#like what he gets the space to do around the Hulk’s adventures are often limited to him as like a regular person amidst some situation

[daydreamerdrew]

The Defenders (1972) #56

[hertzwritings]

Captain’s Coffee

A/N: And now to something more… Cute. Sweet. Fluffy. We gotta balance it out, don’t we? I love you all so darn much, thank you for being here! This story is 1000000000 % dedicated to the amazing and absolute sweetheart, @buckyshattergirl​ who makes me get creative with my headcanons and AU’s. I love you.

You can buy me a coffee here, and I’ll write you a personalized drabble, one-shot or multichapter fic – the sky is the limit, so go nuts, my loves.

Remember, feedback feeds the soul and my requests – and askbox – are always open – there’s no limits, because I am me and I have none.

MASTERLIST

CHRIS EVANS MASTERLIST

ASK ME ANYTHING/REQUESTS

Pairing: Steve Rogers x female reader

Contains: fluff, language, Coffeeshop!AU, Barista!Steve  

W.C.:2.262

 Captain’s Coffee

 When you stepped inside Captain’s Coffeehouse for the first time, you were immediately met with the comforting warmth of roasted coffee beans and a gentle chatter. It was pretty new – or, at least, you hadn’t heard of the place before – and if the coffee was good, you didn’t have to go out of your way for great coffee on the way to the library or study hall.

A smiling redhead with a nametag reading Wanda took your order. “Oh, you are adventurous, I can tell.” She said, a slight accent coloring her words. You grinned and shrugged. “I mean, when you have names as…” You looked to the board where the different special was written out in perfectly, slanting handwriting. “The Winter Soldier, how can I not be?” She chuckled and pulled out a blue and red cup. “What’s the name?” You smiled. “Y/N.” “Well, Y/N, welcome to Captain’s Coffee. I’ll call on you when your coffee is ready.” You smiled and sat down in a plush chair near the window, glancing out at the hustle and bustle of the city. It was a cozy space. Small and quaint, but perfectly in tune with whatever vibes the staff gave out; it felt almost familiar to sit here, mis-matched chairs huddled around wonky tables, that looked somewhat homemade. The walls were painted in a mossy green color, and the walls were covered in pictures of smiling faces, amongst them Wanda from the counter.

You smiled as she called your order, and by the first sip, you were addicted.

 After a few weeks, you had met what you assumed was all of the staff – Wanda first, then Sam (who was loud and flirty, but in a very fun way, you didn’t mind at all), then Bucky who seemed like a brooding, hulking man – he was both tall and broad, muscles rippling everywhere, but he made the meanest Black Widow coffee, which you appreciated all too much when you had a late night of studying. Natasha seemed no nonsense, but she was smart and quick-witted, and you learned quickly that she was dating Clint, - they were both sarcastic, but she pulled the rug out from under him constantly. Tony seemed nice, albeit a little aloof and commented that he was mostly doing the accounting, because he couldn’t be assed with coffee. Fair enough. The only way you could describe the buzz-boy, Peter, was jolly. He was flying around and a few times, you wondered if he had superhuman abilities just because of his speed. Vision seemed like he didn’t belong at a coffeehouse, but more like one of your professors. He was smart and apparently, Wanda told you a late night, had recently asked her out. You considered most of them friends – especially Wanda and Nat, and often joined them during their breaks to chat. A few others came and went, Thor and Bruce amongst others, who were just friends but spent a majority of their time at the coffeehouse.

The only one you hadn’t met, was the captain himself, Steve. Military-guy and Nat had grinned at your expression, when she told you that he was bigger than Bucky. That didn’t seem possible.

You had been proven wrong, when you arrived on a rainy Thursday, shaking rain from your hair and found yourself staring at the biggest, most beautiful man, you’d ever seen in your life. Something shattered in his hand, and you both looked down to the ceramic cup that had broken into pieces in his hands. “Oof. Be careful you don’t cut yourself!” You stepped forward, maybe to take it from him, you weren’t really sure. He sent you a bashful smile. “Oh, yeah, I’m, uh, I’m good. Hang on, just… two seconds.” You waved at Peter while Steve cleaned and went to the backroom. “Dude, is that Y/N? Seriously??” You heard his timbre from the closed door and bit your lip to contain a laugh at his tone. He sounded absolutely confused. “Uh…” Bucky poked his head out and waved once, sending you a rare smile. “Hi, Y/N. Be right there.” He disappeared again. “Yeah? What about her?” A smack sounded and a soft ow. “You just neglected to tell me how freakin’ gorgeous she was?” “I hadn’t really thought about it…” A sigh. “Dude, I’m going to end up fumbling around her.” “I can see that.” Another smack and another ow.   “Jerk.” “Punk.” A scuffle and then the door opened again, Steve smiling with red cheeks and a hand rubbing the back of his neck. “So… Sorry about the cup.” “It wasn’t mine, so I think we’re good.” You replied with a smile. “Oh, right. Yeah. Wanda has been very specific about your cup.” He pulled a red and blue cup down from the top shelf and showed it to you. “This one, right?” “You got it.” You couldn’t help but flirt just a little. He was gorgeous, really. “What can I get you?” He smiled and winked at you. “Today….” You glanced at the board. “A Scarlett Witch, please and thank you.” He hummed. “A favorite of mine.” “I have a soft spot for vanilla and spice.” “And everything nice?” He grinned. “I’ll have it ready for you in a few, Y/N.”

And that went of for weeks.

You would come in and Steve would immediately break something. Yesterday he had managed to snap the handle off of the espresso-machine, the time before that, it had been the handle of the broom – there was barely anything left, that hadn’t been replaced once, since Steve began serving you. It was kind of funny, but mostly cute – you barely got served by anyone else (you had seen him kick Sam on the shin, when he tried a week ago), but you didn’t mind. Steve was cute, and the giant man, all muscles and blue eyes, was reduced to a blushing mess every time you call him Stevie. It wasn’t just because it was fun to flirt and make him flustered, but you really liked him; he was a great friend and an even better person, and you enjoyed every second you spent with him. The fact that you could make him break things by flirting, was just an added bonus, really.  

Today had been a shitty day. Your professor had been an ass, your study group unbearable, your bag broke halfway through the day and your hair was acting out. You hated Mondays. You were about to cross the street to Captain’s Coffee, the promise of whatever coffee Steve would make in the forefront of your mind, but you had barely taken a step, when a fucking truck passed you, spraying you with dirty water from a very large puddle on the side of the street.

“Oh, come on!” you groaned and scrunched your nose up, trying to get some of the water out of your shirt. Fucking splendid. You walked with heavy steps to your favorite place, and Steve’s eyes found you instantly, when you stepped through the door. “Holy shit, are you okay? When did it rain?” He asked, taking in your appearance. You scowled. “It didn’t. Some asshole drove through a fucking lake on the road and splashed me. Hence the wetness.” You gestured to yourself. “Shit.” He looked at you with empathy shining from his eyes. “Whatever.” You grumbled, and crossed your arms. Not even amazing coffee could save your day today. “I hate Mondays.” He chuckled and stepped around the counter to take you in fully. His large hands rested on your shoulders. “Alright, Garfield, come with me.” You frowned at him. “Where are we going?” “We are getting you some clean clothes.” He turned around and found Bucky. “Yo, watch the register.” Bucky lifted an eyebrow. “Aye, aye, Captain.” He joked and Steve rolled his eyes at him. “You’re a dick.” Steve led you to the back room, where he opened another door, that led to a staircase. You narrowed your eyes at him. “Do you have like… A secret BDSM-dungeon or something?” His eyes flashed and you bit your lip. Oh, that’s interesting. “No dungeon. My apartment.” He grinned and began ascending the stairs, before looking back at you. “Coming?” you scrambled and followed him up the stairs, He opened a door at the very top of the stairs and you followed him inside to a bright and cozy apartment.

It was so Steve. It was light and airy, but filled with paintings, pictures and mis-matched furniture – almost as if he’d been collecting them through his life and finally had a place to put them. It felt homey and it smelled like pinetrees, which you had come to know as a very Steve-scent. You flashed him a grin when he closed the door and he blushed a little. “Yeah, so… This is my apartment.” “I can see that.” “I, uh… I’ll get you some things.” You nodded, your wet clothes nearly forgotten as you looked around. A painting hung on the wall nearest you, and you looked closely at it; it was a very beautiful painting of a sunset over a field of wildflowers, and you recognized several flowers as your personal favorites. “I, uh, I painted that a few weeks ago.” You loked at him with wide eyes. “You painted this?” He nodded bashfully. “Yeah. It was, uh, the same day you came in and talked Wanda’s ear off about the flowers you had planted. It kind of… Yeah, no, it gave me some inspiration.” He handed you some folded clothes. “You painted this because of me?” You asked, a little taken aback. “Really?” He shrugged. “I did.” Silence fell between you and the air was loaded – it felt heavy to breathe, and you gaped at him, opening and closing your mouth several times without knowing what the hell you were going to answer. “Uh… Anyway, the, uh, the bathroom’s right over there. Just leave your wet stuff in there, I’ll wash and dry them.” “You don’t have to do that, Steve, seriously.” He smiled softly at you. “I want to, it’s no issue.” You didn’t press it, but you did press a hand to his cheek gently. “You’re a really good guy, Steve.”

He blushed.

You quickly changed and reveled in the scent of pinewood and vanilla and the faint scent of coffee, that clung to the lose clothing. You were practically swimming in it – his t-shirt would’ve been more than enough, because it almost covered you down to your knees. The sweatpants were giant compared to you, and you thanked him silently for picking a pair with a drawstring, so you at least didn’t flash half of the coffeehouse, if you made it back down there. You left the bathroom and Steve smiled at you, a flash of possessiveness in his eyes, as they roamed your body. “Looking good.” His voice was a little deeper than normal. You twirled around once. “It’s huge on me, Steve. I feel like I’ve been shrunk.” He laughed. “Well, it looks good on you. Really.” “Sweatpants or your clothes?” “Whatever makes you feel best.” He said, stepping closer to you. “Your clothes it is, then.” He swallowed thickly and pushed a stray piece of hair back behind your ear. “You know, I’ve, uh… I’m shit at this.” He chuckled a little and you looked up at him. “At what, Stevie?” He blushed again and stuttered for a moment before drawing a deep breath. “You doing that. I mean… It makes me, like, uh… I feel all… Smoosh.” He rolled his eyes at himself. “God, I’m an ass, aren’t I?” You laughed and wrapped your arms tentatively around his waist. “Not really, no. I like you flustered and smooshed.” He chuckled and cupped the side of your face. “Would you, uh… Want to… Uh, you know, okay. Okay, yeah, would you like to go on a date with me?” He asked quickly. You grinned. “Well, yes. Of course. Only thing is…” You wet your lips. “We’ve already been on dates, Steve.” “Wait, what? I would’ve remembered!” His other hand cupped your face as well. “We’ve been having coffee together pretty much every day for a month, Steve. Just you and me. To me, that’s dating.” He leaned closer to you. “Oh. Well… Then I wouldn’t be overstepping in doing this.”

He kissed you gently, lips slotting over yours perfectly. It was assured and calm, exactly what you thought Steve was like. It lasted for a lifetime and barely a second all at once. He pulled back and rested his forehead against yours.

“So… A date later, then?” “Sure thing.”

You walked to the coffeehouse together, fingers intertwined and it wasn’t missed by the staff – both Wanda and Bucky whooped and high-fived, while Sam called out to Natasha that she owed him 5 dollars. You leaned against the counter, while Steve began making your coffee – a special, he had called wildflowers – and you couldn’t wipe the smile off your face. “That took way too long.” Wanda grinned at you. “No, just the right amount of time.” You giggled. “It’s been kind of cute, seeing that big, burly man be all flustered.” Wanda mused, watching Steve’s back. You cocked an eyebrow at her. “Want to see something more fun?” She grinned deviously at you and nodded.

“Hey, Steve…” You called to him. He didn’t turn around, but mumbled a small yeah, babe? “You didn’t say no to the BDSM-thing.” A loud crack sounded and steam billowed out from the machine. Tony groaned.

“Not again, Steve!”

 ------------------

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[pikelansource]

Class AU part 2 Love Domain Pike

Pikelan day prompt: CLASS SWAP (part 1, Swashbuckler Scanlan)

inspired by fanart

When Scanlan Shorthalt heard the words “Grog’s sister the cleric,” not many ideas beyond Grog in a wig with a magical staff came to mind, so he was extraordinarily surprised to meet Pike Trickfoot, a very cute gnomish adept of Sehanine, patron of moonlight and illusions, the fey goddess of trickery and lovers trysts.

He could not believe his luck. 

Scanlan had never paid more attention to Sehanine more than any other god, even though she did sound, admittedly, right up his alley. Faith wasn’t really his thing. Devotion sounded even worse. And idea of giving himself wholly to not just someone but some thing in the cosmos made him laugh, except for a tiny space deep in his stomach that didn’t find it amusing at all, and in fact, found it just a bit infuriating megapowerful celestial beings leveraged magic for people’s love and how unfair that was. Since Scanlan didn’t like to think things like unfairness, he didn’t. He would scrounge for magic all on his own, thank you very much.

But the mischievous glint in the eyes of the black-haired cleric and the ever present waves of love she exuded really could be.

Except it didn’t take long to see that while Pike had a needed skill in healing, Pike and Scanlan’s specialties in magic overlapped a bit. She did things differently, her magic imbued with a strangely close, warm divine feeling that was totally foreign to want he knew. But the first time there was a witness not responding to questions and Scanlan prepared to charm him, Pike stepped in before him to do it herself.

He saw the soft warmth of her magic around her perform a charm that previously he’d never known anyone but himself to do. It was beautiful.

And he hated it. 

She could charm and inspire and make some illusions and heal. All the skills Scanlan had to offer, spread out in slightly different directions. Scanlan had worked with groups before, traveled around for fire to kill beasts or find treasure, but his time with them never lasted long. And he figured it would be the same this time. Why would they need two gnomes with similar magic, when she was a much stronger healer?

Scanlan decided to take the opportunity of The Shits arriving in a new bustling town to part ways with the group. Quick and easy, he snuck out of his shared room at the Inn, not even disturbing Grog’s heavy snoring. But Pike stopped him not more than three steps down the stairs that went down to the now mostly abandoned tavern of the late late night or early early morning.

She was just unnaturally there, sitting on the stairwell landing, under a window the moon shone through. There was a covered bench smelling faintly of stale beer and the ancient wooden planks off the inn wheezed beneath them whenever either of them moved, but she smiled serenely like she belonged there in her slinky red nightgown and lacy pink robe and the glittering pendant of Sehanine she always wore.

“Aren’t you going to say goodbye?”

He quickly ate the frown that had appeared on his face. It wasn’t good to let people know what you were thinking. “Goodbye, sugar. It was fun while it lasted. Give my regards to The Shits. If we ever cross paths in the future, I’ll be sure to skip town before I’m settled with another bar tab.”

He attempted to continue on his way, but her soft voice, reminiscent of some kind of frosted cookie he always felt for some reason, wafted across him like crowbar to the kneecap.

“Leaving us won’t make you less afraid.”

Once he could swallow the gorge of unexpected emotion back down to wherever he hid it normally, Scanlan turned to look at her. In a move of unexpected cruelty, her perfect gnomish face was a perfect composition of perfect kindness tinged with sadness.

“Who’s afraid of anything? Possessions? Gross necromancers? Hulking monsters? That’s the adventuring life and I’ve been doing it longer than any of you.”

“No, that’s true. I was a little surprised by that, but that’s not what you’re afraid of.”

Scanlan sighed, gratified by the annoyance. “Can the cryptic. I’m leaving because it doesn’t make any sense to have two people with the same skillset on a team.”

“I really don’t think overlap is the problem. Our methods are different enough. And Vex and Percy both deal ranged attacks. Vex and Vax are both sneaky. Redundancy isn’t bad.”

“Well, you’re not the one being made redundant so your opinion on the topic is of limited value to me,” Scanlan said, trying for an edge he normally didn’t have.

It may have succeeded, a sour little frown appeared on Pike’s face. Unless she was in battle, she always looked beatific as standard fare. So he felt a small degree of satisfaction in winging her on his way out, as it were.

“I don’t look at it that way. It’s fine that we can both rely on charms. It’s fine that we both have illusions and boons at our disposal. It’s great that we can both heal.”

“Except you can heal more than I can, and if you can cover all the other areas I’m situationally useful in, why would they need me?”

“Ah, so” she said knowingly. “It’s not just that you have to be special, you have to be useful too.” 

Terrifyingly, he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. There were plenty of times he had no plan for what he was going to say, but it was rare indeed that the well was ever empty. She continued to speak in his place and given the circumstances, he couldn’t tell if that was good or bad.

“Is that why you’ve left every other group you’ve been with? Someone else could do the things you can do?”

“We--we’re adventurers!” Scanlan said, raising his voice to a level he did, maybe once every five years. “Everyone has to be useful. Why are we even doing these things if not to succeed, get gold, or renown, or hell, even turn a good deed every once in a while. And you can’t do any of those things if everyone on the team doesn’t play their part. With you here, I don’t exactly have a part, do I?”

Pike’s face softened again with sympathy, that kindness within her blooming on her face again, in her cheeks and her eyes. And while it was lovely, it only made Scanlan angrier because that hadn’t been his goal at all. At least point, he wanted her mad, at least a portion as angry as he was, so he could leave feeling safe with a bridge burned behind him.

“Of course you still have a part, Scanlan. So what if we do some of the same things. We do them entirely differently. We think about illusions and charms differently. Just as Sehanine will, hopefully, continue to bless me with gifts no one else can understand, you use the arcane in a way none of us can understand either. And I’m surprised you never thought this worth mentioning considering how often I’ve heard you brag about it, but... Scanlan, you’re a bard! Just being that you can get us audiences with people we would have never otherwise. You’ve created stories about us that people know about Vox Machina before we’ve even met them. So, I’m sorry you felt like I was replacing you, but maybe you can understand that to me it seems at least a little bit like you’re fooling yourself so you don’t have to get any more comfortable with us than you already have.”

After waiting for a word from Scanlan that did not come, Pike continued, “Because that’s what you’re afraid of, isn’t it? Attachments. Real ones that really attach to you. Loving people, or letting people love you. Either or.”

He was laden down with his bags, pouches, bedroll, a lute, flute, and a shawm and they all felt like a hundredweight heavier. Still he shook his head.

“You obviously aren’t familiar with the legacy of Scanlan Shorthalt. I’ve loved many people. Probably hundreds,” he said, but even to him his voice was empty of the humor or bravado that gave him his usual panache. It was just empty. It had always been empty, only now he couldn’t pretend.

Pike touched her holy symbol, grasped her fingers around it reverently even though she must have been blindly intimate with it at this point. Yet still, reverent.

It made him think. He hated thinking.

“You can leave if you really want to, Scanlan,” she said. “But I wouldn’t be happy with myself if I let you leave thinking you needed to, or that you aren’t allowed to want something else.”

Scanlan looked down the stairs to the empty tavern and back at the moonlight spilling over Pike’s dark hair.

“Maybe I should give it more time. Think it over. If you’re... okay working together.”

Pike’s smile lit up the small tiny space deep in his stomach that, if normally anything at all, was dull and bitter and distant, now felt lighter and more present.

“Good.” She rose and stood shoulder to shoulder with him as they walked back towards the rooms Vox Machina had rented.

“But I should probably confess something.”

“Well, well, well, a cleric’s confession,” he said, with more humor than he felt, still reeling from all her words, but really, truthfully, “I definitely want to hear that.”

“You need to stay for your own reasons, that’s true, but I still have selfish reasons for wanting you to stay.“

“Oh?” Scanlan said casually, white-knuckling the strap for his lute around his chest.

“Sehanine loves music,” Pike said with a devilish smile.

Scanlan thought that was all she would say, but she paused, leaned into Scanlan’s space and kissed his cheek. Just a soft press of her lips that left a warm lingering pulse spread across his face.

“I love music.”

And with that, Pike left him.

For the first time in a long time, when he went back into his room, and put down his packs and supplies and bedroll, he was pretty sure it was a decision his heart made.

[paperanddice]

Tears of the Crocodile God Part 11

Now we get to the brass tacks of the adventure conversion: building the encounters. This will be split into two parts, covering the encounters in 5e and 13th Age in different posts.

For this part, I’ll go through and provide my version of each encounter using 5e rules and stats, with some notes on each encounter once it’s been fully put together if necessary. After a lot of playing around with the math of encounter building and similar setups, I remembered how much I don’t like 5e’s encounter builder math and went back to doing things more by feel. Some encounters will be given one version to run with, while others will have a few variations provided depending on party size. In general larger parties will probably have a bit of an easier time than smaller ones, but the trade off there is the use of the crocodile fonts. Five charges per font goes farther with a smaller group. For smaller groups it would definitely be beneficial to grant the additional benefits from the fonts, letting their more limited resources stretch further. There’s also the factor of the sacrifices, who can participate and add extra damage to the enemies, helping battles go a bit more easily.

Drowning Vaults (Monsters, Hazard)

One manticore per party member creates a reasonable threat. This is one of the most straightforward conversions, there’s nothing more to discuss on this encounter once you combine the trap and monsters.

Howling Hunt (Monsters, Hazard)

If you’re going to convert this right as written in the adventure, a reasonable setup is two tanarukk riding howler dread mounts, and 4 howlers. For larger or particularly well optimized parties consider adding another 2-4 howlers to add to the chaos and pin down vulnerable characters. Keep the shatterspell shields arranged just like they are in the original adventure, with the same number of each type. The encounter does require entirely changing the established shield equipping rules to allow a character to remove their old shield and equip the new one as a single bonus action, because without that you’ll never get anyone making use of them.

If you’d prefer to use my alternate version of this room’s encounter, listed below as Statues in Stasis, the Howling Hunt can still be used as a different kind of encounter. If the characters take too long in the Labyrinth, such as attempting to bunker down and take a long rest, have the howling hunt released into the halls and they track the party down to attack them wherever they stop to rest. Have the tanarukk come in from different directions if possible, they’ll know where the party are if they have any sacrifices with them and can easily plan their path to corner the group. Split the howlers between the two tanarukk.

Statues in Stasis (Monsters, Hazard)

For this encounter, my method was to equip the constructs with some of the more deadly shields to them, and then have the additional shields remain and let the constructs equip them if they get a moment of freedom after the first one activates. My combined setup is 2 helmed horrors and 8 animated armors, each equipped with a spellshatter shield. Equip the helmed horrors with the Fool shield and one of the Dungeon Doors, while the animated armors have two each of the Black Dragon, Carrion Crawler, and Rust Monster shields, and one each of the Mind Flayer and Umber Hulk. For larger groups you can add 2-4 more animated armors, putting them in with some of the other shields scattered around the room. A construct that has its shield activated will attempt to claim another if it can do so without provoking opportunity attacks.

Hag’s Lair (Monsters, Hazard)

Old Beshebra herself attacks alongside her filth hag son. For groups of 6+ players, add another son in. Make sure the hag waits to act when the characters have gotten into the room and try to lure them into moving so that someone has a higher chance of falling into the mud pits.

Mold King’s Crown (Monsters, Hazards)

This encounter is one of the most difficult to frame up. With the constant addition of river crocodiles, the conversion of them to death mold crocodiles, the death mold clumps, it all adds up to a quite complex battle encounter. Parties that take advantage of the death mold zombies’ weaknesses can clear them out incredibly fast, clever tactics and movement can get them in and out much quicker, good use of spells can trivialize parts of the fight, or they could get bogged down in crocodile zombies and dragged to their deaths. The setup I used for it is apparently an exceptionally deadly encounter, but both groups that went through it for me won with only moderate damage, so it’s hard to say. If you want to be on the safer side, use 2 death mold zombies, if you think your players can handle quite the challenge go with 4. No matter how many players, keep the pattern of 4 river crocodiles per round, and any that die while poisoned by the death mold become death mold crocodiles. Just make sure that the living crocodiles throw themselves into the nearest creature, attacking the zombies often and getting caught in bursts of death mold spores.

Chained Hydra (Monster)

Simply use the modified hydra for this. No matter how many players there are, the bars, the more limited space, and the hydra’s ability to duck under water and give itself loads of cover will let the combat play out fine.

Mimic’s Parlor (Monster, the brand)

Another one with high variation. I used the impersonator mimic and 8 regular mimics against 4 characters, which is another very deadly encounter, but the lower level mimics break that expected math by a little bit. For a party of 6 or more, drop at least half of regular mimics a bit and put in a cloaker instead.

I do have another note for this encounter though. It provides a very useful item for the sacrifices to get their hands on, but as written it doesn’t have a way for them to actually get their hands on it. While a few of the encounters don’t have an easy way out (Old Beshebra really hits on that), this one doesn’t have any workaround options when it feels like it should. So for my own amusement, I put together an idea for this room’s purpose in the challenges. When someone enters, the mimic is more than happy to invite them to sit down to a game. The mimic will roll a 6 sided die and add the number of garlands that the sacrifice has on them. If the total of the roll is 7 or higher, the sacrifice gets the brand and can leave. Otherwise their life is forfeit. Of course, the chairs around the table are mimics, meaning that whoever sits down gets stuck and will be devoured the moment the dice don’t give the number they want. Each person plays the game independently, so if all four sacrifices go in its 4 different 1/6 chances, encouraging them to take the garlands from each other and give the remaining member the best odds possible. And of course, anyone who enters without a garland isn’t supposed to be allowed to leave, though the impersonator will absolutely do its best to lure the intruder into sitting down and talking before killing them.

Guardian’s Run (Monster)

Another simple encounter. No matter how many party members there are, there’s only one mummified cyclops running around.

Crocodile Tears (Monsters, Hazard)

If the players set off the trap, two mummified crocodiles crawl out to confront them. There’s an interesting idea for what to do if the players successfully solve the trap though. Theoretically the mummies are still present in the passage way once it opens up normally, which could be a really intimidating sight if nothing else. This leaves you a choice; for a group that’s doing incredibly well and has plenty of resources left, you could have the mummies attack any creature that lacks a garland of lotus flowers, while a group that’s struggling a bit may just get a scare before the mummified crocodiles take up a sort of honor guard position and just sit there.

Crocodile God’s Lair (Monster, Hazards)

As with a few other locations, this encounter is the same regardless of anything else. The Crocodile God. For a very small group maybe cut the Crocodile God’s lair actions.

Nephalot’s Quarters (Monster, Hazard)

Nephalot is meant to be a fight that either ends super quickly when the party successfully ambush and wipe out the cult leader, or a deadly, overwhelming fight as unending streams of reinforcements show up. Entering the room finds Nephalot on his own, but he calls for help right away. During the first round, the door bursts open for a crocodile priest and a tanarukk to join in and try to protect him, then every round after that adds four crocodile cult acolytes to swarm the battlefield. For larger groups, if the fight lasts that long bump it to eight acolytes per round, as the goal of the fight is to kill Nephalot and any group that lets themselves get distracted from that needs an alert that this is not a fight they’re here to slog through and defeat everyone. Kill Nephalot and get the hell back out.

And that’s my 5e conversion of Tears of the Crocodile God. This is an outline, so if you want to customize some of the encounters to fit your specific group a little better you definitely should. This setup with mostly these stat blocks functioned perfectly well in both my own runs through the adventure.

[bestfungames1]

New Post has been published on https://bestfungames.com/marvels-avengers-review/

MARVEL'S AVENGERS REVIEW

69

MARVEL’S AVENGERS REVIEW

Marvel’s finest have never looked or sounded this good, but their best efforts feel in vain.

By Robert Zak September 07, 2020

As the Marvel’s Avengers campaign ends, to be replaced by samey missions, it reminds me of the dual identity of so many superheroes. Avengers straps on its tightest, glossiest spandex for the campaign and dazzles with its moves, but once that adventure ends and it returns to the daily grind of a multiplayer-oriented endgame, it blurs into the crowd. Inoffensive, yet indistinguishable but for its famous superhero superstars.

The frustrating thing about Marvel’s Avengers is that for the first few hours, you see hints of what it could have been—a visually spectacular and satisfying adventure—but then a functional, unoriginal loop of missions takes over, and you realise that that’s the actual game you’ll be spending most of your time with.

The campaign offers a simple story, following future Ms. Marvel Kamala Khan as she seeks to reassemble the Avengers following a disaster that creates a wave of new superheroes labelled as ‘Inhumans’. You’re pitted against floating-head-with-tiny-limbs, MODOK, who’s intent on wiping out all Inhumans with the help of AIM’s Scientist Supreme Monica Rappaccini and her army of robots.

A pretty regular Marvel setup then, and beautifully written, animated, and voice-acted throughout. I found myself actively looking forward to the cutscenes and snippets of in-game banter.

R relationship between Bruce Banner and Kamala Khan unfolds beautifully. Banner’s unsure body language and mix of irritation and avuncular care he shows towards Khan—whose chirpy teenage optimism is just what 2020 needs—is a masterclass of voicework and mocap. It also elegantly addresses the fact that, to a 30-plus curmudgeon like me, the fresh-faced Khan can be kind of annoying, but her convincing character arc soon gets me completely onboard.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

Given the amount of big names the campaign has to introduce, it’s understandable that not all the relationships get the same level of attention, but each character still entertains as you bring the Avengers’ floating command centre back to life. The villain MODOK, with his pustulent, hypertrophic head that seems to swell up with every scene, is brilliantly brought to life. The performance turns one of Marvel’s goofiest-looking heroes into a memorable, eerily soft-spoken villain.

However, once you’re aboard the Avengers’ Chimera ship, it becomes a little too obvious that you’re being roped into the publisher’s long game. You walk around on deck as your Avenger of choice, picking up time-limited challenges from vendors, buying gear using real or in-game currency, and using a map to freely drop into missions set across several biomes around the world. Some you do solo, others you do alongside up to three other Avengers, who can be controlled by AI or online players. I’d play with others where possible, and it speaks to the simplicity of the missions and combat that there’s not too much need for communication or a balanced squad.

I did get to play online alongside Hulk wearing a Hawaiian shirt and fedora though.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

PERFORMANCE

I’ve been reading a a little bit about performance problems on PC, but can say that my experience has been mostly stable. There were a couple of odd bugs during the campaign that forced me to restart the game, and multiplayer matchmaking has been very slow from my experience, forcing me to give up after minutes of waiting multiple times.

The combat is a curious mix of classic brawler moves like juggling, suspended aerial attacks and light-heavy combos with the counter-and-dodge-based style of the Arkham games (there’s even a move where you jump over a shielded enemy’s head to break their shield). Little icons on the edges of the screen tell you how close a missile or laser is to blasting you away, while enemy melee attacks are telegraphed by coloured circles, which let you know whether to dodge or parry them. Get enough attacks together, and your rage meter fills, letting you unlock spectacular special moves like Iron Man summoning his Hulkbuster mech, or Ms. Marvel turning into a long-limbed giantess resembling a wacky waving inflatable tube girl.

The icons give you a lot to think about while filling your screen with a confetti of mechanised enemies and special moves executed by your fellow Avengers, and it doesn’t always feel like you—or even the game itself—can keep up. A couple of dozen hours in, I’ll still often dodge instead of parrying when the enemy attack circle is white (dodge for red, dammit!), and that all-important telegraphing of enemy moves isn’t entirely consistent, and the camera’s a little too close for comfort – great for ogling Hulk’s slabs of back muscle, not so great for managing space in a scuffle.

Playing as the speedsters of the group, Ms. Marvel and Black Widow, feels much better than Hulk, whose lumbering style doesn’t sync well with the already slowish animations and floaty jumping physics. High-flyers Iron Man and Thor, meanwhile, definitely offer a buzz as you can freely swoop into battle from way overhead of your buddies. Unfortunately finer aerial maneuvering and attacks are fiddly and much weaker than melee. It may be fun to fly, but the action’s really on the ground.

But in a game so much about fan service, there’s something to be said for making each superhero feel unique, even if that is at the expense of balance. The characters move and attack just like you remember from the movies or imagine from the comics, right down to the disinterested way Hulk toe-pokes chests open. During these little moments, and amidst the on-screen muddle when you string together a bunch of counters and executions before letting rip with a hero’s special move, the superhero fantasy successfully shines.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

The bigger problems come later. Missions may be set all over the world, but levels themselves are sparse expanses of snow/forests/city where you hunt for crates hidden in metal bunkers guarded by faceless robots, before proceeding to complete a main objective—destroying a few structures, or holding onto some control points, Battlefield-style.

The game tries to spruce things up with awkward platforming segments and hunts for SHIELD stashes (essentially a slightly better stash among endless stashes), but they’re visually ugly and unvaried, in stark contrast to the elegantly animated and designed superheroes that run around them.

Also, for some reason the ‘Power’ level required for various missions is all over the place, greatly restricting the amount of missions you can tackle. I was quite up for a boss-fight mission that SHIELD offered for their daily challenge (which improves your faction rank with SHIELD, which lets you buy locked-off gear yada-yada), only to find that I was dozens of levels below being able to do it. These are the kinds of things that can be smoothed out over the coming months, but as things stand a good chunk of the endgame remains level-gated.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

Back aboard the Chimera, the metagame of daily challenges, endless gear upgrades (with daily ‘specialty’ items) and missions becomes particularly noticeable post-campaign. Without the more bespoke campaign-specific missions and story to break them up, the monotony begins to set in, and while there is an obsessive feedback loop to repeating missions, upgrading your gear, and improving your character in perpetuity, you don’t even get to see these gear upgrades. The only aesthetic changes are different costumes, which are a hard to find, and otherwise locked behind higher levels and real-world currency.

There’s nothing too egregious about the microtransactions, which are purely cosmetic and also include emotes, nameplates and execution animations, but there’s nothing particularly satisfying to work towards in the endgame either.

Perhaps a fleshed-out single-player campaign will never be enough to satisfy Avenger’s marketing aims. The story is worthy of Marvel’s movie canon, but it’s too short and ends up being a shiny wrapper for what’s currently a rudimentary game-as-service.

(Image credit: Marvel’s Avengers)

This comes with the caveat that it’s just getting started, and there have been plenty of online-oriented games that started slowly. There’s enough button-mashy mileage in the combat system, especially as new heroes get introduced as DLC, but it’s the mission design and loot loop that let it down. It’s just not strong or varied enough to justify the long-term investment the game wants from you.

Not that justification beyond a 14-hour campaign and ‘it’s your favourite superheroes and they look amazing’ is needed for a day one purchase, based on the game’s early sales. But if Marvel’s Avengers wants to keep loyalists sweet and expand its player-base, it needs a lot more flesh on its vibranium skeletal armature. If only the game could carry some of its narrative prowess from the campaign over into the endgame.

[true-halloween-tales]

2017: #3-GUIDE TO THE OUTER LIMITS

There is nothing wrong with your television set.  Do not attempt to adjust the picture.  We are controlling transmission.  If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume.  If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper.  We will control the horizontal.  We will control the vertical.  We can roll the image, make it flutter.  We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity.  For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear.  We repeat: there is nothing wrong with your television set.  You are about to participate in a great adventure.  You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to – The Outer Limits.                – Prologue to The Outer Limits.

In the late 1980’s I would often get home from work around 1 am.  I would turn on my old, small, ancient, black and white, tv that had separate VHF and UHF dials and a partially broken antenna.  To get the tv to produce any sort of recognizable image, a misshapen rock had to be balanced on one dial exactly the right way - and presto - the tv worked!  And what I saw was a black and white older tv program with enormous tension, gripping drama, good music, and scary aliens.  I became mesmerized by this series and tried to watch all of the episodes (see 2016: #3-BLOODY MESMERISM).  The aliens’ designs were very creative, and the suspenseful series had intense cinematography, often with a dose of film noir or even German Expressionism.  This excessively eerie series was The Outer Limits.

The Outer Limits is an hour long science fiction/horror/fantasy anthology series that aired for two seasons, from 1963-65 comprising forty-nine episodes.  It is very much classified with The Twilight Zone.  There are a number of black and white, horror/science-fiction anthology tv series like The Twilight Zone: Alfred Hitchcock Presents, One Step Beyond, Thriller with Boris Karloff, and The Outer Limits.  These series all had a narrator such as Rod Serling who often said something that sounded special, imparting some wisdom.  The Outer Limits had no regular cast members at all, but Vic Perrin provided the Control Voice heard in each episode.  His opening and closing remarks sound much more profound and humanistic than what was said on these other series.  The Outer Limits was created by Leslie Stevens who directed William Shatner in the 1966 horror film, Incubus, that was filmed using the artificial language of Esperanto.  Stevens originally wanted The Outer Limits to be titled, Please Stand By.  The producer of the series was Joseph Stefano who was also the screenwriter for Hitchcock’s Psycho.  Stephen King has described The Outer Limits as “the best program of its type ever to run on network TV.”

In addition to having excellent creatures, effects, and cinematography, The Outer Limits also included quite a few stars.  Batman’s Adam West made an appearance as an astronaut on Mars.  Eddie Albert battled growling tumbleweeds in one episode, and Martin Landau appears in two episodes.  Cliff Robertson contacted glowing aliens, and timid Donald Pleasance used his psionic powers on people.  David McCallum’s fat head swelled up, and Simon Oakland from The Night Stalker turned into a bird alien (see 2015: #5-GUIDE TO THE NIGHT STALKER).  Lou Grant’s Ed Asner and Ted Knight both popped up as did Russell Johnson, the Professor from Gilligan’ Island.  Robert Culp appeared in three episodes, one about evil, alien, scheming, zombie-making, greasy black rocks.  Even Richard Dawson from Family Feud somehow managed to appear in an episode.  

Episodes were written by by science fiction authors such as Harlan Ellison and Clifford Simak.  The best episodes of the series were written by Jospeh Stefano.  He left the series after the first season, and the series did not survive beyond season two.  Many of the best episodes of The Outer Limits are also quite strange.  “It Crawled Out of the Woodwork” is about a ball of dust that takes over a corporation.  Since full episode guides can be found online, a focus on the best episodes may be useful.  “Nightmare” has some of the most unforgettable aliens, the Ebonites, who are apparently involved in a war against humanity, and one of their prisoners is a frantic Martin Sheen.  “Keeper of the Purple Twilight” is about tall, scary aliens pursuing one of their own to Earth.  “Controlled Experiment” is the only comedy episode of the series and one of my favorites; it was intended to be a pilot for a new tv series.  It is about Martians secretly on Earth trying to understand why humans commit murder by using a time machine.  “Controlled Experiment” stars Archie Bunker’s Carrol O’Connor, Space 1999’s Barry Morse, and Star Trek’s Grace Lee Whitney, (aka Yeoman Rand).  German electronic musician, Pete Namlook, was a fan of The Outer Limits and included samples from the series in his albums; he sampled “Controlled Experiment” for his album, Miles Apart.  “Don’t Open Until Doomsday” is about a horrifying monster in a box that sucks others into its timeless realm.  “The Zanti Misfits” is considered by TV Guide to be one of the one-hundred best episodes of television.  It is about a criminal, Bruce Dern, who encounters small, irate, intelligent, insect-like criminals in their tiny UFO.  “A Feasibility Study” is perhaps the best and most frightening episode of the series, similar in plot to The Mist and with scary aliens.  If you watch any episodes of The Outer Limits, watch “A Feasibility Study.”  

There is a strong connection between The Outer Limits and the original Star Trek series.  This may be true because Gene Roddenberry often visited the The Outer Limits studios.  One of the best episodes of The Outer Limits, “Fun and Games,” is about advanced aliens who kidnap other aliens to fight it out to the death for their entertainment; this was later a plot for an episode of Star Trek.  William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, and James Doohan (aka Scotty) all appear in separate episodes of The Outer Limits.  Vic Perrin, the Control Voice, appeared or provided voice work in three Star Trek episodes.  Alien design, props, and special effects were also borrowed for Star Trek from The Outer Limits.  The exact alien prop of the Horta from Star Trek’s “Devil in the Dark” first appeared in The Outer Limits’ episode, “The Probe.”  Even the most iconic Star Trek special effect of the transporter, the sparkling vanishing effect, originated from The Outer Limits’ “The Mutant.”

In the 1980’s and 90’s, horror/science fiction tv series became popular again.  The Darkroom was introduced by James Coburn wearing all black.  Monsters featured exactly that in each half-hour episode.  Tales From the Darkside was soon replaced by Tales From the Crypt.  A new The Twilight Zone series emerged.  It was only a matter of time until The Outer Limits was revived in 1995 in the form of a new, color tv series that ran until 2002.  It was not nearly as good as the original series, and the new series ran for a hundred and fifty-four episodes over seven seasons.  A few episodes were remade such as “Nightmare,” “A Feasibility Study” and “I, Robot.”  Episodes included such stars as Mark Hamill and various new Star Trek actors such as Marina Sirtis, Rene Auberjonis, Robert Picardo, and Doug Jones from Star Trek: Discovery.  “Dark Matters” is probably the best episode of the new series, and focuses on a starless void filled with marooned spacecraft and the ghosts of aliens.  I adapted that plot for a Dungeons & Dragons adventure (see 2015: #12-THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES 4: THE FAR REALM – THE ILLITHID DREADNAUGHT, PART 2).  

Since Joseph Stefano was the main force behind The Outer Limits stranger monsters, what became of him?  Years after The Outer Limits, he was the writer of “Skin of Evil” for Star Trek: The Next Generation.  The episode featured Armus, a frightening monster that was an amalgamation of evil from an alien species that looked like a hulking, vaguely humanoid black pudding.  Armus shockingly killed Tasha Yar, a main character in the series.  Stefano wrote for The Swamp Thing tv series and he wrote two episodes for the new The Outer Limits series.  He wrote the remade episodes of “Nightmare” and “A Feasibility Study.”  His final big project was writing the screenplay for the 1998 Psycho remake film by Gus van Sant.  

If you don’t have time to watch a horror film, watch The Outer Limits.  The atmosphere the series creates is perfect for the month of Halloween.  The entire series is available in a DVD box set that is reasonable in price.  There is a soundtrack cd, action figures, and Halloween masks for sale based on aliens from the series.  Go and experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to the Outer Limits!

[datingdummies-blog]

Debbie Down the Rabbit Hole in “Companion Land”

Our story starts in a far away land known only to the lucky few that have found their life partner as “Relationship Land.”  Debbie grew further and further from her partner here in “Relationship Land” so she ventured out to find a new world. Others have talked about it, but she herself knew nothing about it.  When people would speak of this new land some would share beautiful stories and adventures and others would tell stories of soul ripping, gut wrenching pain. Regardless she longed to find out for herself what might find her when she arrived. 

Debbie is an adventure seeking, curious, independent, loving and hard working woman. She loves a good challenge and nearly detests anything that is just given to her as she has worked hard in her life for everything she has.  She forgives easily and almost certainly gives way to many chances to those that didn't even deserve a first chance.  She is kind, funny and has qualities most men find very attractive.  Any man finding this woman is quite aware they are fortunate to have had her or have her in his life.  Debbie does however come with some negatives as well.  She needs and wants confirmation on a regular basis, she's very aware that this is a insecurity within herself.  She just requires it.  She is attention seeking, and often times looked at by the same sex (prior to getting to know her of course) as something outside of who she actually is.  Debbie turns her nose up to any kind of help from the outside, unless she is asking for it (which isn't often).  She has massive trust issues some would need a ladder to get over the gigantic wall she has seemingly built around her heart.  Also you must get past the gnome named “jiffy” who will undoubtedly have a few riddles a song and dance for you to preform prior to having access to her heart.  Needless to say you will have to put forth some effort to get this girl. Many have tried and very few have successfully succeeded or will succeed. 

Our newfound adventure starts when leaving the world of “Relationship Land” and finally getting out on her own.  While walking down the steep narrow red brick road path she finds an off beaten, and tattered dirt road trail she finds curiously familiar, but different. While walking down this beaten path she is greeted by a White Rabbit for fun we will call him “Roger.”  He greets her with a smile but is on a time crunch and has to run.  Typically Roger the “White Rabbit” is always a little too busy, and usually blind to the needs of Debbie. Roger is the type that when a woman walks away from them or I guess more so when he runs from her, she finds herself still yearning for more.  Still feeling drawn to him.  This is the guy, the girl will write massive texts to begging for some form of an answer as to why she wasn't good enough, why he never gave her more time.  However the most basic answer ladies I can tell you about this type, is you in his mind, were never his, and he was never yours.  He never took you seriously.  He never saw himself being long term with you.  So while drawing you in, keeping you guessing and making you feel more curious about him.  He is not thinking of you at all.  In fact you are just a mere side bitch in his world currently.  I’m sorry, but I'm not sorry.  You will forever be stuck in this zone with him because you are saying it’s ok by allowing it to continue.  

Debbie goes on to feel his distance, but unfortunately for her is still curious and still feeling that magnetic pull to him. So Debbie proceeds to push him away further and by now he is running, sprinting and hurdling to get away from you. While doing so Debbie sees Roger jump into a very dark, deep hole.  All of a sudden he disappears, he's gone.  She looks inside the hole and just as she is peeking her head inside she loses her footing and falls in.  

Deeper and Deeper she falls, feeling dizzy and near vomiting at the sheer terror she is sure to be facing.  Completely unaware of what will become of her at the bottom of this hole.  She finally comes to a stop, and is safe but a little damaged from the fall.  She picks herself up, reads the sign and realizes she's exactly where she wanted and chose to be.  This beautiful but dark land has a large green sign at the entrance that states “Welcome to Companion Land, where we don't promise that any of your dreams will ever come true.  Population:124.6 million.” (Of course thats a real number of how many single people there are in America alone. ) So the adventure begins as she proceeds to take her very first steps into companion land.  Nervous, scared, bruised, but excited as she begins her journey.   

While walking she is talking to herself, she looks like a crazy person to people who could be passing or watching her from afar, but to her she is processing.  Processing that pain that is left within her heart.  Just as she is finishing up her therapy session with herself she is taken aback when a caterpillar larger than the other ones approaches her.  “This shit is starting to get weird” she thinks to herself.  Were off to a smashing start, one so good that would only be best compared to the shit show that would be two hulk sized men combined, most certainly high on ketamine.  Either way it was what it was and Debbie needed to face this one head on as well.  

“Whooooo are you?”  He asks in a very condescending manner.  Debbie responds “I hardly even know anymore sir, because I’ve changed so many times just this morning and I know I am not the person I was before.”  She goes on to tell him a little of her adventure thus far and the tale of Roger, whom is so far off in the distance now that she is merely calling him a tale and not her current present situational hurt.  The caterpillar or for the pure excitement of this story we’ll call him “Caleb” goes on to share his side of things as well.  Except when he explains his situation he is defensive and already waiting for her to judge him for who he once was.  Caleb doesn’t even realize she comes from a place of pain as well and is far from judging him for his past trials and tribulations.  

Caleb is quick witted, has a sharp tongue that gets used in terrible ways at times, he is better than most everyone at anything he puts his mind to, and he financially does very well for himself.  He is smart to a point where he is awkwardly suave with women. He flashes tales of how he spends his earnings and how he makes his earnings turning only the shallow, fleeting women onto him.  A girl of substance is not impressed by this.  She finds him impressive for the other things he possesses. Also his tale of his trails in “Companion Land” Debbie finds equally appealing and intriguing.  She yearns to learn more about him.  He lets her in for a mere second only to take it back from her as quickly as it was given.  Caleb is a guarded man. He is not a bad man for being so guarded, he just might have a much larger wall built around his heart including, but not limited to the leprechaun that guards his heart that will make you leap over a rainbow and guess the a number between one and a million unfortunately Debbie didn't see all that until it was much too late. Realizing this journey will not be complete here, she decides to press forward.  Again, still a little damaged, however this time a bit more understanding.  

She continues her trails on the off beaten path, still talking to herself.  Finding herself more curious where the road is to end, and what will be there when she completes it.  The hurt was surface level only this time, as she didn't quite let the walls down completely with Caleb.  The thing with guarded people is the only true thing they face when being rejected in such a way after not fully letting their wall down is a broken ego.  Which fortunately for her is a lot easier to get over than a broken heart.  So she moves on, this time feeling hopeful and ready to meet someone new.

Alice is a wanderer, she wanders with no care in the world and begins to space out entirely.  When walking she is surprised when an image appears in the clouds.  The clouds start to come down in a fog like motion, this time it feels dangerous and scary, but exciting.  She is enjoying herself far too much for what is actually happening.  Finally out of the fog, comes what looks to be a cat.  A Cheshire Cat. One that looks alarmingly familiar to that of a Disney movie character.  However this one has a name.  “Hi I saw you from afar and thought it would be a good time to introduce myself, I’m Chester.”  She was so thrilled to be meeting someone so new, and he seemed so exciting she goes on to give away her position of excitement far too quickly. “Hey Chester, I’m so happy to meet you, you have no idea.  I have just been walking this path wondering if I’d meet anyone else.  I have to say I’m glad its you.”  Chester backs up a little bit just to give her a non-verbal warning sign to take it down a notch, however sadly for him she has not taken notice and she takes another step further into his personal bubble.  This dance she is playing with him is dangerous as he is one that will spook very easy.  His history actually suggests not to ever get too close as he fades away a lot. 

 Chester is unpredictable, cunning, mysterious, sneaky and typically a bit of a comical relief which is why people get hooked to his personality.  You will never see Chester when you’d like to see him.  You will only see him when he feels he would like to utilize his time to see you. You often times are lost in thought when speaking to him but only because you consistently on a regular basis  wondering what could possibly be on his mind today.  He refuses to tell you his day to day and the way he comes in and out of your life is downright intolerable.  However Debbie is weak and allows this behavior to continue because she is lonely.  She has not found herself yet in this newfound land and is seeking that self inside of the men she has met thus far.  She is sad but puts on a face for Chester each time in her journey he has come to see her.  She doesn't want to lead on that he has disappointed her.  Instead she tends to give him more of herself to the point of being completely emotionally drained. To which in turn he uses this newfound attachment against her and finds a way to use her for his own personal punching bag.  With each blow she grows weaker and weaker.  Her ego is completely tossed away at this point as she is begging for an inch of her old life back.  

She asks why and how is a man capable of making a someone feel so terrible about themselves.  (fully knowing it is more than likely a fault that could only be found within herself)  He goes on to tell her its only because “she is mad and everyone in this world is mad”.. Debbie frantically replies “But, Chester I don't want to get myself back out there among mad people.”  “Oh but you can't help that Debbie, were all mad, you're mad, I'm mad, everyone.”  Chester replies.  “How could you possibly know I'm mad” Debbie defensively remarks “You must be” said Chester “or you wouldn't have come here.”  See Relationship land was comfortable, inviting, familiar.  This land was so far full of ache, and pain mixed with a few good times that were less memorable.  She was near ready to go back, but she knew at this point she was too deep to turn back now.  Chester is gone again, which was no surprise.  Debbie knew he would be and eventually he would fade away for good.  But for now, while still weak she would patiently wait for his return until she got strong enough to say no more.  She is still waiting on this moment.  Thankfully before leaving again the last time Chester pointed Debbie to a direction that seemed to be a little less rocky and a provide a much smoother path much more meant for walking on.  

Along this path is when she sees the sun start to shine down on her and for the first time in a very long time and for the first time on this journey she is feeling the warmth that is the sun.  She is smiling again and feeling whole.  Along this cheery disposition that is her new life she begins to think about Chester again. Wondering what he's up to, and when he will reappear again.  Its in this moment while lost in thought and stuck inside her head daydreaming she runs right into two men who are oddly standing in the dead center of the road in her direct path.  She stops as she is not able to get past them and is confused.  She looks at them with big doe eyes and begins to glare at them.  She loudly wails “excuse me!”  They both continue to stare blankly at her blinded by her beauty.  Almost as if they have never seen a girl so captivating, intriguing and when she talked they could tell she was educated and a true diamond in the rough.  Both men were eager to know her. 

 This is your Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum however again for the stories sake they introduced themselves as “Tad and Tim.”   “Oh hi”, she awkwardly replied “I am Debbie, however I am walking this long journey and I have plans so I must be going now.”  She proceeds to walk the path as they follow her.  “Listen boys, I am not really looking for anyone right now to walk this journey with me so I’m going to continue on.  Its nothing against you I just have people to meet.”  They appear hurt and withdrawn, but still waiting and watching her every move.  Tim asks Debbie “but why can't we join that journey and maybe even walk a little together?” Debbie is taken back, this is the first man who has actually pursued her, wanted her love, longed to be around her instead of the other way around.  They were content with just her.  It was an insane thought but she thought just maybe this could be my end game, the end of my long journey.  Still feeling from the loss of Chester in her life and his absence becoming longer and longer she said to herself “what the hell, how do you know unless you try?”   

She decides to walk this smooth more frequently traveled path with Tim and even Tad.  See, these men are the road most traveled because they are your man who tries to fricken hard.  They are the guy you are not challenged enough by.  See some will settle for this man because he is easy, willing to bend in ways most men shouldn't and he is sweet.  However this kind of girl just sees him as boring.  Her life, and world is treated as an adventure.  How could she possibly settle for an easy road kind of guy?  She needs a man who banters with her, makes her work for it (not in a mean, vicious way)  in a way that teaches her he is a prize to be won as well.  She finds Tim and Tad annoying the more he puts himself in her path, blocking her way rather than walking beside her as he promised he would initially.  He longs to lock her down, and quickly because he sees her for the prize she is.  However she's not looking for this type and she can already see things in him that will not work long term.  She knows she has to move on despite the kind, honest and caring men they are.  Again this is a fault she sees and accepts within herself and someday the man along her journey is going to find her, and be all of these things she just hasn't found yet.  She explains these things to Tim and Tad and walks away with her head hung low knowing she broke his heart but her heart did not belong to him.  

Our less than faithful, comical favorite Cheshire Cat, Chester has yet to reappear back into our lives, so while that hope has been dashed Debbie continues her journey.  There is no other way to go now, except forward and we've gone far too far to go back.  So continue on, we must go.  Just as all hope was lost, and most of all her ego is gone she spots a white tale.  Her heart sinks to the floor and she forces herself through the rosed thorny bush to see beyond the tall grass where she spotted the tale.  She is filled with an ample amount of emotions as she watches him still off in the distance eating what looks to be a carrot.  She approaches, this time slowly.  She doesn’t want to spook him as she did before.  He spots her just as she is approaching him.  He goes to make a run for it but at this point she is far to close and near facing him.  It would not only be awkward to walk away but also there wasn't very many places he could run.  He was now facing her head on.  The only words she could leak from her mouth were questions of why.  She knew she was coming on strong but she had no better way to approach the pain that filled her with so much doubt to her decision to even come to this land.  After all this whole thing started chasing him into the mysterious black hole.  She said “Roger, I saw my future beginning and ending with you, Why?”  “Debbie” Roger exclaimed with his head hung lower than normal “I have no words as to why, just you weren't right for me and while you weren't right for me you will find your happily ever after, I am sorry.” While she knew it was the end of this happily ever after she felt closure.  It was enough for her to continue on, leaving him behind not looking back to even see if he watched her walk away.  She didn’t care.  He didn't hold her future.  He wouldn't be the ticket back to “Relationship land” and she made peace with that.  

She walks away ego bruised but still upright and proud from the last and final interaction with the man that made her chase him through “Companionship Land.”  

While walking still talking and reminiscing on her previous adventures she is dropped to her knees again and quickly when seeing a beautiful, hilarious, whimsical but oddly perplexing kind of man.  He intrigues her, and draws her in with his sheer beauty, the way. he moves, when he laughs how his whole face crinkles.  She smiles at the mere vision of his laughter.  He looks damaged, but beautifully damaged.  Not the kind of guy who needs saving, just the kind that might need a friend. He clearly has a crowd around him as he always does, but she knows she has to make her way to the center of that crowd if she wants him to notice her.  She at first blends herself in, but keeps herself in straight line of view.  She wants to be noticed, not seem desperate.  She continues to draw herself in closer and closer to him.  She goes in so close she now blends in with the crowd and begins to create friendships.  He notices her laughing with a friend and feels curious about her as he is drawn to her as well.  He gets closer to her but not enough to actually have to talk to her, but enough for her to realize he has now noticed her as well.  

This man is non other than your classic “Mad Hatter.”  However in this case his name is Mark.  Mark is everything as earlier described.  In fact he is probably everything her dream man could possibly be and look like.  He offers just enough challenge to keep her entertained, enough love to fulfill her every need and he is just as funny if not more funny than her.  He's amazing in every way, but thats only scratching the surface of Mark.  Mark approaches Debbie with a smile and continues to wow her with his charm, wit and pure entertainer status that mirrors hers completely.  They start this journey knowing each other are capable of fulfilling the other however as we know no life is a fairy tale and this is no exception to that rule.  

Scratching only the surface of this man who enjoys celebrating very merry unbirthdays and classically going out of his mind on occasion he fits in perfectly into companion land.  I’m not sure he is ready for Relationship land so they decide to walk a little slower.  Debbie is feeling emotionally attached at this point to this man.  She had no idea once again the heartbreak that might be finding her at the end of this tunnel.  See Mark moves at a much slower pace, however she is in love and could care less about his pace, even though its been best compared to that of a slug.  Women are unbelievable when it comes to being ok with things we’d never be ok with if we didn't have the emotional attachment.  Sadly we get emotionally attached before fully knowing all the things there are to know about this human, most because your heart is eager and your mind is a thinker. I say this because there are things that are unknown about the lovable Mad Hatter Mark.  He is a bad boy.  The absolute worst kind even, because someday when you call him out and when you tell this tale of this relationship no one will believe he is capable of the things you underwent.  

Unfortunately due to your attachment you will undergo an unnecessary amount of verbal and possible physical abuse prior to getting yourself out of this situation.  He uses drugs, usually uppers like Cocaine and Meth, sometimes appears positively mad. Some looking at the dysfunction might even say he is an undiagnosed man with bi-polar disorder.  So because Debbie found this out after her heart decided to foolishly jump in with both feet she's attached.  Despite her mind screaming at her “get the fuck out bitch!”  Unfortunately the heart wins these battles far more often because a broken heart feels much worse than a foolish mind.  Debbie spent many lonely sad days trying to make sense of him and often times told him he was positively mad to which he would always reply.  “Yes Debbie, I’ve gone mad, completely bonkers..but let me let you in on a secret, all the best people are!”  He tried to bring her down multiple times to the level he felt so comfortable on. It made him uncomfortable to have a woman that openly did not approve his actions he longed for approval for the things they both knew he would never receive from a pearl like Alice.  This road they were walking took a major halt and with two roads in front of them they knew they had to choose.  Walk this road together, or go separate ways.  They both decided they would go separate ways, both broken and hurting and foolishly hearing and feeling the pain that is a heart breaking.  

So here we are at the end of the journey.  There is still so much walking to be done for Debbie because her journey is far from over in Companion land however this is just one of the many problems in this world.  There are many times in the time of making my stories I have asked men and women to tell me their greatest love story.  The realness of the situation is every time these people have gone on to tell me this beautiful story filled with so much emotion and passion until they get to the end where they almost always end with the split road decision.  Leaving them choosing the separate paths that might someday lead back to one another but most of the time it ends grim and were left with another heart break under our belts.  Just remember when walking your path in Companion land... Your brain has no heart. You heart has no brain.  So when you speak  and make decisions with your mind you’ll seem heartless.  When you speak and make decisions with your heart you’ll seem thoughtless.  They don't work together and often times choosing one to trust is where and how you get yourself out of the land of pain and beauty.  

[swipestream]

SENSOR SWEEP: Tedious Dice Rolling, Indulgent Spaces, Mary Sue Agitprop Vectors, and Required Reading

Comics (The Last Redoubt) WHY REBEL, AND NOT THE STRIPES — “Like it or not, a flag that was to some a symbol of states that fought to preserve a system that included slavery, and is associated purely with that by some, is to many, including some blacks who’s forefathers fought for the south, a symbol of gallantry, bravery, and resolve in the face of fire and fury, wrack and ruin. Of doing what is perceived, rightly or wrongly in the test of time, as right instead of what is popular. Of not backing down. That flag flew over WW2, in Korea, and in Vietnam.”

D&D (Ultanya) Twenty Questions with Rose Estes — “No, I never played the game. I was drawn by the stories but had little to absolutely no interest in all of the dice rolling which seemed tedious and worse, interrupted the flow of the narrative. I realize this is heresy, but so be it. Few things in my life have had as major an influence on my life and creating the person I am than reading, so, despite my lack of formal training, I am first and foremost, a storyteller and that was always the impetus behind the books.”

Traveller (Tales to Astound) The Expectations of a Traveller Referee at the Start of the Hobby — “The fact remains in countless cases judgments have to be made on the part of the Referee in any RPG. Now, there are two paths here: One is to encourage people to become better Referees through advice and practice. The other is to take the responsibilities of being a capable Referee away from Referees and shift those responsibilities to the text of the roleplaying game itself. For the most part the hobby followed the second path. The rules and text changed (and have continued to change) to move the Referee away from being the impartial arbiter of actions and situations during play and into the role of applying rules from the rulebook. And this has become the default assumption of the RPG hobby.”

D&D (Playing at the World) D&D In the News (1976): Fazzle on the Ryth — “Although Duffy does not spell ‘orc’ as we would, you would be hard-pressed to find an earlier mainstream press mention of displacer beasts or umber hulks. Many early journalists had trouble comprehending the D&D game, but Duffy fares pretty well, especially in how he faithfully relates that the original published system was really just guidelines. As he summarizes, ‘Essentially, what you get is a rule book, and the players wing it from there — modifying rules and adapting as they go along.'”

RPGs (Walker’s Retreat) How To RPG: This Is How It’s Done — “This is how it’s done, folks. You don’t dictate a narrative. You don’t run a railroad. You don’t sit there and react to events. You have to be pro-active as a player, and as the Game Master you have to be Crom- unyielding and uncaring, favoring none and letting fate play out as it will. Death of a PC isn’t anything to cry about; shrug it off, get a fresh sheet, and get on with rerolling a new guy. When players earn their wins, let them have and enjoy them; villains and monsters are there to be slain and looted, not mourned or complained about. Let the survivors tell the tales; the play is the thing at the table- not any pre-determined events or outcomes.”

Pulp Revolution (Bibliorati) HINDI PULP—VIMAL! — “Known as the father of Hindi pulp crime fiction, Surender Mohan Pathak has written close to 300 novels, including 60+ standalone thrillers, 120+ adventures of crime reporter Sunil, 22+ investigations of the Philosopher Detective Sudhir, and 42 of his anti-hero Vimal crime thrillers. While working a full-time job in Delhi with Indian Telephone Industries, Pathak began his writing career in the early 1960s translating Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels and the works of James Hadley Chase into the Hindi language. His first original story, The Man 57 Years Old, was published in 1959, followed by his first full length novel, featuring his crime reporter series character Sunil, in 1963.”

Fake D&D in the News (The New Yorker) The Uncanny Resurrection of Dungeons & Dragons — “A decade ago, when developers attempted to bring Dungeons & Dragons into the twenty-first century by stuffing it with rules so that it might better resemble a video game, the glue of the game, the narrative aspect that drew so many in, melted away. Players hacked monsters to death, picked up treasure, collected experience points, and coolly moved through preset challenges. The plotters of the game’s fifth edition seemed to remember that D. & D.’s strength lay in creating indulgent spaces (get lost in your gnomish identity, quest or don’t, spend time flirting in the tavern) and opposing whatever modes of human industry prevailed among the broader public. D. & D. now has vastly simpler rules than those found in an iTunes terms-and-conditions agreement.”

Comics (PJ Media) Prominent Conservative Artists Blacklisted Because of Involvement with Alt*Hero Comics Series — “The fact that a comics publisher, of any political stripe, would refuse to utilize the work of an accomplished illustrator like Timothy Lim simply because he worked with someone else they don’t like is absurd, but more importantly, it is proof that they are less interested in producing quality content than they are in pursuing approval from social justice warriors.”

Information is the Death of Narrative (Lewis Pulsipher) Video Games as a Vehicle of Imagination — “Games through the ages have let people make their own stories, with no pretension of telling them a story (that’s what novels, plays, films are for). This is what the video game industry often loses sight of: games are enjoyable because of what you DO, not because of what you see or hear. Technology is not necessary to good games….”

The Pulps (Paul Lucas) Weird Tales’ female readership — “In the early 1940s, Weird Tales decided to start up a fan organisation called the Weird Tales Club, and they listed the new members in their letter column, The Eyrie…. I’ve looked at all the other issues for the initial run (1923 to 1954) and this is the only list of members that I can find. Check out the breakdown by sex. There are 60 new members of the Weird Tales Club, but going by names, at least 16 of these were women. That’s 27%. If we take Avis to be a woman’s name (the infallible internet says it is), and Eleanot as a misspelling for Eleanor, that makes 18 women, or 30%.”

RPGs (Walker’s Retreat) Time to Sift Out the Wanna-Be Henchmen — “The reason that proper play went away is because of two major threads. The first is that the founding generation and cohort worked off a set of assumptions that turned out to not be as obvious as they thought. The second is that the succeeding cohorts, especially once videogames took off and became the primary gaming medium, acculturated to a very passive paradigm of gameplay for no more nefarious a reason than because videogames work best that way.”

Publishing (The Federalist) How Never-Satisfied Social Justice Mobs Are Ruining YA Book Publishing — “If publishing houses want to see their trends turn positive, they need to look at what independent authors are doing to gain market share. Thinking outside the box and creating something different from what others are doing in the field is what defines great literary works, not repeating the same thing because it’s the only safe space allowed for an author to write.”

Pulp Revolution (Kairos) The Fire Rises — “Note to J.J. Abrams and Larry Kasdan: it’s possible to write an action girl who can swing a burning hurt stick and read minds without making her an insufferable Mary Sue agitprop vector. It’s not a violation of some SFF blasphemy law to show female characters having vulnerabilities, making mistakes, and even plagued with besetting vices that sometimes gravely imperil herself and others.”

RPGs (The Mixed GM) Gamma World 1E… Why Did They Make A Second Edition? — “Because there are no classes, when you gain enough XP to level up, instead of gaining a class ability, you roll on a chart to see what you get (such as +1 to an attribute or +1 to hit). There is something freeing about the random rolls for almost everything. In other systems, if your character is garbage, it is your fault that you did not properly optimize your ‘character build’. However, in this game, if your character is awful, it is the dice. It isn’t your fault. But, through clever play, you can overcome the limitations of your character.”

RPGs (The Last Redoubt) Gamma World — “I will say this – Jeffro plays in a very open-table friendly way, as I’ve also described. The campaign centers around the town. There’s always an excuse for someone new to pop in. Unlike Traveller campaigns that move around, the small time scale to find things and go places provides more of an excuse as to why someone isn’t available for one foray but is the next.”

Television (SuperversiveSF) The STD that will Never go Viral — “When Michael returns, she leaves med bay to storm the bridge, demanding that it’s the Klingons, therefore we must attack them now. Because that’s how first contact protocols work (In this timeline, no one has talked to a Klingon in 100 years. Vulcans just shoot first, and never ask questions. Yes, really.) In order to get the Klingons to decloak, Michael says “Target them!!!” Upon further study, the massive space station is really … a glorified tomb, covered in coffins. And she had them target it. Because all anthropologists want to blow up culture.”

History (Hyperallergic) The Rise and Fall of the Viking “Allah” Textile — “The truth is, the Viking textile from Birka has no Arabic on it at all. Evidence for contact between the Vikings and the Islamic world is abundant and uncontested, but this particular textile fragment cannot be counted among that evidence. What the rapid rise and fall of this story reveals is perhaps more telling about this particular moment in our accelerated media world than it is about Vikings and Muslims.”

Pulp Revolution (Wasteland and Sky) The Revolution is Here! — “I sat down, wrote it up, edited it, and submitted it, all in a few hours. I wanted to embody the pulp spirit with every aspect of submission, and, thankfully, it was accepted! Other than a few line and clarification edits, this story is largely the same as it was when I put it through at pulp speed.”

Movies (Benjamin Cheah Kai Wai) Thor: Ragnarok and the Rejection of Myth — “Thor: Ragnarok acknowledges no morals and celebrates no virtues, it elevates no gods and eschews the epic, it sacrifices the mythic in exchange for lame winks at the audience. If this is the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, I want no more of it.”

Movies (Tor.com) The Exorcist TV Series Subverts Its Own Troubled Franchise — “Mannnn are women ever evil in the Exorcist movies. Or, should I say, adult female sexuality is evil and dangerous to society. Actually, scratch that—any sexuality is dangerous. The ads for The Exorcist, and much of the criticism around it, focus on the idea that it’s about an outside evil attacking purity and innocence, in the form of a demon targeting a young, sweet-natured girl. But when you look at the development of the book and film, it becomes apparent that a deep discomfort with gender and sex were coded into it from the beginning.”

Appendix N (Black Gate) In Search of a new Weird Tales: An Interview with Joseph Goodman, Howard Andrew Jones, and the Talking Skull! — “In the 1982 edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Master’s Guide, the creator included an obscure bibliography. It was Appendix N, the 14th appendix in the book, where he listed the works of fiction that inspired him to create D&D. That list has since become notorious. It is now a de facto ‘required reading list’ for diehard fans of the game. Well, I read every book on the list over the course of many years, and it piqued my interest in vintage fantasy novels. The list includes names like Fritz Leiber, Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, Jack Vance, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Abraham Merritt, Jack Williamson, Manly Wade Wellman, and others. What do these authors have in common? They got their start in pulp fantasy magazines from the early 20th century.”

SENSOR SWEEP: Tedious Dice Rolling, Indulgent Spaces, Mary Sue Agitprop Vectors, and Required Reading published first on http://ift.tt/2zdiasi