#sonar-taxlaw

[waveridden]

do you have any thoughts on a or the jands?

jands are one of those teams where i have never gotten down and dirty into Thoughts. but here are some miscellaneous jands thoughts just off the top of my head

idk what the deal is with Broken Ridge but i hope it's like, fun post apocalypse vibes. everyone is dressed like they're an extra in the maze runner for absolutely no reason. the mountains are cracked open and replaced by a canyon and the only thing breaching the horizon is The Tower

agan harrison is on the steaks now with agan espinoza and i hope it's weird. like just a little weird

(i'm thinking of this fic)

fall ball jands is just fun to me. pov you're qais dogwalker and you fall to center stage in this big empty theater

huge fan of kathmath and campos. love is coming from another universe together and holding on tight to the only other person who remembers. it's very "famous men who never lived" by k. chess

the thing about blaseball dot com saying there's no time skip between s24 and fall ball, right. is that that's boring. i like to think it was a lot like irl time: the universe is swallowed and then a little over a year later people start falling from the sky with little to no warning

i say this because like. imagine you're amal harrison. the worst case scenario has happened, or at least one of the many, many worst case scenarios that you've had to confront. it's been a year and you remember the last siesta that was decades but this one is harder because it's not a pause, it's nonexistence, it's a slate wiped entirely clean

and then people begin falling from the sky but most of them are strangers and all of them are terrified and can you even hope, really? can you even hope?

and then your husband is in dallas. and you've been in chicago for a long time, you like chicago, you want to be here. but, but, but.

[beelijah]

TRICK OR TREAT!

i brought him to work bc my costume was pajammas but then we got word that the COO is just wandering around the district walking into stores so I had to put him away. but hes here for lunch with me

[22to22]

@sonar-taxlaw's custom angel trueform portrait; friend of trains, birds, and ever becoming.

[strangeharpy]

Prompted by @sonar-taxlaw in response to this post, here's a little snippet of Cass and AuDy being completely normal:

maintenance as intimacy (AuDy helping cass with their gun, cass helping AuDy with something they can't reach)

Cass sits at the table, alternating between staring balefully at their rifle and the splint on their arm. Their gun was well used during their last job, but the injury Cass sustained makes it nigh-impossible for them to give it the attention it deserves. They know the glaring isn't going to accomplish anything, but they can't help it.

"Mako has prepared dinner," AuDy's toneless, synthesized voice says from Cass's doorway. The words don't make Cass jump, but they do break Cass out of their cycle of glaring.

"What'd he make?" Cass asks.

"Unclear," responds AuDy.

Great.

"I'm not hungry, and I've got stuff to do."

"You require food to heal," AuDy points out.

Cass scoffs. "Yeah, but even you can't tell if what Mako made is food or not."

AuDy lets that subject drop, instead asking, "What's so important that you can't go to the galley?"

"Gotta strip and clean my rifle," Cass replies.

"You should not use your hand in that manner if you want the swelling to go down," AuDy states as if Cass isn't already keenly aware of this fact.

They resist the urge to curl their fingers. "You see my problem, then."

There's a pause. "I am not injured," AuDy says.

"Good thing, too. Even with a discount, I don't think we could afford Cene right now."

AuDy makes a dismissive gesture that Cass has come to associate with irritation. "I possess enough dexterity to strip a rifle. I maintain my shotgun arm with no issues. I can assist with your rifle."

The offer catches Cass off-guard. While they know for a fact AuDy is more than capable of guile, the offer seems straightforward enough.

AuDy takes their silence as assent. They step into Cass's quarters and elbow Cass out of their way. The wheeled stool on which Cass is perched rolls aside with Cass on it until their knee bumps into the table's leg.

It gives AuDy enough room to work, despite the cramped nature of the table and Cass's quarters. Their elbow periodically brushes against Cass's shoulder as they strip down the rifle and clean its components.

Cass watches AuDy work. Their hands are steady and methodical in a way only mechanical limbs can be. Their fingers work quickly, cleaning each part of the rifle with precision. The process takes about a third of the time it would take Cass on a good day.

Once they're done and the rifle is reassembled, AuDy turns towards Cass. AuDy towers over them, but Cass can't find it in themself to be particularly intimidated. Instead, they settle their gaze on the dome of AuDy's head. "Thanks," they finally say.

AuDy is silent for a moment, then they say, "I am the captain. I must ensure the wellbeing of my crew."

Cass almost chokes. AuDy's never expressed that particular sentiment before. It's so out of character that they can't help but splutter, "No you don't."

Again, AuDy is silent. Rather than address the obvious elephant in the room, they say, "You require food. I believe Aria possesses mobility in both of her hands. She can assist you in making something."

Bewildered, Cass can only watch as AuDy turns and strides out of Cass's quarters. What was all that about?

As strange as AuDy's behavior was, Cass has to admit that they're right. They should get something for dinner. They heave a sigh and use their good arm to push themself away from the table. Then they strike out to the galley in search of something to eat.

[theshitpostcalligrapher]

req'd by @sonar-taxlaw

okay its above my head what now

text: Confidently lift the mouse

[charaznablescanontoyota]

HELLO on argonauts this week i interviewed @sonar-taxlaw and edda (edda do you have a tumblr? please advise) about the alternate reality game they ran from 2019-2023 featuring fighting lawyers, body-swapping, time loops, moon destruction, mech building, minecraft heists, cryptocurrency that's just the letter 'b', and more corporate surveys than you can shake a stick at.

i played this arg and it was really special to me. you should check out this episode

[leonstamatis]

📂 !

ok youuuu might know this one already BUT i think while layna was on the flowers she and king were really close? like hang out after games and have drinks and watch old movies together and just talk about how over it they were, that kind of thing. they were buds and it’s important to me!

[impernaway]

agan and arturo, calendars

Arturo is the one who marks down the dates whenever they have anything planned. It used to be that they’d write the details down and try to remember as much as they could through how the pen ink inevitiably bled and bloomed across the paper - some kind of reminder is better than none, after all. But after one evening when Teddy asked why they’d drawn a spiral next to a time, they’d gotten an idea. (It’s something they’ve come to appreciate more over time, the way their husband has learnt to think around the gaps they leave behind in his memory.)

So they just...Don’t write Agan’s name down directly anymore.

And it works, is the thing. Just replacing Agan’s name with a star instead has dramatically reduced the tendency for the pencil to snap and score a line across the words midway through writing. Alyssa got pulled onto the Fridays before the end of the last season, and they’ve not had a chance to get back in touch with Alyssa yet but they’re already planning on using a cresent moon to keep track of anything they plan with Alyssa. They just need to get past the election day and then they’ve got a two year siesta ahead of them. They have time.

Arturo checks the calendar again. The little star is still there, a week after the election. Dinner, Chicago, 5:30pm. Teddy’s written bring something? in awkward blocky letters next to it. Arturo has no idea what exactly their husband thinks they’re going to be able to transport there all the way from Washington, and files it away in their head for later. It’s something they can joke about with Amal once they get there. And they will be there, one way or another. They refuse to think about On Deck and what that might mean for them.

It’s something to look forward to. They’re looking forward to it.

[waveridden]

could i get commentary on the scene from futures imperfect where agan comes home after getting instability the first time?

so i wrote the first few hundred words about instability - which is always fun, figuring out how to describe things like "instability," and in this case there was something very compelling to me about portraying it as "it looks worse than it actually is" in the most literal way possible - and then got stuck, because i couldn't figure out the best way to characterize the reunion. i was actually considering having something with them cooking again, because i liked that in the last agan/amal fic

but then i got this just. very clear image of amal sitting on the porch steps. i don't even have a clear vision of the house or anything but it was just so clear. in this situation, there are people who would stand in the kitchen and cook and prepare for the reunion (i am one of those people!) but amal is the kind of person who would wait outside, and minimize every possible distance between himself and agan.

with the instability there was also this vague thought of like... agan bringing work home with them, in a way. like, other than the general trauma, blaseball is not something you can bring home in a tangible way. but here is the instability, visible and there, even if it feels okay. there is this reminder of the axe hanging over agan's head and there is nothing for them to do but wait.

(i do think they cooked dinner together though. or at minimum amal cooked something nice. i think it is hard to carry on As Normal but i think there are some things that are comforting.)

[transit-fag]

@sonar-taxlaw you walk up to the ghost, it vanishes before your eyes, but before it vanishes you can see it is wearing a suit, had long hair and a tattoo on the right arm of a rose

The Time is 7:50 pm on a hot summer Tuesday

You're sitting in on the Valley Flyer on a Ticket to Northampton. The scenery outside the train is green and full of nature. Around you are 9 people of interest. A girl Loading her bike onto the train, a blue haired woman crocheting a sweater, a character of indeterminate gender reading a book, 2 young boys playing on their Nintendo DS, a ghost, a butch attempting to open her watercolor set, a man pointing a camera out the window and a little old lady muttering to herself. Beneath your seat lies a backpack, inside are 3 novels, a photo of John Lennon, Mineral Water and a laptop.

What do you do?

[beelijah]

18 for lars and a beam of ur choice!

things you said when you were scared, feat lars taylor and zack sanders

There are too many people in the stadium. That's the first thing that crosses Lars' mind when they peak out onto the field. The Solarium is packed with row upon row of faceless fans, more people than Lars has ever seen in a crowd before. More people than Moab had ever seen, and certainly more than the Hellmouth Anti-Tourism Board would be comfortable with.

That just wasn’t right. People didn’t show up for Sunbeams games. People showed up for the Spies, or the Garages, or the Crabs (well, they used to show up for the Crabs). But they didn’t show up for the Sunbeams. Why would you pay to watch the home team get swept, again and again?

But the people in the stadium weren’t here for the Sunbeams, not really. They were here for the Tigers.

“Can you believe that we’re going to the sixth game in a best out of five?” Comes a voice from behind him. Lars does not jump at the sound, and most definitely is perfectly calm and composed when he turns around to face Zack Sanders.

“You’re not playing today, right. Why are you here?” they ask, because they really don’t want to talk to anyone right now.

“Miguel told me you snapped at her. We’re worried for you.”

“Oh.”

Lars hadn’t meant to snap at Miguel. She’d been trying to lighten the mood, really. But the desert heat had been piercing them in a way it never had and the sickly new sun in the sky was blaring down on them and hurting their skin and the crowd in the stands was so much louder than they were used to and they probably had looked like they were yelling in when they’d told Miguel to just go away with three sets of hands and a glare.

“I’m not gonna ask if you’re okay, because you look terrible.”

“Thanks, Zack”

 “...But do you wanna talk?”

No, Lars wanted to say. He very much did not want to talk at all. But he’d already bitten his chew necklace so hard his teeth hurt and practically carved a hole into the floor with his pacing, and Zack didn’t look like she was gonna leave any time soon.

“Zack, do you know what happens if we lose?”

“If we lose, we lose. We lose all the time, Lars.”

“If we lose, the Tigers win. And the Tigers will go to championships.”

Realization, or maybe even recognition of what she already knew, dawned on Zack’s face. “You don’t think the Garages can beat them at championships.”

“No, so if we don’t stop them here--”

“They’ll probably ascend.”

Lars wanted to curl up in a ball under the desk in the office, but they didn’t have time for that. They sat down on a nearby bench as the next best thing. “Yeah. The Tigers will ascend.”

And nobody knew what ascension meant, even still. “The Crabs didn’t deserve that, Iggy, whatever happened to them. Even the fox. If I could’ve stopped them, I would. But I can stop it from happening to the Tigers. I have to.”

Zack sighed and sat down next to them. The sound of the bustling crowd filled the dead air.

“Lars, you’re an idiot.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me,” mercifully, Zack didn’t turn to face them, so they didn’t have to make eye contact. “You’re an idiot.”

Lars gaped at Zack, but didn’t get a chance to respond before she continued;

“Are you running the bases? Are you fielding every position? Are you batting? Are you pitching and catching for this game?”

“Well, no, but--”

“Do you really think that you’re the one thing standing between the Tigers and ascension?”

“But--”

“I’m not done. Lars, you’ve got the whole team behind you. We all want to stop ascension, and we all want to win. You’re not alone in this, and you don’t have to sit here and panic all alone.”

Lars looked down at their lap. “Right. I’m sorry.”

“Wait, no,” Zack turned to face him, “you’re not supposed to be sorry, you’re supposed to feel better. I messed up. I messed up this pep talk.”

“No, no, no, no, it was a good pep talk! Zack, you’re the best at pep talks!”

“And now you’re trying to comfort me! I knew we should’ve sent Sandy in for this.”

And that broke something in Lars, and he couldn’t help but start laughing. Zack started laughing too, softly at first, and then she too was overcome by a fit of giggles. The two of them sat there, laughing at nothing, for what felt like forever and not long enough at all.

Zack broke first, wiping a tear from her eye. “I should probably let you get ready for real now, huh?”

Lars nodded. “Zack?”

“What?”

“Can I hug you?”

Zack stood up. “Of course you can.” And Lars did, holding her tight.

“Thanks, Zack. For everything.”

“Thank me after we win, Lars. Now go give ‘em hell out there.”

[lotrmusical]

wirt from otgw. citation: associated with frogs, music, and poetry

YOU'RE... NOT WRONG

[captainlordauditor]

sonar-taxlaw replied to your post “jews my dnd group has: -the horned holy jew -the angry shtetl jew...”

ok but now you've gotta say which one is which of the 4 children

FUCK U RIGHT....ok so like.....

-Cora I don’t think is Jewish beyond normal Halfling jewishness? so she’s the youngest

-im gonna say Decision is the wise son. cause she’s the fuckin cleric

and i leave @millesbianfalcon and @the-capricious-one to fight over ava and dorwynn

[theresattrpgforthat]

Excellent, thank you @sonar-taxlaw!

Hi there! Do you happen to know any good ttrpgs that can be run with 3 people (gm included if there's a gm) virtually and is light on math/crunch? Bonus points if it's scifi or fantasy. Double bonus points if there's minimal prep

THEME: Light 3-player Games

Hello friend, I’ve got a number of fantasy-themed games that you might like to check out. If you want some non-fantasy options, check out the bottom of this post!

Wickedness, by Nightling Bug. 

Wickedness is a peculiar tabletop game written for exactly three players and one tarot deck, with no dice and no GM.  Together, you'll form a coven between three mystical archetypes (the innocent and gentle Pure Heart, the volatile, revelrous Wild Spirit, and the uptight, scholarly Old Soul) and try to keep your world of magic and mystery in balance with the mundane world, in spite of its ignorance, poverty and violence.

This game uses tarot cards and draws a lot of inspiration from Belonging Outside Belonging Games, so there should be little to no math or crunch required. As a GM-less game, you might want one person to read the book ahed of time, but character generation and setting are figured out at the table, at the beginning of the session. I like the fact that the author provides pick-lists to choose from: it means that players will have a quick list of options to choose from rather than writing a bunch of abilities out of thin air.

The playtest in the game page shows three people playing it virtually, possibly on Roll20, so it looks like running it online is totally doable!

What’s So Evil About Necromancy? By Tyler Magruder.

Take the role as the product of necromancy (undead), the practitioner of necromancy (necromancer), and the guide (GM) and trade roles multiple times over the course of play.

What’s So Cool… games are pretty rules-light most of the time: you write down a few details and descriptions for your character, and roll 2d6 whenever you want to do something risky. You get +1 for advantages, and -1 for disadvantages. 8 or higher? That’s a success!

What’s So Evil About Necromancy? builds on this framework and adds bits and pieces that allow players to switch roles throughout the course of play. The game is meant to be expandable, so if you want to write lore or expand upon the rules, there’s room for that! The game is pretty light so running it online should be easy, especially since there’s very little character maintenance as written.

 If you want more ideas about how to play with necromancy, or if you want to flesh out a setting to play in where necromancy is rampant, you could flip through In Play Issue 2: Necromancy, by FKR Collective, for ideas. 

QuestFellows, by Penflower Ink. 

QuestFellows is a GM-less collaborative story-telling and role-playing game for 2 or more players, based on the Four Points RPG System. QuestFellows combines the atmosphere and themes of classic high fantasy adventure, with a narrative, player-driven and fully cooperative role-playing experience.

This game is what you want if you’re looking for a classic fantasy game. It’s GM-less, so like other GM-less games, it should expect the group to learn how to play together, which usually lend themselves to little prep beforehand. It also provides you with form-fillable character sheets and game instructions that allow for online dice-rollers. This is an excellent option for folks who want an setting akin to the stereotypical fantasy world but who don’t want to give one person the burden of being a GM.

POWER | WISDOM | COURAGE, by UnabashedlyRose.

POWER|WISDOM|COURAGE is a GMless game for three players about being chosen by the Light to face off against the Shadows and save your home from destruction. 

It's also a game about defying expectations and resisting the control of any of these so-called gods. 

This game pulls greatly from the themes of Legend of Zelda, with a focus on a trio of heroes and reincarnation, as well as going to fight against a devastating Darkness. The three characters are provided with predetermined stats according to the virtue they most embody, as well as a series of pick-lists to determine their motivation and background. The setting feels pretty abstract, so you can decide the details of it by yourselves, or perhaps with a world-building game to accompany you, such as Questlandia 2nd Edition, by turtle bun.  If you want a game that is epic in scope, this might be the game for you!

Games I’ve Recommended Before

Poutine: Deep Dish Nine, by The Kinematic Cafe.

Anyone Can Wear The Mask, by Jeff Stormer.

[charaznablescanontoyota]

@leonstamatis ALSO tagged me in this thing i forgot to do so. here we go

last song: uhhh i have not listened to music today but as of last night it wasssss heart of gold

currently watching: on our tv it's bbc pride and prejudice bc we finally have a dvd player in the apartment and can heckle mr darcy from the privacy of our own home. on youtube i was watching a video about the bad cinderella musical being a flop lmao

currently reading: uhhh no books currently! keeping up with quite a few webcomics incl paranatural and what happens next

current obsession: does checking neopets multiple times a day again count as an obsession. it's pretty bad. i'm getting into food club now

uhhh im supposed to tag 9 people so here goes @haunthouse @ibitedoctors @beelijah @extremesalsaing @crabmoney3 @revryebread @quietcrysis @sonar-taxlaw @ladytabletop

[waterloggedsoliloquy]

@sonar-taxlaw replied to your post “@sonar-taxlaw replied to your post “Does Anybuddy wanna ask abt my...”

revolution!!! i want to know more abt jack noel tell me abt jack + their 3 parents

this is jack noel, they bit off way more than they could chew and are regretting it! they’re represented by lily of the valley and they have super healing, which comes in handy when they’re being attacked by wild things and murderous bear aliens (bearliens). They’re a good kid, but they’re pragmatic and overcome with a sense of existential claustrophobia that they try to alleviate by going on long walks 2 the ocean or just up and running away from home for a few days, which bites them in the ass bc its unpleasant and they get grounded for it

Their parents are Dr. Vintner, Dr. Shelley, and Dr. [REDACTED], three Iompriodh (thats the colloquial name for the ruling aliens where Jack is from) who are Best and Brightest- a prestigous position that marks you as the best of the best in Science, Art, or Industry, and doesn’t really do much. The three of them are heavily based on-- and named after-- the adults in my life that helped me through that time  

Dr. Servyn Noah “Ser” Vintner is a botanist, and inherited his father’s failed university, so he turned it into a conservatory and botanical refuge. He allows guests to visit and study in their botanical library, so it’s still ostensibly an institute on paper, but only because he’s still paying off his father’s debt. 

this is him. he also usually wears clothes. he loves jack noel very much but doesnt really know how to take care of a human and all of his efforts up to this point have been trial and error. he can be a bit overbearing but its like 100% justified.  jack noel got their wit from him. he is a recovering alcoholic, and also a Best and Brightest in Botanical Genetics. 

Dr. Caroline [REDACTED] is not an iompriodh, but a parasitic alien called a Nhyrdanol that took over an iompriodh’s dead body and is using it as a meat suit. Don’t worry, that is normal for them, and she looks about as much as any other iompriodh, anyways. Despite being an unholy mix of The Thing, A Yeerk, and a vampire, shes a really nice lady and kind mom. She’s funny, somewhat loquacious, viciously unforgiving to those who would be violent towards those she knows, and very smart. She can be creepy, but then she’s dead, y’know? She’s a Best and Brightest in agricultural chemistry.

Dr. Emery Shelley once knew and worked under the very scientist that has resurfaced as a murderer in recent years. They faked their death and hide out in the university Dr. Vintner has made, practicing medicine, mycology, and forensic pathology.  They’re reserved, honest, and kind of blunt, speaking impersonally to most people, save their family. Their Best and Brightest was in forensic pathology and posthumous study, but due to being legally dead, that’s off record.