#i put them there so i could play with my pets when the quest required it

[lemonbubble]

kind of weird how the neopets daily quests have a subset that's basically "interact with pet" and none of the interactions are play with? you get feed, or groom, or customise and that's it.

and i think "play with a pet" is one of the tutorial quests?? so like..... why isn't it also in the pool of daily quests??

[deusexlachina]

Antisocial DAO Part 10 (Deep Roads): Meet my evil kindred spirit

In which I finally get my perfect army: one that requires no social skills to command.

In the Deep Roads, I meet Ruck, who has the same disease I had. He is the only merchant in these tunnels, so he's very useful. But he fears you, so you have to pass a social check.

Hm. No merchant for me, right? But I still remember the lesson I learned from Ser Carroll: tenacity is a substitute for social graces. I leave the conversation, then come back, by which time (seconds later) he has grown used to me, and very quickly he calls me a friend. Aw.

I can't convince him to go back to the surface, but I can at least take a look at his stock. He's got some nice stuff - a magic belt, infinite deep mushrooms...

I lick my elven lips. The Dalish love deep mushrooms as much as elfroots. They make our people stronger. Like Popeye. This is not as good a deal as the elfroots, but I Am A Grey Warden with stuff to do, so I can't backtrack to the Dalish camp. Now it's mushroom time, and I buy them by the thousand. Despite his sickness, Ruck has cornered the deep mushroom market and has, by the time he's done with me, become one of the richest people in Thedas.

After numerous pitched battles, I finally meet Branka, who is sick of politics and maneuvering and wants to defeat the darkspawn by finding a superweapon, the Anvil of the Void. Her tolerance for social graces is fairly limited. A woman after my own heart.

She seals me inside, forcing me to fight my way through layers of ancient magical defences to access the Anvil. Since this directly contributes to my mandate, she could have just asked, but She Is Socially Inept.

When I reach the Anvil, it is guarded by its creator, Caridin. He explains that it turns people into enormous badass immortal robots [bad]. It all seemed so harmless - he never expected he'd be turned into a robot!

But I've suffered the taint, seen the suffering of the world's greatest mushroom merchant, and watched good men like Soldier and Tower Guard senselessly slaughtered. Hell, on the way here I had to kill a lady who ate her own husband's face and turned into a huge monster. Such fates await any number of people if the Blight is not stopped - and are they any better than being a cool as hell robot? Branka doesn't think so, and, honestly, she's a kindred spirit. I couldn't possibly kill her.

Leliana tells me this goes against everything she knows to be right, which means I lose 10 approval before she stabs the shit out of Caridin. What Leliana sometimes lacks in strength of conviction, she more than makes up for with sheer loyalty. What a great girlfriend to have.

Incidentally, 10 approval is exactly as much as you can get by gifting her an adorable "subterranean bunny-pig," so we're good. She fawns over her new pet right after killing a man in cold blood, which seems very jarring but, if you've played Inquisition, this checks out completely.

Branka offers me a favour, so I ask her to get right to work turning people into cool robots. Actually, your husband did quite a lot to help you in your quest. I think it's fair that he be first on the production line.

Of course, Branka says no to this. Not because she likes her husband, mind you, but she doesn't yet know how to turn people into robots (a minor flaw in her plan to obtain the device that turns people into robots). She suggests "we go with the crown for now," but she definitely likes what I'm putting out.

Oghren disapproves of you even suggesting this, even though he just approved of me helping Branka to use the anvil in general. He never expected he'd be turned into a robot!

[thedepressedjuggalette]

I'm a life long Pokemon fan. Hell I was a Team Rocket member for Halloween, and I thought every single one of Lily's points -- her ACTUAL POINTS not the made up bullshit op made because he has the reading comprehension and attention span of a baked potato -- were all accurate. I have not finished the entirety of Pokemon Scarlet because I got bored with it in the sense that it is a total grind fest to finish one of the quests (the one where you have to collect a certain type of herb for a teacher). I have been actively putting it off and haven't been playing the game.

Like seriously, I understand why May had to fuck up Team Magma and Team Aqua's plans. They kept fucking with her journey to the Elite Four and the adults around her were using her as an errand girl. But with Scarlet and Violet they have dialed back the story back to a more grounded level instead of being the "SAVE THA WORLD" plot every JRPG has for whatever reason.

Red, Crystal, and May just want to chill and go on their adventures but Team Rocket, Magma, and Aqua kept getting in the way so they unleashed the wrath of a couple of kids and their pets.

Scarlet and Violet is about a kid who is just trying to go to school, go on a journey, and happened to run into a giant lizard who becomes their bestie. (Plus going on errands.)

I've tried multiple times to get into Pokemon Pearl, but god... It is a slog. I've even finished Pokemon Black before I ever got Pearl, but that thing. My god. They have so much yapping. I'm an English Major and all, but when my RPGs become novels for no reason I am just frustrated.

Black and White pissed me off because they couldn't commit to the bit. They kept blue balling me with this idea that Pokemon Trainers could be abusive and this was even explored in the anime with the character Paul and his Chimchar that eventually gets taken in by Ash.

I would've LOVED to see N meet Paul and Infernape in the anime. I WAS BEGGING FOR IT. But no. We got Charzard. Like yes Charmader's story was bad. But CHIMCHARS WAS WORSE.

And in the games it doesn't even give you that! Like even in the OG Red Blue and Green we got Team Rocket with whips. Where was any of that in Black and White???

Why didn't we see the occasional trainer with a whip, and a Pokemon that uses moves like Frustration or just new moves that relies on the Pokemon to have a Friendship stat in the negatives? Hell we got Pokemonami in X and Y, why don't we use that in Black and White to really hammer home that there is a different between being abusive towards your Pokemon and being loving. What if the worse off your pokemon's affection/friendship stats are, you get a lower amount of money from your battles?

ANYTHING.

But that requires actual critical thinking and analysis of the actual story you're getting. The "behind the scenes lore" doesn't matter here. That is SUPPLEMENTARY. That is a GIFT from the devs for exploring and reading the Dex entries. They are not the actual story you're getting.

Pokemon Sapphire was about the environmental destruction caused by Team Aqua using best Kaiju only for a kid tell god on them.

Pokemon Red was about a kid taking down a Mafia that is going around mugging people and getting in the way of their journey.

Pokemon Pearl is about gods of time, space and gravity (I refuse to believe that Giratina is the god of antimatter, the entirety of the planet would've exploded if that was the case. It makes more sense for it to be the god of gravity considering the reverse world) somehow being used by a mortal who wanted to become a god for some reason. And you also become friends with Deer Jesus.

Pokemon Black and White is about Truth and Ideals without talking about Truth and Ideals but constantly saying "Aren't ideas cool?" while also beating up "Totally not PETA" who just wanted pokemon all to themselves so they could become god king of the world.

Pokemon X and Y is about you taking down a charity foundation that felt like it got taken advantage of and decided to literally cause the end of the world because of it.

Pokemon Moon is about a foundation that was initially meant to protect pokemon only for an obsessed mother to become obsessed with aliens and you have to get the help from a baby god to get it to become a god and start throwing hands instead of having her daughter and son doing it.

Pokemon Scarlet and Violet are about a couple being obsessed with the future and past only to end up orphaning their son and leaving him with their pet motorcycle lizards and destroying the environment. But you also destroy a gang of kids who existed to stop bullying because the school couldn't do its fucking job. And also meeting your new best friend.

Reading the Dex and random character dialogues that isn't for the main story are all SUPPLEMENTARY. Pokemon has always been a linear game.

Even the most open world games out there have linear stories. But having paragraphs of text in the main game isn't really useful and doesn't make the game deep.

N blabbering on about how Pokemon Trainers are the devil and that the pokemon should be free, means NOTHING if you have all your Pokemon in the negatives with your friendship and affection levels and he says the exact same thing he does when you have them maxed.

To give a fair comparison, Kingdom Hearts 368/2 Days has voice acting and decent character animation. All Pokemon had to do, was to add voice acting and animation or even just make the player character... An actual character with a voice and thoughts.

Lily even made the point that the entirety of Sun and Moon was the story of In Game Lily (the daughter of Lusamine) it would've been better if we played as her or even her brother instead of being some random kid. It was their story, we just happened to be in it.

Hell, we get this somewhat in Pokemon Mystery Dungeons Explorers of Time. The player character actively shows their thoughts, their thought process, and opinions and even has conversations with their friend. They even had their own starter that we don't get to choose but end up meeting.

Here is an imagined better version of Pokemon Black:

1.) have there be trainers that have whips and have a pokemon that has the move Frustration.

2.) have the player occasionally meet an Officer Jenny who voices frustration about Pokemon abuse, and also have a couple that is caught arresting trainers and confiscating their pokemon because of abuse charges.

3.) have one of the Gyms double as a Pokemon Sanctuary and Rehab center. And let it be Cilan, Chili and Cress' gym. They make custom Pokemon Food and even go as far as to heal your Pokemon at the end of the battle and give you a random factoid about your starter.

4.) Every time you go to the Pokemon Center Nurse Joy will mention your Pokemon's happiness stats. And if you're taking good care of them.

5.) we have Pokemonami.

6.) N's dialogue changes with your Pokemon's happiness stats.

7.) The player can respond to N via dialogue options.

8.) new trainer class "Volunteer" who are Sanctuary Volunteers. The typing they mainly use are Grass, Normal, and Psychic and have a lot of moves that are dependent on their happiness stats.

9.) When you beat N, your character just tells him to start volunteering at the Sanctuary.

Credits.

I can really go on all day here but I'm tired and have work in the morning. But if you're looking for a TLDR here it is:

The Dex entries and random dialogue from random non-stort characters are not part of the main campaign therefore Lily doesn't have to talk about it. Pokemon Sun and Moon should've been In Game Lily's (Daughter of Lusamine) story, and therefore we should've played as her the whole time. Pokemon Diamond, Pearl and Platinum doesn't need to have such long dialogue if we aren't going to be able to respond or if it even pertains to anything relevant. Black and White's writing sucks because it keeps talking about Truth and Ideals and Pokemon abuse but never does anything with it and never makes a point and N is a boring character because of it. And Pokemon Mystery Dungeon has better writing than Black and White.

so one thing someone pointed out on reddit is that lily is a massive fan of world of Warcraft, which bleeds into her Pokémon video. To quote someone on reddit:

“World of Warcraft is...

-A game where dialogue is minimal and easily skippable.

-You don't have to grind against enemies in the world to level up, you can just do quests.

-Has a point A to point B style of questing.

-Has a huge focus on exploration of the vast and grand world.

-Once you get to a certain level you can basically curb stomp your way through all of the early parts with no effort.

-Are able to just skip all the cutscenes to fight the boss”

are you fucking kidding me. No knowing that she has the media literacy as a smashed egg on toast this just compounds it. They are different games you fucking dumbass

[stelliferia]

So yknow my kobold arcane trickster rogue, Kitt? She has a familiar now! His name is Mugwump (after the Canadian cryptid) and he is the best familiar I could ever ask for. What a beautiful good boy.

The process for this little boi was probably the best way I’ve seen find familiar done. The DM’s an absolute legend. I keep thinking about it, and it just make me cry.  Process/backstory dump under the cut. It’s a little long, be warned

I’m so sorry in advance, this became something of a writing exercise for me - if you read it, I really appreciate it, and feel free to send me a PM  if you want to chat!

So in addition to the usual components for the spell (10 gp worth of charcoal, incense, and herbs, and a bronze brazier) Kitt was required to collect a few other things. As someone who casts through her mind (intelligence) she needed to find three objects that represented mastery over three parts of her mind, in order to to have a familiar that represented it.

First was what does she want. Second was what would she do to get what she wanted. And the third was what does she fear will happen if she doesn’t get what she wants.

After much deliberating (on both hers and my parts), Kitt settled on the following things. A feather, some rope, and a set of charred wooden dice.

The feather represented freedom. Freedom from the slumbering ancient red dragon she used to collect shinies, and the threat of the terrible things it is capable of if it wakes. She wants for the rest of the kobolds to be free too. To explore the world and see the wonders it has to offer, no longer bound to endless servitude, just like she is now. The feather itself came from a hawk that used to belong to a very unpleasant man who had since been drowned, freeing it - something Kitt would want for herself and the other kobolds.

The rope represented Kitt’s willingness to explore to the ends of the earth(?) to find the Great Blade that is said to be capable of slaying the dragon for good. If the Blade isn’t the answer, she intends to keep on looking. Her dragonborn companion once told her rope was the most important thing an adventurer could have. So if she’ll be travelling a lot, Kitt figures she’s going to need quite a significant amount.

The charred dice represented everything she’s come to know and love being destroyed. This expansive, scary, beautiful world that she still has so much to learn about, would be ripped away from her if something wasn’t done about the dragon. She’d never see them again - her beloved Priestess telling stories with the shimmery pictures, or her friends and weasel running about, calling her to play. And while she hasn’t known them for quite as long, the crew, no, friends she’s made, she wouldn’t want them taken from her either. They still have stories to write write, quests to complete, and she wants to help see them through to the end. The dice, before they were charred, had delicate gold lettering etched onto each of the faces, and finished with a rich mahogany varnish. They were the first shinies she had ever found, and her first exposure to the outside world. She has fond memories with these dice, of her and her friend sneaking off during rituals to admire and play with the pretty shinies, delighting in the clickity-clackity noise they’d make as they hit the ground. As she went to put them in the fire place, her eyes started welling up, watching her precious reminder of home going up in flames. She quickly wiped them away, as the dice burned and blackened beyond recognition, and she started the ritual.

Falling into a meditative trance, visions surrounded her. She’s standing on the ship deck, nothing and no one else around, except the hawk, soaring above her. She blinked, and suddenly, she was seeing through the hawk’s eyes. It flew over the various islands, some of which she had visited, some of them soon to be. The scene shifts again, and she’s standing again, but this time, its somewhere hot, ashy, and dark. She’s home again. As her eyes adjust, her heart sinks to the floor. All of her friends. Dead. Reluctantly, she looks around. And it’s not just them, but all of the crew, the people she’s met along the way, and her clan, scattered like ragdolls. Looking away from the bodies, she comes snout to snout with a familiar face. A face she spent her life fearing, and hoped never to see again, and not like this. The Great Dragon Viskelaer was awake. 

Waking with a gasp, she found herself back in her quarters. Her heart was pounding, and her face was wet with tears. She curled into a ball, shaken by what she saw. There was a tug at her scarf, and when she looked, bright blue eyes looked back at her. The small mahogany creature pawed its way into Kitt’s lap, and its rope-like tail curling around as it settles in for a nap. Tentatively, the kobold reached out her claws to pet it, like she did the weasels back home. This one felt a little different though. The fur was more like soft feathers, somewhat reminiscent of the hawk. Realizing what had happened, Kitt’s cracked the tiniest grin. This weasel, Mugwump, is her precious shiny, and she was going to make sure she worked to protect it.

RIGHT SO THAT WAs BASICLALY WHAT HAPPENED for Kitt to get her familiar, and nearly everything about it I attribute to my incredible DM. I think he’s the first DM I’ve had who’s given me a world I absolutely adore, and he handles my character (monster race) so incredibly well. He’s very much all about the creative reflavouring, and I live for it. Gahh I have so much to say about this DM. They also handle Mugwump (in-game) very well, and it makes me so unbelievably happy. (i’m going to start a tag for myself for things Mugwump does/things I headcannon he does, called Mugwump Ventures)

So because of Kitt’s love of shinies, Mugwump has an inherent need for them as well. He doesn’t quite understand why though, so his natural response is to bite shinies he finds. He’s always actively seeking them out, eyes glittering whenever he sees one. He melts my heart. The forge cleric (one of my good friends in the group) had just gotten an upgrade to his armour, and didn’t know what to do with his old chain mail, so he ended up giving it to Kitt/Mugwump as a gift. Mugwump was overjoyed, and it’s his new toy now. It was so so sweet, and we are all crying. 

Tangent, but everyone in the party has gifted Kitt with something at some point. I mean, makes sense, you want to appease the captain >:). The druid gave her little daisies whenever he went to get her, the carpenter made her a little boat model, and the forge cleric not only gave her the armour, but he also forged her a proper rapier to replace her pointy stick. It’s just so sweet and wholesome. The crewjust wants to keep this little Kobold child happy

Gosh, another thing, when i first thought about casting Find Familiar, I just assumed it would be a regular weasel, but when the DM began describing Mugwump’s appearance, I began squealing from joy. Every aspect of the familiar’s appearance reflects the items, and what they mean to Kitt. So the eyes were meant to be the seas they were sailing, the rope tail was... the rope, the colouring was supposed to  be the dice and the charring, the feathers for freedom/the hawk, and the form (though predetermined) was home. I was legit so happy about it. I love this DM. It’s been a great time.

Anyways, long post over thanks for reading, hope you stay tuned for more wholesome content!

[musetta3]

1. Were/are you really an opera singer? Have you performed on stage? What was/is that like? 2. do you ever get nervous or anxious? not just on stage, anytime. How do you deal with it? (i could use some tips xD) 3. do you think you're an even-tempered person? do your feelings get hurt easily or not? Again, I could use some tips xDD 4. why do you think you enjoy writing fanfiction so much? 💗

Hi, @curiousartemis, thanks for the ask! All sorts of fun questions <3 

1. Were/are you really an opera singer? Have you performed on stage? What was/is that like?

I am an opera singer, yes. I debuted onstage when I was 16, in a small/minor role of Suor Angelica (I debuted in recital at 14). I was one of the nuns that went grocery shopping, so I got to memorize a literal grocery list. We brought back... hazelnuts, oil, berries, cheese, butter, flour, walnuts, eggs, and lentils. (I think that’s everything). 

My debut is something I will never forget, especially the first dress rehearsal with the orchestra. Up until that point, we’d been working with a piano in a church. To finally get onstage and with an orchestra--I cried when the orchestra began playing, because it was just so... real, then. Vocal training is so difficult; with any other art, the teacher can place your hands in the proper way, turn your foot or adjust your painting brush. Not with voice. It’s a lot like learning to wiggle your ears, actually. There’s a lot of hours spent in frustration or tears or thinking you’ll never get it right. So when you do, and you’re up on that stage and doing what you love... it’s magical. That music feels like a silver wave washing over you.

This is the opening of Suor. (Not us singing, but a recording of it). The ladies are singing a version of the Ave Maria, but instead of saying ‘Amen’ at the end, they say ‘e cosi sia,’ or ‘and so may it be.’ I love that.

I’ve been performing onstage in productions around the world ever since then, and nothing will ever top the feeling of that orchestral rehearsal.

2. do you ever get nervous or anxious? not just on stage, anytime. How do you deal with it? 

I do, yes. Sometimes I get anxiety attacks, and I’ve found some of these things helped me:

I use the Bach Flower Rescue Remedy, it’s a homeopathic formula used for upset, overcoming trauma, anxiety and loss. It’s helped me through sooo much; I never leave home without it. The remedy was developed in the 1930s by Dr. Edward Bach, a physician and homeopath who believed the key to overall health was to care for the mind, as well as the body. He spent his life exploring the use of flowers and plants as a means to promote emotional well-being. By 1936, he identified 38 flower essences, each derived from a different wild flower, plant or tree, and each corresponding to a specific emotion. It is still used successfully today, including flower essences for our pets. They have pastilles and capsules, too. I like the drops best because they are fast-acting.

If it’s at an audition or during a performance, I remember this: my audience and the judge panel wants me to succeed. They’re all here to hear me, and are already rooting for me. That levels the playing field

I focus on 5 things for each sense, to ground myself (especially helpful to not dissociate). Five objects in the room, five textures on my clothes, five tastes I had that day, five smells I love.

Sometimes I just write down whatever I’m feeling in my phone or at my pc. All of it. doesn’t matter how much I swear, I cry, just... get it out. When I acknowledge it and let it go, I delete. Useful for when you don’t feel comfortable sharing your thoughts with others.

3. do you think you're an even-tempered person? do your feelings get hurt easily or not?  A good question. I consider myself an even-tempered person: it takes a bit to anger me. I frustrate easily, though, mostly at myself. I can see when I do something wrong, or when something can be improved, and don’t know how to fix it. Then I get impatient with myself, and, unfortunately, cruel (because I’m such a perfectionist). That is a bad habit that I’m working to overcome. 

My Mom told me that a good way to look at it is this: inside every one of us, is a child. So when you say those things to yourself, you say them to your inner child. And is that how you would treat a little one? No? Then why are you doing it to yourself? That put things in perspective for me, and set me on my path to be kinder to myself.

Do my feelings get hurt easily? Being in the arts requires a thick skin, so I try my best to cultivate that. Some days are better than others. :) 

4. why do you think you enjoy writing fanfiction so much?

Ooh, a great question. I love writing fanfic because it fills in the holes that the original material couldn’t cover. It helps create a full picture, instead of just vignettes of a character’s life. It adds an element of realism that I didn’t feel in, say, the games or books; those always have a degree of separation with them.

Through writing--especially with writing more historically-based material--it comes alive. These characters now have a life outside of killing dragons and waiting around to go on quests. They have clothes outside of their armor sets, houses to clean and dinners to cook. Likes, dislikes, gifts they got for their birthdays that they hate but are too nice to say. And the more I hang out with these characters, the more I learn from them, and the more I learn about myself as a person. 

Fanfiction also brings joy to others, too, and is a great tool to spread happiness with. That, to me, makes it all worthwhile. <3

[necrowriter]

monday thing: may eighteenth (on hidden obstacles)

lately I've been thinking about video games.

I've played quite a bit of Animal Crossing since New Horizons came out. so, as you just might have noticed, have a lot of other people. by pure coincidence it happened to come out at a time when a great many people needed exactly the kind of escapism Animal Crossing offers. it's peaceful and soothing and soft, an imaginary getaway to a distant island where the neighbors are all friendly, the waves lap gently against clean bright sand, and there is never anything much to worry about it.

but New Horizons was eagerly anticipated long before anyone had any inkling what the circumstances around its release were going to be. it's the fifth game in a very successful series. Animal Crossing has had something appealing to offer for a long time. in the wake of the success of New Horizons I've seen a number of people wondering--many jokingly, some not--about why, exactly, the series is so appealing. is it really that much fun to pay off a home loan? to pull weeds and water flowers? are people really so invested in the thought of buying furniture or catching bugs to sell?

the usual sort of answer--again, often a joking one, sometimes not--is that the appeal is that you can pay off your home loan, without stress or fear, without interest accumulating, without any consequences if you don't. you can earn all the money you need by doing simple, easy tasks, and in the meantime your tanuki landlord will happily wait on you for years if he has to. well ain't that an impossible dream, amirite? we might as well enjoy doing it in a video game because we have no hope of doing it in real life.

and that answer is true, I think, but it only scratches the surface of something that extends well beyond Animal Crossing.

Animal Crossing is perhaps the most extreme example, but many--maybe even most--video games offer the chance to pursue relatively normal, everyday sort of tasks even when the main focus of the game is something very grand and exciting. massive, open-world adventures and RPGs with epic, sweeping stories very often also allow you the opportunity to customize the living space or wardrobe of your main character, play minigames to earn money and prizes, or pursue smaller sidequests to build relationships with friends or lovers or just to help someone out. start a business! care for pets! grow flowers! hell, just take a nice walk if you want.

and if you listen to people talk about playing these games, you will often hear that they spent a great deal of time and energy on such tasks, sometimes much more than they ever spent on the main story or the bigger quests. given the choice, it seems, people are just as often drawn to the smaller things, even in games that also offer the sort of thing that seems like much more conventional wish-fulfillment. certainly I can attest to this. in Minecraft, a game where you can build enormous castles or terraform entire continents, I have spent many enjoyable hours instead building a small farm or a lakeside cottage. Breath of the Wild is a game where you play as a legendary hero reawoken to battle an ancient and terrible foe that has devastated your entire kingdom and sure, I took on that quest, but I did it in-between spending a lot more time gathering ingredients for cooking, feeding apples to my beloved horse, or taking pictures of birds. as soon as Pokemon offered the chance to take a break from becoming a master trainer of cool, powerful creatures to give those creatures head scritches and feed them cupcakes, you can bet I grabbed that opportunity with both hands.

why do we so often choose to do smaller, even ordinary, things, in these situations where it is just as easy, if not easier, to do great, big, awe-inspiring, impressive ones? when given the chance to be a hero of great renown wielding a sword of legends to save the entire world, why do I so often put doing that off to instead enjoy riding my horse through a sunny meadow? would you not expect the thing that I could never do in real life to hold more appeal and draw than something entirely possible, even ordinary?

well, that's obviously a hell of a deep psychological rabbit hole to go down, but I think part of it is this: games have a way of removing hidden obstacles. alright, and not-so-hidden obstacles, sure. if we look back at the Animal Crossing example, some of the obstacles the game removes are very. obvious. your loans have no interest or deadline, no consequence for failure. making money requires no resume, no qualifications, no applications, no stress, no fuss, nothing more than a butterfly net or fishing rod and some time to spare, at most. there are no taxes, no global warming, no troubling political news.

but there are smaller obstacles shaved off here and there as well. in the world of Animal Crossing it is not just big things that become more accessible, but also day to day things which in real life are often rendered accessible to achieve, but not to enjoy, because of the difficulties attached to them.

let's take gardening. a few posts back I talked about my own personal troubles with gardening: that it was something I did find enjoyment in, but also struggled with a great deal because ADHD presented so many challenges to doing it that I came to believe it was something I was simply inherently and permanently bad at. in Animal Crossing, on the other hand, most of those challenges don't exist. when you go to buy a plant, you always know exactly what it is. its needs are simple and straight-forward, and if the game doesn't tell you them then you can surely find them laid out clearly and easily with a quick visit to any of dozens of wikis and game info sites. there are clear signals included to help you carry out what you need to do. you can tell if you've watered a flower because it will sparkle. you can tell if a tree won't grow where you're trying to plant it, because the game will tell you so.

the gardening in Animal Crossing specifically is very simplistic. but it offers to you, and keeps, a promise which even games with more complicated requirements keep: here are the steps, here is the list of what you need to do, and if you do it right, something will grow, and grow well.

of course this also takes away some of the things that make the whole pastime worthwhile in real life. there is no sensation of digging your fingers into rich dirt, no fresh crop to pick and eat right off the stem. and seeing a pixel plant sprout and grow in stages will never quite compare to watching something very real and alive grow from a seed that you planted yourself. yet still I find distinct enjoyment in walking between the plots of my virtual garden in Animal Crossing, in raising virtual flowers and watching them bloom.

with some video games, I find the wish fulfillment to be as straight-forward as that: the emulation of an activity I want to do in real life, but find to be more difficult than enjoyable because of the obstacles associated with it. sometimes it's less direct. I have always enjoyed simulation and management games, games about building, cultivating, growing, raising, developing. but I've found myself particularly drawn to them over the past few years. building cities or kingdoms, running a large farm, managing a theme park or a zoo--there's great appeal there for me, even though I've never longed to pursue city planning or business management in the real world. but when things have felt at their most stagnant and hopeless, when I have felt unable to find any sign of progression or improvement in my own life, I have found comfort in being able to watch something grow, to put work in and see the results clear and apparent before me, however ephemeral those results are.

for me, I find that most often, the obstacles removed by doing something in a game mostly relate to the same thing: the struggle of planning, organizing and carrying out tasks, which is so often made so much easier when laid out for me as it is in a video game. it's a common criticism about some video games--sometimes, about the entire concept of video gaming--that playing them is essentially a matter of watching numbers go up. and, well, you've got me. it's true. I do like seeing numbers go up. I like seeing progress bars fill and skills unlock and quest objectives with check marks next to them. I like it because it's not something I get to experience much in real life: that sense of concrete progression, of knowing what I need to do and in what order I need to do it, of some acknowledgment and achievement for completing a task--yes, even if it is only a number going up! even if it is only a small cosmetic change, a new coat for my character, a section of map filling out, a pixel flower blooming on a pixel stem. better that than no sense of progress. better that than never really feeling sure if I've accomplished anything at all.

this is not something I always knew about myself. I've always liked video games, certainly, but thinking about the enjoyment I get out of them has gone hand in hand with learning more about how my own brain works. it's not only that video games can remove obstacles; by doing so, they can reveal to you that there were obstacles in places you never before realized. and there's value in that, I think. because sometimes it can show you that a problem you thought was in one place was actually in another place altogether. if something you think of as being boring, mundane, dull and exhausting becomes something you are willing and able to spend a lot of time and energy on, and get enjoyment out of, when it is framed in a different way--it may follow that the problem was not, as you thought, with the thing itself. the problem was in the obstacles around it.

of course, that's not always the case. the act of doing something in a game is often so thoroughly divorced from any semblance of doing it in real life that enjoying one has no bearing on enjoying the other. we play lots of games centered around doing things that most of us would never have any desire to do in real life. but sometimes it can lead you to discover that you enjoy things you didn't think you enjoyed, or are capable of doing things you didn't think you could do.

if nothing else, I think every single Animal Crossing island currently being developed, being visited, being joyfully and proudly shared online is evidence in the case against the idea that people fundamentally don't want to work and won't work if they don't have to. as is every painstakingly constructed Minecraft world, every Stardew Valley farm, every virtual city intricately planned, every virtual business budget carefully managed, every kingdom saved and map fully explored and character fully leveled and kitted out. because you don't do those things without putting time and concentration and effort into it. you just can't. it's not possible.

I think video games have a lot to tell us: about obstacles, and about effort, and about ourselves. some obstacles are incontrovertible, certainly. there are things built into the world which we can circumvent in video games but cannot, with all the best will in the world, change in our real lives. some things are always going to be more appealing virtually. my difficulties with gardening, for example, are always going to exist in some fashion because I cannot change the nature of how plants work. but knowing that something is an obstacle for you, and identifying why it is, can go a long way toward helping you figure out how to navigate around that obstacle, even if you can't remove it.

and sometimes when you realize that something is an obstacle, you realize that it doesn't need to be. that doesn't always translate to being able to do anything about it, of course. I doubt anyone needed Animal Crossing to tell them that home loans would be easier to repay without interest, and yet here we are. but I think there are a lot of things which we just sort of assume have to be difficult and boring and tiring and just thoroughly unenjoyable, because it is simply the nature of that thing, or the nature of us as people. nothing to do about it, just the way the world works.

sometimes that may be true. but surely not always.

I don't know.

but I will tell you this: by god, be proud of your virtual gardens.

they have worth.

[peachdoxie]

Okay so I’m like way late in sharing my liveblog of chapter 13, but I read it earlier and took notes and here they are! Man, what a doozy of a chapter! I have a lot of things to say.

Conjoined fabrials require a careful division of the gemstone—and the spren inside. 

Like we knew this already but hearing about it directly is like. Yikes.

Other types of spren do not split as evenly, as easily, or at all. 

Gimme the lore, Branderson

Shallan had to deal with Veil’s alcohol abuse. Again. 

Yikes

He was using that time to go ride horses. 

The paranoid part of me thinks something else is going on, but also Adolin is still allowed to have interests, especially if he’s grown closer with Dalinar’s Ryshadium after losing Sureblood in Words of Radiance, as the chapter later describes.

Shallan found herself alone—and for the first time in weeks, she didn’t have a role to play.

Inchresting.

The deal is set and arranged. The spren will come.

wat

Seven years ago now—and if that timeline was correct, she must have begun seeing Pattern as a young child. Long before Jasnah had first encountered her spren.

I feel like this is important but idk why. It sort of implies that the Cryptics were the first spren to start forming Nahel bonds in the current era, but, again, why? What are the implications?

She couldn’t see those memories; didn’t want to see them. As she shied away from them, something dark shifted inside her, growing stronger. Formless. Shallan didn’t want to be the person who had done those things. That… that person could not… not be loved…

Oof but also not true

Memory loss was apparently common to these cases, but the rest of what Shallan experienced seemed distinctly different. Importantly, she wasn’t experiencing continued memory loss. So maybe she was fine. She’d stabilized.

I have the feeling Shallan does, in fact, have some significant memory losses that she’s either unaware of or so in denial about she doesn’t realize she’s in denial of them.

Besides, these fabrials did the work of a dozen people.

lmao Roshar is undergoing industrialization which is probably a bad thing

When she became Veil, the colors in the room… muted. The colors didn’t change, but her perception shifted.

Neat detail. I wonder how that would interact with the various Heightenings of Nalthis.

His pet chicken, the green one.

IT’S BIRB TIME!!!!!

“Of course, with your powers nothing is permanent, is it? You deal exclusively in the ephemeral.”

That’s kind of a recurring issue in Shallan’s life, isn’t it, the lack of permanence?

His chicken held its prey with one foot, eating almost like a person did with their hands. The thing was so strange, so alien. It stood upright, like no other beast Shallan had studied. When it chirped at Mraize, it sounded almost like it was talking, and she swore she could occasionally make out words. It was like a tiny parody of a person.

Lmao “alien.” Shallan, you have no idea how right you are. Also, I’m going to guess the bird may actually be talking to Mraize since it’s a fucking aviar

Ask a better question. “Nalathis,” Radiant said. “Scadarial. What are they?”

“Nalthis. Scadrial.” He spoke the words with a different accent. “Where are they. That’s an excellent question, Radiant. Suffice it to say they are places in Shadesmar where our Stormlight—so easily captured and transported—would be a valuable commodity.”

Okay sure just fucking namedrop the other planets in the cosmere again why don’t you

A more perfect gemstone could contain the Light long enough to go offworld, but there is still the Connection problem. This little flaw has caused untold trouble. And the one who unlocks the secret would have untold power.

dear fucking hell, Mraize.

tbh I don’t even know how to react to this revelation. It’s so simple and yet so ambitious, and it would have significant impacts not just on Roshar, but on the whole of the cosmere. Not to mention: Investiture on Roshar is renewable because when it’s used, it returns to the Spiritual Realm until it’s brought back into the Physical by highstorms or a perpendicularity. What would happen if Mraize found a way to take Honor’s Investiture and have it be used somewhere else in the cosmere outside of the Rosharan system? Would that unbalance the Shards even more?

just an absolute what the fuck. there are so many unknown Realmatic ramifications for this. what the fuck.

“I already have,” Mraize said, making a fist. “Though putting the plan into motion will be difficult. I have a job for you.”

Great, Mraize already knows how to do this incredibly ridiculous Realmatic bullshit. This is going to be bad if he gets it up and running, even if Mraize himself isn’t “evil.” It would radically change everything, and there are many bad people who would abuse that change.

“I have news for you,” Shallan said. “Sja-anat contacted me while I was away. She agreed to your terms, and is sending one of her spren to the tower, where it will investigate your members for a possible bond.”

Ah, so this is who Shallan was communicating with earlier. But how did Sja-anat use a spanreed? And what kind of spren will she send, and how has it been corrupted?

Also, Shallan and Mraize at least know that Glys was corrupted by Sja-anat. I wonder who else holds this knowledge.

“I cannot betray this secret,” Mraize said. “Let’s just say that Lightweavers fascinate me, and leave it at that. And you should not fear if I did keep someone close to you. Such a person could be an… aid in times of need. Iyatil did the same for me.”

*tosses another piece of evidence onto the theory I saw someone make that Shallan, in a very repressed persona, is actually Mraize’s spy*

“Immortality, in part. He thought he could become like the Heralds. In his quest, he discovered a secret. He had Voidlight before the Everstorm—he carried it from Braize, the place you call Damnation. He was testing the movement of Light between worlds. And one close to him might have answers. At any rate, we couldn’t risk Ialai or the Sons of Honor recovering these secrets.”

I honestly don’t know what to make of this but it seems important so

“Oh, we know where he is,” Mraize said. “He has asked for—and been granted—asylum in a city no other Ghostblood has been able to enter.”

“A place you can’t enter?” Shallan asked. “Where is security that tight?”

“The fortress named Lasting Integrity,” Mraize said. “Home and capital city of the honorspren in Shadesmar.”

OH SURE BRANDON, JUST DROP ANOTHER FUCKING BOMBSHELL IN THIS CHAPTER, I CAN DEFINITELY HANDLE IT

at least my question of “why the fuck is SHALLAN going to Lasting Integrity�� is answered

“Oh, you will. And once you successfully return from this mission, your reward will be—as always—something for which you hunger. Answers. All of them.”

So like, first of all I’m skeptical that Shallan will actually succeed, so that’s one thing. And second, what’s to say that Brando will just have Shallan learn things off the page and we don’t know the answers? Either way, I eagerly await how this plot line will play out. Whatever’s gonna happen, it’s gonna involve some hella cosmere Lore.

Mraize had never been willing to speak of that, but she had to think they’d been grooming her—and her family—for over a decade.

He knew the truth about Shallan’s past. There were holes in her childhood memories. If they did what he asked, Mraize would fill them.

And maybe then, at long last, Veil could force Shallan to become complete.

The word “grooming” stands out to me here. What, exactly, were they grooming her for?

***

Anyway. Wow. What a fucking chapter. So little action, and yet so much just changed. Rhythm of War is taking on a very different look now that there’s Lore at stake.

[bybibucky]

Give Me All - Pt. 6

Bucky Barnes x reader Modern AU

   After a series of disappointing wanna-be doms, you give this last one a chance and he not only makes you forget every man you’ve ever been with but also your own name.

   word count: 4.8k

   warnings: smut (18+ please), language, daddy kink, BDSM, oral (f receiving), rimming (f receiving), spanking, ruined orgasm, wax play, breathplay, subspace

    A/N:    I    am    back    baby    WHOO      there are hornets building a home on the screen in front of my window and I don’t like it     at all      also we are about 30k into this fic and I don’t want to know what that says about me haha

 While Bucky was an amazing dom, he was an expert at aftercare. He knew exactly how to bring you down from your high, how to get you back into the real world from subspace. It was a routine he was still working on but he’d found out a few special things and knew when you required them the most. And after this particular scene, were you especially in need for his attention and comfort.

“This is going to be the most intense I’ve ever gone with you,” he’d told you, “it is especially important that you tell me when it’s becoming too much.”

You’d told him you were up for it, which you honestly were, but you couldn’t help but wonder what exactly was it that made him this anxious to stress your bond of trust. Then, he pulled out the candles.

He sat you down in your usual playroom in the club, the plush carpet tickling your skin, and talked to you for a long time about everything he had planned and its risks, to all of which you agreed and acknowledged, before he made you pick colours and scent.

But he didn’t start with the candles right away. First, he had you lie back on the carpet where he had all the access he needed to strip you of your clothes and underwear. There were no restraints or rules when he coated his strong hands in massage oil and began to rub them over your stomach up to your breasts. You sighed blissfully as his fingers ran across your nipples. He lightly blew on them, making them even more tender from the cool air.

“Daddy, Sir!” you gasped and he spurred you on.

“Go on, pet,” he said in a low voice, “go under for me. Let go.”

The room was hot and stuffy, thick from the tension in the air. It wouldn’t take long for you fully submit, you felt it deep within your core like never before.

“I want you to let go, today, baby girl,” Bucky said, “You’ll be safe with me.”

You opened your eyes to look fiercely into his. “I trust you completely.”

Bucky smiled. “Good girl.” And his hands wandered down in their quest to have you shuddering beneath them, finding your thighs, spreading your legs, before they went up towards where you wanted him the most. He didn’t give in right away although you knew he wanted to. This was going to go on forever, you sensed.

You weren’t close just yet, though definitely getting there, and when he pressed his hands against your clit hard, spreading your wetness all over, rubbing and rubbing, he leant down towards your ear and whispered, a smirk on his lips, “cum for me.”

And you obliged. You hadn’t been fighting it off until he granted you permission like you usually had to. This time, you came on command. Thrashing and moaning under his hands you came, the release just for him.

“Oh shit, baby girl.” Bucky’s voice was hoarse; he was holding himself back, you were sure. “So good for me. Let me clean you up.”

You noticed his absence as he went to the adjacent bathroom to get a towel but barely felt him cleaning your body with it. Too preoccupied was your mind with the aftermath of your orgasm. You were gone for. He’d fuck you into oblivion, maybe even more so than ever, but you weren’t afraid. He had you.

You’d vowed to let go tonight, but you were already under mostly. With how exhausting your week had been, how dark your thoughts had been lately, the subspace he got you into often was a welcoming place.

“Colour, baby?” His eyes were searching yours for a sign of discomfort, but you felt better than ever before.

“Very green.”

He gave you a smile again. “Good girl. You ready for more?”

You nodded. Bucky’s hands were clean and dry once more, but only until he brought them back to your where your legs were still spread for him. He got lost for a moment, toying with your still sensitive clit. You whined high in your throat when he rubbed you in a particularly good angle and he stayed there, giving in to your pleasure.

“Don’t come,” he told you and you didn’t have it in you to protest. Although his orders were cruel at times, you loved following each one.

You shook your head and he leant down to kiss you. Bucky kept it sweet, letting you bury your hands in his hair, as you made out like teenagers – safe for his hands on your pussy, of course.

“Turn over for me,” he said, “ass up.”

The rough fabric of his black jeans scratched our skin when he pulled you in by the hips. “You feel what you do to me?”

You nodded just barely, the movement restricted by the way he had shoved your face into the carpet. For that, he placed a harsh slap on your arse.

“How many times do I have to tell you to use your fucking words, huh, pet?”

“I’m sorry, Sir!” You ended your sentence on a shout, having been spanked again.

“That’s what I thought.” Bucky ground his crotch over your pussy, pulling your hips impossibly closer. “Will you be good for me now, baby girl? Follow all my rules?”

You gasped, “yes, daddy!”

There was no response other than him bending down to lap at your folds. You all but pushed yourself against him, his mouth on you was your favourite thing in the world. The carpet was burning your skin, your knees already aching and your face would soon follow but all you cared about was the pleasure.

“Daddy, please,” you begged for nothing in particular, only more. More of him, his hands, his smell, his tongue, his beard scratching your thighs, his everything.

And then, he spread your ass cheeks with his large hands, and licked a fat stripe up to your rear, circling your hole instantly.

Your surprised scream echoed through the room. “Shit, fuck!” Having not expected this, the shock of the new sensation sent you over the edge on accident. And Bucky pulled back to ruin your orgasm for you.

“Oh God, no,” you whimpered. “I’m sorry, daddy, I didn’t mean to, couldn’t help it.” Tears were threatening to spill, but Bucky distracted you with three more slaps to your ass. “You’re not being very good today, are you?” Disappointment lay heavily in his voice and he wore it with an unimpressed crease between his brows. “You’re not following my rules at all.”

“I’m sorry, daddy,” you promised, eyes searching out his eyes to prove it.

“That was your second strike,” he said, tone cold as ice to bring a shiver down your spine, “you disappoint me again, we stop.”

Your eyes widened. “Daddy–“

“Don’t you dare talk back at me.”

“No, Sir.”

He gave you a curt nod, settling back in between your thighs. “Now let’s try this again.”

The moment he went back to his actions at your other hole, you had to fight another building orgasm. This was so intimate, the sheer emotional weight of it had you close again. When he added his fingers, pushing them into your dripping cunt, you had to bite down on your tightly-closed fist to distract yourself from the pleasure.

Bucky pulled back. “Nuh-uh, I want to hear every noise you make,” he tutted, “don’t hide from me.”

You couldn’t keep it in any longer. “Daddy, please, let me cum. Shit, I need it so bad. Please.” Eyes closed, you were begging shamelessly. “Daddy, it feels so good. I need to cum. Please.”

“Begging won’t get you anywhere, you haven’t been a good girl, you know that.”

Grinding back, you practically rode his face, when he gave in to you again. Humming against your core, he shamelessly ate out both of your holes with a vigour that you should have been used to by now but that surprised you every single time he did it nonetheless. He was so good at this. Every cell in your body was fighting against your impending orgasm. Don’t cum, don’t cum. Fuck.

“That’s right, baby. Don’t cum.”

You’d said that out loud. His fingers were pumping into you in the most delicious way, rubbing up on all the places you needed him the most. You rode the edge like it was the last thing you were going to do but you needed the release more than you needed air. “Please, I’m begging you. I’ll do anything, daddy. Please just let me cum.”

Bucky pulled back altogether but continued his work rubbing your clit, fucking you with his fingers. “Anything, huh?” He smirked, although you couldn’t see. “Then why don’t you cum?”

It took you an embarrassingly long time to process his words but once you did, your orgasm catapulted you into a whole other dimension. Stars exploding behind your lids as you had your eyes drawn shut tightly, you all but exploded on his fingers. You had your face shoved into the carpet by the sheer force of it, shuddering as he brought you back down with gentle circles on your clit, withdrawing his fingers.

Bucky placed a playful kiss to your ass cheek, before carefully flipping you over again. Eyes searching yours, he asked, “you with me?”

You could muster a blissful smile, your own eyes glossed over just a bit, and nodded.

He mirrored your smile. “Colour?”

“Green,” you mumbled happily.

“Good,” Bucky replied, “I want to try something new.”

He pulled out the candles then, and you knew this was going to be, how had he put it? Intense.

The expensive smell of ripe strawberries with a hint of white chocolate filled the room, making the air even more stuffy so that now, your lungs felt heavy and your head almost like it didn’t belong to you. Bucky had your legs spread and knelt in between them without touching you. The first candle, one of the ones you’d chosen, hovered above your body a few inches away from your skin but you could feel the sharp warmth radiating off of it. Before he tipped it over, he put out the flame as to not burn you. With one last look, making sure that you wanted this, he let a few experimental drops pool on your stomach.

You inhaled sharply at the sting that instantly followed.

“Colour?” Bucky checked again.

When the initial pain slowly began to blend into pleasure, you knew the answer. “Green.”

Bucky relaxed. “Good girl.”

The smile you offered quickly slid off your face, when new drops of hot wax landed on your skin. With every one of them, the feeling became more and more bearable until you felt yourself enjoying it. Being at his absolute mercy always brought a thrill that you couldn’t find anywhere else, and this time, it was even more intense. With one small move of his hand, he could seriously hurt you but you were so certain that he wouldn’t, you felt yourself float even higher until you were finally entirely under in the space you’d never allowed yourself to enter as much as you did now. You trusted him, and that was the ultimate turn-on.

The pain was gone fully, and you were all too aware of how the plush carpet felt against your back, how his own warmth reached out to you from where he sat between your legs, how the hardened, cold candle wax stuck to your skin, how it cracked under the movements of your breathing, and how much you loved him.

“I love you, too.” Bucky leant forward to press to your stomach, tenderly stroking your thighs in the process. “So good for me, baby. I’m so proud.”

You nodded; it was all you managed, but Bucky understood.

Turns out, peeling the wax off again had a whole other pain to it that you’d thought. As Bucky worked carefully, the hard substance pulled at your slightly damaged skin. Although, he followed every inch with kisses, and that made it much more pleasurable. He always played with contrasts like this, knowing it fucked with your mind. The way he fucked you hard but kept his movements slow, how he spanked you fiercely but told you he loved you, and, your favourite, how his hands were both warm and cold at the same time.

He pulled at one of your nipples with his teeth, drawing a surprised moan from your lips. Bucky was done playing, he wanted to go on. “Can you stand?” he asked, although he didn’t give you the time to reply as he picked you up and carried over to the bed.

“Hm?” you mumbled at the sudden movement.

Bucky looked down at you. “Are you still with me?” he asked.

It took you a while to answer but eventually, you nodded.

“Can you give me a colour?”

You were floating so high you weren’t certain you even have a body anymore. There was a permanent smile stretched across your lips, and your mind was occupied by one thing only: him. So the answer wasn’t very difficult to find, only hard to put into action.

“Y/N?” There was a hand around your chin tilting your head up so you could meet Bucky’s eyes.

“Green,” you breathed.

“Are you sure? Let me bring you some water.”

The cold liquid was at your lips a moment later and you gulped most of it down, not having realised how thirsty you’d become. It helped clear your head enough to ask for a kiss.

Bucky obliged happily and pulled you closer, his hands cupping your face. “I love you,” he mumbled against your lips and kissed you lazily for a few more minutes, before he pulled away.

“I love you, too”, you then said and Bucky couldn’t help the smile that lit up his whole face, that much you noticed even in your hazy state of mind.

“Are you ready for the next part?”

He made you drink some more water before he went on. During your kissing, he’d pulled you up on his lap. You noticed by the way you had to tilt your head down to reach his lips. The fabric of his jeans was still scratching your thighs when you rocked forward against his crotch. Bucky was still hard in his jeans, to a point where it must be painful now, as he hadn’t done anything to relief the pressure. You instantly felt bad. As you moved down his legs to get better access to the zipper, Bucky took hold of your hands.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m returning the favour, I’ve already come three times, and–“

He tightened the hold on your wrists. “Which one of us is calling the shots again?”

Your head dropped in shame. “You, Sir. I’m sorry, daddy,” you whispered. “Is this my third strike?”

Bucky lifted up your hands so he could kiss them gently. “No, doll. You are so good for me right now, wanting to please me. I’m not mad.”

Relief washed over you, but you shook your head to get rid of the feeling. Looking up at him, you waited for his next command.

“Give me a second,” he said and stood up from the bed to take off his pants. He came back with your collar. Your eyes widened and your heart set out a beat. He hadn’t put it on you again after the last time, when he had gifted it to you.

“Do you want to put this on?” This was always a question he asked before the big things. You nodded vigorously and could barely stop yourself from reaching out to it.

With a proud smile on his lips, Bucky gently strapped the expensive leather around your throat and tightened the clasp just in the right place, where you felt it with every breath you took. It was tighter than last time, you noticed but found this better now. You had your eyes closed during his actions, feeling the collar against your skin, his breath mix with yours, his warmth radiating and keeping you warm in the slightly chilly room. Your nipples stood to attention and Bucky leant down to nibble that the skin of your breasts, pulling at your nipple with his fingers. “So good for me,” he mumbled against your skin so quietly it was barely audible. Blood was rushing in your ears and you were floating again, almost as high as before.

“Do you trust me, darling?”

“Yes,” you whispered, nodding so you could feel the collar strain pull at your neck lightly.

Your eyes were still closed, tightly now, when he pulled you up on his lap again. He was sitting up against the headboard of the bed while you sought out balance with your hands gripping his shoulders.

“Open your eyes,” Bucky ordered softly, “I want to see them.”

You obliged, and could see the desire in his own, pupils blown with lust and hunger.

“I want you on my cock, now,” he said and your heart skipped a beat. The aching pulse between your legs you felt for him grew stronger, desperate to feel him inside you. Bucky tightly gripped your hips and lifted you up over his cock, before giving you a nod to go on.

You were holding onto his shoulders for dear life, the muscles straining under your fingers, as you let yourself sink down on his length. The movement was so slow your thighs were burning with it and you’d for sure be sore the next day, but none of that crossed your mind. You were focused on him only, the way he stretched out your walls in the most delicious way, settling perfectly at the just the right places, you were almost close again.

Bucky pulled your hips back and forth, so that there was enough friction to have you both panting and moaning, holding onto each other, but not enough for you to slip out of him. “Keep up that rhythm, pet,” he said.

Then, his hands were on your neck. You were struggling already to continue your movements. Certainly, your brain would soon turn to mush. It was more intense than you were used to and it only grew stronger when, just like last time, he pulled the collar back, so the heart-shaped metal was pushing against your throat. It wasn’t enough to constrict your airway, but it was enough for you to throw your head back, moaning helplessly. You couldn’t stop it if you tried.

“You like that, baby?”

A high-pitched whine was the only reply you managed but Bucky wore a proud smile nonetheless.

“You want more?”

Your vision was swimming so you closed your eyes, ignoring it. “More,” you breathed.

“I’m giving you ten seconds,” he said, and wrapped his whole hand – the flesh one – around your throat and squeezed. It wasn’t hard enough to bruise but hard enough to make breathing difficult for you, and when you stopped being able to bring air into your lungs, he counted backwards from ten. Eyes locked on you to make sure you were alright, he brushed back the strands of hair that had fallen from your braid and into your face. The feeling was barely there with all the other sensations you were going through, but you breathlessly hummed in bliss. There was little sound to it and Bucky took it as a sign of distress.

He let go of you at once, tilting your head to meet his eyes. “Too much?” he asked, suddenly slightly panicked, “tell me your colour.”

You shook your head. Both, to make him stop worrying and to clear your thoughts enough to choke out a “green.”

Bucky relaxed instantly. “You are being so good for me, baby girl. I love you.” The words were followed by a gentle kiss to your lips, which you instantly returned, almost on instinct.

“Do you want to try again?”

“Mhm.” Words were out of the question now.

He had his flesh hand around your throat a moment later and your eyes fell shut again. Before he tightened his hold, Bucky let out a strangled moan.

“Baby, slow down.” There was a hint of amusement in his tone and you only understand what he was talking about when both his hands gripped your hips tightly to halter your movements. You had been rocking your hips much faster now, unknowingly chasing an orgasm you weren’t allowed. You mumbled an apology but Bucky beat you to it.

“It’s okay, just go slower. I don’t want to cum yet.” And with that, he had both his hands on your neck, thumbs crossing over your windpipe, your pulse heavily beating under his hold. He didn’t give you a chance to prepare, when he squeezed again, stopping your breathing. He could feel tiny amounts of air dragging into your lungs under his palm and he couldn’t believe his luck. You moaned with the last amount of air you still had in your lungs and vaguely listened to him counting to ten.

This was much better that you had imagined. Trust was the feeling you felt first and foremost, even lust and love came after at this moment. You were fully at his mercy though all you could see when your eyes crossed paths with his was pure adoration and pride, and love. He wasn’t going to harm you ever, and that knowledge almost sent you over the edge. But the ten seconds were over and he let go again. Pulling air into your lungs felt almost too intense now, everything around you suddenly felt closer, it was like your nerves had grown tenfold, everything was heightened beyond your imagination.

“Daddy,” was all the only word you could think of to bring across your thoughts. But he understood just fine.

He let you rock your hips again the way you wanted. “One more time, baby? One more time and then you can cum.”

You nodded vigorously at that. “You, daddy.”

Bucky pressed a hazy kiss to your temple. “Yes, doll. I’ll cum, too.” He took a second just to get lost in the way you felt around him, squeezing him like he had your neck, eyes closed, meeting your thrusts. Then, his hand was back at your throat, the other around your lower back, pulling your closer, helping you ride him. “Baby, I can’t wait to have you cum on my cock. You feel so good.”

You nodded helplessly, so close to the edge you could practically taste it.

“I’ll give you fifteen seconds this time, okay?”

You weren’t in the condition to answer it but you wanted it, so much. Nodding again, because that was the only reply you could give, you screwed your eyes shut when he tightened his fingers around your neck one last time.

“Baby, fifteen seconds then you can cum,” Bucky said breathlessly, “God, I’m so close.”

He was counting again, and with every passing second, you were floating higher and higher, losing all grip to anything and everything around you except Bucky. You felt the orgasm creep up slowly but so, so strongly from deep within you, shooting up into every single nerve ending in your body, and had Bucky not finished counting, you wouldn’t have been able to hold it off any longer.

“Fifteen, baby,” he gasped, “cum for me, darling. Cum.”

You didn’t need to be told twice as the orgasm washed over you in a powerful wave that catapulted you into a feeling of nothing but absolute bliss. Bucky emptied himself inside you, bottoming out completely, holding you close. You felt every drop of his hot load filling you up, marking you as his, and you were coming still. It seemed to go on forever without becoming too much. You were utterly gone for and didn’t notice anything around you except for that bliss.

This time, it took you much longer than usual to return to a fully awake state. Bucky would tell you later that while you were conscious enough to answer his questions, your replies had only been in the form of weak whines and moans. Whenever he touched you, you slightly jumped at the contact, overstimulated to the maximum, but sought out the comfort a second later.

He had a whole routine for this. Aftercare was the most important part, he had told you once, and while you rarely noticed most of it, you knew he had a deliberate system for every situation. Today, he lifted you off his cock and ever so gently manoeuvred you onto the bed so you were comfortable. He went over to the bathroom to quickly clean himself off and wet a washcloth for you. He cleaned you carefully, starting with your face to get rid of the sweat and tears that had dried there throughout the session, and worked is way down your body. You hummed lowly at his touches and the kisses he left on your skin once an area was clean. Cautiously, he was quick in sensitive areas to avoid hurting you in any way. Bucky did this mainly for comfort rather than cleaning, as you were going to take a shower later or he was going to draw you a bath soon enough.

Once he was done, he drew up the blankets on the bed to cover you, you tended to get cold when coming down from your high. Bucky wrapped his arms around you, gently stroking your skin, all the while whispering sweet nothings into your ear. He told you how proud he was, what a good girl you had been for him, how much he loved you.

You began to stir awake then, and Bucky could watch your eyes get clearer, as your words began to be actual words rather than noises. He fondly studied you, making sure he hadn’t been too rough or demanding. And today, he asked you some questions.

“It wasn’t too much, was it?” There was a crease between his brows that you gently smoothed out with your thumb, shaking your head.

“Perfect,” you mumbled, “loved it.”

He knew you were going to be like this for a while. You usually needed around twenty minutes to be yourself again, but today had been more demanding on you. Bucky pressed a few kisses to your temple, drawing you in closer. “You were really under today, weren’t you?”

You nodded against him. “Felt like an out-of-body experience.” You started giggling.

“What?” he asked, a smile on his lips.

“I feel like a pile of over-cooked noodles,” you said, “I think you have to dress me and carry me to the car.”

Bucky laughed at that. “Who says we’re leaving anytime soon? I was planning on holding you here until you’re solid enough to walk again.” He moved, keeping himself up on his elbow to look down at you, suddenly serious again. He had to make sure you were fully okay before he was going to let you out of his sight. “I didn’t force you into subspace, right? I know I did a lot of very intense things today.”

You shook your head, lifting a hand to cup his cheek. “No, I don’t think I even noticed when I was under, I just was at some point. But I loved what we did. It made me trust you so much I thought I was going to cry.”

Bucky tilted his head. “You did cry,” he said, “well, not cry, but there were a few tears here and there.”

You shrugged. “What am I like when I’m under?” you asked.

He kissed you briefly before lying back down beside you. “It’s like you’re awake but unconscious at the same time, kind of hard to explain,” he said, “because you move and everything but when I ask you something, you need a long time to process it and then when you answer, it’s mainly nods or noises.”

“Am I weird like that?” you wanted to know, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

“Not at all,” Bucky replied truthfully, “at first, I was terrified that I had broken you, that I had gone too far or hurt you, but then I realised that you simply go like this because you need to. And to know that you trust me enough to fully submit to me, that you let go of all inhibitions and let me be in charge, that’s the best feeling in the world, I’m telling you.”

“Trusting you like this takes a lot of pressure off me, I find. I can’t make a wrong decision, I don’t have to think at all, I just do what you tell me to.”

There was a beat of silence before Bucky said, “we really are a match made in heaven, aren’t we?” to which you could only agree. Giggling like school girls, you got lost again in a frenzy of kissing and touching before deciding it was time to go home.

[preciousthingsareprecious]

Lost (alt no 6)

I couldn’t settle on what to do for Isolation so I subbed it wit Lost for Day 7. At this point I’m both behind and all mixed up with prompts, so we’ll see what happens when lol. I might do some double posting to catch up later. 

This one’s mostly light and has some suspense warnings for knives, stalking, and panic attacks. 

AO3 Link

~

Dick was delighted. Not only had he managed to get Damian out of the manor for an impromptu day out, but there was a fair in town and it hadn’t attracted a single costumed nut job in the week it had been open. That was a victory for any type of themed event in Gotham, and Dick was ready to get his fill of fun before things eventually turned crazy.

“What do you want to do first?” he asked Damian as they stepped inside, a wad of red tickets in hand paid for by a Dick and Damian patented puppy dog eye attack against Bruce’s wallet. Bruce could hardly deny Dick when he did it, now that he’d taught Damian they were an unstoppable team.

“You said there was a petting zoo.” Damian side eyed him, “We should go before the sun is so high they all wish to hide in the shade.”

“Good idea.” Dick said, and let Damian lead the way.

After the petting zoo (which Damian deemed acceptable) they rode a few rides, examined butter sculptures, and watched a man swallow swords. At that, Damian’s eyes went wide and he would not stop pestering Dick for the secret of it afterwards. The only thing to distract him from his quest for knowledge was the man who called out to them from a games booth as they passed.

“Try your aim! Prove you’re the best of the best!”

Damian hesitated and leaned to look over the man’s booth. He had a bunch of dart boards set up in pairs. He caught onto Damian’s interest immediately, grinning at the boy.

“Would you and your father like a try?”

Dick bit back a grin as Damian scowled at the man, “He is my brother.” he puffed up, like a bird attempting to make himself bigger and more intimidating, “My father is Bruce Wayne.”

Damian shouldn’t have boasted, but Dick could understand it was less a boast and more a child proud of his parent. He’d come a long way from the boy who based his whole identity on who his parents were. He loved his family, and was proud of them all. Dick could feel that pride in his defense of him as a brother, and declaration of his dad.

“We’ll play a round.” Dick said, handing over the required tickets, “Dames you know how it works?”

“Tt. Of course.”

They ended up playing three rounds, because Dick won the first (having experience with carnival games) and Damian insisted on trying again, and then when he won, breaking the tie with a third round.

They walked away with Damian proudly toting a large stuffed elephant almost as big as he was. Dick had never expected his little brother to be so excited to own a stuffed animal. He did take a hundred pictures, all of which Damian demanded he delete. Dick did not, and uploaded them to his cloud just in case his brother got a hold of his phone.

Lunch was a large turkey leg for Dick, and spiraled potatoes coated in cheese and chives for Damian. Then, when Dick learned Damian had never had a funnel cake before, they polished off two together, coated in powdered sugar and chocolate.

After, they walked around an art exhibit put on by local high schools on display. Damian spent a long time on each piece, examining it, and noting praiseworthy parts of each, and when an artist was present, stopped to discuss the piece with them.

Dick loved watching his brother interact with something he loved, but he was distracted. Since the dart game there’d been a man on his periphery that continued to be too close for comfort. Dick had assumed they were simply on their way to the same thing at first, but it had been over an hour now and still the man was always there. It was clear he had an interest in them, and one that was most likely not great.

He let Damian finish exploring the art, and then pulled him close in a hug bending to say, “Keep close, and follow me.”

Damian did not seem surprised, by Dick’s warning. He changed which arm was holding the elephant, effectively blocking their faces from the stalker and said, “You saw him too.”

Dick nodded, “Here’s what we’ll do. Make like we’re going to the haunted house, and then we’ll dart for the house of mirrors across from it. Hopefully in the lines and confusion we’ll lose him.”

Together they moved over to the haunted house line, and even paid tickets to go in. The stalker was close behind them and ended up in the same group entering. The moment they were inside, Dick tugged on the arm of one of the staff to get his attention.

“I’m sorry, but we have to go, my kid brother is feeling sick.”

Damian did his best to look wide eyed and uncomfortable, throwing his hands over his stomach. It was enough to get them escorted right back out while the group continued ahead.

Once out, they darted for the house of mirrors, whose line was nonexistent. It seemed like fewer people were interested in seeing themselves than getting spooked. Dick would have rather gone through the haunted house, but that wasn’t the point this time.

They ducked inside, and moved into the maze for a bit before stopping to look around. Dick swore when he saw the reflection of the same man who’d been following them. His face was screwed up in a scowl, and while Dick watched he slipped a large knife out from where it was hidden in the back of his pants.

Damian’s eyes widened in real surprise this time. Dick tugged him close to his side, grabbing Damian’s hand. His brother moved to jerk away from hand holding, and stopped as Dick squeezed.

“It’s not because you’re a kid,” he explained, “I need you close, it’s easy to get lost in the reflections.”

This seemed to soothe Damian’s momentary irritation and he nodded, “Are we going out the front?”

Dick shook his head, “There’s always a back door, we find it first and leave this guy in here, then get security involved.”

Together he and Damian moved through the house of mirrors, very so often running into a mirror and coming close to the man following them. Dick’s goal at this point was just keep moving.

When the man suddenly came around the corner, Dick jerked back, shoving Damian behind him. A sharp grin cut the guy’s face, and he tossed the knife in his hand, flipping it.

“Hello there.”

“Goodbye.” Dick said.

He turned Damian and pushed him forward, back the way they came. His brother started running, and Dick followed. Behind him he could hear heavy footsteps slapping the ground as the man gave chase.

As he turned a corner Dick slipped stumbling into a mirror with a thunk that reverberated in a hollow plastic jigging noise. He rubbed at the aching spot on his forehead and scrambled back to his feet. Damian was gone from his vision, continuing forward. He swore under his breath, and searched wildly for Damian.

Every so often he saw the kid ahead of him, but he also kept seeing glances of their attacker. This house of mirrors had been a bad idea. Letting go of Damian had been a worse one. Dick hurried faster, his heart pounding not from the exertion, but worry.

Finally, he saw the opening and bolted out of it. If Damian had been ahead of him, and not got turned around again, that meant he’d also be exiting soon. Dick could still hear footsteps behind him, closer than he cared to have them.

He kept going, until he finally scrambled outside the front entrance back into the light. The guy who’d taken their tickets stumbled back, surprised.

“What the?” he asked.

“There’s a creep following me, he’s got a knife. Call security!”

The moment Dick got the words out of his mouth he spun to face the man. He came running out, knife held high. Dick ducked a swipe and slammed his fist into the man’s stomach smiling as he heard a shocked oof.

He pulled back and punched the man in the jaw, hearing the satisfying sound of metal clanging onto concrete as he dropped the knife and stumbled back, stunned. Dick stepped back just in time to hear, “Police! Stop!”

Dick shot the man a grin as officers converged on him. He stepped back and looked around for Damian. His brother should be out here, but he didn’t see the kid or his large stuffed elephant anywhere.

“Dames?” Dick asked, then when he didn’t get a response, hurried over to the guy who’d been at the entrance, “Did a kid, about thirteen, come out of here right before me?”

The guy shook his head, “Sorry, just you. I missed anyone else calling security.”

Dick spun on the man as he was being handcuffed, storming over to him, his anger flaring up, “Where is he?” he demanded of the would be attacker, “Where’s my brother?”

He received a toothy grin in response. Dick reached out and grabbed him by his collar, “Tell me!” Dick snapped.

“Sir.” one of the officers tried, but Dick ignored him.

“Don’t know. Don’t care. Brats probably still running around all terrified in there.” the man spat.

Looking in his eyes, Dick knew he wasn’t lying. He dropped him and stepped back,

“If anything happened to Damian I swear, you’ll pay for it.” he said, then turned to hurry back into the attraction.

It was just as confusing going back in than it had been trying to get out. It didn’t help that Dick’s heart was in his throat over his brother. He’d left Damian inside, and as capable as he was, they’d both been in a flurry of worry inside. He was kicking himself again over even thinking of bringing Damian inside.

“Damian!” Dick shouted, “Answer me!”

He turned, and turned again, running down a whole tunnel of mirrors he didn’t remember going down earlier. At the end, he burst out into a room filled with towering mirrors. He could see himself dragged up in them. Pulled to some kind of grotesque huge version of himself.

Curled at the center of the room, with his elephant squeezed so tight in his arms Dick thought the head might pop off, was Damian. His whole body was shaking. The moment Dick stilled, he could hear high whines coming off his brother, and the way his breath came out and in in panicked bursts.

Dick put two and two together right away. Damian was already on high alert being chased by a guy with a knife, then to come in here, and see a twisted version of himself towering over him? It had to have triggered memories of his death. Of Heretic advancing upon him from all sides.

He dropped to his knees in front of his brother, unsure where to start. Damian was so tightly wrapped around the toy and himself he looked a bit like a porcupine rolled to protect itself.

As gently as he could, Dick reached out and rubbed Damian’s back, “Damian? Hey, it’s Dick.”

Damian flinched, and jerked back, opening a bit from his protective curl. He scrambled until he hit a mirror, the elephant now clutched to his chest.

“Damian,” Dick’s voice was gentle, and quiet, he didn’t move from where he was so he didn’t startle his brother again. “You’re safe sweetheart, hear me?”

His brother’s chest was still rising and falling with rapid breaths, the elephant moving along with it as Damian’s arms were wrapped around it, knuckles so tight they were white. Damian scooted so he was sitting up against the mirror and kept looking up, above Dick.

“Hey, hey. Look down here. Look at me, Dames.” Dick said, raising up a bit on his heels to further prevent Damian seeing his reflection.

Damian’s eyes flickered down at him, blinking.

Dick smiled, “There you go, I’m going to move to you now, okay? You just keep your eyes on me.”

He inched forward until he was close enough to easily tug Damian close, but he didn’t touch him yet. Instead he held his arms out and open, “Come here?”

It took Damian a moment to decide what he wanted to do, then he dove forward into Dick’s arms. Dick pulled him close, tucking his face into his shoulder so he couldn’t look at the mirrors around them. He pressed a hand into the back of his head and leaned down to plant a kiss in his hair.

“There you go.” he soothed, “You’re safe, I’m here. No one’s coming for either of us anymore.” Damian wasn’t crying, but still shaking as he rested in Dick’s arms. Dick kept one hand against his head to keep him close, and used his other to rub his brother’s back in small circles. While Damian calmed down, Dick whispered soothing nothings to him, gentle words that were soft and rumbly, but nothing his brother had to focus too much on. At last, Damian settled down, his shaking dissipating with a deep shuddering breath. He kept his face against Dick’s shoulder but threw and arm around Dick’s neck.

Dick scooped him up into his arms and stood, carrying him back out of the room and the hall of mirrors. He gave him a little squeeze when they got outside.

“You can look now.”

Damian pulled his head up and blinked at Dick, “Thanks.” he said, wiggling a bit in Dick’s hold, “I’m okay.”

“You found him.” it was the guy running the hall, “That’s great.”

He looked them both over relieved, “The police want a statement before you leave. You can find them at the entrance. Do you need me to show you up there?”

Dick shook his head, “We can find them. Thanks.”

He set Damian down, hands still close in case his brother needed him. Damian seemed fine though, much calmer after his scare. He stayed close to Dick’s side, and found his hand with his own, not looking up at Dick when he took it.

“Here’s what we do.” Dick said, squeezing his hand, “Statement, then some ice cream. Agreed?”

Damian looked up at him and nodded, “And then perhaps we can return to the petting zoo?”

“We can spend the rest of the day there if you want to.” Dick promised.

[ginnyzero]

Completely Harmless Appendix 7

Appendix: Rainbow Week

1.     Rainbow Week/Luck Day/Valentine’s/JoJo Siwa/Red String Trail Ride

Holidays, in my opinions, should be events. My favorite thing the first time I played in Star Stable was around Christmas and we had all these Christmas Quests to decorate the county. Then they took that out and it was blah. So, I wanted to bring that Christmas style feeling back where you’re going around and decorating the county or your area of the county and then you have stuff to do during the actual festival.

You can do holidays one of three ways, you do it like Christmas where there’s a set thing every year. Or you can it so that the holiday has progressive story, so each time it comes around (say Fashion Week) a little more of the story is unlocked and you can only do new story if you’ve progressed through the old. That way you don’t have NPCs talking about current story lines when the new players haven’t gotten that far in the story.

Or, you work your plot into the holidays. And then as the plot progresses, you’ll have more holidays as the years of your plot move forward. However, this requires that you have all of your story and map completed before launching the game. I chose number three for the story because it was convenient writing wise. (For Mystic Riders we go with option one.)

To Rainbow Week in particular, Rainbow Week was something they introduced in 2019 to “replace” the Fortuna Festival, which they only did one or two years. It was supposed to be celebrating friendship? Basically, what happened, was the rainbows crashed and that’s about it. (I am not touching Mica. Nope. Nope.) They might have had the parade with the Bobcats. But there weren’t any quests anymore. The quests were all about setting up the parade route, decorating, and helping Tan make the outfits. Which were cool in a way except the Bobcats were foisting their duties on you because of nails. Maybe they took them out because they’re trying to change the Bobcats story image? I dunno. We older players know the truth.

And then there is Valentine’s Day which also celebrates friendship and love where they have the group race. There used to be quests about making teddy bears and a chocolate and berry cake. Then you had the letters with Derek. They removed those and that was sad. So I put them back in. 

Then there is the Red String Trail Ride which you do in the “spring” and celebrates Friendship. Which was a trail ride with some random events programmed into it. It appropriates (yes, appropriates) the Chinese story about the red string that connects people’s hearts. I’m not really a fan of appropriation. It’s in the game. I can’t really do anything about it.

Lastly, they had Jojo Siwa in the game as a licensing gimmick. She likes rainbows and sings about friendship. They had you find bows in Moorland in order to trade them in for items. I expanded this across the entire county and then also had the player hand out bows in order to spread the news of friendship and love and Jojo Siwa to people in the district so they’d come watch Jojo. (Something that SSO didn’t do.)

I mashed all of these together because they share the same theme to make Rainbow Week more exciting. This meant adding in more musicians and having fun treats, and being able to make crafts for the housing we don’t have yet. (I guess it’s going to come sometime in the next decade.) Fortuna Festival gave clues that these holidays are Club led so that’s why I ran with the clubs doing the festivities. And having things like special crafts, charms for a friendship bracelet and the selfie walls would encourage everyone to travel all over the county to collect things. Plus having things like the treasure hunt and of course, Chaun and his rainbow spices things up.

Instead of having Chaun give random items, I instead gave him a shop so that everyone can get the items they want. The other idea could be to use the same mechanic as the big pumpkins and the goats, and have a lottery system. But I really do prefer shops more.

Brogan is my own invention. (As is Fill-E, the all girl j-pop band.) His game mechanics would be similar to having Spirit in the game. He shows up somewhere in the area after the rainbow crashes and you catch him and he’ll give you a task. That task rewards you with rainbow gold and reputation points until you reach admired with Brogan. Once you reach admired, you can take him to a Chaun and he’ll open a shop for you to exchange your rainbow gold for items with Brogan. His items will be different than Chauns.

And of course, once the decorations go up, they have to come down.

I also included an Art Show for Fort Pinta and a Flea Market for Firgrove. (The Farmer’s Market would continue as usual except it’d be decorated. Same for the Horse Market.) These two areas could have arts and crafts that are rainbow themed and available for the player to purchase again for home decoration or jewelry or clothes, etc and so forth. There could also be special rainbow themed makeup going on at the salons. There could be shops featuring rainbow themed clothes, but they aren’t paying me that much to do that for free.

FOR THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. I get it. Some of you might get excited and want to see this stuff in the game, especially the clothes, tack, and pets. However, the only way I want to see this in the game is if I get paid for it. If I see it in the game and I’m not paid for it, there will be hell to pay. You think I’m salty. I’d be angry. Personally, I’m not going to send this info to SSO. If you do, leave my contact information there! Don’t give them any excuses to steal.

Now, I’ll know you haven’t read this note if you leave me comments about how ‘salty’ I am about the game and if I hate it so much I should do something else. I am doing something else. It’s called Mystic Riders MMORPG Project. Mystic Riders however is a very baby phase game. You can check out our plans on the game dev blog. (Skills, Factions, Professions, Crafting, Mini-Games, 25+ horse breeds!) If you know anyone who would be interested and has money or contacts about game making, direct them to the blog.

[writingonjorvik]

If I Could Ask the Devs 10 Questions: A WOJ Interview

I think if you’ve known me for a while, you probably know I would jump at the idea of getting to interview the SSO devs, particularly because they tend to have internalized or cherry picked interviews that only focus on what they want to tell us, and not on the questions the players tend to have about the game. So if I could have an interview with the devs, these are the 10 questions I would ask.

Sidenote: I have 10 core topic questions with some brief follow-up questions for clarity. If you counted, yes, there would be more than ten, but there are ten core areas.

What kind of updates can we expect for this year; in terms of new areas, horses, features, etc.?

When can we expect the return of bigger area expansions with full side quests prepared for them and secrets like in the Harvest Counties and Valley of the Hidden Dinosaur launches?

Speaking of updates, about 80% of SSO community wants to see the older Gen 1 & Gen 1.5 models updated across the board like with the update to Gen 1.5. Considering that this is a super majority, and these horses are paid for content, what does SSO intend to do to meet this request from its player base?

Again, since this content is already been paid for, would an “upgrade” feature for purchased old models require additional payment, making player pay to make already purchased content playable again?

If opposed to updating earlier gen models, why does SSO ignore something a super majority of their players want that seems it would also benefit the devs work load?

How does SSO plan to counter price bloat, like what’s happened on the upgraded pets?

Expected counterpoint: SSO has said that the walking pets are more expensive because of “all the hard work that went into them.” This is both a sunken cost and false equivalence fallacy. It’s the developers’ job to continue to make SSO better, and make better content for the game. That should not result in bloated prices for players, but rather more product that they can spend their money on. Saying that “all that hard work” just went into making expensive content diminishes the rest of the work made on the game and it trivializes the job the devs are supposed to be doing. It’s your job to make content for the game. We should not have to pay extra for something we already paid for, and certainly not at a bloat of 4-5x the initial cost for a few bonus animations.

On the note of purchased content, over 70% of SSO’s player base thinks that the game is overpriced, but 90%, regardless of their opinions on fairness, say they would buy more often if the prices were lowered. Is there any intention to lower the prices around SSO to make it more accessible?

Is there any intention is making supplementary content, like more unique items in the merch store that aren’t simply designs with your logo on them?

Would SSO be able to release the comic in English any time soon?

Are there any plans to rerelease the Starshine Legacy games on Steam or the teams merch store?

SSO prides itself for being a narrative oriented story. Are there any plans to establish an official writing team on SSO?

What about a canon wiki about the series?

One of the things the devs have stated about the genderlock on SSO is that it’s to create a space for women in gaming. Does SSO donate to any charities that support girls to play video games like Child’s Play, Code Liberation, or Games For Change, or charities that help women in general like National Women’s Law Center, Dress For Success Worldwide, Girls Not Brides, or Futures Without Violence?

What actions outside of having female leads and job equality is SSO pursuing to promote gender equality?

Can we expect the ability to get magic powers that we can use outside of cutscenes?

Would this involve the “power-up” system the devs have discussed before?

What kind of new customization can we expect in the future of the game?

Would this include the return of the housing function?

Will this provide more options for other gender presenting players besides femme?

Would SSO consider letting the player input their own pronouns into the game without changing the story in any other way?

Would SSO ever consider switching to an expansion based system over the weekly release schedule?

If not, why is the weekly release better for the game than having larger, less frequent updates?

If they would, what would this mean for daily content, in terms of daily quests and achievements, as well as the payment system for an expansion?

Would SSO ever bring back more fan generated content, like the T-Shirt contest?

With SSO branching out to more unique types of story telling, would SSO hold contests for writing companion short stories or producing audio stories like Texas Bluebells?

Will SSO release a public list of community guidelines, so both players and moderators know what is correct behavior, and so also ensure that moderators are upholding SSO’s rules and not personal ones?

What about an internal reporting system to simplify reporting?

Question I Think Would Be Asked Of Me

1. Why are you so critical of the game?

Ok. Here’s the essay.

I suppose it would be easy to say that it’s out of spite. And there’s probably some of that in there. Some innate bitterness over the fact that the PR team, for a period, actively deleted anything critical, regardless of content. The fact that they outright lied about empirical data the players were giving the devs (see the AQH release). Sure, there’s the fact that I’ve seen and had SSO’s dev team do a 180 on me from offering me a space on the mod team for trying to promote a better community to having their devs and outreach insult and demean me on the basis of my comments being “critical.”

And it does drive me a little nutty to see the devs so successfully have turned their player base on anyone who might critique the game. To see my hard work trying to get players to be decent people in the game turned on its head when I say one word crosswise about something that might make the game better. And I’ve be wrong to say I don’t get frustrated when I talk about changes SSO could apply with after being a gamer for way longer than most of the people debating me, with enough research done on my own to be the basis for a master’s thesis, only to be told by someone who SSO is their first video game telling me how the industry works. But that’s really not it. 

So, here it is:

Star Stable is one of the only non-combat MMOs in the world.

Let me repeat that; Star Stable is one of the only non-combat MMOs in the world. And I imagine that invokes a sense of pride, like you’ve hit some kind of niche. But that’s not a truth because of some lucky chance.

Non-combat MMOs survive on small niche markets, before consistently dying off because of failure to expand beyond their initial targets. And it’s not for lack of trying. People love non-combat games; Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, Stardew Valley, Nintendogs, Roller Coaster and Zoo Tycoon, the Myst series, so on. But when those games refuse to look passed their niche, to expand and improve, they have historically failed as MMOs because one niche cannot fund an MMO.

And where SSO has survived on the niche market of “horse girl fantasy,” it is most certainly not expanding. SSO talks about its overall player count being in the millions, but ignores that fact that for every unique player there are five duplicate accounts, which is a metric that continues to bloat. That out of 12 million players, only 3% of those players are regularly active, compared to most MMOs which will hit 15-25% of their player base regularly between expansions. And no matter how you swing those numbers, no matter how much more you bloat the prices, that is not a long term lifespan. You can’t survive on that niche.

I genuinely believe SSO could help influence the industry. And I don’t mean that in a “if you follow all my ideas, everything will end up perfectly.” I’m not always right, and I’m willing to admit that. But the fact that SSO has been so resistant to any criticism results in a mob mentality with its core player base and it ostracizes anyone who can’t put up with that attitude any longer. Not only does it put the developers into an echo chamber where they can’t improve, it continues to push away the people who care enough to sit down and explain why they’re frustrated. You tighten that niche. You limit your market. You run out of resources.

And I do think SSO has already made leaps ahead for parts of the industry. The number of people who say SSO was their first MMO, their first game, is amazing. It’s great to see a game helping young people get into gaming, particularly girls who, when I was their age, were bullied for even liking video games. So for SSO to make that platform is amazing. But they cannot abuse that by taking advantage of new gamers who don’t know any better about how games are made or sold. I feel, and I feel this of every company, not just SSO, that there is a moral obligation to do right by people, and not to take advantage of their ignorance. And with such a powerful platform to invite young people into this sphere, into making new games and telling new stories, it is imperative that SSO does right by people.

I’m hard on SSO because I care, immensely. You could say I have a fixation on the game, really. I am invested in the survival of this game. But you can’t survive without getting better. Not to mention, the criticism SSO gets is free! From thousands of people. When I edited my book, I paid over $2,000 for my two editors I worked with, and that’s not even getting into beta readers and reviewers. I would love to be able to get feedback for free like SSO does. Because it’s an opportunity to improve because we are never going to be perfect. And if SSO wants to survive the trends surrounding their genre, then they can leave no room for quarter to people like me. Not out of oppression of people’s voices, but by listening and making a better game.

Thanks for your time.

[tarithenurse]

All is fair in Love & War - 11

Pairing: Loki x reader Content: Well, there’s pining. And hopefully some wise words about pining. And then there’s pain and not just a little bit. I’m talking “get your tissues, chocolate and wine”-sort of pain. Sorry (actually, I am...just a smidgen), I didn’t even write the adult action I had planned, only hinted at it.

11. Words unspoken

There is little time once the decision has been made for you to talk with Loki. Envoys from Vanaheim are introduced to you by Odin, and together with the royal family they begin to shape your future by inventing an entire life for you to assume as your own until one day, hopefully, your quest in Sjöblik is complete. By the gods…what’ve I gotten myself into? Yet each time doubt stirs, you only have to think of the squalid life of so many Midgardians, recall the lies being told to those who fight and those left behind; then your determination returns.

Days are spent in a haze of lessons (pretending to be an Alfheimer requires a minimum of understanding for the language although no one in the Midgardian court should speak it), hours standing still for tailors, and long nights studying the history of both of the nations concerned. All while at the same time maintaining you physical prowess. Sleep comes sparingly, but deep although an occasional dream has you waking up sweaty and with a throbbing need you cannot sate.

…   LOKI’s PoV   …

The last night come to soon. Although Loki has done all he can to ensure the safety of [Y/N], he still feels frustratingly powerless. Soon she will be beyond his reach, his aid, on a mission that might separate them forever, and although he wishes to then he knows that he has no right to stop her from going.

All I can do is pray that she returns. Staring into the dusk, he’s only vaguely aware of someone approaching.

“My son,” Frigga’s melodic voice works like a calming balm, “why do you seek solitude rather than join us for dinner?”

There is no doubt in his heart that the queen already knows. In many ways is she the wise one in the royal couple, choosing to observe quietly before jumping to conclusions. It is a method both Loki and Thor have been exposed to while growing up, more often than not finding themselves exposed in the middle of some trick by their mother before anyone else had realized that they were up to anything. Not that it would not have been fair to assume at any given time as the two princes always were causing some ruckus.

Still he tries to pretend all is fine. “Needed some fresh air, mother.” When she does not leave, but comes to stand beside him, looking over the colourful lands, there is little he can think of to put her mind at ease. “It is wonderful to be home again. Smell the sweet air of Asgard. I do love it here.”

From the corner of the eye he can see the gentle smile that curls Frigga’s lips. “You always have had a preference to the sweet and gentle things in life.”

It is peaceful, in a way, to stand there as the sky darkens above them. I suppose she is right, the Jotun king from Asgard muses. The fragility of a flower or a butterfly’s wing captures his attention much more than the wild snowstorms and dark winters that his kin favours. He can find comfort in the cold, of course, but his heart only fills again at the sight of the first green leaf.

“Love is a peculiar thing and too often do we fall short of capturing its essence in our symbolism.” Frigga is not looking at him, just talking to the night and the stars above that are beginning to appear. “We use precious stones to symbolize undying love, but diamonds are hard. Cold and jagged. No, the real symbol for love, if you must use a dead object to represent it, is a pearl. They are rounded, almost soft as you hold them against the skin. And you need to nourish it, work to keep it warm or it will begin to lose its luster, my child, love requires work and dedication every day or it too will fade.” Finally turning to face him, Frigga takes his hand. “But do not forgo the work. When you have found your pearl, do not dismiss it.”

Loki has no words, they are not needed anyways, he simply allows himself to be folded into his mother’s arms as if he were a little boy once more.

…   READER’s PoV   …

Even amongst all these friendly people who have taken to you as much as the mission, the room feels empty when your former captor is not there, and so you only breathe easily as he rejoins the boisterous dinner. Dinner. To the Asgardian this appears to be nothing special. Apparently, they dine like this every night, and according to the few servants you manage to question it is hardly more lavish than the meals of the common folk. Sure, there is a greater variety on these tables, but that anyone should starve while the court feasts? The very notions seems absurd to them. It’s possible. If they can do it, then so can we!

But still, despite knowing that no Asgardian is hungry tonight, you find it hard to enjoy the food. Excusing yourself early, you cling to the hope that there is peace to be found in sleep…though the explanation given is the need for rising early in the morning due to the long road ahead.

Naturally, Loki offers to walk you to the guest chambers, and you are partially thankful for it as you still find the golden palace difficult to navigate. On the other hand, the silence in the endless hallways decorated with marble, gold, and crystals becomes oppressing as neither of you dare to speak, and so you make it all the way to the door before you open your mouth.

“I want to –“ you begin, but Loki has chosen that exact moment to talk as well. A few confused seconds pass before you nod, smiling shyly at the awkwardness. “Please, you first, Loki.”

For a second, he looks lost before seemingly reaching a decision. “Perhaps I should apologize, little mortal, for taking you prisoner.” A sly twinkle is brought back to his eyes.

“Hardly! I came looking for you.” It is hard to keep a serious façade at this odd conversation. “Besides, you haven’t exactly treated me badly. So don’t worry, you can sleep without fear of blame.”

Wanting to end the night on this lighter note, you turn to leave.

…   LOKI’s PoV   …

Catching her hand, Loki stops [Y/N] on her way into the chambers she’s been given for the stay. ”Perhaps so, but I would hate to see you captured again. Stay out of trouble.”

The crooked smile manages to brighten her eyes. ”I always behave, my king.”

You are the embodiment of trouble, little pet. The teasing smile, the way she tilts her hips to enhance the sender waist under the thin fabric…all of her stirs the predatory side of the Jotun and calls forth a rumble in his chest, eliciting a breathy gasp in response. There is no fear in her pretty face, though, only playfulness as she retreats through the door.

”Are you claiming innocence, my pet?” His feet carry him after the slender figure.

”Maaaybe…why don’t you find out?”

The door falls shut behind Loki with a flicker of magic just as he pounces for her. But the little Midgardian is quick, avoiding his grasp and leaving only a giggle behind for him. The little minx wants to play? We can play.

…   READER’s PoV   …

Feeling Loki’s cool limbs around you and listening to the quiet humming, there is no place you would rather be. Well, that is not entirely true, of course, because right now it would be nice to be back in Utgard…but still. You know you could be content anywhere as long as you were near him. That is why you feel safe in spite of everything. It is why your heart is breaking from the thought that you will have to be apart. Not right now. You force the thoughts away, wanting to cherish the afterglow without any sadness, and eventually Loki’s humming brings you to rest. Your limbs are wonderfully heavy, the heat that had coursed through you diminished by the strong and slender figure pressed against you, and you can feel how you are balancing on the precipice of sleep. A soft kiss is planted on your shoulder (one of many), before your king nestles his face in your hair.

”I love you.”

It takes a moment before the words truly makes sense in your drowsy mind. Once they do, however, they elicit a million emotions with each their own response, and in the confusion you do not manage to say anything. All you can do is cling on to Loki because what he has said is the very thing you feel aching in your bones, running through your vein. It is the air in your lungs and now that is has been spent on the words it is as if you are suffocating. He makes room for you as you turn to you back and supports himself on the elbow to hover above you, face so near his raven strands are brushing against your cheeks mixed with the flint and pine-scent. There is fear in the god’s eyes.

“Oh Loki,” you manage to whisper, your heart breaking, knowing a world of pain is waiting, “I love you too.” The joy your answer sparks is bright, flaring like the sun on winter snow. “Please forgive me.”

Already, he is showering you in tiny kisses, but he stops at the taste of salt water on your cheeks. “Forgive you? What for?!”

As if in a trance, you see your own fingers stroke his cheek before burying in his hair. “I’m yours. For as long as I live…but therein lies the problem, doesn’t it? I don’t want to cause you grief, but unless you can push these feelings aside…” Angrily, you wipe away some of the tears from you face. “You should find someone…s’m’one like you.”

“But it is you I want, my dear.”

Loki has trapped you in a cage made of his body. Knees by hips and hands by head, his frame is both a shield and an obstacle to overcome in the hopes of staving off the worst blow.

Sniffling, the determination you had hoped for is slowly conjured. “I’ve considered it. I know that you’ll outlive me, so spare yourself the pain.”

“What if there was a way?”

The deep sigh wafts through your king’s hair. “This isn’t like…like learning to read or –“

“Yes or no! If there was a way, would you let me love you?” A fire is blazing in his eyes that you never have seen before. “Would you stay with me?”

“I’d be yours as long as you would have me.”

“Then come back to me and I swear I will have found a way for us to live full lives together.”

[tysonrefsgaard6-blog]

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[sirpoley]

On the Wandering Monster, Part 3: Slaying CoDzilla

In part 1 of this series, I admitted to having fear and misunderstood Wandering Monsters in D&D for years, and resolved to find a way to make the system work.

In part 2, I proposed some methods, tested both in Into the Living Library and City of Eternal Rain, for tying procedural content generation into the overall narrative of your story.

Now, I'll talk about one of the benefits of wandering monsters—the end of the 15-minute adventuring day, and with it, CoDzilla.

"CoDzilla" is a 3.5-era bit of D&D slang that, for the uninitiated, means "Cleric or Druid-zilla." Clerics and Druids, even without much in the way of optimization, could be enormously powerful. Close competitors were Wizards, Sorcerers, and various non-core full casters. Starting from very low levels, these classes, through use of spellcasting, were able to single-handedly—often single-turnedly—win major encounters. Clerics and Druids were especially notorious, as in addition to a full complement of spells, they were no slouch at mundane fighting, had a host of miscellaneous abilities, and, in the case of the Druid, got the infamously-powerful Wild Shape ability and a pet grizzly bear. In contrast, a Fighter (who is maybe 25-50% better than the bear the Druid gets as icing) gets marginally better at hitting enemies with swords every level.

By 5th edition, the power imbalances between classes have been substantially narrowed, with non-casting classes getting various per-short-rest and per-day abilities that let them have some time in the spotlight. In my current 5th-edition campaign, I'm playing a Paladin, and, at 7th-level, don't feel particularly behind the party's Wizard and Cleric. Back in 3.x, I'd be lucky if I even got a turn in combat, and, with few skills or utility abilities, would pretty much fall asleep outside of battle. So to a certain extent, this fix is beating a dead horse, as changes to the rules have reduced the necessity for such a fix. Still, anecdotal accounts have suggested to me that the caster-warrior imbalance problem still lurks, especially at higher levels.

Solving this problem is where Wandering Monsters come in. Those of you playing Pathfinder and 3.x D&D should pay extra heed to this, but it's applicable to 5e as well.

Wandering Monsters Vs. CoDzilla

Encounters with Wandering Monsters have substantially lower stakes than pre-planned, climactic and narratively-key ones. Typically, the foes are easier and the tension is lower as victory is all-but assured. This means that characters have to choose between 'wasting' limited per-day abilities to seek a quick victory, or suffer additional damage by dragging out the fight by sticking with cantrips and regular attacks. The longer the battle, the more opportunities the monster has to get in a few hits before going down.

The devil with this decision is that, either way, casters lose and warriors win.  A Paladin's basic attack is more accurate, reliable, and powerful than a wizard's cantrip, so if spellcasters withhold their 'special' attacks, non-casters take the spotlight. If the casters obliterate Wandering Monsters with high-level spells, then by the time they reach the 'real' fight (those being the pre-planned encounters, typically in dungeon rooms rather than hallways), they'll be relegated to cantrips while the fighters open up with their modest per-day abilities and their more efficient conventional attacks.

Martial classes do have some limited-use abilities, especially half-casters like Paladins, so they are pushed into a similar dilemma ("do I use Smite on the owlbear or save it for the true foe?") but the stakes are much lower, as their abilities are weaker and their conventional attacks more powerful than a true caster's. This means that even if the Paladins and other half-casters make the 'wrong' decision, they can typically make do regardless.

Now, the obvious flaw with this plan is that at any point the party can just fall back, rest, and come back in with a full complement of spells, right? This means that wearing the casters down through attrition is doomed from the start, because they can conveniently heal up to 100% with a single night's sleep. This is why adding Wandering Monsters all by itself isn't enough—we have to start enforcing other rules as well, such as…

No Long Rests in Dungeons

There's a secret to the long/short rest split of 5th edition D&D, and that's that not all classes benefit equally. Far and away, a short rest is more meaningful to a martial class than a spellcasting class, and vice-versa for long rests.

Most martial classes have powerful abilities that recover every short rest starting at level 2 or 3. For example, Fighters get Action Surge, Paladins get Channel Divinity, and Monks get Ki. Barbarians are a rare exception, as their key ability (Rage) is actually tied to long rests. Rangers have no useful abilities worth noting that recharge on short rests, long rests, or honestly at all, so there's no helping them. Spellcasters' main ability—spellcasting—universally require long rests to recover in full. Some casting classes, such as the Wizard and Druid, have abilities that let them recover some spell slots on a short rest—but these abilities themselves can only be used once per long rest, so at the end of the day, are still long-rest dependent. Additionally, martial classes, due to their larger hit dice, tend to recover more hit points on a short rest than spellcasting classes do. But, because casters get minor benefits from taking short rests, their players won't be frustrated by the need for taking them.

If you, as GM, provide many opportunities for a short rest (which is about an hour), but keep long rests few and far between, then martial classes can keep going while spellcasters are run ragged. In the context of a dungeon, you can, for instance, let them take short rests in cleared rooms as long as they put a modicum of effort into securing the room (blocking or locking the doors, for instance), but stress that long rests are impossible. There is simply no way to have eight relaxing, uninterrupted hours in a dungeon; Wandering Monsters will attack, spoiling the rest. What's more, the constant threat of attack from the unknown makes true relaxation unachievable. You can be upfront about this; don't assume the players know what you mean when you coyly say "well, you could try that, but you might be attacked in the night."

If the party wants to take a long rest, they have to leave the dungeon, set up camp, and come back—which will involve fighting their way through the Wandering Monsters that have moved into previously-cleared areas, thus wearing the party down again and defeating the purpose. Conveniently, all of this is simulated by the Wandering Monster table—the GM doesn't have to worry about actually moving monsters from room to room. Because Wandering Monster tables are at their heart a computer-free technological aid, the random die rolls on the table simulates all of the movement of a real ecosystem, much the same way that a character's hit points simulate their overall health, but remove a lot of the headache of doing so.

For very large dungeons, such as Paul Jacquay's famous Caverns of Thracia, it at first appears simply impossible for any party, no matter how stringent they are with spells and potions, to complete in a single long rest. In part, this is mitigated by numerous hidden entrances into the dungeon that, once discovered, can be used to bypass previously-cleared sections. There are also numerous shortcuts, such as teleport pads and elevators, that can be used in a similar manner. Still, all of that might not be quite enough, and when designing very large dungeons, occasional points of safety can be placed that are free of Wandering Monsters. They might have particularly secure doors, be protected by magic, or some kind of friendly NPC or monster. Think of these as a video game mid-dungeon save point, both in terms of how powerful an effect it will have, and how rare it should be.

Time Pressure

Into the Living Library relies heavily on Wandering Monsters because they play well with the adventure's time crunch: each time the party faces such a monster, their consumable resources (spells, potions, HP) are slightly depleted, and they must choose whether to press on in their weakened state or return to campus to rest, which means sacrificing one of their precious few days.

Wandering Monsters, tied with any kind of external time pressure, pack more work into a single adventuring day, and with that, the expenditure of more spells. Spellcasters' 'basic' attacks (cantrips and crossbows) tend to be much less powerful than those of a Fighter, Barbarian, or Paladin. If high-level spells and per-day abilities have to be carefully rationed out over the course of many encounters, rather than just one or two, then casters are brought down to the level of non-casters.

Not every adventure should include a time pressure element, as the players will start to feel rushed and possibly even railroaded, as the constant time demands may keep them from feeling able to pursue their own goals. Beware Fallout 4's Preston Garvey, who continually dispenses timed quests that pull the player away from doing what they want to do.

Keep the Battles Unbalanced

As a GM, I often forget that my toolbox includes more than perfectly-balanced encounters. It may sound like an oxymoron, but there is a time and a place for a poorly-balanced battle, which brings us back to the original post. Oblivion, my least-favourite Elder Scrolls game, has highly restrictive game rules in place in an attempt to keep every battle, whether it be against a necromancer lord or a random bandit, balanced on a knife's edge. Enemies and equipment level up closely in step with the player, meaning that as the player gains power, so too does the world. The drawback is that there are few if any "oh, crap!" moments where the player gets in over their head. Likewise, there are very few moments where the player simply obliterates the enemies in front of them, and, by doing so, feels like a badass.

By all means, strive for perfect balance and interesting terrain in your pre-made set-piece battles (such as what might be found in a dungeon's room, for example), but for Wandering Monsters, imbalance is a feature, not a bug. Battles that are 'too easy' will be resolved quickly (saving precious game time), and battles that are 'too hard' won't be fought at all—the party will turn tail and run (convincing the party to run rather than fight a losing battle is a good subject for a later post). Battles that are close to balanced will be drawn-out slugfests, forcing the party to draw upon every available resource. They will take ages, and burn through per-day abilities much faster than you intend, which in turn forces the party to leave the dungeon, thus contributing to the 15-minute adventuring day. Remember that easy battles will still drain the party's resources somewhat, as even the weakest monsters in 5e have a pretty good chance of getting one or two hits on any character, and players will be constantly tempted to blow the trash monsters away with their limited-use abilities, like spells and smites.

Another rarely-mentioned feature of unbalanced encounters is that they let you use a greater percentage of the Monster Manual when designing your dungeons, thus increasing the variety of creatures the party can meet. Using only level-appropriate encounters limits you to an ever-decreasing handful of creatures as the party levels up, and can push you into placing monsters in unthematic areas just to reduce the monotony a little. It also means that, in a few levels, when the party actually can fight the same type of high-level monster they've been running from, victory will feel all the sweeter.

Next Up: Wandering Traps?

[nyaacatboy]

Fate’s Door, Chapter 10: Getting To Know One Another

Masterpost/Chapter 9/Chapter 11

The first stop on their journey was Midford, a medium-sized but not particularly well-known city. It lay halfway between the coast and the eastern border, in the desert. The trip was two days, as Joan had warned, and the cramped conditions were irritating the passengers even a few hours in. They would sleep in the train as it continued towards Midford, and be there at the end of the next day.

Virgil and Logan took seats next to each other on the train, and talked up a storm about anything and everyone. Roman and Patton were suffering through awkward silence in the seats behind them, both trying to find something to say that wasn’t completely ridiculous. Joan went to the dining car, leaving the teens to their own devices.

After an awkward half hour of silence, Patton asked the question that had been burning on his mind all day. “You rescued a bunny?”

Roman stopped staring off into space, startled. They realized what Patton was asking and began telling the tale. “Yeah, I was enamored with the idea of having a pet rabbit, even though my dad and stepmom were convinced that having a pet would make me less fit for the crown. It was after the king and some other nobles went out to hunt for sport. When I saw a cute little bunny dying from a gunshot, looking just like the pet I had always wanted, I picked it up and ran it over to the royal vet as fast as my tiny legs could carry me.” Roman illustrated their story with their hands and face, making Patton feel like he was on the palace lawn next to the prince, determined to save the little bunny. “The vet laughed at me, said there was no chance of survival and that there were too many rabbits already, so he wouldn’t heal this one.”

Patton’s face fell. “Aw, poor rabbit. He should’ve lived, that vet was cruel.”

“It was the last time I defied my parents.” Roman said, putting on an almost perfect straight face. They stared out the window at the land rushing by, as if dramatically having a flashback.

“Really?” Patton asked, “I heard much different.” Rumor on the streets was that the prince was extremely defiant, and was something of a nuisance to the king, who wanted a perfectly polished heir.

“No. I’ve defied them constantly since that day, out of spite. And, of course, a thirst for justice.” Roman smiled, enjoying Patton’s reaction to their small dramatic performance.

“That makes a lot more sense!” A laugh tumbled out of his mouth. “I heard you once hid out in a storeroom for a week because you didn’t want to deliver a speech.” Patton knew that the gossip probably wasn’t true, but they wanted to see if there was any truth to it.

“It was two days, and it was because I couldn’t check books out from the Fiction section of the castle library,” they clarified, amused that their adventure had been blown so out of proportion. “Ever done anything like that?” Roman asked, curious about Patton’s life. He seemed like the sort of person they wanted to know better.

“No, but I did set up a surprise party for someone-” Patton paused “-on the wrong day. The person comes into the room, everybody’s got confetti and cake and banners, we all cheer, and then they say ‘It’s tomorrow’”

Roman guffawed. “Then what happened?”

“We celebrated anyways, and the cake was delicious. I got teased about it a lot though, no one trusted me with the dates of important events.”

Patton and Roman continued swapping stories and laughing the whole ride until they couldn’t keep their eyes open any longer. As Virgil was painfully awake listening to Roman and Patton not-so-subtly giggling and talking late at night, she felt proud of Roman for making a friend. The thought distracted her from the gnawing sense of anxiety she felt about the days to come. If they didn’t find something, everyone would be doomed.

The sun woke everyone up bright and early the next morning. As any traveler knows, it is nigh impossible to sleep with bright sunlight blaring in your face. Overnight, the other two passengers in Virgil and Logan’s row had left, so Roman and Patton took those seats when the group came back from breakfast in the dining car. After an hour of sleepy silence, conversation started and didn’t stop. Logan asked Roman about the castle library, Roman wanted to give them all wardrobe makeovers, Patton started a game of Would You Rather?, and Virgil laughed along with everyone, though she spent more time staring out the window than anything else.

Logan and Patton were arguing about whether or not their senses of style were the same or not when Roman decided they needed to make an announcement. Logan was on the side that him and Patton were vastly different, Patton thought they had identical taste. Virgil wondered about when they would get to Midford.

With a dramatic hand gesture to capture the other three’s attention, Roman said, “Um, so since we’re going on a dangerous death quest thing together, I think we should be pretty...upfront with each other about personal stuff and anything that’s important for other, trusted people to know,” Roman said, with all the grace of a porcupine tumbling around a room made of cork boards. “Any objections?”

Everyone nodded, somewhat confused.

“I’ve got something to get off my chest. I’m nonbinary. I know it’s a fairly new identity and the very idea of there being more than two genders is like, two years old, but it’s my identity. If you have any problems, please walk back to Archdale because I’m the one paying Joan. Oh, and when referring to me, please use ‘they’ instead of he or she because I’m more comfortable with it. It’s, uh, kinda how you refer to boats as ‘she’ even though there’s really no reason to except, like, the opposite.” Roman gave an awkward, forced smile. This was the first time they’d come out to anyone other than Thomas, and it was already ranking in the top 10 of their most stressful experiences.

“Cool,” Patton said, “I’m a trans guy, so I get it. Thank you for being comfortable enough to share that with us. If you need anyone to talk to about gender-related issues, I’m here.” As the little ones would say, Patton was in “dad mode.”

“I’m fine with it,” Logan said, “There’s actually no scientific or evolutionary reason for there to be only two genders, and respecting identities I consider to be basic human decency. I’ll use your pronouns, and if you’re uncomfortable with anything just let me know.”

Virgil didn’t know what to say, so the awkward silence persisted for an uncomfortable amount of time. Finally, she spoke. “Ok by me. Makes a lot of sense, actually.”

If deer in headlights had a role model they looked up to, at this moment it would be Roman. They cleared their throat and went back to figuring out what exactly the difference between Logan and Patton’s senses of style were. So far, Patton liked dogs and Logan didn’t-as much. Virgil proposed an armor-based style for herself, with accents of black and purple. Designing dream outfits took up hours, and Logan even took his notebook out to write the ideas down. Everyone, Joan included, ate lunch together in the car, and tried not to spill anything as the train bumped along the tracks. Late evening the conductor announced that there was a delay. They would reach Midford early the next morning. Before they all knew it, night had fallen, and Joan told them all to get some sleep. The young adventurers had an important day ahead of them.

They slept like rocks in the uncomfortable seats, and awoke the next morning to Joan telling them that Midford was the next stop. Joan decided to book rooms in a local inn and get some rest after the journey. They told the group to go on and look for magic without them and come back if something required an adult.

On Logan’s hunch, they went to a nearby pub to ask the bartender if there were any rumors of magic in the area. The dimly lit space was full of pleasant morning chatter and light piano music. Logan went directly to the bartender and asked about any rumors or fables about magic. The bartender, who introduced herself as Derionna, told the group to ask the guy playing the piano.

“He knows everything going on around here,” she said, cleaning out a champagne flute from the night before, “If anyone knows, it’s Jamahl.” The four walked over to the piano, nervous about what they may or may not find.

“Hey, Derionna told us you knew stories about magical happenings in Midford?” Logan asked the handsome man leafing through sheet music on the piano bench. Roman winced at the casualness of his statement, but since they were trying to keep a low profile, the young regent couldn’t do anything.

“Why are you asking?”  

“We’re on a...scavenger hunt for our camp because today’s our free day to spend in town, and magic was the coolest item on the list,” Logan bluffed, hoping that there was actually a summer camp in the area or he was screwed.

Jamahl looked down at his music and laughed. “Your counselors must have put that on the list as a joke, because while I do know many tall tales about magic, none of them actually lead anywhere. Believe me, I’ve tried. If there ever was any, it’s gone. Sorry to disappoint.”

“Ok,” Patton said, “We’ll go look for something else.”

Roman dropped some money into the tip jar on the way out for their troubles. Patton, who would remain hopeful of living another day even if he was standing at the guillotine, asked around a couple more places, but everything turned up the same result. They would find no magic in Midford.

Back at the inn, Roman told Joan, who said there was a train to Dockerly coming tomorrow. Patton suggested they get some more food from the store, and, disenhearted, Roman and Virgil went with him. Logan talked to Joan about their quest some more, and went to the local library to look into any magical happenings in their next town, Dockerly. The librarian there was particularly helpful, and Logan found all the information he needed.

The next morning, the group prepared themselves for another long haul. Dockerly was in the mountains, and they would only be able to take the train to a town just outside the mountains. From there, they’d hire someone with a horse and cart to take them the the rest of the way. During the train ride, Patton, unbeknownst to everyone else, had bought a book of car games in Midford. It was a welcome distraction from the stiflingly hot atmosphere of the train car.

When he took the book out, Logan was impressed. “How do you remember this stuff?”

“I think ‘what would the kids need,’ and I plan for that, because it’s more fun that way,” Patton said. “Who wants to play a game of ‘never have I ever’?”

“Me,” Roman said, sitting up straighter in anticipation. “Virgil,  you go first.”

“Um...ok. Never have I ever kissed a boy.”

Patton put a finger down, so did Logan.

“Business party.”

“Roommate.”

Roman raised their eyebrows. “You have to tell me more than just that.”

Both of them blushed and quickly looked at their surroundings as if the floor had become extremely interesting. Roman elected themself to go next. “Never have I ever...read three books in a day.”

Logan put another finger down, as did Virgil. All three looked at Virgil, surprised.

“It was this really good gritty horror series and I read the whole trilogy one after the other. I barely ate or drank. You guys should read it sometime.” She shrugged, trying to play it off like it wasn’t a big deal, even though it was obvious from Roman and Logan’s expressions that it was.

Everyone found the new information about Virgil very intriguing, but Logan cut their thoughts off with another question. “Never have I ever read the same book more than three times.” Virgil, Patton, and Logan all put a finger down, leaving Roman the only one with all their fingers.

Patton went next, and after the initial awkwardness subsided, the game was rather fun. Virgil managed to surprise Roman with the simplest of things, like sleeping with stuffed animals and eating giant squid.

“I thought that you were basically a hermit that lived alone and perfected your collection of dark clothing,” they remarked at one point.

Meanwhile, Patton was losing terribly, Logan and Virgil were both at two and three fingers, and Roman had lost one finger over the stuffed animals. Despite his happy-go-lucky attitude, Patton had some surprising stories to tell.

The game ended, with Roman being the last standing, right around lunch. They all got off at the small town of Avison and ate lunch with Joan, who wanted to know why they’d been laughing so much during the ride. In the afternoon, the cart taking them to Dockerly was way too bumpy to play any sort of game, so they all just talked, keeping the conversation going well into the night. Shortly after they had all become too tired to talk, they had reached a small inn in a tiny one-horse town where the party would sleep that night. They were a good deal past the foothills, and the air was already growing cold and thin as the mountains became larger.

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