#that's not really how dnd is marketed

[taashed]

i love coming on here and finding out everyone lost their damn mind while i slept

[britcision]

Indie ttrpg designers

We seem to be back in the “dnd sucks why don’t you just play Other Games (yours)” and I have a single question for you in return

Do I get to roll a d20?

Because I like the d20

That shape pleases me

I do not wish to roll a random amount of d6s or d8s or any of them other fuckers

I wish to roll the d20 because icosahedrons please me

I will also accept d12 but the other shapes all have less mouthfeel so if that’s what your game’s based on, it is not for me

I’d also prefer more than four stats but I’m not gonna lie it is the shape of the math rocks so like

Rec your d20 based indie ttrpgs friends cuz every single one I’ve opened is them little cube fuckers or the double pyramid and I Require Round

[northern-passage]

Is sign language something the Order teaches?

After asking that, I realise that it's much more likely that Handlers learn it as part of their education (being the one who engages with the common folk out of the duo).

But what if a Hunter wanted to learn it? Would they have to request being taught as well?

And outside of the Order, how is sign language treated in the overall world?

it is, actually! sign language is pretty widely taught as a second language in Adrania. that's not to say that everyone is fluent, though, and there are different dialects just like in real life (ie ASL vs BASL) if someone is fortunate enough to receive schooling they will typically study common sign language (which is mainly used for trade and is very formal), but whether or not they retain it and can still understand it varies from person to person, and again there are variations that will differ from the basic common version taught in a school. with the class divide in Adrania, i also imagine there would be a drastic difference between the culture and sign of lower classes (who most likely will not have received any kind of education) and the upper classes.

and you're right, Lea is the one that is more proficient in it between the two, mainly because they are the one doing most of the talking. the hunter has a basic understanding and can typically interpret signs, but isn't the best at signing themself. if you go with Merry in Blackwater, you can see her, Mal, and Branwen all sign to each other, with Branwen actually being hoh. the hunter recognizes that Branwen calls Merry a bastard, but for the most part the three sign too fast for the hunter to understand. Merry and Mal will continue to use sign throughout the story, and they actually use a variation that neither the hunter nor Lea will recognize, even if they were signing slower; think of it like the thieves cant, but in sign.

[pagesofkenna]

literally none of these comments are actually engaging with the actual point the original OP was making, which is that 5e (a product owned by the Hasbro company) isn't the thing that facilitates great improvised stories and roleplay with no need for combat: it's skilled game masters who do that

I generally love Brennan but he went on this baffling rant in a fireside episode of the Worlds Beyond Numbers podcast about how he likes 5e because it has a great social system that doesn't get in the way of the kind of story he wants to tell—which is really only possible because, as an experienced improvisor and storyteller, he has made the executive decision to ignore almost the entire 5e product, using only a relatively small aspect of it for that game (basic character building plus skill checks). and that's fine! it's like playing a homebrew boardgame using a chess set, which honestly sounds really fun and i might design that!

but my main point here is that combat is baked into the 5e product. character creation and advancement revolves around combat. the ruleset was balanced for combat (i.e., the character classes are intended to be equally useful in combat). the first two arcs of the Worlds Beyond Number podcast have leveled the characters up to... 2? because combat utility (i.e. character advancement) is so unimportant to the 5e product when you're not doing the thing it's primarily designed to do, i.e. combat

If you have a hard time improvising low-combat games in 5e, using pre-written modules can be great to get you to understand how to incorporate combat better; what they're generally not going to do is help you learn how to run a high-roleplay low-combat game (though some materials, generally not the ones commissioned by Hasbro, can!)

there are, on the other hand, other products that are designed to help game masters run high-roleplay low-combat games! this is the what all those annoying 'try something besides dnd!' people are trying to say: it's not 'dnd sucks' but 'these other games are good at other things, and will help you figure out how to do those things better than trying to force them into dnd will'

if you don't mind running combat and the 5e product is working fine for you, great! to extend the original OP's metaphor, it's one recipe and maybe it's a recipe you really like. but if you're trying to avoid meat, taking a meat recipe and just not using meat won't yield the same kind of results as trying out a new vegetarian recipe

Op disabled rbs but they’re right and more people need to read this a few times over

[hairmetal666]

Wayne's used to worrying about Eddie. He should be; he's been doing it since the kid was twelve. First it was Eddie's silence, his permanent frown, the way the bones stood out too prominent on his small wrists. Then it was the kids at school, taunting him and calling him names, the fights and calls from the principal's office. Next came the late nights, the drinking, the dealing, failing his senior year twice. But all of those times, every single one, Wayne had known what to do. Maybe it wasn't perfect, maybe it took a little time, but he'd always figured out exactly what his boy needed.

And now--now Wayne doesn't know if he can help; knows it's not in his power to fix it. 

So, he sits for the second week in a row, watching his nephew--his whole heart--sitting in front of the window, looking out at the forest, nursing the same cup of coffee that he poured six hours ago, and wonders how in the world he can help.

They're cleaning up from dinner, Eddie quiet at his side, when he says, "Gonna need some help with the mugs tomorrow."

After moving to Oregon once Eddie graduated and he retired, he found an affinity for pottery. Never woulda thought it, but he loves it and tourists love his booth at the farmers market.

He can't think of a better way to get his nephew out of the house, but wonders if he doesn't know his boy as well as he thinks after a decade in Los Angeles, that Eddie'll refuse. He just nods, though, goes back to drying the plate in his hands.

And next morning, right at 6:45, Eddie is in the living room in black jeans that are so worn they're nearly grey in places, and the threadbare Metallica tee Wayne thrifted for him nearly a decade back. It's a win. Small, yes--Eddie doesn't even complain once about the country-western station Wayne plays in the truck--but still a step forward.

Wayne wastes no time parking and handing Eddie a box of carefully packed merchandise. He leads the way, trusts that Eddie is right on his heels until he hears Jim Hopper's voice say, "You better keep an eye on those mugs, son. Your uncle will tan your hide."

He turns to see Hopper balancing one end of Eddie's box, Eddie's cheeks flushed pink. "Sorry, I--uh, I've got it now." Hopper lets go and for the briefest instant Eddie's eyes dart to the side and the pink in his cheeks grows deeper.

Wayne tracks the path Eddie's eyes took and finds--he swallows back a chuckle--Steve Harrington just setting one of his Adirondack chairs into place, his t-shirt lifted to show of a stretch of stomach.

Well. Eddie did always like the pretty ones.

They setup the booth in companionable silence, and Hopper pops back over for a proper introduction. Before he departs again, he says to Eddie, "I got some kids who really love that dnd game and your show. They're going to be crazy to meet you. That okay?"

And Eddie, he's a good boy, he smiles and nods but as soon as Hopper is out of earshot, Wayne's saying, "Hop's kids and their friends are big fans and I know you're heartsore about the cancellation, but you better be polite."

Eddie glares. "What do you think, old man, that I'll be mean to children?"

"Well, with how you've been moping around the cabin these last few weeks, hard to know."

He scoffs. "Yeah, well. Netflix putting your hit show on indefinite hiatus without warning or explanation will do that to a guy."

Wayne knows there's nothing he can say to soften this hurt, so he gives Eddie's shoulder a tight squeeze. "I'm proud of you no matter what, son."

His nephew nods, eyes down, but Wayne doesn't miss the small, pleased, lift at the corner of his lips.

The morning passes smoothly and Wayne pretends he doesn't notice every time he finds Eddie's gaze straying to Steve's booth.

The kids come by around noon, Dustin Henderson breaking away from the pack to shriek, "You're Eddie Munson!"

Eddie smiles, stands. "That I am, young adventurer." He bows low, exaggerated and the kids giggle. "Pray tell, what are your names?"

The chatter is fast and easy, Eddie the happiest he's been in weeks, and Wayne relaxes back in his chair, lets out a long, slow breath of relief at the breaking storm. He stretches back in his chair, eyes catching on Steve Harrington across the way. Steve who is watching Eddie and the kids with an expression Wayne can only think of as fond.

Wayne isn't one to play matchmaker, but--he thinks, just maybe, just this once he could nudge.

It happens late in the afternoon, when business has well-slowed, Eddie asking, "Um--that guy over there, who is--what's his deal?"

Wayne thinks he manages to keep all traces of amusement from his face and voice as he answers, "Who? Ohh, Steve Harrington. He's the guidance counselor down at the middle school. Does a bit of carpentry in his free time. Best friends with the woman who owns that little bookstore."

He watches as Eddie processes, as his eyes widen, probably in remembrance of the pride flags and Protect Trans Kids shirts, how the woman in question wore a lesbian flag pin on her apron. "Guidance counselor?" He says eventually. "Kind of a drag."

"You would think, but the kids love him. The ones you met earlier today? He babysat them for years; imprinted on him, Jim and I say."

"Hmm," is the only response he gets, Eddie's attention back on the man in question.

---

The day after the market, Wayne walks into the living room to find Eddie's laptop tucked into the cushions of the window seat. He hasn't seen the thing since Eddie came home, never used to see him without it, and this--well.

He says, "need to run into town for a few things. You up for a trip? You might could stop at that bookstore."

Eddie nods, takes a sip of his coffee--he's actually drinking it-- says, "Yeah. Yeah, I think that'd be cool."

The store isn't busy when they arrive, and Wayne drifts towards the magazines to leave Eddie to his own devices.

Wayne loses himself to quiet browsing, wanting to give Eddie space, to maybe chat with Robin Buckley, strike up the beginnings of a friendship. Enough time passes, though, that Wayne is wondering where his boisterous, noticeable nephew could've disappeared to so silently.

He winds around a shelf and sees Eddie and Steve Harrington in deep conversation. He can't hear it, not really, but they're standing close, with pink in their cheeks. As he watches, Steve says something that makes Eddie laugh and pull a few strands of hair over his mouth.

They're almost inseparable after that. Eddie, Steve, Robin, and all those kids. They play dnd, have movie nights, spend hours at the diner. And Eddie, he's writing, sketching, gets down Wayne's acoustic guitar and plays around for a while.

When he asks how things are with "that Harrington boy," Eddie flushes red and says, "none of your business, old man" before giving Wayne a quick, affectionate squeeze. 

---

Two and a half months after Eddie came to stay, Wayne's walking back from the river, the sky the light navy of new dusk. His fishing rod is draped over one shoulder, tackle box held easily in his fist, the walk home pleasant, a perfect end to a good day.

The light from the front porch seeps through the trees, and he's thinking about a cold beer, a warm pizza, if Eddie's found his way home yet, when figures standing on the porch stop him in his tracks.

It takes a second, longer, for his eyes to adjust from the dark of the woods, and the glow of the bulb, but then he sees--

Eddie and Steve locked in a fierce embrace, desperate and very much private.

He turns right back towards the river, doesn't mind giving the boys some time.

He waits a good half hour, just enjoying the forest, before heading back. Steve's car is gone, the porch vacant, but the cabin is lit up, bright and warm and inviting.

Wayne steps inside, and his nephew is there, laptop open, but he isn't working, just smiling to himself, chin resting on his fist.

"Okay?" Wayne asks.

"Huh? Oh, yeah." Eddie's smile doesn't fall from his face.

He doesn't want to interfere, ask too much, not when he's sure things are still young. Instead, he asks, "What'd you say to ordering a pizza?"

And Eddie, heedless of Wayne's question, says,"you know. I've been thinking about maybe staying here for a little longer."

And Wayne, his smile grows, and he claps a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "You're welcome here for as long as you want. Already consider it your home anyway."

[mangomybeloved]

i hate to say it, like i love watcher, but my thoughts on them leaving youtube is this is too much too soon, like the bulk of their fans are probs younger/unable to afford another subscription fee, plus youtube has always been where they've been?? it's just so stark to go from this being the site you put your content on for years and then to go full cold turkey, no more posting on youtube ever

and i'll be honest, they don't have enough content to warrant a separate site/subscription all together. dropout is able to pull it off because they have the full rotation of shows and cast as well (dnd, game changer, etc), whereas for watcher, they only have a few couple really successful shows and those are primarily only focused on ryan and shane.

and tbh, i don't think they have a big enough audience to launch it either, like their marketing team could do better on advertising their shows! like, i haven't been keeping up with their recent shows cause either i don't see it on my youtube algorithm at all or i have to go out of my way to go see it.

and i don't know this just feels like a kick to the face to their fans, like even dropout has shorts on youtube and keeps up all their content on youtube like some episodes and the entirety of season one of fantasy high, and now i'm seeing in the comments, that their international fans outside of the usa won't even able to subscribe cause of how payment works which is :///, so yeah, watcher, it's been nice knowing ya, but i don't know how this move will turn out for you, i'm sorry to say

[licensedproldier]

highlights from the brennan hank interview (aka taking notes on things that i liked or didn't know)

HE STARTED ATTENDING COLLEGE WHEN HE WAS 14?????

immediate jump off topic from hank to ask him about d20 (this happened while fhjy was airing)

"and the greatest project of all, my wonderful family with my wife isabella roland"

bonding over their children

brennan and hank's son both corrected their father's bedtime stories 💀

many elaine lee shoutouts

"his dad met my mom and fell in love" "you did that" "we did that, parent-trapped them"

was pulled out of school in 4th grade for homeschooling because the bullying was so bad....

started a company when they (he and his brother) were fifteen?? called Bootleg Adventures

hank's little awed hiss of "what" to the above piece of information

GOT PART OWNERSHIP OF THE WAYFINDER COMPANY AT 15

"knowledge is something that, when you share it, there's just more. there's no scarcity"

hank staring off into space slightly looking like brennan just blew his mind (we're 11 minutes in)

"we were 14 year old philosophy majors, if you can imagine anything more normal than that"

brennan unable to resist doing fun voices for the people he talks about

he wouldve loved to work at wayfinder full time and said back then hey maybe ill become a famous internet comedian or something and that's how i can help camp. now he's got texts from the staff saying how a bunch of dimension 20 fans have joined and its been a huge boon for them that way 🥺

"it's funny when a really bad plan works. dont make that plan."

"every new community-- is this too sad? no its true" THOSE THINGS ARE NOT MUTUALLY EXCLUSIVE

anyway "for every new community i start with the presupposition that someone is going to pick me up and put me in the trash can" 😭

hank sniping him through the duplex door with "[when you do that] you kind of imagine yourself to be the value you're delivering rather than yourself, or that your value is in what you deliver and not who you are" and brennan going 😐 "that's a great point man"

both of them turning to do pained smiles at the camera 😭

"i think the value is in who you are" "that's really sweet i appreciate that" "but i also love that you deliver"

brennan quoting mary oliver

im starting to feel a little called out guys

robert mckee "stories are not about their premises they're about their conclusions"

brennan also staring off into space slightly thinking about what hank said

the REAL college advice brennan is giving is reportedly "put an egg in your ramen" because thats how you stop your eyes from going "matte finish"

shoutout to vanessa's dumplings for keeping this man alive

"i am ozymandias nerd of nerds, gaze upon my banner and despair"

the moment he felt like something changed was walking into C2E2 and seeing that the biggest hanging banner in the convention hall was of fantasy high. or, as brennan put it, "my dumb face"

"my friends moved in with their partners, the apartment i had with them scattered to the wind, the woman i was dating dumped me after three weeks, and i won a bunch of money on Who Wants to Be a Millionare" "wh- what???"

he taught emily, murph, siobhan, and zac how to play dnd 🥺 and was running a home game for lou at the same time

got hired at um, actually because his name was getting around for being a big dork

zac stepped down from troopers and sam liked brennan's character from a previous casting call (tim curry eating pizza) so he brought him in

its very charming the detail with which brennan remembers these important moments in his life

became a full time cast member in the same week he started dating izzy! "hard to beat week gang!"

"they told us they were launching dropout and everyone had to make a show, which, if you're been trying to make a show your whole life, that's like saying 'bad news guys, there's 24 birthday cakes in the break room and everyone has to eat a whole birthday cake'."

brennan was making a document for a market pitch on an actual-play show when he was called into office and THEY pitched HIM the idea of an actual-play show

"i guess i have tumbled through life to end up here ready to do this"

truly like. one of the guys of all time.

"some of the things that didn't make sense about you make more sense now" hank talking indirectly about how amazing he found all the moving parts of mentopolis and now getting to hear about how long and how many time he's done storytelling it makes sense

"yeah its the one skill"

"i wanted to tell stories before i was anything else"

🎉anti-capitalist rant🎉

"people used to say 'is ucb a cult' and i'd say 'in a cult, somebody is making money'"

HIGH FIVE!!!

[elodieunderglass]

It's not really my business, but honestly it feels like it would be advisable to hire a copyright lawyer. Like I don't feel like you're in it for the money, but it might be gratifying to have the guy milking your idea at least have to formally acknowledge you. I think I'd do it just for the peace of mind to know if I've been "legally" wronged or not. Either way, hope you continue to inspire, and live out a peaceful life.

(In reference to this post about the guy who pretends to have invented “Elder Teletubbies,” specifically how he is now kickstarting DnD minis of them.)

Ha, well, it’s all a little tricky I think. I might, hilariously, post on the r/legaladvice Reddit (even though they’re all cops lol) because the only thing I want here is for him to stop selling my “transformative work,” and ideally to stop pretending he invented it (which might be difficult as he appears to fully believe his work is creatively independent.)

I think if anything, my post counts as protected commentary or a transformative work of BBC’s Teletubbies, and I think it’s stinky to profit on that stuff in general (like I’m 190% okay with buying LotR fanart on stickers ! but I wouldn’t dream of trying to publish a fic with the serial numbers filed off. Why?)

I think ultimately I’m not a grifter, I’m a grownup, and I think it’s several levels of eye roll to sell fanart of a tv show on this level. I would be embarrassed to touch money made on that. I’m too fucking scrupulous and artisanal. I have toyed with a silly original novel for funsies since 2019 but keep saying things like, “oh, people will think this is too similar to something else that already exists” as if a silly original novel I write for fun has to somehow pass a Bar of Originality higher than anything salary-writers aim for.

I’m also pretty anti-intellectual-property myself in that leftist sense where I don’t believe people should be acting as if creative works are, like, oil. Like the resource extraction angle of intellectual property freaks me out, I don’t think getting super high-horse and snotty about Magical Brain Property is entirely compatible with the artisanal temperament I personally got going on here. I am like snufkin about this, simply smoking a pipe and making a flower crown saying “poor fools! Producing works for market, and serving as the guard dogs of the market, lest their work lose value if it becomes more common!” I do not have a high horse. I am not going to post 6900 words about the importance of defending fucking… Mickey Mouse. I buy those lotr stickers on Etsy! I do have a horse, but it’s a pretty low horse.

If it was his own work I would not care about this guy doing this in the least (apart from loftily calling it stinky - but hey, nerds are common and nerds are stinky, it’s not rare) IF he wasn’t STEALING FROM MY ANTI-COMMERCIALISATION DREAM TO DO IT.

That’s the bit that PISSES ME OFF too much to ignore: that and accepting compliments for being original like 😌 yes my twisted mind did this idk lol.

Like if you asked him point blank about the artistic choices he’d be like idk my twisted mind just sees the Teletubbies this way teehee! but if you ask ME why, for example, the adult Teletubbies live in the forest I’ll explain that in 2017 I was at a major life crossroads and this dream was ABOUT that. It was goodbye to my identity as a foreigner from the pine forests, and full steam ahead to settling permanently in the fucking shire (where the baby teletubbies on the bbc show live). It was about going back to work having had my first child, and saying goodbye to my various career dreams for myself (famous scientist! Published author!) as I chose instead, finally, the responsibility of working humbly as a public servant for the actual good of society. It is about witnessing the wild and saying “I am not of it, but it is my job to be its witness and voice.” That’s why the adult Teletubbies are dancing in my native forests while I’m watching them from the English hills. This guy doesn’t know that he just vaguely heard “spooky forest cryptid” and didn’t develop it at all, I do more work than that with FANFICTION in my time off!!!

So it’s really about nebulous stuff and ethics and not something worth paying a lawyer for I think!

But thank you so much for this, I think the thing that gets most perennial about it is the TOTAL GASLIGHTING of the “outside world” of the rest of the internet like, fully believing they invented this, and they DIDNT. They’re so wrong on the internet and they don’t know

[chaoticbardlady99]

I Wondered If I Could Come Home? (Astarion x F! Reader)

Synopsis- It’s been 4 months since you last saw Astarion and 3 months since you killed the Netherbrain with your other companions. Shortly after, you settled down in Silverymoon to begin a life out there and try to push Astarion out of your mind- except it can never be that easy. You shortly discover you are pregnant with his child- a child that could kill you during childbirth. Scared and alone- Shadowheart stays with you to help you deliver the baby and keep you alive.

While out at the local market, Shadowheart runs into Gale and invites him over for dinner. Gale has unexpected company.

CW: Pregnancy, mentions of potential death during birth, mentions of nudity, mentions of NSFW smut

To my fellow DND fans- no this is probably not canon compliant, yes I’m upset about that, but look I really needed to write this so sue me I guess

Author note- Self indulgent, I have baby fever, but don’t want a baby fic. I’m unsure of how long this will be or if it will have more parts-it depends on how angsty I feel, but I need to have like six different ideas to think about at a time soooo 😂

*This hasn’t been edited ✨well✨so please forgive me

*again, no fucking clue who’s picture it is, but it sure as shit isn’t mine so if it’s yours- reach out so I can give credit!

You keep yourself propped up against the sink in the kitchen as Shadowheart holds your hair out of your face and dabbing away the cold sweat that drips down your neck.

You are really sick of being morning sick. It’s absolutely the worst thing in the world- well besides your potential death from carrying your little girl inside of you. You sometimes think Astarion may get his wish- you may just die screaming.

You dry heave one last time- not a single thing comes up because you haven’t kept a single thing down since two mornings ago. Your morning sickness is inconsistent and comes on with little to no warning.

It’s been five months since you conceived this fricken kid, but it was like all the symptoms hit after you killed the Netherbrain.

A part of you really wishes you had somehow known before then- maybe it would have changed the cruel fate that ended your relationship with Astarion. You were literally pregnant in the middle of fighting Cazador. You think about what he last said to you all the time and just sob hysterically- like it happened yesterday.

A deeper part of you feels abandoned, but you blame yourself for him leaving. You should have been more convincing or maybe you shouldn’t have flat out told him no and explained why in the hells you didn’t want him to ascend.

For example- you didn’t want to lose him to some evil version of himself.

Ironically, you lost him anyway and are pregnant with his fucking child who insists on occasionally making you miserable.

Despite your inherent sadness, anger, and sickness, you find you are actually quite excited to meet her. You haven’t settled on a name yet and Shadowheart has been very helpful in regards to making sure you are healthy and strong for delivery. She’s your best friend and you could not be more grateful for her.

“I’ll go back to the market today and get you more of those herbs,” Shadowheart says quietly when she talks to you, “they seemed to help last time?”

You nod- exhausted and your head is pounding. You and this kid are going to need to have a serious conversation. You will not be letting a second Acunin make you miserable before she is ever born.

Shadowheart guides you to your bed upstairs, standing behind you in case you get hit with a wave of vertigo- which usually happens post vomit episode.

You pull your curtains closed- thankful that the desperate hope in your heart led you to buying black out curtains. You close your door and lay down on your bed- tears spilling down your cheeks freely.

You miss him terribly. You shouldn’t. You should positively hate him, but everyday of this pregnancy makes you ache for him. You should be doing this together.

You know it’s hormones- the weepiness, the intense longing, and the Gods awful horniness. Dreams are the worst. You wake up a squirming disaster at least three times a week with your skin burning hot with memories of Astarion touching you.

You are happy that isn’t the case currently, but the weepiness sucks too. Remembering how he used to curl around you, the way it felt to have him kiss you on the forehead, and all those late night conversations with (now empty) promises. You curl yourself around your pillows, willing your imagination to pretend it’s him, and you sob until you fall asleep.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Astarion tries to contain his excitement and fear as he follows Gale and Shadowheart to your home. Finally, after searching for literal months, he was going to see you again.

Astarion has been haunted by the last words he had said to you for what feels like eons now. He hadn’t meant it at the time and he certainly doesn’t mean it now.

He had been too afraid to come back to you after everything he had said. Astarion decided you probably hate him anyway so he tried to move on.

He tried being with other people (it always failed miserably because they weren’t you), he drank until he couldn’t remember a damn thing, and when all else failed, he began his search for the Ring of the Sunwalker.

After the nightlife of Baldur’s Gate lost it’s appeal and he finally found a ring location, Astarion found himself in front of Gale’s door in Waterdeep- begging him of all people to help him.

The wizard had been puzzled and melancholy when he realized Astarion was at his door. Astarion told him every little piece of how he feels about you, how much he misses you, and how he wants to be able to give you the life that you deserve. Astarion was practically on the verge of hysteria while trying to make his case.

Thus began the search for the Ring of the Sunwalker.

They were able to locate and obtain one after a grueling three month long journey and some help from one of Gale’s old friends. Then, they headed straight to Silverymoon- your last known whereabouts.

Running into Shadowheart had felt like a miracle, but to also have her living with you had made the trip even easier. Except Shadowheart was being really really weird towards him.

When Gale first asked if Astarion could come along too, Shadowheart had asked Astarion why he wanted to come and see the person he “hoped died screaming?”

Astarion had flinched at the anger and venom in Shadowheart’s voice. He figured the others would be mad, but he was hoping maybe Shadowheart would give him a little easier time like Gale had. Astarion was genuinely surprised by how quick she was to be defensive of you and your whereabouts. When Gale confirmed that Astarion was telling the truth, Shadowheart reluctantly said he could come.

The three arrive at the front of your shared townhome- it faces the beach and has the perfect amount of windows for the sun to light up the house, but one of the rooms is hidden from sight with heavy, black out curtains.

Shadowheart turns to both of them, “Tav might not be able to join us… she’s been sick for a bit now and is… recuperating.”

Astarion feels his heart drop to his stomach.

“Sick? For how long?”

Shadowheart shifts on her feet uncomfortably, “5 months, but it got worse around 3 months.”

“Tav has been sick for that long?” Gale exclaims, “why didn’t you write!? I could have helped.”

“This particular affliction is one you wouldn’t understand,” Shadowheart says with a finality that suggests the conversation is done as she leads them into the kitchen.

Shadowheart immediately gets fussing with the herbs while Gale looks around the house. Astarion is still unsure of what he should be doing. The house engulfs him in your scent and he feels positively intoxicated. You must be really sick though because your scent smells different- not bad at all, just different.

Does he talk to Shadowheart? Does he look around with Gale?

Or does he sneak off and find you? Astarion doesn’t want to waste anymore time than he already has. Slowly, he creeps towards the stairs.

“Don’t even think about it, Astarion,” Shadowheart warns.

Astarion looks at her and then back at the stairs. He does this a couple times until Shadowheart appears to be annoyed enough that she’s let her guard down a bit.

Astarion takes off up the steps and he hears Shadowheart and Gale coming up right behind him.

Astarion hears a dry heave from down the hallway and he goes racing for the door.

If you are as sick as Shadowheart has suggested (5 months is crazy long), Astarion may not have much time with you and Gods he needs to take advantage of the time he does have.

Shadowheart be damned.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You wake up feeling even worse than you did when you fell asleep. Your headache feels like it’s taken on a life on it’s own and Gods you are going to vomit all over the floor if you don’t move NOW!

You get up with an impossible amount of speed for how dizzy you are and you grab the pail on your nightstand and heave painfully.

You are rocking back and forth, groaning as more stomach acid comes up because again, not able to even keep anything down.

You hear a pair of footsteps and then Shadowheart screaming after-

“ASTARION! THEY ARE SICK! YOU NEED TO WAIT!”

“I have been looking for them for months now,” you hear him hiss, “if they are sick, I need to see them. If this has lasted five months- then who knows how much time I’ve wasted!”

“Will you stop being selfish for five minutes!? It’s not about you and who even says she wants to see you!?”

Shadowheart and Astarion are yelling in front of your door now. You feel tears prick your eyes- Astarion is here. Here here. A flurry of excited kicks from inside you catches your attention and a feeling of blissful happiness comes over you. Oh look, the nausea is gone. Of course it is.

“Traitor,” you whisper before laying down on your bed for a moment.

You are very happy that your unborn daughter appears to be pleased and feels good about her dad being on the other side of the door. You, on the other hand, are less than optimistic.

Wasted time doing what? And why did Shadowheart say I was sick!? In what world was that going to keep him from going upstairs!? Especially if he, your mind pauses, cares about me? Again?

Which you hope he does- you would hope Shadowheart wasn’t so sick of taking care of you that she brought him here to finish the job. Maybe this is all one big show.

Another, “I WILL DO WHAT I PLEASE” from Astarion, a “YOU SELFISH BASTARD” from Shadowheart, and a “Please can’t we all just be nice, catch up, and get along?” from Gale finally gives you the motivation to get up. The arguing feels far too much like being in camp again. You pinch the bridge of your nose, willing the growing headache to go away.

It doesn’t so you change into a pair of longer cotton pajama pants, a t-shirt that is unfortunately showing off your bump more than you’d like, and then you swing open the door in tired annoyance.

You are met with Astarion looking at you- his eyes scanning up and down your body- settling on your stomach. His expression is unreadable- it’s somewhere between lust, love, grief, and heartbreak. Embarrassed by Astarion’s intense gaze, you look over at Gale who is all smiles for you.

“Congratulations Tav!!!” Gale practically yells, making you wince, “the father is a lucky man.”

“I don’t think he considers himself a lucky man,” you say pointedly before turning to Astarion, “or do you?”

Astarion’s face changes entirely with your words. His eyes look at you, round and soft. His eyes are full of adoration and need- a look you never thought he would give you again. You have to fight the urge to grab him and drag him into your bedroom. You will not let the hormones win- you will be strong.

“I- it’s- I mean,” Astarion is fumbling over his words, “you are carrying my child?”

“Yes,” you say grumpily, crossing your arms,” and she’s been giving me nothing but trouble. Thanks to your genetics, I’m sure. This is day two of not being able to keep a damn thing down and this fucking headache is UNBEARABLE so please for the love of every God keep the arguing down.”

Astarion is still looking at you with a mystified expression- taking you in as if for the first time in his entire life. You look back towards Gale and Shadowheart- you are entirely too self-conscious and way too excited to see him for him to be looking at you like that. You are trying to be mad dammit!

Shadowheart gazes at you and your surely red tipped ears with amusement before she says, “I’ll go and get the potion ready for you- that should hopefully help.”

“I will- uh,” Gale says awkwardly, looking between you and Astarion, “join you! I might need to know which herbs to use… in the future?”

“Planning on getting pregnant Gale?” You say with a smirk.

Gale snorts at you, “Dear friend, as wonderful as you look right now- none of the side effects sound appealing.”

“Oh they most certainly aren’t,” you say,” but thanks for thinking I look ‘wonderful’. I feel, well, disgusting.”

“Gods, how could you even think that?” Astarion blurts out, appearing shocked that he even said it, “you look like…. A vision. A wonderful, stunning vision, Darling.”

Shadowheart and Gale excuse themselves as you struggle to find the words for Astarion’s comment. Your entire body feels like it’s on fire and you feel yourself begin to melt a little bit. You feel your emotions bloom into something resembling spring as he steps closer to you- looking at you with pleading eyes.

You clear your throat, “would you like to come into my room and talk?”

Astarion nods eagerly, following behind you so close that you once again have to remind yourself that ripping off the clothes of someone who literally told you they wanted you to die screaming was not healthy- at least not until you get a proper apology.

You sit against your headboard as Astarion walks around your room- running his fingers along the bassinet and rocking chair in the corner. You still can’t get a read on him.

“A girl?”

His question breaks the air.

“Yes,” you smile at him, “no name yet though.”

“I’m sure you’ll pick a nice one,” he says with a smile, but his tone is entirely too melancholic.

A painful thump in your heart fills your body with sadness. He doesn’t want to be involved. Of course he doesn’t want to be involved. You are his knocked up ex-girlfriend. What were you expecting? The lump forming in your throat is unbearable.

“You don’t want to be involved?”

Oh good Gods you are crying. Astarion rushes over to you the minute your tears begin to fall- sitting in front of you on the bed. He reaches out and gently wipes your tears away as he speaks.

“I want to be involved so badly it hurts,” his voice comes out scratchy and emotional, “but that is your decision, not mine. You have been on your own for months, my Love. Instead of trying to come back and make it better- I pushed it off until I thought I could give you what you deserved- a life in the sun.”

You almost whine in protest when his hands leave your face. He twists the ring around his index finger before continuing, avoiding your gaze, “But maybe I was wrong. Maybe what you deserve is a person that isn’t so damaged. Someone who can give you what you actually deserve which is a loving partner who hasn’t hurt you over and over again- a man worthy of being a father to ou- I mean your child.”

His confession and the tears that are streaming down his face are enough for you. Yes, you absolutely want to scream and yell at him, but you also ache for him. You can’t fault the man for being a slave for 200 years and then not taking it very well when you told him what to do. You always knew you would forgive him if he came back- you never thought he would, but here he is and like he said- there is no reason to keep wasting time.

“She is our child, Star,” you whisper and guide his eyes to look at you, “I want you to be involved. I don’t care what you think I deserve either. I have missed you so horribly since you left. It’s almost pathetic really. I’ve tried to blame it on the hormones, but… I don’t know. The picture has felt incomplete up until now.”

You absentmindedly put your hand on your stomach- receiving a kick. You glare at the place where your hand is resting.

“Will you stop kicking me for five minutes!?” You scream, “I WAS IN THIS BODY FIRST!”

Astarion looks at you bewildered and confused, but quickly realizes you aren’t talking about him. The smile that spreads across his face is wide and Astarion gingerly moves closer. You are still a little cautious- needing to protect not only yourself, but also your unborn child. He moves to the right of you and goes to move you just slightly so he can slip in behind you.

“Could I? I mean if it’s not crossing any boundaries!”

Astarion is on edge- you can tell that much, but he doesn’t look at you like he did that last time you saw him- Astarion is looking at you like you are the most precious individual who has ever walked this earth.

You nod shyly, and then Astarion slots himself behind you, your back against his chest, his face in the crook of your neck, and his legs on either side of yours. He cautiously puts his hands on your stomach and is immediately kicked.

Astarion laughs with joy, “she’s strong!”

“Strong willed and strong physically,” you shake your head and you are laughing a bit now too, “you may just get your wish yet.”

“What wish?”

It had slipped. You hadn’t meant to bring it up again- or maybe you did. You want to know for sure if he still feels that way, but the confusion in his voice says he doesn’t. You go rigid and go to dismiss it when you feel his posture change behind you, his grip loosening ever so slightly.

“Right… that.”

The silence is nerve-wracking. You’ve lost him again, you are sure of it. A stray tear begins to roll down your cheek.

“Astarion-“

“No, let me think, Darling. I want to make sure I say everything I want to say correctly.”

You continue to sit there in silence, he places soft kisses on your neck. You feel him smile against your skin at the needy moan that escapes your lips. You absentmindedly reach out for one of his hands and begin to play with his fingers while he thinks. Astarion used to let you do this all the time while you were traveling- it helps you feel grounded.

“I was so consumed by all that power in the moment,” he says slowly, “I wasn’t thinking. By the time I had realized what I had done, I felt like it was already too late- you most likely hated me and moved on.”

You have to bite your tongue- you want to scream. Hate him? Never. You had been miserable without him around for that last month of traveling. Your heart had felt like a dead weight in your chest and you had been moving around like a zombie.

“So I tried to move on… I even tried to be with others, but I just couldn’t do it. It’s selfish, but I want you. I never want anything bad to happen to you- I certainly don’t ever want you to die screaming. I don’t want you to ever carry a child that is not mine.”

You are surprised by the warmth in your core when he says his last sentence. There is something so primal there that you have to really focus on what he is saying next.

Astarion clears his throat before finishing speaking, “I don’t want to be without you anymore- four months is too long. I don’t want to miss out on anymore of your pregnancy and I want to be here for you- with you- doing this together like we should have been doing this whole time. I was a horrible fool- please give me another chance. Please, Darling. I love you- so so much more than I ever thought anyone could ever love someone.”

Astarion’s words hang in the air and you are trying not to begin crying for the 15th billion time. This is what you had wanted to hear all along. You can feel his tears on the collar of your shirt- the way he inhales as if to memorize your scent like this is the last time. Astarion is not expecting you to say yes- you know that because he’s starting to loosen up, pulling away from you so that he can respect your decision.

“I love you too,” you whisper, “I don’t want to be without you anymore either. I forgive you- please stay.”

“I won’t be going anywhere unless you want me too, my Love.”

[alpaca-clouds]

The DnD Lore Problem - Accessibility and Characters (and how BG3 might not help)

You know what? I am gonna talk about DnD Lore and the accessibility of that lore. I talked about this exessively before. But to summarize that long blog very shortly:

Wizards of the Coasts currently makes the mistake of putting basically most DnD Lore behind a paywall, rather than offering official ressources. This leads to a lot of tables actually playing with their original worlds, rather than Toril/Faerûn, which in turn also means, that they are not spending money on official products. While my anti-capitalist ass things that the lore should be accessible just so that people can enjoy it, I also think that this inaccessibility actually costs WotC A LOT OF MONEY.

Today I want to talk about another aspect of this inaccessibility, that is kinda linked to some of the stuff I talked about before, but also is linked to the things WotC is currently not doing in terms of both Honor Among Thieves and Baldur's Gate 3. A thing, that also might not quite work with BG3, though.

See, the core problem of this inaccessibility is, that a) there is no official place where you can just get base information about the world and the timeline, b) this world has grown organically for about half a century, which lead to clutter, but also to the fact that things are at times showing their age.

I might actually make a post on the gods and religion in the world at some other point - but for now let me talk about something else: Extended universes and access points.

The Problem with Extended Universes

Okay, let's talk about how a lot of the big franchises for the longest time have told their meta stories - including DnD - and how it kinda struggles to find its audience. The extended universe.

I am frankly not entirely sure what franchise has started this. I am assuming it was Star Trek? But that is just a guess. But at some point in the 60s oder 70s someone had the idea that: "Hey, we could totally give the fans more to chew on by making official tie-in comics and novels!"

And that was how it worked for very long. Like a lot of the big franchises had at times around 10 novels and comics (if not more) releasing per year that would just explore other parts of the universe and allow the very engaged fans to... well, learn more about the world. Now, I am not going to talk about all the drama connected to the Star Wars stuff, but if you know, you know.

DnD did this too. (As did a lot of the big TTRPG systems, like Shadowrun and WoD as well.) Having a lot of tie in stuff - in the case of DnD mostly novels - that told more stories on the world and also established like some big player characters within the world. Elminster Aumar is probably one of the best examples here.

Those established some characters that play a big role within the world and also told just more stories of those big world changing events. In the recent DnD history that would be stuff like the Time of Troubles, the Spellplague and the Second Sundering.

Now, here we have one big issue. And one issue where I am not entirely certain where it arose from. But the fact is: In recent years, people invest way less into those kind of books. This is just a fact.

It is the reason why those big universes went from publishing like ten novels a year to often not more than three. We saw that in the failure of the extended Universe Disney tried to pull off for Pirates of the Caribbean (though I will still maintain that another big problem was that they barely marketed that at all - hi, everyone, who did not know there were extended universe novels for PotC). We also saw that with League of Legends, who really, really tried to tell a lot more stories with short stories and then also some novels set in Runeterra, before finally giving up, because most people didn't care.

In terms of Dungeons & Dragons I can totally see that a lot of people will also say: "I do not care what some other people's characters do within the world." Buuuuuut...

Stories actually can help you understand the world. Which brings me to...

The Elminster Problem

Okay, I do not know how to put this, but... If you look at the novels coming out for DnD literally half of them focus on either Elminster Aumar or Drizzt Do'Urden. Characters that have pretty much been around since the very beginning and. Look, I don't know how to put it but... It shows.

I am currently reading some of the newer novels and the fact is, that they do not really feel like fantasy books from the 2010s and 2020s. Because Elminster and Drizzt are very clearly characters originating in a very different time when stories were told very differently.

I mean, just look at Elminster. He is a wanna-be Gandalf character. He is from the early, early days of fantasy and... Look, I personally just really am unable to identify with a character like this.

And while Drizzt is a bit better as a character, but even he... How to put this delicately? They are both very much characters written by white cishet men for white cishet men. There, I said it.

I am noticing this a lot with reading Salvatore's books currently. Like, female characters are not overly sexualized, which is a plus. But they also very much exist most of the time in service to a man or at least in relation to a man. There is not a lot of female characters running around that have their own agency.

Which kinda leads to another thing. I actually saw this one brought up by one of those very cliché nerdy Youtube channels talking on DnD, who recognized the problem as well: There are basically two large groups of DnD players who barely intersect. One is the cliché nerds, the other is a largely queer and largely diverse group. And the youtube guy, who was very in the white cishet nerd group, suspected that actually the later group makes up more of the player base by now.

Buuuut... that is also the group who really do not get catered to by the canon lore so far. That was until 2023 with DnD:HAT and BG3 - both catering actually a lot to those groups.

Honor Among Thieves and the undermarketed books

Okay, here is the thing: Honor Among Thieves had two novelizations (one for young readers, one for older readers) and two tie-in novels. One featuring Edgin, Holga, Forge and Simon before the stuff with Sofina went down. And the other featuring Simon and Doric taking place at the time while Ed and Holga are in prison.

I am honest: I really, really liked the Ed and Holga novel. It was super cute and charming and really gives a better understanding of the characters.

But of course once again there is the thing: The books - just like the Pirates of the Caribbean books - were super undermarketed. Like, most people I know off do not even know that there were books released. Heck, even within the actual active fandom there are again and again people who will be surprised that those books exist.

And... I actually also think that the books waste one big ass opportunity, by not at all tying into the broader lore. They are super self-contained.

And that is actually just a waste. Because the place were Edgin lived in? Yeah, that place was super affected by the Second Sundering. Heck, that might have had to do something with his troubles.

Why is that an issue? Well, because... there was not a lot going on there that was inviting you to further interact with the world and learn more abotu what is happening. For once, again, because I think it is a super fun and interesting world. But also, because... WotC wants to make money and is so bad at it, that it really boggles my mind.

See, here is the thing: They could've used those characters - that really are fun and sympathetic characters - to create an accesspoint into that world.

Alright, so what about Baldur's Gate 3?

Which brings me to Baldur's Gate 3 and the thing that a lot of people have noticed: The other Baldur's Gate games - as well as some of the other games releasing around 2000 - had their own tie-in novels going into the characters, their background, but also what they were doing in the future.

Something that so far BG3 has not done, which some fans have already critized. Because a lot of people have actually gotten really invested into those characters. A lot of the kind of people especially who so far are underserved by a lot of the tie-in stuff: Queer and generally diverse audiences.

Like, I think there would be a lot of people, who totally would read a novel, about...

Astarion getting drawn into some sort of political intrigue in Baldur's Gate while serving Cazador

Karlach's time in Avernus

Some Adventure Wyll got dragged into while being the Blade of the Frontier.

Shadowheart going onto a mission for Shar (maybe together with Nocturne)

Whatever Gale was doing during the Second Sundering

Lae'zel's youth among the Githyanki

The Dark Urge and Gortash starting up the entire conspiracy

... whatever Halsin had been up to in his long live

Heck, people would eat that stuff up. And you could not only use it to worldbuild but also once more create some access into the world and what happened there. And they are kinda wasting a lot of potential by not bringing out those novels.

Of course, there is one big problem: BG3 makes it kinda hard to write about anything happening after the ending. Because as it is right now, someone is gonna be pissed if a novel set after the game does not go with the decision for a character they go for. Like, Ascended Astarion fans are gonna be pissed, if they go with Spawn Astarion - and the other way around. Same goes with every other character where you have those big decisions happening.

This is something they will have to tackle eventually if they plan on doing something with the characters in the future (no matter if we are talking Larian or WotC), but it is definitely an issue that just arises from the structure of the game.

Bonus of course is, that you just cannot define a canonical Tav. But without a Tav, you also gotta act as if the story of the game happened without a Tav, which still is not ideal. I am honestly not sure with how they are gonna deal with this on the long run.

Access via Characters

Alright, but what is the actual issue here?

Well, basically there are two hurdles to overcome for the accessibility of the lore. The first is the physical accessibility - aka, what I talked about in the last long blog post. The second meanwhile is more related to making the lore engaging. And that happens through characters.

It is for me what happened last year. I actually tried to engage with the lore as the movie came out - but only when BG3, that tied a lot more into the actual lore was released I actually found proper access to the lore. Because I had concrete things I could now look for because the game hinted at so much both through characters and major story events happening.

Here is the thing: If you just have the lore on its own, it is about as engaging as reading a history book. Sure, as your local history nerd I find reading history books fun, but most people really do not want to read a history book to engage with a hobby.

People will however engage with stories and characters that interest them. Which is where we get back to the thing I talked about at the beginning: Right now most canonical novels and stories still cater to an audience that is male, cishet, white and also, let's be frank, definitely over 30 years old. Leaving behind a lot of potential fans that theoretically make up a big part of the player-base, but actually do not engage a lot with the lore for this exact reason.

Look. DnD right now is fairly close to being an actual mainstream hobby, due to the recent proliferation of formerly nerdy stuff. And yet WotC is bleeding money, especially in regards of DnD.

If you ask me, sure... DnD should go into public domain. But it doesn't. And given that there are so many creative, skilled people working on this - no matter how dumb Hasbro is and how shitty of an employer they are - I actually do want them to succeed. I have really become engaged with this world now. And I think it is a pity that they clearly do not know how to market this stuff.

[as-i-watch]

Hypothetical: Straw Hat DnD night. How do you think it goes?

I imagine something along the lines of:

Like everything else the Straw Hats do, it will end in chaos

Usopp is the DM, bc he has the talent to spin a yarn and make it so interesting and he's quick on his toes to go with whatever bullshit they throw at him

Nami is the one that keeps the group on check and pretty much the leader of the party. She is in charge of the money. Maybe plays as a wizard

Sanji straight up plays out his fantacy of being a knight in shinning armour. Constantly gets caught up and drags the group in side-quests to help damsels in distress. He is a paladin bound to the divine cause of save the ladies, all the ladies

Zoro has no interests in roleplaying and sleeps for most of the campaing...until there's a fight. He mocks the bad guys weapons and criticize their fighting style. He plays a barbarian who used three swords (if it aint broken)

Chopper is the one that's the most excited about the roleplay. He wears costumes and does voices and sound effects while he plays. He plays a wizard bc he loves casting fireballs (he feels terrible when a party memeber gets caught up in the blast)

Robin brings up the darkest shit ever seen. Her charecter is fucked up in the head but is the reason the rest of the party is alive. She's the one that solves all the puzzles. She plays a claric who maybe is a bit too much into necromancy

Brook got way into the game when he learned he could sing. He plays a bard ofc bc he lives for the music (even tho he's not alive) Comic relief duo with Franky. Enjoys way too much the shopping trips and makes Usopp play all the NPCs in the market.

Franky is the less serious monk you'll ever meet. He liked the martial arts part of the class but he will double class as a bard bc he constantly joins Brook on his performances. He is the one that always tries to flirt with the monster.

Luffy has cero impulse control and is the reason the game moves but never in the direction Usopp plans. He plays a fighter and is punching his way through the campaign. Keeps getting mad he cant roleplays his gommu gommu no attacks in the game. Eventualy gets distracted and ends up playing with the minis

(i really dont know that much about dnd classes, i've only watched the first campaign of critical role but you all get the idea)

[txttletale]

I just wanted to let you know that I just found your tumblr within the past week and you have immediately become my 2nd favorite tumblr, being only behind Blogatog. Love your ttrpg takes.

Anywho, you said to ask about flags, so what is your biggest/are your biggest red flags when it comes to ttrpg design?

thank you! i'm glad you enjoy my silly little posts. anyways i think my biggest red flag is unintentionality--the feeling that the writer of a TTRPG has done something by 'default', the inability to put myself in their shoes and understand (or even better, be told by the text itself) the reason why a particular decision has been made.

one of the biggest places this rears its head is in terms of tone and voice. let me quote jay dragon's really good the storyteller technique:

Another advantage of getting to know the narrator of your RPG is that it helps mitigate unconscious bias in your design. Dungeons & Dragons has a notably anthropological narrative voice, explaining other cultures and creatures like a scientist in the field. The language of D&D mimics the writing style of mid-century scientists traveling to “exotic” locations and cataloging non-Western experiences as part of a documentation of the Other. It’s easy for newer designers to want to “write a game like D&D” without regard for how even the narrative voice of Dungeons & Dragons carries unintended political baggage. Is a bird’s-eye and judgemental perspective really the energy you want to bring to your whimsical fantasy world? Or is there another perspective within your world that can be more useful, and allow you to find new perspectives on the world you’ve created.

narrative tone is a choice--the attempt to use a 'neutral' tone for rules text and description is also a choice, how formal and how informal you get with it is a choice, and when i read a text that seems to have made that choice thoughtlessly it imo bodes very poorly for the rest of the game.

other examples of this kind of unintentionality are games that have a comabt system despite not being about combat in any way--games with equipment rules despite them not setting out to tell the sort of story where which sword or gun a character has matters--games that measure themselves in exact distances without actually using a battlemap--&c.

while most of this unintentionality takes the form of 'falling back onto what DND does' because DND is the market leader and many people's first TTRPG, so imitating it without purpose is something that both cynical market-share chasers & unexperienced designers without a wide range of expereicne can do--it's absolutely not unique to it. one form of unintentionality i see a lot in indie TTRPG circles is creating far more Moves for your PBtA game than necessary--clearly more out of a sense that 'AW/MotW/Masks has a Move for this' than any specific understanding of what that move will do in your game

in game design--as in any art--there is no such thing as a 'neutral' choice or a non-choice. there are only choices, and how much someone's thought about these choices is important!

[bonker-bananas]

okay sanders sides board game headcanons go

roman-

has the shortest attention span you have ever seen in your entire life, 90% of the time he has to be bribed to play a game longer than five to ten minutes. uno is the exception.

loves-uno, the idea of risk

hates-most other games, the reality of risk

logan-

into the most long, complicated, rule-and-insane-mechanic-heavy games you could possibly find. also anything trivia or random-knowledge-based. he and virgil make everyone play dnd. he is the dm and only does very elaborate homebrew stuff.

loves-trivial pursuit, everdell, that one stock market game that’s really confusing, matching games likes eye spot it, scrabble, mobius (math bananagrams)

hates-those games where you just roll dice and pass them between the players for five minutes

virgil-

either short games where you brutally destroy your opponents or long games where you brutally destroy your opponents, depending on his mood. also teams up with logan to make everyone play dnd.

loves-unstable unicorns, monopoly, uno

hates-any cooperative/working-together-as-a-team games

patton

big fan of games that let you be on teams or work with other players. loves games where you collect cards with characters on them but is usually bad at the actual game. really is just bad at most games, to be honest. he’s a good sport about it, though. (he likes to make jokes about how “your dad is getting too old for these games” and is immediately shut down by logan because “we’re literally all the same age, patton.”) he doesn’t mind long games but doesn’t do well with extremely complicated games. loves physical building/balance games, weirdly good at trivial pursuit.

loves-pokemon, any cooperative/working-together-as-a-team games, catan (he likes to build little houses with the blocks), bananagrams, jenga, suspend

hates-“now, hate is a strong word, but-” any games where players or characters “die”, uno (apologizes whenever he does literally anything to anyone)

janus-

obviously any game where you have to pretend/lie but also strategy-heavy games that require a lot of planning and thinking. likes slower paced games and takes forever on every single turn he has, no matter what game it is.

loves-mafia, bs, runes and regulations, solitaire (he and logan sometimes sit next to each other and play separate games of solitaire and race to finish theirs first. Janus always cheats.)

hates-wham (he hates the one hand only rule)

remus-

anything wildly inappropriate but also anything structured like apples to apples. give-me-a-prompt-and-i’ll-answer-it-in-a-weird-way games. has a longer attention span than roman but only if he’s interested in the game.

loves-cards against humanity, apples to apples, ransom notes, operation, trophies (he always manages to find words that only technically fit the prompt and you want to disqualify him but you can’t. very annoying.), the telephone game where you have to draw

hates-any game that you just play with a deck of cards (no gimmick and therefore boring)

[th3-c0rps3-r0gu3]

Witches

Mediaeval fantasy au

Goth Natasha X fem reader

Warnings: swearing (minor)

A/n: hey this is why my posts have been delayed recently and why I've not been on as much. This is inspired by a DnD thing I saw from a YouTube video by @Zacspeaksgiant. Enjoy some fluff after my last depressing fics :)

The video ^

Natasha wasn't a witch. She wasn't. No matter how many people she told. No matter how much she protested Natasha was always considered the witch in the woods. Only because she fit the normal stereotype. Gothic clothes. Lives in the woods in a cottage cabin type home. Lives off the land. She fits the direct witch stereotype. And she hates it. Natasha won't change. Natasha would never change for anybody. Ever. This is who she wants to be. But the whole witch thing is irritating. What was worse though was the actual witch lived only a few miles away. Not far enough if you asked Natasha.

Wanda was a witch. Only she didn't fit what people consider a witch. She was bright and used fun colours and flowers everywhere. She shopped in the store and ran a flower stall in the town square. Her house was a cosy looking cottage that a grandmother from fairytales would live in. Vines covering walls and a pie usually on the window sill cooling. Flowy dresses and bright clothes. That was Wanda. But she was a witch. And nobody believed her. Everyone would laugh and smile thinking she was joking. It was exhausting. Especially since everyone assumed her neighbour was a witch when she wasn't.

It was yet another day and another person knocking at the door. At this point Natasha was used to being called on for help for some issue or other and she was prepared to turn them back in Wanda's direction. Something she did way too often if you asked Natasha. It was the same conversation. The same "no I'm not the witch she is" and then a finger pointed to Wanda waving excitedly from her doorway. It was a routine at this point. One Natasha despised. Nothing was ever different. The moment Natasha closed the door after turning away yet another wayward soul she leaned against the doorway and sighed. This was almost as irritating as her childhood had been. But Natasha wouldn't change. She wouldn't give in to society like that.

It had been a few days since the last traveler had come by asking for the witch and Natasha couldn't help but be relieved. No knocking. No tired and irritated interactions with idiots who refused to leave her doorstep because Wanda couldn't be the witch she was too bright. People needed to get these colour rules out of their heads. But Natasha couldn't do much about it. She could move further into the woods but then she'd been too far for any medical care she may need. And that wasn't something Natasha wanted to risk. The woods weren't friendly. That's why she lived in them. That's when the familiar knocking was on her door. Natasha closed her eyes tightly and groaned. Straightening her clothes she walked to the door and opened it.

Natasha was caught off guard. This wasn't the normal wayward soul she normally had. This was one of the village girls. Y/n she thinks her name is. She had seen her a couple times when she went to show a traveller to Wanda in the market.

"I'm not the witch. She lived down there."

Natasha speaks coldly pointing to Wanda's house. Not even looking. She knows Wanda will be there waving. She knew that y/n must know that Wanda was the witch. But surprisingly y/n didn't move. Her face was a bit red too. Weird.

"no I know.. she sent me here.."

Y/n was soft spoken. Always had been. But even with her soft tone this nearly made Natasha stumble. Natasha glanced over to where Wanda was. She was standing out her doorway with her thumbs up and a big grin on her face. It wasn't hard to connect the dots. Red faced y/n at her doorstep and a grinning Wanda. Natasha hesitated. She had only ever really spoken to Wanda in small passings. The only real conversation they had was when Natasha admitted to being slightly lonely. And now Wanda was setting her up. Not what she had expected.

Natasha turned back to y/n. She was cute. Pretty y/h/C and pretty eyes too. Definitely Natasha's type. And the red face said everything to Natasha about y/n's feelings. So she stepped aside to let y/n in.

"come in."

Natasha said gentler this time. Now feeling guilty for how she had acted before. Y/n stepped into the threshold. Glancing around with slight curiosity. Not that Natasha blamed her. She collected some... Interesting things. Skulls and bones. Snake skins and plants that looked unnatural. But instead of looking disgusted y/n just looked fascinated.

"do you want some tea or coffee?"

Natasha asked hesitating slightly. How was she meant to act in this situation. Y/n glanced back at Natasha and smiled. Natasha nearly stumbled again. It wasn't as if she hadn't seen y/n smiling before. But it was never at her. Natasha didn't believe in love at first sight or true love. That was a romantics thing. And Natasha prided herself on not being the romantic type. But Natasha may need to change her views because if she could she would burn the image of y/n's smile into her mind so it was the only thing she would ever see again.

"tea actually. Black."

Natasha nearly missed y/n's response. But pulling herself together slightly she nodded and walked to the small kitchenette.

Why was she acting this way. Natasha never noticed y/n before. Well she had. But never romantically. Natasha never even second glanced at the woman. But now. Knowing her feelings and looking at her properly Natasha was struggling to focus on anything but her. She needed to get a grip or else she could fuck it up. Natasha made the tea quickly and walked it out to y/n. Sitting it on the coffee table. Y/n sat down and took a sip. Natasha frozen for a moment just staring. Was y/n always this pretty? When did she suddenly look so radiant. Granted this was Natasha's first actual look at y/n but she had seen her before... Briefly. But still. Natasha never did pay much attention to anyone... Natasha shook out of it and sat next to y/n.

The night went quickly. Most of it talking. About each other. What they wanted in partners and life. Personal details. Basically a small get together to see if the two fit or liked each other aside from looks. And to Natasha's surprise y/n was... Just as pretty on the inside as she was out. Natasha didn't even think y/n could harm a fly. And surprisingly y/n agreed to come back. She was gonna come again tomorrow. Natasha was still processing how pretty she looked. Natasha had officially decided on one thing. Y/n's laugh was the prettiest sound in the world and if she could bottle it up and keep it forever she would. Just so she could listen to it forever.

The next day came and went. Just as good as day one. Natasha set up a picnic near the creek. It went well. Really well. They met up again. And again. And again. Natasha didn't really know a day anymore that y/n wasn't in. She was everywhere. In everything. The wood she cut for the fire. In the water running by her home. In the flowers that sprouted along the edge of her home. Natasha couldn't find a place in the world y/n wasn't. And it was wonderful. A state of bliss.

Natasha officially asked y/n to be her girlfriend a year after they met. Granted Natasha wanted to do it sooner. But she was so nervous that it was too soon. It wasn't. Y/n found it perfect. They kissed that night. Under the moonlight. Cliche but to Natasha it was perfect.

Natasha wasn't a witch. She wasn't. But she didn't have to tell anyone that anymore. Y/n always protested for her now. Natasha was no longer considered the witch in the woods. She still fit the stereotype. Gothic clothes. Lives in the woods in a cottage cabin type thing. Lives off the land. She fits directly with the witch stereotype. But she doesn't hate it. Natasha changed. She changed for y/n. She was still who she wanted to be. But now y/n dispels rumours of Natasha being the witch. And now everyone went to the real witch who lived a few miles away. Well barely. She was over so often as a friend it was hard to tell.

[snapscube]

Hiya penny! Would you ever consider doing a dnd podcast with your friends? I got into them a while ago and couldn’t help but think about how great one would be with the fandub crew as it also relies heavily on improv.

Two things:

A DnD podcast is not really something that I could just like, decide to do. I can't even make time to PLAY DnD, turning it into a whole new branch of my content with all of the coordination and production it requires in order to be worthwhile in the currently over-saturated DnD podcast market is legitimately such a daunting idea. Of course in a perfect world I'd love to do one, fuck I'd even love to just play more on my own. But it's not really in the cards right now, at least not if I'd have to have ANY sort of major hand in the post-production and distribution side of things.

I know all of this specifically because, similar to what feels like most content creators at this point, I actually have tried a DnD podcast before lmao. It's not something I'm really comfortable linking to for a few reasons but it was something that I attempted with a friend group who had lots of experience working together up to that point and we just straight up couldn't make it work long-term. Now granted, I'm overall a LOT more competent an organizer nowadays I'd say, but also with that comes the reality that I'm already just doing way too much shit.

[ratsoh-writes]

THIS IS HALLOWEEN THIS IS HALLOWEEN!!!

Happy Halloween y’all!! Here’s a fun bonus post to see what the guys are up to!

In Goldenvalley, several farmers pooled together their empty fields to host a MASSIVE Halloween party for ebott! There’s a pumpkin patch, a huge corn maze, farmers market, haunted house, a trunk or treat in the parking lot, and when it’s late, a big after-party for the adults!

Sans: this year he’s going as fools gold. Sans is in a yellow and orange jester outfit and hands out fake gold coins to the kids. He’s a little out out that no one is getting the pun right away.

In spirit of supporting G’s sobriety, the geek squad will not be getting sloshed this Halloween. Unfortunately for every one else, a sober geek squad is a mischievous one. Somehow sans Pluto G and lens have gotten into a prank war with cricket bruiser and cash. Things are gonna get nasty real quick.

Papyrus: he lost a dare with willow earlier in the month, and his older friend/technically brother got to choose his costume. This year papyrus is orange blossom from strawberry shortcake! Ngl, paps thinks orange blossom is the best and he’s really feeling this costume. It also helps that he tricked his best friend into matching with him lol

Papyrus and Star have been stuck in the corn maze for nearly an hour now. They’re certain they’ve found the exit, but they swear the maze is moving somehow. It’s like someone angered the spirit of Halloween!

Star: he doesn’t know how, but paps convinced him to dress as strawberry shortcake. Sure the costume rocks, but Star wanted to do something a bit more adult and manly! People keep cooing at him! He’s a grown *ss monster dangit!

Oh he swears they’ve seen that scarecrow four times now! He and papyrus have been stuck in this murder maze for ages! Star keeps getting the uncomfortable feeling of recognizing something but not quite being able to place his finger on it.

Honey: naturally this nerd needs to be something dnd, so he’s going as his favorite bard character complete with a ukulele to finish the outfit!

Honey was real nervous about such a big festival, but with salt and his dnd crew by his side, he thinks he can brave it. Salt keeps stealing his ukulele thoigh to make dirty lyrics lol

Red: he’s going as doctor bones from Star Trek this year. Reds honestly shocked he hasn’t done a Trekkie outfit yet until now.

Surprising no one, red stuck to oak like glue for the whole Halloween party. His partner was feeling good today and wanted to try and stay up long enough for the after party. So red is playing guard dog making sure nothing gets in the way of oaks plans. He swears he’s already made them dodge at least three pranks. Who keeps leaving them everywhere??

Edge: he made a very handsome Hercules this year. Although edge felt a bit exposed in the toga. Rhythm had insisted though wanting to have matching Greek costumes with buddies and edge has a hard time saying no to his best friend

Edge partied hard this Halloween. After the kids went home, he got on the dance floor and just shredded it with an equally drunk rhythm. He doesn’t remember half the night but is sure it was a good time lol

Mal: naturally of course he was matching with lord and wine. It’s practically tradition at this point. This year they decided on the three fairies from sleeping beauty. Mal of course is the green one. Unfortunately due to lord and wines red eyes, they could never pull it off

Mal did hang with his two besties for most of the holiday, but he must’ve been neglecting his little brother, because at the end of the night mal found himself dragged into a prank war between the geek squad and the trouble makers. Cash was so grateful to have his observant older brother on his side

Cash: he went as a strip of bacon. Yep, bacon. Why? Cause it was 50% at the discount boutique on his street. Sue him, he’s had a busy month and forgot about needing a costume.

Cash naturally finds bruiser and cricket the second he and mal arrive in goldenvalley. And naturally, bruiser the evil… something that he is decides their first prank targets should be the foursome of sans Pluto G and lens. Cash quickly learns one should never prank a squad of geniuses.

Oak: he’s stitch from lilo and stitch this year. Technically his costume is just a onesie. Oak seems to have a lot of those.

Oak is feeling great this Halloween! He made sure to sleep in extra in the morning, have a good breakfast and lunch, and do his stretches that he hates. He’s determined this year to see the afterparty! He manages about 30 minutes into it before deciding every one is crazy and taking red home with him lol

Willow: for once he’s not a chef. Lilac and noir bullied willow into getting an actual costume this year, so he went with jack skellington from nightmare before Christmas! He looks quite handsome~

Willow was banned by his employees from working this Halloween. They’re taking care of the bakery stand, so for once he has to enjoy himself. And he does! Willow noir and lilac spend a good amount of time on the hayride gossiping. Every time someone suggested they’d get off, lilac would whine about his leg, noir about his hips and willow about his back. That shuts them up

Lilac: he’s going as Captain Hook this year, and he replaced his prosthetic with a wooden peg leg to really sell the costume. And a hook of course!

Lilac is having a grand time with noir and willow on the hayride talking sh*t. He loves his jock buddies, but he feels like he’s been neglecting his famine friends lately. Plus Jupiter went running after bruiser again and lilac just doesn’t have the energy for that today.

Rust: he needed a costume with lots of pockets and a way to keep a large gaggle of kids in sight, so rust is going as cruella deville! And he’s equipped with a bunch of spotted kiddie leashes for his “Dalmatians” lol

Rust got talked into joining a parent group with one of his coworkers, and is now with a small handful of other adults and about two dozen kids of various ages. The really young ones get the Dalmatian backpack leashes because frankly, this place is packed. It’s a fun night of trunk or treating with his daycare brats

Noir: he put actual effort into finding a costume this year, so noir is totally decked out in jewelry rocking his cool pharaoh outfit! And the best part? The “gems” are all just painted pebbles from his front yard. Genius. Every one loves them lol

He was not liking the idea of pushing through the crowds and walking everywhere, so noir was the one to suggest hogging one of the hay rides. Best idea of his life

Lord: he’s been dragged into matching with wine and mal once again. They’ve gone with the three fairies from sleeping beauty this year. Lord absolutely refuses to be the pink fairy and mal claimed green, so blue he is. He looks adorable in his dress.

Lord has a fun time in the beginning shopping with mal and wine. They do a good job at keeping people from bumping into him. However mal gets whisked away at some point, and wine decides to stir the pot by joining sans and the geek squad. So what’s poor lord to do? Wait- why’s mutt sneaking around like that?

Mutt: he’s in camouflage this year looking like a marine! In his gun holster is a few baby mice he’s saved from the stomping crowds, and in his backpack is his pet raccoon, freeloader. 

Mutt has had his eye on this tall gentle looking baker skeleton for a while now. Something about the guy draws him in. So naturally he decides to stalk the other monster, or at least that’s the plan until lord is angrily dragging him away. Dammit

Wine: he’s matching with mal and lord again this year as one of the three fairies from sleeping beauty. Wine could never pull off the green one, and lord insisted on blue. But he’s totally fine with that, after all the pink fairy is the superior choice. It’s not his fault his friends don’t see that~

This Halloween party is fun and all, but severely lacking in drama. So wine is internally cheering when cash starts dragging mal away. Oh! And is that sans~ hmm a prank war sounds way more interesting than shopping. He just has to sell mutt out so lord is occupied, then he’s free to cause a bit of chaos himself~

Coffee: he’s Tom nook this Halloween. Coffee loves that landlord raccoon man! Best animal crossing character ever!

someone made a poke stop in the corn maze this year, and slim and coffee are gonna take it over! Except their electronics all bugged out once they got far enough in and now they’re lost! Coffee tried glitching through the corn stupidly and now has a cob stuck through his shoe making the walk much more unpleasant

Snipe: for once he gets to dress up instead of being on guard duty. Not wanting his face out, snipe goes with a simple outfit and a horse mask, easiest bo-Jack horseman costume ever

Snipe is on ace babysitting duty tonight. It’s fine, because he has a plan. Get his brother as sloshed as possible, then ditch and go home early. And if that doesn’t work he snuck in a tranq. Ace may hate him after but he’s taking this job seriously

Bruiser: he’s lightning McQueen this Halloween. Does he look ridiculous? Absolutely. Is he embarrassed? Not one bit. Lightning McQueen is his hero and idol and no one can say otherwise.

Of course the first thing bruise wants to do is prank some people. He’s brought fake snakes, noise machines, fading glitter spray and even a drone decorated to look like a bat lol. And he makes the wise educated decision to prank G first. That will never go wrong.

Butch: butch doesn’t have guard duty this holiday, so he’s rocking a fun costume! He’s going as Beetlejuice! The stripes in the suit remind him fondly of his mafia days lol

Butch decided to tag along with charm and Winnie and check out the haunted house! He thought it was rather mid, but his bestie and the kid tag along were shaking in their boots at the end

Boss: he for once doesn’t have a guard shift so this holiday boss is determined to party hard! And his costume is perfect for that! He wanted something easy to move in, so his outlaw costume is a perfect fit!

Boss of course started the evening by dragging Green away from some stuffy colleagues to show his friend a real good time. And by good time boss means starting a mosh pit on the dance floor with the help of pepper and sugar. Bruiser would be proud

Ace: he’s the queen of hearts from Alice in wonderland this year~ and boy does he look fine in his costume. He even did his makeup to match!

Ace is on a trial run from the royal guard where he no longer needs a “handler” to go to events. Naturally this means snipes paranoid *ss is gonna follow him around the whole time. Ace doesn’t mind though and spends the evening teasing his older brother

Slim: he uses Halloween as an excuse to cosplay. This year is no different with slim rocking a gojo cosplay. He likes the wrap around his eyes. It means he doesn’t need to wear contacts. They make his eyelights itch.

He and coffee planned to take on this poke stop in the corn maze that was advertised. Slims Pokémon go team has been undefeated for nearly six months now and he needs a challenge! However all their devices shut off after they entered the maze, and the corn looks the same no matter where they turn. He’s starting to freak out.

Charm: charm couldn’t be too skimpy this Halloween with Winnie in tow, but he refuses not to have some sort of raunchiness in his costume. So he goes as a maid! Sugar narrowed his eyes at the implications, but charms skirt was long enough so he couldn’t complain lol

Charm is watching winnie this Halloween as a favor for sugar, and cause his niece wants to do the haunted house and knows her dad won’t let her, but her uncle certainly will~ and with butch tagging along, she’s sure she’ll get to see the adult party too! lol tough luck, after midnight charm drives his niece home

Sugar: with no kid in tow this year, sugar can go all out, and he does~ sugar rocks a sexy bunny suit this Halloween. It’s pink of course, the perfect color.

Sugar naturally meets up with pepper first and together they head straight for the adult area of the festival. They’re here to have a good time and maybe bring a few pretty fellows home together~

Sparks: oh this Halloween is gonna be epic! Sparks put a lot of thought into his costume and decided to go with something a bit more refined…. Attack on Titan! Mostly he just wants an excuse to do parkour in the uniform lol

Sparks is spending the day with lush exploring the shops and trunk or treating. Lush is really grateful for his cuter friend’s presence. He would’ve been alone otherwise

Salt: he’s looking quite dashing as Prince Charming from shrek two lol. Salt thinks the character is hilarious. Plus the cherry chapstick joke is a classic.

He’s sticking with honey for the evening. His original plan was sugar and pepper, but those two are in a wild mood and while salt loves a good party, he’s in no mood to get as wrecked as they surely will lol

Lush: he was feeling lazy this month with all the work that’s been piling up, so his costume is pretty last minute. Lush went with borrowing an old costume from sparks and throwing a hoodie on it for a quick and easy Spider-Man.

He’s really grateful his best friend decided to tag along the whole night. The shops are bustling and the music is great! Although it’s depressing that so many kids are scared of him even though he picked a “friendly” costume

Pepper: he’s gorgeous as ever. This year he’s decided to knock everyone’s pants off and be Jessica rabbit from who framed Roger rabbit. Monsters everywhere are drooling over him

Pepper is of course out with sugar. After being joined by a hyped up boss and jittery green, they shred up the dance floor. Peppers hoping to take someone home tonight, and that cute Han Solo has been eyeing him for a while.. if the guy approaches him he might give him a chance~

Sir: he’s dressed as a classic king with a crown, red velvet cloak and lots of gold jewelry. In fact sir picked the theme for the whole brothel. With rumors of pranks planned for the evening, he thought it would help to keep every one close

He spends the night escorting some of his “workers” while they have fun. There’s been a rumor going around about spiked drinks. Not on sirs watch!

Weasel: he’s the fool of the royal court! With a jesters cap and jingly shoes, weasel fits the part perfectly!

Weasel is with snow and pesto and some other brothel “workers” for the festival. They’re supposed to keep an eye out for trouble. Rumors of drugs being snuck in has sir on alert. He’s a bit grumbly about technically being a guard for the evening but weasel wouldn’t dare let his family down

Butler: he’s dressed as a knight in shining armor, complete with a “fake” long sword. The sword is foam, but hidden inside connected to the handle is an actual dagger. Nice

Butler is escorting the third and final group of “workers, with the help of Flambe. Two of them brought their kids, so they plan on leaving early in the evening before the bar stands open

Gold: he’s the beautiful princess of the group! Gold went with a deep purple for his color scheme since lighter colors don’t wash him out enough lol

Gold is with sirs group having the time of his life. Sure he’s supposed to be a watch out too, but every one knows this pampered diva won’t see anything

Flambé: Flambe is the queen of the brothel, dressed in a beautiful navy blue dress and silver jewelry. He’s quite tired as he had a late shift the night before, so he’s happy to be with the group protecting the kids.

Pesto: he’s the executioner of the royal group. Pesto has the hood with the eyeholes over his head and a wicked looking fake axe.

His job is to keep weasel on task mostly, and to help guard his group. However the ladies are quite excited pesto was convinced to come out and are trying to get him to let loose a bit. They think this party will be good for him

G: he’s dressed as Rick from Rick and Morty. Every one agrees this costume is perfect for his arrogant *ss lol

G is already a bit pissy that he won’t be drinking tonight, so when bruiser threw that popping buzzer at him, he welcomed the challenge. Blame G for dragging the geek squad into this prank war

Green: he promised boss that his costume wouldn’t be something completely white this year, and green delivered. He looks quite cute in his penguin butler costume. The black feels a bit dark to him, but hey! It’s not all white!

Poor green was having a good time discussing the latest medical technology with his colleagues when boss dragged him away. Now he’s fighting for his life in a mosh pit. This is what he gets for befriending soldiers 

Lens: he’s simply in a decorated black morph suit dressed as venom. He’s not very intimidating looking with how small he is, but whatever

Lens is pissed that his brother was stupid enough to try and prank G. Now he has to spend all night making sure his best friend doesn’t get hurt in his race for revenge

Cricket: he’s rocking his shadow the hedgehog costume tonight. You can blame cash for it. Cricket had also forgotten to prepare a costume and unwisely trusted his friend to snag him one.

Cricket was going to try and keep bruiser out of trouble until he heard who he wanted to prank first. Cricket never wastes an opportunity to anger lens

Pluto: oh my stars, if you guys could see his costume now you’d loose it. Pluto is adorable dressed as sapphire from Steven universe. The color and fit suits him perfectly

Ok! This prank war is actually a bit fun. Sure it’s tiring running after the trouble makers all night, but every one is laughing. Even lens cracked a smile… well it looked more like an angry grimace but close enough!

Jupiter: he’s with the fire fighters tonight, so Jupiter is in uniform tonight! He sadly lost a raffle for who had to man the party on standby.

Atlas: atlas looks very charming dressed as Han Solo from Star Wars. The best character of course!

Atlas has been popping in between different groups all night, but towards the end of the evening he can’t help but gravitate towards this absolutely gorgeous skeleton dressed as Jessica rabbit. Hopefully he can pull together his courage and talk to the guy

Orion: he has the scream mask and a black robe on. He also has a fake buzzer knife!

Orion is busy this year working in the haunted mansion. It’s a passion project between him and a few other artist friends. He took extra pleasure in scaring the heck out of charm and the kid he was with. Unfortunately that ex mafia guy barely even blinked

Helios: he and Artemis got festive this Halloween and are going as heat and snow miser from “the year without Santa clause”. Obviously Helios is heat miser. It matches his eyelights

Helios is wheeling Artemis around the festival this year. The siblings duo are mostly trick or treating but Helios is hoping to find a cool moon lamp for his room

Artemis: she’s snow miser from “the year without Santa clause”. Artemis even brought fake snow to sprinkle on kids lol. They love it!

She and Helios had the delight to run into a mum with twin babies who are also dressed as heat and snow miser! They of course got pictures with them. The mom insisted

Pop: this year he’s dressed as the cutest little.. pigeon? Pop has a pair of grey wings and a feathery sweater on. He looks ridiculous but you should see the other guy ;)

When pop ran into the corn maze with quill, the first thing he did was knock over a strange looking scarecrow. The thing started screeching about some curse of eternal wandering but he didn’t stick around the listen. He has a maze to explore!

Rhythm: he’s dressed as a satyr from Greek legend! It goes perfectly with edges her uses costume, plus he loves bouncing around

He got so sloshed the second the bars opened. Rhythms busy season of dance recitals with the kids is finally over. He’s ready to RELAX. Or party.

Tempo: he’s DJ for the afterparty dance! So tempo is decked out in a bunch of neon as a raving DJ. He’s working with the band all night

Vibrato: he’s dressed in a neon witch outfit, and he’s working the afterparty providing music for the dance going on!

Quill: he’s dressed as a bag of pop rocks! He looks so goofy waddling around in the boxy bright costume, but he’s not nearly as silly as the other guy ;)

Quill is freaking out. He’s been in this corn maze with pop for ages, and some scarecrow keeps chasing them and screaming about curses. Pop is screaming back at it certainly not helping the situation

Crow: he’s providing security for the band tonight. Crow is dressed in a professional suit with a goofy witch hat. His job is to make sure the crowd doesn’t swarm vibrato and the mettas

Roost: he’s dressed as the caterpillar from Alice in wonderland. The whole vineyard is doing that theme tonight!

Roost is out in the crowd offering taste tests of harpy’s wine. They’re hoping to use the festival as an advertising opportunity 

Harpy: she’s dressed as the mad hatter from Alice and wonderland this year!

Harpy makes a wonderful scene at the wine stand. They’re serving the wine in tea cups to go with the vineyards costume theme this year. It’s a big hit!

Mango: she’s adorable in her fluffy angel costume. But papaya keeps calling her a flamingo. She might kill him

Mango is chilling with Finn for the night. They’re spending most of their time at the lake the venue is next to. They’ve found a group of hadals in the water and are having a grand time playing frisbee with them!

Papaya: he’s a basic b*tch this Halloween as a ghost. Very original. However there’s a twist! Thanks to the strange workings of sails mind, papaya is a ghost wearing fishnet leggings under the sheet.

Papaya is tagging along with sails and Jasper tonight. They entered the haunted mansion, and in their panic and attempt to escape, papayas sheet costume caught on a branch. He refuses to go back for it, so now he looks like a stripper with nothing but fishnet tights and a pair of little black shorts.

Fisher: fisher is hosting a haunted boat ride with some sailors. He’s playing as a siren calling monsters into the water, so he has a wicked seaweed wig and lots of jewelry! It’s super fun!

Jasper: he’s dressed as a monster energy can lol. He thinks he’s so funny for this!

Jasper had the fright of his life in the haunted mansion with sails and papaya. Poor papaya even lost his costume! He and sails are trying to convince the guy to go back in for it

Finn: he’s dressed as Donald Duck this Halloween! He hardly even needed to get much for the costume since he has most of the outfit in his closet already

Finn is so proud of himself for getting mango to socialize with other monsters. It seems like she’s much more open to hadal monsters. He’ll have to take note of that

Sails: he’s looking quite goofy as Patrick star from SpongeBob. And of course he has the fishnet tights to go with. He bought a two pack and gave the other pair to papaya.

Sails thinks he may be having a heart attack after that disastrous haunted mansion run. And crazy Jasper wants to go back for papayas costume? Really???

Hook: he’s helping run a haunted boat ride with some other sailors tonight! Hook is going as a zombie seaman who pops out of the water to spook the riders!

Captain: he’s running a haunted boat ride with his crew and some seashore sailors! Captain is the boat driver, dressed as an old hag!

Silex: he’s dressed as Poseidon with nothing but a trident prop. Sue him, he hates clothes lol

While most of the festival is land locked, the venue is next to a small lake accessible from the underground waterfall chambers. Silex is a bit disappointed at the lack of activities for the hadal monsters but hey, this is better than last year

Pearl: she’s dressed as Ursula from little mermaid. Her friends insisted since her tentacles are perfect for the part!

Pearl is enjoying the smattering of shops near the lake shore, but really she’s spending most of the festival planning for next year. She’s gonna try to make next years big event at Portland

Stitches: he’s going crazy! This year stitches is toy Bonnie from five nights at Freddie’s! Kids are adoring the costume and many adults are cooing over it as well. He’s soaking up the attention like a sponge lol

Stitches is dragging tinker around as they’re matching of course! They’re mostly haunting the craft stalls and exploring the shops tonight

Tinker: he’s dressed as toy chica from five nights at Freddie’s. It’s not really his style but stitches insisted on matching tonight

He really didn’t want to come. Tinker was working on a new large commission, but he can never say no to stitches. He winds up having more fun than expected when he sees a stall selling crochet patterns as well as their creations

Thistle: this year he’s working the covens stand selling color changing potions. The coven is hoping to expand the business above ground, and the Halloween festival is the best place for it. Not wanting his face on display, thistle is wearing a clown mask and colorful costume to match

Yarrow: he’s dressed as slender man lol. Yarrow thinks his figure is perfect for the costume

he’s out and about giving out free samples from the potion stand! He’s in this sort of competition right now with a bird skeleton dressed as a caterpillar . Good times

Gears: he’s dressed as Pinocchio! Gears thinks the fake wooden joints are so fun!

Gears has been tailing peaches and rancher for most of the evening. He’s enjoying catching up with the two as they’re used to house him and compass before their father bought the garden shop! It’s like a family reunion!

Compass: he’s dressed as a tree. Yep, a tree. He has fake apples on his arms too lol

He’s been hanging with peaches and rancher for the evening! Compass missed his pseudo “cousins”. It’s hard visiting when one lives in the city after all

Peaches: he’s the giant peach from James and the giant peach. His whole family is disgusted with the obvious pun lol

Peaches is seriously regretting this costume. He’s waddling every where and knocking stuff over. At some point in the night he gives up and just makes rancher carry him around lol

Rancher: he’s dressed as a giant grizzly bear because bears are strong like him! Also it’s comfy and he ripped his wrestler costume from last year lol

Rancher feels like a pack mule this Halloween when he has to carry peaches, then gears insists on being carried cause the little diva was feeling neglected, then compass was invited so as to not leave him out.

Cider: of course the family is hosting a few bar stalls around the festival. Cider is working the one in the craft stalls. He’s dressed as a scarecrow to match.

Barley: poor barley is being forced to work this party away at one of the bar stalls his family is hosting. As a small act of rebellion, he’s dressed as a hooker this Halloween

Moose: he’s dressed as Oscar the trash man from Sesame Street this year lol. Moose is enjoying the costume

Moose is a kind friend who’s keeping cider company while he runs the bar. Of course the occasional free drink is a bonus too~

Maple: he’s working in the haunted mansion as the chainsaw guy chasing people at the end. Truthfully, he isn’t supposed to be there, but nobody bothered to check if he’s an employee or not lol

Ram: he was sweet enough to take a spot at rosemarys pie stall so peaches and rancher could enjoy the festival. Plus Ram is being paid overtime! He’s dressed as a granny to really sell the look lol

Pitch: he joined ram at the pie stall mostly so he can hide behind it and read lol. Pitch is dressed as a haunted priest with fake blood running down his eye sockets

Zen: no Halloween for this skeleton. Instead zen is at the temple performing the sacrificial ritual for a good fall harvest. They’re offering an assortment of apples and squash to lady magic this year

Shield: he’s dressed in his guard uniform as one of the security detail at the festival. However shield did get to spice things up by adding a cute witch hat on top of his helmet lol

Alden: Al is dressed as Bob Ross! The greatest painter of all time!

Al is taking pictures of everything at the festival it seems. He’s seeing inspiration everywhere of course. No doubt there will be another statue soon after!

Ollivander: Ollie is dressed as professor dumbledor from Harry Potter. But every one keeps calling him Gandalf. It’s quite annoying!

Ollie is with a reluctant saga and a HYPED UP hilda. The energetic sister is dragging around her friends everywhere. Thankfully she gets distracted by arwin and Ollie and saga are able to escape lol

Hilda: she’s working her awesome Spyro costume. It takes a color changing potion every hour though so she definitely won’t be repeating it next year. That craps expensive

Hilda wants to see EVERYTHING this year! She’s dragging Ollie and saga around to each attraction, but looses them by the haunted boat ride. That’s fine though cause she’s met arwin and he’s a real party animal!

Saga: she’s dressed elegantly as an ice queen for Halloween. Saga enjoys the color palate.

Saga wouldve rather stayed at the temple to witness the harvest sacrifice, but Hilda had been begging for years for saga to just go to one Halloween festival. She’s already regretting it lol. Every one here is so undignified

Barin: he’s dressed simply as a Viking for the evening. Barin is feeling a bit shy, so after hanging with arwin for a little bit, he sneaks away for a moment alone. The corn maze seems like a good choice… thankfully for every one stuck in there, when barin tries to leave, he accidentally breaks some sort of curse? He just thought it was a shoddily done rune on this scarecrow so he fixed it up

Arwin: he’s dressed as a sexy pirate! Complete with a fake parrot on his shoulder! Super fun!

Arwin is determined to party hard and make new friends! He’s delighted when he meets hilda. This Drake monster is crazy! They do the haunted boat ride together then shred it on the dance floor when the band comes on!