#our dm also has been naming all of our sessions

[randomcreator-09]

Small Heath's Songbird: Christmas Eve Special (Thomas ShelbyxOCY/N)

(GIF ain't mine > I forgor ack pls dm me if it's yours)

ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH THIS SCENE MADE ME WANNA EXPLODE XD

Part One - Part Two

>>>MINORS DNI<<<

✨Pure fluff, Lil Angst, No Grace, Smut >:D [pnv (wrap it before you tap it), slight choking, bottom!dom Tommy, switch!dom reader, overstimulation(m&f)] Happy Ending ^^ (cuz I've had enough bad endings irl TvT)✨

🐧Hoe Hoe Hoe all of us HAHAHAHAHAHHA XD. I hope ya'll getting laid this Christmas Eve cuz, I aint X"D. Anyways you do not need to read part one... this can be just a one-shot itself, but fair warning you might not understand who our OCY/N is so... yeah... go read part one XD Tried to make it as short as possible since it's just a special but seemingly failed :"D but ey... Merry Christmas ^^!!!🐧

Own character description but it's Y/N POV

3.2k words

REBLOG TO SPREAD ADDICTION and kudos are appreciated too thank you ^^

Enjoy reading ^^

Part One - Part Two

-----

It has been more than a week since your last encounter with the owner of Arrow House, Thomas. Your first kiss with him last December 15th was something that kept you giddy to work as soon as the morning sun rose and before Miss Florence could knock at your door to wake you up, your room was already empty.

You went with your usual routine of sweeping off dust on paintings and sculptures, careful not to break or tear anything. This wasn't the first house you became a personal maid for someone, you've basically worked as a royal made once before getting kicked out by the head maid for "Eloping" with her man (which you didn't. The man was just accusing you because you said no to all his advances, which ended up with you on the whore house with 'Missus'). Humming as you cleaned and twirled, Miss Florence saw you and turned away with a smile.

-----

However, as fast as you were giddy that day, it was also punched right out you when you were called to attend to one of Thomas's whores.

"Ah! Y/N?" She slutterly (is that even a word??? XD) mentioned your name as she walked around you with the same dark coat Thomas had placed upon your shoulders to keep you warm yesterday.

"Yes." you muttered between gritted teeth, trying not to yank the coat away from her filthy body.

"Mmm... Mr. Shelby kept mentioning that name in our session." She said with great despise. That information had your body in tingles. 'My name? in sex? in a normal convo? with another woman?' this came up to mind as the whore walked away after wafting her hair and up the stairs to Thomas's room, possibly to regain his favours to her.

Questions bursts out your mind to the thought that was left behind. "...Mr. Shelby kept mentioning that name..." but why?

-----

After that day, you have never seen Thomas again in Arrow House. Miss Florence said he was on a business trip somewhere and would not be back till Christmas. That gave you time to think and to reflect on the kiss. AND to that whores last comment on their 'sessions'. Weird enough you thought that maybe she just heard it wrong, if not wrong then... why?

That had your mind busy for the rest of the week. Although with all the chores in hand, it made you forget Thomas easily. Suddenly remembering that the audition to the Garrison bar was going to be held on Christmas Eve. You had asked Miss Florence to be excused for that day, which she allowed.

-----

"Y/N!" a familiar voice called out to you through the swirling snow. You turned and saw ‘Missus,’ bundled in her thick, patched-up coat, her breath visible in the cold air as she waved enthusiastically.

“Missus,” you greeted her with a smile, tugging your own coat tighter around you as the wind picked up. Despite the chill in the air, her warmth was contagious.

“Still don’t know why you’re wastin’ that voice of yours on dusty houses. Tonight’s your chance, love. Show ‘em what you’re made of!” she declared, stepping closer. Her cheeks were flushed, whether from the cold or the drink she’d likely had before venturing out, you couldn’t tell.

“Didn’t think you’d actually come,” you teased lightly, though you were secretly glad to have her there.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she replied, giving your shoulder a reassuring squeeze. “Now, let’s get inside before we freeze to death.”

The two of you entered the Garrison, the warmth and chaos of the pub hitting you like a wave. The air was thick with smoke and laughter, and the smell of ale lingered heavily. At the center of it all was a rather tone-deaf singer, standing on the makeshift stage, belting out a rowdy tune. Her pitch was so off that even the drunkest men in the room winced occasionally.

The pub owner, Harry, stood near the bar, shaking his head. “Alright, that’s enough! Off you go!” he barked, waving her down.

The woman staggered off, her cheeks burning as the crowd erupted in laughter and went back to their conversations. Harry rubbed his temple, muttering to himself as he reached for another pint.

Missus nudged you forward with her elbow. “Go on, love.”

You hesitated, your nerves getting the better of you, but Missus had no patience for second-guessing. She marched you straight to Harry. “Oy, Harry!”

The man turned, clearly unimpressed. “What now?”

“She’s here for the audition,” Missus announced proudly, gesturing to you like you were already a star.

Harry raised a skeptical brow, his eyes raking over you lazily. “You sing, do ya?”

“Yes,” you replied, your voice firmer than you felt inside.

“Sure, why not,” he said with a shrug. “You lot are all bloody awful anyway. The men are drunk enough, so go ahead—ruin my ears like the rest of ‘em.” He waved a dismissive hand toward the stage.

Before you could argue or even steady your nerves, Missus grabbed your arm and practically dragged you toward the stage. “That’s my girl!” she shouted, her voice echoing over the clamor of the pub. She plopped herself down at a table near the front, pint in hand, cheering you on with the enthusiasm of ten people.

You stood on the small stage, feeling the weight of every eye in the room—except for the ones you wanted most. Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Thomas and his brothers seated in the far-right corner, engrossed in their own conversation. Thomas was leaning back in his chair, cigarette in hand, his expression unreadable. His brothers were equally disinterested, laughing at some joke you couldn’t hear over the din.

Taking a deep breath, you stepped closer to the piano and sat, your hands trembling slightly as you placed it on the notes. The room began to quiet down, curious about the new face on stage.

>>>>MOOSIC<<<<

As the first notes of “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear” left the piano chords, the pub seemed to hold its breath. As you started to sing though that's when everyone was in awe. The soft, ethereal melody floated through the room, starkly different from the raucous atmosphere moments ago.

"It came upon the midnight clear,

that glorious song of old,

from angels bending near the earth

to touch their harps of gold:

"Peace on the earth, good will to men,

from heaven's all-gracious King."

The world in solemn stillness lay,

to hear the angels sing."

You glanced around as you sang. Some of the patrons were swaying gently, their mugs forgotten for a moment. Harry stood behind the bar, his usual gruffness replaced with a look of mild surprise. Missus was, of course, beaming at you, her pint raised high in salute.

And then your gaze landed on Thomas. He was no longer leaning back in his chair, his cigarette halfway to his lips, forgotten. His sharp blue eyes were fixed on you, and for a moment, it felt as though the rest of the pub had melted away.

His brothers seemed to notice his sudden silence, exchanging glances before following his gaze to the stage. But Thomas didn’t move. He simply watched, his expression a mix of curiosity and something deeper—something that sent a thrill through you as you hit the chorus:

"Peace on the earth, goodwill to men,

from Heaven’s all-gracious King..."

Your voice grew stronger, more confident, as the room continued to listen in hushed awe.

"Still through the cloven skies they come

with peaceful wings unfurled,

and still their heavenly music floats

o'er all the weary world;"

Your voice rang clear and steady now, weaving through the smoky air like a hymn in a sacred hall. The clamor of the pub had ceased entirely, save for the occasional clink of a glass or the creak of a chair as someone shifted to get a better view.

"Above its sad and lowly plains,

they bend on hovering wing,

and ever o'er its Babel sounds

the blessed angels sing."

Your eyes swept across the room as the words spilled effortlessly from your lips, each note carrying a haunting beauty. The drunkards, their mugs poised mid-air, watched you with wide eyes. Missus raised her pint higher, tears glinting in her eyes as she mouthed along with the words, clearly as proud as any mother watching her child’s first recital.

But it was Thomas’s gaze that kept pulling you back. He was leaning forward now, his elbows on the table, his piercing blue eyes locked on you with an intensity that made your heart falter mid-note. His brothers were as amused as Thomas was, their quiet singing along going unnoticed by him as he remained transfixed.

The pub faded into a blur around you, and for a moment, it was just you and him. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly, not quite a smile, but something softer, something rare. It made you feel both seen and exposed, like he was peeling back every layer of your soul with just a look.

You closed your eyes, letting the final verses of the carol guide you.

"For lo! the days are hastening on,

by prophet bards foretold,

when with the ever-circling years

comes round the age of gold;

when peace shall over all the earth

its ancient splendors fling,

and the whole world give back the song

which now the angels sing."

The last note hung in the air, delicate and trembling, before dissolving into the stillness.

The room erupted in applause, shattering the quiet spell you’d cast. Missus was on her feet, cheering loud enough to make up for anyone who wasn’t clapping. Harry nodded approvingly from the bar, a rare grin on his face.

And then there was Thomas. He didn’t clap, didn’t cheer, but his eyes said enough. There was something unspoken there, something electric that left you breathless as you stepped off the stage.

Missus grabbed you the moment your feet touched the floor, pulling you into a bear hug. “That’s my girl!” she hollered, spinning you around.

-----

As the noise swelled back into the room and the drunken revelry resumed, you glanced toward the far-right corner one last time. Thomas was no longer were he was, you looked around to see his brothers were eyeing you. John was grinning from ear to ear as he tipped his hat to you, you gestured with a soft smile. Arthur, visibly high from whatever he took, winked at you, making your soft smile widen a bit at the gesture as you shook your head continuing your drink with missus.

"Got a voice young lady, you ain't no whore like missus here ain't you?" Harry asked as he passed you your glass of water (you don't drink, taking care of your voice).

"No sir," you said in a hushed tone as missus and Harry glared knives at each other, clearly having a mental fight.

"Alright! you got the gig, every Saturday at noon. Don't be late." he huffed as he tended to other customers on the pub.

You beamed as you silently squealed with Missus. You now had enough jobs to be able to earn and go for an adventure; now it's just time to earn until-

Your reverie was cut short when a sudden familiar voice lingered behind you.

“Looking for me, darling?” His voice carried that familiar gruffness, the edges softened by something you couldn’t quite place.

You turned, startled but delighted. “Thomas,” you breathed, standing instinctively. His sharp blue eyes met yours, and for a moment, the entire pub seemed to dissolve around you.

“You’ve got a voice, Y/N,” he said, his tone quieter now, almost reverent. “Had the whole pub hanging on your every note. Even Arthur stopped his nonsense to listen.”

A faint blush crept up your neck at his words. “Thank you,” you murmured, your gaze falling briefly to the floor.

“I mean it,” he pressed. “Didn’t know you had that in you. If I’d known, I’d have dragged you to sing long ago.”

You smiled shyly but then felt the weight of a lingering question pull you back. Gathering your courage, you glanced up at him. “Thomas... about something the other day…”

He raised an eyebrow, waiting.

You inhaled deeply, your words tumbling out before your nerves could catch you. “That woman. Back at the Arrow House. She said you... mentioned my name. During her... visit.”

For the first time, you saw Thomas falter. His jaw tightened, and he cleared his throat, glancing away. “Ah, bloody hell,” he muttered under his breath, raking a hand through his hair.

“Well?” you prompted, your heart pounding.

He sighed, cursing himself softly before meeting your gaze again. “I did,” he admitted, his voice quieter now. “She said somethin’ about loyalty or... some nonsense, and your name just... slipped out.”

“Slipped out?” you repeated, your brows arching.

“Can’t help what’s on my mind, love,” he said with a sheepish grin. “After our kiss in the kitchen that night I couldn't stop thinking about you, I couldn't possibly have you on your knees all of a sudden," he paused as he huffed another batch of his cigar. "You-your were a lady when I first saw you. Not a personal maid, so I fell for your soul and well voice now too and it’s going to be bloody distracting now that I have these in mind.”

He paused yet again, seemingly trying to recall all his thoughts, which were now visibly in jumbles. "I like to get to know you," he said as he stubbed his cigar dead on the ashtray. "It seemed like I've known you for years when we had just met that very day, and I won't be able to stop thinking about you now."

Your cheeks burned at his confession, and you averted your eyes, a small, flustered laugh escaping your lips. “Well, I... I suppose I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you either,” you confessed, your voice barely audible over the noise of the pub.

His grin widened, the rare softness in his expression making your heart stutter. “Then we’ve both been fools, haven’t we?” he murmured, stepping closer. “Let me make it right. Take you out. Like a real lady.”

Before you could answer, Missus yanked you back by the arm, her eyes narrowed. “Not so fast, lover boy,” she said, pointing a finger at Thomas. “I’m takin’ her home, since you two might start shagging when she goes back to Arrow House today.”

“Missus!" shocked by her boldness but not surprised as she was already dragging you toward the door.

“Tomorrow, then!” Thomas called after you, a smirk tugging at his lips.

-----(Present Day, December 25th)

The warmth of the fireplace cast a golden glow over the living room as your daughter sat cross-legged on the floor by the Christmas tree, her curious eyes fixed on you. “But Mommy! Missus says she did no such thing!” she exclaimed, giggling.

You shot a playful glare at Missus, who was sitting comfortably in the armchair by the fire, sipping her tea. “Oh, did she now?” you teased, shaking your head.

Missus laughed, her graying hair framing her face. “Don’t listen to her, love. I was just keeping your mother out of trouble.”

The room filled with laughter until a familiar voice interrupted. “Baby, Daddy needs Mommy for a while, yeah? Why don't you go and play with Missus for a while.” Thomas said, stepping into the room.

Your daughter lit up and nodded. “Okay, Daddy!” she chirped, running over to Missus with her toys in hand.

Thomas extended a hand to you, his expression as unreadable as ever but his eyes warm. As soon as you were in the hallway, he leaned closer. “What were you tellin’ her?”

You smiled, leaning into his touch. “Just the story of how we met. You know, the softer version.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Softer version, eh? Did you leave out the bit where I killed Luca Changretta for your hand?”

A laugh bubbled from your lips as you shook your head. “No, it’s a bit too brutal for a five-year-old, my dear Tommy.”

He smirked, his hands sliding over yours. “In time, then,” he murmured, his voice laced with affection. “But for now…”

Without warning, he scooped you up in his arms, carrying you effortlessly toward the stairs.

“Thomas!” you squealed, laughing loudly as you clung to him.

“Merry Christmas, love,” he whispered, his grin widening as he carried you up, your laughter echoing through the house.

-----(Thomas's POV)

Thomas scooped you into his arms, holding you close as though you were the most precious thing in his world. He started up the stairs, his steps steady yet unhurried.

“You don’t have to carry me, you know,” you said, a soft laugh escaping your lips.

He looked down at you, his eyes sparkling with mischief and affection. “Oh, I do. You’re my princess tonight—and every night.”

Your cheeks flushed as you playfully swatted his shoulder. “You’re so cheesy, Thomas.”

“Only for you,” he replied, leaning down to brush his lips against your forehead.

As he entered the room, he nudged the door shut with his foot and gently placed you on the bed. The golden glow of the fairy lights illuminated your face, making you look ethereal. He slowly placed you down onto your shared bed and paused, taking you in as if committing the moment to memory.

“You’re staring,” you teased, your lips curling into a soft smile.

“Can you blame me?” he replied, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. “You’re breathtaking.”

Your smile faltered, replaced by a look of vulnerability. “You make me feel that way,” you murmured.

He leaned in, capturing your lips in a tender kiss. “That’s because it’s true,” he said softly, his forehead resting against yours.

He began to trail kisses along your cheeks and down your neck, his movements slow and deliberate. “Tell me if I ever do too much,” he whispered against your skin, his breath warm and comforting.

“You could never do too much,” you replied, your voice steady but filled with emotion. “I trust you.”

His lips curved into a smile against your neck. “I’ll make sure you never regret that,” he said, his tone serious yet filled with love.

As your connection deepened, you let out a soft laugh. “You’re so gentle, Thomas. It’s like you’re afraid I’ll break.”

“I’m not afraid,” he replied, his voice a mix of playfulness and sincerity. “I just want you to know how much I adore you—every part of you.”

As he said those words, his lips were now down to yours. Tickling your lower abdomen with soft kisses and slowly licking your clit from top to the bottom, making you hiss in pleasure.

He couldn't get over the taste of you, finer than the whisky he drinks and the cigar he smokes. He can forget Ophium, when you are one addicting woman.

"Fuck... I love you Y/N" He mutters as he laps his wet tongue through your slit and holds your hips as you were twitching heavy. His thumb on your clit drawing circles slowly and at rhythm to his tongue.

When he hears you scream his name like a prayer his pants suddenly felt tight and he couldn't let it wait any longer, he had to make you cum on his mouth now or never.

"Cum for me baby. Please... Oh God Please let me taste you" as he enters his tongue in you and his nose nuzzled on your clit and fingers twisting your nipples, fast.

"Th-Thomas! I-I'm Ah!" and release you did. However that didn't stop him and he kept his ministering to you until you could feel that satisfying release on the depths of your stomach.

"Thomas! I... I might make a mess..." You plead him as you trashed on his grasp without avail for his biceps were locked on your hips and legs. "Then make a mess. I'd love to see you make a mess for me, love"

And you squirted on his mouth. As he slowly pulls himself away and smirks looking at your majestic image, "Fuck, love you look gorgeous".

He was about to come back down and devour you once more but you won't let that happen this Christmas day. So, when you took control, he couldn’t help but smile up at you as your fingers traced the sharp angles of his face. “You know, I don’t think I say this enough,” you said, your voice barely above a whisper.

“What’s that?” he asked, his hands resting on your hips as he gazed up at you, completely captivated.

“I love you,” you said simply, your words carrying the weight of your feelings.

His eyes softened, and a slow smile spread across his lips. “You don’t have to say it all the time. I feel it every moment I’m with you.”

When you finally lay side by side, your breaths still mingling, Thomas turned to you, his fingers brushing a strand of hair from your face. “You’re my everything, you know that?” he said softly.

You smiled, your eyes glistening. “You’re mine, too,” you replied.

He chuckled, his voice warm and low. “Merry Christmas, love.”

“Merry Christmas, Thomas,” you whispered back, as you kissed him softly on his lips.

Thomas groaned, a low sound of pleasure, as you shifted your position, straddling him. Inserting his cock to yours, His hands instinctively found your waist, holding you steady as you began to move. His breath hitched, and he looked up at you with an expression that was equal parts awe and adoration.

“You’re going to be the end of me,” he murmured, his voice strained yet teasing, as his hands tightened slightly on your hips, guiding your rhythm.

You leaned forward, your lips brushing his ear as you whispered, “I think you like it this way.”

A chuckle escaped him, though it quickly dissolved into another groan as you continued. His head fell back against the pillow, exposing his neck as he surrendered entirely to you. Your fingers slid to his jaw, tilting his face back toward you.

“Look at me,” you said softly, your voice firm but full of affection.

His eyes fluttered open, locking onto yours as your hand moved to his throat. You applied the slightest pressure, watching as his breath hitched and his gaze darkened.

“Is this okay?” you asked, pausing briefly to ensure he was comfortable.

Thomas’s hands slid up your sides, his grip reassuring. “Perfect,” he rasped, his voice thick with emotion.

You continued, your movements slow and deliberate, savoring the moment as much as he was. His hands roamed your body, occasionally tightening as he got closer to the edge.

“I’m not going to last,” he murmured, his voice strained.

You leaned down, pressing a kiss to his lips as you whispered, “Then don’t hold back, baby.”

Moments later, the tension in his body gave way, and he groaned your name, his voice heavy with release. You followed shortly after, your body trembling as you reached your peak.

Breathless, you collapsed onto his chest, his arms wrapping around you protectively. Neither of you spoke for a while, the only sound in the room being your steady breaths mingling together.

Thomas finally broke the silence, his voice soft and full of contentment. “Merry Christmas, love.”

You smiled against his chest, your fingers drawing lazy patterns on his skin. “Merry Christmas, Thomas.”

----

🐧Hopefully I ended that well :"D aha... mhen :"D I just wanted it to be cute and all since its christmas aha~ so merry christmas everyone ^^ have a happy holiday ^^🐧

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Part One - Part Two

[poppystripe]

URGENT HELP NEEDED TO GET MYSELF AND MY PARTNER OUT OF OUR TOXIC HOUSEHOLDS

I only ever made a post for a fursuit that is already taken but I’m in a pretty desperate situation and I hate to be begging for help but things are getting bad.

For those who don’t know, my name is Alex, I’m a 23 year old trans and latine vet tech student. I am currently working as a receptionist at a vet hospital, but I am still studying for my technician license. I was unemployed from February to June, I was let go because my last job was so traumatizing I had to be driven to the ER due to suicidal ideation, and my manager was not cooperating with my mental health needs. Due to being unemployed for those months I basically have no funds in savings. And now, in the start of July (of course on my birthday) I had to have a $890 car repair, and then towards the end (July 27th) I had gotten into an accident that took $2,000 to repair, and I am also attending weekly physical therapy sessions to manage the pain from that accident (I also have a concussion to top that off).

In addition to this all, I am quickly losing any support I had from my family. While I am lucky enough to still be housed by my parents, they have been extremely damaging to my mental health. My therapist has told me she considers them to be emotionally abusive, as do my friends. My parents are manipulative and guilt-tripping at their best and it’s getting to the point that I no longer feel safe in my own home. Despite dealing with anxiety my whole life, I did not start to have full blown panic attacks where I could not breathe until the last 2 months, and on all occasions they have been caused by my parents. My partner is also living in a very toxic home environment, and we are both looking into getting our own apartment potentially with roommates to cut down on rent costs.

As a result I am selling two of my full partial fursuits, I have commissions open on Ko-fi, and if you do have any inquires or questions you are more than welcome to DM me. I am really trying to get out of this environment and have all my debt paid as soon as possible, so any shares are greatly appreciated.

[skeletal-butterflyy]

D&D subtext in Stranger Things

Highly, highly requested analysis (no it’s not) of some interesting things I noticed going on with D&D in stranger things. This includes my personal thoughts based on my credentials of; having watched the show more times than i can possibly count over the past 7 years and current knowledge of DnD classes, worldbuilding, monsters, character creation. I’ll have this on the pinned post on my blog and i’ll add a text break because it’s…a lot.

Misc. :

The show starts with and is based off of Dungeons and Dragons, a table top rpg that the characters like to play. In the first season we don’t get much insight into the boys characters or the game itself, it’s used as a device to further the idea that these kids are nerds, they play a nerdy game that involves fantasy and math. As the show progresses it continues to be used to push across certain ideas, like establishing each character in the party and in season three showing how the game might represent the boys as social outcasts and their childhood.

DnD, is used throughout the show but we get to see actual play of the game in season one and four. It’s also used as a way to name the monsters they face (the monsters do get the right ideas across but the game and show versions are actually quite different from each other, especially the demogorgon)

In season 4 the idea of satanism connected to DnD really interested me. Why was everyone connecting DnD to satanism? I mean we know that everyone thought that Eddie was killing all of these people but that doesn’t mean that his club had anything to do with it. The duffers interestingly incorporated the real stigma that was widely held in the 80s against the game. At the time people were going on witchunts against anything regarded as being possibly related to satan. The most interesting part about all of this though is that, Dungeons and Dragons was made by two very devout christian men, Ernest Gygax (one of the founders) was even a Jehovah’s Witness! The two being christian’s though, incorporated a lot of religious themes into the game including clerics and paladins (calm down you fiends i’ll be getting to that) who carry a lot of religious themes and monsters that may represent demons. Outsiders might have seen a game presenting such themes as a mockery of their faith or a way to promote satanism simply by having monsters.

Characters:

I want to preface this by saying the classes that I’ll be talking about aren’t actually time period accurate. The boys would have been playing D&D 1e which had the three classes of : Fighting-man, magic-user, and cleric. While the classes listed are from D&D 2e which didn’t come out until 1989. Anyways.

In season 1, in the first scenes of the show we get to see what is the middle of DnD session before it gets interrupted. We get the basic ideas of their game across, Mike acting as DM presenting the adventure he created to his players while the rest of the party waits in anticipation for what they have to fight next. We also get to see some of will’s drawings of the party and his character

Keep these pictures in mind.

In season 2 when mike and max are arguing in the gym we hear mike say, “I’m our paladin, will’s our cleric, dustin’s our bard, lucas is our ranger and el is our mage.” At first glance it seems like nothing, oh he’s just listing off the party members and their roles and how max doesn’t fit into the party. But when you look at it properly it’s so much more.

Lucas and Dustin could not be more perfect for their chosen classes. Lucas is a ranger which means the ideal stats to be highest would include dexterity, constitution, and wisdom. Dexterity refers to, in this case the hand eye coordination and general reflexes. Constitution refers to a characters stamina and toughness, and wisdom is well, wisdom. Sounds like a certain character that has quick reflexes, has a tendency to take punches pretty well, and has good problem solving skills huh? All of these apply to lucas quite well, AND his weapon of choice is a ranged weapon, the slingshot (wrist-rocket you know what I mean), it’s really quite perfect. As for Dustin, he’s said to be a bard and the highest ideal stat for that class is charisma. Dustin has been proven to be very charismatic, he gets along with people and he can very comedic. Another thing about bards is they will tend to be very eloquent, inspirational, and persuasive, it comes with the territory of having a high charisma score, and we know dustin has a way with words. Dustin’s known for being a an eloquent and persuasive character; he convinced Mike to make up with Lucas after their fight in season one, he convinced a hesitant Mr. Clarke to tell him how to make a censory deprivation tank, he convinced steve to join him in looking for dart, and convinced erica to go through the vents (sort of). So, it makes complete sense for dustin to be a bard.

Taking a look at Mike’s character, his class also makes a lot of sense. Mike plays a paladin when he’s not the DM. A paladin is a “devout warrior” they fight with a cause, to serve their patron deity. They’re often compared to knights because of their values and the armor they usually wear. A paladin is the perfect representation of mike, especially for how will described him during the painting scene, he’s a leader and will throw himself in dangerous situations for the sake of the party, like when he jumped off the cliff for dustin.

Now, remember how will’s drawings, specifically of his character? Remember how mike said that will was a cleric? Will’s character is complicated. Will’s character being a cleric doesn’t make sense but makes so much sense at the same time. His character doesn’t look like a cleric. Clerics might be spellcasters but they don’t traditionally carry a staff or wear robes like we see will’s character does. He wears wizard clothing and has wizard abilities, not to mention in the first scene we see him play DnD and attempt to cast fireball, a spell that is most commonly associated with wizards and sorcerers and he does not seem to get his magic from a deity like a cleric traditionally would. (Clerics can cast fireball but only if they are part of the light domain) So, his character seems to be more of a wizard than a cleric, which is odd.

My theory relating to Will’s character:

Looking back at what mike said, Will’s character class doesn’t make much sense. But, I personally feel like Mike wasn’t being totally honest. First, he listed el, who they might consider to be part of the party but she doesn’t have an actual role in the game, but of course she would be the magic-user/mage. I think that mike made the list based on his feelings about the party specifically regarding will and el. El has powers in real life so it makes sense he assigned her the role of mage, and replacing will for him to become a cleric. It’d be interesting if Will was simply a cleric in mike’s personal thoughts about the party because it would make it so mike views them as very close. Paladins and clerics are very similar in relation to the fundamentals, a paladin is a warrior that swears an oath and serves a deity while a cleric is the servant of a deity that heals and fights. Basically, a cleric does more spell casting and less fighting while a paladin does more fighting and less spell casting. Since the two are so similar it would give a lot of depth to the characters being best friends, who have a much deeper understanding of each other than the rest of the party would. And even if he wasn’t simply a cleric in mikes mind and will the wise is actually a cleric, this would still show that the two having a much deeper connection and understanding of each other was hinted at from the beginning.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for leaving a DND campaign abruptly?

Some backstory: I had joined a DND game about 5 years ago right after breaking up with my toxic ex at the time. Me and my ex were both trying to be cordial at this time and ended up both joining a DND game run by a mutual friend.

In our first session, I had noticed my ex made her character be a parody of me that she made look like an awful person. She then kept dm-ing me during our sessions to tell me how to play my character better and other general backseat gaming stuff.

Very quickly, maybe about a month in, I contacted the DM about leaving the campaign due to wanting to distance myself from my ex. She was very upset I wanted to leave and offered to kick my ex from the group instead. I declined saying it would only cause more drama. The DM agreed to let my character go off at the end of the activity we were gonna do that session so it would make sense story-wise.

But this departure did not happen. after that conversation she vague-posted onling about how people dont want to be her friend. She then purposefully kept extending this part of the plot, just so I wouldnt leave the game and could realize it could still be fun. I told her outright I could not do this anymore after 3 more additional sessions and telling me she'll get to my character's exit soon. I always felt like an ass to the other players in the game for leaving them abruptly but I could not do it anymore.

Fast forward roughly 4 years, the DM tells me she is going to make a new campaign and would like for me to join since my ex was no longer in it. I agreed as I had missed playing DND a lot.

For the past year or so I have been in this campaign and it can be fun at times but I still feel out of place. This new session is a direct continuation of the previous campaign's storyline and regularly references it. Now, as far as I know my ex's character has not been referenced at all but I am constantly reminded of this situation whenever they mention a character's name I don't remember (because honestly I don't remember her characters name nor do I want to). I know I said to not bring her up around me but I don't quite trust this friend to keep her word. Simply because I don't think she ever remembers anything I tell her out of a place of... just not caring.

The DM and I just don't quite mesh that well. I don't really like her DM-ing style of making it up as the session happens. I don't like that she will constantly decide what my character is doing, even if I ask to do something, she tells me to roll to see if i can, i can get a nat20 and she will still decide what my character will do next based on what she thinks is funnier to her but makes my next action harder to accomplish.

I have dm'd her to talk about the progression of my character arc (after she constantly implys in session my character is the comedic relief and doesnt have any character development) and she'll go ooo and aaa (literally all she would say) but never actually implement anything I recommend.

I kept saying to myself it will get better in time. I have voiced my wants for my character, and they are ignored. In session, my character actions are essentially decided for me no matter how I roll the dice. It feels weird to be around half of the party bc they spent 4 years in a campaign with my ex who played a parody of me. esp hard after the DM keeps making me be the comedic relief even though I keep trying to play more seriously. other players constantly joke about how my character is gonna be the one that gets them all killed etc because of actions I dont necessarily decide.

Now as mentioned before, DM is also known to vague-blog about how "her friends secretly hate her" at any moment as well. This has happened before after I tried to "real talk" with her a handful of times over unrelated topics too (even if she initiates this conversation)

Given everything above, I want to leave this DND game after giving it a try for a year (really giving it an opportunity to improve). We left off with my character running off alone to get supplies for the party. I was thinking I could make a statement saying I had some personal things come up and I need to leave the game abruptly and leave it to the DM to decide what to do with my character.

Now I feel like I may be the AH because: I am leaving the game abruptly for a second time technically. I would contact the DM on how to make it make sense for my character to depart, but I feel like she will do the same thing as before with the previous campaign and keep putting it off, especially after ignoring my character growth ideas for a year in this current campaign. I also feel like I may be the AH because in character my group does need those supplies, but there is nothing stopping the DM from controlling my character to deliver supplies within the first 5 minutes of the next session.

[idlenight]

humbly asking you for more info on leo ortiz (if you want to ofc!) because everything i hear about him makes me fall more in love

Humbly (but elaborately) answering!!! I love my son - the fact that i advertised for his death to my GM non-withstanding, ignore that.

Leo Ortiz aka Starbright was my character in a game of Masks: A New Generation that is run by my dear friend @vin-ill. (he doesn't post all that much on here but he's a creative genius and I stand by that as his friend, dm, and player).

For those unfamiliar, Masks is a ttrpg based on the 'Powered by the Apocalypse System' (pbta for short). The main draw is that you play a teenage superhero. You are figuring out who you are, who you want to be, and what others (adults especially) want you to be - and whether you want that too.

the TL;DR about Leo is that he's a hypocrite, he never wanted to be a hero, is deeply self-sacrificing, kind of aloof and a dick but cares so much. And that he loves his brother despite everything.

If you want to long version on Leo's history, then take a peek below.

Leonardo Nathaniel Osborn aka Bryce Brilliant started out as the 'Star' playbook. Playbooks aren't like dnd classes, the idea is that you play an archetype. In this case the concept of the Star was being a Hero Influencer, who has an adoring fanbase.... but also obligations that come with that.

(above is the first page of the star playbook I had customised with my own art of Leo :D)

Before being a hero, Leo was a child-actor. When he came out of a car accident with light based powers, his mother created the hero persona 'Bryce Brilliant'. She was his manager and being a hero was just another role he played. His half-brother Logan (older) had been jealous and spiteful of this, he wanted powers, he wanted to be a hero.

When teaming up with a couple of other kids to save the day, his mother insisted they become a superhero team (aka the other players). Their team name was the Bryce Brilliants. They even had a Shoe brand sponsorship.

(first drawing of the entire squad, from left to right: Sam aka Saber, Leo aka Bryce Brilliant, Carey aka Carry, Sky Lee aka Justice)

In the team Leo first learned how to have proper friends teammates, and see being a hero as more than another role to play. Eventually he met Johanna Ortiz, the women he got his powers from.... What you thought they awakened naturally? No his mother bought these powers, she owns the Brilliant name, she owns the right to these powers. Powers that were grafted onto her son.

This is the moment Leo changed playbooks from the Star to the Protege.

The Protege playbook gives the player an NPC who is their mentor, they have a label they embody, and that they deny. (labels are like stats, but they are constantly shifting and are about how you see yourself vs how others see you). If you wanted to play a Robin type character you would probably pick the Protege. This is when he took on the superhero name Starbright.

(above is a screenshot of the Protege mentor labels, to give you an idea)

Leo moved out of his mother's home mansion, and moved into Johanna's trailer. It was quite the culture shock for the boy who would've unironically have said; "I mean it's one banana michael, what could it cost? ten dollars?".

He didn't get to stay a protege for long, as only a few session after he got uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Posessed.

Long story.

TL;DR: power dampening crystal was ground up and put into the water supply. Mixed with an entity that my GM called a 'Hydra-nt' (hydra creature made of water). So it became somewhat sentient and started serious shit all across the city. I failed a roll so fucking bad my guy got possessed by said goo and booked it into the direction of the Gotham to our Metropolis.

The team finished saving the city before going to the Worst City Imagineable(tm) to stage a Leo themed rescue. I played a character named Dr Lovelace (phd) aka Deckard Lovelace at this time, he was a child genius and earned his PHD when he was like, 12 or smth. He had mechanical limbs. i luv him. He never quite got into a hero persona but i had the name Dr Gizmo ready for him. He was the Brain playbook.

(some out of context memes from said rescue mission i found looking for smth else. David is me btw, hi.)

The team found Leo, he got exorcised with the power of friendship and this gun i found. (yk i dont remember exactly what happened, i think Carry did smth fucky with some uhhh power dust she had recently accidentally snorted which was absolutely not Deckard's fault. don't look at me)

the TL;DR of all that is that Leo was possessed by something that was aligned to one of the Five Powers That Be in this universe. Specifically he was possessed by the embodiment of the Abyss, emptiness. We ruled that going from Nothing to once again Everything that Leo was before changed his powers (and him) fundamentally. From then on Leo was the Nova, playbook. (also I made a tiktok about Leo not actually being dead at the time - wow did that not age well. not because it sucks, i still think its funny, but because he is kinda dead now)

The Nova playbook is build around the concept of having amazing godly powers, but little control. You could do everything and anything, but at what cost? Leo's powers become more cosmic than simply light based as a result. (smth smth becoming the sun itself, instead of the light it sheds)

(also HI obligatory new superhero outfit after life changing events 💛💛💛. The jacket used to belong to Johanna 💛💛💛)

A bunch of stuff happened after they got back. Leo changed his name from 'Leonardo Nathaniel Osborn' to 'Leo Ortiz', to officially move away from his birth-mom and align himself with his adoptive one. He broke into prison a little bit to talk and start the healing process with his brother Logan (oh yeah forgot to mention Logan was briefly a villain and Leo got him send to prison). Met a new teammate (an old player returning with a new character). Somehow kept collecting and aligning himself with the OTHER 5 powers that be, which I wasn't even actively trying for yknow. And yknow, fought a religious organisation for a bit.

One that Deckard is totally not responsible for gaining power, nooooo.... Don't look at me. (he just gave their leader a back of magical power dust in exchange for getting information on Leo during the rescue mission ok. it's fine, literally....)

At the climax of that arc, said leader tried to achieve godhood. And using the Nova's 'Moment of Truth', Leo took all of said power inside himself. Completing the 'powers that be' collection in the process, and shooting up far into space where he's become this kind of... shining star.

The moment of truth is an un-lockable playbook feature, where the player takes brief control of the narrative using the guidance of a written out blurb on the playbook. The above image is the MoT for the Nova playbook.

In his death he has created a new power in the universe - the power of friendship. No im not fucking kidding. The list is now: Potential, Tempest, Abyss, Sublime, Architects, and Leo with the power of friendship (and this gun i found).

Figuring he was too volatile to survive very long, he wrote letters to important people in his life. Letters I actually wrote out and printed, and were handed out during play to Players and NPC alike. They were read aloud and it was all very emotional, tears were shed.

A small excerpt from my favorite letter, written for Leo's brother:

Hi Logan, I love you. We stopped saying that to each other at some point. I can’t recall exactly when, I just knew you stopped saying it back so I did too. You know my friend Fleur? Her mother was pretty fucking bad too, and her older brother took her and ran one day. Sometimes I wish either of us had the courage to do the same when we were kids. I’m glad we kind of got there in the end. I’m sorry we lost so much time. I'm sorry we won’t have any more. (the letter continues here but its too long for this already long post)

Leo holds a very very special place in my heart. And he's like, super fucking dead now, and I wanted that to happen. Biting myself for that, evil bastard who does that to a character ಥ_ಥ.

If you got this far, thank you for reading! I love you 💛💛

[phighting-totnl-ask-blog]

"Welcome to Inpherno."

First of all, there are some BIG TWs!!! Being: Violence, past Trauma, HEAVY GORE, Mental health themes(a lot of the characters are HEAVILY traumatized), Mentions of religion(Church of the True Eye fucking existing.), NSFW stuff (gore, heavy language, sexual, ect.) Horror themes, past/implied abuse, religious trauma(Again, THE CHURCH OF THE TRUE EYE), bad parenting, torture(Most of the stuff past this point is later down the line), mistreatment of others, stalking, obsession, near death experiences, murder, visual horror on some sprites, torture mentions, heavy grief in some characters, mentions of stuff like implied alcoholism, parent death mention, mentions of SA, and death.

RULES:

-NO MINORS. THIS IS FOR MOD HUNTER'S COMFORT AND THERE’S SHIT THAT KIDS SHOULD NOT BE SEEING. THIS IS A 17+ BLOG. ANY MINORS WHO ARE DISCOVERED WILL BE BLOCKED WITHOUT HESITATION.

-Don't throw a hissy fit if a character is rude to you.

-BE NORMAL ABOUT POLY RELATIONSHIPS, I BEG.

-Some characters here are straight. Some are gay. Fucking deal with it, don't throw a hissy fit about it.

-Be patient with ships! They may not appear at first, but they will appear in due time! <3

-Subspace is a trigger warning himself, so, uhhh. Mod Hunter makes him super fucked up. Be warned. Don't whine.

-Please don’t try to introduce characters into the universe. The characters may recognize your username if it comes up a lot, but otherwise, all asks will be just “messages” for them.

-DO NOT FORCE SHIPS. SOME SHIPS EXIST, OTHERS DON’T, SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP.

-If you want us to tag something a certain way, DM us and we will try our hardest. DO NOT ABUSE THIS.

- This is an AU, so this is OUR TAKE on a story in the Phighting universe, Please respect this.

- Also! If a character is dead, they’re DEAD. What we say about a character’s mortality goes.

-This is a mature story. It'll contain mature topics. Read the trigger warnings and read accordingly.

-This features OCs. Don't like, don't read. Thanks.

-This heavily features OC x Canon. Don't like, fuck off. Cope, seethe.

-NO TRANSPHOBIA, APHOBIA, OR LGBTQIA+ PHOBIA IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.

-IF YOU'RE A RECURRING ASKER, PLEASE NAME YOURSELF. IT HELPS MOD HUNTER BE ABLE TO KEEP TRACK OF PEOPLE. 

- There are 2 mods, one of those mods doesn't take people's shit, and will act rude to you if provoked, you have been warned. 

- This was made out of the Mods' love for this game, don’t ruin it for us, thanks.

-Follow the rules. Please, for the love of God, follow the rules. 

-THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR A WHILE NOW ON AND OFF. BE FUCKING RESPECTFUL, HOLY SHIT.

-DO NOT BE UPSET WHEN A CHARACTER REACTS POORLY WHEN YOU PROD THEM TOO MUCH. USE COMMON SENSE.

-SOME CHARACTERS ARE MORALLY GRAY. CHARACTERS/PEOPLE ARE COMPLEX. DEAL WITH IT.

-Some sessions focus on some characters more than others. You can still ask others stuff, but the ones who are the main focus will be priority.

-Will add as needed.

Love Mod Bee and Mod Hunter

EXTRA: Main blogs are: 

Bee's: @horror-beeings-artandwriting

Hunter's: @hunter-the-sad-skeleton

Mod pronouns:

Bee: She/her (co owner)

Hunter: He/him (MAIN OWNER)

[he1ian]

tell more about ocs they all seem so cool

anon I hope you don't mind me yapping

im gonna talk about my main 3

(cw talk of religion)

sephiroth (21) is my first dnd guy ever, they're a tiefling cleric and they're so extremely religious,

they grew up in a village full of humans that's a closed off society of people devoted to their deity called mwezi and was the only tiefling in it (their actual home village got burnt down when they were super little so they don't remember it)(I don't want to say they grew up in a cult but it like Borders on Being One)(you need permission to leave the village for example)

their religion has like, 4 different levels of initiation, sephiroth's currently on 2nd and to gain the 3rd they must embark on a journey up north (reason for their current location in the campaign)

the religion is centered around moon, water and reflections (twilight domain) and is considered a heresy in our world

sephiroth is very cheerful, Extremely annoying (love them) and outgoing, lawful neutral alignment

their life before the events of the campaign was a good and happy one, they thrived in the village (despite not being seen very fondly by all of its residents but they aren't the brightest when it comes to social interactions so they didn't mind) and have a best friend called m'pya who's a complete opposite of them

m'pya is bored of her life in the village and would much rather leave, is still stuck on "level 1" (most people rank up to 2nd around the age of 18, m'pya's 21, sephiroth did when they were 14 😭)

before sephiroth left the village to embark on their journey they had an argument with m'pya and left without saying goodbye :-( last session we leveled up to lvl 5 and i got to send her a sending spell message and i was so :-((((( my shaylas...

tbh writing about their relationship with other party members would take ages but there's a bit on a wiki me and my friends are working on (it's an Extreme Work In Progress)

in last session they also met mwezian devotees from up north who are water genasi twins (austa and aunen) and BRO IT'S SO GOOD... the dm is so freaking evil... austa is very similar in her personality to sephiroth, in the way she's a know-it-all when it comes to mwezi and tries to show off, and her and her brother are like The perfect examples of what [a water goddess focused on reflections] would want and it's the complete opposite of sephiroth and man it's sooo 💨💨💨

honestly it's the most difficult to talk about them because we're 6 sessions in so there's actually the most info I have about them but I'd have to summarize the ENTIRE campaign for it to make sense 😭

anyways enough about this freak I still have two more

---

kieł (fang in english), (19)(in goblin years) celestial warlock,

(cw mentions of abuse)

the continent he and other pcs are on is currently taken over by war of two sides, each representing one deity (one of life and one of death)

kieł isn't on any of the sides, he dgaf 🔥 but he's a mail carrier in the areas of higher danger, only caring about making enough money to survive

he grew up in an abusive household and has 11 siblings, after his last sibling - a sister - was born, his mother took her and escaped her husband, kieł hates his father more than anyone in the world and has Many conflicting feelings about his mother

his original name isn't kieł as it is just a nickname given by his two older siblings that he now uses as he wishes to not associate with anything related to his name nor surname

as soon as he reached adulthood (which was not long after his mother left) he also left, trying to just live on his own

no job was really sticking to him, he'd make the most money in taverns drunkenly playing the piano (which wasn't really much) until after the war broke out, someone tasked him with delivering a little thing to somewhere and it worked

he'd been delivering for a few months now which was a record for him, when he fell into a trap when taking a shortcut (dumbass)(it is mentioned that due to the fact that the deities got involved in the war there's been weird creatures of magic sources appearing) and he got his leg stuck in a trap meant for those

he was found and saved by his now patron (I wrote like 3k words for their first meeting I could talkkk) she's called Lady Dove and she's a lovely but stern lady :-) a bit like a mother :-) heh :-) but yeah she's not inherently evil, I like when patrons aren't evil...

because of her influence, kieł is constantly followed by pigeons (I use them as a visual gag for his spells and levels) (he has 5 pigeons following him rn because he's on 5th)(healing light is just a pigeon flying up and sitting on someone)(I love pigeons)

kieł is a very "using spells how I feel" rather than "learning how to use them" type of guy, he just kinda casts whatever and hopes it'll work (also a bird whistle is his arcane focus and he's so annoying with it)

a random fun fact is that he has a masquerade tattoo that he once got when him and a sorcerer he has been seeing at a bar for a while got drunk and the sorcerer decided to give him a tattoo (the way this guy's magic works is that he's covered in tattoos and each tattoo represents and allows him to cast different spells that he knows) the tattoo was originally supposed to allow him to cast alter self but because they were drunk he can only cast disguise self 😭

---

ilyana silverbough (36) a harengon druid of the arctic circle of land

the world her story is set in is getting gradually covered in permafrost although she's not as aware of its consequence as she's lived in the snowy areas her whole life

(cw brief mentions of grooming [not going into details] and getting severely injured)

I based her appearance off of an arctic hare!! :D

ilyana comes from a family of circus performers, belonging to a group who traveled with their performances around the northern side of the world, in the more frozen areas, her speciality was juggling

she has two older sisters

when ilyana was 18, she found out that the owner of the circus, a much older man who had already been an adult when they were born, had proposed to her oldest sister who he had been swaying for years

upon finding this out, ilyana just straight up kills him but gets shunned out by the people of the circus, her sister shoots her in the leg, ilyana starts running

powered by sheer adrenaline she just runs straight ahead without really any plan until her body gives up and she collapses to the ground

after she hits the ground, she kinda has an out of body experience where she sees a unicorn, it feels like a vivid dream

after she regains consciousness, not really sure how much time has passed, she lays down in snow and is found by a young firbolg, hrok'tar :-), around her age

he's been picking up wood with his father, they pick her up and bring her to the local satyr doctor, who chops off her leg because it's beyond saving :-(

ilyana finds out that the village she's in operates on laws of "service for exchange of service", money holds no real value to residents of this place, so to repay she joins the satyr doctor (who's a lovely older lady) and helps her around, discovering that she has magic within her now

the way her circle of druids works is that there's one druid representing each section of the land circle and they all get chosen by the unicorn and she's the current active representative of the arctic land, so the circle is quite small

as her years go by she closely befriends 3 other people (morgana, elara and eldric) and of course hrok'tar who she became best friends very fast as soon as she appeared in the village

they form a guild (it's more of a group of vigilantes but guild sounds cool) called the almiraj guild (see what I did there), each person grabs the inspiration for their magic and/or style of fighting from different creatures (hrok'tar - hippogriff, elara - owlbear, eldric - displacer beast, morgana - faerie dragon) and they're best buddies i love themm :-(

her helmet is made out of unmelting ice, shout-out vio for this idea :-)

---

anyways that's all I think they're all freaks (ilyana's pretty normal actually tbh) and yeah :-)

there's also mateusz, dolly and cassius for other rpgs apart from dnd but these guys are a story for another day....

also here's my toyhouse if you're interested in the guys :]

[the-scattered-kingdoms]

It’s been a hot minute since I posted, but I’m very pleased to announce that Session 1 was a success! Today @lolyeahokaywhatever, @rosesreveries, and two other friends joined together for a good old-fashioned session of Bug D&D. Zoph, Bjorn, Tony, and Branch met in a tavern, as all respectable parties do. The place is called the Molehill, and it’s just that—a mound of dirt in the middle of nowhere with plastic Saloon doors and chunks of a busted brake light for windows. After some introductions, some drinking, and a dismally low Performance check from Tony, the gang spoke with the elderly barkeep named Sugar. She and a squad of drunk Ant soldiers filled the party in on some strange happenings around the tavern—strange voices at night, speaking in an unfamiliar language and giggling at night.

Tony and Bjorn both donated 10 Pollen (it’s our version of Gold) to a traveling priestess, who fed them both a little dollop of candle flame and granted them the Blessing of Aeya. This came in handy later, granting them +1 AC vs ranged attack rolls and +3 to Insight and Perception checks—after all, Aeya is the goddess of the sun, and her light reveals all falsehoods and hidden things. Also, it’s really hard to shoot arrows and spells into the sun. That +1 AC tracks flavor-wise, right?

Anyway, promised a free meal, free drinks, and a free night at the Molehill, the party descended to the cellar. They lit torches to light the darkness, avoiding disadvantage to the Perception roll I gave them. Bjorn nailed it with a 25, seeing through an attempted ambush by a gang of fleas that had moved into the cellar. They attacked first, landing a critical hit on Branch. But Bjorn answered with a Rage and a crit of his own, splattering a flea against the wall in front of him. Zoph’s ironclad hide proved a solid defense against the fleas’ probosces, and he crushed another one with a Sentinel attack. Tony’s bad luck turned around somewhat when he landed a Vicious Mockery, but his stomach turned even more when Branch picked up a dead flea and started eating it—the first use of my custom Feat, Macabre Feast!

All in all, it was a fun fight and session to DM. They left one flea alive but knocked it unconscious, then brought it upstairs for questioning. As a reward, the party was given little meat pies and honey pies that serve as potions of healing. And let me tell you, they’re gonna need them. They also got 40 Pollen off the fleas, and found a pair of Battlerager Boots, which will let Bjorn Rage for free once a day. On top of it all, they reached Level 2! Ki points! Smite slots! Jack of All Trades! Danger Sense I think!

We’ll start our next session with a…conversation of sorts. I need to come up with a name for a flea. Maybe a tragic backstory? A secret mission with the fate of the world in the balance?

In some more general campaign news, sadly, our Firefly @abbybutinspace will be focusing on school. As punishment, I will force her to make a podcast about Goosebumps with me. We will also be stealing @jabeaumont and turning him into a moth. I’m gonna put him in a jar!

Anyway, thanks for reading! This campaign has me really excited and I’m glad to jump into 2025 with a new creative outlet. Minisculia rocks!

—The Entomologist

[we-are-a-dragon]

Hiatus ended!

Hey everyone, sorry we haven't posted our dnd stories in months! There's been a lot going on but basically it got too hard to for the same person who takes quotes to also be one of our current DMs and the whole thing got too overwhelming.

We are only going to be posting quotes from our TTC sessions for now, as the problem came from DM Tati trying to take quotes while running GSP sessions. Sorry to those who enjoyed the shenanigans of Diardi, Gregor, Harriet, Hesty, Hunter, WA and Winnifred, but you'll just have to imagine how their story continues.

We have still been playing all this time, so instead of trying to catch up with quotes we'll summarize Travelling Trauma Centre's adventures in the intervening months (under cut) and then pick up at our current point!

What has TTC been up to since we last posted?

We finished the dungeon The Court of the Crimson King, eventually destroying all but one of the automaton bosses including the Crimson King and his mecha red dragon (Ashiok died in that fight by being completely fucking bisected, but we brought her back to life). We made a truce with the Purple Piper, who without his King to give orders had no further desire for conquest, and went on to hire him and his remaining half dozen automata to guard our manor in Suda (important later) while he proves himself trustworthy.

We then made our way to a town where the son of the mayor kept being kidnapped and ransomed, financially ruining the mayor. We discovered it was a long-term scam wherein the mayor's son had been replaced by a changeling (the real son was living happily with the changeling clan!) and kept getting kidnapped on purpose, but in a twist the 'son' had grown fond of the mayor and wanted to stop robbing him. We brokered a deal between the factions that benefitted everyone (except the changeling leader who went to jail) and convinced the changelings to find more honest work.

From there we travelled up the nearby mountain where there was a dragon we'd been meaning to deal with, Nimble Claws. We had previously encountered a green dragon called The Rotten who had been injured when the younger blue took over his territory. By all accounts life in the mountain had been worse for pretty much everyone since. Unfortunately Nimble Claws had also moved in her elder dragon boyfriend since claiming the territory so we had a lot of dragon on our hands. The Rotten met us there and we managed to sneak all the way into the lair and challenge the boyfriend Cosnemra (chaddest dragon to ever chad) to a duel. We eventually killed Cosnemra and took his skull, whereupon The Rotten (taking Cosnemra's name) decided that instead of killing Nimble Claws and reclaiming his territory would rather move in with her and her egg, allowing her to continue her tyranny. We left with intent to level up and come back to wipe them both out.

We knew peace in Suda for a short while before we were woken in the night by the sounds of fighting. Our brand new automaton guards were fending off a hit squad of kuo'toa, and beyond our garden the city was in flames. We spent a frantic night beating back the kuo-toa hordes and eventually made it to the palace in time to prevent the monsters making it to the emperor (though a lot of people died that night). It turned out the one pulling the strings was... Larissa Firespit, the dragonborn lich we'd already killed twice but whose phylactery we'd failed to destroy before she spawned a third time. Unfortunately with the kuo'toa on her side she was on the cusp of ascending to godhood, and she was intent on finishing us off for good this time. We stole a couple hours of sleep and then stormed her temple in the sewers beneath the city, where she was accompanied by four angels suspiciously veiled in spiderwebs. She put up a tough fight but eventually she was destroyed.

We trudged wearily back to the palace to report to Emperor Cherish and his head bodyguard Dorphi. We told him of all that had transpired and confirmed with one of his personal divination wizards that the lich was finally gone permanently. We then went on to warn him that one of the nobles in the city was really Lolth in disguise, and she had aided Larissa in the attack with her angels and her divine influence. At that moment who should walk in to the emperor's chambers but Lolth in her noble disguise. She berated us for throwing away the perfect opportunity she had given us - to have Larissa kill the emperor so that we could go on to defeat the lich and have Billie take the throne as she was destined to do (she also admitted she had produced the quests that removed all our allies from the city just days before). When we asked why, she declared that she was still determined to have our help in defeating Demogorgon, and we were going to need the resources of the throne to succeed. She then tried to force us to kill the emperor, and when it became clear we weren't going to she threw a deadly spear at him herself, barely intercepted by the party tanks. We resorted to our old ways of bag of holding abuse; Seraph stuffed the emperor into her Bag and then teleported away to our bolt hole at the nearby university. The Spider Queen conceded the day to us and left, while old friend and deus ex machina Maria Cleaves teleported back into the city to help. Everyone reconvened back at the palace and Billie made a plan with the emperor to officially declare her legitimate claim (and loyalty) to the throne and name her as heir, to remove the need for Lolth to kill him.

-

This was a pivotal sequence for TTC and levelled us to 21 (the beginning of Epic Tier; 4th edition having 30 player levels) and granting us our Epic Destinies. During the conversation with Lolth Thaddeus called on Pelor for strength and in response was made an Exalted Angel complete with wings and halo. By summoning Maria and teleporting the emperor away from certain death, Seraph connected directly to the source of magic and became Magic Incarnate. Ashiok was once again dominated by Lolth as god of the drow, but that humiliation and pain catalyzed her path as a Harbinger of Doom destined to destroy Lolth. Billie's refusal to betray the emperor and her oath to make things right in her own way made her a Topaz Crusader with a particular enmity for demons. Kjell's fearlessness in the face of divinity unlocked his Archfey bloodline. Godric had already been offered a fusion of souls and power by his patron, and will take up his chosen destiny the next time they meet.

Following these climactic events TTC needed some down time and spent the last few weeks of the summer on a road trip, visiting family around Persia. Seraph finally returned to the village of Moraspire that was destroyed in her childhood to find it rebuilt and thriving, but her parents confirmed dead. Thaddeus checked in on the tiny village of Piravhaz and found all was well, which he had set out as an adventurer to ensure. Billie visited her baker mums for the first time since being driven out of her village and finally caught them up on all her adventures. Kjell took us to meet his family, finally able to show them the fine man he has become since his difficult departure. Godric decided not to visit his family, having finally made peace with his past and no longer needing their approval or validation to love himself. The party then returned to Suda to sort things out re: Billie's adoption to the royal family, and to embark on the next arc of their extraordinary story.

[dragongirlfangs]

HI EVERYBODY I GOT ART COMMISSIONED (by Beel0ver on twitter) OF MY CHARACTER IN THE MASKS TTRPG CAMPAIGN I'VE BEEN PLAYING IN FOR MORE THAN A YEAR, AND I LOVE IT SO MUCH I NEED TO GUSH ABOUT HER

This is Alba Eriksdottir, 17, hero name Obsidian. A normal girl who one day suddenly started growing scales, and then a good few more things*.

Then, when she could no longer hide the changes, she became a pariah, no one in her corner except her mom. Even when she realized her newfound strength and durability and decided to help people, by defending her neighborhood against the gang/mob that had been harassing and extorting them, she was ambushed by the leader of that gang (a publically-a-hero named Sigurd) and subsequently framed by him as a villain (and named 'Fafnir' by the media).

After that, desperate for it to end, she contacted another young hero who people also distrusted to ask her for advice. They met up to talk, and when a villain attacked a nearby dam, Alba, this hero, and another one who happened to be there with his high school class all banded together to stop him.

That's how she met her team.

And while she still isn't liked by the public, and people still fear her, now she has friends, and is dating a fellow team member and a girl from a friendly (more neutral) team who also can't hide her powers and is very into her. And she also chose her own hero name.

(*She's going through her second, dragon puberty.)

(No, I somehow didn't realize how trans this all is until it was pointed out to me. Our wonderful DM has leaned into that more and more as the sessions went on and I adore it.)

[batim-artists-rewrite-au]

"Welcome to Joey Drew Studios!"

First of all, there are some BIG TWs!!! Being: Violence, past Trauma, HEAVY GORE(Later on), Mental health themes(some of the characters are HEAVILY traumatized), Mentions of religion(Sammy fucking existing.), NSFW stuff (gore, heavy language, sexual, ect.) Horror themes(But that's later down the line), past/implied abuse, religious trauma(Again, SAMMY), bad parenting, torture(Most of the stuff past this point is later down the line), mistreatment of others, stalking, obsession, near death experiences, murder, visual horror on some sprites, torture mentions, heavy grief in some characters, mentions of stuff like implied alcoholism, parent death mention, and death.

RULES:

-NO MINORS. THIS IS FOR MOD HUNTER'S COMFORT AND THERE’S SHIT THAT KIDS SHOULD NOT BE SEEING. THIS IS A 17+ BLOG.

-Don't throw a hissy fit if a character is rude to you.

-Some characters here are straight. Some are gay. Fucking deal with it, don't throw a hissy fit about it.

-Be patient with ships! They may not appear at first, but they will appear in due time! <3

-Please don’t try to introduce characters into the universe. The characters may recognize your username if it comes up a lot, but otherwise, all asks will be just “messages” for them.

-DO NOT FORCE SHIPS. SOME SHIPS EXIST, OTHERS DON’T, SUCK IT UP, BUTTERCUP.

-If you want us to tag something a certain way, DM us and we will try our hardest. DO NOT ABUSE THIS.

- This is an AU, so this is OUR TAKE on a story in the Bendy and the ink machine universe, Please respect this.

- Also! If a character is dead, they’re DEAD. What we say about a character’s mortality goes.

-This is a mature story. It'll contain mature topics. Read the trigger warnings and read accordingly.

-This features OCs. Don't like, don't read. Thanks.

-This heavily features OC x Canon. Don't like, fuck off. Cope, seethe.

-NO TRANSPHOBIA, APHOBIA, OR LGBTQIA+ PHOBIA IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM.

-IF YOU'RE A RECURRING ASKER, PLEASE NAME YOURSELF. IT HELPS MOD HUNTER BE ABLE TO KEEP TRACK OF PEOPLE. 

- There are 2 mods, one of those mods doesn't take people's shit, and will act rude to you if provoked, you have been warned. 

- This was made out of the Mods' love for this series, don’t ruin it for us, thanks.

-Follow the rules. Please, for the love of God, follow the rules. 

-THIS HAS BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR SEVEN+ YEARS-ISH ON AND OFF. BE FUCKING RESPECTFUL, HOLY SHIT.

-DO NOT BE UPSET WHEN A CHARACTER REACTS POORLY WHEN YOU PROD THEM TOO MUCH. USE COMMON SENSE.

-SOME CHARACTERS ARE MORALLY GRAY. CHARACTERS/PEOPLE ARE COMPLEX. DEAL WITH IT.

-Some sessions focus on some characters more than others. You can still ask others stuff, but the ones who are the main focus will be priority.

-Will add as needed.

Love Mod Bee and Mod Hunter

EXTRA: Main blogs are: 

Bee's: @horror-beeings-artandwriting

Hunter's: @hunter-the-sad-skeleton

Mod pronouns:

Bee: She/her (co owner)

Hunter: He/him (MAIN OWNER)

[theresattrpgforthat]

I saw your recent recommendations for psychic vigilantes games, but do you have recommendations for anything with a more inception or psychonauts feel (aka exploring/influencing dreamspaces or representations of a person's mind)?

THEME: Exploring Dreamscapes

Hello friend! When I first saw this ask, I thought I might have one or two games off the top of my head, but there’s actually many more game options than I thought already stored away in my folders! Without further ado…

Praedormitium, by Joie Martin.

Named for the transition of wakefulness to sleep, Praedormitium is a tabletop roleplaying game inspired by the experience of lucid dreaming. Players portray Hypnopomps, characters with the innate ability to manipulate the Realms of Dream as they travel through it on strange and wonderful adventures.

Praedormitium uses a deck of tarot cards as the basis of its resolution system, cooperative play, and the unlimited power of players' imaginations to build a cohesive narrative experience. Anything is possible in dreams, and the game can be as wild or whimsical, as dark or surreal as the players choose to make it.

This game has some really intriguing lore that creates some backstory as to why your characters are Hypnopomps, and what that means in the game. It’s not extensive though, so there are plenty of gaps and spaces for your play group to fill in. Your main role is to keep the balance of dreams: nightmares and phantasma all have a role to play. The game uses tarot cards, and incorporates tarot card suits into the lore, so if you like games that tie the mechanics to the setting, you might be interested in Praedormitium.

Lucid Sea of Dreams, by The Games Gardener.

A roleplaying game about Lucid Dreamers and their adventures, tribulations, and mysteries in the Waking World and the Sea of Dreams. Inspired by dreams,  nightmares, and Jewish folklore  (and much much more). Has been described as 'inside-out meets pan's labyrinth’.

Lucid Sea of Dreams makes lucidity something that your character can lose. Your character has Lucidity points, which kind of doubles as Hit Points - lose all of your Lucidity points, and you wake up. In the waking world, losing Lucidity points could lead to becoming unconscious, or even death. This means that there’s much higher stakes in this kind of game - in fact, it’s tagged as horror, so be prepared to enter dangerous scenarios and meet difficult foes. The dice resolution system uses d10 dice pools, which I personally find very satisfying! This game was Kickstarted back in 2022, so I’m not sure if it’s in its final stage, or if there’s more to come.

Nyx, by Doctor Glasgow.

When the Day of the Comet came, much of what was sank into the world below. Into the murky ebon twilight of a most ancient realm, Nyx. Since the very first sparks of light danced behind the eyelids of our ancestors, this realm began to swirl with Dreams. And yet, in sleep, there too, are Nightmares…

Nyx is a role-playing game, set in a darkened realm of sleep and dreams. It is an interpretive game, wherein the strange setting is only just barely glimpsed, like a dream half-remembered when one wakes from slumber. It is up to the players and the Dream Master (DM), to interpret the vague setting details as they see fit, and form a vision of Nyx wholly their own.

Nyx combines dice and cards in an average play session, with plenty of set-up questions to encourage a collaborative world-building and a point-buy system that fuels character creation. Your character is pretty customizable, allowing you to increase specific stats, improve character skills, or focus on special abilities and spells. There’s also different character forms, which I really like - as dream-entities, race or species don’t really make sense. It’s totally possible that your character has been different things over different iterations. The art in this book is lovely and does a really good job of conveying the magical and surreal theme. The full game is only $5, but if you want to see what you’re getting into first, you can always get the Free Beta version at the bottom of the shop page.

18XX Dreams, by Deep Light Games.

THE DREAM REALM WELCOMES YOU: This land has always been here, visited by some, forgotten by many. Something changed. An increasing number of people have been waking with fantastical ideas and feelings. Now, dreams are becoming more solid: books, paintings, scores… 

The barrier is thinner. Some are trapped here, some search for what they can’t reach elsewhere, some just roam, exploring and helping others. What meaning is hidden in your dreams?

18XX Dreams is only 4 pages long, which is pretty standard for 24XX games. This game relies on a handful of polyhedral dice, a small inventory, and special abilities that align with your character archetype - a minimalist set-up that focuses on creativity to overcome obstacles, with elements of OSR play. There’s a page of d12 roll tables for the GM to roll on when they want to introduce something new to the dream, and the game even comes with rules on how to create a DreamCrawl, a simple map that helps the players navigate different parts of a dream-scape.

Dreampunk, by Xavid.

At night, you dream. Your dreams are not idle imaginings, but visits to a persistent world of wonders and dangers both personal and alien. Will you find power there? Will you find freedom? Or will you slowly slip into Entanglement, and be trapped there forever? Play to find out!

Your character is a Dreamer, someone from a waking world who is drawn to the Dream when they sleep. As a Dreamer, you have powerful abilities to shape the world around you. To do so, you must play a card and incorporate into your action an element of your choice from the card.

To play Dreampunk, you’ll need to either buy the Dreampunk Deck of Cards, or a deck of cards with similarly surreal art. Dixit cards, for example, would be an excellent tool for this game. The game uses a series of Moves, but rather than rolling dice, like you would in PbtA games, you play cards from your hand. The game designer cites Belonging outside Belonging and Jenna Moran’s work as inspiration, so I’d expect this game to be well suited for players who are willing to work in the grey areas of interpretation, and who are looking to embrace themes and motifs rather than damage and gear lists in their style of play.

Onira’s Slumber, by FantasticJean.

Welcome to Oniria - a place where Dreams and Nightmares come to life and make the city their own. In this game you play as a member of the Quixotic Society and are tasked with investigating and containing the Reveries when they start becoming too messy. 

This is a game that is compatible with TROIKA, which, while originally is meant to be a kind of multi-verse science fantasy, easy translates to a surreal dream-scape. You don’t need Troika to play though - the rules are included to make this a standalone game. Onira is meant to be a place that can be explored, and the game comes with a number of place descriptions, special events that might affect the characters, and an introductory adventure for a first-time group.

If you want more dream-related supplements for Troika, I’d recommend Oneironauts and Oneironauts 2, by Thriftomancer.

[thequeenofmyownscreen]

Yesterday night was our last session of my first D&D campaign ever

Last night we drank merrily, saying goodbye (for now) to the 4 adventurers in my first D&D campaign ever, for which I was the DM (1st time ever also). I feel very happy and a little sad also, so I thought I could write it all up here - mostly for me, and for you reading if that interests you.

It was more of a Wrap-up session, we didn't play per se, but I wanted to recap the last scenes, and give the floor to my players to ask some questions and discuss what we've been doing. It was a good idea, I think, it went great, we had time to reminisce and remember the beginnings, the roads not taken and the what-ifs, the monsters and the battles they were traumatized by, and what their characters would do now.

Flashbacks and sneak peeks and more thoughts under the cut

When I started to watch Critical Role, I had no idea what D&D was. All I heard were mentions of it in media (tv shows, mostly). It intrigued me more and more, and I started to look at the rules, and the books published, etc. And then one day on an impulse, I bought the Starter Set : Lost Mine of Phandelver, and sent a message to my sister and some friends, asking if they were interested to see what it was about with me.

In April 2021, with my sister and 3 friends, 4 players in total, we created their characters, and we started truly playing in May 2021. At first, we played only once a month, in person, because Roll20 is awesome for battles but not much for anything else (personal opinion). Plus we were going out again after the pandemic, it felt nice. Then in June 2022, one of my friends and players decided to leave, and we recruited another friend at the same time, so I still had 4 players to manage through and through. They were all pretty much novices like me (only 1 had played before), and so we all learned together during the years. In multiple ways ! small but important things like : who's taking care of the scheduling, who's time is it to host and what food & drink will we bring, who has many dice and can lend them, how can we figure the characters without buying expensive minis (we ended up using fèves, which is a very French thing I will explain now : at the beginning of the year, you gather your friends or colleagues or family or whatever to eat the galette des rois, literally cake of the kings, and whether you make it or bought it, there is always inside 1 very small porcelain figurine, and the person finding it gets to be King/Queen for the day. Yeah it's the same country who decapitated the last king, don't ask. Anyway sometimes people collect the small porcelain figurines, and then their grandchildren sell the collection, and we ended up with a lot for practically nothing.).

In late 2022 and throughout 2023, we decided to try and play more, and managed - with a few exceptions - to play twice a month, which we found was a good rhythm : for me, to not have too much prep work, and for my players, to not forget everything that happened last time. In the meantime, another friend of mine with whom I am having lunch at work with very regularly, got used to hear me talking about "the shit my players did last night" and was very interested in following this as a story ; she asked questions, and gave me a space to think, and even ended giving advice and suggestions ! I'm naming her my unofficial co-DM now. It was nice to have someone know all the twists and the structure of the story, and to exchange ideas and jokes.

One thing I was very happy to do, and was very happy when my players talked about it saying I did a good job : PROPS ! The adventure as written has a few examples of message of hiring mercenaries, strange letters sent by a mysterious figure, etc etc. For one, I took time to write in ink (in my teenage years I was obsessed by calligraphy and I still have a quill), and for another I passed the paper in coffee and tea and then dried it to give it an ancient look. Props like this costs nothing but it's awesome.

During 2022 and 2023, 2 of my players had moved far away, but we managed to set up remote video calls for them, while us 3 others gathered 'round the table, and we even had an elaborate if precarious system to film the map during battles (pictured down). And yes for the final dungeon, I printed the map in extra-large, and ended using the wall to show the progress in exploring !

I won't recap all of the story, it doesn't matter in the end, everyone who's ever played knows that you can do an adventure 30 times and it will end up in 30 different stories. What's interesting was that the Lost Mine of Phandelver is described as "a perfect campaign to start playing" : that I agree with ; but that doesn't mean it does not need work. Thankfully the Internet is awesome, and since it's the most played adventure of 5E, a LOT of people have advices, do nots and dos, stories of their own campaigns, useful links and tools, etc. 1st lesson : if it exists already, use that shit. Use it like the world is ending tomorrow. At the start, I was doing this on my own volition, and prepping way too much, while being scared to change things. Then I was inspired reading reddits posts (yes, it happens), and seeing videos, and I started adding more details of my own - or stuff I borrowed from others Internet strangers. The paradox was that I was getting more comfortable while prepping less, because... I got the hang of it, I think it's what happened !

I still have some frustrations, some I shared last night with my players : easier-than-expected batles for my players (the 1st was a conscious act of mercy, and the battle ended way too quickly of course ; the 2nd was I forgot an important detail of the villain's weapon and could not use it, but in the end she had other stuff and the battle was still epic). 2nd lesson : listen to Matt Mercer when he says that as a DM, you really want to use the nuclear option in your opponent’s arsenal on the opening round. If you don't, you will have regrets. My other big frustration is about the player that decided to leave ; we just didn't understand the game on the same-level, but it makes me a little sad that she left before it could click for her, and we could truly talk about it. Especially since last night, I was overjoyed listening to my players talk each about their "epiphany" of how the game works, and how they got comfortable after feeling this truth, and seeing how "you don't win at D&D, the fun is everything else", and I was like yesssssss YOU you get it. 3d lesson : communication ! (it feels like there's still room for improvement, but we have a nice flow going).

All and all, it was an amazing experience, 10/10, will do it again ; and we will ! we agreed we will come back years from now to Faerûn ! and I'll be back as a DM ! and we'll do another written campaign continuing from level 5 (I know there's written options out there). In the meantime though, my sister is leaving our group just for this year, but we're going to keep playing at 4. And this time, I'll be a player !! One of my former players, the amazing @greetingsprogramms will be our DM : she already did 2 one-shots throughout the 2 years, and she did a fantastic job. We're going where a lot of fantasy people have not gone before : spaaaaaaace !

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Wibta if I told my friend, upfront, I do not want his toxic partners in my campaign party without specifying why?

Everyone in this is 22+

So I (22NB) have been working on a campaign for at least 3 years now. I used dnd as a base and built off it to make my own world, races, mechanics, massive maps, religions, languages etc. This will be a massive campaign with highlights on religion and dealing with gods as a mortal etc and I've put so many hours into it it isn't even funny. I mean shit, I picked music for different areas depending on if it's day or night.

I made a discord server to house most of the basic info my players would need from table rules to the races and beyond. I mainly had the idea that the party would consist of my dmnpc guide (he doesn't fight or break the game, his only action during fighting is the help action and guide the party. Im not an asshole dm who makes my guide the protagonist. If its important, death doesn't really exist in my campaign due to demi-god race stuff, the party just gets sent back to its last save point with my grumpy man guide saying I told you so.), my partner's character (24f)(she dosent get preferential treatment. We've been together for 8 yrs) and my best bud's character (22tm. Been friends for 8 yrs). I never said I specifically only wanted my partner and friend to be party members but it was implied due to the fact I never invited my friends partners to the discord. I just don't really have many friends and this is the first time I've ever dm-ed period, let alone dming my own homebrew. We're all pretty novice newbie players and I think it'll be fun for us to stumble through the game together in a much less complicated form of DND without seasoned players "um actually-"ing us the whole time.

My partner is excited to try and my friend is ecstatic and about 2 years into development (last November) he asked if I could let his partners join the campaign. There're a few issues with this beyond me not really knowing them and not wanting to run a large party (it's hard for seasoned dms to run a 4+ party, let alone I, a fresh infant of a dm). My friend has 3 partners of his (he has 4 total) he wants to introduce to my campaign, this includes (fake names): Mel(24nb), Sandy (mid 20s f) and Rue (23 tw). I have issues with each individual present and it all stems from me sitting in on a different campaign for a single session. See, my friend has his own campaign (much smaller, follows one story in one town on an island instead of my entire continent) and he tried to run it by those three partners (and 2 friends. Names and genders unnecessary, they were our age) while I quietly sat in the session (it was over a discord call, were all in differnet states except for me and my partner) and watched it run just to see how my friend dmed and how the groups chemistry was. They had a 3 hour session.

It was the most socially awkward, intense and passive aggressive 3 hours of my life. Mel barely paid attention and as a result, had to have things explained to them when they weren't listening. They would then would talk over the person explaining things, pick apart their language and get irritated to the point of telling them (mostly rue) to shut up. Mel was quite litterally looking for a fight constantly. Sandy was relatively quiet but also not paying attention and talking over other players actions. She also would come up with random "icks " and one minute was telling everyone to keep all sexual jokes and comments to themselves because it made her uncomfortable then the next said her character was literally blowing a guy in the back of tavern.(btw this is not a fetish campaign or anything, it was out of left field for everyone and my friend shut it down because of that) Rue was the "uhm actually" type who pointed out inaccuracies, broken rules and lack of realism (it's a pirate fantasy magic campaign. There isn't much to focus on realism). Rue was clearly the most seasoned player but the nicest all things considered. She was mostly just condescending and treated my friend like he was stupid for not having every single detail mapped out. The party also had 2 of his friends but they were just as quiet as me and also either not paying attention or listening to the shit show. The session litterally ended with Sandy and Mel having the tiniest argument, mel pulling a crying running away anime protagonist "I'm sorry for being just a fucking terrible person! Ill leave so you all can have fun!!" Then hanging up all dramatically. Safe to say, their party was literally every red flag I was warned about by dm guide content.

My friend then came to me and said they broke up with Sandy that night but were still friends and I was still in shock from the sheer toxicity. Did I mention I had only met Sandy and the two other friends that night? And had only spoken over the phone to Mel once in a group call and met rue in person 2 times? Safe to say, I do not want litterally any of his partners in my party for various reasons and I feel as if just one of them at my table would make my patience end on sight. I consider myself to be very flexible and want to do my very best to be a fair but strong dm who doesn't get their story absolutely trampled by players intentionally trying to ruin my story and watch me scramble (mel and sandy openly did that). These players would disrespect my table rules for fun. Even my friend said they never respect him and his story as a DM and he won't run a game with them again and he thinks they'll respect my rule? As a baby dm? Nah fam.

He wants to bring rue and Mel into my campaign and I haven't answered him yet. I've mostly dodged the question with "I'm not sure how big of a party I feel comfortable dming for, I'll know later down the line." And he's asked again, still curious. I don't wanna judge my friends relationships because he and Mel have been together for 5 years and rue has been with him for 2 (they were together previously before rue came out and rue tried to control and physically abuse him. Thats another reason I don't want her in my campaign. Fuck abusers) but the toxicity they would bring would probably poison me. If I bring these things up, idk how my friend would react and he can be a bit... Extreme when he gets defensive. Cutting people off permanently at a moments notice then coming back crying or confused. He has BPD which explains it but I don't obviously wanna say " your partners are low-key toxic and abit abusive and I don't want them at my table or in my life for the most part and although I love you bro(/platonic) I do not want living blowfish at my table that you might not even speak to tomorrow.".

Obviously I wouldn't word it like that but mainly I just plan on saying "Ive never dmed before and I'm nervous about the functionality of my campaign so I want to keep my party nice, small and intimate and only between you, me and my partner for now. Maybe we can incorporate them later." Without mentioning all the... Other stuff and side stepping if he's like "but what if just mel/rue?". Me, my partner and him have been friends awhile so it's not like he'll feel like he's third wheeling or anything and I get he wants his partners to take in his interest, I just do not want them at my table and I wanna know if I'm a dick if I dont specify why and avoid the question. I dont wanna rock the boat and hurt my friends feelings but I'm not gonna ruin the first full run of my pet project so a passive aggressive asshole and a know it all almost abuser can participate. He deserves to know why his partners can't join and I'm not technically lieing, even if they were cool, I don't know if I'd want them there. But they definitely aren't cool and that just seals the coffin for me.

(obviously I'm wording this in a comedic way but everything here actually happened and I mostly just wanna focus on supporting my friend despite his choices. I do not have to like his partners to tolerate them but it's my table and my years of work, if i dont want them there, they dont get to be there. I'm just wondering if I'm a dick for kinda lieing kinda not if I don't give the actual reasons for why I don't want them at my table and never plan on allowing them there. I would happily accommodate 1 or 2 more people at my table in this case if they were close to me like my sister or older brother but I dont know his partners well at all and even though they are passive to me, I dont feel safe around people like that. Wibta?)

What are these acronyms?

[livinbooks]

Sooo I'm running a Campaign

It's been going on for over a year. We've only missed like one session and that's because one of my players had like an insane power outage situation (the water goddess in our campaign may have cursed her for like a month TwT).

Anyways, I love my players and I just wanted to put that out in the world. One is a professional artist (gonna call her Cecil, her character's name) and always makes like drawings and line ups of our characters, both PC and NPC. I'll share her art if I get permission but it slaps SO HARD. She is currently doing 3d prints of each PC + my favorite NPC (a sentient house named Deb). She is literally TEACHING HERSELF how to design these and then she goes and prints it at the library. Literally incredible.

I cry just literally every time she posts in our discord.

Another player (Tempest) is also amazing (they all are); she has so much backstory and is always like "plz feel free to cause me emotional distress" and gives me so much story and room to do so. (Obvi sensitive things get discussed), but like she's a Warlock with two (ish) patrons (a long story), and one is a water goddess and my player was like "MAKE ME FEAR THE WATER". So I kind of drowned her in a dream and gave her emotional trauma. I love her. She writes LITERAL STORIES, LITERAL DRABBLES of like, her character's past. It's a goddamn gift. And art! she posts her doodles and sketches in the discord. I literally just lie on my bed kicking my feet anytime I get new ones at like 2AM (TEMPEST GO TO BED, I KNOW UR READING THIS).

My third player (Lit - a wildfire druid, chaotic af in gameplay, so smart, literally knows more about this game than all of us combined and I love her for it, because sometimes as a DM I gotta be like "do u know this rule" sometimes I forget I have a laptop in my pocket ok??). She wrote fanfic. One time in a session, instead of calling and NPC Carlisle (a hottie elf who is a client of Tempest's that she DEFINITELY doesn't have feelings for), I called him Kyle. This led to a 20 minute sidebar where we created a college AU (our campaign is set in a fantasy Tenochtitlan). And you know what Lit did?? SHE WROTE FANFICTION. There is literally a whole ASS AU FANFIC IN OUR DISCORD. Christ on a bike I love them. I get texts in the middle of the night with AU backstory.

It's a goddamn gift. A Gods damned gift. I love y'all. D&D can be amazing. And I'm just so happy I have three people who revel in the world I've created just for them.

This is love to me. Making a world for my friends. It's truly a gift to build this. We haven't played in two weeks and I miss them. We meet up mostly in person. Kind of bonkers really. That we've managed for so long. Love y'all.

[philcoulsonismyhero]

Less than an hour until our next DnD session, and I am So excited about this one because I've been conspiring with the DM (my flatmate, so conveniently located for conspiring with) to cause some problems on purpose this time.

So, we've been investigating this casino with a plane-shifting gimmick (each time you walk through a door the room beyond might be located in one of the four elemental planes, the Feywild or the Shadowfell) because there's been a serious spate of missing persons in the town it's in, and last session we finally confirmed that the djinn who runs the place is allowing people to bet years off their lives for fantastic prizes because he's dying and consuming the life force that people lose is what's keeping him alive. And he doesn't care if people bet their entire lives, hence the missing people, who aren't just dead but have basically had their souls consumed to make magic batteries for him. So they're Dead dead, no chance of resurrection, and their corpses have been dumped in a mass grave in the Shadowfell which we've now got a map to the location of.

Understandably, the whole party is Very pissed off about this, because we were hired to investigate those missing people, so last session we headed into the Shadowfell in order to find these graves and mark the location so our new friend the artificer who created the plane-shifting machine (and didn't realise the nefarious purposes it was being put to because she was just so excited to have funding for her ideas) can build a portal to it later and the townspeople can recover what's left of their loved ones.

Unfortunately (for the characters, rather enjoyably for us the players), two things happened the second we set foot in the Shadowfell - two of our party failed the wisdom save against Shadowfell Despair, and we were set on by a trio of skeletal centaurs who weren't a very difficult fight but did manage to do a number on our paladin Droozh (a Loxodon) and his steed (a pygmy elephant called Florian). The party's half-orc barbarian, Bob (who has a much longer name with a dozen surnames but goes by Bob to save confusion), was one of the ones who failed the save, and he got hit by the apathy effect, so he didn't contribute to the fight at all because what's the point?

And the other person who failed the save, really quite badly, was my wizard, and this is where it gets Very fun for me.

See, my guy, Benjamin Larkwright, human war wizard, is the oldest member of our party at a very ancient 46ish. He was a soldier as a young man, which is where he learned his magic, but he lost basically everyone he cared about to the war he fought in, including his parents, his younger brother, and nearly his entire unit of war wizards. (He's halfway based on Obi-Wan Kenobi, can you tell.) He quit the army after that, spent about a decade being miserable and also a watchman just to have something to do, and only decided to take up adventuring in the past year or so after Various Events reminded him what it was like to care about people and to be able to actually help.

So missing people who turned out to be dead along, and were horribly taken advantage of? Something he is Extremely angry about in and of itself, and is also kind of hitting him where he lives because he never did find his little brother's body. Phillip Larkwright was a doctor, something he chose to do against the objections of their parents who wanted both their sons to join the military (and also not be queer and settle down and continue the family line after an appropriate period of military service, but that's a whole other Thing). He volunteered with a civilian medical organisation during the war, saving lives in the towns and villages along the border most affected by the war, and that's how he got killed. (Aged 29, Benjamin was 32ish.) At least, that's what Benjamin has managed to find out. All he knows is that one day his brother's letters stopped, and then he found out that the town he'd been working in was destroyed when the front line shifted, and he was eventually able to track down a colleague of Phillip's who said they'd last seen him helping patients during their attempted evacuation. So Phillip disappeared, and his most likely fate as far as Benjamin can determine was that he ended up in one of the mass graves left behind in that town. Killed by the war that Benjamin was fighting in elsewhere.

So you can see why this whole situation was already an enormous trigger for Benjamin! And then he failed that save, and now he's been hit with a Shadowfell Despair effect off the custom table I came up with for him, and is Utterly convinced that he just gets everyone he cares about killed, and it's going to happen to the party too, and it's all going to be his fault. (It Really doesn't help matters that one of them is 17, and only one of the rest isn't either in their 20s or the cultural equivalent thereof, so as far as he's concerned they're all children and thus his duty to protect.)

And now with all the context out of the way, we finally get to the problems I'm going to cause on purpose. Because Benjamin is having a Bad Time. He's been thinking about his brother all week (Morvath the djinn mentioned him, because one of the prizes he offers as enticement towards huge bets is the resurrection of loved ones), he's just watched these kids get attacked by monsters the second he led them into the Shadowfell, and now his mind is telling him that he's going to get everyone here killed. And Benjamin is the one with the location marking device, and the written directions to the grave site.

So he's going to run off on his own to complete the mission without putting anyone else at risk.

But he's not just going to do a runner, the DM is letting me use an inspiration point to affect the entire party (minus the half-elf rogue/bard, who's immune) with the Sleep spell first, as a distraction. So Benjamin is going to very quietly boil over into a full blown freak out, cast Sleep on the entire party, bark at Alyriia to "Get them to safety!" and then disappear into the fog.

And I have no idea what's going to happen next...

Well, except for one thing, which I'm Even More excited about. Which is that Phillip, the dead brother, is going to show up in Some Capacity. Is he going to be a hallucination? A ghost? A zombie? I have no idea, but the DM has been handed him as an NPC and I've been informed he is Definitely showing up. Which I am absolutely Bonkers about because any version of that is going to be Devastating, so I Cannot Wait to see what happens there.

DnD! Love this game