#they wrote their campaign from 0

[lolottes]

ok but what if instead of D&D, they do a campaign more in the style of Call of Cthulhu?

That would immediately raise the stakes for obvious reasons.

Especially if the Justice League has no idea that dying is just being banished from story and go returning to "your everyday life".

Vlad: Would you like to form an alliance... with me?

Ghost writer: Absolutely. Absolutely, I do.

Now, Vlad should know better than to ally himself with someone who broke the Christmas truce, buuuut. The call for DnD is so tempting that he just had to do it.

He then dragged Daniel and his friends into it as well. Daniel dragged his sister along and then the Fenton parents found out and, well.

It suddenly became a thing.

Oh well, both Vlad and Ghost Writer sculpt up some lore from each of their character sheets, weave a world from words and then drag a random number of people to act as their 'players.'

It was supposed to be people from Amity Park, but there was a miscalculation on that part, and honestly you can't even blame them because they've been weaving nonstop and Vlad ignored quite a bit of sleep to try and make this perfect as he could.

So instead of civilians they dragged in a few members of the Justice League and, well.

As long as they play by the rules nothing would hopefully go wrong...?

[a-shade-of-blue]

Today I want to introduce you to Sarah (@sarah-abo-hwidi), who is also an English literature student and we both share a passion for performing on stage. However, while I managed to graduate with a BA in English, Sarah's university in Gaza was bombed and completely destroyed.

Sarah is only 20 years old. She should have been enjoying her university life. Instead, she and her parents, her brother and her sister are now displaced and living in a tent that does not shield them from either the bullets, the cold or the rain.

Sarah hopes to continue her education. She is a very talented student and has managed to secure a scholarship at the Mary Immaculate College in Ireland to do a BA in English Language and Literature. This scholarship is only awarded to 4 people a year!

However, she cannot continue her studies without your help. While she plans on getting a student visa once the Rafah Crossing opens, as you all know, evacuation fees are very expensive. Moreover, with the high prices of basic necessities like food in Gaza, money in the family is dwindling quickly. This is her only chance to get a good education, this is her only chance to save her family, and her fate is in your hands.

This campaign is vetted by association! Sarah is a former student of Mahmoud Khalaf (@/supportgaza) (#151 on their verified fundraising list by el-shab-hussein and nabulsi). I've been asked by Mahmoud to write a post for Sarah because she has very limited access to the Internet, which really hinders her ability to reach out to people.

Low Funds! Only €955 raised of €50K target! (2%) Last donation was more than 24 hours ago!

The Tumblr I know is packed with lovers of literature, writing and consuming stories and fanfiction and poetry, keeping our favourite works alive by circulating it again and again. Please show some love and extend a helping hand to Sarah, a fellow literature student. I wish for a future where Sarah is not logging on to Tumblr because bombs are falling around her and she needs to ask people for help; I wish for a future where Sarah is on Tumblr because she wishes to share a piece of her writing, or because she is looking for a good piece of fiction to read like so many of us. Let's do our part to make this happen.

tagging for reach

@thesadnessrabbit  @marthamaxing @scarlet-curls @bloobluebloo @cheshiure @ruharchive @elyserie @masterofindecision @shady-mc-muffin @vague-humanoid @neverstopblowingup @b-0-ngripper @nnnnnnnnnnnnnnsposts @kaijubluu @fleshdyk3 @innovatorbunny @truffleskies @not-a-hawk @indignantdessertbirds @theelkmaiden @areawest @angrydonutdestiny @chilewithcarnage @ghelgheli @sivavakkiyar @anneemay @c-u-c-koo-4-40k @comrademango

@mccromy @betamaxpnk @autisticthassarian @butchlaser @pinkprimrose05 @simping-4-venti @gothhabiba @paintedplum7 @neon-draws-sometimes@moominsnufkin @sealsdaily @sporesgalaxy @ilovelifetbh @pigswithwings @wormzandgutz @tlirsgender @apas-95

[beardedmrbean]

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday overturned actor Jussie Smollett’s conviction on charges that he staged a racist and homophobic attack against himself in downtown Chicago in 2019 and lied to police.

The state’s highest court ruled that a special prosecutor should not have been allowed to intervene after the Cook County state’s attorney initially dropped charges against Smollett in exchange for forfeiting his $10,000 bond and conducting community service. The ruling and the appeal did not address Smollett’s continued claim of innocence.

Smollett, who is Black and gay, claimed two men assaulted him, spouted racial and homophobic slurs and tossed a noose around his neck, leading to a massive search for suspects by Chicago police detectives and kicking up an international uproar. Smollett was on the television drama “Empire,” which filmed in Chicago, and prosecutors alleged he staged the attack because he was unhappy with the studio’s response to hate mail he received.

“We are aware that this case has generated significant public interest and that many people were dissatisfied with the resolution of the original case and believed it to be unjust,” Justice Elizabeth Rochford wrote in the 5-0 decision. “Nevertheless, what would be more unjust than the resolution of any one criminal case would be a holding from this court that the state was not bound to honor agreements upon which people have detrimentally relied.”

Smollett’s attorneys have argued that the case was over when the Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx’s office dropped an initial 16 counts of disorderly conduct. A grand jury restored charges after a special prosecutor took the case. A jury convicted Smollett of five counts of disorderly conduct in 2021.

Emailed messages seeking comment were sent Thursday to Foxx’s office and to Smollett’s attorney, who have argued that Smollett has been victimized by a racist and politicized justice system.

Testimony at his trial indicated Smollett paid $3,500 to two men whom he knew from “Empire” to carry out the attack. Prosecutors said he told them what slurs to shout, and to yell that Smollett was in “MAGA country,” an apparent reference to the Donald Trump’s presidential campaign slogan.

Smollett testified that “there was no hoax” and that he was the victim of a hate crime in his downtown Chicago neighborhood.

He was sentenced to 150 days in jail — six of which he served before he was freed pending appeal — 30 months of probation and ordered to pay about $130,000 in restitution.

A state appellate court ruling upheld Smollett’s the conviction, declaring that no one promised Smollett he wouldn’t face a fresh prosecution after accepting the original deal.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and Justice Joy Cunningham took no part in Thursday’s decision.

[sillygoblinantics]

Golly gee how did she know :0

But wait, how would she? Since well you deleted my comment on you post back on August 29th of this year…

… then blocked me the same day?

How would you know what I wrote?

(For yall not in the know)

Hi I’m the creator of Bonnie’s Day Out!! A retelling/proper finish/expansion of Lily Orchard’s original literary property, PokéMadhouse.

I didn’t like how Lily slandered and shat on the already exciting lore and worldbuilding of Pokémon and snuck in her weird fetish that she exposes to not just her fictitious offspring but her fairly young and still maturing audience.

If anyone is making a smear campaign, it’s you Lily. All on your own..

While I haven’t posted more pages lately I haven’t given up on this project! I won’t let it go the way of the original and I will do what I can to get Bonnie and g and the other Pokémon from that house to a happier ending!

And the only thing that I’ve found weird about this child is from your own work Lily. You never refer to her as a child and call her “it” or “cryptid” or any of the other “nicknames” you gave her no bed and this is why I wanted to write this. Because how you write yourself was fascinating in how it shows your true self. So I’m writing that.

And I feel bad for your artists because having no idea of what the floor plan of the “madhouse” must be a pain to make up! All you provided is a sims build… which looks somewhat familiar. Anyways I’m getting ahead of myself.

Enjoy marah concepts VwV

[solarsimblr]

Y1 Fall | Summary 🍂

🏘️ Population

Births: 2

Deaths: 0

Move-ins: 1

Total residents: 13

Total households: 6

Total businesses: 2

Total population: 13 (x1 multiplier)

🔓 Unlocked

Community lots + townies -> unlocked when Celine became best friends with Daphne and was promoted to Campaign Manager

Paranormal career (1 spot) -> unlocked when Percy transformed into a plantsim

Gamer career (1 spot) -> unlocked for the Porter household after purchasing three games/consoles

Education career (1 spot) -> unlocked when Ethan aged into a child

💼 Businesses & Careers

Percy’s unnamed business closed

Celine Quinn was promoted to Politics level 4

Drew Porter joined the Gamer career and is level 7

Sophie Sutton joined the Education career and is level 2

Miles Hendricks joined the Journalism career and is level 1

💗 Household Recap

Quinn: Jonah wrote a novel about his late best friend, Hugo, but never received his royalties. Celine threw her morals away for a chance card and a big promotion. After unlocking community lots for the 'hood, Celine and Jonah finally got married at a roof-raising wedding and welcomed a baby daughter, Melody.

Gill: Percy was forced to close his business, thanks to a ROS. He booty-called Sophie and shocked me by having three bolts with her. After a dream date, Sophie seemed ready to get married, but she rejected Percy when he asked her to go steady. Also, Percy accidentally turned into a plantsim at some point. Whoops.

Porter: Drew got a job as a gamer, was promoted, then demoted and promoted again because of a stupid chance card. Daphne struggled with her needs throughout her second pregnancy and with taking care of unruly toddler Ethan. Thankfully, she managed to give birth to baby Enzo, and Ethan aged up to a child.

Sutton-Kirby: Lucas aged up to a child, tried to sell lemonade, and befriended his half-brother Ethan. Sophie got a job in education but was demoted a day after rejecting a hug from her own son, Ethan. At the end of the round, Talia and Sophie went on a date that ended with Talia wanting to fall in love with Percy.

Hendricks: Miles was victimized in his own house by Sophie and Percy. He got a job in journalism, which he literally hates. Luckily, he won't have to go for a while, because he's now in his second trimester after getting abducted by aliens twice. Thanks, ROS!

Arias: Noemi moved in, was greeted by a slightly offputting welcome wagon, and accidentally facilitated Talia and Percy falling in love with each other. Noemi quickly hit it off with Drew and they later went on a dream date. She also went on a platonic date with Percy, who now wants to marry Sophie and Talia.

[elibunn]

9 people you want to know

thank you so much @azaisya for the tag!!!! i love these kinda posts

three ships: i am so deep in dnd that my first two are automatically garnetxvalerius (current partner) and garnetxafvari (past partner who’s super dead). i love them so much they’re so good and i love them. i suppose after that tbh probably klance they’re my guilty pleasure i was a voltron fan (unfortunately)

first ship: my first ship that i can recall is defo haruhixtamaki from ohsch, it was my first anime and was a big part of what got me into art actually bc i drew an insane amount of fanart of them 0 0

last song: “i need to meet richard dreyfuss” from “i wanna meet richard dreyfuss” by gabriel gundacker. 10/10 would recommend that whole album is a masterpiece

last movie: long legs! saw it a few weeks ago and while i adored the main character and the score i wish it had done a better job of living up to the hype that the advertising and trailers gave it :/

currently reading: a book my friend wrote called “the rites of iron: the trials of gnash���!!!! he dms the campaign i’m in currently and i love his writing so dearly.

currently watching: gravity falls, watching it as a write this baybeeee (if fallen into a pit please help me i keep watching it on repeat)

currently eating: not currently but i had mac n cheese for dinner! leftover bc i try not to let food go to waste

currently craving: i am quite literally always craving ice cream, specifically blue bell’s homemade vanilla flavor, it is the sexiest vanilla ice cream in existence i love it so much.

truly 0 stress if u don’t wanna do this!!!

@coveofmadness @yamikuruku @cryiling @hugoodraws

[pawseds]

I convinced our Delta Green game master to have a play-by-post (basically text roleplay) section in our game's server and uhhhhh maybe I've been having too much fun with it. Writing is faster than drawing comics, what can I say?

(Long ramble about writing stories below hehe oops)

While we're here! A bit about writing: I like writing! I've written for loger than I've drawn for (because school). I think I'm better at writing than drawing for that reason (I'm more confident at least). I've written short stories. I've written short stories about TTRPG things. I've also written a ~100k word novel by hand for 2 years. While writing it, I had 'writing class' (technically AS/A level Ennglish Language classes). It was the only class I had confidence in and high expectations for.

With those 2 combined, I burnt out pretty quick LOL. Specifically, I had a big perfectionism issue because of the high expectations I had from my teacher and especially myself -- it was the one thing I knew excelled at in school, so I better do it well! After I was done with the novel and A levels, I was supposed to edit the novel. It's been years and I haven't done it yet, and I wouldn't write non-assignment stories (except 2) until now. Writing became more nerverwracking than it was fun, so why would I?

To get back to the PBP thing: I've been in a campaign that was fully PBP. With my mindset being the way it is, hey! This is just one big writing exercise, so I ran along with that and had fun with it. I saw how some players would make their own PBP and essentially monologue/have a scene only with their PC. That was cool to see.

And now, my current Delta Green campaign (tagged 'Helvetia'). Hrothgar (guy in drawing) and his kids were ported over from a previous D&D campaign (the fully PBP one!), so the crew had a very well defined background already. Of course I get tons of drawing ideas for them, except I don't have the time to draw them all (compsci hard). But since the server has a PBP section, I had like 2 weeks to kill between session 0 and 1, and I was bursting with ideas... I made a lot of solo PBPs that were essentially short stories.

It didn't quite hit me until some time ago, but the PBPs actually made me enjoy writing again -- enjoy it a lot more, in fact! I think the format of Discord threads and messages removed most perfectionism tendencies I had. I just had to fire the story away, message by message. It didn't have to be amazing, and it was fun! (Also I really don't know how to shut up with them LOL)

I'll definitely be cleaning these PBPs up and posting them here as stories. Some of them are just silly, fun, slice-of-life character sketches. (These were the stories I wrote after my novel... and yes, they were about my other set of Delta Green characters LMAO) (and I've posted them here under pawsedswrite btw!) But some I see as legitamite short stories that I would edit more heavily and present as a short story. They were the kinds I could see myself writing on a document rather than on Discord.

Well, I lied. 'I would edit' is false. I have already edited one, because I spent like 5-6h writing this one PBP (oops) instead of writing the draft for my short story class/elective (oops 2). I joked to my two friends saying that I could just submit it as my assignment. Apparently, they both really liked it and said the dialogued slapped. So I did!

I procrastinated like hell on it though, because I was very nervous to go back into the PBP with an axe to edit it. Being in a writing class where nearly everyone else has been formally studying writing for some years kinda puts some pressure on ya!

Like the last assignment (which I'll post here after editing), I had a lot of worries. But the feedback and grade I got from my last assignment, the peer review I got from the current one, and also the support from those two friends (shoutout @katastrofish <3) made me feel more confident in myself. And also the fact that I had a lot of fun editing the PBP!

Uhhh this ramble was way longer than expected LMFAO if you've made it this far, damn, thanks for reading! If you also write or have similar experiences, feel free to share em. And have a good day!

(bonus POV editing)

[bonefall]

any crumbs for bb bone and specifically pre-thunderclan iceheart? your take on bloodclan is super interesting :0

Full disclosure: There is a large part of BloodClan History from the Campaign Era (Bluestar's Flowers) to just before the Slash-and-Burn period (TPB) that I'm still shuffling.

This is specifically because I need to hammer out exact details for the Attack on ShadowClan. But anyway--

I want to tell some sort of retooled version of Rise of Scourge that's basically a glimpse into BloodClan and its culture. Instead of Scourge founding it, he joins it as a peon, works his way up as a Problem (warrior role), eventually joins the inner circle of leadership, and takes part in one of their chaotic Succession events.

Succession events are how new leaders are decided. They're a desperate trial period where the given candidates try to prove their worthiness by paying some sort of tribute.

So, for example, Scourge ultimately traps and kills a dog, proving his intelligence and ruthlessness.

Others have tried to kill their competition... which is only disqualifying if you get caught, obviously.

(NOTE: BloodClan has social problems too, it's not my intention to just have it be perfect lmao. It is still quite brutal!! It's just more open about it than the Clans!)

I know I want Scourge to have some sort of formative run-in with Clan cats at some point, where he personally experiences their cruelty.

I actually don't want this to be with Tigerpaw though-- I want no part of Tigerclaw's gutting to be personal. Having that moment be some form of revenge when the page clearly show it's self defense against a murderous dictator throwing a tantrum is one of my most hated retcons, tbh

Re: Darkest Hour Is A Personal Disappointment

Bone was pretty young when she had her kits, and was rising through the ranks at that time. She's around the same age as Yellowfang now.

I think she was one of the other candidates for leadership, but fell in line behind Scourge when she lost.

It's likely that the previous leader was Hal, who died trying to get Brick's niece out of ShadowClan.

Bone is very close with Snake and Ice. They're her idiots.

Those are their Problem names, btw! A Problem chooses a new name when they're registering for work, the name is supposed to be edgy to make you sound ruthless, so you get chosen for good assignments.

Unfortunately though it is very much the Heavy Metal effect where all the cats are edgy, so no one is lmao. But the practice remains.

one day there's going to be a Problem named Party Canon and he's going to get all the good jobs.

I wrote a Brief BloodClan Guide here if you'd like to see that

[duckprintspress]

Meet Aether Beyond the Binary Contributor Terra P. Waters

Another day, another AETHER BEYOND THE BINARY creator to shine the spotlight on!

Before we get to that, just a note: hi, I’m Nina Waters, the lead editor, the person running this campaign, and the one who writes all these blog posts. I’ll be traveling for the next four days (Friday, Jan 12 – Monday, Jan 15) to vend for Duck Prints Press at Arisia in Boston. As a result, I will be slower to answer messages, reply to comments, and post updates (I’m going to try to post one, but I’m not sure I’ll have time). I appreciate your patience while I’m less available. And if by some chance, you’re attending the con, make sure you come and say hi! I’ll be at table D14 in the dealer’s room.

Now, on to Terra…!

About Terra: Terra is a scientist by day who lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. She has been writing fiction as long as she can remember, and has always told her partner of 17 years that if she wasn’t a scientist, she would be an author. During grad school, she discovered fanfiction and immediately began writing her own. After many years and several fandoms (including Teen Wolf, Hawaii Five-0, and Stranger Things), she returned to writing original fiction. To date, she has self-published two novellas in a 90s-nostalgia polyamory comedy series and has drafted two YA/NA sci-fi novels. When not doing science or writing, you can find Terra indulging her yarn addiction and knitting.

Links: Archive of Our Own | Tumblr (pterawaters) | Tumblr (terrapwaters) | Instagram | Bluesky

Terra has previously published one short stories with Duck Prints Press, a Patreon-exclusive entitled The Wayward Timekeeper, and she also wanted to share a few of her works from AO3: 

Kope Kamekona (Hawaii Five-O, Steve McGarrett/Catherine Rollins/Danny Williams)

Forever’s gonna start tonight (Stranger Things, A/B/O, multiple ships and ot3s)

Other Delicacies (Our Flag Means Death, Ed Teach/Stede Bonnet) – this is the piece that Terra used to apply to Duck Prints Press, and several of us reviewers liked it so much that we sought it out and read the whole thing even though we aren’t in the fandom!

An Interview with Terra P. Waters

What motivates you to create?

My love for the ideas!

How did you pick the name you create under?

I’ve been using the name “pterawaters” since 2009, when I joined fanfiction.net. “Ptera” came from an old gaming character I had, “Ptera the Pterrible,” and “Waters” was a last name I really liked the sound of. For my original writing, I decided to go with a more conventional version of the name. I moved the P from the front of my name to the middle initial as an homage to my fannish writing name.

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

My ability to brainstorm scenarios and know how to outline the plot from there. Longer-form works, where I get to dig into the character motivations and development. World building.

What do you consider to be your weaknesses as a creator?

Short stories, creating characters who serve the story I want to tell, adding enough description around the dialog and plot.

When and why did you begin creating?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid, and even took a lot of creative writing classes during college (aside from my science major). I get a lot of joy out of thinking “what if…” and then turning that idea into a story.

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I’m most often a planner. I like to outline the story beats of any project before I write. Sometimes, I’ll be more of a plantser. I’ll write 1-2k words of an idea before I do the rest of the outline, so I can see if it’s an idea worth planning out further.

Which of your own creations is your favorite? Why?

I wrote a story called “Entanglement” that was part of a long Stranger Things fanwork series. It’s absolutely my favorite thing I’ve ever written, and I’m excited to get to the point where I can incorporate the rewritten version into my sci-fi series.

What are your favorite tropes?

Polyamory, First times/Getting together, Forced proximity (cuddling for warmth, only one bed), Soulmate AUs, Omegaverse, Fake relationship, Friends to Lovers

What are your favorite snacks and/or drinks to consume while creating?

I like herbal tea, candy, or a crunchy snack like popcorn. I’ve recently gotten into eating roasted lentils, which is a nice substitute for not being able to eat nuts anymore.

What is your “dream project” – the thing you’d see as the culmination of your work as a creator?

I want to finish a series of at least 4 novels and have them all in print.

When you look at your “career” as a creator, what  achievement would you most like to reach – what, if it happened or has  already happened, would/did make you go “now – now I’m a success!”?

I would like to have at least one full-length novel printed and for people to actually buy it!

Tell us about your pet(s).

I have two orange cats, Gadget (the chonk) and Gizmo (anxiety in animal form).

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

Finish the thing. My writing got so much better once I forced myself to finish fan works so I could put them up for other people to read. Practicing the first part of writing a story without practicing how to write the end leaves you never finishing anything.

Terra’s Contribution to Aether Beyond the Binary

Title: Ancient Hearts Unearthed

Tags: academia, alternate history, cancer, character illness (serious), f/nb, f/f (background), fat, first kiss, friends to lovers, getting together, hospital, modern with magic, mystery, non-binary, panic attacks, past tense, phobia (claustrophobia), pining, professor, scientist, third person limited pov

Excerpt:

Victoria turned and ran a hand over the runes again. “What bothers me is that these are early Age of Aether markings. You see the way they’re using archaic forms of our letters?”

Sasha leaned closer. “I’ll be damned. This doesn’t match the bronze-era artifacts in the rest of the cave, either.” They made a tiny humming noise. “Who else would have this much knowledge of ancient runes?”

As Victoria leaned as close as she could to the wall, she asked distractedly, “What do you mean?”

“Obviously, it’s a fake,” they said, mulling over the problem in their head. “Sanderson has wanted my place on the admissions committee since he joined the department.”

“What if it’s not a fake?” Victoria made a tiny, excited noise. “What if this is early Aether Age work? What if this is a secret that’s been buried for almost a thousand years?”

Sasha’s heart swooped at the thought. “We have to find out what that inscription says.”

You've read the interview! You've read the excerpt! Now go back the campaign!

[imsobadatnicknames2]

Hey, what's your opinion on James Raggi IV the writer and publisher of Lamentations of the Flame Princess?

I mean... from some of the posts I've seen from him and things I've heard, he's def an edgelord reactionary, but neither the worst nor the most notable edgelord reacionary from the old Google Plus era OSR circle, right.

I was into LotFP a couple years ago before I found out about the guy's politics and links to notable bigots in the OSR scene, mostly because I liked the whole black/death metal horror aesthetic and because it's one of the few straight-up retroclones that actually have a unique vision for the aesthetic and experience they want to create, (i.e. it tries to be a little bit of its own game with its own unique setting/aesthetic instead of being yet another legally distinct repackaging of an older D&D edition), and I still think the book itself is a good product, but ultimately it's not an experience you can't replicate with a copy of B/X D&D (or your retroclone of choice) plus a couple flavorful metal-inspired sourcebooks, and that unique aesthetic appeal has also now been far outdone by later RPGs like Mörk Borg, so it's not like you're really missing much by refusing to support the guy anyway.

Tho I've gotta say, It kinda surprised me when I first found out Raggi was one of those "BUT MUH FREEZE PEACH" edgelords, because some of the advice he wrote in the LotFP refbook seemed to be directly countering that particular flavor of edgelordism that pops up in right-leaning """"apolitical""""" OSR circles, e.g:

"The Referee shall realize that Rule 0 is for the purpose of establishing the desired atmosphere for his campaign, and not as an excuse to abuse players or a license to be a despot at the game table… The Referee’s role is to challenge players, not victimize them."

"Know your players. Communicate outside of the game, and find where the limits lie. Your job as Referee is not to shock, scare, scandalize, or assault the senses. Respect for the real person sitting before you playing the game comes before any idea for the game you actually have."

Reading that definitely painted to me a very different picture of him as a person.

[demon-princess13]

wrote a draft for session 0 of my next campaign. I always write a little hook/monologue before I have to answer 194747393 questions about the setting, wanted to share it here!!

(edits/criticisms welcome, I only spent like 20 mins on this and there’s bound to be mistakes)

here’s to more of my obsession with Tiamat & Dragons

_

You step off your boat, onto a coastline decorated with fishermen, the early morning sun enhancing their sunburnt faces. You watch them; fly fishing the coast or preparing their own boats for castoff, enjoying the peace for the moment you allow yourself.

Leaving the captain of the for-hire ship to handle the rest of docking, you step to the sandy shoreline and onto a dirt path cut into the thick woods. A few feet through and a warm scent wafts up to your nostrils; reminding you of street fairs with their roasting meat & endless jugs of brew. Following the smell, you come upon a quaint town with houses of emerald green and gold, seeming to glisten in the sunlight. In one window a pair of large, glowing yellow eyes looks at you curiously before disappearing back into the shadows of the unlit home.

Taking your first glance upwards, you find yourself taken aback by the sight of hundreds of winged creatures in flight above you. So many different colours, sizes, and shapes it’s impossible to focus clearly on any one of them.

In the distance looms a castle, the red of its walls visible even from its resting place atop a mountain. The top of the castle is lost in the clouds, but a weak amber glow shines through them. How tall is it? You can’t be certain.

As you stare, enjoying a sight some only ever dream of- a glob of flaming goo lands just feet in front of you. Your thoughts are interrupted by the burp of a 20ft tall dragon who’s sat, contentedly licking up his flaming sick.

“Sorry about that! This one’s on a new die- oh. I’ve never seen ye before. New to town? No wonder you’re standing there with that stupid look on your face. Follow me, I’ll help ye find some lodgings.” A nearly toothless man grins, jumping off his mount and patting the disgusting creature on the head. “Seems you’ll be needing all the help we can offer” he chuckles, handing you a ration and linking his arm in yours. “Let’s be off then!! To a bed! My names Timny, by the way! Nice to meetcha!”

And so it begins. A new adventure

(( “invitation” story: One day, while sitting at home eating breakfast, a small bird sized lizard flies into your window and perches upon your table; where it drops you a small scroll held together by a golden ribbon. As you grasp the scroll, the tiny dragon puffs into smoke and disappears. The scroll reads as follows: “Tiamats whispers grow louder, and she has been whispering your name. Make your way to the point on the map below, if you hope to change your fate from one of fire.” As you finish reading each word, they disappear into thin plumes of smoke; revealing pieces of a map laid behind the enchantment. A small X marks an island a few days journey away. ))

((If a character chooses not to take part in the trip to the island right away, they find themselves plagued with nightmares of a five headed dragon during their sleeping hours, and nearly silent whispers in their mind during their waking ones. The map will reappear in any bag, closet or cupboard opened until the journey is taken.))

[gerrydefault]

You are spreading misinformation too I think, Imane Khelif was NEVER banned from the Olympics, for the IOC her testosterone levels have always been in the norm, at Tokyo she lost in the quarterfinals against a cis woman that ALSO had normal levels of testosterone (and lost very badly too, 5-0). She WAS banned from the world championship, and even then, she was not banned for her testosterone levels, but for "arbitrary reasons". Now, if you followed boxe, you would know how much of a bad reputation the IBA (a racist and bigoted association) has. (You can read their statements here: https://www.iba.sport/news/statement-made-by-the-international-boxing-association-regarding-athletes-disqualifications-in-world-boxing-championships-2023/ and here IOC response to the fact https://x.com/iocmedia/status/1819068761787244959?t=-PUHH5YmhoGFK2jFdpsRYw&s=19).

Andrey (and I was a big fan of his) spread transphobic rethoric AND misinformation, using transphobic talking points (men enter women spaces saying they're trans and make them unsafe, trans-inclusivity could lead to pedophilia) contributing to the hate campaign towards a WOMAN who did NOTHING WRONG. A hate campaign that could become VERY dangerous for her real fast, considering the extremely homophobic and transphobic country she lives and practices in. There is no excuse and I hope he, at the least, acknowledges the misinformation he spread.

nice to see another boxe fan I guess, I am 99% sure I am not spreading misinformation hopefully

I remember the whole tokyo accident and the following allegations from the indian times, covering the fact and claiming the allegations about testosterone (they posted this article yesterday with basically also the old info attached)

“Khelif is a renowned boxer who earned a silver medal at the 2022 world championship of the IBA. The same organisation banned her from last year's women's world boxing championship in New Delhi, India, due to alleged excessive testosterone levels.

She was surprisingly banned a few hours ahead of her scheduled gold medal battle against Yang Liu of China. However, Yang Liu's bronze medal was also taken away after she failed to meet IBA's eligibility test, which prevents athletes with XY chromosomes from competing in the women's category”

and I will had this part too:

“The disqualification, in Khelif's opinion, was a plot to stop an Algerian boxer from winning. According to the IOC, Khelif was disqualified because of high testosterone levels.”

I do unfortunately know about the immense racism going around this field, and reading the link you provided me it’s even worst for the most part, however the fact that her testosterone levels are higher doesn’t mean she can’t lose against a woman with hormonal balance if this is what you are trying to say about the (5-0) loss, both Yang and Khelif took the test again for this year olympics and the testosterone levels where the same always higher than normal

“Lin Yu-ting and Khelif were allowed to compete this year because IOC's regulations allow the admission of athletes with gender diversity and DSDs (differences of sexual development)”

(to be honest a girl wrote me that Khelif was taking supplements or medications to lower her hormonal issue but frankly I couldn’t find not a singular proof of that so I guess it’s not real or ??)

I already uncovered the andrey situation in another anon ask, and how the majority tends to believe media (because supposedly they should provide us with the truth) and the whole please let’s keep in mind he is russian thing, about you saying he is spreading transphobia??? it might be me but I don’t see it??? maybe you are talking about the “a woman should not compete against a man who think he is a woman” sort of thing to which I understand your logic and how you might feel about it, however I guess it was just the heat of the movement because his main focus truly was to talk about violence and how he can’t stand that, also let me clarify I am not saying that he is a trans rights supporter or stuff like this, he is probably not and like a lot of things very neutral about it, I know that it will sound like a mantra but guys…. he is russian in russia people with lgbtq+ community are considered criminals, you have to think he grow up with that sort of upbringing should never forget that people there are not free to think the way western people are, and he is self aware of it and never spoke about certain topics until yesterday were his main focus wasn’t the””” trans woman””” herself but the supposed injustice Angela Carini went through , it has been years of me listening to his interviews and he just can’t stop yapping about peace and justice, it’s just his thing. the only transphofian here is Carini herself but this is another story.

(he probably will not acknowledge that until all the medias gonna start saying something about it because as I said before he doesn’t search for stuff) however I don’t think he is transphobic that just wasn’t the main point in his statement.

(also I tend to use newspaper such as hindustan times, Ansa, Gazette ecc for both university and writing works because they are a-political and the most of them are independent so I am pretty sure about the info given by them ofc nobody is 100 but the universal truth is yet to be found)

[goosemixtapes]

max's november 2023 reads

so many online articles this month. which is maybe why i feel like i'm making 0 progress on my hard copy books. in december i'll need to reprioritize, it seems. i also wrote next to nothing this month, which probably explains why i read so many online articles.

fiction

Edmund Spenser's Faerie Queene, books 5-6

the latter half of Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin (again)

Shakespeare's Richard III (again, + i started Linda Charnes' Notorious Identity)

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods by Suzanne Collins (review)

Gregor and the Marks of Secret by Suzanne Collins (review)

Vergil's Georgics, book 3

i continue to chug away at asoiaf #3 but god knows it is neverending

nonfiction

Getting Involved and Staying Regulated by Devon Price (↳ on finding your place in the fight for palestinian liberation)

The Carrier Bag Theory of Fiction by Ursula K. Le Guin (↳ on the patriarchal domination of the war narrative, and our other options)

The Cool Kid's Philosopher by Nathan J. Robinson (↳ on Ben Shapiro)

Propaganda 101: How To Defend A Massacre by Nathan J. Robinson (↳ on biased reporting, using the I/P conflict as an example, though this is from 2018 rather than recent)

A Guide For High School Students On How To Avoid Propaganda by Nathan J. Robinson (↳ what the title says; i found it useful despite not being in high school anymore)

the latter half of Laziness Does Not Exist by Devon Price (review)

What Do We Do with the Art of Monstrous Men? by Clare Dederer (↳ found this one rather disappointing. i like the start, but the gender takes feel lukewarm and imo there's not enough emphasis on the structural vs. individual. this is a nice counterpoint)

Physical Destruction in Whole or in Part by Saree Makdisi (↳ "What we’re witnessing in Gaza, in other words, is not self-defense; it is an opportunistic offensive. It is not a “war,” the word used mendaciously and misleadingly by most of the mainstream Western press; it is a campaign of genocidal violence.")

the first chapter of Open Veins of Latin America by Eduardo Galeano

the first two chapters of The Great White Bard: How To Love Shakespeare While Talking About Race by Farah Karim-Cooper

a close read of my MFA statement of purpose by Brandon Taylor (↳ on goals, responsibilities, and fictions)

On Mental Hospitals by Ozy Brennan (↳ this is pretty short but very worth it)

How An Algorithm Feels From Inside by Eliezer Yudkowsky (↳ on the psychology of the tree-falls-in-a-forest question)

Scrupulosity Sequence #3: Load-Bearing Things by Ozy Brennan (↳ posts i am clinging to with my fingernails)

Why Are AMAB Trans People Denied The Closet? by Julia Serano (↳ on "gendered socialization" and closeted transfemininity)

Trans Masc Misogyny and the Red Six of Spades by Jude Ellison S. Doyle (↳ "No-one is ever actually a man. Everyone is always in the act of proving they’re a man, first by dominating women and children, then by dominating other men, establishing higher and higher rungs of man-ness until at the end, presumably, the one Real Man in existence gets to be in charge of everyone and everything else.")

Henry Kissinger, War Criminal Beloved By America's Ruling Class, Finally Dies by Spenser Ackerman (↳ clicked for the title, stayed for the comprehensive and vicious takedown of kissinger's crimes)

[strcngwillxd]

Introducing LENA SAWYER. Word on the street is they are a CONGRESSWOMAN affiliated with DEMOCRATIC PARTY. Though they are MANIPULATIVE and OVERCRITICAL, they can also be INQUISITIVE and ASSERTIVE. In the chaos of New York City, they’re sure to fit right in. 

Name: Lena Sawyer Age / D.O.B.: August 8th 1986 Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: ciswoman, she/her, lesbian Hometown: New York City. Raised in both New York and Buckinghamshire (UK) Affiliation: Government, Democrat Job position: Congresswoman 3rd District Education: Business degree (Oxford University, paid by mummy) Psychology degree(Cornell, paid by daddy) Relationship status: dating Children: None Positive traits: (5) Inquisitive, Assertive, Playful, Intelligent, Sociable Negative traits: (5) Manipulative, Overcritical, Dishonest, Impatient, Secretive

— BIOGRAPHY (Divorce tw, drugs tw)

Born the only child of parents who married for every reason except love. Her mother from a wealthy family in the United Kingdom looking for connections in the United States and her father, the son of a prominent business man. Their marriage lasted only a year before they separated, neither could handle being in the same space as the other any longer. It was after the first meeting to prepare for the divorce that they discovered her mother was pregnant. The divorce was finalised the day she was born.

Lena was born with spina bifida and is an ambulatory wheelchair user (%90 wheelchair use, walking stick/other mobility aids for the other %10)

Lena grew up in New York and Buckinghamshire. Neither parent wanted to give the perception they were the bad guy. A shared, one month in the UK and one month in the USA policy was agreed upon.

Her parents were constantly trying to one up the other. Always wanting to have the better gifts, the better homes, the most money. Lena played this to her advantage. Both paying her way into prestigious colleges.

The turn to politics seemed random by those from outside her inner circle. From the outside it seemed she had it all, parents willing to fight for her attention and love. Half siblings who at the very least cared about her. Bank account figures higher than most could even dream of. Except that wasn't entirely true. As she grew older, her younger siblings were dominating family discussion. How they had earned their way into prestigious schools, were gifted and talented. One was even on his way to finishing a doctorate. Truth be told, Lena was jealous. She was the party girl, the one they went to for info on where to by the best hits or throw the best parties. The one they loped blame on when something went wrong because "they won't react if it's you!"

She settled on becoming a member of congress after the 2020 elections. She was confident in her people skills and she certainly had the money to wave around to make her past *indiscretions* go away and to push her to the front of the line. Others did it, why couldn't she? The only person to not laugh when she said she had placed her name forward for selection to run for the 3rd district seat was her father, who saw an opportunity this could present them and the company. It wasn't until the first poll numbers came through that the rest of the family started to take it seriously.

So she smiled and shook hands, read speeches she never wrote. Soaked up all the attention and come election evening 2022 the results were in. Congresswoman Lena Sawyer would be heading to DC.

— WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS

Co-workers 0/?: what it says on the tin ex party buddies 0/3: people who know who is truly behind the mask. girlfriend 0/1: will probably end up a wanted connection. this is a relationship that was started as purely PR. Something that was suggested to help her campaign and something to help her girlfriends career. Now Lena isn't sure it's so much for PR on her end anymore

more tba

[thedndgoblinwholivesinyourwalls]

aaaah ok oc lore!!! first off a little bit of context: they’re from my wip, which is based off of a dnd campaign i was in in high school! i would write short stories from my characters pov to help get in character and then i realized it would be fun to do that with. the whole campaign lol. so yeah!

ill start w leonora! so she’s my character! she’s a shadow sorcerer, and she’s a half demon (homebrew race, called a penumbra!) and her father is an incubus and her mother was human. she starts the campaign not realizing she’s part demon, it’s only when the party is attacked by wyverns and she almost dies that the demon side is awoken so to speak. (context, i started the campaign thinking she was a human but then my dm sent me a bunch of new stats LMAO so that was fun)

max was an npc in the campaign, but i was the one who wrote him into leonora’s backstory AND i recently got his character sheet from my dm so i claim full custody :) he’s a bard and he plays the violin! also he is a sailor (not technically a pirate but basically a pirate for the vibes lol) and he has his own ship called the crescent!! his ship is very fun hehe

so leonora’s backstory is pretty dense so i won’t talk about it in this message since it’s long enough already lol but yeah!!! that’s my characters :)!! tysm for letting me ramble to you lol i promise you can still turn back /lh

:0 omg omg I love Leonora’s whole backstory!! My brain is obsessed with demon characters jahdjsksk. The homebrew race sounds so cool as well!! Also Max just seems like a silly little guy :] Him and his boats! :D

[thisisnotthenerd]

oh boy it's stats time again. i'm sure someone has done this before, but this is for my personal record and if anybody else wants to think about it.

this time we're looking at pc class breakdowns for d20. some commentary/caveats at the end* with regard to how i sorted these, what is and isn't included, fun facts and/or patterns that i noticed, etc. under the cut because they got very out of hand.

i wrote this physically on paper with a casio ms-80b calculator and not in a spreadsheet. why did i do that. all of these are sort from highest to lowest commonality/occurrence rate. anyway:

total class numbers:

rogue: 21

fighter: 15

bard: 12

barbarian: 11

tie between sorcerer and warlock: 8

cleric: 7

ranger: 6

druid: 5**

tie between artificer and paladin: 4

tie between monk and wizard: 3

the numbers look pretty weighted towards rogues at the moment--keep in mind that we've had several seasons that were mystery and intrigue heavy, and thus many rogues to go along with that, e.g. tiny heist (2), a crown of candy (3), mice & murder (4), a court of fey and flowers (2), and the ravening war (4). otherwise the distribution of rogues is fairly normal. as for fighters, barbarians and bards, i'll get to that in a minute.

most common multiclassed classes:

fighter: 10 (66.6%, 10/15)

barbarian (63.6%, 7/11), bard (58.3%, 7/12) rogue (33.3%, 7/21): 7

sorcerer (50%, 4/8) and warlock (50%, 4/8): 4

ranger (50%, 3/6): 3

druid (40%, 2/5***) and cleric (28.5%, 2/7): 2

artificer (25%, 1/4) and monk (33.3%, 1/3): 1

wizard and paladin: 0

total number of multiclassed PCs:

22/78 PCs that were evaluated.

5 of those were just emily axford. 22.7% of all d20 multiclassed PCs are just emily. it's 71.4% of all of her d20 PCs. the only two that are not are sundry sidney and lady chirp featherfowl, both of whom have classes that are mixed martial/magic anyway.

3 of those were triple multiclasses: brennan as k.p. hob, fighter rogue barbarian, siobhan as princess rosamund, ranger druid fighter, and aabria as karna solara: warlock bard rogue.****

number of multiclassed PCs by campaign:

a crown of candy: 5 (62.5%, 5/8 PCs).

tie between the ravening war (80%, 4/5 PCs) and the seven (57.1%, 4/7 PCs): 4

fantasy high: 3 (50%, 3/6 PCs)

tie between the unsleeping city (25%, 2/8 PCs) and neverafter (33.3%, 2/6): 2

tie between pirates of leviathan (16.6%, 1/6 PCs) and a court of fey and flowers (16.6%, 1/6): 1

no multiclass seasons:

escape from the bloodkeep

tiny heist

mice & murder

a starstruck odyssey

coffin run

dungeons and drag queens.

most common multiclass combinations (each with portmanteau name because it's funny):

fighter barbarian (barbed fighter/barbighter): 5***** (this does include hob, who is also included in the ranks of rogue fighters)

rogue fighter (fighterogue******): 3

tie between bard warlock (bardlock), rogue bard (barogue), ranger fighter (fighteranger): 2

the rest haven't been repeated on d20 yet. full list includes the triples, but most have already been mentioned in some respect above. as follows in chronological(ish) order:

artificer barbarian (barbtificer/barbificer?*******)

fighter bard (barfighter/bardighter)

monk warlock (monklock/warmonk)

sorcerer warlock (sorlock)

ranger rogue (rangerogue)

sorcerer cleric (sorcleric)

rogue sorcerer (sorcerogue)

bard cleric (barderic/bardic/cleribard/clard/clebird)

sorcerer bard (bardcerer/sorcerbard)

fighter rogue bard (barbed fighterogue/barbighterogue)

ranger druid fighter (fightedranger/drighteranger)

barbarian druid (barbaruid/drarb)

bard warlock rogue (baroguelock)

there's more that i could get into later but here it is: thisisnotthenerd's d20 class breakdown.

*some caveats and commentary:

this breakdown only includes dnd or dnd adjacent systems like sw 5e, so unfortunately this does not include mismag, shriek week, or mentopolis.

when i tallied these up, i sorted by season. sequel seasons were sorted in with their initial season; this is relevant for counting multiclasses, since most of the intrepid heroes from fantasy high did not multiclass until sophomore year and there are characters in tucii that are multiclassed (it's iga). this also prevents any accidental doubling that could affect the total count.

i chose not to include the specialty classes that have no dnd equivalent from starstruck e.g. scholar for margaret and sentinel for sidney. however, the classes that are similar mechanically e.g. operative/rogue or berserker/barbarian, are included in the full class listing. starstruck has no multiclassed PCs.

the numbers for each class include all multiclasses including 1 level dips.

jet rocks changed her rogue level out and was a full fighter when she died, but she is counted as a multiclass and her rogue level is counted. otherwise these are all final counts from the end of each pc's season.

the seven includes zelda even though she's a dmpc, because i couldn't remove her from the party.

disclaimer: i'm a human and make mistakes. there may be inaccuracies.

**two of these are just erika ishii. they are 2/5 of the total d20 druid count, and 2/3 of the pure druids.

***both of these are from neverafter.

****the order of these is what i can recall as their base class, then chronological order of what they picked up since then. rosamund and karna both picked up multiclasses during their seasons while hob is just a guess based on how it's listed on his character sheet.

*****two of these are lou wilson's calorum PCs. two of them are brennan lee mulligan (zelda & hob). the last is rekha shankar as katja cleaver.

******this looks like a bad misspelling of figueroth. i promise it isn't.

*******(not to be confused with a bardificer, which has not been done on d20 to my knowledge. gunnie from starstruck could be considered an example because of the function of the engineer class in sw 5e, but he's already counted as an artificer in my full list, and i'm not adding him to the bards.)