#trust me it will be better this way for everyone involved

[vaguely-concerned]

My two cents on how much of Mind!Varric is Rook’s mind trying to fill the blank space and how much is Solas actively talking through a convenient blood magic paper doll of the mind: I think it's a mix of both, a truly collaborative psychosocial horrorshow if you would, but waaaay more towards the second. It feels too directed and tactical at times to be anything else. Rook's mind is willing to go along with the denial phase as far as it can fucking carry them to not have to face the grief and regret and does its part in papering over details that don’t make any sense, the way brains will strive to create coherent meaning even out of deeply confusing input, but to my understanding it's a collaborateur in how that plays out, not the instigator or control center. Solas is using it as a path to agency and to gather insight into Rook as a person unguarded as he can't count on in his own guise. (That stoic option that leads to him being like 'oh I see you're cautiously denying me access to your inner life. well. at least you still have Varric to talk to. y'know as an outlet :)'. You absolute BITCH Solas! That alone convinced me that he HAS to have an active hand in it on some level.)

My guess is that it takes considerable effort on Solas’ part to make Mind!Varric do anything more involved or complicated than seeming to sit up in bed and give casual commentary, and that’s why he keeps having eerie five minute shallow pep talks with you before he announces he conveniently needs a nap aaanyway good luck kid you got this haha. When he’s just spouting NPC lines from his bedrest, I’m ready to believe that could be Rook’s mind being allowed to improv lines for him more freely because it’s less about Solas trying to get something out of them or working an angle and more ‘Still here! Still totally alive and fine and the mentor figure you know and love and trust :) don’t even worry about it! Thankfully there is no war in Ba Sing Sei, as we all know’ upkeep work lol. Rook’s mind is allowed to set the tone of Varric, the outlines, but not always the content. 

AND, on a (beautifully fucked up) character psychology level, I feel like Solas is indulging in actually getting to be the good supportive mentor figure to Rook with one hand to assuage the guilt he feels about what he's done -- and what he's going to do -- to them with the other. Same internal logic as he uses in Trespasser about the Qun. ‘Almost everyone is going to die from the course of action I’m doggedly pursuing eventually. But at least I can make their last years happier and freer and kinder than they would have been otherwise. and that kind of makes up for it right. a little bit. doesn't it. doesn't that make it better at least. I need that to make it better)'. Did I really take your beloved mentor and friend from you if you don’t know yet that I did? Some philosophers would argue not really! So it’s probably almost ok actually. Isn’t it even a little noble that I’m taking all this grief and guilt on myself and shielding you for now. With undertones that I’m not sure he would realize himself (and might be mortified by if he did) that he is so incredibly lonely, and even a dishonest and indirect emotional connection is more than nothing when you’re that desperate. In this setup he gets idk. Both the control he craves so incredibly badly in relationships and over himself, and the scraps, the fading afterimages, of intimacy and warmth and companionship, even second hand. The one thing Solas and Rook agree on deep deep down is that they really wish Varric weren't gone. They're handshake memeing this in the saddest and most creepy way possible.

I think an important element too is that Solas needs Rook and their team to *succeed* —  up to a certain point. He needs someone to hold the two other elven mean girls off until he can get out of here. Ideally, in a perfect world, even do all the hard work of killing them so he can swoop in at the end and do his thing when both sides are exhausted and out of resources to stop him, and then Bob’s your uncle! Same logic as he was using with Corypheus, and after that worked out so well, too! King of choosing to never learn from a single solitary mistake he’s ever made even though i fully believe he could have the capacity to Fen’Harel <3 The underlying idea isn’t flawed, you see, it was just unforeseen circumstances getting in the way. This time for sure it’ll all work out the way I cleverly imagined it in my head beforehand. Cue By Talos this can’t be happening etc. in the form of a statue almost crushing him like a bug. 

So he's providing guidance and forging Rook into a leader from two angles: one Rook might not trust, and one they probably will. Shaping them into what he needs slowly and carefully. He’s helping you hone your team into their most effective state, as he might have done with his own agents back in the day, setting up his chess pieces even if he has to squint through two glimpsed realities to do it haha. Pincer maneuver of an insidious stealth mentor you never asked for. Also… at one point mind Varric gives you a whole little monologue about how Solas' problem is that he’s always seen his interpersonal connections as flaws and see where it’s landed him, all alone and the worst part? it hasn’t even worked. it’s all been for nothing he’s back where he began with nothing to show for it but his mistakes. Like...that has such strong 'uh okay happy to play your therapist from two rooms away here what the fuck kind of traumadump is this' energy to me, I’m not sure Rook like. Thinks that much about Solas as a private person. So much of Solas' self-loathing and futile insights into his own flaws seem to shine through in Mind!Varric's dialogue all the time — I just can't believe that there's no guiding hand behind it as it were. 

Most of all. I feel like people underestimate the degree to which Solas is incredibly funny. As in, he has a very consistent and recognizable sense of humour. It’s one of my very favourite things about him. We must remember — it is crucial that we always keep in mind — Orlesian accent and wig Solas from May The Dread Wolf Take You (my beloved, the explanation for why I love this dude even with the. All of the everything else. No one does it quite like him). He is not at all above doing things or adding little flourishes for his own obscure amusement, in fact that seems to me to be one of his most consistent traits. The Randy Dowager Quarterly comment Varric has? The ‘Maybe this is the Dread Wolf’s revenge. Forcing us to house sit for him’ thing? To Me this is 100% Solas amusing himself in his boring Fade jail surrounded by the screaming hellscape of all his regrets. Source: it came to me as divine revelation through pure vibes trust me bro 

If nothing else I find it much more narratively interesting personally if the connection between Rook and Solas really is that defenselessly intimate and entwined (and so unbalanced!), and the sense of violation and invasion and betrayal afterwards consequently all the more nauseatingly intense. Even if you kept him at arm’s length in the open, he’s been under your skin the whole time, looking around, gathering what he needs to destroy you, wearing the face of a friend. Regretfully, probably, but choosing to do it every step of the way anyway. (Sound familiar, Inquisitor? Solas doesn’t have that many tricks when you actually look at it, he keeps returning to old tried and true ones like a dog with a bone haha.) Maybe he even genuinely meant some of it as mercy, which only makes it so much worse. It makes his sin against his own core principles of autonomy and the freedom of all beings in mind, spirit and body so much more juicily grave if it’s something he pursues actively and consistently, rather than it half-falling into his lap as a happy accident mainly orchestrated by Rook’s own subconscious. Solas, too, is at his very lowest point, the closest to giving in and becoming his own antithesis fully that he’s ever been, and it makes the choice of whether you still reach out your hand to him one last time or not all the more impactful and difficult.

[azlovesem]

Obviously im way better. Ill beat anyone on earth at just about anything. As you can plainly see Syd somebpeopke a few americans especially got severely injured or way worse during my tribilations. People fonyvwanna kees alwith sn Archagrl ill thtow any rabbi priest or rat iman fown the staris and jump ftom the top stair onto their head. Ive fone i love killingove it its one of my favorite thingsZ to kill lesser being who know not makes me GOD!!!! Im the dupreme boss of heaven. Theyre just jeslous! I might be too if i had any equal in combat but i dont. They laugh at yhise religios eith me too. Rveryone knows im boss even thise losers. Inprotect yhem too theyre citizens of yhe free world inprotectvthrm. They think yheyre in cgarge and gonba judge everyone harsky ill judge them then kill them all. I font trust them theyre nonces sll their churches are in my kand so i iwn their ass like property and i treat themike dirst in oupose. I font like religion it teligios it snd they ard false, ill stuck thrm sll in hell if they get on my nerves. I shoot sny politicisn i tried to kill fattybtwoce. Third timesctue charm kidZ im bad ass hes jyst a fat asz and ge evrn looks at us erong hes dead andcwas deliveredca message as such. Yhen the rest of your fsmily too. Theres no tariffs coming we re weorknmout deals its bysniess not personal. I made a deal for Emms to just leave transvpeople yhe fuck alone. Now i have obligations if i want what i want. I dont think she understands properly resposibilty or obligation byt im gonna teach her a lesdon. Yiull see her with me, or never again soon. Thats how we eork no ones powerfyl exceot my crew we ll jill anyone. First i ho after theirvfsmilies but Syd. But unlike you thry hot thrmsrlves involved. Msybe youre dnarter than they are. Or jyst from a more csuyioys generation. Either way yourecso hot and look great. Take care.

Sydney Sweeney

[sparemoon]

genndy Tartakovsky on his way to making the best animated show of all time only to end it with the worst episode possible

[north-wilkesboro-moonshine-cave]

congratulations to Mme. Pascale Leclerc, who has surely just experienced both the funniest and most unhinged weekend a mother could ever have. Dear fucking christ, I hope your middlest son brought you a bottle of champagne for yourself, ma'am.

[autistic-katara]

there r fics that make u insane (so amazingly good it’s removed ur sanity) and then there’s fics that make u insane (you need to fistfight the author for how they did a specific thing that caused u to rant for hours)

[jrueships]

I WANT WRITING PROOOOMPTSSSSSS

[bryoria]

just got back from a weekend camping trip with my dnd group, some of whom do a Lot more outdoorsy stuff than I and it was delightful to discover that despite that, I am perfectly competent and not to brag but much better at preparing and executing.*

my favorite part was when my very drunk (last night) friend/dm told me (this morning) that he didn’t realize that I put Marty Robbins on in the tent to calm him down last night and he thought I was just singing to him**

[vintersang]

*   TAG DROP: Characters

❛   ✧  ┊ they were ravaged by the wrath of snow. the snow queen.

❛   ✧  ┊ mother; you were everyone's queen. mama.

❛   ✧  ┊ father; you know what's best for me. papa.

❛   ✧  ┊ just do the next right thing; let the sun shine on. anna.

❛   ✧  ┊ life's too short to even have you in it. runeard.

❛   ✧  ┊ the strongest hearts are the open ones. olaf.

❛   ✧  ┊ love's not an easy climb; you have to take your time. kristoff.

❛   ✧  ┊ reindeers are better than people. sven.

❛   ✧  ┊ never put your faith in a prince; keep your guard up. hans.

❛   ✧  ┊ you will find the way; daughter of the forest. honeymaren.

❛   ✧  ┊ the sea is nothing but a library of all the tears in history. nokk.

❛   ✧  ┊ we look for answers in the wind. gale.

❛   ✧  ┊ the earth can survive and move on. earth giants.

❛   ✧  ┊ some say the world will end in fire; some say in ice. bruni.

❛   ✧  ┊ keeping intruders away from her ice palace. marshmallow.

❛   ✧  ┊ the ways of men involve a lot of reindeer. ryder.

❛   ✧  ┊ be prepared; take it one step at a time. mattias.

❛   ✧  ┊ we only trust nature; our future is in bright hands. yelana.

❛   ✧  ┊ let the crown be strong and let your love be true. princesses.

[krysmcscience]

Did somebody say Bill shouldn't be allowed to swear? I think somebody said Bill shouldn't be allowed to swear. Thanks to that, have these retooled The Good Place jokes:

The "powers that be" can refer to either the Theraprism staff, the Axolotl, or just. Ya know. Disney in general. Or all three! Whichever you think is funniest. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The "party" Bill's referring to is Weirdmageddon, of course. He was quite the ashhole to everyone back then.

Ford has probably gotten pretty good at the 'tune out your psychopathic ex with dank memes' challenge.

It must be very cathartic to be able to make Bill shut up whenever you want with just the press of a button. I'm sure Ford doesn't abuse this ability at all.

Oh, sure, 'Not now,' he says, before he immediately backs out of the newly-made hole in the Theraprism wall. 🙄

Don't worry, Bill doesn't get far.

also yeah i know this one doesn't have an attempted swear - i just wanted to use the joke because of the massive stink-eye involved in it because it makes me laugh

⬇️ More goofs beneath the brief ramble if you wanna skip it lmao⬇️

Why is Ford even there, you might ask? Well, he either decided he preferred to watch Bill suffer in person over being distantly and repeatedly harassed with the same evil desperation book for the rest of his life, or he got roped into some kind of contrived community service for 1.) all his many counts of interdimensional thievery, and 2.) his ignoring all the very clear warnings to NOT summon Bill in the first place (which I like to imagine is also illegal). Theraprism staff were just like, 'Wait, this guy matters to Bill? Ooh, we can USE that! It might be the only thing that can help him want to get better!' It is not considered that throwing Ford at Bill so soon after Weirdmageddon could instead make them both WORSE - in new and altogether special ways! :D

Anyway, I'm calling it the Community Service AU, and I am most likely not going to do anything else with it beyond appropriating these silly Good Place jokes. So, feel free to adopt the concept if y'all wanna??? Just make sure that Bill is still not allowed to swear, no matter what, full stop. It's gotta be a real linguistic corkblork of a situation for him, is all I'm sayin'.

Finally, have these bonus Good Place jokes, but with Handyman!Bill this time:

'Opposite tortures' doesn't sound so bad...at least until it's an all-powerful chaos entity known for torture saying it.

you may think i forgot mabel's cute pink cheeks but the truth is that i did in fact forget but then immediately stopped caring which makes it okay, SHHHHHHH

And, finally:

lmao this is shit

True facts, if you cram Season 1 Eleanor Shellstrop and Michael into a singular triangle shape, they turn into Bill Cipher. This is science, look it up. Or don't, and just trust the source that is me, bro.

Anyway, I should be in bed, y'all have fun with these, I guess. Tune in after like a week or so and maybe I'll have an addendum to my comic about how Bill was drawn naked for karaoke night. Because him actually being naked was not the only thing I considered as a plausible explanation. XD

Also if you see any inconsistencies or errors in any of these comics, No You Do Not :D

Also also, reblogs are rad as hell and I appreciate every single one, just don't repost, please and thanks. Every time a repost is made, an artist somewhere cries. :,)

[frogmascquerade]

Doctor who spoilers in the tags ! Empire of death

[the-king-of-lemons]

,

[biosblades]

1.) I’d rather have cats keeping mouse populations under control over people leaving poison out, which is way more harmful to the environment and other animals

2.) Some places are safer for cats than others. Busy roads or places with a lot of predators are good reasons to keep your cat inside. But it’s up to the individual owners to assess their circumstances and make an informed decision

3.) Letting your cats out is not inherently neglectful. Done right, it’s actually safer for them. A cat that’s determined to escape WILL get out, and they’re safer if they’re supervised, familiar with the environment, brought in at night, know how to get back in, have the skills to fend for themselves, trained to come in when called, are wearing a tracker, etc, etc. It’s the same way teaching your kid to swim is better at preventing drowning over a lifetime than banning them from going to pools as children

4.) Same thing with vaccinating your cats, fixing them, and knowing how to patch them up. They’re much better off being medically prepared to be out than getting out anyway and being way more vulnerable to health threats

5.) Cats have different personalities. Some are happy exclusively indoors and would hate being outside, others are not satisfied indoors at all. Some cats are happier/healthier indoors, but others are healthier/happier with access to the outside. It’s again up to individual owners to make a decision based on the specific circumstances, not just black and white

6.) If you embrace the cat’s natural instincts rather than trying to suppress them, you can actually teach cats to hunt mice/rats specifically. Again, it’s not about it’s always right/wrong to let cats hunt, it’s about being intentional with whichever choice you make

7.) Cats in homes are better than cats on the street. All the arguments you’ve listed are larger threats with larger stray populations than with a well cared for cat being allowed outside in a controlled way. That cat that you advocate for re-homing despite having a home would be taking that home from another cat who needs it way more

8.) The blanket claim that all cat owners who let their cats out are unqualified is not only misleading, it’s actively harmful. It’s not realistic to be all or nothing. Do you also think all farm cats should be re-homed?? Reminder that farm cats are typically feral and not determined to be good candidates to be adopted as pets, so the alternative is them being strays. Are you anti tnr too?? It’s not the perfect solution so why bother at all??

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, overdramatic accusations do more harm than good. Calling people abusive/neglectful for making an informed decision about their pets both waters down the impact of calling out ACTUAL abuse and negatively impacts those pet owners and their pets. Maybe find a way to actually concretely help cats (or local bird populations if that’s your bigger concern) rather than being nasty (in a naive way, no less) on tumblr

Friendly reminder to "outdoor cat" proponents that the common housecat (felis catus) is on the list of top 100 most dangerous invasive alien species and are listed as a worldwide threat.

Friendly reminder that the common housecat (felis catus) are credited with the extinction of at least 33 species of wildlife globally, primarily birds, small reptiles, and rodents.

Friendly reminder of all the hazards that exist out in the world including diseases, other animals, humans, cars, environmental dangers, and so on.

Friendly reminder that domesticated species are not suited to natural environments and can not support or defend themselves.

Friendly reminder that negligence is a form of animal cruelty.

Keep your cats indoors. I don't care that you think your cat is so much happier outside. I don't care that you think he's living a fuller life by being able to massacre local fauna. Either keep him inside and enrich him properly like a good pet owner, or rehome him to someone who can and never own an animal again. This is non-negotiable.

[corkinavoid]

I just found this in my notes

Apparently, I woke up at 5:23 in the morning, wrote it down, and went straight back to sleep. Trust my hyperfixated ass to still be making content even as I'm unconscious.

Anyways, yes,

DPxDC Trust Me, I'm an Engineer

Danny is half-ghost, but he is also a child of two mad scientists who spent the better part of their lives elbow deep in building all kinds of stuff out of all kinds of junk. Imagine what their kid, who loves science and engineering as much as they do, if not more, can accomplish?

When he moves to Gotham, he decides to leave all the heroics behind, hanging up his cape. Surely, he will be fine - Gotham has, like, what, six? seven? ten? vigilantes of its own. They don't need any more, and, besides, Danny is fairly certain he doesn't work that great in teams.

But there's just... so much crime happening.

Danny doesn't want to get involved, not really. He's retired. But he wants to help somehow!

So, he starts building unconventional devices for self-defense. A rubber duck that shoots lasers out of its eyes? A fork that turns into a shocker? A rice cooker that defends your home in case of an attack? A pen that transforms into a gas mask? You name it, he can build it.

It escalates quickly. Someone asks him to upgrade a baby carriage to a full impenetrable robot that will protect the baby inside it, and Danny decides why not. It's for safety. He installs countless safety measures so nothing could be triggered by mistake, and even though by the end the carriage doesn't look that much different, it proves effective in the first serious accident. In fact, it is so effective that it saves a total of five hostages, including the baby inside it, who didn't even cry because there are soundproof shields inside and recordings of the baby mother's voice.

Danny builds more of those carriages. Then he switches to home defenses. Then someone asks him to make brass knuckles that turn into a gauntlet shield in case of attack. Danny does a thorough check to make sure it won't fall into the wrong hands, but he ends up making it.

It doesn't take too much time for him to start making full-on robotic suits for people. Bulletproof, running on clean energy - Gotham has plenty of residue ectoplasm - with built-in defense mechanisms and stuff.

It is at this point that the Bats start taking a closer look at his inventions. Before that, they thought it was just some Rogue in the making, and they kept an eye on Danny, but never once has he created anything with the purpose of offense instead of defence, so they let it slide. But then Tim gets his hands on one of the suits and comes back to Bruce, nearly salivating over it.

A few weeks later, Danny gets an internship at WE. A year later, he is invited to work with the JL.

And that's when it hits him.

M e c h a s.

He can do real, actual mecha-suits for heroes. He can make them fit those heroes perfectly, enhancing their strengths and negating the weaknesses.

No alien invasion fucks with Earth anymore, because when they do, the JL just grabs their Danny Fenton Suits and whatever evil aliens were aiming to take control are annihilated in no time.

Maybe Tucker joins him along the way. Maybe Danny has an arms race with Lex Luthor, maybe Cyborg bonds with him over the mechanical rambling. What I'm saying is, cool robots for everyone!

[sinsirellaxx]

Toxic!Slytherin boys and them actually falling in love with the reader? Like the Slytherin boys don’t just want to have control over the reader, they want to have a future together after they realize their true yet toxic love for the reader.

I just love the idea of these hurt toxic boys tryna be better.

Toxic Slytherin boys – When they actually fall in love with you

Warning: Kinda toxic yet not so toxic boys

Mattheo …

… chokes on his saliva when he realizes. He’d been having weird dreams – more like nightmares – of losing you and the relief that washes over him whenever he finally manages to wake up makes his heart skip a beat.

… would try to shrug it off and push it to the back of his mind until he couldn’t anymore. You growing more confident and making new friends felt like a bucket of ice cold water emptied on his head: he loved you and he couldn’t risk losing you.

… had to take a different approach with you, because with time you noticed the very subtle changes in him and started resisting his controlling nature.

… for the first time ever, grew insecure in your relationship: The more he fell in love with you, the brighter you shone.

… would be clingy – but not in the “You can’t go out wearing that skirt” kind of clingy, but the “let’s cuddle in bed all night, love.” Kind of clingy.

… found himself dreaming of your future life together – he suddenly wanted to have kids. But only with you.

… would put in so much effort: He’d take you out on romantic dates, buy you things that he thinks you might like, hold hands with you all the time and press the back of your hand to his lips before letting go of you, whenever you had to part ways.

… can’t go a day without hearing your voice.

… would even stop skipping classes and stop drinking if that ever bothered you.

… is afraid that you might get involved in his Death Eater business and will do anything to protect you from it – even if it meant locking you up some place far away.

“I just can’t imagine a day without you by my side.”

Theodore …

… is shocked. Flabbergasted. Stunned. At a loss for words.

… had thought he wouldn’t be able to love another woman after losing his mother. He didn’t expect he’d ever be ready to be vulnerable again. But there you stood, with that beautiful smile and those bright eyes.

… doesn’t know when it happened – it was probably, when you made pistachio cannoli in the school kitchens and presented them to him proudly. He had returned your sheepish smile with his eyes blinking dumbly at you as he tried to understand the situation. “You made them for me?”

… was head over heels for you after that day. You’d have him wrapped around your pinky – whatever you want, you’ll get.

… would be even more protective of you and glare at everyone talking to you – even his own friends weren’t spared.

… asks you to cook with him – to cook and bake for him. He’d watch you in the kitchen with heart-eyes – his mind wandering off to places.

… would plan to propose to you as fast as possible. There is no way he’d lose you.

“Amore, I know we are young. But I want to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Lorenzo …

… notices the little changes in his own behavior: he hugs you a little longer and a little tighter whenever you embrace him. He’ll squeeze your hand tight, whenever you’re holding hands. He’ll always wrap his arms around you protectively, whenever you are close enough.

… is scared at first – which resorts to him being even more controlling and overbearing. He’ll even consider a Blood Oath or the Unbreakable Vow to bind you to him for eternity – but when he watches you sleep on his chest at night, with a peaceful look on your face, he inwardly kicks himself for his stupidity.

… will be more patient – more respectful with you. He constantly has to remind himself that love is not about control and owning but about trust and respect.

… struggles at first. But when you take notice of the effort he puts into your relationship – into loving you – you let your guards down completely. You truly feel comfortable around him.

“I’d do anything for you, princess.”

Draco …

… struggles with the onslaught of emotions and distances himself from you.

… would be scared to show you his true feelings – but he’s also scared of pushing you away with his past behavior.

… would grow quiet and carefully think about what to do next – about how to approach you. He’d stop playing around with you.

… gives me the vibes that he’d immediately start planning your future in secret – if he is really sure about you, he’d probably confide in his mother.

… would be a complete gentleman: would buy you flowers, write you letters, spend quality time with you and really listen to what you have to say.

… he’d be much more selfless with you – what you want is more important to him than his own selfish needs.

“What have you done to me, princess?”

Blaise …

… pulls you into a soft kiss the moment he realizes. He’ll wrap his arms around you and hug you to his chest. He needed to feel you close – to know you’re there and not just a dream. Because this boy is scared you’ll disappear into thin air.

… wants nothing more than spend time with you. He’ll almost always text you first. Will initiate soft touches and innocent kisses.

… will be so soft for you.

… would claim he couldn’t sleep without you, just to watch you fall asleep in his arms. Knowing that you’ll be there in the morning when he wakes up – safe and sound.

… is still overly controlling – but just because he is afraid to lose you.

… won’t have any problems with showing his vulnerability.

“I’m scared of losing you, love. Please stay the night.”

Tom …

… is angry. Angry with you. Angry with himself. Angry with his stupid heart.

… would feel guilt settle deep in his stomach whenever he was mean to you, which bothered him because now he had to think twice about it before saying anything.

… can’t stand the thought of you spending time with other people.

… is even more jealous and protective than before – because now he actually cares.

… thinks of the Unbreakable vow as well but will actually pull through and manage to make you consent to it. He couldn’t risk losing you.

“I’ll always protect you. You are mine forever.”

[maximumzombiecreator]

I've seen a lot of posts recently where people say they can't find players to play non-5e TTRPGs with. As someone who moves countries every few years, I've had to rebuild my roster of local TTRPG players from scratch a number of times. Here's how I do it.

Caveats first: while I've done this in small cities, I have always done it in cities. If you're in, like, a rural environment, you might just not have enough interested people around. You can always do it online in that case. I'm not really going to cover finding players online, except to say you should probably look for communities for the specific system you want to play. Most of them are enthusiastically looking for new participants. Especially game masters.

Okay, first things first, you gotta find people. I generally find I get better results if the search is location first. That is, rather than using city-wide or regional Looking For Group type internet groups, I look for physical locations that host gaming groups. Local game stores, public libraries, gaming cafes/bars, etc.

Being location first helps avoid some common bad behaviours. Online LFG groups often have a few shitty people hanging around who can't find long term groups because they're shitty. They'll jump at the opportunity to join new groups where people don't know them, because everyone else knows better than to game with them. But location-based groups are better at filtering this. Someone who harasses people at an LGS can be banned from the store, but decentralized online groups struggle to handle these situations in my personal experience.

Being location first also solves the next problem, which is giving you a location to play. Eventually, when I have a long term group, I'll host games in my home. But there needs to be a level of trust before that feels safe, and we're looking for randoms, so for now we need a public gaming venue. If, for whatever reason, there aren't dedicated gaming spaces where you can do this, I've had the most success gaming in cafes or restaurants during off peak hours. I've run a bunch of games in restaurants from, like, 2pm-5pm on a Saturday, and as long as you're buying drinks and some snacks or something, and being polite and non-disruptive, it's typically not too hard to get permission.

Now, if that local group has enough interest in a non-5e system that I'm interested in running, I'll happily do that, and it's pretty free from there. Most people who are willing to play one other system will gladly try others if they find they like playing with you. But even in big cities, I feel it's pretty often the case that postings for local games of other systems don't wind up actually finding successful groups.

So, here is the bit where, unfortunately, finding people to play non-5e games with involves playing some 5e. Community groups are always looking for more GMs to run games, so I will set out to run a number of short 5e adventures, each with different groups. These are typically oneshots that I have the option of extending for another 1 or 2 sessions.

I always run adventures that I've written myself for these, because I want my particular GMing style to really come through. Looking for players is a two way street. I'm looking for people I like GMing for, but I'm also looking to make sure they know what they're getting. Especially if I'm going to ask them to play a system they've never tried, they should know that there's going to be something they enjoy. So, these short adventures are full of the types of silly but sincere NPCs I tend to run, the open-ended scenarios I prefer, the tropes I favour, etc. If someone isn't going to enjoy playing with me, I want them to know it from this adventure.

I structure the adventures to give me a lot of flexibility in terms of how long they run. They're nearly always mysteries, but with some active component to the mystery, so that if things drag or dawdle I can have the villain show up and force a final confrontation. They're also structured to have a natural "next thing." You find and defeat the villain, but there's an implied next villain you'll be going after. That way, if the group is working well and I want to continue, it's easy to present the option to the group. But if I'm not interested in continuing with the group, the next thing can just serve as an "and the adventures continue" implied epilogue, and the game still feels complete.

I don't like players just bringing their own character sheet to the table. Someone who brings a disruptive character can ruin a session without me getting much useful information out of it, other than that I don't want to play with that person. And if it ruins the experience for the other players, I'm often out the opportunity to game with those people, through neither of our faults. I've experimented with both asking players to submit their characters in advance or making them choose between a collection of premade characters. The former is a good check for whether people will put in a basic amount of effort and follow instructions, but it can dissuade people who are just looking to dip their toes into playing for the first time. The latter can turn off players who are into crunchy games and are excited about character building. As a result, I'll usually choose the approach based on what non-5e system I'm currently most excited about running. Do I want to get together a group for a rules-light game? Premade characters it is. Looking to run some PF2e? Please submit your character sheet in advance. Some locations also do more drop-in based games, in which case it's premades all day.

As I'm running the game, I'm observing the players. There's a simple vibe check, obviously. Do I like playing with this person? But I'm also looking at how they play. What are they here for, what's exciting them? Are they struggling with finding optimal turns in combat, or do they like mastering a system? Are they curious about the world, or do they glaze over when the spotlight isn't on them? Do they light up in dialogue scenes? Do they want to try crazy things outside of their on-sheet abilities? Remember, later, I'm going to try to persuade this person to try to play a game they've never played before. I need to know what specifically is going to excite them.

I have (always with permission) recorded sessions before to go over in making these choices, but honestly even just a few small reminder notes will help me unravel things later. If a session goes well, I'll ask at the end for people to give me their contact information if they'd be interested in playing again. Non-committal, at their comfort, and it doesn't single out people that I don't want to play with. I can always just not call them. Usually I find I'm interested in playing again with a little more than half of the players I meet this way. In my experience, it's fairly rare for a player to say they're not interested in playing again, TTRPGs rule and there's a DM shortage.

What I usually do is keep running these until I have enough people in mind to run something else, even if it isn't the system I'm most excited about. Probably it would be better to spend more time in this starter phase building up more connections, but after running like 4-5 5e adventures, I'm usually more than ready to run anything else, and if I have to shelve my Lancer ideas because I've mostly found crunch-averse players, I'm usually fine with that.

So, next comes the invites. Now, most players I meet this way will eventually be open to playing most games, but listen: you can put people well out of their comfort zone for their third TTRPG, but you gotta be real careful with their second. Most of the time, the game I'm inviting people to will be their first real exposure to a non-5e TTRPG. If they don't like it, they will run back to the safety of 5e and you will never get them out of it again. So I am very careful in picking the right system for the players I am inviting.

Whatever the new system I want to run is, I will set up a pilot session for it. I am very clear to players that I will teach them the system at the session, they do not need to know it in advance. Eventually, when I have a reliable group of TTRPG people to play with, I'll expect them to be able to pick up systems without a ton of help, but for players that are only used to the complexity of 5e, the idea of learning a new system is daunting. I rehearse the teaching of the game session. It's the only thing for TTRPGs I ever rehearse, but I want to know down pat how I'm going to quickly teach a new system and make it feel approachable and non-threatening. I'm also very clear that this will be a single session, with the possibility of turning into a campaign if we like it. All of this is structured to feel very safe. No initial learning required, no long term commitment, with a GM you already know you like.

But even as safe as that is, you still have to pitch the system. Why should the player be excited about playing this new game? Don't go all TTRPG nerd on them and explain all the details of the system, or use a bunch of jargon. Give them one or two things to be excited about with short, detailed anecdotes to back them up.

"We're going to be playing Blades in the Dark. It's a game where you play a gang of criminals in a haunted, steampunk dystopia. Every session you'll do heists, but instead of meticulously planning them, you start right in the action, and when you need to have planned for something, you can do a flashback scene to explain your preparation. One group I ran this for got busted by guards during an early heist, but used a flashback to create a scene where they had gotten a buddy of theirs a job as one of the guards, and he helped them out of the situation. And for some reason they fell in love with this bumbling goof I improvised to be the buddy, and then on a bunch of future jobs they kept using flashbacks to get him jobs wherever they were robbing. So this one idiot was just a de-facto crew member who worked a dozen different inside jobs despite being about as sharp as an eraser. And eventually they fucked up and got him killed, but they brought him back as a ghost, because you can do that in Blades in the Dark."

I find using a specific example of play really helps get peoples' imaginations going, which is what is going to help them say yes. And that example is tailored to what I know that player vibes with, what it is I think that makes them a good fit for this game.

The last detail about the invites is that I'm telling them, not asking them. It is not, "Hey, are you interested in playing this new game?" It's "I'm going to be running this new game. If you're interested in playing, please let me know what times work for you." If you're asking, you're going to get some "well but can it be 5e?" If you're telling, then they can choose to learn a new game in order to keep playing TTRPGs with a GM they know they like, or they can choose not to play at all.

Once you get enough yesses for a game, you run it, and then from there you're on your own. I think those are basically just friends you have at that point, and I'm not gonna tell you how to have friends.

Hopefully at least one person finds all that useful!

[aardelea]

How They Would Comfort You After a Long Day

Hi everyone!

I wrote this little headcanon to brainstorm some new scenarios for fanfics, and I thought you all might enjoy it too! It’s all about how each of the ghouls would react when you come home after a long, exhausting day—and the unique ways they’d comfort and soothe you.

Jin

You wouldn’t even need to tell him that you’re overworked. He’d notice right away.

He sits down at his piano and gently pats the seat beside him, inviting you to sit next to him.

While you rest your head on his shoulder, he plays a few soothing melodies just for you.

Afterward, he takes your hand and leads you to the couch, where you rest your head on his chest as he holds you close, stroking your hair while you both simply lie there, enjoying the quiet.

Tohma

Tohma is a keen observer, so naturally, he doesn’t miss the fact that you barely made it through the long day.

He pours you a nice aromatic tea and waits for you to drink it and absorb its comforting warmth before asking if you’d like to talk about your day.

If you’re the type who prefers to vent, he’ll listen patiently without making a single comment. At the end, he’ll ask if you want an honest piece of advice (which can be brutally honest) or if you’re just looking for comfort.

In the latter case, or if you choose not to talk about your day, he’ll simply offer to let you sit on his lap. He’ll hold you and let you bury your face in his shoulder for as long as you need.

Luca

Luca will want to know every single detail of your day so he can fully understand what’s going on with you.

But if you’re not in the mood to talk, he’ll understand and won’t pressure you.

He’ll offer to take you to the training grounds with him to meditate together and release the stress.

His entire focus for the rest of the day will be on you. Whatever you ask of him, he’ll do it.

Kaito

Kaito will initially panic when he sees you’re stressed and ask if he’s done something wrong or upset you.

After you (even more tired than before) assure him that he (so far) isn’t the reason for your stress, he’ll become the brightest star in the sky, making it his personal mission to make the rest of your day as pleasant as possible.

He’ll offer to bake something for you. If you enjoy it too, he’ll love sharing the kitchen with you.

Whatever you wish is his command. He’s ready for any mischief and always has a contagious smile on his face.

He’ll spend the entire evening thinking of how he can make your next day sweeter too.

Alan

Alan is a bit awkward in situations like these and simply says he’s sorry you had a tough day.

He’ll suggest taking a little drive with him to clear your mind. He’ll drive you to the harbor, where you’ll have a wonderful view of the Rainbow Bridge. You rest your head on his shoulder and just enjoy the view.

A walk through the woods is also a great way to forget the stress. Don’t worry about the dark; he’ll protect you.

Sho

Sho will ask what’s wrong when he sees you so lost at the end of the day. He’ll tell you not to take everything to heart and to relax more.

You might initially feel like Sho doesn’t understand your feelings, but trust me, he does. Seeing you so upset hurts him deeply.

The kitchen is his familiar ground. He’ll make you anything your heart desires.

Once he’s sure all your basic needs are met, he’ll offer to take you and Bonnie wherever you want to go.

Leo

You're making a big deal out of a tough day? Ugh, how annoying.

He doesn’t even want to know what’s wrong unless it involves gossip. You shouldn’t take everything to heart; otherwise, you won’t get far in life.

But fine, if you insist: sit down next to him. He’ll put an arm around your shoulder and pull you close. Have you heard the latest gossip?

He’ll pet your head while showing you the latest TikTok trends. Leo’s real intention, of course, is to distract you with trivial stuff. Nothing shuts down the brain better, and he knows it.

At some point, you’ll end up on his lap, where you’ll fall asleep peacefully. Anyone who dares make a sound near you will face his wrath.

Haru

Haru is often overworked himself, so he quickly recognizes that you’re not feeling well.

Once he’s finished with his tasks for the day, he’ll devote all his attention to you and only you.

Expect a candlelit bath with the most pleasant scents.

While you bathe, he’ll prepare something for you to eat. It won’t be a feast, but he’ll make the best of whatever’s in the fridge and pantry.

He’ll listen to everything you have to say during the meal. But after the bath, you’ll probably already feel much better. Haru will find many comforting words for you.

You’ll end the evening together on the couch, where you’ll lie in his arms and start planning your next getaway for when you finally have some free time.

Towa

Towa doesn’t really get why someone could be so down over something as trivial as daily stress, but he absolutely hates seeing you so sad.

He’ll take you outside if you’re not already there, lay down with you on the grass, and stargaze together.

He’ll hold you tight and won’t even think about letting go.

Towa will ask if a particular person is responsible for your tough day. Why? You wonder. They might have a stormy day tomorrow.

While lying there, he’ll give you a gentle kiss on the forehead, pull you even closer, and suggest staying together until sunrise. Tomorrow, he could show you the most beautiful spots on campus. Forget about work. Just relax.

Ren

Ren might seem a bit annoyed when he asks about your day, but he’ll patiently listen to whatever you want to share.

Since he doesn’t have much experience with comforting people, he’ll suggest you both retreat to his room to watch your favorite movie. Voluntarily watching anything other than a B-movie? Absolutely. After all, this is about you. If you still suggest a bad horror movie, you’ll hardly miss his relief.

He’ll get all the snacks and drinks ready. He’ll fend off any potential disturbances. You don’t have to worry about anything.

Cuddling together in bed, you won’t miss how much more caring he is than usual as he does his best to be the most comfortable pillow you’ve ever experienced.

Romeo

As if his own day hadn’t been stressful enough, now he has to take care of his girlfriend’s well-being too? But fine, what’s up?

Despite his initial annoyance, he quickly pulls himself together because, as we all know, constant stress is really bad for the skin.

He listens calmly to what you have to say and occasionally offers genuinely helpful advice on how to handle similar problems in the future.

As you sit on his oversized couch, you’ll plop onto his lap and let him stroke your hair.

Shortly afterward, he’ll ask you to sit up. He’ll grab his tablet from the table without leaving your side and show you an absurdly expensive shopping website full of designer clothes. Pick something out. He’ll get it for you. Isn’t shopping always incredibly relaxing? That dress would look absolutely stunning on you (whether you want it or not, it’ll soon be in your possession).

Taiga

Phew.

His reaction will largely depend on which Taiga you’re facing.

Possibility 1 – The Calm Taiga: You’ll probably find him in his room. Even if he sighs in annoyance at first, he’ll pull you onto the bed, hold you, listen to your worries, and tell you that all these problems are completely insignificant. Just relax a bit and lie down with him. He’ll surprisingly gently stroke your back while holding you in his arms.

Possibility 2 – The Irritable Taiga: Even if he recognizes you as his girlfriend during this phase, he won’t react positively to you. Regardless of your mood, if you don’t want your problems to multiply, you should make a quick exit.

Possibility 3 – The Crazy Taiga: Stress? What for? Whatever, play with him a bit! Wander through the casino, sit on his lap, and be his beloved good luck charm, accompany him on his rounds to intimidate people. The night is yours, and your problems are in the past. At least your old ones, because after tonight, you’ll surely have new ones.

Ritsu

If you’re this stressed, you probably didn’t manage your time well and ended up working inefficiently. Ritsu will sit down with you to go through every second of your day, looking for ways to optimize it.

Someone gave you trouble? Don’t worry. Ritsu will dig up something about that person that’ll make them quiet down quickly. However, he’ll never tell you about it. Just trust that he only has your best interests at heart.

He doesn’t want you staying up late, so he responsibly takes you back to the cathedral on time.

If you ask him to, he’ll (though very reluctantly) stay with you until you fall asleep.

Haku

The best remedy for stress is long, leisurely walks. That’s why Haku wastes no time and takes you outside.

He’ll patiently listen to whatever you have to say without interrupting you. Every now and then, he’ll make sympathetic comments.

Only when you’ve finished speaking will he wrap you in his arms, give you a gentle kiss, and tell you that you’re handling everything wonderfully and that he’s proud of you. You’ll get through this, he assures you.

However, be prepared for him to start teasing you again on the way back to your dorm once he notices you’re feeling better. Get ready to fire back.

Subaru

Subaru is also one of those who immediately notice your emotions.

He prepares a wonderful tea for you and serves the best sweets he can quickly find. Of course, he apologizes for not having anything better at the moment (he’s already making a mental note to always keep something on hand for emergencies like this).

You won’t find a more patient and understanding listener. At the end of your story, he’ll lean in and gently stroke your hand if you allow it.

He offers to take you home and keep you company for as long as you like.

Zenji

Zenji is absolutely outraged that anyone could put so many obstacles in the path of such an angelic being as you.

He listens intently to every word you say, and it’s clear he’s emotionally invested in every detail. It’s incredibly easy and oddly satisfying to get worked up with Zenji about certain events and people.

But there’s no dwelling on negativity for long. He immediately starts listing all the positive things that await you in the near future, things you must not let negative emotions overshadow. Life is simply too short for that.

He’ll encourage you to get creative with him. Why not turn the day’s events into an exciting story, a poem, or even a song? His Biwa is at your disposal.

Rui

Rui invites you to his bar, closes it off to everyone else for the night, and treats you to as many cocktails as you like while patiently listening to whatever you want to share.

He’ll join you in venting about certain people’s behavior or how certain events unfolded. There’s no better partner in gossip.

Although he can’t offer physical comfort, since you both agreed to be in a relationship despite your circumstances, he gave you a cute teddy bear to hug whenever you feel the need. Beneath the shameless womanizer lies a cheesy romantic.

Every time you cuddle that teddy bear, his heart practically bursts with joy, sorrow, and longing.

He’ll gladly tuck you into bed, and as always, you’re free to sleep in the guest room or his room. He’ll stay with you until you fall asleep.

Ed

Even though Ed is usually the one complaining about something, he’s just as good a listener when it comes to your problems.

He invites you into bed, where he’ll stroke your head while you bury your face in his chest.

He’ll patiently listen to your story and occasionally marvel at the seemingly trivial things that bother humans.

If you don’t doze off in his arms, he’ll show you interesting YouTube videos he watched during the day. You might have to stop him from making some questionable purchases.

Lyca

Lyca tries his best to be empathetic, but he doesn’t really understand most of your problems. Why not just speak your mind? Or simply don’t do things you don't want to do?

By the end of the conversation, Lyca himself is so frustrated that you have to talk him out of accompanying you to work the next day. That can only end badly.

Poor Lyca doesn’t have much experience with humans, let alone women. So, he directly asks what he can do to make you feel better.

Whatever it is, he’ll do it. The more exotic the request, the more reluctant he might be, but he doesn’t want to lose you. So, he’ll do his best. That has to be enough.

Yuri

If you’re bold enough to bring your trivial problems to the great Mr. Isami, then you’d better have some real issues that only he can solve.

Since he’s very busy, he’ll ask you to keep him company in the lab. If that doesn’t appeal to you, he’ll begrudgingly take time and meet you in the visitor area upstairs. His expression will clearly show that he’s not thrilled.

Nonetheless, he’ll listen to your problems without complaint. If it involves people he doesn’t like, he’ll happily join you in venting.

But you’ve already stolen enough of his time. Come here, get your hug, and then back to work.

As he watches you leave through the door, he’ll watch you until you’re out of sight. His heart longs for your presence, but there’s still a curse to break. He won’t let anything happen to you.

Jiro

Jiro isn’t familiar with the concept of stress. You’ll have to explain to him exactly what’s going on, or he won’t notice or understand your feelings and behavior.

He’ll listen to everything you tell him and dryly offer suggestions for how you can handle these situations better in the future. They may or may not be helpful.

If you don’t want to hear his logic, you’ll need to tell him directly and explain how you want him to react instead.

Whatever you tell him, he’ll implement it without fuss. Want to cuddle in bed with him? He’ll pick you up and carry you across the campus to your room. Want to go out with him? He’ll take off his lab coat, hold your hand, and march with you to the restaurant of your choice.

He doesn’t understand what it is that makes him feel this way, but he’d do anything to see a smile on your face.