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bits-and-babs · 2 years ago

Note

🗝️

My love, I am begging for the tiniest crumb for Matt the Radar Tech. Anything related to him I’m so soft for. Whatever your heart desires! the sluttier the better tho— I have such a weakness.

⋆ 𝐍𝐀𝐓 𝟐𝟎

Matt the Radar Tech x f!Reader

word count: 1.3k

warnings: written by someone who has absolutely no fucking clue how D&D works, so PLEASE take all of this with a grain of salt. Weirdly inspired entirely by the Roll For Sandwich series on TikTok by @adventuresinardia. Filthy nerd talk, a lil’ dry humping, Nipple play, p in v sex, cream-pie (shut up, I know).

summary: Matt can’t seem to focus while introducing you to D&D.

matt masterlist I| main masterlist |I follower celebration I| ask

“Wait,” you mumble, staring at the copious sets of dice displayed across the durasteel tabletop, “You mean… I get to choose my character?”

No amount of Jedi foresight or Sith Holocron visions could possibly explain how Matt had managed to rope you into playing Dungeons and Dragons. Of course, you always supported his hobby— but throwing yourself into a roleplaying game that you had little to no understanding of left you feeling like you were floating in dead space, even with his arms wrapped firmly around your waist to keep you rooted to his lap.

“Yup,” he nods simply, pointing to the little sheet of paper with his scratchy handwriting detailing the breakdown of each character option. “You get to choose who you wanna be.”

You swallow thickly, feeling nerves settle in the pit of your stomach. Why did this feel like a Jedi youngling choosing its first kyber crystal? A path-defining choice that sealed your fate from the beginning?

“Uhm-… Well. Who do you play as?” You ask cautiously, feeling Matt’s chin settle on your shoulder, the frame of his glasses digging into your cheekbone as you pick up the character sheet.

“I’m the DM,” Matt speaks again, matter-of-fact in that frustratingly-adorable way that makes you turn your head pointedly and give him the kind of look that simply states ‘go on’. “Oh-… Dungeon Master. I control the gameplay- kinda. Don’t sweat the rules right now, Sunshine; just pick the one that speaks to you.”

Stars, Matt’s illegible handwriting is near enough impossible to read as it is, but throwing in unknowns like ‘NPC’ and ‘entangle spells’ leaves you feeling as though someone has removed your brain's hyperdrive.

Thankfully, each character class has been given its own pros and cons table, detailing why you should and shouldn’t choose them. Matt presses delicate kisses across your neck as you read through each list, words blurring slightly when he runs his hands over your thighs.

“Uhm…” you squeak, face burning hot as you stare at the white sheet. “T-The Fighter seems like a good option?”

“Good choice,” Matt mumbles, earnest in his compliment. His palm squeezes at your hips, humming softly as he slips the other under your perfectly ironed uniform. “They’re easy for beginners.”

“Yeah? Good,” you sigh shakily, happy that you’d at least made an intelligent decision. “Did-… Did your brothers play this with you growing up?”

“Randy did,” Matt nods, cupping one of your breasts and squeezing it through the thin material of your bralette. It’s hard to focus, to give him your full attention when he rolls your nipple between his thumb and finger. “Kylo had a habit of losing his temper.”

“Oh,” you whisper, and it’s so pathetically breathy that you want to smack yourself. Trying, instead, to distract yourself from Matt’s wandering hands, you point at the number set on the table. “Do-… Do you roll the dice to make decisions?”

“Mhmm-hm,” he hums, dragging his tongue across the flat of your neck with a muffled groan. He’s so clingy today, seemingly unbothered by your sudden interest in his roleplay game as he smothers you with kisses. “-or an outcome. Roll. See what you get.”

Shakily, you scramble to capture the golden, glittery D-20 in your palm. Matt continues to traverse your body, both hands squeezing at your tits now as he grinds his hips up into you. You can feel his cock, hard beneath your ass.

Desperate to distract yourself from the growing heat in the pit of your stomach, you practically throw the die across the table. It clatters, clanging against the metal before coming to a sudden halt. The gilded ink stares right back at you, a 20 clear as day on the face pointing to the ceiling.

“Oh- I got a twenty!” You say quickly, throwing your hands up in victory. Sure, you’re not sure what it means, but surely it’s good?!

Then your stomach squeezes, erupting in butterflies because you can feel the smirk that dances across your neck. Matt’s plotting. It’s not good when he plots.

“Know what that means?” He hums, his nimble fingers popping the button of your fitted uniform trousers with ease. “Means I get to fuck you.”

His filthy mouth floods your body with heat, jaw slack as he yanks the material over your hips. “U-Uhm- I don’t think that’s in th-the rules-!”

“I’m the Dungeon Master,” Matt states pragmatically, already pushing your panties to the side and fishing his hard cock from his flight suit, “I control the game.”

The head of his cock notches your entrance, your body begging for it with how easily you take his length. He groans loudly, burying his face into the crook of your neck as you seat your hips against his, taking him fully with one easy glide of his hips. He stretches you just right the head bumping something cataclysmic inside of you in this position.

“So fuckin’ sexy when you talk D&D,” he moans in your ear, frantic hands rumpling your uniform as he tugs it over your chest to gain access to your body easier. “Turns me on.”

“I-I don’t-“ you want to tell him how you have no idea what you’re talking about, that none of it makes sense and that you’re just guessing, but he rolls his hips beneath you, and your foundations crumble. You cover your mouth quickly, muffling your moans as he fucks up into you with skilled thrusts.

“Wanna dress you as a Druid. Wanna fuck you right here on this table during a campaign,” he runs his mouth, using his grip on your hips to push you down onto his cock, reaching depths inside you that have your eyes rolling. You tilt your head back, resting it on his shoulder as he pinches your nipple, teeth worrying your neck and sucking on the tender flesh so that a bruise will peek over your collar in the morning.

Commander Ren will kill you.

“Do you think they’d mind, hmm?” Matt asks you; his voice strained as his cock twitches inside of you. “I don’t think so. Think they’d be happy to pause the game to see these pretty lips around my dick.”

“Matt-“ you choke out, feeling him tear up against something ruinous inside of you. It surges up, his filthy words spurring it on as it amplifies.

“That’s it, Sunshine. That’s it, can feel it coming,” he slurs, dipping his hand under the waistband of your underwear to bear down on your clit with the pad of his index finger. “You gonna be good for me? C’mon, give it to me.”

Your vision goes white. It sparks static, rips through you like Matt had aimed a StarKiller superweapon straight at you. You arch your back against his chest, sobbing out a slurred mix of his name and a curse as your orgasm crackles through you.

Distantly, you hear the groan of bliss as Matt drives deep inside of you, the fluttering of your cunt drawing an agonised gasp from his throat as he cums. You’re sobbing loudly, the pulse of his load filling you, surging you towards a euphoria you didn’t think was possible.

The thudding of your pulse drowns out the sounds of the StarKiller base, and when you open your eyes, you find yourself gazing at the ceiling. You’re arched awkwardly against Matt’s body, the crown of your head resting on his shoulder as you come down from your impossible high.

“Oh…” you mumble weakly, listening to his heaving breaths in your ear. Your question comes out sounding more like a wheeze. “Are-… Are you sure you’re not a wizard? Is… that even a class?”

It’s quiet at first—a chuckle. But then Matt bursts into laughter, squeezing you tight to his body as it shakes with the peals.

“Yes! Yes, it is!”

END

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hypmicdaydreams · 4 years ago

Text

𝗟𝘂𝗰𝗸𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗺

-pairing: dice arisugawa x gn!reader

-genre: fluff (?), a bit of gambling action

-summary: dice’s lucky dice have lost their charm and no longer work; however, he’s sure that you’re his one true good luck charm, though you’re skeptical about that

-word count: 6.3k

it was such a common sight that you had grown accustomed to in the past few months that you had dated dice, yet it never failed to surprise you each and every time at just how careless he could be. dice, on his hands and knees before you, was, yet again, begging you to spare him just a few more yen so that he could go to the pachinko parlor down the street and try his hand at the new machine that they had just installed. he swore that he’d get a jackpot this time, he felt it in his gut. lady luck was finally on his side. how many times has he claimed that though? surely over a hundred by now, considering that this sight happened about three or four times a week.

“pleeeeease y/n. i just need a few yen. i just know that i’ll hit the jackpot for sure this time! i promise to pay you back.”

a sigh escaped your lips as you heard those words again, glancing at your hopeless boyfriend. he really did have zero shame bowing down on the ground like that, begging for a few scraps of money to feed his gambling addiction. surely his debt with you racked up close to thousands of yen by now, and that was probably a generous estimate. it’s not like you minded though. you had no doubt, however, that dice would pay you back if he won big.

if.

dice’s luck wasn’t exactly the best lately, having lost everything he’s managed to save up in a matter of minutes. then again, you couldn’t quite recall when the last time his luck ever was good. it seemed to just be a string of bad luck for dice, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit sorry for the bad luck spell he was in. surely it must’ve taken a toll on him, right? maybe he’d stop gambling for a bit, try to save up some money first rather than betting something so obscure and irrational, like his life (you’re still astounded by the fact that he bet his life just to get a hypnosis microphone). but dice just loved proving you wrong. see, dice wasn’t a rational person, not in the slightest. logic and reason bothered him to no end, so he defied the odds. i mean, what fun would life be if everything was meticulously calculated. every day would be the same dull and lifeless routine, and dice hated the mere thought of such a lifestyle. you didn’t mind his outlook on life at all, in fact, you even supported it to a degree. you just wished he’d be more careful with his, er, hobbies.

“didn’t you say that the last time though?”

“er-” dice flinched once he realized he’d been caught red-handed, having been shoved into a corner by the very thing he hated: logic. “w-well ya, but! i really do think i’ll win big this time. it’s a gut feeling.” ugh, you grew to despise that word: gut feeling. everything was always determined by either luck or his gut when it came to dice. it was truly spectacular, really. you did love dice, you really did, but you couldn’t help but be concerned for him. his gambling tendencies were just a bit too much at times.

you had tried to ignore his pleas, tried your hardest to set your foot down and not give in to those puppy dog eyes he loved to use. it hurt to see that you were only feeding his gambling addiction rather than try to help him solve it. at that moment, however, seeing dice begging on his hands and knees and the look of desperation in his eyes overrid your sense of judgement. it hurt even more to see just how desperate he was for a couple hundred yen. he just tug on your heartstrings like that!

“well...fine.” you couldn’t help but stifle a giggle when you saw just how quickly dice’s expression changed from desperation to one of excitement. if he had a tail, you swore it’d be wagging. deep down, you scolded yourself for once again falling for his tactics, but could you really blame yourself? dice was just too lovable to turn down. “but on one condition.”

“hm?”

“you take me with you.” you really couldn’t predict how dice would take this news, but you certainly weren’t expecting him to smile even wider. i mean, why would he even want you in the same vicinity when he was gambling, especially when there was a large chance he’d lose yet again, and after having begged you for money once more. yet, that sounded like quite a deal to dice, who was practically over the moon at this point. not only does he get to feel the thrill of gambling once more, but he also gets to enjoy it with his lovely partner. it was like killing two birds with one stone. maybe you’d even begin to understand his love of the thrill. ooo, this was so exciting!

“heh, is that all?” to be honest, dice was expecting a much worse condition, such as never cooking for him again if he lost or never gambling again. geez, just the thought of it sent shivers down his spine. he’d have hated if he was given an ultimatum between either you or gambling. then again, that would’ve been an exciting bet. all or nothing, huh. now that gave him goosebumps. “you don’t have to worry about a thing. we got lady luck on our side after all,” dice confidently said, taking out his good luck charms, a pair of dice, from his pocket and throwing them into the air. he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he’d win big this time.

“gahh! what the hell??” dice practically shouted, although the other pachinko players seemed to pay no mind to him. it was rather common to find someone bet their entire life savings then lose them all within an afternoon. sure, it was a terrible sight, but the other players found their games to be much more important. you win some you lose some, that’s just how life worked. then again, the loud noises and distracting colors probably drowned out any connection to the outside world they may have had, however weak it was in the first place.

dice had, yet again, lost big time at the machines. standing behind him, you shook your head in disappointment. you knew that this exact scenario would play out once he had dragged you to a nearby pachinko parlor. those machines were literally designed to feed off of people’s tendency to think that they’d win big the next round. “tch, i was sure i’d win this time…” he took out his so-called lucky dice and threw them at the machine in frustration. you had been right, as much as he hated to admit. his luck had been garbage lately, which was only perpetuated by the fact that he lost his imaginary bet with you that he’d win. his good luck charms now brought on bad luck instead, and dice couldn’t help but get irritated. this entire time, they never let him down! but now...now they were just dead weight. the pair of dice had lost their touch. they were no longer good luck charms but rather just plain old dice.

“i knew this would happen,” he heard you mumble, which only irritated him further. dice just couldn’t seem to win a single bet, no matter how lousy or small. he never was one to let a spell of bad luck discourage him, but he couldn’t possibly be confident all the time. everything was finally catching up to him, and what made it worse was the fact that you didn’t seem to believe in him. it was the icing on the cake. “let’s head back home-”

“w-wait, just one more time! please, i’m sure we’ll get it this time.”

“you’ve said that the past four matches.”

“er-well...” dice had to think of some excuse fast if he wanted to stay here. sure, he may have lost everything he had begged you for, but maybe you’d be willing to lend him a few more yen? dice did doubt it, but he just couldn’t leave the parlor, not yet, not when he hasn’t won anything at all. maybe, just maybe, his luck will turn around this time. he was holding on to the last bit of optimism he had. “t-then, how about you play for a change?” even if he couldn’t play, maybe you would win big for the both of them. after all, you’ve never gambled before, or at least not that he knew of, so you must have some sort of beginner’s luck, right? well, this was his only chance, and dice was going to bet on it.

you, on the other hand, were quite taken aback at this sudden development. you, gambling? it didn’t really sound right. besides, you’ve taken a look around the place, and uh, needless to say, you felt a deep pit form in your stomach once you saw the desperation on some faces. you didn’t want to go through that same feeling as them. casinos weren’t fair, after all. they were rigged to make more money for the house, and you really didn’t want to play into their scheme. yet, you didn’t have the heart to explain that to dice who seemed so eager. “um, i don’t think that’s a good idea. i don’t even know how to play-”

“it’s simple, i’ll teach you.” you internally groaned. just great. now you were wrapped up in his plan to make you guys stay longer at the parlor. you mentally cursed yourself for being so oblivious to it all, and now you had no choice but to play along. once again, you’d fallen into his trap. “you just gotta put some money in here, pull the lever, and aim for that place right there,” dice pointed out, nudging you into the seat as he simultaneously explained the rules. if this works out just as planned, dice could see himself leaving this place with a couple thousand yen in his pocket. gosh, he was getting excited just thinking about it. you, however, seemed a bit hesitant at first, so dice tried to massage and pat your shoulders, you know, for reassurance. it’s just a quick, simple game of pachinko, what could possibly go wrong?

“like this?” you asked, pushing down on the lever which sent a ball flying into one corner of the screen. with its landing, the machine lights started flashing (it was enough to induce a headache), and a rather good sum of metal balls came spilling out of the machine.

“woah, you just won a couple thousand yen!!” dice practically screamed, which didn’t help when you had just been blinded by many colorful bands of light. he couldn’t contain his excitement and was quite literally visibly shaking from all the adrenaline that just flowed through his body. you just stared at the screen, dumbfounded at what had just happened. did you really just win? on your first try?? there was absolutely no way that was possible, right? a few of the other players stopped and quickly glanced at all the commotion, although that didn’t last long as they were soon back to staring at their own screens and attempting to earn some cash. “hey, hey, pull the lever again!”

“um, ok?” once more, you pulled the lever, and the lights started flashing once again as a few more metal balls came spilling out of the machine.

“holy shit—talk about some beginner’s luck!! you just won a few ten thousand yen! gah, you must be so lucky y/n!!” dice didn’t even attempt to hide his shouting at this point, though you truly wished he’d stop shaking you, especially when the entire world was still spinning. honestly, you couldn’t quite comprehend what was happening right now. the blinding lights were nothing but a haze, and the loud machine noises introduced a sharp ringing in your ears. “press it again! you still have metal balls left.” you couldn’t quite remember the last time dice was this ecstatic; well, that time dice was practically starving and the look on his face when he saw the feast you had cooked for him did come close, but this one took the cake.

“uhh, i think i’ve had enough excitement for today,” you groaned, holding your head which hadn’t stopped spinning from the first time the lights went off. this whole thing was a bit much with all the colors and loud noises and whatnot. how dice was able to keep up with this environment you didn’t know. honestly, you sorta respected him now. not just anyone could stomach this type of atmosphere.“why don’t you take over and complete it for me?”

“don’t have to ask me twice, heh.” immediately after getting up, dice took your seat and began pressing the lever in no time at all, concentrating immensely on the tiny balls and aiming them at what you hypothesized to be the center for the jackpot. ball after ball kept landing on a few spots, which resulted in another couple thousand metal balls, though dice seemed to pay no mind to them and instead kept smacking the lever. now, this scene was stirring up quite a commotion, and you were pretty sure everyone’s eyes in the parlor were on you. there were even a few murmurs here and there from the employees which, needless to say, didn’t help your growing uneasiness.

“what’s even going on?” you asked aloud, though you weren’t really expecting an answer, at least not from dice who seemed to be on a roll. his eyes were only on the pachinko machine now. damn, you wished dice looked at you the same way he looked at that machine at this instant. that was the largest grin you’d ever seen. and finally, at the very last ball, dice hit a jackpot.

instantly, dice’s eyes widened, and a loud “YESS!!” echoed throughout the parlor. the lights and noises increased in intensity, and everyone now was practically circling around dice, pushing you out of the group and onto the floor. you were certainly much more flabbergasted than anything else at this moment. dice, your dice, finally won the jackpot? this certainly couldn’t be a dream. hell, that’d be some dream in the first place. the world never stopped spinning, and all of the voices and cheers and shouts were incoherent and merged together. what the hell would even happen from here on out? you never imagined dice winning the jackpot, and on the day you decided to attend of all times.

“y/n, y/n!!” you heard dice shout, and in a flash, someone had grabbed your arm, hoisted you up from the ground, and the next thing you knew, you were snuggling into dice’s chest. “can you believe it? we won haha!” as much as you wanted to congratulate dice on his huge win, it was difficult to say anything. for one, you were way too nauseous, and the bright spots that clouded your vision, as well as the consistent annoying ringing in your ears, didn’t help. secondly, dice was clinging on to you way too tightly. you were pretty sure that he was cutting off your airway, but he seemed to not be aware of that. “damn! you really are my lucky charm.”

after that entire incident, dice had started calling you by a new nickname: his good luck charm. you weren’t even entirely sure why, assuming that everything that occurred back in the parlor was nothing more than a mere coincidence. it was just a coincidence that you were there, and it was just a coincidence that he had managed to hit the jackpot that same night too. to be honest, you didn’t really believe much in luck. sure, there was a few good luck or bad luck spells here and there, but you attributed that to nothing more than a series of coincidences. i mean, luck was such a complex subject when one pondered on it for far too long, and it just didn’t seem highly plausible that a person could have a series of good or bad things happening to them all at once. was that even statistically possible? well, if it was, there was no doubt that the chances were very slim.

as aforementioned, however, dice despised logic. it was just too boring, so he truly believed in luck. there really was a being such as lady luck that toyed with him and determined whether he’d win or lose. and that entire pachinko incident was his good luck finally making a comeback. perhaps you were even luck in disguise! i mean, he’d been in such a bad luck spell that he couldn’t even win on simple bets such as a coin toss (yes, he was that desperate), but when you were right by his side, all of a sudden, he was swimming in cash. there was only one plausible explanation for such a phenomenon, and to dice, it was luck. this entire situation was just so rivoting!

and today again, dice had managed to bet off and proceed to lose all of his winnings from that day. honestly, that was a rather huge accomplishment in and of itself. dice truly didn’t know the definition of self control. you sighed to yourself as you felt a massive headache coming on as you sat in your home, wondering to yourself where your boyfriend could possibly be at such a time. it was nearing ten at night, and although you’d naturally assume that he was at a casino betting away anything he had on hand, you hadn’t seen him all day. he hadn’t been answering his calls from you either, which you did find a bit odd and concerning since that was one of the things he always managed to do without fail. just where could he possibly be?

as the saying goes, speak of the devil and he’ll appear. just as you were getting more and more concerned about the whereabouts of your boyfriend, your phone suddenly rung, and to your relief, the contact id was that of dice. relief immediately flooded you, although anger followed soon after. he’d disappeared for the entire day, with no urge to contact and inform you at all, yet he was finally calling now, when you were about to retire for the day? you really tried not to get angry, especially since you were much more worried than anything, but it was becoming increasingly difficult to contain your anger.

that all dissipated, however, when you heard dice’s voice over the call. “y/n!!” for some odd reason, dice sounded relieved and also a bit terrified? well, that was new. dice never backed down from a challenge, and he always managed to face them head on with total confidence in himself, even if the chances of winning were slim. sure, he’s had his fair share of disappointment and lack of confidence in himself when it came to gambling, but he never sounded fearful. you quickly became much more concerned than beforehand.

“dice?? where are you? and why haven’t you been picking up?!”

“uh haha...you see, about that-”

you really did love dice, you truly did. despite his obsessive gambling tendencies and airheadedness, dice had a heart of gold and stood up for what he deemed was right. he was quite admirable at times, really. but god, this incident made you believe otherwise. you knew that dice was quite foolish and spontaneous at times, especially when money was involved, but you couldn’t help but still be baffled when he explained that he was stuck in some sorta underground gambling ring (you had no idea how he even found out about all of these schemes) since he’d gambled all of his current earnings away. of course, you knew that dice would gamble away any spare penny he had on hand. that in and of itself wasn’t a new or surprising fact (though he always did manage to pay you back if he did win). but an underground gambling ring? really? you couldn’t help but question why he even chose to go to one instead of heading on over to the usual casino where practices were, at the very least, legal. it surely would’ve spared the two of you a headache.

despite the fact that every single rational cell in your body was insisting that it was too dangerous to go to an illegal gambling scene, you threw all that logic out the window. sure you were quite a bit irritated with dice at the moment, but you knew that you had to go save him. he was still the man that you loved after all, even if he did make less than smart decisions at times. certainly you were one of his only chances he had to be saved, unless he did call upon his teammates, though you assumed that they were quite busy at the moment or asleep.

“alright, where are you at?”

“gahh, you’re such a blessing y/n! thankyouthankyou-”

you could practically picture his enthusiasm over the phone once you heard how relieved he sounded. just imagining a grinning dice waiting for you made you smile. he was just too adorable. you couldn’t possibly stay mad at him for too long. god, you really were a lovesick fool.

when you arrived at the scene, the first thing you couldn’t help but notice was just how musty and humid the entire atmosphere was, though it wasn’t that much different from your usual casino. the only difference was that this place was rather bleak and lifeless in comparison to the bright and migraine-inducing colorful and bright mess of the casino. plus, the people that surrounded this place were rather unsettling. you couldn’t pinpoint whether it was because of their malicious smiles or gruff appearance, but all you knew was that you couldn’t wait to get outta here as soon as possible. hell, if it weren’t for the fact that dice was located deep inside, your instincts would’ve kicked in, and you would’ve been sprinting to the other side by now. but alas, you had to suck it up and go inside, if only to get to see your man again.

down the creaky and unsafe stairs you went (you were positive that they were going to cave in on you at any moment) and right past the dark hallway, you were finally able to see dice, laying on the ground in nothing but his underwear. you sighed once more, something you realized that you’ve been doing a lot of lately. of course dice had bet his clothes again. you weren’t even exactly sure why you had expected anything else. in front of him sat one large table filled to the brim with all sorts of cards and dice, and behind that were a group of rather large men that you assumed to be the ones who ran this entire operation. geez, you really couldn’t wait to get outta here.

“y/nnn!!” dice called out a bit too loud as he motioned you to come forward before practically throwing himself on you. “gah, thank heavens you actually came!!” you were just as excited as him to finally see each other again and to see him safe and alive, but it wasn’t exactly the best place to have a heartwarming reunion, not with all of the other guys staring at the two of you embracing. things were just way too awkward, especially since these guys had basically won over all of dice’s savings and whatnot.

“alright then, now that i’ve found you, let’s go back home,” you quickly muttered, taking dice’s hands in yours as you started on your way back. as much as you would’ve loved to stay and have a quick chat with the others or even attempt to win back dice’s clothes, every instinct in your body was telling you to run outta there while you had the chance. sure, it was a shame that dice had to lose his iconic coat and overworn clothes, but frankly, you thought that the value of both of your lives was much higher than some ripped pants. you’d be more than happy to go buy some new clothes for dice just as soon as the two of you were outta this underground room that gave you goosebumps. you weren’t exactly sure whether or not these guys posed a threat, but it was better to not take any chances.

“uhh, about that…��

oh no, it was those dreaded words again. of course there was some kinda setback. there was always a setback in these situations where a person was trying to go back to the comfort of their own home. you quickly snapped towards dice, only to be met with his sheepish smile, which only deepend once he saw the glare in your eyes. honestly, this entire situation was just getting more and more frustrating with each passing minute. all you desperately wanted was to get back home safe with dice in your arms, but of course, there were obstacles (there has to be some sorta plot to this entire story after all). geez, you felt another headache coming on.

“ya see, um, you gotta win your right to leave…”

for a good few seconds, all you could do was stare dumbfoundly at the man you loved, trying to process what he had just said. surely this was all one big joke, right? “what?! then why did you even come here in the first place?!”

“i didn’t even know about the rules until after i had started! forgive me y/n!!” just as this story started, dice was now on his knees, this time begging for your mercy. gosh, he genuinely does seem sorry for putting the both of you through this entire situation. besides, you knew that he meant well. dice was just a bit naïve and airheaded at times, always getting caught up in the excitement of it all rather than to stop and think about what exactly was going on. it was one of the qualities that you loved oh so dearly about him. dice never really intended to put himself or you in harm’s way; rather, he was just chasing excitement and the adrenaline rush. gahh, you couldn’t stay mad at him for long. plus, the sight of him begging for your forgiveness and the sincerity in his voice broke you, and you even began to feel a bit guilty for him. god, you really did love this fool.

“it’s alright,” you mumbled, helping dice up from the floor while patting him on the back for reassurance. you weren’t mad, at least not right now. you’d have plenty of time to air any grievances once the two of you were back home safe and sound, but right now, you had to focus on the problem at hand. dice, on the other hand, seemed rather relieved that you decided to help him. deep down, he knew that he was in for it the moment the two of you got back to your place, but of course, he was determined to make it up to you. dice really felt so blessed to have someone as kind and understanding as you as his lover. “soo, what do i have to do in order for us to go back home?”

the next thing you knew, you sat in front of a roulette table with a couple of the ring leaders on either side of you as well as on at the head of the table. roulette was a game that you were quite familiar with, although that was only because you had seen dice play it a number of times at the casino. as for actual experience with it, well, you’d hardly played any games with it before. the rules did seem fairly simple, though the terminology was a bit difficult to get used to, and the odds didn’t seem to be making much sense in the back of your brain, which at the moment was overrun by adrenaline and fear. it was hard to even think straight, much less make proper decisions that’d ensure the safety of both you and dice.

“alright, place your bets,” the dealer announced once he’d distributed all of the colored chips. soon enough, the people around you started placing their own chips on different tiled squares and even between them. all of this was foreign to you. i mean, what exactly was the difference between placing a chip at an intersection of four boxes, placing it in a large box, or placing it in one single box? you had no idea about the different types of strategies or the different types of bets, so you decided that your best bet was to go along with your gut. i mean, gambling was all about luck after all, right? it shouldn’t matter whether or not you decided to utilize a strategy since there was no possible way to accurately predict the route the metal ball would take. so, you decided to move all your chips to one square: three.

“oo, a straight bet, how exciting!” dice commented, though you had absolutely no idea what that even meant. just like back at the pachinko parlor, the entire atmosphere was making you quite queasy, and it was quite difficult to pay attention to anything that was going on. taking notice of the rather puzzled look on your face, dice then proceeded to explain. “well, it means that you’re betting on just one number! it’s really difficult to win, but the payout is huge if you do!” ah yes, you should’ve known that it was quite the risky move if dice approved of it. geez, all you wanted to do was get outta here as soon as possible, but it seemed like it would take much longer than that if you kept making risky bets like this.

before you could even change your mind about the placement of your bets, the ball was released, and you were quickly hypnotized by its spinning movement. it was another thing to add on to your nausea and quickly rising anxiety. before you could dwell on it too much, however, as luck would have it, the ball landed on three.

“gahh, y/nn!! you really are my lucky charm!” dice once again shouted, embracing you in a rather tight squeeze. what just happened? was this all a replay of the pachinko parlor incident? surely this was nothing but a mere coincidence, right? luck didn’t exist, or at the very least, you didn’t have extraordinarily good luck. you couldn’t have. the rest of the table quickly turned their eyes to the two of you, glaring at you in particular for having won your first time through.

“i’m sure it was all a coincidence,” you mumbled, trying to ease all of the tension in the room as well as get the others off your back. you weren’t exactly content on making anyone’s hitlist tonight, which didn’t work out the moment the dealer gave you your chips that you had won. wow, it was way more than what you had originally bet too.

for the next game, you decided to once more place most of your chips on a single space, this time the zero one. you knew this time around that this was quite a risky move, especially since if it didn’t land there, then all of the money you had won would’ve been gone. so you decided that your best bet was to keep a small pile of chips and save them for later in case you did lose any. after all, you wanted to ensure that you were able to win back your escape for both you and dice.

and since this is a fanfiction, the ball, once again, landed on your exact spot: zero. dice’s cheer this time was much louder, and the glares from the others were much more cutthroat and icy (you were absolutely sure that you were murdered over a hundred times over just by the intensity of those glares alone). well, that was some coincidence, huh. two times in a row. must be beginner’s luck, exactly like back at the pachinko parlor. yep, that’s all it was, beginner’s luck or just an even stranger coincidence.

“see y/n? i told you that you were my good luck charm,” dice cheekily commented, massaging your shoulders as you got prepared for the next game. “if this keeps up, then we’ll win back everything i lost, and we’ll be outta here in no time!!” it was quite easy to tell that dice was way too ecstatic and high on adrenaline right now, with the way he was bouncing up and down and the fact that he didn’t seem like he could even sit still or contain his excitement. his unchecked enthusiasm really didn’t help ease your growing anxiety or pounding headache. in fact, it made it worse, because he had expectations for you. it would absolutely devastate him if you managed to lose everything in one sitting, and that would have a chain reaction and devastate you as well. gosh, you prayed that this entire situation ended soon and without anyone getting hurt.

and just like that, your prayers were soon answered as you kept on hitting the jackpot again and again the next few rounds. dice wasn’t even attempting to hide his high right now, and the others also weren’t attempting to hide their aggression and resort to violence. there were even shouts that you had cheated, to which dice argued with them while you remained seated, rooted in both silence and fear. your anxiety and nausea were starting to take over, and it took everything in you to stop yourself from projectile vomiting onto the table and ruining the entire game. the others surely would’ve beat you and dice to a pulp if that happened. this entire chain of coincidences was becoming way too much. perhaps this was the luck dice had talked about. perhaps you truly were his good luck charm. well, you were quickly taken out of your thoughts by the dealer, who had confirmed that there was no possible way that you could’ve cheated given that he released the ball and it was all up to chance.

it was on to the final round now, and with this round, you’d finally be able to go back home with dice with all the money he lost and then some. and courtesy of dice’s suggestion, you decided to bet your stacks and stacks of chips on just one square: twenty-seven. you knew that this was risky, hell, you knew that you’d most likely lose everything. but you couldn’t think straight right now. hell, you couldn’t even think at all! everything was becoming way too confusing, and similar to the time at the pachinko parlor, your world was spinning and you couldn’t differentiate between anything anymore. it had all become way too much, so dice had taken over for you. yes, it wasn’t the smartest decision, but you basically had no choice right now.

and with that, the ball was released once more, and within a few seconds the results came out: twenty-seven. you couldn’t help but stare at disbelief as your boyfriend then hoisted you up and started chanting about how you were his luckiest charm, proceeding to then plant one giant sloppy kiss on your lips before going on to receive all of the prize money and his clothing. at this point, you had gotten used to the dirty glares the others have given you. quite frankly, you were just relieved to be outta there, which did happen as the moment dice got all of your winnings, you grabbed his hand and bolted out of that place, never wanting to see that place again. that in and of itself was an adventure of a lifetime, and you weren’t sure if you could take anymore excitement for at least a good few years, all thanks to your adventurous and carefree boyfriend.

the walk back home through the crisp night air was quiet on your part, though dice couldn’t stop going on and on about how you won big and saved his ass, reiterating that you were his lucky charm, luckier than any dumb ol’ dice he had used beforehand. while dice went on his whole spiel about just how exciting all of that was, you were deep in thought about the events that had just went down. there was no way that this series of events was nothing but a coincidence. coincidences don’t just happen back to back! at least, the odds of that were slim to none. guess the only reasonable explanation was just as dice said, you were lucky. but you were quite skeptical about luck! luck was unreasonable, luck wasn’t logical. luck was just that, it was luck. how could you place your hopes on something as strange as that? but how could you possibly dismiss everything that happened both tonight and back at the parlor? no matter how skeptical you were, the proof was right there! geez, now your head hurt too much from thinking about it. sighing, you stared at your boyfriend who was nonchalantly talking about how you were so cool back there, smiling as you intertwined your hands with his and embraced his warmth. you were just happy that he came back safe and sound. you were, after all, his good luck charm, and he was yours too.

#hypmic #hypnosis mic #dice arisugawa #dice x reader #fluff #fic #gender neutral reader #this is actually the first thing i ever wrote for hypmic #decided to post it on dices bday bc why not lol

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laisaxrem · 4 years ago

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Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Naruto Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Relationships: Haruno Sakura/Hatake Kakashi Characters: Haruno Sakura, Hatake Kakashi Additional Tags: Kakasaku Month 2021, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Same Age, Flirting, Sort Of Summary:

Sakura joined the Dice Club almost as a joke. She did not imagine that thanks to the application she would meet one of the most fascinating men she had ever seen.

KakaSaku Month 2021. Week 1 - AU. Day 4 - Same Age

Sakura had just finished a fifteen hour shift in the hospital and was on her way home.

The hot sun on her skin was a relief after being locked in four walls all that time so she had chosen to get out of the subway a couple of stops before her usual and take a stroll. She couldn’t wait to take another shower after the quick one in the hospital, throw herself into bed and sleep for a few hours. She regretted a little bit having said yes to her friends when they offered her an evening together because that meant she couldn’t sleep more than five hours… but at the same time she wanted to see Naruto, Ino and the others again. So Sakura quickened her pace a little, the music pounding in her ears through the earphones, her purse bobbing on her side.

She was half a dozen streets away from hers when her cell phone vibrated in her pocket and she pulled it out to see if it was something important (“not the hospital, not the hospital, please please, not the hospital”) and discovered that it was a notification from the Dice Club.

Sakura had joined the Dice Club just for fun.

Her ex-boyfriend had dumped her because she was too adventurous in bed, the one before him because she wasn’t enough, so she had decided to put her love life on hold. But she missed the sex terribly. Once, while hanging out on her favorite porn site, she came across an ad advertising the Dice Club. Intrigued, she had opened a new page in her browser and looked for some information. What she had found had thrilled her.

The rules of the game were simple. The first phase was the registration in which each interested party was asked for a whole series of information on sexual orientation and personal tastes about the aesthetics of the partners. Once registered, each member received a unique identification code and two special dice to always carry with them, one with an action and the other with a part of the body. Once the dice were received, you were officially part of the club and the real game began. Through an application on the mobile phone, the Dice combined small meetings between members that the administrators deemed compatible.

And apparently her walk had brought her close to one of these person.

A075BL91 is nearby. Do you want to meet A075BL91?

Sakura weighed her options. She could press “no”, go home and continue with her schedule for the day. Or she could answer yes and take a detour and see if this new person inspired her anything. Okay, she was tired and the other times it hadn’t gone too well (she had also blocked two men and reported a woman) but she had lost a patient that night, a fifteen year old boy who had taken his parent’s car without permission, and she wanted to get distracted a little.

So, without giving herself time to think about it, she gave a short tap with her finger on the green rectangle and waited for the response of the app, her heart beating in her throat. Once both parties had accepted the meeting, in fact, the application provided the directions to reach the other person and each time that waiting devoured her alive.

Finally the phone vibrated again and Sakura hastened to unlock the screen. Apparently the meeting point with her partner was two streets from her. Quickening her pace, Sakura walked towards the indicated point, her two plastic dice that seemed to weigh tons in her jacket pocket.

When she turned the last corner she discovered that the street was not empty. A man was standing in the exact center of the road, his head bowed to his cell phone.

And well, A075BL91 was definitely cool and definitely her type.

He was tall, probably about five and a half feet, but it was difficult to tell because his silver hair was combed up (silver hair, really? Yet he was definitely around her age, Sakura had specified that during the inscription). He had a lean and not too muscular body, just the way she liked it (surely he regularly kept himself in shape, perhaps with some martial arts?). He had a shoulder bag which Sakura determined to be the case of a professional camera and was dressed very casually. He was too far away to see the color of his eyes but Sakura didn’t really care about it because she was focused on staring at the perfection of those features to really look after it.

In short, she liked what she saw, she liked it a lot.

Swallowing a bit with difficulty and trying to give herself an attitude, Sakura headed towards the man who, at the sound of her footsteps on the asphalt, raised her head and stared at her. Shit, he was terrifyingly cool. Those lips… Sakura was in desperate need to kiss those lips and lick that little mole and… “what the fuck, take it easy, girl”.

When they finally found themselves a few steps away, Sakura stopped and slightly returned the smile that was offered to her by that charming stranger and the woman had to ignore the pleasant tightness that that slight curving of lips had caused in her stomach. She had to quickly find someone to have sex with if the mere sight of a handsome man reduced her to that state.

Then, without a word, the stranger pulled the dice from his jeans pocket and casually tossed them onto his open hand. Sakura couldn’t help but lean forward slightly to peek at the result. “TOUCH” and “NECK”. The woman felt a shiver run down her spine as he read the instructions and then fixed his dark eyes on her (grey, the stranger’s eyes were grey). In two steps he was close to her, just slightly inside her personal space, and in a deep voice he asked: «May I?»

Sakura nodded and he reached out until his long, hot fingers touched her neck. It was a long, slow and deliberate contact, from under her ear to where her skin met the fabric of the shirt visible under the open leather jacket. When he lowered her arm, she ignored the rapid beating of her heart and pulled out her set of dice and then dropped them on her left hand stretched out in front of her, close to the stranger's chest. This time two different commands came out: “SUCK” and “HAND”.

Oh, well, not bad. Without hesitation, she again shortened the distance with her playmate and waited for him to raise his arm. She then looked at him questioningly and, having obtained a nod, she gently took him by the wrist, bringing his hand to her lips. Mirroring his slow movements, she opened her lips a little and slipped his index finger into her mouth, her eyes fixed on that almost too perfect (almost) face. When she saw a sparkle in his dark eyes, she sucked his finger hard a couple of times before letting go (but not before running her tongue slowly around the last phalanx).

This time the man did not immediately move away from her and remained in her personal space for a few seconds, his eyes chained to hers that seemed darker than they had been only two minutes before.

She wanted to say something to him and opened her mouth to do it (even though part of her knew that everything that would come out of her lips would be a proposal to follow her home for an afternoon full of sex) when she felt the phone vibrate continuously in her pocket. Shit, a call.

With a small sigh, Sakura took a step away and smiled again, greeting him with a slight wave of her hand as she grabbed the phone and answered her intern.

***

«Kanpai!» Naruto roared for what was probably the tenth time.

Sakura laughed as she raised her glass of whiskey and brought it to her lips without hesitation. Okay, maybe she was slightly drunk, but for the first time in weeks she was really relaxed: she had forgotten how different it was, infinitely more beautiful, drinking with someone instead of doing it alone.

She also seemed to suffer less the alcohol as she chatted and laughed and toasted with her friends (her doctor’s mind told her it was an illusion, of course, but right now she liked to be lulled into that illusion… she would have count with hangover the following day).

She was emptying the last drop of amber liquid into her throat, Naruto’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, when she felt the short blast she had assigned to the application of the Dice. After checking that Naruto wasn’t peeking, she unlocked her cell phone and quickly read the notification text:

A075BL91 has added you to favorites.

As soon as a smile curled her lips, a new notification arrived:

Do you want to add A075BL91 to your favorites?

Without thinking too much Sakura pressed “yes”. Then, the smug expression still painted on her face, she went back to dedicating herself to her friends.

***

Blin.

Kakashi picked up the cell phone that he had badly thrown on the bed seconds before. Smiling briefly at the screensaver on which Pakkun’s frowning face stood, he opened the notification of the application he was using just before:

J837PH26 has added you to favorites.

Kakashi’s smile widened and he threw his cell phone back on the bed along with his clothes and slipped under the shower, the memory of the pink-haired woman, her warm touch on his wrist and her tongue around his index finger, still vivid within him.

#kakasaku month 2021 #kakasaku #modern au #hatake kakashi #sakura haruno

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amethystroselilith · 5 years ago

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I don’t know if you’ve done something like this but a head cannon or fic the brothers and mc playing a game of monopoly that gets heated I mean like, tables have been flipped, fires have been caused at some point, and yelling. Lots of yelling.

I’m not sure if this is chaotic enough for you, but I hope you’ll still like it, anon! :)

Brothers x MC Playing Monopoly

You are currently in your room, on your bed, leaning against a snacking Beel and cradling a napping Belphie to your chest.

In front of you three, are the two eldest brothers, arguing over what to put on the tv.

“Play in your fucking room, Levi! I wanna watch Harrison Porter!” Mammon growled, trying to hold Levi in a headlock.

“Take your own advice and watch it in your own room! Y/N and I need to play this asap!” Levi growled, protecting the remove to his chest.

You sighed, it’s a common occurrence and you’re just waiting for another brother to burst in the room to complain about the noises the two are making.

“Can you two stop bickering?” the door opened, revealing Lucifer, who looks tired.

“I will if Levi will just give me the fucking remote!” Mammon growled, reaching for the remote, only for Levi to push him back.

“As if! This is way more important than your show!” Levi growled, using his foot to shove Mammon away.

“What’s that?” you asked curiously at the box Lucifer was carrying.

It also caught everyone’s attention, except for Belphie who just nuzzled on your chest, sleeping peacefully.

“Diavolo had returned from the human world and bought this as a souvenir, he claimed you have talked to him about this board game?” Lucifer explained as he showed the box.

“Oh, Monopoly!” you smiled, “Yeah, it’s basically a game about money-”

“Let’s play it!” Mammon pushed Levi, who groaned in annoyance when he hit the floor, “I wonder how much money I can make.” he grinned as he snatched the board game from an irritated Lucifer.

“We use fake money.” you chuckled, “It’s basically buying properties and hope someone lands on them so you can earn money back.”

“Eh? Can we use real money?” Mammon suggested.

“Do you even have enough on you to play?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow, “Because I just received-”

“Alright, alright, enough!” Mammon huffed with an embarrassed blush.

Lucifer smirked before turning back to the game, “Anyway, Diavolo’s begging us to play it as soon as possible. Apparently, he wants us to be familiarised with since he’ll be throwing a board game night next week or something.” he sighed, “Might as well get it over with so I can go back to my work.”

~~~

“These pieces don’t make sense,” Asmo commented as he’s trying to choose which piece to use.

“It doesn’t really matter, Asmo, just choose something,” Satan said, quickly taking the cat piece.

“Fine, I’ll get the car.” Asmo rolled his eyes about to pick the said piece.

“But I want the car,” Mammon whined, stopping Asmo.

Lucifer sighed, picking a random one, which happened to be the top hat, “Asmo, just give it to him, I don’t want to hear his annoying whines for the whole night.”

“I guess I’ll take this.” Belphie shrugged as he took the dog.

“...but I want the dog…” Beel pouted, ending up with the shoe piece.

Belphie just shrugged and exchanged pieces, smiling softly when Beel lightened up.

“I like the ship, it reminds me of the ocean.” Levi smiles as he admires the piece.

“No one asked.” Mammon rolled his eyes.

“Fuck you, thimble piece.”

You sighed as another argument broke out.

~~~

“Pay up, Belphie!” Mammon cheered as Belphie landed on his space, “That’s $10.”

Belphie sighed as he gave $10 out of his $1500 pile, “I don’t think I want to play anymore.”

“You’re 3rd leading though.” Satan raised an eyebrow.

The game had been going for a bit long. Beel was out first, having spent all his money on every property he landed on, unfortunately for him, no one lands there frequently and went bankrupt on Mammon’s spaces. Asmo was out second for landing on one of Satan’s very expensive tiles filled with a hotel. You were next for landing on two consecutive expensive spaces from Belphie.

Levi, as expected, had taken it seriously, he’s the 4th leading at the moment with stable incomes from his properties. Belphie is currently on the 3rd one with only 2 properties and having collected the 4 railroads. Satan had also very well planned his properties, always checking if his spaces are landed on and collects the rent. You didn’t really expect Lucifer to be invested, he had owned all the expensive properties, filled them with houses and hotels and sitting at the top.

Mammon’s last with his $50 and 2 cheap properties, he started out pretty strong but had the bad luck of landing on Satan’s and Lucifer’s spaces he had to mortgage some of his properties.

“This is getting too long.” Belphie sighed, “Just take all my shit, Mammon.”

“Best baby brother ever!” Mammon cheered.

“Wait, can he do that?” Levi complained, eyeing the greedy brother enviously with his new properties.

“Rules didn’t say anything about it.” Satan shrugged, it wouldn’t really push him out of his current spot, it would be a different scenario if it pushed him to 3rd spot though.

“We could’ve given it to the bank,” Levi mumbled.

“Ah stop whining, Levi!” Mammon teased as he counted his money.

Levi rolled the dice and landed on Belphie’s, now Mammon’s very expensive space. He swore in his head when he couldn’t afford it, but Mammon wasn’t looking.

No one said anything, they made it a rule to not snitch as to make it more interesting, it becomes a new mechanic where the player tries to distract whoever’s space they landed on.

However, when it comes to money, Mammon activates a new instinct.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice that you thief.” his eyes darkened as he looks at Levi, “Pay the fuck up.”

“It should’ve belonged to the bank!” Levi argued, not accepting the fact that he’s losing to the scummy brother.

“Belphie gave it to ME so, therefore, it’s MINE!” Mammon shouted.

Not wanting for another fight to break out; because Belphie is sleeping and waking Belphie this time will just cause more chaos, and you don’t really want to deal with that at this late of an hour, so grabbing your portable console you smiled at Levi.

“Levi, can you help me finish this boss?” you asked sweetly, “Been stuck with it for a while, I don’t want to play with randoms.”

The 3rd’s angry quickly faded, someone needs him! And it’s not just someone, it’s his favourite person in the whole world!

“Of course!” he smiled brightly, smirking internally when he felt Mammon’s elated mood go sour with jealousy.

“Can we go on with the game now?” Lucifer sighed, getting bored of the game as well, but refusing to stop until he’s on top.

“Whoa! I’m second leading now, Satan! Rags to riches, baby!” Mammon bragged as he counted his money, “Lucifer’s next.” he snickered with a determined glint in his eyes.

You began to worry as you felt the beginnings of Satan’s wrath.

The blonde smiled, “Why don’t we move on yeah?”

No one seemed to notice, but the dice had a subtle purple-ish glow.

“Yeah, yeah, peasant.” Mammon snickered before picking up the dice.

Satan’s smile widened as the dice rolls.

Mammon moved his piece, freezing when he saw where it landed.

“Oh my…” Satan tsked.

And just like that… Mammon’s out.

~~~

You never knew Monopoly could be interesting in the late game, but here you all are, watching intently as Satan and Lucifer battled on the board, even Belphie stayed awake in hopes of Satan beating Lucifer.

The turns consist of the other almost bankrupting their opponent, having been saved by having $5 leftover but gaining the empire again when the other landed on their spot.

“Just give up, Lucifer,” Satan smirked at Lucifer and his $1, “Two of my spaces are in front of you and the chance of you landing there is pretty high.”

“The most expensive space is a few steps ahead of you, while the chances are lower, it will push me to victory,” Lucifer smirked.

Satan eyed the space the will surely doom him, but so far throughout the game, only 2 had fallen victim from it.

He began to calculate the possibilities of him landing there, slowly picking the dice and hoping that lady luck is on his side.

Everyone held their breath when the dice revealed the result, Satan moving his piece to the number shown.

“I…” his eyes widened at the last space he landed.

“Pay up, my dear brother,” Lucifer smirked.

“FUCK YOU, LUCIFER!!!” Satan burst into his demon board, flipping the board and jumping on Lucifer.

“Jeez, Satan, it’s just a game!” Mammon rolled his eyes, “Don’t be a sore loser, I mean even Levi didn’t flip the board when he lost to me.” he snickered.

“You only won over me because Belphie helped you! You’re as hopeless in real life!” Levi snapped.

“Awww, did I hurt you gamer otaku pride? The only thing you’re good at but still lost.” Mammon mocked before he was thrown on the other side of the room.

The sudden move accidentally bumped Beel, causing whatever he was eating to fall on Asmo.

“BEEL! THIS IS ONE OF MY EXPENSIVE SHIRTS!” Asmo shrieked in horror as the oily liquid ruined the fabric of his shirt, “You idiot! Can’t you just eat in the fucking kitchen?!” he hissed.

“Why are you wearing an expensive shirt indoors in the first place? Not his fault you’re so desperate to impress Y/N.” Belphie defended, his sharp tongue going off due to his crankiness.

“That’s so rich coming from you, Belphie, aren’t you the one who’s leeching on their side like the desperate sad little fuck you are?” Asmo hissed.

“You fucking take that back,” Beel growled before the three of them began arguing, transforming in their demon forms.

You sighed as you step a bit further from them, a text notification taking your attention from the chaos in front of you.

Diavolo: How’s game night going?

You typed your reply,

You: The usual.

#obey me!#shall we date obey me #obey me! lucifer #obey me! mammon #obey me! leviathan #obey me! satan #obey me! asmodeus #obey me! beelzebub #obey me! belphegor

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pixieposts · 4 years ago

Text

Dice Prompt 33: Ew that is so sappy I just might vomit

Want some self-indulgent fluff with a side of my secret addiction to poetry? Cause that’s what you’re getting.

AO3

“You know you could just talk to him”

“I have no idea what you mean, I am reading”

“No Cay, you’re holding a book up and occasionally glancing at it” Beauregard flicked his cheek, her voice rising as she continued to speak “in between staring at Fj—”

“Shh!” Caleb glared, cutting her off “okay okay I was looking, I was not staring, please keep it down”

She sighed, but the smirk on her face told him that it was sarcastic.

“Some sister you are”

“This is literally exactly what sisters are supposed to do, who even reads at a party? Do you want me to talk to him for you?”

“Absolutely not”

She bumped her shoulder into his suddenly, throwing him off balance and sending his book sliding across the old hardwood floors. He cursed, shoving her back and standing up as she laughed, eyes locked on his errant book.

As he caught up to it and stooped down, it was swiped from the floor by a large green hand. Caleb swallowed and stood slowly, feeling his cheeks heat as he looked up into Fjords smiling face.

“Beau messin’ with your books again?”

“You could say that, ja”

Fjord flipped the book open, and the heat in Caleb’s cheeks turned fierce, spreading to his ears and neck. Fjord read with a curious look on his face, amber eyes trailing across the page.

“I never saw you as the poetry type” Darrows voice teased from as he walked up “Pablo Neruda?”

Fjord smiled and shrugged “it’s not mine, but I like it” he turned back to Caleb “you highlighted this one, a favourite?”

“I--well in a way, yes... I only read it this morn--”

“Bitter love, a violet with its crown of thorns in a thicket of spiky passions, spear of sorrow, corolla of rage: how did you come to conquer my soul? What brought you?”

Caleb tried not to shiver as Fjord read, his low, smooth voice doing the words a service that Caleb felt his own never could. He made the almost-anger that Caleb had associated with the sonnet soften into something so much more vulnerable, almost sweet. Fjord smiled and held out the book, still open to the page he had been reading from. Caleb took it slowly, a jolt like lighting going through him as their fingers brushed, and he could almost convince himself he saw a similar expression flash over Fjord's face. He held the book to his chest, taking a steadying breath and mentally cursing Beauregard.

“Th-thank y--” “Do you have any other favourites?”

They blinked at each other for a moment, then Fjord chuckled and shrugged.

“Sorry, I just figured if you’ve been reading it, you might have some favourites?”

“I... do not usually read them out loud, I likely would not do it justice”

“Well” Fjord’s smiled softened “I won’t force you, of course...”

Caleb felt the familiar flutter in his chest when Fjord’s eyes found his again, and he opened the book instinctively, flipping through the pages.

“I loved you without knowing I did; I searched to remember you I broke into houses to steal your likeness, Though I already knew what you were like. And, Suddenly, When you were there with me I touched you, and my life stopped.”

He stopped reading, realizing with a sudden jolt that the room had gone quiet and the weight of many eyes was on him. He looked around in horror, seeing that yes, in fact, this was his worse nightmare. Everyone was staring, Beauregard’s expression dropped from good-natured teasing to guilty horror as she caught his eye. He looked up and met Fjord’s amber eyes, a look of shock on his face.

He dropped the book and ran.

He ran all the way out the door of the old duplex, down the three blocks to the nearly identical one he shared with Beauregard and Jester, and up the stairs. He fumbled with the key, collapsing against the inside of the door the second it was closed. He panted, chest heaving and lungs on fire as he tried to calm himself enough to get up without falling. His legs ached, his head ached, his chest ached. He absolutely could not ever go back there, in fact, he should probably just start packing now. He couldn’t face them again, not Beauregard or Jester, and definitely not Fjord.

Eventually, he dragged himself up and into the shower, pulled on his most comfortable pajamas, locked his bedroom door and burrowed down into his bed.

Maybe he could just hide out in here forever.

---

He did hide, for a good three days in fact. He managed to sneak food into his mini-fridge while the others were sleeping off the hangovers from the night before and knew his housemates well enough to know when he was safe to use the bathroom without running into them. Beauregard knocked at one point, speaking in the tone closest to kindness, telling him that everyone got so drunk they wouldn’t even remember (“and it wasn’t even so bad anyway man, you’re good at reading out loud and stuff!”). He elected to ignore her.

Jester slid pictures under his door, a couple from her instant camera that showed the three of them at the beginning of the Cursed Evening, and one that she had drawn for him. It was pretty, and abstract piece with almost floral patterns hidden in the colours. He hung it up... but still did not speak.

He checked his socials almost obsessively, looking for any mention of his social faux pas.

Being one of the awkward quiet kids paid off sometimes, it looked like Beauregard was right about everyone forgetting.

By the end of the fourth day, he felt nearly ready to face the world again. In an effort to test the waters he crept out of his cave that evening and threw together an easy dinner of pasta with meat sauce. Half because he was sick of cold food, and half because it was something that both women would be distracted enough by to only tease him for a little while. Just as he was setting the table he heard the tell-tale sound of keys in the lock. He turned and pinned on a sheepish smile as the door opened.

Jester walked in laughing, but her eyes went huge when she caught sight of him standing there.

“Uhhmmm...”

Before she could explain, Beauregard walked through the door... followed by Fjord.

They all paused, staring at him as he stared back, feeling the colour drain from his face. He cleared his throat, setting down the last plate.

“Hallo.”

“Hey Cay” “Hi Caleeeb”

He looked at Fjord, whose cheeks had gone a ruddier shade of green, as he coughed.

“I um... I have extra, if you want to stay”

“No, I—well actually that would be—that is...” Fjord stumbled over his words before setting down his bag and pulling out Caleb's book “I came to give you this, and maybe talk to you? If you want I mean”

“Oh” his instinct to be polite kicked in as he nodded towards the living room “ja sure, do you want to-?”

“Yeah, yeah that works”

He heard the shuffle of the girls tossing their jackets and shoes and making their way to the table, and his nerves ramped up. They would definitely be eavesdropped, but there really wasn’t anywhere else to go in the house at the moment. He stopped in the middle of the living room, wishing absently that he had tidied up more today. There was a moment of mildly uncomfortable silence, before Fjord stepped closer to him, a sheepish look on his face.

“So... I wanted to return your book” he reached and rubbed the back of his head with one hand, the nervous tick was endearing and Caleb felt his expression soften “I also... well, I wanted to—want to apologize, for what happened”

“Apologize?”

“Yeah, I kinda pushed you into reading, and I shouldn’t have, it was shitty of me when I knew you’d probably be uncomfortable” he looked down, face dark again “You just have a great voice, I wanted to—well, it doesn’t matter, it was shitty”

“Oh” Caleb blinked in confusion “Well, thank you? You did not need to apologize; I do not blame you for it.” he paused, the rest of Fjord’s statement settling in his brain “you... like my voice?”

“Yeah” Fjord looked up, a tentative smile on his face “it’s nice, I like your accent. Why do you think I started going to those books and wine things Jester set up?”

“Oh” Caleb repeated, feeling like more of an idiot every time he said it “I-I never thought about it, well, no, I did think about it but I thought you were into Jest--” he bit his tongue, trying to stop the waterfall of stupidity that seemed intent on flowing from his mouth.

“You thought I liked...Jester?”

“Yes?”

“No”

“Oh”

They stood and stared at each other for a moment, Fjord's expression softening to a fond smile. He stepped farther into Caleb’s space, holding up the book slightly.

“You’re smart Cay, really smart, but I think you maybe missed a few points here”

“Explain them to me?”

“I started going to the wine nights because I liked listening to you talk, I asked you about your books, and your cat, and I wanted to hear you read the poem at the party because I like your voice. I like you darlin’, not Jes”

“You like... oh”

“There you go” Fjord flipped the book open, revealing a scrap of paper being used as a bookmark “you missed part of the poem you know”

Joy soared in Caleb's chest as the understanding that not only did Fjord like his voice, but he also liked him settled there. It filled him with a new kind of warmth, and sent a bright smile across his face.

“I know, tell me anyway?”

“When you were there with me I touched you, and my life stopped: You stood before me, ruling me. And you reign: Like a wildfire in the forest, and the flame is your dominion”

He reached out as he spoke, capturing a lock of Caleb's hair between his fingers. The red of his hair only looked more vibrate against the rich green of Fjords skin. A wildfire among the trees.

Caleb blushed, pulling his eyes from where Fjord held him to catch his gaze instead, and found him staring back. As they stared, Beauregard's voice rang out from the adjoining kitchen:

“Ew, that is so sappy I just might vomit.”

Caleb caught the mischievous glint in Fjord's eye only a moment too late.

“If you didn’t like that, you’ll hate this”

And then Fjord was kissing him, soft, almost chaste really, but with one hand in Caleb’s hair and one still trapped between them holding the book... it was perfect.

#I'm on my Widofjord Shiz as always #fluff #soft #WidoFjord #critical role fanfiction #my deeply secret love of poetry

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halothenthehorns · 4 years ago

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Meeting Moony

An Excerpt from my Marauders prequal; We Were- Chapter 5: Free

Remus spent the next two weeks having an incessant argument, with himself and them, about whether he should allow this. Most nights he woke up from horrors on what would happen if he didn't, it got so bad Sirius filched a dreamless potion from Pomfrey two days before and kept slipping into Remus' drink both nights, and he woke up in his bed just to keep going.

'This was the most terrible, worst idea ever, and you're going to regret it the rest of your life,' he kept assuring himself as he slipped into the empty tangles beneath the tree under Madam Pomfrey's watchful eye, but there they were, waiting for him like this was just another trip to class or meeting him outside the hospital wing early.

It felt odd, not removing his clothes as he trudged after them, but Sirius flung an arm over his neck forcing him to keep up, and James only waited until they heard the whoosh of the tree start above them before he started humming under his breath. Sirius was as quick to join in as ever, only Peter seemed as worried as him and he'd bite his tongue off before he ever told them no.

His body ached in that horribly familiar way, his skin already trying to blister and twitch despite the fact he probably had a good hour before the moon was at its peak. He was hyperventilating as James reached the hatch and shoved it casually open, Sirius once more shoving him to get moving like that very first time. His hands were shaking so bad James and Sirius had to help get him up despite the fact it was barely a leg up anymore.

"Stop begging Remus, time for the big reveal," James clapped him on the back with a friendly enough gesture that actually sent him to his knees he was trembling so hard. He was trying to both not look at them and memorize every facet of them. If this was the last time he'd see them, at least they were still smiling, smug, idiots.

James took a few steps back, and Remus had to fight the urge to throw his arms around his knees and beg not to be left alone, or shove him back down the hole in one last desperate attempt, even he didn't know what his twitching hands meant by it. There was a pop, and then James' boots vanished to be replaced by four sets of heavy looking, black, elongated cloven toes neatly dicing each foot nearly in half. The dew claws on the back were nearly invisible as his eyes began traveling up the strong, powerful looking legs, the massive black hide was much smoother than James' hair had ever been in its life and still he'd swear even the tail stuck up in the back in that familiar way just to insist otherwise.

The soft muzzle nosing his ear forced his eyes higher, and he gaped not at the four points on each prong or even the odd white spectacle markings traced in, but the familiar hazel eyes gazing calmly at him even with rectangular pupils now.

Sirius wouldn't live with himself if he let James have all the fun, and a massive bark broke his concentration and tackled into the deer, the black dog sending him ungainly off balance as one stumbled away and the canine now stood proudly before him.

He'd been the one most prominent in both versions going off in his head. The werewolf in him would either see this new one as a challenge, or be happy for a new play thing, he just didn't know himself well enough to guess. The large black dog was even more massive than Remus had gotten a wayward look at, now standing proudly in the dim lighting of the shack.

"You guys," he croaked as he felt more than anything Peter moving the hatch behind him, and he looked back just in time to see it slamming in place. None of them would be able to change back and get it open before he ripped all of their hearts out. A large brown rat sat on the ring, fur the same scruffy brown coloring as Peter's hair, grooming his whiskers for a moment before scurrying to his knee and rearing up to take a few curious sniffs at him.

His fathers warnings still rang clear in his head. Eleven years old again and begging him to have a say in his own life, he'd be a good boy at school, follow every rule, and nobody would be the wiser for it. He knelt there, crying once more, but there was no going back now, as the first crack rippled up his spine.

The three of them backed slowly away, and it was the last thing they wanted to do, as they already felt like failures as Remus began to scream. The noise was the most dreadful thing they never could have imagined, somehow tangled in a human and animal as the mouth formed first, glistening fangs in a muzzle began jutting from his face, and then he got bigger.

Even watching from six feet away the whole thing was hard to believe, his skin nearly vibrating in place as it was pulled and folded into itself while silver fur began creeping out, arms and legs cracking and repairing before their eyes, the werewolf was long and lean, they wouldn't have ever believed that had been inside Remus if they hadn't seen it for themselves as he finally burst free from the clothes and boots and towered above even James, balancing on his two legs as he let out a long, night piercing howl.

It was the eyes that truly shocked them all, no story in the world could tell them what they were seeing as the circular black pupils and amber orbs held no sanity in their depths. The snarl caused James to skitter back a few feet and Peter to squeal and dart up the nearest thing, which happened to be James. Sirius flopped onto his back on pure instinct before scolding himself and rolling back over, but continuing forward as low to the ground as he could.

The werewolf didn't attack though. He just watched, nose twitching, ears flicking in all directions as he tracked everything, and finally fell back to all fours, now with Sirius right underneath him. The black dog began licking the werewolf's lower jaw, keeping his belly low the whole time, and the werewolf actually bowed his head and gave a soft lick back on the side of his exposed neck.

Sirius sprang to his feet in excitement, but the werewolf now turned away in boredom, padding softly to begin sniffing the other two keenly. They stayed very still and let him nose all over, but the moment he was done with that, he did snarl again. Sirius darted forward while James tried to hop back again, but his rump was already against the wall, and the werewolf wasn't angry at them. He'd already lost interest.

No, he turned, and made a bite at himself.

Already in motion, Sirius tackled his side before the jaws could get a good purchase, and the werewolf stumbled more in surprise than anything, glancing at the dog once more in true disbelief. It was very clear nothing had ever disturbed him before and he didn't know what to make of them anymore than the other way around.

They had a weary stand off before the werewolf grew bored once more, and began sniffing the air. He started circling the little hatch in the ground, nose pressed flat to it in an almost desperate sort of way, but then without warning snarled once more and flashed around, his own claws batting at his stomach in frustration.

'Hungry,' Remus had always told them it was the only clear memory he had of this time. No food they would have brought would satisfy him though. Sirius again sprinted right into the werewolf, not quite fast enough as blood blossomed in the shiny fur, but he was once more temporarily distracted and gazed at the dog with some unreadable emotion in the alien face.

Then he did pounce at Sirius, but there was no accompanying growl. The two went rolling about, head butting and shoving, even rearing up from time to time and starting to flash their teeth, but they were playing. Sirius could feel it in his bones, read it in every move that was made, even as a playful growl burst from his own chest and the two smacked muzzles against each other and tried to pin the other, it was no different than their wrestling matches for years now.

The werewolf had the upper hand, he was still quite a bit bigger than Sirius and soon had him pinned, panting almost happily they'd swear over his victory, but the moment he let Sirius up he already seemed too bored to try again, pacing and circling again, sniffing the air.

So they just kept at it, all night, and things steadily got worse. James tried his hand next, darting forward and butting his antlers before skipping back, but there just wasn't enough room as the werewolf didn't even seem to want to acknowledge him, just butted him away with a paw whenever he got close and tried to attack himself again, anger, hunger, boredom, or some combination of all three kept him in constant movement that Sirius alone just couldn't entertain as their wrestling matches slowly got less playful.

Sirius recognized this and tried to retreat and submit again, but the werewolf was just growing more frustrated as the night wore on, unable to lash out at anything, he finally snapped his jaws around flesh and held tight, not caring for the high pitched dogs cry until something painful jammed into his ribs, and he released the useless pray to turn and snarl, teeth snatching onto an antler with no more pleasure, just an aching jaw.

James began bellowing in panic he couldn't get away, rearing up to try and dislodge him but the creature only went with the movement, thrashing his jaw this way and that. His sharp hooves only added to the problem, thrashing against the silver fur of the rib cage on instinct to be free, it would have disemboweled a normal wolf. Sirius was still limping and trying to get back to his feet, so Peter finally darted forward, still keeping himself precariously on James' other antler as he leaned down and bit at the werewolf's snout.

He yelped, and James was released. His own fuzzy point was spat into his face as they all retreated into separate corners for only a moment, before the werewolf tried turning on himself once more. Sirius let out his own howl of frustration as he recklessly darted forward, but when the werewolf appeared to get the upper hand and sank down a hold, Peter would dart forward and bite at anything to distract, a massive padded foot the size of him, the tail, a lip, even an ear if his head was bent right, and they'd be released, only for James to jump forward next. It just started all over again.

In the moments it was about to end they still didn't guess what was coming, he finally turned away from them in displeasure, and began slamming himself against the walls, howling one last desperate cry for freedom before he was trapped away for another month, and the whole thing flew in reverse much faster.

The cracking bones seamlessly began shrinking, the jaw collapsed and the tail vanished, his ears tufted, then blunted as the cartilage reshaped, the concave stomach and ribs realigned, and then Remus stood before them, naked, bleeding, while his green again eyes rolled into his head and he fell to the ground.

Peter had been the only one to come away without a bite, but he still traveled up the stairs on all fours, only changing back when he reached the door upstairs and throwing it open to grab the blanket and come tumbling back down to throw it over him. For just a moment, it all felt worth it, as the few bruises and scratches on Remus' side looked almost mild in comparison to the work he usually did on himself.

Then he looked up, and saw the damage on the other two. Both had felt the teeth sink past fur, blood was matted into their sides, and the two stayed on trembling fours, clearly fearing to change back until Peter darted forward and cast his healing charms on them. Even after the wounds were sealed, they waited far longer than they should have as the sun began creeping in. They needed to leave, before Madam Pomfrey arrived for him, but now came the true test of the night.

Just like everything they did, as if they'd planned it long before hand, James and Sirius appeared at once, panting with exertion, their faces bruised and hobbling painfully from side to side to be back on two legs just as much as their aching bodies, but they ripped their shirts up, and laughed. There were no bite marks visible, the werewolf's saliva and contamination had not followed them to their human bodies. Everything had been worth it.

#Moony #Wormtail #Padfoot #Prongs #The Marauders #shreicking shack #Harry Potter #fanfiction

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s-horne · 6 years ago

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31. National Smile Day

Steve didn’t need a ring or a ceremony. He and Tony had been together for four years and they loved each other. Steve knew that Tony loved him and he knew just how much he loved Tony in return. There hadn’t been a day that he had doubted that love, not through arguments that had them sleeping at a friend’s house nor the screaming matches where they yelled until they were blue in the face. They had each other’s backs no matter what happened and it wasn’t like either of them were going anywhere anytime soon. They lived together, had bought furniture together to redecorate their floor when Steve had moved in, and they had adopted a very cuddly kitten that had grown into an extremely spoilt cat together.

Steve didn’t need to get married. He didn’t need a piece of paper and a fancy ring as long as he had Tony by his side and in his heart. A wedding was just commercial compared to the love that he shared with his partner. That was enough for him to be satisfied; just the fact that he could call Tony his was sufficient.

Maybe if he told himself that enough times, he might start to believe it.

“No way!” Steve jolted back into the present at Clint’s indignant cry. A slow smile spread across his face as he watched Clint throw his arms up in the air when Bucky snatched the dice out of his hands. “Oi; I’m telling you; it was my turn!”

“You are such a liar,” Bucky said in reply with a raised eyebrow and an extremely unimpressed look. “How you made it onto a team of superheroes as a superspy, I will never know.”

“Bruce, come on,” Clint wheedled, his bottom lip jutting out in a pout as he turned to the rest of his friends for support. His hand was stretched out uselessly as he tried to grab the dice back from Bucky. “Stick up for me. You know I wouldn’t lie about this. Or anything, for that matter. I am a paragon of all that is good and true.”

Bucky and Sam both scoffed in perfect unison at Clint’s words and Steve chuckled.

“I’m staying far out of this,” Bruce said with a fond smile, leaning back in his chair with his palms raised and a shake of his head. “I’m not getting involved after last time.”

Clint opened his mouth to reply before he clicked his tongue and nodded in agreement. “Fair enough,” he conceded before he rounded on Bucky once more, diving halfway across the table between them. “Give me them back – it was my turn!”

“And I don’t believe you,” Bucky insisted, eyes narrowing as he glared over at Clint. “You are such a damn cheat. I don’t believe a word that comes out of your mouth anymore.”

“Can we just play?” Sam whined as he made a half-hearted attempt to snatch the dice out of Bucky’s grip. “Some of us have other shit to do, man. I want to actually finish a game for once.”

At that moment, Tony walked into the living room. He was dressed in loose sweats and yawning widely, his hair sticking up in all directions.

“What did I miss?” he asked, words garbled as he ran a hand over his face.

“We’re playing Holmes,” Clint said, procuring a new dice from somewhere and grinning widely. “And it was my turn.”

“I don’t believe you for a second,” Tony said, walking around the table at a safe distance and making a beeline for Steve. “Whenever you say it’s your turn, it almost never is.”

“See?” Bucky growled and made a rude gesture at Clint. “Tony wasn’t even in the damn room and he knows what you did, you cheater.”

A loud burst of laughter echoed from the group when Bucky swiftly kicked out his leg and somehow managed to send Clint sprawling to the floor.

They were in the middle of playing some type of board game that Steve was meant to have been refereeing, but he had lost track of the rules a long time ago. It didn’t help when the players decided to make up their own guidelines and playing order and Steve welcomed the distraction in the form of his lover.

As soon as Tony got close enough, Steve reached out to pull him onto his lap sideways and he sat back, leaning against the back of the couch as he wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist. He was perfectly content to watch the fully-grown men in front of him act like children as they shouted over each other in defence of whose turn it was meant to be and resorted to poking and kicking those closest to them when they couldn’t win with their words.

Also happy to watch was Tony, the man letting out the occasional yawn as he melted into Steve’s embrace, resting his head against Steve’s shoulder and laughing lightly at a couple more jabs shot between his friends. As he snorted at Clint crying out in mock offence as the others all teased him mercilessly, Tony fiddled with a piece of metal he’d pulled from somewhere, a rough loop that he spun around his fingers absentmindedly.

Steve turned his attention to his boyfriend with a warm smile, starting to completely ignore his friends bickering back and forth. Something that Steve had noticed almost as soon as he’d moved into the Tower was that Tony always had pieces of metal on him, whether they were scraps that hadn’t quite made it into the bin or pieces of machines that Tony had taken apart and fiddled with until he put everything back together – or forgot about and moved onto something bigger and better. Whatever it was, Tony was forever messing around with something in his hands, always in constant movement and never staying still for a second. It seemed that his concentration seemed to flow that much more easily if he was fiddling with something, and Steve thought it was utterly adorable.

More accurately, Steve thought everything about Tony was adorable.

After a moment more of watching his partner spin the piece of metal across his fingertips, Steve reached out and took the misshapen ring from Tony’s hands. Tony gave it up without a fight, barely seeming to notice it go as he leant back further into Steve and let his hands fall still into his lap distractedly. Steve picked up Tony’s left hand lightly and rested it atop his own, turning it over in his hand slowly. Reaching around Tony, and therefore holding him even more securely on Steve’s lap, Steve lifted the piece of metal with his other hand and slowly pushed it down onto Tony’s left ring finger.

The moment that Tony realised what Steve had done was obvious. Tony froze immediately, his body going rigid in Steve’s lap at the touch of the cold metal on his finger. He dropped his gaze down to his hand and stayed there, perfectly still, for a moment.

Steve couldn’t breathe. How could he have been so stupid?

Steve berated himself internally for letting himself get caught up in his own thoughts and for then acting on them. Steve had had ruined everything in a moment, all because he was so stupidly desperate to show the world that Tony was his.

Tony obviously didn’t want to marry him or he would have said something sooner. He would have picked up on all of Steve’s hints and he would have then gotten down on one knee with a ring. Whenever Steve had tried to broach the subject, Tony had just clammed up and stuttered out a weak excuse. It was clear that Tony had no interest in marriage. Whether his aversion was to the institution in general or more specifically just marriage to Steve, he couldn’t tell, but it didn’t really matter.

What did matter was that Tony didn’t want Steve in the same way that Steve wanted Tony and now it was all ruined.

Tony was going to bolt and Steve couldn’t exactly blame him. He was going to leave Steve for pushing him too far and the loss would serve Steve right.

Steve was spiralling almost out of control, his breath coming a little quicker than was comfortable and his heart racing in his chest when Tony turned around to face him with a beautiful smile on his face.

“One day,” Tony said. His voice was soft and barely loud enough to be heard over Sam’s bellowing cursing and Clint’s taunts, but, to Steve, it was as if Tony had shouted it into a megaphone directly into his ear.

“What?” Steve asked, a little dazed, his eyes desperately searching Tony’s impossibly-warm ones. “Really?”

“Yeah.” Tony covered Steve’s hand with his own, gaze dropping down to admire the funny piece of scrap metal hanging loose around his finger. He looked back up at Steve and leant in to press a chaste but breathtakingly-sweet kiss to Steve’s cheek. “One day.”

Despite the fight breaking out between his friends in the background, Steve didn’t think he’d ever smiled so widely in his life. His cheeks started to hurt in a matter of seconds, but he honestly wasn’t sure that he would ever frown again, not with Tony in his arms and his name across his heart.

#i wrote a thing #a may medley #stony fic #stony ficlet #stevetony fic #steve rogers #tony stark #clint barton #Bucky Barnes #bruce banner #stevetony fic rec #stony fic rec #hey guys #guess what #i made it #may is over #and so am i

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lee-jinkis-ponytail · 5 years ago

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Haunts & Hellhounds: A Player’s Handbook

Hi, Writeblr. :) If you’re joining me on this spooky, whacky adventure that is Haunts & Hellhounds over on Wattpad, here’s a more detailed (albeit very rough) glimpse into the ancient and irreverent “Player’s Handbook” that the characters flip through in Chapter 1! The “game” is basically just a very watered-down version of D&D with horror elements. I may add to this as time goes on if I’ve overlooked anything that pops up as I write the story. If you have any questions or think I’m missing anything important, let me know! I’m very new to tabletop gaming and am still learning the ropes. This whole project is basically just a way for me to combine my love of writing horror stories with D&D practice (as both the GM and the player).

Just a content warning--the fictional creator of H&H was a huge, racist, sexist douchebag who leaned heavily into some very problematic horror tropes when writing the rules of this game, so there are some descriptions of the characters that may be offensive. H&H is intended for mature audiences, 18+! It’s a horror story. There is violence, gore, and murder.

Anyway, I’m using this unpolished “handbook” to guide every single action and reaction in every single scene of the story.

Who will die? Who will survive? Even I don’t know! It’s all in the hands of the dice gods...

Welcome to Haunts & Hellhounds, Survivors...

Instead of classes, H&H players choose their role from a list of 7 classic horror movie tropes, each with their own strengths and weaknesses.

The Nerd: Proficiences: With an inclination towards knowledge, the LVL 1 Nerd will be proficient in ALL knowledge-related skills (EXCEPT FOR INSIGHT, because Nerds may like to read books, but they aren’t usually good at reading the room), and their attribute specializations are knowledge and dexterity. These scrawny losers tend to be weak and clumsy, however, and will always roll attack, athletic, and acrobatic checks at a disadvantage. Unlike the other tropes, Nerds can never take the average Hit Points of their hit die upon leveling up; they must roll a d6 (plus their constitution modifier), and whatever the result, they must always subtract 2 from the total (yes--that means, depending on their constitution modifier, it is possible to roll at a loss, because Nerds are just unable to endure these horrific scenarios for very long). If you’re a Nerd, you’re likely to die in a moment of lapsed judgment, foolish enough to believe that if you’re just brave enough you might defeat the evil once and for all and get the girl. Silly Nerd; good guys never win.

The Jock: Proficiencies: Meat-head jerks like the Jock specialize in strength, dexterity, charisma, and constitution, with skills in athletics, acrobatics, and an additional dexterity- or charisma-related skill for a total of 3; additionally, they can choose proficiency in the weapon of their choice, either ranged or melee. They are often too dumb to string a coherent sentence together, and thus roll knowledge checks at a disadvantage. A Jock’s starting defense points are the base 15 plus their constitution modifier, and if they are wearing sports gear, they add 2 more points per piece of gear to their total defense. Their beginning HP is 18 plus their constitution modifier. If you’re a Jock, you’re stupidly confident, you’ll probably get all the girls, but you’re going to charge into battle knowing that you’ll die a heroic, sacrificial death. Thing is, you care more for glory than logic or organized progress. Ah, well. You served your purpose.

The Party Animal: Everybody likes the party animal. Proficiencies: Charisma is this character’s number one attribute, and thanks to the dulling effects of whatever illegal substances they’ve pumped into their body, they have a surprisingly high endurance and are thus proficient in constitution as well; as far as skills go, they are proficient in deception and persuasion, and may choose one other skill for a total of 3, as long as it is not a dexterity-related skill. Why, you ask? Well, that’s because when the Party Animal rolls dexterity-saving throws, they always roll at a disadvantage, as they are likely too drunk or high to walk in a straight line. And so they cannot be proficient in any dexterity-related skills. As the Party Animal, you might make it close to the end through sheer, dumb luck. But that luck will run out and you will die eventually. It’s inevitable. Lucky for you, you’re probably too wasted to care.

The Harlot: The Harlot has a reputation too, but not for anything good. Proficiencies: Like the Party Animal, the Harlot’s number one attribute is charisma, and since she’s usually tiny, she is proficient in dexterity as well; also like the Party Animal, her skills include deception and persuasion, and she may choose one other skill for a total of 3, so long as it is not related to knowledge. You guessed it--that’s because there isn’t much going on in that pretty little head of hers. She’s dumb. Even dumber than the Jock. Vapid. Shallow. All of her knowledge checks are rolled at a disadvantage. So you picked the Harlot. The only thing standing between you and the killer is a Token Minority. Hope the premarital sex was worth it.

The Token Minority: Why did you even bother creating this character? The Token Minority is basically cannon fodder and will likely be the first to die. There may be only one Token Minority per group of survivors. Proficiencies: Pick whatever two attributes, and one skill you want for this character. Who cares? The only rule is that whatever d6 results you get rolling for your attributes, the lowest goes to constitution, and all constitution saving throws are made at a disadvantage. You won’t be playing very long as the Token Minority, so why waste time creating a whole backstory? Have fun being the first to die.

The Recluse: The Recluse is basically a stronger Nerd. All that time spent on the outside of the social jungle has allowed this character to become well-versed in all things weird and macabre. Proficiencies: He or she will have a knack for dexterity, knowledge, and serenity; able to keep calm in the most horrific situations and plan ahead because they know the horror genre inside and out, the Recluse is always proficient in arcana/witchcraft and sanity; at LVL 1 they may also choose an additional 2 skills that fall under the dexterity or knowledge branches. Like the Token Minority, there may be only one Recluse per group of survivors. As the Recluse, you’re likely to become BFFs with the Final Girl and tragically die just before the story’s end. Pity. If you were just more milquetoast like the Final Girl, you might have made it to the end, but alas, the audience couldn’t stomach your obnoxious need to "stand out from the herd.”

The Final Girl: The star of our show. The well-rounded goody-two-shoes. Like the Token Minority and the Recluse, there may only be one Final Girl per group of survivors. In fact, there MUST be a Final Girl in every game. At LVL1, her HP begins at 18 plus her dexterity modifier. When she rolls her 4d6 to determine her base stats at LVL1, she should discard any result lower than a 10 and roll again. Proficiencies: She is proficient in all attributes and all weapon types and can choose any 10 skills from the list of 19. All of her attack rolls, checks, and death saving throws are rolled at an advantage. If you’re playing the Final Girl, you’re nearly as immortal as the unkillable slasher. You’re guaranteed to survive... almost... every time. So long as you follow the rules of the genre.

Attributes: Much like D&D5e, there are 6 attributes in H&H. If a character is proficient in specific attributes, they roll saving throws of those attributes at advantage. The attributes are:

Strength, measuring physical fitness

Dexterity, measuring agility

Constitution, measuring health and endurance

Knowledge, measuring booksmarts, street smarts, and common sense

Serenity, measuring calmness and sanity

Charisma, measuring popularity, confidence, and charm

To determine the character’s numeric value of these attributes, roll 4d6, drop the lowest result, and add the remaining 3 together. Do this 6 times (1 for each attribute), and assign numbers where you feel they would be best. It is recommended you assign the highest numbers to the attributes your character is proficient in.

Skills: There are 19 Skills in H&H, each related to a specific attribute. Similar to attributes, if a character is proficient in a skill, they roll checks of those skills at advantage. Please see your trope’s description to see how many skills you may choose:

Acrobatics (Dex)

Alchemy & Chemistry (Kno)

Animal Handling (Cha)

Arcana & Witchcraft (Ser)

Athletics (Str)

Crafting (Dex)

Deception (Cha)

History & Lore (Kno)

Insight (Kno)

Intimidation & Distraction (Cha)

Investigation (Kno)

Perception (Ser)

Persuasion (Cha)

Religion & Occultism (Kno)

Sanity (Ser)

Sleight of Hand (Dex)

Stealth (Dex)

Survival (Kno)

Technology (Kno)

Proficiency Bonuses: All LVL1 characters start with a +2 proficiency bonus, meaning if they roll a check of an attribute or skill they are proficient in, they add 2 to their total roll. Proficiency bonus for all characters increases by 1 point every odd level--so at LVL3 it will be +3, at LVL5 it will be +4, etc. NOTE: Unlike other tabletop games, H&H only uses proficiency bonuses in skill rolls, NOT in attacks/hits; for example, if a character is making a dexterity saving throw and they are proficient in dexterity, they will add their proficiency bonus to that roll, but even if they are proficient in firearms, they will NOT add their proficiency bonus to attack or hit rolls in combat with a firearm. Combat proficiencies simply allow the character to roll attacks with those weapons at an advantage.

Attribute Modifiers: Your character’s attribute modifiers are used to give them a boost during attack rolls, saving throws, and checks. To determine your character’s H&H attribute modifier, subtract 10 from that attribute’s total, divide by 2, and round down. For example, if a character has 15 constitution, subtract 10 (5), divide by 2 (2.5), and round down (2)--which means, when rolling a constitution saving throw, the character would add +2 to whatever they roll.

Skill Modifiers: Skills also have modifiers. If a character is NOT proficient in a certain skill, their modifier is equal to the attribute modifier that skill falls under. For example, a Jock is not proficient in insight, a skill that falls under knowledge. So if the Jock’s knowledge modifier is +1, so is his insight modifier. If a character IS proficient in a skill, add their proficiency bonus plus the modifier of the attribute the skill falls under. So, for example, Jocks are proficient in the athletics skill. At LVL1 with a +2 proficiency bonus and a +3 strength modifier, the Jock would have a total of +5 for his athletics modifier.

Hit Points & Hit Die: Your LVL1 character’s maximum HP is always 18, except for Jocks and the Final Girl, who add their constitution and dexterity modifiers respectively. For every level after that, additional HP will be determined by a roll of the character’s highest unarmed hit die. Jocks and the Final Girl will roll a d10 as their hit (unarmed) die. Recluses, Token Minorities, Harlots, and Party Animals use d8, and Nerds use d6. The Nerd must ALWAYS roll their hit die to determine their new HP upon leveling up, and then must subtract 2 from the total. Every other character can opt not to roll the die, but to take the average roll of their die instead (d10=5, d8=4). Every EVEN level, the character adds a hit die (so LVL2=2d10 for a Jock, LVL4=2d10, and so on). In battle, ranged weapons such as firearms are rolled with a d10 plus the character’s dexterity modifier; melee weapons such as bats are rolled with a d10 plus the character’s strength modifier. *Note: Jocks, the Final Girl, and any character with a proficiency in weapons roll a d12 as their hit die if they are armed.* Upon a short rest, half HP is restored. Upon a long rest, full HP is restored. Characters may also eat food, drink water, bandage and tend wounds, or use a health potion to speed up the healing process if they have the necessary supplies in their pockets or backpack. If used during battle, consumption of these healing items count as a bonus action.

Defense Stat: If we were playing another tabletop RPG, this would be your character’s “Armor Class.” All characters except for the Jock, the Final Girl, and the Recluse start with a base defense of 15. The Jock and the Final Girl begin with the base 15 and add their constitution modifier, while the Recluse adds their dexterity modifier. Upon leveling up, the defense stat DOES NOT increase. (The exception is for the Recluse, Final Girl, and Jock, who CAN increase their defense stat if they increase their respective modifiers upon leveling up.) Defense stats can be increased at any time in one of 3 ways: (1) if a character dons armor (i.e. helmets, sports gear, even duct tape to defend against zombie bites, etc.--+1 defense per piece of armor [helmet, torso guard, arm guards, leg guards, gloves, boots] for every character except the Jock, who gets +2 per piece of armor), (2) if a character crouches behind cover (+2 defense), or (3) if a character takes up a shield (+2 defense). There are also some magical artifacts that can increase a character’s defense stat, both temporarily and permanently.

Sanity Points: In addition to traditional HP, H&H characters have sanity points. Everyone begins with a base of 20 Sanity Points, except for the Recluse and the Final Girl, who begin with 23. At the end of every hellish battle, all playable characters involved must make a sanity saving throw with a d20 plus their serenity modifier. If they roll 10-19, they are safe and do not lose or gain any SP. If they roll a natural 20, they permanently gain 4SP, even if they go above their original maximum. If they roll 2-9 or lower, they must roll a d4 to determine how many SP they lose. If they roll a natural 1, they automatically lose 4SP. If a character’s sanity falls to 0, they must roll a sanity d20+serenity modifier check along with every attack roll against an enemy. If they roll a sanity check below a 5, there is a chance of friendly fire and/or self harm that turn. The player rolls a d20 against all characters within 5 feet of them, including themselves; if they roll greater than the target’s defense stat, the insane character lashes out in blind fear and must roll a hit die against their nearby allies and/or themselves as if attacking an enemy. Sanity points cannot be regained during rests. Anxiety medications and certain potions may provide relief, if you can find them.

Death Saving Throws: Like other tabletop RPGs, H&H uses the 3-strike strategy. Upon reaching 0HP, you become unconscious and must make 3 attempts to cling to life. Roll a d20 with NO modifiers. Rolling a 10 or more is a success; anything below 10 is a failure. If you roll 3 successes, your character remains unconscious but alive, and it is up to your companions to get you back up on your feet by offering you a nourishing sip of water (+1HP), or tending your wounds (+3HP), or giving you a health potion (+5HP), or using a healing spell (regained HP varies depending on spell); if you roll 3 failures, you die a permanent death. If you roll a natural 20, your character reawakens with 1HP. If you roll a natural 1, you take 2 failure strikes. BEWARE: Some enemies have the ability to “double tap” and make sure you are really, truly dead on their next turn. It is in everyone’s best interest to work as a team and distract the enemy once a friend is down...

Rolling at Advantage and Disadvantage: When a character is asked to roll checks or attacks at “advantage” or “disadvantage,” they roll 2d20 and take either the higher of the 2 rolls (advantage) or the lower (disadvantage).

Extra Proficiencies: Aside from the skills and attributes above, your characters may have other specialties depending on their role and backstory. For example, Jocks are proficient in firearms, and the Final Girl, known for being quick on her feet and good at improvising, is proficient in all weapons. Your characters’ backstory may lead them to have certain training in useful foreign languages or subjects. For example: -Latin -Folklore and Mythology -Engineering -Driving -Herbology -And more The possibilities are endless. Choose whatever you think might help your characters get out of sticky situations. However, to prevent your character from becoming too much of an overpowered know-it-all, limit these additional proficiencies to a total of 5. As there are no hard and fast rules to these extra proficiencies, the GM and the player must often collaborate to determine how this additional feature will benefit the player. For example, perhaps the GM and the player decide that being an Art Student grants the character a +1 bonus to crafting tools and weapons.

Magic: Depending on the dungeon you play, magic may factor into your story. Characters with a proficiency in arcana & witchcraft are able to learn spells, curses, and hexes in books they may find from vendors or when they loot enemies’ bodies. When a character unlocks magical abilities, they receive a spell attack stat to be used in magical attack rolls; the spell attack is their proficiency bonus plus their serenity modifier (so a LVL1 character with a +2 proficiency bonus and a +3 serenity modifier would have a total of +5 spell attack power). When using magic in battle, roll a d20 plus the character’s strength modifier to determine if the spell strikes its target. If the strike is successful, the spell’s damage is determined by rolling a d10 plus the character’s spell attack bonus. Healing spells do NOT require the player to roll a d20 to check if their spell reaches its target. Each healing spell has unique requirements, such as being a certain distance from your companion, or rolling a specific die to determine how much HP is restored, but it will always be successful. There are many different kinds of spells, from mind control to healing magic, but the character using the spell does not need to choose a specialization. As long as they have a proficiency in arcana & witchcraft, they may use any spell they stumble upon if they think it will help. However, magically-inclined characters do have a limited supply of magical points, or MP. Each spell costs a certain number of MP, and when that MP runs out, the character must resort to physical attacks against an enemy. Half MP is restored upon a short rest, and full MP after a long rest. MP potions may also be purchased from vendors or looted from enemies. MP increases like HP; upon unlocking magic, the character begins with 15MP, and upon leveling up, they must roll their hit die to determine how much their MP will increase. Oh, and the magically-inclined may want to seek out an animal familiar. Having a little friend along for the ride will double your MP total.

Experience Points: After every battle, survivors will gain experience points along with anything else they loot off the enemy’s body. Players reach LVL2 at 200EXP, and levels rise exponentially after that every time the character’s total EXP is doubled. For example: LVL2 - 200 points LVL3 - 400 points LVL4 - 800 points LVL5 - 1600 points ...and so on. Upon leveling up, a character may opt to either choose 1 new ability (see below) or add 2 points to their attributes. The latter is especially useful if a character’s beginning attributes are below 10.

Abilities: Each character starts at LVL1 with 2 abilities unique to them. These are special attacks, bonus attacks, spells, and battle maneuvers that have notable conditions that set them apart from regular attacks, such as the ability to knock an enemy prone. Every time the character levels up, they gain 1 more ability. See the appendix for a full list. The GM may also add abilities specific to individual players as he sees fit. (For example, a character who plays a sport that is not listed under the Jock abilities may be given an ability unique to that sport.)

Inventory: Characters can carry either: (1) one or two small weapons, (2) one medium weapon and a shield (one per hand), or (3) one large two-handed weapon. Additionally, they may carry as much loot as they have pockets. If they have 0 pockets, they may carry 0 additional small objects, if they have 2 pockets, they may carry 2 small objects, etc. (Cargo shorts, though hideous, do come in pretty handy here!) Characters may also find backpacks to increase their inventory size. Backpacks have a carry capacity of 5 small objects and 3 medium to large objects. Holsters, sheaths, and belt loops can also be used to store additional weapons if the character finds any.

The Safe Room: Every dungeon must have at least one safe room where the characters can rest, heal, interact with vendors (if there are any), and plan their next moves. Enemies are not allowed to enter these rooms. (The GM can decide why this is the case in a way that best fits the dungeon's lore. For example, perhaps the room is protected by a powerful spell, blessed by a priest, or simply locked and barricaded.)

Act Wisely...: Certain actions will act like echo-location for enemies. If your character opts to do any of the following during roleplay, the nearest enemy--whether they are a mere minion or a boss--will suddenly appear. (If the act occurs in a safe room, don't be surprised to find an enemy waiting just outside the door for you.) Do NOT: (1) drink alcohol or do drugs (2) have sex or undress (3) steal, vandalize, or otherwise break the law (4) let your cell phone ring or vibrate You’ve been warned...

Have fun--while you still can.

#writeblr #worldbuilding #wip #haunts and hellhounds #player's handbook

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monstersdownthepath · 7 years ago

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Spiritual Spotlight: Trelmarixian, the Lysogenic Prince

Neutral Evil Horseman of Famine

Domains: Earth, Evil, Madness, Weather Subdomains: Daemon, Decay, Insanity, Seasons

The Complete Book of the Damned, pg. 98~99

Obedience: Abstain from eating or drinking until you begin feeling pangs of hunger. Spend just under an hour meditating on this state, then spend the remaining time gorging yourself on any substance within reach, even if it’s not entirely suitable as food, such as soil, ash, or garbage. Benefit: Gain a +4 profane bonus on saving throws against effects that cause exhaustion, fatigue, nausea, or sickness.

That’s a REAL beefy benefit that gives you a generous bonus to avoiding some of the more crippling status effects in the game (nausea and exhaustion), which also comes in handy for making saves against whatever horrible substances you shovel into your craw after you decide you’ve suffered enough and rapidly begin consuming everything you can get your grimy little mitts on. Tex Mex Ian is the first of the Horsemen we’ll see in End Of The World Month: Ride of the Four, and his Obedience really sets the stage for how agonizing all of the Obediences for the Four Horsemen are going to be.

This Obedience is one of the harder ones to perform when compared to many others we’ve reviewed so far or will review in the future, as it requires a lot of setup. First off, depending on your metabolism you’ve got to go without eating or drinking for anywhere from 10 hours to a full day in order to begin actually feeling the level of hunger Trill Maracas wants you to suffer, so that gluttonous feast you gorge on at the end of the Obedience? That’s probably going to be the only meal you’ll eat until you next begin your Obedience, aside from the occasional berry or single mouthful of water.

If you don’t want to actually begin suffering the penalties of starvation, you’ll probably also have to set yourself out a feast before you begin your Obedience, too. If not a feast, then something to keep you from actually starving for the coming day while you pack the rest of your stomach full to bursting with handfuls of grass clippings and dirt. Trail Mix’s Obedience requires you to keep yourself on the edge of starvation at all times, and the benefit makes you better at handling it. At the very least, it’s an easy Obedience to keep hidden from snoopy folks; you can cover your worship of the Lysogenic Prince by simply claiming to have some form of vow of restraint or religious belief that bars you from eating with company. Or eating at all, except at breakfast. Of the Four, this is the easiest ritual to hide from prying eyes.

Also, obviously, creatures that don’t actually experience hunger technically can’t perform this Obedience without DM fiat. And for extra irony depending on how your interpret these rules, that may include Tremarixian’s own Souldrinkers once they reach Souldrinker 4 and thus no longer need to eat.

I may as well start putting a new intro paragraph in, eh? Well Boons usually come at levels 12, 16, and 20 if you merely take the Fiendish Obedience feat, but having levels in the Evangelist, Exalted, or Sentinel prestige classes allow you to unlock the respective bonuses much faster. The trio of prestige classes can be entered as early as level 7; taken as early as possible, you unlock the Boons at levels 10, 13, and 16 instead.

Daemon worshipers may elect to class into the Souldrinker prestige class instead of the Evangelist, Exalted, or Sentinel class, and may choose any of the three Boon lists they wish to have.

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EVANGELIST

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Boon 1: Jackal’s Blessing. Gain Memory Lapse 3/day, False Life 2/day, or Vampiric Touch 1/day.

Memory Lapse is an odd choice for the Horseman of Famine to hand out, but it’s not an unwelcomed one. It’s more useful than some people give it credit for, though it falls pretty hard into the category of “why waste a spell slot on this when I could use this other thing?” spells. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about that! Memory Lapse more or less erases the last six seconds of someone’s memory, which comes in handy if you commit a social faux pas and want to try again with a Bluff or Diplomacy check, but it’s also useful for things like: Repositioning after being revealed and then erasing your new hiding spot from memory, removing the memory of an ally casting a protective buff on themselves so the enemy doesn’t realize it, screwing someone over in a gambling game, or simply playing the card of “Oh no, you’ve been stabbed! Who could have done such a thing?” All without anyone realizing you’re mucking with someone’s head.

Unfortunately, Memory Lapse has a big weakness in that it allows a saving throw against it, and if the victim makes their save, whatever embarrassing event you were trying to erase is still fresh in their mind. On days when you’re not feeling particularly clever, False Life is always a good choice, giving you anywhere from 10 to 20 temporary hit points to pad out your total a little. It may only block one more blow, but that in itself means the character in question has one more round to fight back. And Vampiric Touch? That’s just a great spell because eventually, everyone gets caught in melee. It starts at 5d6 damage by the time you first get it and grants you temporary HP equal to the amount of damage dealt, hurting your foe and giving you--on average--about 5 more temporary hit points than False Life does.

Boon 2: Unending Whispers. You may cast Insanity 1/day as a spell-like ability.

Boring. Handy, but boring. It’s a permanent Confusion on a single target, but it’s beaten by successful Will save, which turns its 1/day nature against itself. Throwing it on an enemy bruiser can potentially earn you several rounds of breathing room, and I suppose you can throw it on some unfortunate passer-by to create a distraction, but like most Boons which offer one-dimensional spell effects, Unending Whispers is rather boring and inflexible.

...Or would be, if I didn’t just remember spell-likes have no components. Perhaps you masquerade as a Good-aligned priest, and speak a “holy word” which “sends demons into spasms,” afflicting one unfortunate fool with your Insanity to turn a whole group against them. Having the power to say just about anything you feel like and have someone go mad from the “revelation” is a unique roleplaying opportunity I failed to think about or explore well, but we still have too many Boons to go over for me to rattle on about it!

Boon 3: Kiss of the Lysogenic Prince. Once per day as a standard action, you may make a touch attack against a target to infect them with a portion of your essence as if it were a curse. They can resist it with a successful Will save (DC 10 + 1/2 your Hit Dice + your Charisma modifier), but if they fail, they become infected. From there on out, so long as you and the target are on the same plane, you may use a free action at any point to perceive the world through their senses; you see all they see, feel all they feel, smell all they smell, etc, for as long as you wish until you end this remote viewing as another free action. In addition, once per day, you may automatically hijack their body, controlling it utterly for 1 round plus your Charisma modifier in rounds (min 1). The victim does not remember anything that happens during this possession. You may only have one victim infected at a time; infecting a new victim immediately ends the infection on the previous one.

Now HERE is a power with some seriously sinister applications. It may seem odd that the Horseman of Famine has such an ability, but Tonsillectomy isn’t just the god of famine, he’s the god of all things devouring and destructive, such as parasites or cancer. A domain he sometimes (unwillingly) shares with Apollyon, the Horseman of Pestilence.

This ability is insidious, to the point that using it in combat feels like a waste. Slapping it onto an important or recurring NPC allows you a measure of control over them, monitoring their actions until you see an opening to cause some mischief or grief. Note that once the victim fails their initial save, they don’t get another one to resist your control, and the ability can only be broken by curse-breaking magics (which have to beat the save DC) and lasts forever unless you find a different victim to snag. The fact that the memory of any moments you spend puppeteering their body is erased is also magnificent for getting them into (or out of) trouble... Or gaslighting them, if you’re that evil. And, since you’re working for one of the Horsemen, you are!

Note that this ability causes no injury or any negative conditions on the victim. It’s not obvious you’ve infected them unless someone scans over their soul with some kind of curse-detecting spell, This means they--and everyone around them--will likely have no idea that they’ve been infected, even as you start exercising control over them. Obviously the best use is to control them when they’re alone, so no one else notices the off behavior, but the ever-popular “make your puppet stab someone important/stab someone they care about” and “frame your puppet for doing something horrible” are both options.

Also note that, unlike with the Dominate spells, you can force your victim to perform self-destructive acts as well. Have fun with that.

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EXALTED

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Boon 1: Jackal’s Grace. Gain Ray Of Enfeeblement 3/day, Feast of Ashes 2/day, or Cup of Dust 1/day.

Both Feast of Ashes and Cup of Dust are wonderful spells for making some poor NPC’s life absolutely miserable. Both of them can last for weeks at higher levels and will keep the poor fool at the edge of unconsciousness the entire time, up until something deals the final point of nonlethal damage needed to knock them out and allow the supernatural starvation or dehydration to finally have a lethal effect on them.

They’re amazing roleplaying tools that are more or less worthless in combat, unless the enemy in question manages to escape the party’s clutches and become a recurring nuisance. Ray of Enfeeblement isn’t fantastic at higher levels... Unless you target enemy casters, notorious for both their low Fortitude saves and their low Strength scores. A lucky shot may shave 11 Str off your target, potentially rendering weaker enemies completely helpless for 1 round/level. Even shooting someone with a high Fort save might still shave 2 or 3 damage off their attacks for a couple rounds, which can save your life.

I’d say go with the two curses if you plan to muck with some poor NPC (or uppity PC), and Ray of Enfeeblement if you don’t know what the day holds.

Boon 2: Unending Hunger. Once per day as a standard action, you may consume any nonliving substance with no ill effects. It must be no larger than your own size category, but only takes 1 round regardless of its size. Bodies consumed by this ability are completely destroyed. Any object you consume can attempt a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your hit dice + your Con modifier) to avoid being destroyed.

God. Alright, I’ve gone over this ability with some disbelief in me before, but to reiterate: This ability ignores hardness, damage reduction, and the Artifact status, allowing you to destroy even divine artifacts in a single standard action if they fail their save. You can eat containers, and everything inside of them, in one action; so you can shove your enemy into a Bag of Holding and eat it to destroy them. You can use size-changing effects to let yourself snarf up larger and larger objects, or shrink other objects to have a better chance of eating them.

Also note that it doesn’t say the item has to be unattended. Snatch your enemy’s sword right out of their hands and eat it. Eat their armor right off of their body. If they’re a Construct or an Undead being, you can even eat them. If you’re the type to argue over semantics, you could note that only “an object” receives a saving throw, so a Construct or an Undead creature is instantly killed and destroyed with no save! But that interpretation would likely get you slapped by your DM.

This ability in general might get you slapped by your DM, in fact. It’s very, very obvious to me that this ability wasn’t run through much testing, or else it’d be much longer and clarify things like: Can you actually eat enemies that are nonliving? Can you eat only portions of larger objects? What happens when you eat an Artifact? What happens when the item makes its save--is it still inside you? Jammed in your mouth? Does it take damage? There’s so many questions that aren’t answered! If you actually gain this ability at any point, talk with your DM about the finer points. Don’t just suddenly surprise them by eating the Doom Artifact their campaign was built around.

Boon 3: Withering Invocation. You may cast Implosion 1/day as a spell-like ability.

This ability is much simpler than the last one. It’s also pretty strong! Provided you’re the proper prestige class, Implosion will deal a flat 160 damage to 8 different targets over the course of 8 rounds, and that damage and duration will only rise each level. Implosion is best used to selectively dispose of enemy minions rather than the main boss, though a successful Fortitude save negates the damage completely, and you can only target one particular being once with each casting of the spell. Even so, it’s likely to hew out (or grievously cripple) lower-level enemies, even though it’s rather slow in doing so.

Not the best level 9 spell available, but there’s no cap on how high it can scale up, so if your character manages to head into 20+ levels it just becomes more and more devastating to fail a throw to. There’s also the fact that it works on everything--Constructs, Undead, Elementals, etc--so long as it has a physical body, which makes it a good no matter what you may end up facing.

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SENTINEL

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Boon 1: Famine’s Crusader. Gain Mount 3/day, Wartrain Mount 2/day, or Phantom Steed 1/day

Mount and Phantom Steed are, essentially, the same spell, except Phantom Steed is bigger, fancier, and way more mobile. However, Phantom Steed can only carry one to three people at a time, while Mount can be used in succession to conjure a trio of horses for the entire party. It really depends on if your party needs to get somewhere quickly, or if you, personally, need to get somewhere.

Both are handy out of combat spells, and whichever one you pick is generally going to be based on how many people are traveling and how far they’re going, though Mount is usually the better choice unless you’re traveling through tough terrain. In a pinch, Mount can also be used in combat; ponies aren’t exactly known for being incredible combatants, but it’s an extra body on the field and an extra distraction for monsters too dim-witted to know how to focus targets. I’m not really even going to talk about Wartrain Mount; it’s a VERY niche spell, and not even a particularly good niche spell.

Boon 2: Consumptive Aura. You no longer require food to survive, though you still feel the pain of hunger to allow you to fulfill your Obedience. In addition, As a swift action, you may project a 20ft aura of starvation. It can be maintained or ended as a free action from there on out; you may maintain this effect for a number of rounds per day equal to your hit dice. Each round a creature begins their turn within this aura, it must make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your hit dice + your Cha modifier) or take 1d6 points of nonlethal damage and be fatigued from extreme hunger. They do not become exhausted if they’re already fatigued. Creatures that do not need to eat are immune to this ability.

I do like that they added the clause that you still feel hunger pains despite not having to eat. That’s a good way to make an unfortunate, trapped servant go insane. Then again, that’s what Trial Marxist probably wants! It’s also basically there for flavor reasons and has little mechanical benefit; the Boon falls off if you don’t perform your Obedience, and to perform your Obedience you have to eat. Then again, this does basically mean that you can fill up on leaf piles or handfuls of sand while the rest of the party eats your rations.

Anyway, this ability is pretty good. 1d6 nonlethal damage each round isn’t going to win you a fight by any stretch, but being able to fatigue everyone around you will. There is the unfortunate downside in that you don’t get to pick and choose who gets affected by this ability, so granting any allies you may have some immunity to fatigue is probably one of your first priorities. Unless you don’t have allies, in which case, starve away!

I can see a few uses for this ability outside of combat. For example, marching into a crowded town square and then activating it, knocking out the weaker citizens and making the burlier ones absolutely famished. If you have a means to cause madness or confusion in people, even better! You can drive a dozen people to attack one another in a horrible, gruesome fashion!

Hey, you are representing one of the omnicidal Four Horsemen. Start finding horrifying uses for your powers!

Boon 3: Eruptive Arrival. Once per day, you may teleport through any creature you can see (as Greater Teleport; so long as you can see the target, the distance or obstacles between you do not matter). You burst forth from the victim’s body in a shower of blood and gore and appear in a space adjacent to them, dealing 20d6 damage to the victim and 5d6 damage to all other creatures within 10ft of your arrival, nauseating everyone damaged for 1d4 rounds. Any creature damaged by this ability can make a Fortitude save (DC 10 + 1/2 your hit dice + your Con modifier) to halve the damage and negate the nausea.

Speaking of horrifying uses, Jesus Christ.

Note that this ability actually allows you to explode out of anyone you may even be scrying on, crossing planetary distances to burst forth from your unfortunate victim, likely killing them and most of the lower-level folk around them. It’s an amazing initiator, crossing huge rooms or distances to get up close and personal to your enemy (really up close and personal) while simultaneously dealing a huge chunk of damage. You even get to make a move action after since Greater Teleport is only a standard action! AND you get to make a swift action, too, like raising your Consumptive Aura!

20d6 is an enormous amount of damage, even if it gets halved by a successful save, and your poor target has no actual way to dodge it or stop you from using them as a screaming doorway aside from keeping out of your line of sight. I think the fact that it works through binoculars, spyglasses, and scrying is the real kicker. Who needs to sneak into an enemy castle? Just peep at one of the patrolling guards from a mile or so away and make them explode.

You may be stuck in hot water while the rest of your team catches up, but I think appearing before your foes by bursting out of one of their allies should give you a few circumstance bonuses to any Intimidate check you make on arrival.

You can read more about him here.

#End of the World Month #Spiritual Spotlight #Sinister Spotlight #Pathfinder #Dungeons and Dragons

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acaranna · 7 years ago

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Okay, so I wanted to stream today but turns out - my voice is still kind of busted. XD I mean, I can talk in short bursts but it only takes about five minutes until I’m so hoarse I can barely speak.

But oh my god was it worth it. Seven hours and I had the most fun in a long, long time.

I mean, I was a fucking nervous wreck before we started. XD But it turned out that they were really open about the whole thing. They never played D&D - only the German counterpart (?) DSA, which is a lot more complex when it comes to rolling the dice. And god, so many rules and numbers and yeah. It’s fun, too, of course. But back on track. (Though this might be a bit rambly.)

So I had that idea. Nothing too big, with two ways to get to the goal but I should not have been surprised for them to go off-road and have their first fight with a freaking owlbear! I mean, seriously? I wanted to kind of ease them into the game and not throw them in at the deep-end! You know, just a little bit of everything with a few medium to hard fights? A bit of chatting, investigation and so on.

But the first roll of the night, though, was a natural 1 from our Tabaxi ranger, Rain. I think it was on a perception role. XD

Anyway, within the first two hours of the game we have the first natural 20 by our ranger and the first unconscious character - out fighter, the triton Keros because the Owlbear got in an attack of opportunity. Auriel - our Aasimar cleric - saved him and managed to get in the killing blow.

In fact, she got in the most killing blows - with her sacred flame. I really have to re-read about the spellcasting rules and so on. But I think, everything was correct. Still. Just better make sure - otherwise I underestimate them again.

So, then, once I had them back in the tavern, I introduced an elven sorceress that would have been a keypiece for some nightly investigation. But of course my group derails that plan once again. Auriel can’t keep a secret to save her life and she’s always curious about finding out new ones. So of course the asked about the vanishing magic-users in Seameet (the little village). Rain tries to stealthy hop over the bar and check out the trapdoor leading into the cellar. He fails and falls, alerting the innkeeper, Eliba. After some conversation (right, conversation) he leaves the tavern and Keros tries his luck - and manages it.

Eliba lets him into the cellar but follows to show that there is nothing. But, with a good perception role he finds the hidden door. Rain joins them, putting Eliba into a rather tight spot because she doesn’t want them there. After a little while Auriel joins them with a torch to light up the cellar and Eliba manages to lock them into the cellar.

After that it’s thankfully a little more straightforward, they find the path leading down. A couple of traps, one healing potion (that I had to include because they did not rest! argh!), a wand for fireballs and a possibly poisonous dagger later, they fight against a villager with two dogs, managed to stealth their way through the tunnles and not alert the spiders I put there. And this time even our fighter was stealthy enough. Thank god. Though our ranger was a more on the death side since he fell unconcious fighting the dogs.

The last fight was interesting. Rain created a distraction by setting some crates on fire in the last big cavern. When the bandits rushed to investigate they obliberated one of them in one go. Two bolts, one sacred flame and the bandit was no more. The other two didn’t stand a chance.

Anyway, that’s the most of what happened - and yes I left out a lot because this up there? is what still stands out to me. Holy hell, what a first session. I’m going to write a complete summary maybe tomorrow - one where everything is written down. Let me know if you’re interested in that, too.

Oh, and Rain managed to roll two nat 20 on a disadvantage roll. Fuck me ...

#ranna plays dnd #first time dm #d&d

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monkey-network · 8 years ago

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Good Stuff’s Best of 2017

WARNING: I’d like to thank everybody who was here for me when times were low. Thank you, take care out there, and enjoy.

Cartoons; the one thing that I will continuously watch until I go blind. 2017 was an emotional handful and an exhausting trudge, can’t deny that, and I’m counting down the best cartoons/animations I’ve seen and loved this year in no particular order. Only two rules, no sneak previews of future projects (sorry to Unikitty and Hideo Kojima). Here we go....

10. HANAZUKI: FULL OF TREASURES

This was a sleeper hit tbh. The fact all the episodes were free on Youtube blew my mind, but having a well structured story with a lovely cold space color palette, actually relatable characters, and a sinister undertones below its tender, colorful charm to be as a nice headliner to when Friendship is Magic came back in spring. It was an inviting start for the year, and with the guy behind Motorcity and Superjail taking the helm and having two more seasons being produced, Hanazuki is something I find is in good hands come 2018.

9. LITTLE WITCH ACADEMIA

Four long years. I waited FOUR long goddamn years...and fuck me was it worth it. A spectacle is what I can call Little Witch Academia. Almost every episode dazzled me with its stage made bravado and confidence that always made me say, “Okay. Let’s make it til’ the next week”. Even when things got serious, LWA knew how to have fun and make the most of its concept. There is a sense of predictability sometimes, but the series would still throw you some good curve balls to never lose your interest. What did lose my interest was Netflix’s sorry excuse of a dub. The movies: fine. But Netflix, try that again, with any other anime, and I will rip your nuts off.

8. Now I might be cheating here since it’s not a cartoon, but shit it might as well have been

CUPHEAD

The effort that went into this is phenomenal, beyond the many other games of the year no doubt. While not everything is animated, I could tell they were cutting corners in some areas, the frame BY frame animated enemies, bosses, and effects made this one of the most visually colorful and alive games to date, next to Mario Odyssey. Not only was this game a frustrating yet joyous romp to start and finish, but the music and art flawlessly channeled the essence of a time where the word “cartoon” was only starting to make good progress. My favorite character would have to be Satan King Dice, whom is an animated homage to great musician and composer Cab Calloway. His stache, his clothing, even his Cheshire grin captured the cool, jazzy vibe Calloway always provided in his performances. He and his fight was the highlight of Cuphead for me and I hope this game, if a sequel isn’t possible, is well remembered for its unexpected excellence in how a video game can look.

7. CAPTAIN UNDERPANTS/L-EGGO BATMAN

Faithful is what I can describe these two. Captain Underpants was just an awesome book to elementary schooler me, but to see a well animated, well written movie about a dude in his underwear was nothing short of a simple yet powerful masterpiece. As for Batman, this is one of the three truest DC and Batman movies around this time, and it has a gay undertone with Batman and the Joker’s relationship (how can you not pull that off, Suicide Squad?). While not a big fan of lego myself, The Lego Movie put my faith WB making another one equally as good, and they did not disappoint. It’s a shame it got snubbed at the Golden Globes, it deserves the award more than the Boss Baby. Plus it had a Superman that didn’t bore me while having a terrible CGI lip job that’s only made worse by his two way dick nose....

Justice League costed 300,000,000 dollars.............

6. DANGER & EGGS

To me, this series felt like one of the few steps forward the world took to make the LGBT+ community feel more welcome and inspired in public outlets; a small step, but progressive none the less. It is a colorful and lively action comedy, a first to be created by a transgender person, where you can see a non-binary character, a pride fest, diverse background characters of orientation and ethnicity, and it feels like they are a part of the world and not footnotes that states that you should respect queer, bi, ace, and so on based on a say so. It’s a show don’t tell type of series and it brightened my summer before I had to remind myself that college exists and is expecting me.

5. TANGLED: THE SERIES

*ring ring* “Hello?” Ye, Disney? How fucking dare you?

My hype for this was undoubtful. I love Tangled the movie, I consider it one of my favorite 2010 disney flics beside Wreck it Ralph and Moana. And when the art style was up for a preview for this (?), I just sat and waited until it finally premiered and damn. I never stopped loving it, but it is until episode 16 where the series starts to hit high note after high note with the direction it’s going for the story. The fact that this all takes place not long after the movie makes the thought where Eugene and Rapunzel finally get married feels all the more earned. It’s working its way to a happily ever after, I adore this show, and this makes me appreciate Frozen a bit more for how far that’s fallen in the world after its one year of fame. Seriously, Gigantic had to get chopped, but Olaf can still live? Give me a break, Disney.

“Sir, I understand your enthusiasm....but this is Domino’s.” Then I will have the 5.99 large with Salchicha and pepperoncini with a liter sprite on delivery.

4. MADE IN ABYSS

This was so beautiful, so awesome, and much better than...

I wasted my life and I cannot say that I will ever reclaim that time proactively again the Anime

Made in Abyss is like Hunter x Hunter except Gon’s more booksmart and Kilua’s a timid robot. The bond between Riko and Reg was a fucking dynamic and heartfelt where Riko’s helps build Reg up and Reg kept Riko and himself safe with his bodily arsenal. That and this series has the best world building where they not only give the low down on almost everything about the titular abyss, but the atmospheric environments and the designs of the inhabiting creatures made this a unique world to want to explore myself. It knew what to show, and knew what to share. When things got serious, I actually tensed up at the thought of shit truly going down; they knew how to soften the terror while maniacally instill fear in us for the safety of the traveling kids. I want to recommend this link to an awesome breakdown of how great Made in Abyss was. However, as it seems that a season two has gone down the abyss as well, and I’m afraid it can’t come back up.

3. LET’S BE HEROES!!

Is it safe to call this the M.U.G.E.N. of cartoons? Just an all up mashup of stuff I love in a Saturday morning? Campy, action, and laid back, this is something I can be sober or grab some kush and I would be enjoy the show just the same. They even have references you might not have ever heard of, but might like the search. OK KO’s a popcorn cartoon, it’s not for everybody, but it established itself well into the modern CN era when Adventure Time finally has to move on.

2. SAMURAI JACK

Getting this out of the way: episode 6 toiled the final season of Samurai Jack for me. Not gonna go into detail, but if that episode was remade, I would have been more satisfied looking back. However, that does not stop me from saying this is how a revival should be, this is how a reboot should work, THIS is how you can bring nostalgia back. Samurai Jack was great back then, but this season, wrapping up the loose plight of our boy trying to get back to the past and defeat the demon Aku, was satisfactory to many fans. Even those who’ve never heard or remember Jack could just enjoy this as a dynamic mini-series; it gives you context of what happened before without having to recap the original plot of it. For non fans, it’s mostly about an ageless samurai, longing to return to his own time, stuck in the future for over 50 years to the point of losing his honor and his mind. It’s a binge worthy 10 episode season, originally intended to be a movie, and aside from polar opinionated finale, this made Samurai Jack feel great to love again.

1. TRUE AND THE RAINBOW KINGDOM

This is a personal choice from me because 2017 was an honest to god terrible year for me; nothing but turmoil, season to season, and the struggle to cope with that despair in a way I felt actually could help. However, this small series here boosted my spirits because even with it being a show for little kids that I originally wanted to watch as a joke, the competent, enthusiastic spirit it had just moved me in a way that cartoons that I love for eons could only try to do on a whim. It’s not the best made cartoon, it’s not something I sincerely recommend to you all, but it helped me realize that the best thing about life is finding and seeking things that don’t just distract you from the hard and testing times reality puts on you, but gives you a moment of honest bliss and happiness that can influence your outlook on looking forward to better things because things like this, cartoons like this, CAN make you feel better.

*sniff* Which is why, the actual cartoon of the year....

1. is STEVEN U., BABY!

Just kidding, guys! You will NEVER win, Steven!

TEEN TITANS GO! WINS IT AGAIN, BABYYYY! ONCE AGAIN BABY (i don’t even like it no more...), YOUR NEW FAVORITE SHOW (i don’t even fucking like it no...) RISES TO THE TO-

But Steven Universe in Space, though. That’s when it’ll be great again.

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ladylynse · 8 years ago

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Whirlwind: Part II - Secret Quartet Fanfic

(Part I here)

4:57 PM

It had taken while, mostly because he’d gotten distracted by other things along the way, but Randy had finally figured out that this Gabriel show was a fashion show. That explained Marci’s interest. He still had no proof that McFist wasn’t doing a side deal, but it was looking less likely.

Randy had also figured out where the show was being held. He couldn’t sneak in as Randy Cunningham, obviously; while no one looked twice at him while on the streets, they’d notice pretty quickly if he tried to step foot in a place like that. But as the Ninja, it would be less of a problem. Difficult, granted, more like sneaking into McFist Industries than the Museum of Silt, but definitely not impossible.

Masked with the Art of Disguise (which he was way better at now) and blending into the crowd, Randy waited. When he heard the security guards turning away someone at the door—not meeting the dress code or fake passes or something; Randy didn’t try to keep it straight—he took the opportunity for what it was and slipped inside.

Roughly three minutes later, the screaming started.

About ten seconds after that, he was standing outside in the middle of the rapidly disappearing crowd and wondering how the cheese the Sorcerer had managed to stank someone in New York City when he was still trapped under Norrisville.

“I am so shoobed if this turns out to be the Sorceress,” Randy muttered. She was not someone he wanted to tackle without allies, and Howard couldn’t exactly hop on a plane to join him.

In all fairness, the monster attacking the fleeing crowd wasn’t really the Sorcerer’s—or the Sorceress’s—usual style. It was a female, way less animalistic than he was used to, and still mostly human-sized. Also, fluent in English, which was helpful, because while monsters usually understood him just fine, people usually weren’t much for talking once stanked. That typically made figuring out what had gotten to them harder.

“I am the Critic!” the monster announced. She didn’t seem to be holding a weapon, unless you counted her clutch. Though considering Randy had been bludgeoned with Stevens’s trombone before, the handbag should definitely count as a weapon. “So many of you don’t deserve to be here. You’re flawed, unworthy and unappreciative of true art. A quick critique will reveal those who truly live up to the proper standards.” She turned, picking out some random victim in the crowd, but Randy was already running toward her. He didn’t need to hear the rest of her spiel; he was used to doing this without spiels. She was about to attack, and he didn’t need to know any more than that. He figured he’d start with a Ninja Electro-Ball, feel her out, and then—

“The Critic, eh? Good thing for me black’s always in fashion.”

Silence fell as the monster swivelled to meet—what was that? Someone in a cat getup? What the juice was going on? Randy actually stopped to stare. What kind of shoob went around dressed like a black cat? Especially at some kind of fashion show?

“Chat Noir.” The monster sounded surprised but pleased, though her smile was anything but pleasant. “If you wish to save these people, you’ll have to give me your Miraculous.”

Randy had no idea what that meant. He had no idea who Chat Noir was—well, okay, fine, he could figure that part out—or what was supposed to be so miraculous or why this monster was being so vocal. But he knew how the Sorcerer worked, and now that he got a closer look at this monster, she looked vaguely familiar. She seemed to be the woman in the business suit he’d passed earlier, only the colouring and cut of her suit had changed—he wasn’t sure how; he just knew it looked different—and for some reason, maybe the silver and navy garb, she reminded him less of a monster who was ready to try to tear him apart limb by limb and more like, well, someone who fought with words. Like an actual critic. The glasses helped, though he couldn’t remember if she’d had them before.

This was weird. He would freely admit that. She still looked human. But something about her had changed, and she’d been in the right mood earlier to be stanked—bitter, angry, sad, the whole nine yards—and the way she held onto her bag made him pretty sure that’s where the Sorcerer’s stank had settled.

Which meant, relatively speaking, his job was easy. A Ninja Scarf Snatch here, a Ninja Slice there—this time, any shoob could do it. He could probably do it with his eyes closed. The crowd had scattered, and with cat boy distracting her, even the stragglers had had time to run. Randy moved closer, vaulting over the queue barrier. No one stopped him, even though the Ninja belonged in Norrisville and not New York.

“He’s not taking that deal,” Randy hollered as he cleared the last rope divider. He flipped forward, ducking and rolling and coming up with a few Ninja Rings in hand; he didn’t want cat boy to get caught with his Ninja Electro-Ball. He aimed and threw, shouting, “Ninja Ring! Ninja Ring! Ninja Ring!”

This time, it was cat boy’s turn to stare at him—in awe, probably—and the monster moved, dodging the rings and pulling out—a pen? What did she expect to do with a pen?

Didn’t matter. Good rule of thumb: get rid of anything the monster wanted to use as a weapon. Randy shot forward and grabbed his sword. He cut left, right, and left again. If he could just get—

Something slammed into him.

Correction: he slammed into something.

Problem: there wasn’t actually something there.

“Interfering where he’s not wanted,” the monster sneered, moving the pen as if jotting down notes. “Moving with reckless abandon and with no sense of a plan. Announcing attacks like an amateur but no doubt fancying himself a hero.”

She looked down over her glasses at him, and Randy bristled. Or he tried. He actually just tried to move, but no dice on that. “What the cheese did you do?” At least he could talk. “And who’re you calling an amateur? At least I’m not dressed up like a cat!”

Randy couldn’t turn his head to look away from the monster, but he saw movement from the corner of his eye, and cat boy started to slowly circle behind the monster. Cat boy might be the real amateur—did he really think no one could see him or something?—but the least Randy could do was distract the monster. “I mean, look at the quality of my suit,” he continued. “This is good workmanship, not some Halloween store special.” Then, since even he could tell he was losing her, he added, “Can’t you appreciate that, coming to a place like this?”

“You dare question me?” The monster actually laughed at him. “I am the Critic. I know more than any of these people. I certainly know more than you.”

She started to advance, and cat boy finally moved. He grabbed a baton and split it into two, throwing one at the monster and one at Randy. Both hit. The one aimed at the monster didn’t do any more than draw her attention—so what was the point of Randy trying to distract her?—and, because he couldn’t move, the one aimed at him took him in the gut. But it pushed him back, and suddenly he could move again. Presumably because the monster was distracted?

Cat boy had retrieved the first baton, and he held it like he was ready to throw it again. “You’ll have to do better than that if you want my Miraculous.”

“Will I?” the monster laughed as if she understood what cat boy was talking about. Personally, Randy had no clue why they would even know each other, but obviously they did, and this miraculous whatever-it-was might even be the reason the woman was stanked.

Even though cat boy wasn’t really acting like he’d stolen it from her. After all, he was still hanging around, and Randy was pretty sure any smart thief would be long gone. They wouldn’t be trying to pick a fight with someone they’d just robbed. And then there was the fact that both cat boy and the monster kept saying it was cat boy’s miraculous…thing, only the monster wanted it. And jealousy was a legit reason to be stanked, too, so Randy couldn’t rule that out. It just made things harder. He was pretty sure the monster wouldn’t be appeased if he presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

“You’re a fool, Chat Noir,” the monster continued. She started to move her pen again, as if she were writing a new list. “Your little partner isn’t here, and you’re helpless without her. You are hardly a problem solver. You’re in over your head, bumbling about a foreign country and failing miserably at being anything more than an annoyance. What you need—” and here she clicked her pen and leaned forward “—is to give me your Miraculous. That’s the first step to improving your situation.”

Cat boy jerked forward as if he were being pushed toward the monster, his feet stumbling nearer even as he tried to dig his heels in. Randy didn’t have time to try to figure this out anymore. Critic monster lady might not like it, but he did reckless abandon well, and plans always went off the rails sooner rather than later anyway. He picked up the baton—good quality, judging by its heft—and got to his feet. If the monster didn’t want him announcing his attacks, fine. He’d show her.

He took five steps to the right, just enough to get a clear line of sight, and threw the baton with an accuracy he’d honed over the past year of fighting in Norrisville. The baton struck the monster’s hand. She dropped her pen with a shriek, but Randy was ready. He snatched it out of the air with his scarf before she had a chance to turn. He grinned at her. “Who says he doesn’t have a partner?” And then, even as she started toward him and cat boy’s eyes widened and he yelled something, Randy snapped the pen in half.

He’d been expecting a swirl of stank to leave the pen.

He was not expecting a purple butterfly.

Cat boy said something else—Randy was pretty sure it wasn’t English—and then he’d grabbed the other half of his baton, attached it to the first part, and extended the thing way past what should have been possible, vaulting to the roof of the building in pursuit of the butterfly. Randy just stared after him as he disappeared, wondering what that was all about. He glanced back at the monster, half expecting the snapped pen to have done nothing after all, but all he saw was an ordinary woman who had fallen to her knees in a daze.

“What…what happened?”

Frankly, Randy wasn’t sure he knew anymore.

The woman’s eyes focused on him. He saw her confusion and—unfortunately—her distaste. “Why are you dressed as a ninja?”

Randy rolled his eyes. “Everyone’s a critic,” he muttered.

He didn’t bother announcing the smoke bomb as he used its cover to escape.

5:24 PM

“You’re sure it’s okay to do this without being invisible?” Danny asked as he and Jake—who was in his dragon form—flew over the skyscrapers of the NYC.

“Man, I keep telling you, people do not look up. And if they do, they just think they’re seeing things. It’s cool.”

“So that Rotwood guy isn’t still on your tail?”

“Please, you really think he can catch the Am Drag? At least give me a little cred, Phantom.”

“I thought he caught you before.”

“And I escaped. With some help. Doesn’t matter now, anyway. We’ve worked together since then. So long as he thinks he can use me to get info on the magical world, he’ll let it slide. He’s had too many close calls with the police to risk being accused of kidnapping me, anyway.”

Danny, who was too used to Vlad and his tricks to judge, decided to let that drop. He couldn’t see much from up here—his eyes were good, but Jake’s were definitely better—and wasn’t entirely sure where they were going. Jake did; he’d heard a possible location from Fu who had heard from Marty who had heard from a friend who had heard from a pair of leprechauns on the run from the guild. Or something like that. Danny had really stopped listening after hearing Marty’s name. Knowing the Grim Reaper was real still sent shivers up his spine.

Jake dived before Danny was expecting, and he almost overshot him. Jake had dropped without a word, so Danny didn’t shout after him; he just followed. When he caught up to the dragon, he moved carefully between his wings and put a hand between Jake’s shoulder blades, making them both invisible.

It took another second or two for Danny to spot what Jake had seen. Someone was racing across the rooftop of some building—Jake might recognize it; Danny didn’t—and, as Danny watched, using a silver stick like they were about to pole vault over something, getting more height and distance and easily making it to the next building.

“You think that’s your guy?” Danny asked as Jake slowed and evened out, watching and content to keep pace with the runner for the moment.

“Maybe?” The lack of confidence in Jake’s voice wasn’t inspiring. “He’s got the same colour of hair.”

“Is he supposed to be dressed like a cat?”

“Well, it is the Ring of the Black Cat….”

“Can you see what he’s running from?”

Jake was quiet for a moment. “I don’t think he’s running from something. I think he’s chasing something.”

“Chasing what?”

“A butterfly.” Danny looked, but he didn’t see anything, even after Jake added, “It’s dark purple.” As if that would stand out against the buildings.

“Why would he be chasing after butterflies? Even if it is this shapeshifting butterfly you were talking about.”

“Maybe he accidentally released it and needs to get it back?”

Danny snorted. “How incompetent do you think this guy is?”

“Hey, he came into an electronics store to ask where to find a cheese shop. He’s either new to this and really bad at it or trying to trick us into thinking he is.”

Danny couldn’t exactly deny that. “And you’re sure you don’t know what his endgame is?”

“You’ve been in the back room of the shop, Phantom. Anything could be back there. If he’s looking for something we might have, that’s a great place to start. And this…this is probably just to distract us.”

“Which is why we’re not getting any closer?”

Jake’s muscles moved beneath his fingers, and they glided nearer to their target, though they still remained out of earshot, especially considering how noisy the traffic was below. Was it always rush hour here? Danny didn’t remember it being this bad last time. Maybe because he hadn’t gotten out much. Or maybe because, once his dad had shown up, it genuinely hadn’t been as bad. Could also just be a different part of the city, though. The NYC was a sight bigger than Amity Park and Elmerton combined.

“I don’t know if we can actually fight him yet. You heard Fu: keep an eye on him but keep our heads down unless things go south. He’s trying to come up with something that’ll actually be able to hold this guy—or at least slow him down.”

“How about identifying him? Tracking him? If you guys don’t have something, can’t you steal something from Rotwood? He’s probably got bugs. Or some kind of spell.”

“If Rotwood has a spell, it doesn’t work. Trust me on that. And I’m not convinced any bugs he has are electronic. It doesn’t seem to go well for him whenever he tries that.”

Somehow, Danny had no trouble believing that. Rotwood definitely hadn’t changed, then, or gotten help. Just as well, for Jake’s sake.

“Besides,” Jake added, “for all we know, this guy’s good at spotting that kind of stuff. It wouldn’t take him much to get rid of it.”

True enough. Jake hardly knew anything about him at all. Most of this was guesswork, plus whatever information could be gleaned from the grapevine of the magical world, and Danny had no idea how reliable that was. Probably not as much as Jake hoped, at least judging by how things went in the Ghost Zone.

Still, Marty’s friend’s tip had been right. The cat suit and the butterfly couldn’t be a coincidence. Which meant someone who could destroy anything with a single touch was running around the city, accompanied by a butterfly that could basically possess someone and change them into anything. Not quite a normal day for Danny, but close enough, considering some of the things he’d put up with.

“I don’t like the idea of that butterfly being loose on top of everything else.” Not to mention the fact that finding it again would be nearly impossible. “We’re gonna have to split up. I’ll distract our friend with the deadly touch. You can torch Midas’s minion.”

“You sure about that? Those aren’t office buildings anymore. We’re past that. People live here.”

“All the more reason to do this before he gets wherever he’s going. For all we know, he’s herding that butterfly, not chasing it.”

“Aw, man, I didn’t even think….” Jake trailed off. “Fine. Deal. Just don’t go getting yourself killed, Phantom.”

Danny smirked. He was nervous, but at least fighting was familiar, so the mask was an easy one to wear. Besides, what he had in mind involved minimal contact. “Hard to kill something you can’t touch,” he said, and then he flickered intangible and dove through Jake, concentrating on their target.

The guy was definitely going to regret having a costume with a tail by the end of this.

5:31 PM

Adrien saw the burst of fire from the corner of his eye a split second before it engulfed the akuma. He lunged forward, not sure what fire would do to it. It was magical; could fire even touch it? They’d never tried. After their mistake with Stoneheart, Ladybug had always been very careful to catch and purify the akuma before it got away. What if the fire just caused the akuma to multiply?

The akuma was a black shadow in the centre of the flame, but before Adrien could see anything else—or get any closer—he found himself hanging by his tail. The belt tightened uncomfortably around his middle, but it took more than that to take his breath away.

The sight of the buildings falling away beneath him was a good start, though.

The dragon clinched it.

Adrien had just enough time to realize the red dragon was the source of the flame before there was a blinding flash. By the time he blinked the spots away from his eyes, he couldn’t see the dragon anymore, and he was too far away to hope to spot what had happened to the akuma. With some difficulty, he tried to twist around to see what was holding him. He wouldn’t have been entirely surprised if it was another dragon. Plagg was real, after all, and his presence was probably less believable to some than a fire-breathing dragon. But even if he’d ended up fighting a dragon in New York City, of all places, he never would have expected it to help him.

Why would Hawk Moth—who shouldn’t even be here; why was he here?—turn someone into a dragon and not have them fight to steal his Miraculous? The Critic hadn’t split hairs about letting him know what she wanted once she’d realized he was around, and he had to wonder if Hawk Moth had only transformed her to see if he could coax out anyone of any power from here. It wasn’t like he could have known Chat Noir would be here, after all, and Hawk Moth was definitely the type to collect as much power as he could. The dragon might not even have been intended for him; maybe the dragon had been intended for the ninja, whoever he had been.

Adrien really had to wonder about him. He hadn’t expected New York City to be devoid of heroes, exactly, but he wouldn’t have thought a ninja would be the one feeling at home here. Still, this ninja might not have been the amateur the Critic had claimed he was, but he clearly wasn’t used to Hawk Moth’s work if he hadn’t had any plan to catch and purify the akuma, even if he had known enough to break the object where the akuma had settled. But just because he hadn’t known about Hawk Moth, it didn’t mean Hawk Moth hadn’t known about him. Maybe the dragon had been intended to confront him all along, not Adrien. It wasn’t like the dragon would easily earn Adrien’s trust when he was a dragon and therefore obviously under Hawk Moth’s influence, but maybe this ninja didn’t know any better.

Except…. What if it wasn’t that obvious? Plagg had just told him that there were more kinds of magic in the world. Maybe the dragon really did live in New York City. Maybe he had been trying to help just to get on Adrien’s good side, just to get close to his Miraculous and to Plagg so that he could steal them away. And maybe that’s why he had a partner, someone who had been able to grab Adrien while the first dragon destroyed—hopefully destroyed—the akuma. Maybe the ninja was even less incompetent than he’d appeared and had been sent to scout out the situation. Maybe he and the dragon worked together.

But if that were the case, why would he have helped Adrien instead of working with the Critic to trap him first?

Adrien still couldn’t get a good look above him, so he started trying to swing. He didn’t want to be dropped, exactly, especially when he was so high up he was getting cold and finding it hard to catch his breath in spite of the suit, but if he could get a better view, then maybe he could discover exactly what was holding onto him and figure this out.

He heard a squawk of surprise and found himself picking up speed, being pulled far faster than before. He fought to raise his head against the wind as he spun and twisted behind his captor, but he still couldn’t see anything. Could dragons become invisible? He’d have to ask Plagg. Assuming he ever got the chance. What would Ladybug think if he never returned? What would his father think if his son disappeared?

“I can’t let that happen,” Adrien said, quietly enough that he knew the wind would tear away his words before his captor had a chance to hear them. “I’ve got to get out of this.”

He just had no idea how.

“Hey!” he yelled, trying to get his captor’s attention. Then, louder, “Hey! Where are you taking me?”

He didn’t get an answer, though he didn’t know if it was because he hadn’t been heard or because he was being ignored.

“Hawk Moth’s not going to like it if you just drop me on his doorstep, you know! He wants my Miraculous, not me!” He was speaking English, figuring that that was probably his captor’s native tongue, but in desperation, he tried the same in French.

No response.

He kept yelling anyway, alternating between English and French and throwing some Chinese into the mix in the hope something would halt this flight. Between the blood pounding in his head, the tossing and turning, the numbing cold, and the thin air, he really wasn’t feeling well.

“Just let me go!” he screamed—but when he suddenly started falling, he regretted the rash words. He tumbled head over heels, darkening grey sky looking little different from the rippling slate of the water below. He still could see no sign of what had held him. As the water rushed closer, he reached for his staff, hoping to extend it and try to regain some sense of control, but it wasn’t in its holder, and he realized he must have lost it when he’d been grabbed in the first place. He couldn’t remember letting it go, but he couldn’t remember putting it back, either. He was on his own.

Adrien closed his eyes on the sight of the water coming up to meet him and hoped that the impact didn’t kill him.

Onto Part III! or What’s the timeline again?

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rockiesturnrose · 8 years ago

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D&D Diaries-October 17

So last night’s D&D session was an Event, the kind of Event that will be forever referenced, and a reminder of just how amazing this game can be?

Since we’re essentially a drop-in campaign (though with 5 constant party members), we occasionally get new blood. This week, it was a baby!Rogue, arcane trickster specialization. Turned out to be a bit of a jerk, but he was also a full elf. Not unexpected, alas.

The other thing? Our healer was missing this week, again. I suspect it’s because he owes Keth money and doesn’t want to pay up. So we’re again relying on potions and just plain not dying.

So, it starts like this: our motley assortment of adventurers was tasked with transporting a mysterious package overseas. We had to take said package from guild HQ down to the docks to actually start the adventure. Doesn’t seem difficult, right? Well, the tanks didn’t think so.

See, our ranger put the package in her bag of holding to keep it safe. And our fighter thought ‘out of sight, out of mind! Package is safe, this will be a breeze!’ So he challenged the barbarian to a race down to the docks. And the barbarian, missing the Voice of Reason that is the healer, readily agreed to the fun. The two took off at high speed, leaving the rest of us (2 rogues, a wizard and a ranger) all alone.

Yeah, they broke the cardinal rule of D&D: DON’T SPLIT THE PARTY.

And that’s not the worst thing they did. No. They tore through a busy market, causing a bit of an uproar there. And then the fighter crashed into a produce stand, causing a huge disturbance. It involved the guards, we’ll get back to it because it is important.

More importantly: us squishies, meandering along at a slower pace, couldn’t get through the square because of the throng of people yelling at something we couldn’t see. So in order to get to the docks before our ship left, we took a side alley.

Turns out, some baddies were waiting for us to leave the crowd so they could steal the package. They dropped some boxes at the entrance of the alleyway, cutting us off. I’m a rogue, I need stealth and surprise. I had neither of these things.

The gnome wizard tried to intimidate the thugs, telling them that if ‘they wanted his package, they’d have to buy him dinner first.’ His charisma is 8—the thugs did not take kindly to him. In fact, they hit him first.

Fun thing about wizards? They aren’t frontline fighters. They aren’t meant to take hits. (To be fair, he was only near the front because he was trying to convince Keth that they should open this mysterious package.)

The wizard tried to hold his own, aiming a fireball at the crotch of the head thug (who was conveniently placed so it would hit all the other dudes too). All the baddies succeeded their saving throws, so they took a grand total of 8 damage. Yeah, the wizard rolled 8d6 and only got 16/48 possible damage. He rolled a lot of ones. It was sad.

So he got knocked out almost instantly. Someone healed him, he got up and tried to cast Hold Person, he failed, he got instantly knocked out again.

(all the while, I was glaring at the two tanks who were either staring at this farce in shock, or doubled over laughing. If the wizard got hit, I’d toss them a middle finger. Keth’s fury is righteous and long lived. I had words for the tanks.)

Wizard rolls a death saving throw, fails. Not good, but not terrible yet. He has two more. We could let him lie there for a bit. Few more rounds of combat, take out a mook or two

The next fun thing to happen? The wizard rolled a Nat 1 on his second death saving throw. The DM looked at him, completely mindboggled. “Okay. If someone heals you like, immediately, you won’t die.”

Thankfully, I went next. Not so thankfully, I had been set up perfectly for flanking and possibly ending this fight. But now I had to heal the wizard or we would legit lose him. Keth sees the wizard spasm and make some terrible sounds, so she decides she needs to heal this small dude she’s fond of. So I used my action to give him a greater healing potion. You know, pretty expensive, 4d4 plus 4 healing? I figured I’d give him at least a fighting chance.

I rolled 4 1s.

The entire table had a moment of stunned silence, then burst into laughter. The DM stopped the game to take a picture of this spectacular fail.

Whenever someone rolls spectacularly good or bad, the DM gives you a bonus or a penalty (like last campaign, our sorcerer had advantage on this climbing check and rolled 2 nat 20s. So now he can basically spider climb without having to roll). This photo-worthy dice fail deserved something. My permanent new bonus when healing? Everyone I administer a healing potion to gets an extra +1 HP. “That’s…not what I was expecting, but okay,” says I, starting to jot it down.

The DM smiles his terrible smirk. “There’s more,” he says. “Whenever you heal the tanks, they get -2 to whatever you roll.”

Cue more laughter from the table. Keth is so mad at these idiots, and probably will be for a while, that whenever she tries to heal them her absolute fury and loathing is felt in what is supposed to be a life giving substance. And even when she does cool down and they redeem themselves, there will always be that small part of her subconscious that’s still keenly aware that their foolishness almost got their wizard killed three times.

So the wizard gets healed. But by this point he’s just pissed off the head thug so much that the dude instantly attacks him. He’s unconscious again.

(That’s 3 times in 30 seconds, more or less. He wasn’t having a good morning)

Keth originally had plans to keep this last guy alive to ask what’s so important about this package, so I was just going to roll non-lethal damage. Turns out, sneak attack damage isn’t like…the most subtle of damages. Especially when you roll 17/18 possible sneak attack damage. Keth was a combination of very panicked and super pissed off that her assassin training took over and she just wasted the guy. “Oh, oops, meant to have my dagger pointing the other way. Oh, well.”

To top it off, these guys were so nondescript that we couldn’t even tell who sent them. So that was useless.

When the battle was finally over, the fighter’s player looked at us and was like ‘Hey, no, it’s good we’re not there! This would’ve been tougher!!’ The DM just looked at him and shook his head. Apparently, this battle was supposed to be super easy for our entire team. All it was supposed to do was let us know this package was so important that people were after it. He kind of expected the tanks to take care of the big guy while the rest of us picked off the tiny mooks. A 5 minute combat, tops. Not 30 minutes with our wizard getting knocked out three times.

Also, the barbarian, out of character, tried to mitigate my anger by pointing out he had given Keth 100 gold from selling some treasure no one knew he had, and that that should have garnered him some goodwill. Then there was an incredulous ‘you think the wizard’s life is worth 100 gold???’ followed by the squishies pointing out that the value of health potions poured down his throat was more than the 100 gold. The barbarian was thus shamed.

There was also a slightly hilarious moment when we looked at our poor wizard and decided maybe someone should carry him? Except Keth and the ranger are both weak as shit (8), so we looked at the other rogue, who has a whopping 12 points in strength. We labelled him the strongest among us and gave the gnome to him. The tanks only tuned in at the mention of ‘strongest’ and asked what number value that was. Then both started laughing because they’re at 18 and 19.

So how did the footrace turn out? Well, as mentioned, the fighter careened into a vegetable stall and got covered in tomatoes. He attempted to push the stall away and continue, but the town guard was instantly there. Somehow, amazingly, despite a 5 to a persuasion check, he convinced the guards to let him go if he just paid the fine (they crit failed against the persuasion). The merchant demanded 50 gold and made the fighter count it out one piece at a time. He was in such a rush he dropped the 49th piece and had to start again. If the guard hadn’t been there watching, he would not have payed such an exorbitant amount.

The DM’s original plan was for the disturbance that made us take a side alley be a planned thing, something the thugs had started when we left the guild. But because of the fighter’s shitty rolling, the disturbance ended up being caused by him. He was the reason we had to take an alley, and he was the reason we got ambushed. The thugs just took advantage of this handy distraction.

Of course, we squishies didn’t know that until we finally got the docks. The wizard, poor thing, was covered in blood. The fighter was covered in tomatoes. When he tried to ask what happened, Keth scooped up some of the tomatoes and shoved them in his mouth. She did this three times, every time he tried to talk, before storming away. She contemplated slapping the barbarian or kneeing him in the groin, before deciding he wasn’t even worth the effort.

Meanwhile, the ranger (who has the calmest head, apparently) told them what happened to us. The fighter put the pieces together and was like “Oh shit. Oh shit, you guys, I’m so sorry that was totally my fault.”

The wizard, battered, bloody and pissed off, heard this and whirled on the fighter. He cast firebolt at him and crit succeeded on the roll. The fighter, now smelling like burnt tomatoes and missing his beard and mustache, was left with 3 HP and much shame. Their strange détente is…I’m not sure where it is now. The fighter won’t doubt the wizard’s ability to start fires now, at least? The wizard might stay pissed off for a while.

So on the plus side, the idiots have gained some awareness. They have realized that we squishies require someone big with us at all times because none of us are good at sustained close quarters combat. We can’t take the same hits, we will die. We rely on being far away from the combat, or only being close for a maximum of 2 seconds. The barbarian, at least, was suddenly much more attentive of us. It remains to be seen if the fighter will be.

Also Keth learned that the barbarian considers cities ‘safe for adventurers.’ He bases this off the fact that civilians could do little damage to him, while he could do lots of damage to them. Keth was furious and pointed out that she’s an adventurer, more skilled than he is (level 5 vs his level 4 so you know), was raised in this city, and still doesn’t go traipsing about because cities aren’t safe for anyone. Who’s to say the person attacking you isn’t an adventurer themselves?

And then she stopped talking to both of them.

So we finally got on the ship, which was…an experience. The wizard and other rogue were both puking their guts out. The barbarian actually followed through on his awareness by gluing himself to their sides. Keth still glared at the both of them, though only the barbarian really noticed her ire.

Second day into a week long journey, and of course we get attacked. Same nondescript band of assorted humanoids, all after the package. This battle wasn’t necessarily as hilarious as the last one. We had both our tanks actually performing their jobs (the fighter got knocked out and kept asking me if that was redeeming enough. I just responded that he might want someone else to heal him). The wizard took no damage this time, to his relief. I put uncanny dodge to wonderful use. We managed to make short work of the entire pirate crew except one annoying gnome.

Actually there was one beautiful moment, where a guy attempted to stab the ranger, lost grip on his sword, and sent it flying through the air. As the ranger is watching it go by, he stabs her for laughing at him.

Keth also learned that when jumping fifteen feet down, she needs to be a bit more graceful or she’ll take some damage. She’s blaming it on preparing for the boat to suddenly rock and it staying pretty still. Being over prepared can sometimes hurt.

So there we all were, moving in for the disabling blow on the gnome pirate when a fucking ballista caught him in the stomach and sent him flying over the side of the ship. Cue all of us, staring in surprise, convinced that these guys were so well-organized they didn’t want any of their own taken alive. As the DM revealed, they nat 1ed hitting the barbarian and hit their own guy instead. It was painful.

Then the wizard noticed that the bad guy’s ship was trying to get away, so he sent a fireball at them. It took out everyone on the deck in a glorious blaze of fire. He got a bunch of XP for one shotting seven NPCs.

The tanks boarded the second ship to see if there was anything worth stealing. While headed down into the lower reaches, the fighter kept his halberd at the ready…and ended up spearing a crew member hiding down there. Spearing him so hard, in fact, the halberd got imbedded in the wall. And then he couldn’t dislodge the weapon. The barbarian, meanwhile, found a second guy and attempted to tackle him. Except he kept rolling really badly, and the guy managed to teleport away.

Meanwhile the newbie rogue demanded our crew give us payment for saving their lives. They tied a rope around his waist and dropped him off the side of the boat until he stopped being a jerk. Full elves, you know.

And then we ended the night standing around in -10 weather discussing concussions?? I love this group so much. I had reservations joining a drop-in group, but we all mesh so well together, everyone’s pretty reasonable, and everyone’s pretty consistent about showing up. It’s great. Even if not every week has an event worth writing about, it never fails to put me in a good mood.

#Kethila Nadroson #universe: Gryffonshield Guild

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impishnature · 8 years ago

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Saving Throw

AO3

Rating: T

Summary: Ford struggles with his mistakes, what ifs and what could have beens. But luckily he has someone to remind him that accidents happen and things work out in the end. (Set around D,D&MD)

AN: Present for @lockholmes. It took me a while but it’s finally here ^o^ I hope you like it ♥

Look at what you’ve done. In the whole scheme of things- Really? You really want to go down that route?

Ford sighed as the elevator came to a stop outside the basement, the soft almost chirp of a ‘ding’ doing nothing for his sour mood as he crossed the threshold and added yet another failure to the room that he had once thought held the secret to everything.

The room he had once thought would be his greatest achievement, his biggest failure of them all.

But that wasn’t what was eating away at him that particular day. The portal was dismantled enough that he needn’t worry about it restarting, the rift was contained in its temporary glass dome and for now the world was safe.

No, what ate away at him that particular moment was the fact that he had put his family in harm’s way.

He scowled, dropping his arms contents into a small heap on the floor, hearing bits and pieces of it clatter away and roll out of sight and he couldn’t quite bring himself to care.

Stan was right. He told you to stay away from them.

Ford growled at the thought, pushing it back into the recess of his mind. He’d tried! He’d tried to keep to himself. He knew just as well as Stan did how much his research had got him into trouble and had agreed with him that it was better to keep the kids out of the basement. It wasn’t his fault that Dipper had found a way down here, or that he had thought that a game of D,D&MD couldn’t hurt. And really, it was Stan’s fault for knocking the infinity die out of his hand that had actually caused the fallout that followed-

Really? You’re going to go down that path now?

“It’s true. If Stan hadn’t-” The words came out before he could stop them and were just as quickly crushed by his looming thoughts.

You should never have had the die in the first place! ‘If Stan hadn’t’ ‘If Dipper hadn’t’ – are you ever going to stop denying your part in things even to yourself?

Ford gulped, the words on his tongue falling flat as he looked down crestfallen at the small pile, the scattered graph paper, the dice still rolling to a halt a few feet away and the board that looked accusingly back at him. He knew what he had done, it was just easier to push it away from himself. There was always a domino effect, that’s how life worked. Nothing was ever one person’s unanimous fault in a scenario, and especially on the other side of the portal he had learnt the hard way that sometimes it was nobody’s fault. Nobody to point the finger at, to get angry at because even when you did everything right sometimes things still went wrong.

Other times there was no one else there to blame, just him and a miscalculation, a misfire or a misunderstanding that left him bloodied and far more cautious than before.

You learnt from your mistakes, accidents happened. You dusted yourself off and kept moving because guilt and shame didn’t keep you alive, especially when you’d done everything you could in that situation.

But in this case, in this scenario?

All his arguments seemed to come back and hit him. The dominos always led a trail back squarely to him.

Sure, Stan had knocked the infinity sided die from his hand, but he should never have had it in the first place. He’d warned Dipper of its potential dangers and yet still in what he had deemed a normal game of D,D&MD he had still felt the need to keep it with all his other dice.

And if Dipper hadn’t fallen into the basement- an accident he knew, but one that was not in his control nonetheless, then they would never have started playing. Then again, he could have stuck to his guns and told him to leave, like he was supposed to do, taken him to the elevator and back to the main house and ignored the boy’s arguments. He should have, he knew he could have but the nostalgia that the game had brought on had just been too much of a temptation to resist…

And really, if it was any other relative or friend the boy had managed to find to play with, he could almost categorically prove that the game would have started and ended as intended, not with a twisted life or death parody of the boy’s favourite game.

Former favourite game.

And didn’t that just make his stomach twist up in knots?

All he’d wanted was to bond with his nephew and he might have irreversibly ruined both his chances at that and something the boy held dear.

That? That’s what you’re worried about? You could have gotten him killed!

The knots tightened, twisting until he was sure if he wasn’t still on his nutritional pills he would have thrown up whatever food was in his system. The ‘what ifs’ started to swirl, thick and heavy and spiralling him further and further into his own head, locking him in place. His own life? Well, that was par for the course. Too many close calls and narrow encounters to really fear the inevitable any more. But Dipper’s? If the others hadn’t been quick enough, or if they hadn’t come after them at all, would he have been able to look after him? Protect him? The thoughts curdled inside his chest, making his heart thud painfully as his ears rang, his eyes glazing over. He could see all the potentials, all the probable outcomes and though he’d never say thank you for it, the probability of Stan’s last dice roll had been so slim, that he couldn’t help but be grateful for his brother always taking on a challenge that wasn’t in his favour.

His thoughts faltered at that, more possibilities adding to the probable ones. What if there hadn’t been steadfast rules the brought to life game pieces had to play by?

What would he have done if Mabel had gotten hurt? He’d never really had a chance to get to know her yet, not like Dipper. A shudder ran down his spine, ice tingling across his skin, at the thought of all that colour vanishing from the world in a blink of an eye. Those twinkling eyes, that sparkling smile and all the warmth that could be held in a person, stone cold and grey and-

He gulped, his hands wrapping around his forearms as he shook the thoughts away.

It didn’t happen, it didn’t- But it could have and it would have been your fault.

“Stop it.” The words came out with more authority than he had expected. Loud and clear and cutting through the thoughts like a knife. He gave a shuddering gasp of a breath, letting his arms fall as he breathed in deep.

It was just a game. Things went wrong but you dealt with them. You didn’t- they did. They got you out of that mess.

Ford closed his eyes against the onslaught in his head. He sat down shakily, letting the words fizzle into a venomous hiss instead of outright snarls before he opened his eyes again. His hands went to stray bits of paper, patting them together into a pile, ignoring the two distinct writing styles in favour of the temporary distraction of getting every single piece to line up perfectly.

The room and his thoughts went blissfully silent as he did so, the crinkle of the paper the only sound as he continued to shift the pages over and over.

A cold slithering voice spoke up quietly then, almost disjointed and unconnected from him enough for his head to snap up quickly.

What about Stan’s?

“Wha-”

Stan. Stan’s life. What about his-

An explosion of new images made him shrink back into himself, a wave of self-loathing bubbling up that he hadn’t thought of him along with the kids. Stan jumping in to protect Dipper, shielding Mabel- hell, even launching at Probabilitor to save them all, danced behind his eyelids. Sure, they were still arguing. Sure, he was still angry. But he’d never want Stan to get truly hurt or worse-

Could you live with it? Could you honestly live with never having made amends with him if something happened to him because of you? If he hadn’t- Stop lying to yourself. You’re supposed to be smart.

His own life, that consequence he could deal with.

But theirs? Any of theirs?

That was another matter.

Who was he kidding? He wasn’t cut out for any of this.

Stan was right… I’m dangerous.

He’d been away from this dimension too long.

Doesn’t matter now anyway. He won’t want to be near me again after that.

Ford nodded to himself, sitting up straight as he steeled himself for that painful truth. The kids would realise now that they should keep their distance. Stan would get what he wanted and they would all leave, safe and sound at the end of the summer.

Leave him to his research.

All alone.

“That’s just how it has to be.” The words came out as a ghost of breath. Ford frowned at the space ahead of him, where he could almost see the words hanging useless and dejected. He knew that was the case, the most logical outcome so why had his voice warbled, the tone so disappointed by the prospect?

The resignation tasted bitter and upsetting at the back of his throat, even when his brain pointed out that he had a lot of work still to do, work that would be far too dangerous for any of the others to know about.

It really was for the best.

So why did it sting so much?

Ford scowled, picking up the graph paper, the scribbled writing showing the enthusiasm they’d both had only yesterday when they’d excited filled out sheet after sheet. New characters, new enemies, jumping into the deep end of the game because that was half the fun. Now it was just painful to look at.

It wasn’t like they’d ever get used again, anyway.

He hummed, his mouth twisting thoughtfully as he grabbed a lighter from his pocket. He flicked it, open, closed, open, closed, over and over as he mused on what to do next. He grabbed the box from the side, slipping the board inside as he gathered up the dice that were still within reaching distance. He could just burn it all, get rid of all the evidence and pretend it had never happened, or at least be safe in the knowledge it would never happen again. Dipper probably wouldn’t even notice, he wouldn’t be up for playing again any time soon and by the time he was- if he ever was, it would probably be when he was back home where games were just games and he wasn’t around to mess them up.

He added the dice that had come with the new game to the mix, his hand hesitantly hovering over his pocket, where his own dice were stored. He should probably get rid of them all. The likelihood of anyone playing the game with him again slim to none but somehow he couldn’t bring himself to get rid of them too.

Until another bubble of seething snarling loathing blossomed.

Selfish. If you’re going to do this, do it properly.

Ford bit his lip, dropping both his hands. Who was he kidding? He had no idea whether this was the best option. For all he knew, Dipper would get angry at him for burning his things, want to take the game back with him.

I’ll buy him a new version, one I haven’t touched. You know full well how hard it is to get the right version of this game, you might not be able to.

The logic was sound though he hated to admit it. He flicked the lighter a few more times, pushing the box and the board to one side in a moment of decisiveness, as he placed the graph paper down and mused over the smaller yet far more significant pile.

He could get Dipper new graph paper easily. All he really had to do was get rid of the evidence of their game and Dipper probably would be fine to play the game again when he knew he was safe from him and his infinity sided die.

As long as he wasn’t involved then everything would be fine.

He hoped Dipper would see that.

No, you don’t.

Ford groaned at the treacherous voice in his own head.

Alright, fine. I’d love for him to realise it was an accident and play again but that’s not going to happen now is it? Are you happy?

There wasn’t an answer to his question, but the bitter disappointment in his sharp response was enough. Instead of dwelling anymore he picked up the top page, putting the lighter to the corner as he prepared himself to get rid of yesterday’s happy memories.

Before everything had gone wrong, when it had all been just fun and games and here he was burning it all away because he’d ruined it, one mistake and he’d ruined it all-

“Grunkle Ford, what are you doing?”

“Dipper?” Ford jumped from his position on the floor like the voice had burned him, the lighter and smoking page falling from his hands in the movement. He cursed as the page lit, stamping on it quickly before anything untoward on the floor burned as well, not wanting to add another mistake to the day’s proceedings. “W-what are you doing down- How did you get down here?”

“You didn’t hide the password last time we came down to play.”

“I- Oh.”

Silence reigned as the pair regarded one another.

It was Dipper that broke it.

“You still didn’t answer what you were doing.”

Ford bit his lip, looking away. “That’s- unimportant. What are you doing down here, Dipper? You know you’re not meant to come down here.”

Dipper shrunk back at that, a wave of shame flooding Ford at the guilty expression. “I just… wanted to check up on you. You didn’t even respond when Mabel asked if you wanted to give Ducktective a try.”

“I…” Ford didn’t really have an argument for that one. “I didn’t want to encroach.”

Dipper gave him an unimpressed look, one Ford was almost proud of considering how long it had taken the boy to stop stuttering in front of him. “You can’t encroach when you’re invited.”

“…Fair. I guess I didn’t want to- I wasn’t sure that I’d-”

“You can just say it’s not your kind of show.” Dipper raised an eyebrow, grinning when Ford finally let out a soft chuckle, his shoulders relaxing minutely.

“Quite. I didn’t want to ruin it for any of you. I’d have to see the rest of it before the finale, right?”

Dipper beamed at that. “We’re always happy to show you. Me and Mabel and Grunkle-” His voice faded at that before shaking his head. “Anyway, I know it seems kind of childish but it’s better than it sounds. I was a bit sceptical at first too but Mabel asked me to watch one with her one morning and it became tradition to watch it together whenever it was on.”

You took him away from that. Not intentionally. … You still mocked the show in front of him, he’s defending it.

“I’m sure it’s great. You’re right, I should give it a chance.” Ford smiled indulgently, still feeling out of sorts from the turmoil in his head and the dissonance of Dipper’s almost vibrating happiness. “I shouldn’t have called it childish. I was lashing out at Stan, not the show.”

It was so against how he’d expected their next conversation to go.

“I know. Believe me, they mocked D,D&MD before I came down to play with you. But they liked the game once they played it, even if it was… unusual circumstances. So, I have hope for you liking Ducktective yet!”

Ford’s face fell at Dipper’s words even as he continued to appear completely fine with the day’s turn of events.

Dipper seemed to notice his expression, his own face falling as he looked at his feet.

“A-Anyway, it just didn’t feel right for you to be in the basement all on your own when we didn’t finish our game. I didn’t mean to leave, but I did want to catch the rerun with Mabel.”

“That’s quite alright, you don’t have to worry about playing again with me, I completely understand.”

Dipper’s head shot up, his eyebrows furrowing into a deep frown. “Don’t have to worry- I want to play.” His eyes flicked between Ford’s expression and the items at his feet, his voice growing hesitant and suspicious in equal measures. “Grunkle Ford, what were you doing?”

“I- I was…” Ford scratched at his cheek awkwardly as he glanced down. “After today I didn’t think you’d want any more adventures for a while, so I thought I’d just make it easier on both of us and get rid of the notes. I wasn’t going to get rid of your board or your dice! And I would have bought you new graph paper-”

“Grunkle Ford, you can’t get rid of our game! We haven’t finished it yet!”

“I- But- You-” He couldn’t get anything past, not when insidious hope was crushing all the half-hearted excuses.

“Today was an anomaly, it wasn’t like we intended for our board game to come to life.”

Ford gave a wry smile, unable to resist. “Anomalies are attracted to Gravity Falls though.”

“Yeah well, that doesn’t mean that every time we play we’re going to have to actually fight Probabilitor.” Dipper rolled his eyes as if that was obvious. “I mean, it wasn’t even intentional today! No one meant for the infinity sided die to get rolled! If it hadn’t been, we’d have had a fun day of games today. Maybe with some more normal upsetting arguments in between, but normal none the less! And anything could have happened when that die got rolled anyway, what are the chances of that happening again?”

“Slim to none.” Ford spoke firm, nodding, though for other reasons. “And that’s because we won’t be playing again and I’ll make sure the infinity sided die is locked away somewhere safe.”

“You don’t want to play again?”

Dipper’s voice was so despondent that Ford couldn’t get the lie out. The words he knew he had to say shrivelled up and died before they could make it up his throat. “I- of course I’d love to play but I don’t want- I could have gotten you hurt today.”

“It wasn’t your fault!”

“No?”

“No- I-” It was Dipper’s turn to fumble for words, biting at the inside of his lip as he seemed to struggle. “No one asked for this to happen, it was an accident. But everything was OK in the end! So, that- that was the worst case scenario and we beat it! So any other game would be a lot less dangerous by comparison.” Dipper nodded to himself, as if it made perfect sense. “So we can still play!” His voice faltered as he seemed to realise what he was demanding, his voice turning more genuine and plaintive. “I’d still like to play if you would.”

“I’d love to-”

“Then that settles it.” Dipper cut him off, smiling brightly as he gathered up the board and pieces again. “Why don’t we go have a normal game now to prove it? I already checked with Grunkle Stan and he said as long as I let him know in advance, and it’s not around dinnertime, we can use the kitchen table to spread everything out on. Plus! As long as we check if we get really into a game again, I’m sure they’d be OK with us taking over the living room.” Dipper’s smile grew and grew as if that settled everything, tugging at Ford’s hand with the one that wasn’t tightly holding the box to his side.

“Are you sure?” Ford let himself get led back towards the elevator, the voice in his head evaporating in the warm glow radiating off the boy.

After all, he still wanted to get to know him, that had to mean something.

Maybe he hadn’t ruined everything.

And another smaller, even more hopeful voice that he tried his best to ignore, slipped in another teensy detail that he didn’t want to broach in case it burst in his face.

Stan didn’t tell Dipper to stay away from you.

“Of course I’m sure! Hey, how about we make up our own game this time? One set in Gravity Falls? You could add in some details of the creatures you encountered when you first arrived here.”

Ford laughed at the thought, raising an eyebrow as he hesitantly bantered back. “You know, you could just ask me to tell you those stories.”

“Yeah but that’s not nearly as fun. Plus, I wasn’t sure you’d answer them.” Dipper gave him a cheeky look, tapping at the button on the elevator before Ford had even realised they were inside. “But yeah, I don’t think we need all the fantasy additions today- or we can at least change their stats to be more realistic.”

“Dipper.” Ford shook his head, as Dipper’s face dropped. “We could go outside and I could show you those creatures if you wanted. From a distance, that is.” His words twisted again as he thought about potential dangers and all the things that could go wrong again. “Or I could let you look at my other journals or-”

“Nah, that’s not as fun as playing a game with you.” Dipper tugged at his sleeve again as the elevator opened. “And besides, I’m not really up for any more adventures today. I think a table top one sounds adventurous enough for tonight, what do you think?”

Ford huffed, letting his last few excuses and arguments slide off his back and back into the basement, all his overthinking and dismal outlooks firmly squashed down in the earth where they could stay for the moment. Instead he let the hope and enthusiasm take back over, the happiness that the boy would still want to get to know him, and let himself just enjoy the moment instead of worrying.

One game of D,D&MD couldn’t hurt, really could it?

“There you are, Dipper! You never said if you wanted to watch the other episodes they were playing after- oh.” Mabel gave a sheepish smile as she rounded the corner and spotted them both. “Hi, Grunkle Ford!”

“Hello, Mabel.” Ford gave her a sheepish look in return, hand darting behind his head nervously. “Dipper and I were going to go back to another round of D,D&MD actually but if you two would rather…?”

“Nah, we’ve seen them all a bajillion times anyway.” Mabel waved him off with a small sound, though her smile was still hesitant as she turned to her brother. “Actually… could I join in… maybe?”

“You want to?”

Mabel shrugged. “I mean, I could watch! There might be a bit too much math involved.” Her eyes darted back to Ford. “It that’s OK, that is…”

Ford couldn’t get the words out quick enough for his liking. “Of course it is! The more the merrier.” His entire demeanour softened as the girl brightened back to her usual shimmering self, filled to the brim with excitement.

“Yay! Family board games! Even if I don’t understand them entirely!” She fist pumped, jumping into the air before scurrying off ahead of them to the kitchen, Dipper following with equal enthusiasm.

“As long as you two are sure. I’m sure Stan would be upset if there were any more incidents today.”

The words came out quiet, and mostly for himself so he couldn’t help the wince as the twins paused, locking eyes with one another in a silent conversation at his reaction.

“Hey, Mabel, you can help me actually. How about instead of a normal game, we use the board to tell Grunkle Ford some of the other adventures we’ve had over the summer?”

“Yeah? How will we do that?” Mabel sat down, nodding away even as she waited.

“Well, first we’ll have to make character sheets. We’ll make one for each of us, we’ll do each other’s and add the best weapons for each of us. Then we’ll see how differently things could have played out now with hindsight on our side. So it’s still a game with a story, just using an actual adventure that happened.” He turned to Ford with a smile. “Then afterwards we can tell you how things actually panned out. And you can add us into some of your stories from before we got here!”

Ford blinked at him, frowning in befuddlement. “You’re going to add me into the stories? But I wasn’t here for them.”

Mabel shrugged. “You’re here now, and that’s what matters.” She turned back to Dipper, intrigued. “OK, you’ve got me, what adventure are we starting with?”

“I was thinking zombies. Their stats in the game are the same to what they actually were basically so they won’t need much modifying.” Dipper fiddled with the notes before him, grabbing out the sheets he needed as he regarded them before turning to them both with a grin. “Plus I want to see what kind of stats Grunkle Ford can give a karaoke machine.”

“A karaoke machine- wait, you two went up against the undead? Why- what- how?”

“Technically it was us, Grunkle Stan and Soos but yeah we did well! Well, except Soos but we got him cured so it’s all fine.” Mabel shrugged, still beaming brightly as if Ford wasn’t spluttering away in a panic about things he had no control over.

“That doesn’t answer how.”

“Uhh, I might have…” Dipper looked down, biting his lip as if warring with himself before shaking his head and looking up at Ford defiantly. “I might have read a passage from the journal because I wanted to impress… I mean I didn’t think…” He gulped, dog earing the page nervously as he looked away from him again. “It wasn’t meant to actually do anything like that, maybe raise one or two to show them they were wrong about me and the book but-”

“It was an accident, you weren’t to know.” Ford patted his shoulder, relieving some of the tension as Dipper relaxed into the grip. “You shouldn’t have had the journal in the first place, that’s on me-”

“No.” Dipper shook the hand from his shoulder, eyes snapping to Ford’s and locking him in place. “No, it was an accident. I never meant for that to happen. But it did. There’s lots of little things that led to it- but it was me who did it.” He raised a hand as Mabel opened her mouth to argue. “Mabel and Grunkle Stan told me it was OK though, they forgave me- even Soos said he knew it wasn’t intentional and he got bitten! So, I guess I’m just trying to say that today…”

Today wasn’t your fault. And even if it were we forgive you.

“Oh.” Ford blinked as his mind supplied the rest of the words. “Oh.” He tilted his head as Dipper refused to look up at him. “Did you choose this particular story intentionally to tell me that?”

“Maybe?”

“…You still want to do this one?”

Dipper nodded, relaxing further as he went back to the game. “Yeah. Now that it’s over with, it’s a fun story. I mean Grunkle Stan-” He bit his lip, his smile growing cheeky. “Well, I guess you’ll just have to wait and see what happened.”

Ford raised an eyebrow, his curiosity getting the better of him. “Well now I do have to hear it. So, was this karaoke machine a magical item would you say?”

“I dunno, the way Mabel used it, it was more of a blunt weapon.”

Ford blinked, turning back to Mabel with delighted appraisal. “Huh.”

“Oh, unless you want to go with a different story, Mabel?”

Mabel shook her head, preening under Ford’s mildly shocked expression though she seemed giddy for other reasons. “Hey, if this means you’re not beating yourself up about the zombie incident anymore, I am happy to go along with this one.” She pulled a sheet of paper towards her, starting to doodle out the karaoke machine to help Ford with his stat building. “So, karaoke machine for me, journal for you? Cause it did get us out of the danger too. And… knuckledusters or the baseball bat for Grunkle Stan?”

“Knuckledusters, he used them more.”

“… Stan used knuckledusters? Against zombies?” He couldn’t decide whether to be exasperated, angry or stick to pure and utter befuddlement. “A close range weapon against… zombies?”

Dipper shrugged. “Only when the baseball bat broke.”

“He probably would have punched them with or without the knuckledusters though.”

“…Obviously.” His body decided on endearing exasperation without his agreement as the kids both seemed oblivious to Stan’s reckless abandon.

“I mean, I’m not sure what else he had on hand.” Dipper defended him, though most of his thought process was on scribbling out a character sheet for Ford.

“Can I do Grunkle Stan’s?”

Dipper nodded, starting to explain the stat building as Ford watched happily, amused as Mabel nodded seriously along to every word before he started to make sheets for the pair of them at the same time.

“Oh no, I haven’t lost you to the nerd game too, have I?”

The three looked up as Stan stood in the doorway, his face mock upset as he shook his head at them.

Mabel waved the sheet at him she was working on. “Dipper said I could have the karaoke machine as a weapon! How neat is that?”

Stan raised his eyebrows, his mouth quirking up into a smile. “Huh, didn’t think the rules would allow that.”

“Some rules can be bent.” Dipper pointed a pen at him, waiting for some actual bite to his snide comments.

But Stan just grinned wider, eyes flickering to Ford for only a moment before turning back to the kids. “Heh, well that sounds more like my kind of game.” Before any of them could say another word he yawned, stretching. “I’ve had enough excitement for today, though. Don’t stay up too late playing your game, nerds.”

“Hey! I’m not a nerd. That’s for these two.”

Stan popped his head back around the door at Mabel’s words, winking playfully. “You’re the one playing the game, Pumpkin. Have fun. Try not to get attacked by anything, I’m not up for anymore real adventures tonight.”

“Don’t worry.” Dipper piped up, smiling back. “Strictly table top this time.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it.” His eyes found Ford again, mouth opening as if he wanted to say something more but instead he looked back to the kids with a wave and left without another word.

Ford watched the exchange, staying silent himself. He wasn’t sure how to take it. On one hand Stan hadn’t said a word to him, had almost seemed nervous to try and speak to him. But on the other…

On the other he hadn’t seemed annoyed at him at all for spending time with the kids. Hadn’t repeated that he should stay away from them, that he was dangerous.

That was something, wasn’t it?

He continued to watch Stan as he left, thoughts mulling over everything. Even though the day had been eventful, guilt filled in hindsight and nerve wracking at the time, there had been a moment, right at the end of it all when all the arguments had fallen away. When they had won, and they’d all been elated. That moment of pure relief and adrenaline when they were victorious.

The moment when he had been part of the family and they’d somehow all had fun in amongst the madness.

And just for a moment, he and his brother had been on the same page again. Just for a blink, just for a second, they hadn’t felt the need to snarl at one another.

Just a moment where it wasn’t awkward small talk even, when all the dark years had fallen away from them for just a small time. Booming laughter and wide stretched grins and words that didn’t have a hidden venomous meaning behind them.

There had been the moment just before the arguments had started too. When, without even thinking, he had offered that Stan join in their game. Just a small slip, but one that now filled him with the realisation that he did, deep down, want them to talk through everything, to stop arguing every time they spoke.

Dipper caught him staring before he fully had time to come to terms with his own thoughts.

“Hey, we’ve already got Grunkle Stan to play with us once now, maybe there’s a chance we can get him to play with us again.”

Ford blinked, looking down at him. He hadn’t even been thinking of that, but now the thought was there. The four of them, not the three of them sitting around the table sharing stories. The four of them watching TV shows together, getting knee deep into movies. Laughter and jokes and all the things he’d missed over the years.

The words came out without a thought, genuine and without overthinking. His earlier thoughts of never making amends with his brother sitting in his subconscious more than their arguments in that moment.

“You know, I’d like that. I’d like that a lot.”

AN: All the hurt/comfort required I hope! I thought it’d be interesting if Ford thinking on his own mistakes might make him a bit more... sympathetic? towards Stan (plus he doesn’t want him to get hurt deep down and that’s made him reevaluate). I dunno, canon divergence a little bit maybe? c:

#gravity falls fanfiction #gravity falls #grunkle ford #stanford pines #dipper pines #mabel pines #Stanley Pines #grunkle stan #dd&md #Saving Throw #lockholmes

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