorts to a tired, longing smile; when would you see him again?

“when you next call me,” xiao seems to have read your mind. “i will be here. like i said, my will to be in your arms will undoubtedly always be stronger than my will to fight for liyue.”

you hold on to that promise.

[vuulpecula]

"Stamets," Fox called over her shoulder, hardly turning to look to see the distance between them. Upon the ground, something had begun to move. A plant of some sort, one that quickly began emitting spores the moment she had said his name. "Uh, Paul, I think you should take a look at this." Not being an expert or even a novice at the study of fungi, Fox took a small step back, unsure what she was looking at. Whether or not it was dangerous didn't matter much, for in that moment, she could not shake the sense that it very much was.

@quantumstarpaths ❤'d for a star trek / star wars / dune starter !

[tsunael]

Send ⚓️ to see them wearing or doing something associated with Limsa Lominsa.

screenshot meme | accepting!?

Limsa Lominsa ever crawled with seedy opportunity for the poor and destitute. Having only ever known life in the floating world, Tsuna's falling in with one of the many dancing troupes that littered the city seemed the natural course.

[seraphiixa]

@sunfirekid liked for a starter.

"I have been too soft on you... If you've made it this far, all that worry has been for nothing," she said, frowning. She used to feel very protective over Hiru --- she viewed him as a child gone astray in life. He just seemed so young to be Wanted, to be putting himself in danger the way he did with his chosen, ah, 'lifestyle.'

She could see she had been condescending in the past. Here was a man grown, who has willfully decided to be a criminal. It was still the wrong decision, she would forever maintain, but he was not misguided by youth.

"It makes me think of you a little differently...," she said, her words lingering as she found herself in thought. Did this make them enemies?

[aandriskobold]

Welcome to WEST-13: Session 0

A new MOTW campaign, set in a small and isolated mining community on Syn, a planet in the Dis-37 system in the far away WEST-13 galaxy, where the VHS (Vivid Holographic System) technology became obsolete long before the inhabitants of Syn could send the first shipment of prismatic glass which was their mission purpose.

Now the people of Syn live a simple life in which everyone knows everyone else. They fish, they farm, and on the weekends they explore the system and/or go to church, either by sitting in on Cinema Reformist VHS showings or taking a rocketship up to attend the Avant-Catholic Satellite Mass.

Join us for session 0, in which we get the gang together, receive some unexpected letters, go on a non-hostile hike and become the VOAT (victims of all time?). Let's just ignore what that little goth kid said about "survival rate of 1."

Featuring:

DISCOVERY SOLIS (they/he/any): The Flake

FLEETWOOD NOX (they/them): The Jury-Rigger

KUROSAWA CLAXON (they/them): The Professional (that's me!)

BLUES-JAZZ DANGO (he/they): The Spooky

SISTER MARY BLESS BOWIE (she/her): The Expert

And a variety of delightful NPCs played by our dear Keeper @saequis, who also drew some of the PCs so far!!

[ID: pencil sketches of the characters. On the left Kurosawa looks down at a document. They're wearing a bomber jacket and a spiked choker, with their hair in messy space buns. On the right are busts of Sister Mary, a dark skinned old woman in a habit with an eyepatch, looking serious, and Fleetwood, who looks up inquisitively. They have light skin and a lean build and are wearing a vest and gloves, and their long hair is shaved on one side, with headphones over it. In the middle are full body sketches of Sister Mary, standing in her habit and holding a huge laser gun. Next to her Fleetwood squats, elbows on their knees, holding a massive wrench. End ID.]

Phew! This is a long one! A lot of setting up to get through. Please enjoy at your leisure.

DISCOVERY SOLIS (they/he/any): The Flake.

On Monday we meet Disco, a grandparent in their 60s with dark skin and long, braided grey hair, usually under a yellow sunhat or a headscarf while they work in the garden. Today they're taking care of their gaggle of grandkids and two dogs, Bao and Pierogi, when the phone rings. His wife Hartley is on the other end and says that he has a letter from the House of Accords:

Congratulations on your successful application to the Venture Office. You have been selected from a pool of literally dozens of similarly unknowing individuals to be a part of the new Venture Office Away Team. Bang! Please report to Rashomon Noa at the VO on Saturday next at wanetide for your mandatory induction. In the event that this telegram reaches you after Saturday next, please report to the VO last Saturday. Yours by mandate, Rashomon Noa, Venture Office Administrator

Disco is somewhat suprised as they never applied for this new position. But later in the week, at the Yesterwhile Museum where they work as an archivist, their colleague Gravity Song admits that she signed him up, since it's such an important job, but one she can't do herself as she's "frail as fuck." Disco, although upset that Gravity didn't ask, agrees to go along so long as Gravity takes on more responsibilities around the museum, particularly the training of Aldrin Rasputin, the new apprentice.

FLEETWOOD NOX (they/them): The Jury-Rigger

On Tuesday we meet Fleetwood Nox at their work at the rocketyard. They have long neon-green hair that's shaved on one side, and wear a white vest top, blue cargo pants, fingerless gloves - and headphones. All the time. After an uneventful day (except for their colleague, Rover, sticking a rivet through his hand), they head home to find the postwoman, Clancey Feng, sitting on their step with 63 "i-fucking-dentical" messages, which all came in yesterday. When they open them, they find each one the same: a successful application to the Venture Office. Except they didn't apply either. They fling the letters down on their workbench.

Later we learn that it was Fin Leppek, their supervisor, who applied on their behalf, among other colleagues, since Fleetwood has a reputation for the things around them exploding. It's never their fault, apparently, but it does make them a little bit of a liability when you're working in a rocketyard.

KUROSAWA CLAXON (they/them): The Professional

On Wednesday, Kurosawa Claxon walks home from their work as a location scout for the Syn Dramatic Society. They have long black hair in twin ponytails, and wear all black t-shirts, cargo pants and gun and knife holsters (it's a dangerous business) - but their bomber jacket and heart shaped sunglasses are pink. Their dads are playing ping-pong with the neighbours and their little sibling Cuaron is playing Pong in their room. Kurosawa convinces them to come out for lemonade and they point out the letter for Kurosawa: an invitation to the VO away team on Saturday night. Funny, because Kurosawa's been applying for a lot of stuff, all in the Dramatic Society, but not this. They assume it's another bid from their dads to get their life together, and decide to go along since maybe they'll spot some good spots for shooting on the way.

The next day, they meet their boss, the location manager Bruce Man, outside the foley studio where they're recording for a cyborg vampire romance. Bruce gives them a script for Snake Apocalypse 2 [a bare-faced reference to our old D&D campaign], tells them they can't read it but need to find 40 locations by next Tuesday. Kurosawa tries to play off the concern by saying they could use the weekend gig with the VO to find locations. Bruce reveals that he signed them up, because the VO have a spaceship - one that they can use for the benefit of the Dramatic Society.

BLUES-JAZZ DANGO (he/they): The Spooky

On Thursday evening, Blues-Jazz sits in their house in the middle of nowhere, making his daily broadcast which, today, is about gardening. They have hunched shoulders, shadowed eyes, bitten nails, long and tangled hair, and they wear cloaks and loose, patched clothes. After he finishes recording, he hears a yelp outside and gets a terrible premonition: something awful is going to happen. They hide under the bed.

There's a knock at the door and eventually Blues-Jazz opens the half a dozen locks to Clancey, the postwoman, who checks their identity before handing them a telegram just like the others. Clancey asks what he's doing all the way out here and tells them their family was asking after them. Blues-Jazz shuts the door.

Later, while he walks around the house and garden watering plants, he hears a voice. Jeeves, a man with a bushy mustache, appears sitting in the windowsill, at a kitchen chair, lying on the ceiling, and asks if he's going. Blues-Jazz says no, it's dangerous, they got a premonition and they don't know who signed them up for this, and throws the letter into the fire.

SISTER MARY BLESS BOWIE (she/her): The Expert

On Saturday morning, Sister Mary wakes up to the call to prayer of the Avant-Catholic church. She claims to be 42 but looks extremely elderly, and dresses in a full velvet black habit and a sequinned eyepatch. She's well renowned in the community for her actions during the UFO incident 30 years ago. She and her unwitting host, Ghibli Keller, eat breakfast before heading up to the satellite church.

The service is held in part of an old spaceship which orbits the planet of Syn, with fortified-stained-glass windows and a wall of amps for the band and choir. After the ceremony the Other Superior (Janet) approaches to exchange passive-aggressive insults and give Sister Mary a lettter, like the ones the others received, and one Sister Mary herself has gotten more than once over the years. Janet has signed her up to let her see more of the world and do more good in the community.

On Saturday at wanetide, Disco, Fleetwood, Kurosawa and SMBB meet at the Venture Office - all of them are late. When Disco raises his hand to knock, several miles away, Blues-Jazz gets a horrible feeling, another premonition of something awful [aka Bats got a snake-eyes on the first roll of the campaign].

Rashomon Noa, a tall lanky guy with a ginger combover, invites the four of them into a room full of precarious metal cabinets creakingly full of paperwork. This is where people file forms when they explore on the weekend, so that they can be rescued if necessary. This search-and-rescue is our new side gig, since we're the "most competent, most available people on the planet!" according to our colleagues. Rashomon says we have access to the Moondog, a small spaceship, strictly for emergencies only but open to modifications, with a look at Fleetwood. Kurosawa implores them not to blow up the ship, to which Fleetwood says "People don't really die on these things, none of us are going to die."

[I, X, want it on record that they said that in session 0 when it all inevitably goes south.]

Rashomon also mentions that a letter was sent to Blues-Jazz Dango, who none of the rest of the party know - unusal in a town of this size. They head out to track them down and get them onboard too, the more the merrier.

Speaking of Blues-Jazz, he's panicking about this intuitive bad feeling and calls home. Their mum picks up and reveals that she sent the application: "It needed someone who's willing to be a good person, who's thoughtful and considerate." They reply, "I don't want to hurt anyone again... this might lead to more of that." His mum says, "Bluejay, you never meant to hurt anyone." [half of the players are crying at this point.] Blues-Jazz hangs up, but not before agreeing when his mum asks if she can call again.

Meanwhile, the rest of the new VO Away Team take the tram out and trek through the forest to find Blues-Jazz's house/radio station, out in the boondocks where Fleetwood often scavenges and experiments.

When the team calls out, Beejee panics, looking for an escape route. Jeeves says he'd help, but he's "about as useful as a figment of your imagination." Beejee insists they aren't interested, but eventually the team talks them around, with the idea that they can at least make some fun mistakes in this line of work.

As Beejee steps out of the house, a young person with a red mohawk mullet, goth clothes, huge clompy-stompies and a bajillion piercings jumps from the roof: Oddity Ng, the field journalist of Black Body Radio, the pirate radio station, asks for an interview: "how do you feel about starting a job which has a survival rate of one person, ever?"

The Venture Office Away Team are finally united in trying to discredit this dipshit.

That's all for this time! Bonus dogs as a thank you for reading this far:

[ID: a pencil sketch of two dogs. Bao stands, he is short and round with skinny legs and long ears, and a big bushy tail. Next to him Pierogi sits, he is tall with a long nose and ears and looks up haughtily. End ID.]

[marimelwrites]

@wildestdrcam - continued from your reply to my open starter HERE!

Celeste's reactions to his unconventional date idea put a grin on his face. Glancing over at her when she playfully asked if he was planning to propose in IKEA, he couldn't help the laugh that escaped him. "Well, if I was going to propose to you in IKEA, I wouldn't very well tell you about that, now would I?" He was teasing her, of course, but he truly wasn't about to tell her those plans. Of course, he'd thought about marriage. How could he not, when she seemingly fit his life so perfectly?

Kerem led her towards the showroom floor so that they could stroll through all the setups that showcased products in the most homey looking settings possible. "So," he began by grabbing her hand and threading his fingers with hers. "I want you to get a good look at things. Point out looks you might like, if you like them. The ones you absolutely don't like." He stopped at the first setting and his eyes landed on her once more. "The reason I've brought you here is simple... I want to see if you'll move in with me? We can start fresh. Find a home that we like that we can build together, and eventually decorate however we want. But only if you want this too..."

[thanaredreamtof]

Closed for @drnkdazed continued from here

Liz couldn’t help but laugh when he asked her how much of a loser he looked. She pretended to step back and take a proper look at him, as if to consider it. “Maybe….maybe an 8?” She joked, but with no malice behind the words at all. She moved over closer to the guy, and extended her arm out in the direction of the balcony. “If you’d like we could sit out there…it’s a bit stuffy in here after all” she said, and made her way out the door, hoping that he’d be following behind her. There was smoke in the kitchen, which didn’t really bother her but she’d prefer the fresh air. “So these parties aren’t really your thing then?” She said, and opened up a beer she’d grabbed from the kitchen table, she wasn’t sure who even bought them. “They aren’t really mine either…well kind of…I’m new to this whole…party scene” she said, her eye brows raising slightly as she spoke. “You’re friends walked off on you then?”

[stormbcrn]

"ASK THE GOOD MASTERS of Astapor about my dragons, if you doubt them. I've seen a slaver's eyes melt and go running down his cheeks." / @celestieu, sc.

[callmewhenyougetthis-a]

[ tip-toe ] for a kiss on the forehead - Andrea and Chris // @divinedxsign

She felt a pair of lips on her forehead and had to physically grab onto the cushion of the couch for fear she might blow away. Chris thought the gift she'd given Andrea of two tickets to see a show she'd been wanting to see for a while was good, but not that good. "Oh, c'mon," she said, waving her hand away and taking a deep breath. She had a funny way of acting natural. It always looked like someone who was very awkwardly trying to remain casual, but clearly spiraling on the inside. They were friends who normally showed affection to each other. It shouldn't have been so... what was it? Butterfly-inducing? That sounded too sappy.

"It's nothing. Dooon't even mention it. Happy Gal-entine's Day, sweetie."

[heartsbreaking]

— open starter

muse : leslie macher ( 50+, real estate agent, mess of a parent) verse : main (scream set any time in the 2020s )

"i actually do mind if you join me actually," leslie snapped, taking the devil horn headband off her head and putting it on the bar. maybe it was giving the impression she liked the holiday. would someone who liked halloween be drinking alone in a bar? she looked behind her at the person who'd approached her. "give me one good reason why i should let you stick around."

[vuulpecula]

"After the Clone Wars, I thought we would recover," with one sweeping motion, she indicated the planet. "They say the war is won and yet, the Empire comes and takes just as the Separatists did." Fox swallowed, turning from the scene laid out before them. Mines dug deep into the frozen mountains, patrolled by troopers that reminded her far too much of the clones that had once been stationed there.

"You should not linger here, it is not safe for those from this planet--it is certainly not safe for those who are not."

@clonewar ❤'d for a star trek / star wars / dune starter !

[lasplaga]

「𝔖」      —       ❛ I'll be fine, you see this is much more important. Don't you want to know about the new progress I've made ? ❜

'IF he commands it, they will work themselves to death with a smile on their face' ; BUT THAT DAY HAD NOT YET COME. For now, Lord Saddler valued their '''freedom''', vast intelligence to rival or betray Umbrella, gifting the illusion of control ; The forked path leading to damnation, regardless of what road they chose. Every researcher that scurried in the laboratories were blinded by the hubris of their HUMAN condition, ignorant to the disease that loomed in every corner, vial or containment cell. It was humorously tragic, how they believed THEMSELVES in control, when The Master foresaw their demise to domination ages prior. Any so foolish enough to believe they would be spared for their efforts, their loyalty, their devotion --- a monument of their single-minded pride & defiance of God.

" 𝔜𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔬𝔣 𝔫𝔬 𝔲𝔰𝔢 𝔱𝔬 𝔪𝔢 𝔦𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔞𝔯𝔢 𝔡𝔢𝔞𝔡, 𝔠𝔥𝔦𝔩𝔡. " & The Prophet remembered the boy, now stumbling before his sovereignty, fully grown. Stories of the maddened knight, a grandfather mauled by fangs, the cabin in the village demolished by flame, how The Chieftain spoke endearingly of him behind closed church doors... There was an ambience of praise for the last of the Navarro family returning HOME --- clear by his fatherly mien, protectiveness & dubious quirk of a brow. "  ℑ 𝔡𝔬 𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔣𝔞𝔦𝔫𝔱 𝔬𝔯 𝔤𝔯𝔬𝔴 𝔴𝔢𝔞𝔯𝔶, 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔪𝔢 𝔠𝔞𝔫𝔫𝔬𝔱 𝔟𝔢 𝔰𝔞𝔦𝔡 𝔬𝔣 𝔶𝔬𝔲. "

Rather than flogging The Spaniard for his imbecility, a slow crawl to starvation for surviving off caffeine & nicotine ALONE, Osmund lurched & caught him underneath the arm, offering HIMSELF as a rock to rest upon. After all, subjects were The Lord's to burden, any kingdom would not last with residents collapsing from exhaustion. Despite The Doctor handwaving concern over his well-being, the elder was steadfast in temporarily excusing him from duty, if not rewarding working himself into the ground. LITERALLY ! " 𝔚𝔥𝔢𝔫 𝔥𝔞𝔳𝔢 𝔶𝔬𝔲 𝔩𝔞𝔰𝔱 𝔢𝔞𝔱𝔢𝔫, 𝔪𝔶 𝔣𝔯𝔦𝔢𝔫𝔡? --- 𝔖𝔩𝔢𝔭𝔱? "

[ham-samwich]

thinking about compliments as compliments vs as conversation starters

[paramounticebound]

@beatfreesmysoul liked for a starter!

"If there are worse fates than this, then I do not know them."

It's like that: a constant stream of death, doom, misfortune that seems set on sinking in, sinking the teeth in. It's not like he doesn't know. The infamous "Starlord"-- he still laughs at the name-- and his hand in saving the galaxy. Khan finds such selflessness to be illogical. He'd tear the universe asunder for his crew, his people, but for the nameless? Anyone else? A waste of blood and gore.

Why then, does he find himself here?

"Though I am loathe to say it, we are better off working together."