#i mean the dice are not helping in this regard

[quietarchivist]

I'm starting to think that half the reason A Crown of Candy is so intense is not because of it's Game of Thrones-esque enemies at every turn politicking combined with a deliberately biased campaign but because all of the PCs are just absolutely terrible at talking to people.

[pomrania]

Fairy vs Walrus: the game

You are a fairy and a walrus, travelling together bound by that most sacred of pacts, "wouldn't it be hilarious to prank some humans". However, you both have different ideas of how to go about your journeys.

(This is a variant on a game I'd partially written up yesterday; this morning I realized that not only could I adjust it to be about this subject matter, but that would solve one of the problems I'd had regarding end conditions.)

Requirements: two players, one to be the fairy and one to be the walrus; two d6s for each player; the encounter table, below, or make up your own

Here's a basic summary of the gameplay loop. Both players roll their dice. They each say a feature of the scene, and then determine which feature the fairy and walrus go to. If that doesn't conclude the game, then it starts again at a new round; there may or may not be a minor time-skip between rounds.

Encounter Table 1. a depiction of your kind 2. a tasty treat 3. an obstacle you'd need the other party to help you get past 4. a street performer singing a song you like 5. the setup for a stupid pun 6. a human's doorstep (All entries on this table are subjective to each party rolling; an obstacle for a fairy looks very different to an obstacle for a walrus.)

At the start of a round, roll both your dice in secret. One result will correspond to an entry on the encounter table; the other result is how much power you have to go there, whether by force of argument or simply going in that direction until the other party decides to follow instead of getting left behind. You can assign the dice as you choose; so, if you rolled a 3 and a 1, that could mean entry 1 on the table and a 3 for power, or it could mean entry 3 on the table and a 1 for power.

Once both of you have assigned your dice, share the feature from your table’s entry. Figure out together what the scene looks like, such that both elements are present; for example, if the fairy had entry 2 and the walrus had entry 1, this would mean a scene that involves both a depiction of a walrus, and something a fairy would consider a tasty treat. Then, reveal your other dice result, the one for power. If your dice value is higher, then the fairy and walrus go to the feature you'd rolled; the other player describes what happens.

In the event of a tie, where both parties had the same result for their power roll, reroll both dice, and use the new results to compare power. The exception is if the tied results were both 6. In that case, both the fairy and the walrus feel so strongly about going in a certain direction that they do it without regard for the other party, get far enough from each other that the bond strains, and the magic fades; the humans realize that there's an actual walrus among them, and the walrus becomes limited to normal walrus movement. Decide whether you want to end the game there, or continue playing; in the latter case, the fairy arrives in time for the magic to come back, and a bunch of humans are left wondering why they all hallucinated a walrus.

Assuming you don't get too far apart, the game concludes when you manage to show up on some human's doorstep. Describe which of you the human is more surprised to see.

[theresattrpgforthat]

Hello!! Do you know any TTRPGs surrounding translation or languages? 😊 (thanks for all your work btw!!!)

THEME: Language / Translation Games

Hello friend! As someone who studied linguistics in university, I absolutely love talking about all of the funky things languages do! I hope these recommendations tickle your fancy!

Dialect, by Thorny Games.

Dialect is a game about an isolated community, their language, and what it means for that language to be lost. In this game, you’ll tell the story of the Isolation by building their language. New words will come from the fundamental aspects of the community: who they are, what they believe in, and how they respond to a changing world.

Dialect uses a deck of cards to help minimize the amount of choices you have to make in character creation, by dealing three cards to each player and having the players choose one from just those three. You track the change of your language over a series of turns, using prompts to help you navigate the conversations that arise in your community as the world around them changes.

Dialect has been very highly regarded as a game that really delivers on the experience that it promises. The grief that accompanies language death really shines through this game, so if you want to combine the wonder of creation with the pain of losing something so integral to your sense of being, this is the game for you.

Tiny Frog Wizards, by @prokopetz

You have mastered the secret arts of sorcery

The very primordial energies of creation and destruction are yours to wield as you will.

You are two inches tall.

Tiny Frog Wizards is a game about tiny frogs, wielding magic using the power of words. When you want to do something magical, you will roll somewhere between 1-3 dice, and use the values of your rolled dice to determine how the range, magnitude, and control of your magic.

What’s important in terms of this game recommendation is the Control aspect, because how well you are able to wield your magic depends on how many words you are able to use to make things happen! It’s a lot easier to use a spell with precision if you have enough words to detail where you want a magical pen to write, or what you want to throw a tiny magic missile at. Not enough words? Then the GM has license to cause some humorous side effects, or, if you roll poorly enough, cause your spells to really go off the rails.

If you like games where you need to choose your words carefully, Tiny Frog Wizards is worth checking out - especially since it’s in free playtest!

Xenolanguage, by Thorny Games.

Xenolanguage is a tabletop role-playing game about first contact with alien life, messy human relationships and what happens when they mix together.  At its core, you explore your pivotal relationships with others on the mission as you uncover meaning in an alien language. The game gives a nod to soulful sci-fi media like Arrival, Story of Your Life and Contact, but tells its own story. It’s a game for 2-4 players in 3-4 hours.

In Xenolangauge, you play as a group of people bound together through a shared past with unsettled questions. Your task is to understand why the aliens have come and what they are trying to tell us. You will soon discover the key to understanding lies in your memories together.

This is definitely an in-person game, as it is meant to come with a modular channeling board that will provide you with alien symbols that you will use to help you interpret messages. This is more than a game about language, it’s about relationship, shared memories, and connection.

Xenolanguage was kickstarted at the beginning of this year, but you can check out the above link to pre-order the game if this sounds interesting to you!

Star-Spawned, by Penguin King Games.

One unearthly night, a ray of colourless light descended from the stars, and under its warping radiance, creatures unlike any the world has ever seen were born. They do not know the world, and they do not know themselves. Unfortunately for the world, they're quick learners!

Star-Spawned is a GMless, oneshot-oriented tabletop RPG in which you don't know what your own traits do when play begins. The names of each group's stats are randomly generated using morpheme chaining, and characters are created while having absolutely no idea what they mean; figuring that out forms the greater part of play.

Star-Spawned is more about self discovery than it is about language, but the use of morpheme-chaining in character creation is intriguing to me. You will randomly roll three pieces of a word, and then chain them together to create a unique Facet, available to the players as stats. These Facets don’t have a meaning when the game begins - you need to play to find out what they mean. If you like playing around with semantics - the meaning of words - this might be a game for you.

Degenerate Semantics, by Mikael Andersson.

Degenerate Semantics is a role-playing game for 1-5 players and one Game Master (GM). The players will each portray a character who live in Emmaloopen's poverty-stricken lower city. They are young, wild, ambitious, and independent. This way of life is threatened by other factions, and the players will need to have their characters work together to survive and thrive.

In the process of playing the game, the players and GM will define and flesh out a language called Bandethal. A collection of street terms and slang, Bandethal is used both as a way to talk openly about illicit activities without alerting authorities and to establish street cred. The terms are liberally mixed in with plain English, or when the language is mature enough, can be used entirely on its own. The characters' success is in large part based on how proficiently the players wield the language.

A friend of mine ran this game for me three or four years ago, and it’s been sitting in the back of my head ever since. Degenerate Semantics was created for a Game Chef competition in 2014, and has remained in the same state since then. I don’t think there’s any more work being done on it, but the game is there for anyone who wants to give it a go - and while there’s a setting that comes with the game, that setting is highly flexible, depending on what your group is interested in. Our group decided to use a lot of gardening metaphors, and undertook a plant-based heist as our act of rebellion! If you want a game about the power that language can give a tightly-knit group, this is the game for you.

I've Also Recommended...

DROWWORD, by Ursidice.

[prokopetz]

A question that's come up a few times regarding the revised draft of Eat God is how to come up with Expressions to go with your Forms. Some folks have gotten the idea that Expressions are meant to narrow the scope of your Forms by putting prescriptive boundaries on the circumstances under which they can be used, when in fact it's the opposite – they're meant to broaden the circumstances under which your Traits can be tagged for bonus dice by linking each one to a dimension of your character's personality; tagging a lot of Forms on tests relating to mental and social pursuits is going to be tough, but their Expressions give you added flexibility.

As a user on the Penguin King Games Discord aptly put it, Expressions reflect "[...] the lived experience of moving in the world in this particular muppet body". The current draft doesn't contain much by way of example, however (mostly owing to the Forms list not yet being finalised), so I thought I might offer a few examples here in case anyone would find that helpful. Here are some fairly prosaic examples of the sorts of Expressions one might attach to various Forms:

Bottomless Belly

Indulgent – You encourage people to try new experiences, culinary or otherwise.

Refined – That you can eat literally anything does not oblige you to be indiscriminate; perish forbid!

Firm Flesh

Patient – You've got all the time in the world.

Stubborn – You're hard-headed in more ways than one.

Hundred-Handed

Self-reliant – Who needs a helping hand when you've so many of your own?

Absent-minded – Sometimes the left hand really doesn't know what the right hand is doing.

Primordial Power (Fire)

Hot-blooded – Your feelings burn as hot as your flesh.

Fatalist – The flame that burns brightest burns briefest, and oh, you've burned so very bright.

Prismatic Pelt

Forthright – There's no sense being coy about your feelings when you literally wear them on your sleeve.

Unassuming – You prefer to fade into the background, both literally and metaphorically.

Superior Sense (Hearing and Touch)

Busybody – Oh, you know it's really none of your business, but you couldn't help but overhear...

Paranoid – Can anybody else hear that? How can they not hear that?

(You might notice that many of these pairs of examples adopt precisely opposite interpretations of the underlying Form – which is, of course, the whole point. The wordplay element of many of them is also encouraged, but by no means not mandatory.)

If anyone would like to try their hand at putting together some of their own examples, whether involving these Forms or any of the thirty-ish others in the game's current draft that I haven't covered here, please, feel free – I'd love to get other people's perspectives on how best to make use of this feature of the game's rules, and more worked examples is always better than fewer.

(Note: this brainstorming topic has been cross-posted to the Penguin King Games Discord if you're more comfortable posting over there.)

[vexwerewolf]

Howdy! If you’re still taking lancer build requests, I could use some help. I’m stumped on how to build my Sunzi for support with a pinch of controller, and find myself asking “How would Dr. Valentinian do it?”

I was informed that you requested my advice on loadouts. Having now read your request, I feel as if you may be labouring under the misapprehension that I believe there's one correct loadout for all situations - allow me to assure you that no such loadout exists, nor do I believe that it does.

My ethos as regards the equipment choice for a mechanised chassis depends entirely upon the mission briefing and available intelligence. Who are we fighting? What chassis do they pilot? Are we outnumbered, or do we outnumber them? What are the strengths and weaknesses of both individuals within the opposing force and the opposing force as a whole? It goes without saying that these considerations will drastically affect my decisions as regards what equipment I bring with me.

Additionally, I am by no means an expert pilot. My speciality is blinkspace physics, with a secondary expertise in developing mechanised chassis. The majority of my children outpace me in piloting skill; I'm sure they could give you a far more comprehensive answer on this subject than I could.

All of this being said, I doubt you'd be satisfied without a straight answer, so allow me to humour you with the following loadout. I suppose you'll want me to name it as well, won't you? Very well - call this Sleipnir.

-- HA Sunzi @ LL6 -- [ LICENSES ] HA Sunzi 3, HORUS Minotaur 2, HORUS Goblin 1 [ CORE BONUSES ] The Lesson of the Open Door, Improved Armament [ TALENTS ] Skirmisher 3, Demolitionist 3, Grease Monkey 2, House Guard 1 [ STATS ] HULL:2 AGI:2 SYS:2 ENGI:2 STRUCTURE:4 HP:16 ARMOR:1 STRESS:4 HEATCAP:9 REPAIR:4 TECH ATK:+3 LIMITED:+1 SPD:5 EVA:9 EDEF:10 SENSE:15 SAVE:16 [ WEAPONS ] FLEX MOUNT: Warp Rifle MAIN/AUX MOUNT: Assault Rifle / Nexus (Light) [ SYSTEMS ] Personalizations, Blink Charges x4, Metafold Carver, H0R_OS System Upgrade I, Final Secret

Oh, you want me to explain it to you as well? I suppose I have time.

Sleipnir leverages synergies between the crude but effective blinkspace technologies developed by HORUS and the far more refined technologies I developed for the Sunzi frame. Metafold Carver's "Ophidian Trek" is an infinitely repeatable teleport that can be used to instantly rescue an ally from danger at up to range 15 simply by targeting them.

This revolves around the fact that you can target an ally with an invade and they can choose to make it automatically succeed; you don't even bother rolling dice to see how far you teleport them, because your Safe Harbor trait allows you to designate spaces adjacent to you (and this area expanded by the first rank of House Guard) as the endpoint of any teleport that affects an ally.

If you wish to pull an enemy out of position, you can use the same trick with your Blink Anchor; simply invade them using "Ophidian Trek," and then redirect them. This allows you to continue pulling enemies out of position even when your Blink Charges have been expended.

Speaking of Blink Charges, the Demolitionist talent also makes them more versatile, as they can now push enemies around (you choose the order of effects, meaning you can teleport an enemy and then push them back, allowing you to decide the exact direction of the knockback) and you can use them as mines without fear of losing limited charges.

I shouldn't need to explain to you the raw utility of the H0R_OS v1 system. If I do, you probably aren't competent enough to be piloting a mech.

That's all for now. I hope this was illuminating for you. As for me, I must get back to work.

[l44serbeam]

Have you ever considered Mechanic!abby 🫣 like peeking up readers skirt from under that lil roller thing covered in grease😩 girls deserve to be pounded on the hood of a truck as a treat

OOOUUUUUUUU🙈🙈🙈😝😝🫦🫦 i like how ur mind thinks

i kinda got carried away and ended up with this detailed creation LOL i’ve been wanting to write abt abby for a while and took advantage of this request

— OIL CHANGE ★ 𝐚𝐛𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐱 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫

warnings: y/n is quite the raunchy gyal, y/n also has like a sorta y2k hot pink fem vibe, lowk perv abby, mentions of drinking, pet names, smut, heavy petting, oral (r!receiving), making out, the knee thing (ikik it has a clutch on my im j rlly gay)

yall read the requestttt😝😝

not proofread

“Lev!”

Silence.

“Leeeeeevvvv!!”

Silence.

“LEV!!”

“Um. I don’t think Lev is here.” A voice chipped from the front desk.

Abby tumbled through the door from the backroom of the auto-shop behind the counter, her face pink from what could’ve been heat or embarrassment and her eyes wide.

“Uh- Im so sorry I thought he was still around. I mean, he was like five seconds ago.” Abby laughed, her hand scratching the back of her neck. Y/n laughed, leaning her elbows on the counter.

“What you doing here y/n?” Abby asked, surprised by the sudden appearance. Abby had known y/n from around. She was a friend of many of Abbys friends and the two had partied together a few times, but had never actually gotten to know each other privately.

Pretty much all Abby knew about in regards to y/n was that she was incredibly attracted to her. The very first time they’d met, their friend having brought them both along to a party at a club a few months ago, Abby had interacted with the girl and immediately wanted her. Her hot pink dress that hugged her figure tightly and lips that glimmered with gloss that night called to her. Her cheeky and brazen personality read brat all over it with tons of pink glitter dumped on it and Abby wanted a taste of it.

Now was the first time Abbyd seen her in a casual situation and she couldn’t help but swallow harshly at the sight that her style didnt water down even slightly on a daily basis.

Her tightly cropped pink long sleeve, the hem of the sleeves decorated with a lighter pink fur, and tiny denim skirt that showed the entirety of her legs had Abby eyeing her up and down the second she caught a glimpse of her full figure.

“Needed to get the oil of my car changed and i remembered that youre like the car genius.” Y/n said, batting her eyelashes prettily at the muscular girl.

Oh she shouldnt be real. Abby thought to herself.

“You’ve come to the right place pretty. Pull the car round back.” She instructed, throwing a hand towel over her shoulder.

“Yes ma’am.” Y/n said coyly, walking backwards for a second to flash a slick smile, then turn around and walk out, Abbys eyes pasted on the back of her legs the seconds she turned. Her eyes lingered, like if she stared hard enough the skirt would lift even the slightest of an inch and show the bottom of the supple skin of her ass.

When Abby caught herself staring, she shook her harshly. You’re worse than a man. She reprimanded herself.

Walking out to the back, Abby set up her tools as she watched y/n pull into the marked spot on the concrete, her black ford fiesta decorated with stickers in the bumper and there was a thin pink line that was painted onto the sides. Abby couldn’t help but giggle at the large pink dices hanging from the interior rearview mirror.

Abby loved y/ns femininity and the way she wore it with no remorse or hesitation. She wore it for no one but herself. The men that dogged after her faced brutal rejection because she didn’t dress like that to appeal to them. No, she didn’t even like men like that. She did it because thats who she is.

And oooohhh the way that made Abby feel.

As y/n hopped out of her car, throwin her keys and purse into the passengers seat and shutting the door.

“Mk you can sit over there this wont take long.” Abby said, pointing to the row of chairs against the wall next to the car.

“Ou how luxurious.” Y/n sneered. Walking towards them.

Abby snorted and began getting to work, placing a tire lifter under one of the tires and securing it in the air.

Y/ns eyes lingered on Abbys arm as she pumped the car up, her braid falling over her shoulder and to hang next to her face. Her white tank was already painted with grease from her past jobs. In all honesty, y/n was at the car shop for more than just an oil change.

Saturday from last week was why she was really there. A party at a gay club that their mutual friend invited them both to and after an hour there led to Abby and y/n having quite the tantalizing conversation. A few shots of tequila in, Abby ended up sat on a bar stool, y/n standing between her legs slightly too close to me merely friendly. They’d interchanged slight backstories like where they worked, how they met their mutual friends, and the recents of their love life. That was the main reason that y/n was here.

Nah im not seeing anyone. Not looking for nothing serious really just like wanna fuck around with pretty girls. Abby said, close to y/ns face as to hear each other over the music.

If you’re fucking around with pretty girls than how come we haven’t. She responded, turning her head to talk into Abbys ear with a sly smile.

What do you think im trying to do right now dummy?

But that night ended up with y/n running out the club with her friend who was drunk beyond comprehension, rushing to get an uber to take the two of them to her house.

Y/n loved her friends and would never be mad at having to take care of them in a given situation, but damn it if she said she wasn’t cursing her friend shed be lying for losing the developing flow between her and Abby.

So when her friend had suggested to y/n she should get her oil changed, she caught the opportunity shes been looking for to get ahold of Abby, considering they never got the chance to interchange numbers before y/n had to leave.

Y/n was distracted from her phone when she heard Abby say something from under the car, her back laid on a wooden rolling plank to slide in and out from under.

“Sorry what?” Y/n asked, standing up and walking to the side Abby was.

“When was the last time you got it changed?” She repeated, Sliding out from under and sitting up, to wipe her hands.

“Hmmm like a year and a half maybe?” Y/n shrugged.

“Should’ve called me up sooner.” Abby said, looking up at the girl from her seat.

“I would’ve if i had a way to do so.” She responded, crossing her hands in front of her chest and leaning back against the pillar next to the parking stop.

“You have to light three candles and say my name into a mirror.” She quipped, making y/n laugh.

Suddenly, y/ns phone rang urgently and she looked down at the contact.

“One sec.” She said before answering, pushing herself off the pillar and turning around.

Abby laid back down on the plank, ready to go back under the car but before she did shoe caught a glimpse of lilac between y/ns thighs. From this angle, Abby had a clear view of y/n’s ass, the soft supple skin that peaked down. Abby couldn’t help but lick her lips, rather excited by the view.

Abruptly, y/n turned back around which sent Abby to frantically whip her head and search around her for some tool she didn’t even know she was looking for.

Little known to her, Y/n had caught it, realizing exactly what Abby saw.

I knew wearing good panties would pay off.

Y/n hung up the phone and walked towards Abby. “Sorry it was a friend of mine. Lost her cat and shes freaking.”

“Don’t worry. This shouldn’t take that much longer.” Abby said, going back under the car on the plank and continuing her work.

Y/n stood watching Abby work, her knees bent out from under the car, being lifted enough for y/n to see glimpses of Abbys arms and face. God she wanted her.

Walking up to the car, she leaned against it next to where Abby laid. “So what have you been up to? Been fucking around with some pretty girls lately?” She snorted.

Abby chuckled from underneath. “Wouldn’t you like to know.” She responded, her sultry voice muffled.

“Im just so curious Ab.” Y/n giggled, extending the o in so.

Abby rolled back out from under the car and laid eyes on the girl standing against the car, her arms crossed in-front of her chest and her legs crossed over each other. She had a mischievous glimpse in her eye, one that Abby wasn’t sure how to dissect considering it was always present in her eyes.

Y/n brought her leg forward and lightly kicked Abbys leg with her platform.

As she extended her leg, from beneath Abby could clearly see her clothes mound, her eyes frantically running around trying to avoid looking so obvious. When her eyes fell onto y/n’s own, she saw the bashful smirk on her lips and the tilt of her head.

She knows exactly what shes doing.

Abby stood up, quickly towering over the girl in pink. Out of instinct, y/n pressed her back against the car as Abby got closer.

“Is this what you came down here for?” Abby sneered, darkness growing within her eyes. Y/n looked up at the muscular girl with round eyes, her bottom lip catching in between her teeth.

“What is it baby? You want me to fuck you, is that it?” She said, confidence bubbling in her chest as y/n’s hand pressed onto her chest and looked up at her.

“You’ve kept me waiting Abs.” Y/n groaned.

“Me?” Abby chuckled, her hands coming up to the girls waist. “You’re the one that left running the other night.”

Before y/n could even think of replying, Abbys lips pounced on hers, the kiss immediately heated and desperate.

Their bodies pushed and pulled against one another’s, hands clawing at each other and the noises coming from their mouths obscene.

Abbys lips jumped from y/n’s own and onto her neck, biting and sucking at the space below her ear. Y/n breathed heavily, faint whines leaving her lips at the feeling of Abbys knee pressing against her clit, the heat of the denim and cotton in between their bodies sending bolts through y/ns spine.

Abbys hand wandered below y/ns top, her hand kneading and palming her breasts, the combination of stimulation making y/n automatically rock her hips lightly against Abbys thigh, searching for any kind of release.

Abbys tongue shot into y/n’s mouth to drown the growing moans tumbling from her lips.

“Keep quiet for me pretty girl.” Abby instructed before collapsing to her knees before the pink clothes girl.

“Fuck.” Y/n hissed under her breath at the sight of the larger girl sitting on her knees and looking up at her, her fingers hooking onto the lilac panties blocking her way.

“This ok?” Abby asked, her thumbs caressing the soft skin on y/n’s hips. She desperately nodded im response, Abby shaking her head.

“No baby, words.” She instructed.

“Yes Abby- please.” y/n babbled, her hands coming to push strands of hair that had falles out of Abbys braid behind her ear.

With a shit eating grin, Abby pulled down y/ns panties, wetness pooling on the material that made Abby groan.

Diving beneath the skirt, she didn’t wait for a second to lick a long, painfully slow stride along her, separating y/ns and ending with a flick on her clit.

One of y/ns hands flew to the back of Abbys head, the other cupping over her mouth to stifle the moans that fell from her lips.

Abby went to town on y/ns burning pussy, sucking and flicking in places that made y/ns body twitch and whine.

Her tongue caught itself in y/ns clenched hole, teasing it repeatedly as she felt y/n pulsate around nothing, pleadingly trying to grip onto anything given.

“Oh fuck Abby.” Y/n mewled, making Abby groan into her, the vibrations on her clit making her to fold forward slightly.

Abbys hand came to the back of y/n’s thigh, lifting it up and placing the back of her knee on her shoulder, the newfound angle almost making y/n scream as Abby went down on her.

“Shit Abby- Im close.” Y/n moaned, her grip on the girls hair tight and burning, making Abby more and more feral by the second as Y/n’s hips rocked against her face.

“Cum for me baby.” Abby mumbled into y/n’s mound, the very vibrations of her words sending y/n over the edge.

Y/n’s legs shook, her thighs coming to squeeze around Abbys head, her mouth falling open and her eyes squeezing shut. The rope within y/n’s stomach snapped and Abby didn’t falter her lapping on her pussy, breathing in and licking up all of y/w wetness as it dripped down her chin.

When y/n’s moans of pleasure started becoming whines of overstimulation, Abby separated, pulling up y/n panties that rested at her ankles.

When she stood back up, y/n immediately gripped her by the back of the neck and slammed into her, tasting her own juices on her lips.

“You’re good at that.” y/n laughed lightly as the two barely separated.

“Why thank you.” Abby snickered back.

Y/ns phone rang, sitting on the top of the car. When she reached for it and saw the contact, she sighed, swiping to pick up the call.

“Yes?” Y/n said sourly into the phone, Abby smiling into her neck at her attitude as she pressed kisses into it. “Are you for real right now?” She groaned. “Ill be there in 30.”

Y/n hung up the phone and Abby rose her head again. “The change is done. I just gotta make sure everything screwed it well.” Abby said, her face not even closely suiting the words coming out if her mouth considering she had a big smile plastered onto her lips.

“Perfect. What do i owe you?” Y/n asked referring to the oil change.

“A date.” Abby said without hesitation.

Y/n laughed at the sureness and placed her hand on Abbys chest.

“Consider it paid.”

[da-shrimping-station]

Cooking for the House of Lamentation

Let me start this post by saying that over the years I've had plenty of experience cooking for a lot of people. I'm no expert cook whatsoever, just a helping hand in the kitchen during festivals and occasions (which happens multiple times in a year). If you have more experience and insights, please feel free to share!

Let’s start this off by having some sort of baseline so we’re all on the same page.

MC /OC/you/us/we (and what have you) can:

follow a recipe well enough

be in the kitchen and not have it burn down

cook an edible meal at the end of it all

A fairly average cook if you will.

Now, time for chaos.

Cooking for a lot of people is…a lot. A feast for upwards of 10 people can take the whole day. Not to mention buying ingredients beforehand. How many dishes are you gonna cook? Do they go well/compliment each other? What’s the serving size? Are you gonna have desserts too? Do you have the right equipment? Are the ingredients available/accessible? Is there anyone who has a food-specific condition to look out for and make alternatives for? Are there ingredients that need to be marinated/prepped in advanced? Is everything within budget? (These are some questions at the top of my head)

Now the main concern here is volume/quantity. Beelzebub. Need I say more?

Actually, YES. It’s a house full of men. Men eat a lot. Oh, and they’re also demons. So let’s assume they eat/consume significantly more than humans. (You can pitch in your HCs for each brother regarding how much they eat) But let’s say the food has to be for 10-15 people at the very least.

GROCERY RUN!

There’s a whole ass booklet for the groceries, with each brother having their own page/section. Let’s assume there’s no budget constraints (Lucifer can bitch about the cost and budgeting but his brothers need to be fed). Groceries are bought in bulk. Multiple times a week. Emergency trips in the middle of the night or else they starve for breakfast. 

At some point they get their groceries delivered every 3 days or so. The runs are now for necessity/emergency.

But if a brother requests a certain dish, then it’s time to go to the market. Prepare your haggling skills.

THE BATTLEFIELD

Based off of the game (and referencing the floor plan from Wanderer’s Whereabouts), the kitchen is actually pretty spacious. Good. We need all the space we can get for this. I’d like to think Barbatos personally made sure the kitchen is fully kitted out with all the equipment and utensils one needs. (Thanks, Barbs. You’re the best!) No worries on that end.

I headcanon that the kitchen is split into 2 parts: the side where the stoves and appliances are and the side where the dirty kitchen is. That way you have access to stoves/ovens and the fancy appliances as well as being able to cook with coal or in a spit. Increases the capacity for cooking multiple dishes at once. (Please share your HCs for the kitchen!)

PREP TIME

Prepare your hands and arms. Washing, peeling, chopping, dicing, slicing, marinating. Any and every sort of ingredient prep. How many ingredients does this dish have? Are you gonna prep one dish only? Are you gonna prep for two in advance? Mis en place (or whatever the term is im no culinary shrimp)

Also think about the sheer amount of ingredients.

Say, according to the cookbook, this dish serves 5 people and it needs 1 whole onion. Pretty straight forward right? But you’re cooking for 7 demon brothers and one being the Avatar of Gluttony. Let’s go back to the 10-15 people approximation. That means you have to increase the amount (in this case that’ll be 2 or 3 whole onions). That goes for every fucking dish. 3 onions for dish #1. What about dish #2 and #3 and so on? (Honestly, your hands must be well marinated by the time you’re done with all the prep)

Measuring the ingredients too. 1 cup of this, a tablespoon of that, a pinch of this. Please please please let there be enough soy sauce for tonight’s cooking.

Another thing: you’re probably dealing with local Devildom ingredients (which you did not even know existed until then)

Veggies? Sliced

Meats? Washed and cut.

Condiments and seasonings? All measured.

Are we ready to cook? NO.

Please clean up the peels, excesses, undesirables, and packaging.

GET THE FIRE GOING

Finally! The actual cooking part! Take a deep breath and put that pot on the stove. Good luck cuz you’re gonna be juggling between multiple dishes just to be able to get ready for dinnertime.

One dish is boiling so the meat softens? Time to fry. Oh and have you checked the one you were marinating? Please add that to the veggies in dish #2. Don’t overcook the pasta for dish #1! Please adjust the heat, that pot is boiling over. Taste test for dish #3. Hhm needs more salt. Is the meat soft enough? Good, let's season it. Please mind the fire! You’re gonna char the one you’re frying. This one has marinated long enough, we can add it to dish #2. Take dish #1 off the heat. I think it’s done. Do you think this is fried well enough?

It’s hectic. It’s a mess and a half. You make sure nothing is overcooked or undercooked. Taste test to make sure everything tastes fine. (are the dishes safe for human consumption tho)

ALL DONE!(?)

You wish! Now you have to deal with the clean up!

Wash everything you used for cooking. Pots, pans, knives, measuring cups and spoons, plates and bowls you put the ingredients in, the tasting spoons you used, the ladles and spatulas, etc

Please clean the stoves, sinks, countertops/tabletops too.

Oh yea, put away the excess ingredients and return the condiments and seasonings.

You still there? Still got energy to study and do homework later?

Personally, i clean as i go whenever i have the time in between tending to the dishes. I hate hate hate a messy/dirty kitchen while i cook it makes me wanna rage

DINNERTIME

These fuckers better sit down and eat what you cooked. No. Who the fuck cares if someone is being rowdy or moody or being dramatic. NO ONE wastes your efforts in preparing the food. Sit down and EAT.

I mean alright, maybe you can tag team dinner prep but it’s still a lot in terms of quantity and sheer volume. Will that brother be of actual help in the kitchen?

To sum it all up,

May the Universe have mercy on MC when they’re on cooking duty.

[azelmaandeponine]

Something nobody pointed was the fact that as the show progresses, Ford's ability of reading the room are increasing. I mean, specially with Stan, maybe he did wanted to reconcille but his attempts failed, because he didn't read the room. If the headcannons of Ford being autistic are true, then, it's clear that he's doing efforts of reading the room.

I mean: in "Dungeons, Dungeons and More Dungeons" and "The Stanchurian Candidate", I mean, he plays with Dipper and also lends him the mind-controlling tie when he sees how down he feels both times, in "The Last Mabelcorn", he tells him about Bill and conforts him after the fiasco in the private study, after well, he sees how damaged Bill left Dipper and of course when he beated himself down.

With Mabel, was in "The Last Mabelcorn", when Mabel asks him if she's a good person and he tells her: "Yes, you are, you saved this family, Mabel.".

Of course it's not perfect, because then we have what happens in "Dipper And Mabel Vs. The Future" and in Weirmdageddon. But it seems, he's trying to read the room.

Also... with Stan, since in the Journal, he wasn't aware of how his follies harmed his friends/family. Well, maybe he started to realize why his attempts of being nice with Stan failed.

I mean, in "Dungeons, Dungeons And More Dungeons" and "The Stanchurian Candidate", Ford wanted to be nice with Stan, that's true, but failed because of his inability of reading the room.

I mean, Stan wanted to watch Ducktective with Mabel and Grenda, to the point they planned everything and he and Dipper took over the room in the meanwhile, when he asked while nicely if he wanted to play, sadly he worded it in a condescending way and the weight of the times Stan gave up something for Ford's sake only to be meet with ingratitude made it worse.

When Stan returned back from the supermarket, of course, Ford created a lightbulb that lasts a lot of time to help Stan with the lighbulb issue, but failed in noticing he without wanting outshined his brother once again, like... Stan wanted to fix this to feel important, doing it for him, made Stan to feel bad at something that haunting him for too long, the feel he's Ford's shadow.

But it's until "Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls" / "Weirdmagedodn 4: Somewhere In The Woods", it seems Ford that is finally reading the room with Stan and why his previous attempts at getting along with him failed, also, notice he's like, starting to read the room on him:

When Stan blames himself for endangering the lives of Dipper and Mabel and of course ruining the Zodiac, even saying that Filbrick was right about him in being a "screw-up". Ford tells him that he's not the one to blame and deflects the blame on him.

In Journal 3, when Ford muses about asking Stan to sail the sea with him... to cheer himself up, he muses that knowing his twin, he'll join to find "treasures and babes", meaning he did learned from what happened with the Infinity Sided Dice, where his brother doesn't find funny or awesome the same things he does, so he's looking for something else that it's attractive to him. Of course, when Ford asks to Stan if he forgives him and wants to accomplish their dream, Stan asks him that to hide feeling sappy. If they will find "treasures and babes"?

And of course the final scene, where after Dipper and Mabel finally return to their home... Stan feels bad, because he feels alone again, Ford puts his hand on him as a sign of "I'll never leave you behind again, Stanley."

I don't know what do you think? But do you see that is like... Ford is picking up a new skill?

As someone who is autistic, reading the room is hard, and Ford definitely isn't good at it.

In DD&MD, Ford tried to extend an olive branch to Stan, which Stan rebuffed (which...yeah, they were taking up the entire living room lol). In response, Ford scoffs at the idea of watching a kids' show.

In the Stanchurian Candidate, in regards to the lightbulb thing, Ford probably thought he was doing Stan a favor, since Stan doesn't like spending money anyway.

And yeah, Ford meant well with the mind control tie, though...yeah, it wasn't all that well executed lol.

It regards to the Bill thing/Weirmageddon, Ford's blamed himself the whole time. So it's not surprising he told Stan it's his (Ford's) fault.

Though yes, after Weirdmageddon, he IS noticeably communicating with Stan better, and tries appealing to what Stan's interested in.

I think it's less he learned to read the room (that more of something you can do well or something you can't), but more that he and Stan figured out their shit and are communicating better.

[devildevotee]

I feel disconnected most times from my deities. Like I don't have clear messages from them sometimes and I'm wondering how to combat that. Do you have any suggestions? If not thanks for answering anyway. I hope you're having a good day!

honestly, this may be controversial but i genuinely believe that communication should not be the cornerstone of your worship. not everyone can do it, and the idea that everyone can is inaccurate to the worshipping experience. if you can't communicate directly with your deities, that does not mean they're not there or aren't worth talking to anyway. some people just can't feel/hear/see their responses, and that's okay! it genuinely is. i'd say the majority of people out there don't feel something in return, but does that make them invalid worshippers? no! sometimes you just gotta talk anyway, whether you feel a response or you don't. prayer actually doesn't have to be a two-way communication.

that being said, if it's genuinely bothering you, i always look towards divination to assist me, if i don't outright get a response and desperately need one. this can be tarot, oracles, dice, charm casting, bone casting, bibliomancy, you name it. another method i do sometimes is referred to as automatic writing, and i'd suggest researching it if you're having issues.

that being said! again! regarding 99% of what i say to my deities, i don't feel a response! and that's fine. i still love them, i still adore them, i still want to do right by them and show the world their presence and influence. while there are definitely tools out there that can help you, i think the best thing you can do for yourself is just remind yourself:

even if i can't hear my deities, they are still here, and they still love me.

even if i can't see my deities, they are still here, and they still love me.

even if i can't feel my deities, they are still here, and they still love me.

even if i can't touch my deities, they are still here, and they still love me.

i hope my rambling helps some. 🌈

[liquidorcard]

Could we maybe get an analysis on her “stop making villains like Magneto, they suck” video?

Also, I for one am sat patiently for that Flowers In The Attic analysis.

FItA Lorch Analysis coming next.

For right now: Part 3, Final round. FIGHT!

[Part 1] [Part 2]

Lily Commits Elder Gay Mutant Abuse, feat. "Eldritch Lily" (Part 3)

8:30: "And making these characters hop in the giant death robot so they can randomly do some heinous act of evil so you feel less guilty for wanting to bring them down is very telling about your priorities as a writer." [We're still talking about Korra, for context.]

I'm highlighting this quote more than anything as a means to really dig into the big stink with Lily's media analysis here. I've said something along the lines of, "I kind of agree with her, but not actually," several times while writing this, and this is exactly why.

I think a lot of people come at media criticism from a very flawed position because of the way the grading works in our school systems, of all things. They judge it like there is the possibility of getting an A+ on your show, movie, novel, video game, etc. For the purpose of reviews, as a quick way to indicate quality/how much you recommend a piece of media, I understand why critics would use scoring systems like that-- but when it comes to analysis, that's not really a useful approach. There are technical skills and proficiencies in execution that you can grade media on like that, but even they have their nuances. Conceptual ideas presented in media, however? No dice.

There are certain filmmakers in particular who I fully acknowledged are very skilled at their craft-- I still strongly dislike their films. I don't agree with the conceptual ideas they have to present, and I don't think they convincingly rationalize their position textually, subtextually, or otherwise. With that said: I think most media produced, regardless of quality, is a net positive for the intellectual landscape of humanity as a whole. With the exception of media that is actively harmful in a very direct way, disingenuous propaganda, or particularly egregious cases of cooperate slop, I support any creative's ability to add to the long-form conversation art and creation offers. Those highly proficient filmmakers I ideologically disagree with, their ability to articulate their worldview so genuinely, and clearly helped me as a creative articulate why I disagree.

With all that said, it's clear Lily doesn't think in that regard. Lily has taken media crit she has heard from other sources. She has just retrofitted it to whichever property she wants to rip into. If it superficially applies enough that she can misrepresent a piece of fiction with an argument, she will apply it across the broad. Approaching media crit like there is a definitive way to "score" fiction on its conceptual value, like it's a high schooler's end of term essay. Context be damned.

What she is articulating here is a valid criticism of certain fictions that try to present morally complex villains. This is a complaint I've made myself over properties like the first Black Panther film (which, thankfully, they at least did their best to rectify in the second). But not Kuvira. Not Magneto as a whole.

9:07: "Which would have been interesting, and led to some criticism of the main characters for trying to restore the same monarchy that has previously failed the people."

They weren't trying to restore the monarchy. They were protecting the prince from assassination. I feel like it'd be pretty tyrannical of the Avatar to say, "fuck you Earth Kingdom, you don't get your royal family anymore," without their say, Lily . . .

9:18: "Maybe talk about the United Republic being a literal concurred settler state."

YET AGAIN LILY'S CRITICISM BOILS DOWN TO, "I HAVE NEVER READ A COMIC."

9:30: [Lily takes like, the 12th bullshit pot shot at the creators of Avatar.]

I've ignored it up until this point. There's been too much else to talk about. But Lily has assumed an absurd amount about the authorial intent of everyone she's discussed in this video-- including Jack Kurby's intent when creating Magneto.

9:40: Lily fumbles through some final point here with two sentences that make no sense when put together about how this is all people doing tropes badly, but if you did it well then the trope wouldn't exist and aaaaaaaaaaaaa.

God please strike me down.

10:10: Lily calls this all propaganda.

Again. She's sort of right in the abstract, divorced from the content of her video. Wrong when taken in context of what she's talking about. SOMETIMES "sympathetic villains" are used as political propaganda. Sometimes, they're a legitimate expression of a creator's misunderstanding or mischaracterization of an ideology. Sometimes, they're an earnest dissection of the ideological concept.

Good argument of specific pieces of media, retrofitted, flattened of any nuance, used to discredit a thing Lily doesn't like across the board.

We're in a timeloop.

10:25:

God is dead and we have killed him.

11:01: "The problem is that this idea of all villainy being nuanced and complicated has just never really been true. Evil people in real life will often just invent justification for evil things they already want to do. And there's a point where someone crosses the line of evil so much that nothing they say earns them sympathy."

Lily thinks people commit acts of extreme violence and atrocity for . . . Fun, I guess. Disturbingly enough, this tracks real well with how she's justified her own abhorrent actions in the past. When other people do bad things, it's because they like it and are bad. When she does a bad thing, she has a reason, and therefore, it's justified. Another self-tell Lillian.

11:42: "The problem with my idea for these kinds of villains is that they inherently make white people of any gender uncomfortable."

GOD FINALLY FUCKING DONE THIS GOD FORSAKEN VIDEO AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA.

Pray for me, the fucking psychic damage I just fucking took for you guys.

I suppose the only take away here is this:

The thing that's so exhausting about Lily's videos is the complexity of the degrees in which she is wrong. She's developed, for lack of a better word, a talent for laundering good arguments in a very disingenuous fashion. I wouldn't go so far as to call what she does plagiarism. Her work is more than just stealing other people's arguments and regurgitating them back-- but what she does is a spiritual cousin of sorts.

She bootlegs intellectualism to sharpen it into a shiv she can use to stab at anything that displeases her. The same way she weaponizes her marginalized identity, she weaponizes honest and thoughtful media analysis aswell.

This video was, frankly, barely even about Magneto. Barely even about sympathetic villains. She has no interest in the material that was the topic of this video-- not even enough to do a bare-bones Google search beyond looking up vague facts she could massage into supporting her claims.

A lot of those very early X-Men comics are fucking rough. They include shit like Charles expressing some very creepy thoughts about a (I believe then) teenage Gene Grey. Some very yikes dynamics with the then mostly/arguably entirely white mutants acting out very on-the-nose imagery associated at the time with the black liberation movement. And some very questionable framing and dynamics due to the fact that, real life marginalized groups typically don't have dangerous superpowers.

However, you can almost sense the moment when Kurby started to take the reigns and make the X-Men into something really special. Not to imply that Stan Lee is a bigot or a bad writer, he had very good intentions. By his own admission, he did his best work as a collaboration with his artists guiding the story along with him (sometimes, well, functionally being the actual writer, no offense, Lee left a bit of a complicated legacy, we can't get into it right now.) Anyone familiar with Kurby's work as a whole will know just how profoundly humanist he was with the stories he told.

Despite what Lily arrogantly implied here, he always intended Erik to be a very sympathetic character. Even as a "villain," a sympathetic character vaguely coded as an "extremist" black activist was kind of bold for the 1960s. I can't tell you for certain what ol' Jack's authorial intent was, the man very rudely died 3 years before I was born so I never really got the chance to ask him-- but dare I say this was his best attempt at laundering the idea that maybe "radical" activists actually maybe had a point? To an audience who would have been VERY against that idea if presented to them outright at the time? Even now?

Media does have the power to shift cultural perception-- even if that takes time. In the early 2000s, when I was taught about Malcome X for the first time as a child, even then, 40-some-odd-years later he was presented to me in a negative light. It was in the context of him being the inspiration for Magneto, however. The emotional connection I had to that character made me question whether that characterization of Malcome was entirely fair-- even though I was too young and didn't have the full context to grasp what I was being told at the time. I do believe to some extent that Magneto's popculture relevance has helped preserve the legacy of some of the more controversial activists in history. By being a figure people can personally connect with. Of course, it's all more complicated and messy than I'm making it sound, however. It's unfortunately very easy to flanderize figures of history, boil down their motives, and flatten their narratives. A character in a story, detached from any direct sociopolitical baggage, is something you can form a bond with. Something that can (if handled properly) promote empathy for their real-life equivalents.

There absolutely is a conversation to be had about certain ideologies or positions being more often than not, for practical or political purposes, cast in the antagonistic role in fiction. However, Lily's thesis here, boiled down to the bones, has been disproven ten times over by the abject failure of shit like The Comic's Code Authority and The Hays Code. People don't emotionally connect with squeaky clean moral paragons as much as they do messy, complicated, emotionally challenging complex characters-- even when you paint them as the abject villain of the story.

People fucking adore Magneto. He's a cultural icon. Even before the FoX-Men movies came out, he was probably one of the few comicbook characters your mom could name. Vaguely recognize, at the least. And yes, that doesn't always translate into people being charitable to "radical" civil rights activists in real life-- but doesn't necessarily harm it either. Anecdotally, it helps, if but just a smidgen.

Anyway, get fucked Lily. Magnet Daddy FTW.

P.S. X-Men '97 is really good. Also, it's 100% alluding to these two having fucked. Maybe outright confirmed it by now, I'm not totally caught up.

I mean, we all already knew they totally were lovers, but.

Come on Disney, give the people what they want. Make 'em kiss. These poor old men have been having sexual tension for like, 60 years.

[irradiatedsnakes]

btw in the tmagp launch celebratory stream alice's voice actor said her favorite scene that'd been recorded by that point was "alice and sam go to a place". so i suppose we'll be getting that next week :]

other notes. this statement (hey! actually a statement this time! what the fuck) was SOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD

the cursed dice angle is so good, the way the statement giver took on that role (roll), played the part, UGH it's so fun. the theme of choice that was brought up is also so good- just. ONE more roll for old time's sake :) especially given that this is a TMI statement and how HUGE IMPORTANT of a theme choice and free will were in tma, felt very fitting. fantastic, loved that.

continuing on my stuff about the entities in tmagp- once again some things here feel very on the nose, particularly the statement giver literally calling himself a mysterious stranger. this feels like a fun little red herring to me, for people a bit hung up on the entities stuff. that's how i interpreted it, anyways. i wanna know more about this world so fucking bad, dude.

also, the institute's in manchester in tmagp, not chelsea/london. which means no milbank prison, no panopticon. interesting. (though soemthing that was known from the arg already- i really need to deep dive on that. tomorrow, maybe.) statement taking and artifact storage are still a thing, evidently, but noting that there's no mention of an archivist or anything like that. and the subject/agent/catalyst stuff, that's Very interesting.

once again, chester bringing up a magnus-related statement, here in obvious reply to what sam was talking about- just when he was considering to celia about dropping his investigations- clearly (imo) to goad him into not leaving it behind. excellent. and fun given the first TMI-related incident with redcanary had the obvious conclusion of THE MAGNUS INSTITUTE IS WEIRD AND DANGEROUS while also having enough mystery to draw sam in further. sam's seen the canary die in the coalmine and has made the decision to keep digging and that's fantastic.

now! characters! sam's paperwork :) VERY intriguing that he's getting all this stuff and celia's got none of it- he said it was due to that box about the response department, but i've got my doubts about that being the reason he's being saddled with all this weird stuff. also the questions on the thing made me laugh, very good. sam and celia have such good interactions, i love how they bounce off each other. also, with regards to the paperwork- i think there's a connection to be made about the statement giver's continued rolling of the dice (it always felt like my choice.) and sam filling out all this creepy, utterly pointless paperwork to "refuse to give it the satisfaction of giving up".

GWEN AND LENA. nigel dickerson, you know, from tv? possibly. i don't watch television. i do hope we'll be seeing exactly what gwen is being told to do next episode.. delivering something, keeping calm, recording the detailed reactions to what's being delivered. maybe we'll get a bit more of a clue as to what the oair is actually for. i do like that gwen's not become one bit less indignant, skeptical, and disrespectful towards lena now that she's got this job. i'm very excited to see her on her fist job she's gonna suck at it i think

i'll admit i was a little surprised to see teddy again. i was worried for a sec he might be going in the direction of getting dragged back to the oair, but nah. not yet, at least :) and ALICE. ALIIIIICE auaaaaagh!!! i don't know if i have much to say baout this part that isn't just (shaking a plushie in my mouth like a dog). very neat that she has agreed to help sam investigate this and actually go to the institute when she's been so staunchly don't get caught up in the creepy stuff! leave the magnus institute stuff ALONE you don't want to get into this spooky shit! like.. she does not want to get involved with spooky shit and she doesn't want sam to get involved with spooky shit but she cares about him and their friendship a lot and this is obviously important to him. so. (plus, the thing about alice's brother having been at the institute alongside sam and gerry..) i like them both so much. i am so excited for next weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeek

[worriedvision]

can you make an angst (to fluff maybe?) where its kinda like 'right person wrong time,' with cyno and tighnari? basically, reader is inlove with cyno, and cyno loves them back dearly but the thing is hes so caught up with his mahamatra work that he doesnt have any time for reader.

i dont know how to continue it any further lmfao 😥 but its like tighnari is the saviour when really cyno had no intention on hurting reader :D

Gender neutral reader, angst with no fluff ending. I was gonna do a fluff ending, but when I was writing this I figured why not hurt everyone involved lmao.

--

"Cyno - oh, I mean General Mahamatra - would you like to play a game of cards with me?" You ask. Truthfully, you were trying to get good at the game so you had an excuse to spend more time with him.

"Of course." Cyno nods. "I have time for a round."

Of course, he had work to do. You knew that, and based on his gameplay for this round he clearly didn't have enough time to truly enjoy the game. To you, you thought he didn't feel comfortable around you. Perhaps he agreed to this game so he could avoid you right after the game, as more often than not, work conveniently reared its head. He always ran off for an emergency, you not getting the chance to have a conversation.

Your heart was very fond of Cyno, you knew this since Tighnari introduced you to him. You were...not that good at playing card games, but Cyno seemed to enjoy your company. Well, you weren't sure but Tighnari always reassured you that Cyno enjoyed your games. Tighnari also taught you strategies that would help you, which ultimately gave you the ammunition to have Cynos attention for longer.

However, every time Tighnari reassured you that Cyno enjoyed your company, it grew to be less convincing to you. Tighnari looked rather conflicted when you asked him if Cyno was just being nice. Since you admitted your feelings (coincidentally the same time that Cyno had told Tighnari he had feelings for you), Cyno seemed to always have his work as a priority over you.

Of course, he was in a high position where he had to prioritise work, but you doubted whether he enjoyed your company when this started to happen more frequently after you told Tighnari about your feelings. Maybe Tighnari had asked Cyno if he had the same feelings, and he must have felt uncomfortable at the discovery.

"... Tighnari?" You ask, him setting up his cards for another round. "Should I move on from Cyno?"

"And why would you do this?" Tighnari responds, not looking up at you.

"...I think I've made Cyno uncomfortable." You state. "He doesn't even talk when we're playing a round. I try to start a conversation, but he focuses on his cards - more so than usual."

"Hmm..." Tighnari hesitates, looking at you as he realises the situation forming. "Have you tried asking him about how he feels?"

"Well, I try. Every time I do, however, he always runs away without a single word. He doesn't acknowledge this either at our next meeting."

Tighnari hides his frustration at Cynos ability to send the entirely wrong signal. Cyno, usually, could say a sentence or two while rolling dice or waiting for his turn.

You take Tighnaris silence for an answer.

"I know, his actions make it obvious." You tut, looking at your cards. "Let's just get this session started."

--

Lately, Cyno had been feeling odd.

You hadn't been around when you usually were. He attempted to find you sometimes, hoping to play his game of cards with you to spend more time with you. Unfortunately, each time he couldn't find you.

One day, Tighnari was in the spot you usually were. He looks up, waving Cyno over to start a discussion regarding you.

"So, have you tried to talk to them about your feelings?" Tighnari raises, already knowing the answer because of your concerns.

"Not yet. Each time I gain the courage, work always gets in the way." Cyno explains.

"That sounds like an excuse." Tighnari sighs. "Look, they got the idea that they made you uncomfortable, and you were too shy to voice your concerns. I have tried my best to tell them you enjoy their company, however it seems these words of encouragement are not enough."

"...Could you tell me where they are?" Cyno asks.

"Unfortunately, I have not been able to contact them."

[theresattrpgforthat]

do you know of any ttrpgs where you play as a dragon rider? ideally that would be the main premise that the game is built around, but i'm open to anything that involves riding dragons.

THEME: Dragon Riders

Hello friend. For standalone games regarding Dragon Riders, I was only able to rustle up one. So to make up for it, I have some supplements for other games as suggestions, as well as a way of hacking a different genre to make it work for you.

Dragon Riding is Easy, Isn’t It? By Hans.

You are a Dragon Rider. With your companion dragon and your friends, you will face danger, see the world, and make new friends. Along the way you will take turns playing the Rival, driving the story forward and confronting the Dragon Riders with their foes.

This is a game with a lot of room for decisions about what exactly you’re riding dragons for. Collaboratively, your group will decide what makes Dragon Riders stand out, and what kinds of differences exist between the dragons of your world. The dice system uses d6s, with staggered levels of success. What’s interesting about your dice results is that each one must be assigned to an aspect of the task at hand (Goals, Risks, Traits and Complications), which means that your results well tell you more than whether or not you simply succeeded or failed. The meat of the story will surround the efforts of the group to foil the plot of the Rival, a character played by members of the party who sit in the GM’s chair - and everyone might get a chance to take a turn at this! The system itself feels pretty rules light, and the game its pay-what-you-want, so it’s worth checking out!

Dragon Riding, (for 13th Age) by Pelgrane Press.

The lethal combination of dragon and rider helped create the Dragon Empire. Now unleash the fury on your foes! Full rules for player character dragon riders appear alongside story advice for campaigns looking to add dragon-riding options.

13th Age is a fantasy game built similarly to games like D&D 3.5 and D&D 4e, but containing mechanics that address the narrative side of play. Rather than focusing on a consistently “realistically” coherent setting, 13th Age focuses on what is dramatically important instead. Character creation will look similar in that it has races and classes, but you also decide on a relationship between your character and an Icon of the setting - the Icon being a major player in the world. This relationship makes your character immediately relevant to whatever story is about to happen, putting them front-and-centre of the action.

The Dragon Riding Supplement adds rules to the base game and advice on how to incorporate dragon riding into a story. You don’t just get character options - you also get adventures and advice on how dragon riding might be incorporated into battle, how the healing system works with dragons, and more.

If you are familiar with games like D&D and Pathfinder, then 13th Age isn’t a very big step. However, if you ‘re new to tabletop roleplaying games, this is a pretty big learning curve, so be prepared for a significant amount of rules and lore.

Moth-Light by Justin Ford and RIDERS by Me!

If you’d like a game that can easily turn into a game about Dragon Riding, you can also check out my RIDERS supplement for Moth-Light. The creatures of Moth-Light are supposed to be giant insect-like creatures called Moths, but I wrote RIDERS while being deeply inspired by the Chronicles of Pern - which is a science-fiction setting that has dragon riders!

Metal Sword, by Mousewife Games.

Metal Sword is an "acoustic cover" of Austin Ramsay's Beam Saber.  It's a fully playable Forged in the Dark game, but with simpler rules, easy to read character sheets, and less overall math than is often seen in games of this genre.

The central mechanic for building both your pilot character and their vehicle are "Quirks", which you devise similar to how you would design your vehicle's Quirks in Beam Saber or a character's aspects in FATE.

Alright so you’re probably asking - why is there a mech game in this list of recommendations about dragon riders? I think there’s a lot of similarities between the kinds of stories told in mech games and the stories about dragon riders. You are a tiny, fragile human, responsible for a large, powerful creature or machine. Success in any mission requires a great level of knowledge and skill.

I chose Metal Sword because it’s a very stripped-down version of Beam Saber that is pretty easy to hack. The biggest change you’d have to make is the terminology. Your Vehicle becomes your Mount. Your Vehicle Actions become something like Heal, Maneuver, Sense and Blast. Because you are writing in the Quirks according to what makes you and your mount unique, you can incorporate details about your dragon’s powers and personality into character creation.

Not all Mech games will easily convert to Dragon Rider games. But I think there’s definitely potential!

[dailycharacteroption]

Book Review: Pathfinder 1E Core Rule Book

And so we begin something I’ve been meaning to do for a long time: Book Reviews!

In this special, I’ll be taking a look through various Pathfinder and Starfinder books that I own and generally talk about Their content, their artwork, and other things that offer pros and cons about them.

And what better way to start than with the Pathfinder core rulebook!

Ah yes, the storied ancient times of 2008. I had just graduated high school and was getting into community college. Before that point, Pathfinder had already been writing adventures for 3.5 D&D as a strange and controversial ploy to tap into the market of RPG gamers that had rejected 4th Ed. However, they had no intention of stopping there, starting with their Core Rulebook, which took the info in the Player’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’s Guide of D&D 3.5 and revised it in preparation for the launch of their very own system and products.

What was tricky about this was that some things, such as summoning spells, had to be designed for a book that was technically not out yet: the Pathfinder Bestiary, so the writers had to figure out what monsters were going to be in the Bestiary but not be shared with the Monster Manual counterpart (which is why the 3.5 PHB has all the different sizes of giant spider/centipede/scorpion on them whereas Pathfinder did not, for example).

All in all, this was the effective launch of a new product off the bones of an old one, which really hadn’t been done to this scale before, pushing the limits of what was outlined by the OGL. It was rare, fun, and exciting times, and nobody can claim that Paizo didn’t succeed in that regard.

But let’s get down to it with the actual content of the book!

Now, it’s going to be literally impossible to list the content of the book without comparing it to the D&D work it was based on, so I’m not going to even try there, but first off, compiling the Player’s Handbook and DMG into one book was a good move on Paizo’s part, for while it made for a hefty volume, it was still less expensive to prospective GMs than the PHB/DMG/MM combo of D&D.

Inside, the actual content works hard to refine the formula of 3.5, developing a design philosophy that rewards the player for sticking with things instead of punishing them for diversifying. Favored classes are now picked by the player on start with no restrictions, and said favored classes reward you with bonuses rather than reducing skill points.

Speaking of which, skill ranks are no longer super costly for going outside your class skills, and while you get numerically less, they reward much more, giving bonuses for the class skills as well. Furthermore, the skills themselves are consolidated, with several being merged into one skill (such as Spot, Listen, and Search all being Perception now)

Furthermore, Classes had all been refined as well. Pathfinder introduced new versions of old abilities, such as making certain class abilities available for a number or rounds per day instead of daily uses of variable value that then run out, such as barbarian rages and bardic performances. Meanwhile, clerics gained the vastly superior channel energy, and if they actually wanted turning/rebuking undead in their arsenal, there were feats for it, and the system for doing so was simplified compared to the frankly absurd original system. And then there were quality of life tweaks like giving druids, paladins, and rangers options for not having animal companions (and making companions much more clear-cut), barbarian rage powers, rogue talents, and the like, and of course, giving sorcerers bloodlines to really help diversify them. (Not to mention giving sorcerers and wizards better hit dice so they don’t keep dying at first level.)

Meanwhile, while feats remain a core part of the system, they made little tweaks to old favorites and added important new options, including something as simple as “have another rogue talent” or “have more rage rounds per day”.

And spells! The spells in the Core Rulebook are pretty much all lifted from the PHB, but their design aesthetic was shifted, with save or die spells dealing massive damage instead of instant death (protecting player characters and monsters alike), while the polymorphing spells were much more balanced: adding set abilities at certain levels instead of just letting you become anything and potentially break the game with an encyclopedic knowledge of the Monster Manual, alongside other quality additions.

And moving on from the player-centric options, the GM stuff is somewhat stripped-down, but still very important, ranging from advice about how to build encounters to NPCs as well as general environmental rules and the like, all very fun and important stuff.

Throughout the book, the art also really helps convey the aesthetics and vibe of the world of Pathfinder, with not just primary Pathfinder artist Wayne Reynolds, but a dozen or so other artists as well. Additionally, the art helped bring to life the example “iconic” characters that became the stand-in representation of typical members of each class. Admittedly, a lot of this art is borrowed from the 3.5 books that came before it, but we’ll forgive that. It was their first book of an entirely new system, and that borrowed art was pretty dang good.

Additionally, each chapter sports an opening with a few paragraphs describing the scene of the chapter splash art, which really conveyed that the iconic heroes depicted therein were, you know, characters with personality, not just example art. Which I feel is an important thing when trying to depict a game where players are meant to bring their own characters to life. (I should note that Seltyiel, the iconic eldritch knight, and later magus, was the only one of the prestige classes to be considered a true iconic with his own lore, while the others were only just character art. Probably because he was specifically F. Wes Schneider’s baby).

Overall, the core rulebook has a lot going for it. It took everything we already knew from 3.5 and refined it to be less forcing players to build their characters in certain ways via punishment, and more rewarding them for choosing to build their characters a certain way, while also balancing and changing assumptions about certain feats, spells, magic items, and even the underpinning of how XP was awarded and NPCs were built. Not to mention all the effort to make it seem like the underpinning of a living world through the art and descriptions (name one thing about Pelor in D&D other than his domain list and the fact he’s a neutral good sun god. I dare you).

Now, that isn’t to say that it’s all peachy keen, though. In their efforts to make the core book mostly setting neutral, the core book fails to give more than a few paragraphs about the planes, which is fair, they were still hashing out their cosmology at the time. Additionally, a lot of the book’s novelty at the time was based on the changes that it had made to various otherwise familiar things. Some of that impact is lost if Pathfinder is the first RPG you pick up, and for all it’s simplifications, Pathfinder remains a very crunchy game with a lot of moving parts (I still get new players that struggle parsing the fact that “natural armor” is an entirely separate bonus and not a specific type of armor bonus), all of which can make it much more intimidating to get into compared to 5e (i.e., the one thing that 5e has over either edition of Pathfinder.)

And I think that will do for today. If there is any final thoughts I have, it’s that for it’s humble beginnings as a new system which was little more than a revision of an older one, the core rulebook was, and remains, an important lynchpin of the system (the core book being important? Shocking.), but as we do more of these reviews, we’ll also see how other books shaped the system and the lore. Look forward to more this week and in the future!

[stxrrynxghts]

I am confused as to why Uttar and Uttara are shown as twins usually? In some places Uttara is shown to be elder than him. But first, let me show my calculations regarding the ages of Uttar, Uttara and Abhimanyu.

Abhimanyu is born after the end of Arjun's 12 year exile, in Indraprastha. After his birth, the digvijaya for the rajasuya yagya takes place, Jarasandha is killed, and finally, the Yagya commences, before the game of dice happens. We can take this time period to be 3 to 5 years at most. Then there are 14 years between the game of dice and the war (12 years in forest, 1 year incognito, and 1 year of preparations so and so). Abhimanyu is an accomplished warrior, one of the best from the Pandava side, so we can assume that his education is completed/nearing completion.

It is said in Hinduism that the Brahmacharya ashram should be followed for the first 25 years of life, though it is not followed always, for example, Ram was less than 25 when he married Sita, and Yudhishthira was 28 when his education finished. Taking Yudhishthira's example, he was 15-16 when Pandu died, he returned to Indraprastha, and very soon he was sent to Drona's ashram. The Kuru princes spent 13 years in Drona's ashram, as per the Southern Recension, so that means Yudhishthira was 28, during this time. The twins would have been 23-24 when they married Draupadi, so this was not a compulsion (technically).

Anyways, the exact years are pretty mushy, but overall, I am assuming Abhimanyu to be somewhere between 19-22 when he died. Why do I think that he wasn't 16? Well, because if he is 16, his wife needs to be younger than him, as per tradition. If she was older, then Arjun would never have suggested Uttara to be married to Abhimanyu instead of him, he would have suggested one of his sons who was closer to her in age.

Now, there was another tradition in those times. Girls did not marry until 3 years after their first period. So, accordingly, 16-17 can be assumed as Uttara's age when she was married to Abhimanyu. For a broader range, I am assuming that she is around 16-19, and he is around 19-22.

Now, Uttar. He is mentioned with Virat during Draupadi's swayamvar. Even if he is a kid at that time, he has to be in his early 30s during the war. However, Uttar's behavior, inexperience, and interaction with his sister make it seem as if they are very close in age. Both of them do not understand the reality of the Virat war when Uttara asks him to get clothes for her dolls and he agrees.

Which is why, I am horribly confused. What exactly is the age gap between these two? Logically, they should be 12-13 years apart in age, but I have doubts about it. Someone please help me out TT

[fckinwild-kiwi]

Dec. 18th: Coffee in the Morning

Day 18: Saying ILY without saying it/Birthdays

Day 18!!! of @comp-lady’s Domestic December writing challenge has arrived!

Warnings: Swearing (This is an 18+ blog, minors dni)  Word Counts: 0.9k+ Words Pairings: Eddie Munson x Reader

You knew that to provide Eddie with comfort in times when you couldn’t say it, you would touch his neck, grab his hand, run your fingers through his hair, anything to provide physical closeness. Eddie, however, was struggling to find what you needed in those moments. 

“Eddie,” Macy screamed, running through the house to find you and Eddie sitting together on the couch.

“What’s up, Macy girl,” Eddie said sitting up to accommodate your sister as she climbed up into his lap. 

While you loved the relationship that Eddie had with your sister, you needed the space tonight. After a miserable day at work and a delivery of bad news from your boss regarding your holiday work schedule, you just wanted to cuddle up with your boyfriend. You did not want to accommodate other people or share your boyfriend. 

“Eds,” You whispered, Macy burrowing her face into Eddie’s neck as he rubbed reassuring circles on her back, a comforting act that you wanted for yourself. “You stay here with Macy, I’m going to get ready for bed.”

Before Eddie could respond, you walked up the stairs and into your bedroom to get ready for bed. You were going to need to find the comfort you needed, all on your own.

A week later, you and Eddie were walking along Lover’s Lake, the rest of the party was back at the base camp that was set up for the camping festivities. 

“I feel like I haven’t seen very much of you lately,” You whispered, looking up at Eddie as your grip on his arm tightened.

“I know, I’ve missed you,” Eddie responded, pressing a kiss to the crown of your head. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, but I just-“

“Eddie,” A voice shouted from the camp. “We need your help, we’re trying to explain the D&D dice to Steve but he’s being a dick!”

“I have to go help the guys babe,” Eddie said, squeezing your hand before running off. 

“Yeah, of course I’m fine,” You began, talking to yourself. “I just feel alone and it kind of feels like everything is falling apart. But don’t worry, I’m fine!”

Two days later, with the frustration and loneliness bubbling over, you found yourself alone in your bedroom with tears welling up in your eyes. Soft sobs racked through you as you pulled the pillows on your bed towards your body. 

“Y/n?” You heard Eddie call through the closed door. 

“Yeah?” You responded, trying to quickly dry your eyes and remove any evidence that you’ve been crying. 

“What are you doing in here?” He asked, walking through the threshold and closing the door behind him. “Wait, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Eds,” You said. “It’s just-“

“Eddie, Eddie, Eddie!”

“Hey Macy girl,” Eddie said, smiling at the little girl before picking her up and swinging her around. 

“Will you come play with me? I gots a new Barbie!”

“Wow, Mace, that sounds incredible,” Eddie said before looking at you. Noticing you roll your eyes and bury yourself deeper into the mountain of pillows, Eddie continued, “I’ll come find you in a bit, Macy, I need to stay with your sister for a little bit, okay?”

“Okay! Give her kisses from me. Feel better, Sissy!” Macy cheered, walking out of the room. 

“Why’d you do that?”

“What do you mean?” Eddie said, confusion painting his face. 

“I mean, you’re good at taking care of other people, Eds. I find it hard to believe that you let Macy play on her own."

“You need me.”

“I’ve needed you for the last week too, though, and you didn’t seem to notice then.”

“Baby...” Eddie said, sighing as he pulled your body closer. “I’m an idiot. I could tell something was wrong but I just assumed you’d tell me what was bothering you?”

“I just wanted you to hold me and be there for me but I couldn’t hold on to you long enough to seek comfort before someone was pulling you away,” You said, wrapping your arms around yourself. Eddie, saw you closing yourself off and hauled you into his arms. “I love that you care about others so much, I just wanted you to be that for me too without me needing to beg for it.”

“I’m sorry I haven’t been there for you and you’ve been taking care of yourself all alone,” Eddie whispered into your hairline. “I’ll be better about making sure you’re okay...”

“I should work on expressing my needs too, though,” You said, shrugging before burrowing yourself into Eddie like Macy did the week before. 

“So, tell me what’s been bringing you down,” Eddie mumbled, rubbing your back in the way you craved.

“Well,” you began... An hour later, you’ve finished breaking down the horrors of your job and the problem with your schedule. Together, you and Eddie fell asleep and for the first time in a week and a half, you felt lighter. The weight of your problems wasn’t weighing on you alone, in fact, they weren’t weighing on either of you since Eddie was able to help you find the bright side. 

The next morning, you woke up, Eddie had already left for work but his side of the bed still felt warm. After brushing your teeth, you tiptoed downstairs to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee. But sitting on the kitchen table was a cup of coffee with the note, for my love.

“Oh, Eddie,” You whispered.

“I helped him make it,” Macy said, interrupting your thoughts with her giggly attitude. 

“You did?!” You questioned, turning around to grab the little girl in your arms. And in that moment, you felt warmer and lighter than you had in a long time.